Questions abound as Jazz head to camp

The first true clue that turmoil might rock the Jazz even before the 2007-08 NBA season gets under way came when point guard Deron Williams questioned the heart of certain unnamed teammates mere moments after their '06-07 season ended in late May with a Western Conference finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Since then, an offseason of relative disarray has proven the hunch oh-so-true.

Starting shooting guard and backup point Derek Fisher started the ball of tumult rolling by citing family medical matters as the reason for asking out of his contract with the club, then signing with the Los Angeles Lakers shortly after the Jazz honored his request.

Starting power forward and team scoring leader Carlos Boozer will return, though he plans to report late to training camp that opens this week while tending to a child-related medical issue of his own.

And in between news regarding those two came definitive word that starting small forward Andrei Kirilenko, frustrated not only with his diminished offensive role but also the demands of playing for coach Jerry Sloan, desperately wants out of Utah.

Those issues alone leave the Northwest Division-champion Jazz with a basket full of questions that may or may not be answered in camp, which following Media Day on Monday formally opens Tuesday in Boise.

Here's a closer question-and-answer form look, then, at the aforementioned three matters and more as the countdown to camp winds to a close:

Question: How might the Kirilenko affair unfold, and just how much of a distraction will it be heading into, and during, the season?

Answer: The Jazz have received multiple trade offers for Kirilenko during the offseason — none, obviously, to their liking.

Kirilenko has suggested he's so unhappy in Utah he would be willing to play in Europe, but that suggestion seems ludicrous since rules enforced by FIBA — basketball's international governing body — dictate that the Jazz would have to sign off on any such scenario.

And there is no reason whatsoever to believe Jazz brass would ever go for that.

That seemingly leaves two options.

One is that Kirilenko prove he's professional enough to be able to overcome his unhappiness, and honor what remains — four years and $63 million — on a contract that he signed while of sound mind and free will.