--There's still a possibility that Carlos Boozer could be traded once Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor returns from vacation after Labor Day, but time is running out before the start of training camp. If Boozer is back with the Jazz, coach Jerry Sloan said he could put aside Boozer's comments this summer about wanting to play elsewhere and even listing Chicago and Miami as preferred destinations. "We'll do everything we can to try to make it work," Sloan said. "Will we be perfect? Probably not. In order to win in this league, you have to have good players. And he's a good player."
--Jerry Sloan underwent right knee replacement surgery April 30 after the Jazz were eliminated from the playoffs and reported significant improvement. He credited time spent at his Illinois farm and admitted he'd been pushing his knee too hard in the weeks after surgery. Sloan added that his back was feeling better and revealed that he'd received "a ton of shots" last season, including epidurals, to treat his aching back. QUOTE TO NOTE: "I haven't accepted too many checks outside of basketball since I was a kid. Not many people get to do something they love to do and they get paid for it." -- Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, reflecting on his life as he prepares to enter the Basketball Hall of Fame.
