Utah Jazz: Sloan still has high opinion of Collins
But Jarron Collins still has the full backing of Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.
"No, he's not behind. One thing about Jarron — he can play or not play, and he's going to do his thing," Sloan said of the veteran big man, who played similar time in the Jazz's preseason-opening win over the Los Angeles Lakers. "He's going to go out and try to hustle, try to draw charges. Things like that. If he gets the ball in his hands, he's not afraid to pass it ... to somebody and give them a better shot. He'll set screens."
Collins has played 454 games over seven seasons since the Jazz selected him in the second round of the 2001 NBA Draft, including nearly half of them — 203 games — as starts.
His role was greatly reduced, essentially squeezed from the regular rotation, last postseason.
Yet the steady Stanford product remains a favorite of Sloan's.
"Jarron usually knows his assignment. And that's a huge thing if you're going to have a team game," the Jazz coach said.
Sloan didn't commit when asked Friday if Collins would retain his backup center role, especially when facing smaller lineups. But he did make it clear he would not hesitate to call on the 29-year-old when needed.
"When you start to run a play," Sloan said, "he's going to run the play. ... There's a lot to be said about that."
INJURY UPDATES: While reserve guard Ronnie Price sat out due to a bruised lower right leg sustained Thursday, All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer made it through all of practice Friday and is on track to make his preseason debut in the Jazz's exhibition game Sunday at Portland.
Boozer missed Utah's first two preseason games with soreness in his strained left hamstring. The Jazz are calling him "probable" for Sunday's game, while Price is listed as "questionable."
Also "questionable" for Sunday is rookie big man Kosta Koufos, who strained his left hamstring in last Tuesday's preseason-opening win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Anaheim, Calif.
The first-round draft choice took part in some of Friday's practice, but he didn't get up to full speed.
ALUMNI UPDATE: If he still can't latch on with an NBA team, 2004 Jazz first-round draft choice Kirk Snyder might decide sometime next week which of three offers from international teams he will accept.
Two reportedly come from clubs in Asia, and one is from a team in Europe.
"It's been a strange offseason in the NBA," Snyder's agent, Chris Emens, told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "There are all kinds of guys who have played prominent roles in the past who are in camp on non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contracts."
The former University of Nevada-Reno guard finished last season starting in Minnesota but couldn't land a satisfactory offer in the NBA's summer free-agency market.
E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com
Recent comments
Duh, Duh...Of course I considered he has a contract! And why did…
TrueFan | Oct. 13, 2008 at 2:12 p.m.
How can some of you people put Sloan down with the record this coach…
gunnar | Oct. 11, 2008 at 9:59 p.m.
Most Jazz fans see the same thing with Collins. He's horrible on…
no shock here | Oct. 11, 2008 at 4:01 p.m.
