Jazz will not make unnecessary move

By Tim Buckley, Deseret News

Published: Monday, Jan. 5 2009 1:42 a.m. MST

Summary

It was roughly around this time last season, and only after about a year of talking, that the Jazz and Philadelphia 76ers finally made the trade that brought shooting guard Kyle Korver to Utah.

Yet even with the NBA's Feb. 19 deadline for dealing this season now just more than six weeks away, and even with front-office personnel from throughout the league visiting the state this week to scout the D-League Showcase in Orem, Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor does not anticipate any imminent changes for his team.

"(Jazz owner) Larry (H. Miller) has always said to be aggressive, if it amounts to us making a move to take on somebody that would help us in a situation where we needed it," O'Connor said Sunday.

"But in a situation where we have (15) players," he added with reference to the NBA's maximum-allowed roster size, "I'm not sure there's something out there that would make sense for us right now."

O'Connor did concede, though, that 'tis the season for chatter.

"Am I out there actively pursuing a certain kind of a look, or anything? I don't think that's the case," he said. "Do we always talk at this time of the year more so than maybe October? Yeah.

"If the right move appears," the Jazz GM added, "we'll make it."

What O'Connor really wants, though, is to learn what the current club he's built can do.

Injuries have hampered that this season and will continue to with All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery Friday.

"I'd like to see this team play together," said O'Connor, who'll scout the NBA Development League's Showcase event in Orem along with Jazz player personnel vice president Walt Perrin and about 60-plus other front-office types. "You know, we haven't had ... our starting team ever on the court this year. And we're not going to for a while yet.

"We've lost a lot of very good players to a lot of games," he added. "I don't know how we'd be if we were all (together)."

HOMESTAND HOPES: Starting tonight against Golden State they play four straight games at home, generously spread over eight evenings.

No travel for more than a week.

No back-to-back sets.

No excuses.