Jazz nearly back to full strength News Utah Jazz

The Los Angeles Lakers lost Andrew Bynum to a gruesome knee injury a short while back, and Manu Ginobili is hobbled in San Antonio by an ankle injury for at least a couple weeks. With Tracy McGrady already shelved for the season due to microfracture knee surgery, Houston dealt Rafer Alston to Orlando in a trade-deadline deal Thursday that did nothing blatantly obvious to make the Rockets better. And Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire underwent eye surgery Friday to repair a partially detached retina, which could sideline him for eight weeks ? and which will leave old-timers Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal to shoulder the Suns' shaky postseason hopes.

And as those playoff-quality teams in the NBA's Western Conference continue to fall to pieces, the Jazz ? who'll have to edge out one, perhaps Phoenix or Houston, to play beyond the regular season for a third straight year ? inch toward their long-awaited desire to be whole again. But for at least one more game that wish remains on hold. That is because would-be starting power forward Carlos Boozer returned to practice with the Jazz and made it through the short session Friday ? yet the team still is calling him "out" for tonight's home game against another of the West's best, the New Orleans Hornets. Friday marked Boozer's first attempt to go through a full-fledged practice since he underwent arthroscopic surgery on Jan. 9 to remove loose "particles" from his left knee. "It's been so long I don't recall," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan ? whose 32-23 club has won three straight after beating Boston late Thursday night ? said when asked about the last time all of his 15-man, injury-plagued team practiced in earnest together. Boozer, however, dampened the enthusiasm of those eager to see the Jazz play for the first time this season with their full starting lineup intact when he suggested prior to the session that he'll need two complete workouts with teammates before he's good to go. "Two practices is what we agreed on (Thursday)," Boozer said. "So today, another day. And then from there." The Jazz's next outing after tonight comes Monday night against Atlanta, the last in a five-game homestand. "From what I understand," Sloan said, "he's got a little more work to do before we put him on the floor." And even when that does finally happen, there is no telling how long it will be before Boozer is back to usual form ? and playing his usual minutes. "You can survive on energy for a while, but then you realize you've got to get in a little better shape," Sloan said after referencing forward Andrei Kirilenko's recent return from ankle surgery. "I've seen that happen a lot of times: In guys' first games, they play really well, and (you think), 'Well, he's back; he's ready to go; everything in place.' That's what happens with a lot of people in their thinking. "Well, to play Basketball at a competitive level ? it takes a little bit more than conditioning," he added. "And if you can't get there, you're not going to be able to do anything. So, hopefully it will work fast, and will work well for (Boozer). But (in the meantime) we just have to go with who we are." Boozer, a two-time NBA All-Star and two-time United States Olympian, has been out for 43 straight games after originally straining his left quadriceps muscle three-plus months ago. It's been a lengthy absence that ? combined with lesser ones by sixth-man Kirilenko, starting point guard Deron Williams (sprained ankle) and others ? has hindered the Jazz's choice for making significant noise in the Western Conference standings. With all 15 so close to being together now, though, the hope for that happening soon resonates in Utah. "We're just trying to move up the charts," Williams said. "We're not focused on catching one team ? this team, or that team. We're just trying to win," he added. "We're just trying to move up little by little. I think we're heading in the right direction." Contributing: Jody Genessy E-MAIL: buckley@desnews.com