Utah Jazz notes: Sloan says Jazz not ready, yet

Jazz players have been anxious for quite some time now to start the 2008-09 NBA season.

"I think the preseason is too long," All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer said just a few days back, in the midst of a stretch in which the team played four of its seven exhibition games in a row on the road. "I'd rather have like two or three games, then get it crackin'."

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, however, said he wished that between now and their Oct. 29 start of the regular season, his club (3-3 so far in the preseason) had at least one more exhibition in addition to just Thursday night's game against Portland at EnergySolutions Arena.

And that was before point guard Deron Williams went down with a sprained ankle in Saturday night's exhibition visit with the Chicago Bulls, an injury that has his availability for that season-opener against Denver very much in question.

To combat the considerable down time between now and then, Sloan suggested before Saturday's game, the team will scrimmage much more than it would otherwise.

That philosophy doesn't change just because Williams is out, the Jazz coach said afterward.

"I mean, we can't change everything we've been trying to do," Sloan said. "We have to try to improve."

The Jazz did have Sunday off following a stretch with three road games in four nights, but they return to practice this morning.

ALUMNI UPDATE: According to the Dallas Morning News, "The right hamstring injury to Keith McLeod has led the Dallas Mavericks to amend the point guard's contract, giving them more time to determine if he can be the backup to Jason Kidd.

"McLeod's original contract was non-guaranteed. But if he were still on the team when rosters are set on Oct. 27, the deal would become fully guaranteed," the Dallas newspaper reported.

"The Mavericks worked out a change to the deal, making it a totally non-guaranteed contract. That actually helps McLeod, who probably would have been waived (otherwise)."

EAST COAST MOVE: Longtime Jazz employee Dave Fredman — who has returned to the organization following stints as an assistant general manager in Denver and as GM of the NBA Development League's Jazz-affiliated Utah Flash — said he'll be based during the season in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., area to facilitate new duties that include scouting college players in the East.

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com