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One-on-One with Mehmet Okur
By Bill Ingram
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Mar 17, 2007, 09:19
The Utah Jazz have been surprisingly successful this season and Mehmet Okur
has been a big part of that success. Catch up with the starting center for
the Jazz as he talks about why he thinks Carlos Boozer is the MVP, how much
Deron Williams' development is helping their team, what it's like to play for
the legendary Jerry Sloan and how the Jazz will stack up in the playoffs in
this Basketball News Services exclusive!
Memo, first of all, what did it mean to you to be a part of the All-Star
experience?
"It was a huge honor, especially for my country. It was a huge deal in Turkey,
too, you know. I had a good time and it was great to be a part of the All-Star
team and to represent the (Jazz) organization. It was a big honor for me."
Do you feel like the pressure on you is different now that you've had that
'All-Star' label placed on you?
"I still do my thing out there. Nothing changes for me, but maybe whoever is
guarding me out there is more focused or paying closer attention to me. I'm
still the same person and still the same player, but I work hard day in and
day out to improve myself and I try to play hard day in and day out already,
so I don't think anything changes for me."
How much does it help your game to have Carlos Boozer healthy, as he has been
for most of this season?
"He just dominates. To me, you know, he's the MVP. Obviously, the last couple
of years he wasn't healthy, but this year he just came out 100% and like I
said he's dominating right now."
You've got a young point guard in Deron Williams who has made some impressive
strides since last season. Talk about his leadership.
"He's in his second year with us and he learned a lot from last year. He's
more comfortable with the system, with the players, and I think he's grown up
a lot this year. I'd say he's having an All-Star year and he's the guy who is
our brain. He's doing a great job for us."
They say the point guard is the extension of the head coach out there on the
court. Do you feel like that's true with Deron?
"I believe so. Like I said, he's been doing a great job for us. Whatever
Coach Sloan says on the sideline, Deron knows exactly what's going to happen.
He reads the game very well. He's a great leader on the court for us."
Jerry Sloan is one of the legends of the NBA. What has his impact been on
you, as a player?
"This is my third year with the Jazz, with Jerry. He's a great teacher, likes
to teach every day. I'm so glad I signed with the Jazz because I've had a
great opportunity to play with a legendary coach like Jerry Sloan and so far,
so good."
What's the key for this team to advance in the playoffs? Everybody's talking
about Dallas and Phoenix, but the Jazz have been right there for most of the
season.
"If we do what we're doing out there during the playoffs we should be OK.
We're such a young team and we try to learn every day and work and play hard
night in and night out. It's going to be a different story in the playoffs,
so the last 19 games for us are going to be like playoff nights for us.
That's how we're looking at it. We're a young team, but we feel that if we
play in the playoffs like we're playing now we should be fine."
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_21261.shtml
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