Utah Jazz newcomers feel right at home in Utah

Kyle Korver was one of the last guys to leave the Utah Jazz locker room Saturday. This season's only trade acquisition has made himself at home in his new surroundings — fitting into a contributing role since arriving in Utah from Philadelphia on Dec. 29 for Gordan Giricek and a protected first-round draft pick.

"The people, the team, the coaches and the fans here made the whole transition really easy for me," said Korver. "I feel like I've been here for a whole lot longer than the four months or whatever it's been."

Korver, a five-year veteran, likes where he's landed.

"I really enjoyed it," he said of his initial campaign in Utah. "And I'm looking forward to being part of this team for a long time."

Another happy newcomer to the franchise is former UVSC star Ronnie Price, who signed a free-agent deal with the Jazz last July after two seasons with Sacramento.

While noting that basketball has taken him a lot of places, Price acknowledged his initial season with Utah has been amazing and special. He considers Jerry Sloan a Hall of Fame coach.

"We won more games than I've ever won in the NBA," Price said. "The group of guys and coaching staff are great."

BONUS BUCKS: The Jazz players divided a playoff pool consisting of $109,074 for finishing fifth in the Western Conference during the regular season, $164,168 for participating in the first round and $195,337 for reaching the conference semifinals.

BURGER RUN: In keeping with tradition, the Jazz rookies were sent to Crown Burger to buy lunch for the veterans during locker cleanout. Kyrylo Fesenko took orders while many of his teammates were being interviewed by the media.

After interrupting veteran Matt Harpring, the rookie center received some friendly banter.

"No Crown Burger," said Harpring. "And no Crown Burger for you."

Harpring then suggested that the 7-foot-1, 288-pound Ukrainian opt for a protein shake.

GOOD ADVICE: Early in his playing career, Sloan recalled some advice he received from former Chicago Bulls coach Johnny Kerr. Sloan was told that he had better "learn to shoot or he'd be back on the farm."

Sloan listened and played 11 seasons with a career shooting percentage of .427 — up from a career low of .385 in his third year.