At $68 million, Carlos Boozer costs about $2 million more than it took to build the Delta Center.

But Jazz owner Larry H. Miller sounded quite OK Wednesday about preparing to pay that much for a power forward he says the team has rated as the NBA's fourth-best, behind only two-time MVP Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs, reigning MVP Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves and rising Phoenix Suns star Amare Stoudemire.

"He's not a bad specimen," Miller said of Boozer, who after signing a six-year, $68 million offer sheet with the Jazz is expected to step into the position vacated one year ago by No. 2 all-time NBA scorer Karl Malone.

"We've all gotten spoiled by 32's physique," Miller added, "but Carlos, for 22 years old, is gonna represent himself and the team pretty well."

Miller's excitement, however, is tempered somewhat by tainted circumstances leading to Boozer's likely arrival in Utah.

And he can feel the pain of Cavs owner Gordon Gund over the loss of Boozer, who allegedly reneged on what Gund said was a promise to stay in Cleveland.

"He's a good man," Miller said of Gund. "He's an honorable guy. He's a real gentleman. He's good for the league. He's a good businessman. And I do feel bad for him."

Miller noted that before the Jazz made their proposal to Boozer last week, they cleared their plan with the NBA.

"I said, 'OK, before we go any further, I want to call the league in a conference call right now, and I want to ask if they know what's happened in Cleveland, and if they know the ground we're on,' " Miller said. "And we called them, and they said, 'Well, we think we do ... but let us call you back.'

"About 10 or 15 minutes, they called back and said, 'You're on good ground.' "

As for the possibility of sanctions against the Cavs by the league for engaging in what some suspect was an impermissible agreement before the NBA's summer free-agency negotiating period opened July 1, Miller suggested Cleveland may be getting punished enough by the mere fact the team likely will lose Boozer.

"If you went by the letter of the law," Miller said, "that (penalties, including a fine of up to $3.5 million and possible forfeiture of draft picks) could be one of the results.

"Personally, I would hate to see it. ... I personally would hope that the matter does not get pursued and cause any more disruption to the league, or Cleveland, or to the Jazz."

The Cavs thought they had Boozer's word on a promise to stay in Cleveland if they made him a restricted agent, but they insist they did not break any collective bargaining rules to get that vow.

Boozer says there never was any such promise.