5 questions with Jazz center Mehmet Okur News Utah Jazz

After returning to his native Turkey shortly after last season ended, Jazz center Mehmet Okur returned to Utah about 40 days before training camp got under way. Jazz beat writer got a chance to talk with Okur, a one-time NBA All-Star who's heading into his sixth season in Utah , and here's what the Jazz big man had to say: 1. How does it feel being the oldest player at Jazz camp and ? with injured Matt Harpring perhaps having played his last NBA game ?

the team's new elder statesman? I'm 30. I'm not that old. I don't feel old. I feel, like, 24. Is that what you want to hear? 2. How is the heath of your cancer-surviving father, Abdullah, who was so close to death last year you missed multiple Jazz games to fly to Turkey and be with him? He's really active a couple days, three days, four days, whatever, then his body gets really tired and he gets really slow for a couple days. But he's doing better. 3. You didn't play this past summer for your national team at the FIBA European Championships, so what are you plans when your homeland hosts FIBA's World Championships next summer? It's too early to talk about next year. (But) it's gonna be in Turkey. Definitely I want to be there. 4. How do you feel having signed in the offseason a two-year, nearly $21 million contract extension designed to keep you in Utah through the 2011-12 NBA season? I'm very happy, and I never thought about to leave here. It has always been first option for me, and they offered me a couple more years, so I didn't hesitate and I re-signed. 5. What are your expectations for the Jazz in the season to come? We have great players. As long as we stay healthy, I think we're gonna be great team. Hopefully everybody is gonna stay healthy, play all 82 games and go from there. We've got enough team (to get to the Western Conference finals), I think.