O'Connor says Boozer recovering from injury

Published: Friday, Feb. 9 2007 12:11 a.m. MST

The hairline fracture in Carlos Boozer's fibula head has not completely healed, Utah Jazz senior vice president of basketball operations Kevin O'Connor said Thursday after getting results of an MRI Wednesday.

"There's no swelling and it's healing," O'Connor said of Boozer's knee, injured in a collision Jan. 27.

O'Connor refused to speculate on a timetable for the team's leading scorer and rebounder to return, but he did say, "It is highly unlikely he would play Saturday, Monday or Wednesday," the Jazz's next three games, all in EnergySolutions Arena.

"I don't know what the schedule is. Could it be healed in a week? I don't know that," O'Connor said. "The doctor said it was healing, and that means in a positive way, obviously."

Meanwhile, forward Andrei Kirilenko missed Thursday's team practice. He was seeing a doctor for back spasms that have kept him out of action several times. O'Connor called Kirilenko day-to-day.

Boozer's status for the Feb. 18 NBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas is uncertain. He was named to the reserve squad by coaches last week and the league is anxiously contacting O'Connor, trying to learn whether it will have to replace the injured Boozer.

"They'd like to do something sooner than later. I try to give them all the information I can," O'Connor said.

"Anybody would want to play in an All-Star Game, especially their first one," he added. "It's an honor for the organization and for Carlos, but (Boozer and the NBA) have to determine all that."

Boozer is in Salt Lake City and doing daily treatments on his leg.


E-mail: lham@desnews.com

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