Jazz, Iverson deal never close

Jazz basketball operations senior vice president Kevin O'Connor is downplaying the suggestion he made to a national reporter that Utah had trade discussions with Philadelphia about Allen Iverson before the 76ers recently dealt their disgruntled guard to Denver.

"We had talked to Philly about it, certainly," O'Connor told ESPN.com's Chad Ford when asked last week about the matter. "It was a situation where it was difficult for us to match up with some of the pieces that I felt we would have had to give up.

"But we certainly had conversations with them about Allen. ... Look, we're not doing our job if you don't have interest in Allen Iverson."

Before anyone gets the idea there ever actually was a chance that Iverson could have joined the Jazz, however, some perspective is in order.

"No," O'Connor said when asked this week if he had any serious discussion with the Sixers about bringing Iverson to Utah.

The Jazz's basketball boss did not elaborate.

Suffice it to say, however, that it's highly likely any words O'Connor did have with the 76ers centered around the Jazz as a possible third team that would help facilitate Iverson's departure.

The Jazz did as much this past season, though a discussed swap that might have sent Iverson to Boston and Jazz power forward Carlos Boozer to Philadelphia never materialized.

Beyond that, the notion of Iverson playing for Jerry Sloan is almost comical.

Though Sloan actually loves Iverson's intensity, and has effusively praised his efforts during recent meetings, there's no way the longtime Jazz coach would put up with Iverson's off-court antics like questioning the wisdom of practice and occasionally blowing off mandated team functions.

"He's an unusual player, I think, because he's so tough mentally," Sloan said when Iverson was shipped to the Nuggets last month. "Offensively, he just keeps coming at you. He's a fearless competitor that way. And to put a guy like that on your team is a tremendous advantage, because guys (like that) aren't around very often.

"The other stuff off the floor — I'm sure Denver will handle it," added Sloan, who'll face Iverson in Denver on Saturday night. "(Nuggets coach) George (Karl) has had players before who do little things. ... He's been able to handle it better than a lot of people."

BETTER OR WORSE? Philadelphia's primary acquisition in the Iverson deal, ex-University of Utah point guard Andre Miller, visits the Jazz with the Sixers tonight.