From Deseret News archives:
Utah Jazz injury report a long one
The latest medical updates from Tuesday's practice at Zions Bank Basketball Center:
• Mehmet Okur, according to a Jazz spokesperson, is feeling "better" but he is still not a "full go yet." The center's lower back stiffened up on his return trip from Turkey on Sunday, when he returned from visiting his ailing father.
Okur didn't play in the Jazz's 109-97 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, and he hadn't been cleared to play against Andrew Bogut and the Bucks as of Tuesday's practice.
Okur did, however, participate in pre-practice shooting drills.
• Deron Williams practiced Tuesday but also remains a "game-time decision," according to the team, as the star point guard tries to recover from his left ankle sprain. Williams has missed three games in a row after playing on back-to-back nights last week.
• Backup point guard Brevin Knight, who left Monday's game with a groin injury, was held out of practice Tuesday. He was listed as having a strained left abductor muscle, and his status is to be determined prior to tonight's tipoff.
• Center Jarron Collins only participated in noncontact drills Tuesday. His inflamed right elbow was heavily wrapped during Monday's game in which he started opposite the Suns' Shaquille O'Neal. His condition and availability for tonight's game are also still to be evaluated.
• Reserve small forward Matt Harpring is being listed as "probable" for the Bucks game. He played almost 12 minutes against the Suns after sitting out Saturday night's game to continue rehabbing his ankle.
• Backup big man Paul Millsap practiced Tuesday and was not listed on the Jazz's medical report. On Monday, he admitted that his right "elbow hurts right now," stemming from a stellar defensive play in which he stuffed a dunk attempt by Shaq.
• Andrei Kirilenko says his sprained right index finger is "a little sore but fine" and that he's "ready to go" again. "It's just a finger. It wasn't broken."
Other than that, not much to report on the medical front ...
NEWS FLASH: Two former local college players — BYU swingman Mike Hall and Utah State point guard Kris Clark — are among players listed on the Utah Flash's training camp roster. But two of the top players on the Jazz's D-League affiliate also have some roundabout connections with the Beehive State.
Shooting guard J.R. Giddens, who was assigned to Utah from the Boston Celtics, was last year's Mountain West Conference co-MVP with BYU's Lee Cummard at New Mexico.
