Miller a believer in Boozer

During his Nov. 14 public dressing-down of his Utah Jazz team, owner Larry H. Miller seemed to be directing some of his nasty comments at an injured $68-million man, Carlos Boozer, sitting in street clothes in the row behind his teammates.

Not so, said Miller on Monday night when he made his first appearance at a Jazz game since then.

Boozer and injured Andrei Kirilenko, seated next to Boozer, were just part of the 15 guys he was yelling at.

In fact, said Miller, he is convinced that Boozer genuinely wants to get back on a court he hasn't seen since Feb. 14. A foot injury took him out the rest of last season, and a torn left hamstring that kept getting worse since he pulled it in the preseason has had Boozer on the bench — if not in Los Angeles, where his doctors are and where he is spending four hours a day rehabbing.

Monday night, Boozer was also in attendance at the Jazz game and said he has given up trying to set a timetable for his return because every time he sets a date, he seems to re-injure the hamstring. He did add, "Hopefully, very soon."

Many in the media and in the Delta Center seats, even many who never attend Jazz games, have been skeptical about Boozer's desire to play for Utah.

But the owner said, "I have been, and still am, a believer that he is sincere in wanting to play and wanting to perform well based on the condition he came back in during the summer. He had gained about 10 pounds, and his body fat was down 1.5 or two points. You don't do that by accident. You have to do that by working hard."

Miller continued, "This year, I haven't felt any problem at all.

"I wish (Boozer) were out there playing, but I don't think he's dogging it in any sense, I think he's doing everything he can to get himself better, listening to his doctor, so it's just one of those things."

Miller has heard the criticisms, both about his actions and Boozer's intentions. "There's still some residual in some peoples' minds from what happened when I went off on him a little bit last year," Miller said about last February, when he did wonder aloud about Boozer's play.

"But he and I talked that through at the time, and subsequent to that more than once. Actually, the one time put that to rest between us. But people seem to keep it alive," Miller said.

Prior to the game, an encounter between Miller and Boozer seemed to tell that same story.

Injured players Boozer, Gordan Giricek and Rob Whaley were following the team toward the court and Miller, moving quickly to catch up, yelled to Boozer to stop. When Boozer turned and saw who'd yelled at him, he smiled warmly and greeted Miller.

"I just didn't hear him the first time so he wanted to make sure I heard him," Boozer said about how loudly Miller had called to him.