There have been times when center Greg Ostertag did not exactly report for training camp in the tip-toppest of shape, and those closest to him weren't afraid to let it be known.

Karl Malone, where are you?

On Monday, the eve of Jazz camp for the 2005-06 NBA season, Ostertag's conditioning again was a hot topic.

This time, though, the big fella wasn't being ripped. He didn't look ripped, either — but he did appear to be in as good of shape as he has been for quite some time, and quite a bit lighter than in the recent past.

"Everybody's worried about Greg, and all the things that have happened," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, "but Greg has never worked as hard in his life as he's worked since he's been (back) here."

Ostertag played his first nine NBA seasons with the Jazz, but spent last season in Sacramento — where his weight soared upwards of 315 pounds. Utah reacquired him this past summer as part of a multi-team, multi-player trade.

"He's worked with Mark (McKown, the Jazz's player-development coach) in the training room, and the other day he weighed 275," Sloan said. "When we traded for him, he was a little over 300 pounds.

"I think he realizes he has some work to do," the Jazz coach added, "and he came in here and he's worked hard."

PALACIO'S PLACE: Newly signed free-agent point guard Milt Palacio has kept in close touch with his former Colorado State University coach Stew Morrill, who's been at Utah State since Palacio's senior year, 1999.

"He's such a great guy," Palacio said of Morrill, who's apparently been trying to steer his former player toward the Jazz for some time. "When I talked to him before, he was always like, 'I wish you'd come to Utah. You'd love that system. You'd be great for Coach Sloan.' Now that I'm here, it's good."

Palacio, who has been with Vancouver, Boston, Phoenix, Cleveland and Toronto in his five NBA seasons, hopes Morrill's right and this is a home for him.

"I couldn't even be more excited, just to know that Coach Sloan is a fair coach," he said. "He's not a coach that plays contracts, he's not a coach that's going to play guys and names. He's going to play the five best guys that he feels will work the best together and play the hardest. That's the most exciting thing to know."