--Jazz owner Larry Miller's health remains in question. Miller was taken to the hospital June 10, suffering from what was announced as complications from diabetes, and is believed to still be hospitalized four weeks later.
"I have visited with Larry on a number of occasions and he was in good spirits and dealt with me on issues as normal," Jazz president Randy Rigby wrote in an e-mail. "I have no knowledge on the status of his hospital stay." The 64-year-old Miller has owned the Jazz for 23 years and is one of Utah's most prominent businessmen, with a network of car dealerships that bear his name. He had been expected to take the lead in negotiating with Williams before his health went downhill.
--The Jazz will host their annual Rocky Mountain Revue summer league July 18-25 at Salt Lake Community College.
--After winning the FIBA Asia Championship last year, the Iranian Olympic team will play two games (against Utah and Dallas) in the Revue before heading to Beijing. Just this week, Iran drew global condemnation for testing a long-range missile that could threaten Israel.
--Although most of his teammates left town within days of the Jazz's playoff loss to the Lakers, Deron Williams has stayed in Utah for nearly the entire summer.
He has made appearances at Chamber of Commerce golf tournaments, at Miller Motorsports Park and at the opening of a Sam's Club.
"It's a busy summer, man," Williams said. "This is a big time in my career, with the Olympics, with the team's success, so you've just got to capitalize on that."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "That first year, I was the best point guard here. No disrespect to those other guys, but if I had started from the beginning, we would have made the playoffs that year. We were only two wins away." -- Deron Williams, reflecting on his rookie 2005-06 season, in which he played behind Milt Palacio and Keith McLeod at times.
