Boozer's 'D' concerns Sloan

[RonnieBrewer (Ronnie Brewer)]

Boozer's 'D' concerns Sloan
By Tim Buckley
Deseret Morning News
Sunday, October 15, 2006

   INDIANAPOLIS ─ The Jazz committed a whopping 29 turnovers in Saturday's
87-84 preseason win at Indiana, leaving coach Jerry Sloan perturbed despite
the victory.

   Forward Carlos Boozer committed a team-high five of those miscues. Yet
that wasn't what had Sloan fuming the most over Boozer's play. Rather, it's
a repeat of the same issue for which Boozer was blasted by both Sloan and
Jazz owner Larry H. Miller two seasons ago.

   "Boozer's got to work more on his defense," Sloan said. "He can't step
out on the floor and expect to get 19, 20 points a game ─ and his man's
getting 22 or 23."

   On Saturday, Indiana's Al Harrington ─ guarded, in the loosest sense of
the word, by Boozer for much of the first half ─ scored a team-high 22
points that included 14-of-18 free-throw shooting. In the Jazz's preseason
opener against the Los Angeles Lakers last Tuesday, Lamar Odom ─ guarded
partly by Boozer ─ led L.A. with 18.

   "I mean, they come right at him right at the start of the ballgame to
see if he can play one of those guys one-on-one. And that happened in the
game the other night, when we played the Lakers," Sloan said. "So, there's
some indication that he's not ready defensively.

   "I told him he's got to do a better job defensively. And he can do a
better job. That's the great thing about it. He can do a better job. But he's
got to make a commitment to defending. Otherwise, I don't think we can win
with that."

   Boozer's stock response to repeated questions about the assertion:
"We've all got to improve on stuff. I'm gonna do the same."

   That answer, however, might not cut it for Sloan.

   "I don't care what you're reputation is, or what the situation is ─
you've got to stand up to that somewhere," the Jazz coach said. "Yeah, I
realize we should give help ─ but in the good ol' world, you've got to help
yourself first. Basketball isn't too much different."

KIRILENKO CONCERNED: 

Initially, it was a nuisance. Now, however, Andrei Kirilenko's bad back has
him concerned.

   "I'm worried, and I'm kind of a little bit frustrated," he said. "But
that's life, and injury happens."

   Kirilenko, who missed multiple practices last week because of back
soreness, did not dress Saturday and is doubtful for Monday's visit with
Detroit. The Jazz's forward from Russia said he's taking anti-inflammatories,
and that he'll likely undergo an MRI exam Tuesday in Utah.

   "We decided to take a break, probably for two or three days, just in case,"
he said. "I don't feel it so bad, especially like right now. I don't feel
anything. (But Friday) morning I was feeling like it was a little bit sore.
... (Now) I don't feel no pain, no sore. It's just a little uncomfortable,
tightness. ... I think maybe three, four days, and I'll be healthy."

   Yet Kirilenko can't be sure, leaving Sloan miffed.

   "I can't worry about it," he said, "because right now I've got 14 or 15
other guys to worry about.

   "I don't think he's getting ahead," Sloan added when asked if he thinks
Kirilenko's is falling behind. "That's why it's important to work on your
body in the summertime."

   Kirilenko has said he did just that, but Sloan sounds unconvinced:
"If he says he did, then he did."

   Perhaps the Jazz coach is worried because he knows Kirilenko missed six
games because of the back last season, including one episode when the pain
was so severe he returned to Utah from an Eastern road trip.

   Kirilenko said the back is not as bad now as it was then, when for an
entire December week "I was like robot. I couldn't move, some directions."

   But it's clearly not well.

   "Some moves on the floor, like running, like slash, changing directions,
jump especially, kind of make me feel weak and make me feel sore," the
one-time All-Star said. "That's why it's a little bit frustrating, because
I want to get in game shape as quick as possible. This slows me down right
now, and I want to start running, because that's my game."

ROUGH START: Free agent Hiram Fuller played the fewest minutes for the Jazz
on Saturday, logging just three after picking up three quick fouls.

http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650198946,00.html

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