The stars, Jazz are ready for the King

Though the Sundance Film Festival's grand finale is tonight, perhaps the biggest celebrity to visit Utah recently won't be anywhere near Park City.

Biggest in this case, by the way, refers both to the size of his star power and to the star's physique.

With that in mind and Sundance still going on, don't be too shocked if a few familiar Hollywood types are mixed in the EnergySolutions Arena crowd tonight.

After all, Zydrunas Ilgauskas is in town.

That means, of course, the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers will be, too. Including the King himself: LeBron James.

Though he's no Von Wafer, the Jazz are well aware that James is in town.

They're well aware of James' huge talent level, playmaking abilities and size as well.

"You can argue he's the best player in the game right now," Jazz point guard Deron Williams said. "He competes every night and has his team playing at the highest level, so it's going to be a tough game for us."

Especially for the guy — more like guys, probably — with the defensive assignment of trying to guard this rare physical specimen. James stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 250 pounds, and the small forward has a dangerous combination of strength, speed and agility that doesn't seem natural — or fair even — for somebody that size.

"He's a freak. He really is," said Jazz backup Kyle Korver. "If you're comparing weight, he weighs as much as (Carlos Boozer). That's amazing, isn't it?

"He's as fast as he needs to be," Korver added. "He can jump as high as he needs to. He's amazing."

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan certainly thinks so.

Sloan, who's been around the NBA since the mid-1960s, says he's never seen a player with the complete package — from his size, to his speed, strength and skills — that James dazzles with and displays. The superstar is averaging 27.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists for Cleveland , which had the second-best record of 32-8 in the NBA heading into Friday night's late game at Golden State .

"He's a terrific player. He's a wonderful player. He's so big and can do so many different things," Sloan said. "I don't think I've ever seen a guy that big that's got that much talent and can do so many different things and play such an easy game, so to speak."

Sloan couldn't even fault Utah fans who cheered James on during his 51-point explosion against the Jazz in Salt Lake City three years ago.