Boozer leads Jazz into battle with Mavs

If Carlos Boozer is the candidate, Deron Williams is his campaign manager.

"He's an All-Star," Williams said of Boozer, who was averaging 22.0 points and 12.3 boards — second among league rebounding leaders behind only Orlando's Dwight Howard — as the Jazz entered Sunday's play tied with San Antonio at an NBA-best 15-5. "You can't say enough about how he's playing."

Nor, Boozer maintains, can one say it too early.

Only after the Jazz face Dallas tonight — and coach Jerry Sloan takes his second stab at NBA coaching win No. 1,000 — will Utah have completed one-fourth of its 2006-07 season.

That, though, means it's almost halfway until the All-Star Game break. Fan balloting has been under way for nearly a month. The league's first voting update comes Thursday, and in just more than six weeks starters for the Feb. 18 game in Las Vegas will be revealed.

Too soon?

Oh no, according to Boozer — who, like most good politicians, would love to take his campaign architect, in this case Williams, with him if chosen.

"I don't think it's ever early ... as long as players are playing like they're deserving," Boozer said.

To this point, opinion both locally and nationally suggests the Jazz's duo indeed is producing.

ESPN.com NBA writer Chris Sheridan was asked during an online chat last Friday if he thinks the two will get their first All-Star berths this year.

"Yes for both of them," Sheridan answered, "and Boozer is going to have himself in MVP contention if he and the Jazz keep this up."

Even Sloan — who normally cringes at such suggestions — grudgingly acknowledges the Jazz are likely to be represented in the game for the first time since Andrei Kirilenko went in 2004.

"I told these guys at the beginning of the year, 'We have guys that can compete in the All-Star (Game) if they play like All-Stars,' " he said.

Have they?

"To a certain extent," Sloan conceded Sunday. "Numbers are there. Now, in my opinion, the All-Star Game usually is decked out with guys that can score. To me, there's more to it than that."

Translation: