Williams happy as Gilmore about his tournament News Utah Jazz

LEHI ? Deron Williams couldn't help but smile while talking about his charity golf tournament on Saturday afternoon. At least he was before the shotgun start. No word on how he felt after 18 holes and the 32-team scramble tournament had wrapped up at Thanksgiving Point, but Williams was as happy as Gilmore when discussing how generous sponsors, celebrities and others had been to this event.

Williams didn't discuss financial figures, but the star point guard declared his annual charity fundraiser ? this one benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and his own Point of Hope Foundation ? to be the most successful one he's held. Even before an auction, more money than ever had been raised for a good cause. Williams, who's previously donated raised funds to battle cancer and autism, picked JDRF as his charity this year, in part because his grandparents had diabetes and because former Jazz owner Larry H. Miller passed away from complications of the adult-onset disease earlier this year. That makes the cause all the more personal, giving him all the more reason to be excited about the "biggest turnout." "This is our best year yet," he said. "I'm very excited this year. "Every year it's gotten better, more people come." Among the celebrities who attended the golf tournament and/or a fundraising dinner Friday night were teammates Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver, C.J. Miles and Ronnie Price; front-office personnel Kevin O'Connor and Randy Rigby; former Jazz guard Dee Brown and ex-Dallas center Shawn Bradley; and several BYU and Utah football alumni. Participating golfers were able to bid for the golfing services of celebrities. Williams wasn't sure who had bought him off, but that group was getting a pro Basketball player who shot a respectable 7- over-par 81 on the challenging course on Friday. "Swing's looking good," he said with a smile. It should be, if you ask Ronnie Price. When asked which Jazz player had the best golf game ? aside from Kyle Korver, who participated in last week's State Am ? Price quickly joked about Williams' improvement. "I heard Deron's a lot better," Price said, "but I guess you have no choice but to get better when you have a simulator in your house, right?" It doesn't surprise Price that Williams has a high-tech golf game that allows him to play many of the world's toughest courses and tweak his stroke from his own home. "I give him crap about that," Price said, "but that just shows what type of a competitor he is. When he wants to get good at something, I guess you just go buy a simulator and go get good." As for Price, he occasionally practices his golf technique at home, too. He just uses a little less technology. He grabs his putter and aims the ball for a red plastic cup on the floor. "That's as close as I get to a simulator," he joked, "and my wife looks at me funny when I do that." PROGRESS FOR PRICE: On Saturday, Price confirmed that his agent and the Jazz are talking about possibly making him the third point guard on Utah's roster. "We're still working on getting a deal done," he said. "Nothing's completed right now, but progress is there. ... We're moving forward, and the Jazz have a lot on their plate right now. It's no rush." Price didn't rule out signing elsewhere, either. "You're talking about career," he said. "You have to be safe." VEGAS-BOUND: Williams doesn't have any playing obligations for the U.S. men's Basketball team this summer as in 2008, when he helped the Americans reclaim the gold medal in Beijing. But he has been invited to assist in an advisory role of sorts with the USA Basketball mini-camp in Las Vegas from July 22-25. "I'll be talking to players," said Williams, who's previously mentioned he'd like to play on the Olympic team at the 2012 London Summer Games. "If they (USA Basketball) want me to do anything, I'm happy to do it." Williams will have plenty of company from the Jazz organization. Millsap, Korver and Ronnie Brewer were chosen to participate ? and potentially earn a spot on the national team ? with a group of 25 up-and-comers. Jazz assistant coach Tyrone Corbin has also been invited to be on the camp's sideline staff. ALMOST THERE: Williams doesn't think he'll see court action in Vegas ? "Probably not. I'm lazy, man," he joked ? and even admitted that he's played very little this summer. Since losing to the Lakers, he's been giving his left ankle, which was severely sprained in preseason and bothered him all season after forcing him to sit out 13 games, some much-needed R&R. "I'm going to start working out soon," he said. "My ankle feels a lot better, just walking around on it. I think the rest really helped." e-mail: jody@desnews.com