Utah Jazz: Weary Okur rejoins team, but sits out game

Jazz center Mehmet Okur re-joined the team Monday, one week after returning to his native Turkey to be with his seriously ill father Abdullah.

But Okur did not play in the Jazz's win over Phoenix on Monday night, citing a strained lower back that was already sore before he traveled, tightened up on the 15-hour return Sunday trip through Chicago and felt even worse when he woke up Monday morning.

Leaving his family to come back, Okur suggested, was a difficult decision to make.

"My heart is with them right now," Okur said

"Life will still go on," he added, "and I've got to look forward and just pray for him and hopefully everything will be all right."

Abdullah Okur, who has previously survived lung-cancer surgery and surgery to remove a brain tumor, has been hospitalized for about two weeks due to epileptic seizure and subsequent pneumonia.

He was unconscious when his son traveled to see him, but his condition did stabilize enough to undergo both a tracheotomy and gastronomy surgery.

"Everything went well, surgery-wise," Okur said.

Okur did get to briefly speak to his father, but, he said, "He wasn't able to realize, recognize, me, because he was kind of half-asleep, half-(awake)."

With Okur out, big man Jarron Collins (elbow) played for just the second time this season and started for the first.

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said beforehand that he'd go with Collins instead of rookie Kosta Koufos because the veteran was more-experienced in dealing with Suns center Shaquille O'Neal.

MILLER ILL; CEREMONY CANCELED: The Jazz had planned to honor coach Jerry Sloan prior to Monday night's game for notching his 1,000th victory with the franchise earlier this season, but the ceremony was canceled.

According to a statement from the team, Jazz owner Larry H. Miller had been scheduled to make the presentation but was "not feeling well" Monday.

Miller suffered a heart attack and had a lengthy stay while battling complications from diabetes during the offseason.

Jazz officials were uncertain if Miller had been hospitalized again Monday night.

WILLIAMS OUT: Jazz point guard Deron Williams sat out Monday for the ninth time in 11 games this season, and for a third straight, because of the sprained left ankle he sustained in the preseason.

"Not ready," Williams said. "That's all I know."