Utah Jazz notebook: Sloan plays defense for Boozer

DALLAS — The Jazz haven't playing much defense at all lately.

But Jerry Sloan has been, and he spent part of Tuesday night defending — and dwelling on — Carlos Boozer in particular.

"Everybody wants to take a shot at him because of the things that happened over the summer," Sloan said of Boozer, who — after spending the offseason opting into the final season of his current contract with the Jazz, then talking about wanting to play elsewhere — has struggled in Utah's first four games of the season. "I just told him (before the season) you have to come and play, and play through those things, and that's easier said than done.

"Instead of criticizing somebody else, everybody's gonna criticize him," the Jazz coach added prior to Tuesday's loss at Dallas. "That's the unfortunate part about it, because those are the questions I have to answer every day."

Sloan said he hasn't had any one-on-one talks with Boozer since the season started.

"I didn't see somebody come to me and beg me to play," he said. "I just went out there and tried to prove I could, and I think that's how you work yourself out of it. You feel better about yourself after it's over."

Boozer went into Tuesday's game shooting 31 percent (13-of-42) from the field. The two-time NBA All-Star opened just 1-for-6 against the Mavericks, and — in foul trouble late — finished 6-for-12 with 12 points.

"That's all you can do," Sloan, who brought up the Boozer matter unsolicited prior to Tuesday's game, said with reference to the power forward's second half in Dallas. "You try to come back and play. But, you know, he's not the only guy out there. We'll be answering that question all year long."

BUSINESS NEWS: By not reaching an agreement before Monday's deadline for doing so, Jazz swingman Ronnie Brewer became one of 24 draftees from the 30-member 2006 NBA Draft class to not sign a contract extension.

That's a record high, one more than the 23 from the Class of 2005 who weren't extended.

The six who did sign extensions, according to various reports: Portland teammates Brandon Roy (No. 6 overall; five years, max money,) and LaMarcus Aldridge (No. 2; five years, $65 million), Boston point guard Rajon Rondo (No. 21; five years, $55 million), Toronto's Andrea Bargnani (No. 1; five years, $50 million), Oklahoma City defensive specialist Thabo Sefolosha (No. 13; four years, $13.8 million) and Denver's Renaldo Balkman (No. 20; three years, $5 million).