Utah Jazz notes: Williams making himself at home in Utah — all year

When the NBA's summer negotiating period opens late tonight, don't expect any immediate announcement of agreement on a contract extension between point guard Deron Williams and the Jazz.

In fact, the two sides — Jazz management, and Williams and his representation — aren't expected to even meet face-to-face until sometime next week.

But when an agreement is struck — Williams is eligible for a five-year extension that would begin with the 2009-10 season and would be valued around $90 million if extended for the full five years — the point guard shouldn't have to come far for a news conference.

"I'm here in the summer all summer, so I'm not going anywhere," Williams said last week, while visiting the Jazz's practice facility. "All they have to do is call me, and I'm up here."

Rather than return to the Dallas area, where he attended high school before playing at the University of Illinois, Williams and his young family now are living year-round in Utah.

No other Jazz starters do: Shooting guard Ronnie Brewer returns to his native Arkansas, Russian small forward Andrei Kirilenko spends most of his summer in Europe, power forward Carlos Boozer resides in Miami and center Mehmet Okur returns home to Turkey.

But Williams is going all-out to make himself a part of the community, playing in local golf tournaments, holding a sponsor's event at the Tooele County race track owned by Jazz owner Larry H. Miller and even bending the willing-to-listen ears of Jazz management.

It's all a welcome statement for the Jazz, who readily acknowledge the commitment Williams — who will spend much of August in China, playing with Team USA in the summer Olympics — is making.

"I think he just feels comfortable here. We love the fact that he's staying," Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said. "He takes ownership of the Utah Jazz right now, and we really appreciate that and enjoy it. We think it's important that he does that — a point guard that does that."

It's somewhat akin to how a certain former Jazz point exerted influence within the franchise, even if now-retired John Stockton went about it a different way.

"John left and went to Spokane (Wash., his hometown and current place of residence) every summer and was with his family and wasn't here," O'Connor said, "but I don't think there was any question that he took ownership, or sponsorship, of the Jazz — and we feel Deron's doing the same thing.

"It's nice to have him around, nice to see him working out (at the practice facility). It's good for us that he's in here, it's good for us that he cares about who we're gonna draft — because we want him part of this for a long time, and we want him to be involved in it."

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