"I guess you could make the same argument for cows and pigs," he said. "I just don't have them as pets."

Williams, meanwhile, rose at 5 on his first morning back from Beijing. No one else at home was awake.

"I couldn't go back to sleep," he said, "so I played golf."

CREDIT HORNACEK: Sloan on Tuesday offered a share of kudos for Kirilenko's career-best 50.6 field-goal percentage last season to special assistant Jeff Hornacek, who traveled to Boise again this week so he can aid the Russian's shooting touch.

"(Hornacek) deserves a lot of credit," Sloan said. "Anytime you can get a guy to do better ... that's a plus for him."

Hornacek pursued full-time coaching vacancies in Phoenix and Chicago last summer. But neither materialized, and both Hornacek and Sloan confirmed Tuesday that the Jazz's Phoenix-based shooting coach will work with the franchise again this season as a part-time assistant.

DOWNRIGHT DEFENSIVE: Williams spilled the beans on Sloan's message to the team prior to Tuesday's camp opening.

"Coach kind of challenged us to be able to step up defensively," he said. "He talked about the Boston Celtics, and how they came together as a team — especially defensively. That's where they won a championship, and we want to have those same aspirations, those same goals."

FOOTBALL FANS: Boise State's football team plays host tonight to Louisiana Tech, and several Jazz players — including Louisiana Tech product Paul Millsap — plan to walk across the parking lot from Taco Bell Arena to watch the ESPN-televised game from a private suite.

"We're gonna support my alma mater," Millsap said.

The Jazz moved up the would-be start time of their practices today so team members can take in least some of the game first-hand.

MEDIA MATTERS: ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher was here Tuesday — thought to be the first time in at least 10 years that a media member not based in Utah was present on the opening day of Jazz training camp.

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com