Sloan wants more from Okur

Mehmet Okur is having a breakout season, and he may well have a chance to go to the 2006 NBA All-Star game in Houston, third in the fans' voting for Western Conference centers.

But he has a ways to go to make Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's all-star definition.

"Well, he's scoring. That's what people want to see," said Sloan Friday before practice at the Zion's Bank Basketball Center.

"But his defense has got to get better. I don't see that he can continue to be as lethargic sometimes on the defensive end as he has been. For him to be an all-star player, in my opinion, those are some of the things he has to do."

Not that Okur isn't improving toward what Sloan expects. "He passed the ball better in our last game. As you move forward with your game, if you depend strictly on just shooting, I think you'll find yourself in trouble, especially with our team. But the other night, he had eight assists, and they were very effective assists that he has the capability of doing.

"But he's got to add all those things to his repertoire as he moves forward."

Okur is scoring at 17.7 a game going into tonight's Delta Center game with Miami at 7. He is rebounding 9.4 times a game and making 2.5 assists.

CHEMICAL BOOZER: Sloan said Friday he knows of no target date yet for Carlos Boozer's return from injury, or for that matter, when the Jazz might recall rookie C.J. Miles from the D-League.

But when Boozer comes back, forward Andrei Kirilenko seems to think he'll fit right in.

Kirilenko was asked Friday if adding Boozer might hurt the chemistry the team has recently mixed together, as many think might be the case.

"Why he should break our chemistry? He's part of our team," said Kirilenko.

"He's a great partner, and he knows us very good, and we know him, so we have confidence getting him back.

"Definitely, we need him. He's a big part for our team. He can be great partner for us, so why we should worry about it?"

Boozer's return could change things, Kirilenko admits. "Of course, like, new player — he didn't play — is going to change something, but I hope he is going to change it in a positive way, get more rebounds, more scoring ability. So I don't worry about anything else."