Utah Jazz notes: Revue a done deal for '08 — details coming later

Despite facing competition for entrants from a well-attended summer league in Las Vegas, Jazz officials said after last July's Rocky Mountain Revue that they hoped — and planned — for the long-running league to be held again in 2008.

And now they know for sure that it will be.

"We will have a league," Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said.

O'Connor had no other details, including how many team will participate.

At least one from last summer's seven-team field, Seattle, apparently does not plan to participate.

According to the (Tacoma, Wash.) News Tribune, the Sonics will take part in the Pro Summer League at Orlando — which "has fewer teams than summer leagues in Las Vegas or Utah, occurs earlier in the summer, is shorter in duration and is not open to the public."

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, for one, hoped the Revue would remain alive in Utah.

Sloan did suggest there are some negatives to staying at home for the summer: "When you get out on the road," he said, "you learn a little bit more from it."

But there are plenty of positives playing at Salt Lake Community College, he said, including the fact that rookies become acclimated to living in Salt Lake City earlier than they might otherwise.

"From the overall teaching and working part of it," Sloan said, "we like it being at home.

"People like basketball in this community," he added. "From that standpoint, it's productive."

NO BIG DEAL: When Jazz point guard Deron Williams tried to congratulate Sloan on winning NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month honors for March on Wednesday morning, Sloan acted as if he had no idea what Williams was talking about.

"Oh, yeah," he finally said to Williams. "That's big."

When Sloan was asked later about the fact he has never won official NBA Coach of the Year honors, he responded dismissively.

"I mean, what does it do for you? Make you do a cartwheel or something because you won that? I don't know," the 20th-season Jazz coach said. "I've never experienced it."

SPEAKING OUT: Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon will address the media today to speak in recognition of April being National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

"My wife, Cece, and I have three young children who are the center of our lives," Boozer said in a statement released by the Jazz. "It is important to us that parents in our community know that help is available if they need it."

Fourteen Children Justice Centers in Utah provide a safe environment for children to receive help during the child abuse investigative process, and more than 14,000 citizens received assistance from Utah's CJCs last year."

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com