Friday report
Yahoo.com's Marc Spears checked in with the Jazz at practice Sunday and offers a pretty sharp analysis of the Carlos Boozer situation in this Friday story. Most significantly, Spears touches on the sensitive subject of Boozer's decision not to attend Larry Miller's funeral last season.
As Spears writes: "When Miller died later in February, team sources say Boozer again raised the eyebrows of some in the organization by not attending either the funeral or the wake. Center Mehmet Okur was the only other player absent at the funeral - he didn't attend because of his Muslim faith, but did go to the wake."
If you remember, Miller's funeral was held the same afternoon as a Jazz home game. The Jazz officially deemed the decision to attend personal for each player and suggested it was an optional activity. In reality, though, people obviously were keeping score.
According to our account in the Tribune, 11 of the Jazz's 15 players last season attended Miller's funeral. Boozer wasn't one of them, but neither was Andrei Kirilenko, Paul Millsap or Okur, if memory is correct. Some of them attended a wake the day before, some didn't.
The Jazz also paid Miller a hospital visit in the weeks before his death. Thinking back on that time, I remember Deron Williams saying that he didn't plan on going to Miller's wake simply because he doesn't like them. He didn't even attend one for his grandfather. Williams did go to Miller's funeral.
The point is that everybody handles death differently, and it is very, very complicated to hold it against Boozer for not attending Miller's funeral. It's also understandable that some people were offended by the decision, reading into it the back-and-forth between Boozer and Miller over the years.
"Funerals are a tough thing to go through," Boozer told Spears. "After I saw [Miller] in the hospital, I wanted to remember him how I just saw him last. Confident. Happy. Not happy-happy, but happy enough to give us some words of wisdom for the rest of our season.
"That's how I want to remember him. I didn't want to go to his wake and see his body lying there. I didn't want to go to his funeral, where it would be sad. I wanted to remember Larry as Larry, as a fiery competitor - happy, emotional, a leader."
* * *
Williams sat out Friday's practice with a sore right heel but is expected to play Tuesday. Kyle Korver was set to take part in some of practice as he continues to recover from an inflamed left knee. Korver is questionable to play.
* * *
Next time we see the Jazz will be a Sunday afternoon practice at the O2 Arena in London. It's a long way from here to there.
--Ross Siler
As Spears writes: "When Miller died later in February, team sources say Boozer again raised the eyebrows of some in the organization by not attending either the funeral or the wake. Center Mehmet Okur was the only other player absent at the funeral - he didn't attend because of his Muslim faith, but did go to the wake."
If you remember, Miller's funeral was held the same afternoon as a Jazz home game. The Jazz officially deemed the decision to attend personal for each player and suggested it was an optional activity. In reality, though, people obviously were keeping score.
According to our account in the Tribune, 11 of the Jazz's 15 players last season attended Miller's funeral. Boozer wasn't one of them, but neither was Andrei Kirilenko, Paul Millsap or Okur, if memory is correct. Some of them attended a wake the day before, some didn't.
The Jazz also paid Miller a hospital visit in the weeks before his death. Thinking back on that time, I remember Deron Williams saying that he didn't plan on going to Miller's wake simply because he doesn't like them. He didn't even attend one for his grandfather. Williams did go to Miller's funeral.
The point is that everybody handles death differently, and it is very, very complicated to hold it against Boozer for not attending Miller's funeral. It's also understandable that some people were offended by the decision, reading into it the back-and-forth between Boozer and Miller over the years.
"Funerals are a tough thing to go through," Boozer told Spears. "After I saw [Miller] in the hospital, I wanted to remember him how I just saw him last. Confident. Happy. Not happy-happy, but happy enough to give us some words of wisdom for the rest of our season.
"That's how I want to remember him. I didn't want to go to his wake and see his body lying there. I didn't want to go to his funeral, where it would be sad. I wanted to remember Larry as Larry, as a fiery competitor - happy, emotional, a leader."
* * *
Williams sat out Friday's practice with a sore right heel but is expected to play Tuesday. Kyle Korver was set to take part in some of practice as he continues to recover from an inflamed left knee. Korver is questionable to play.
* * *
Next time we see the Jazz will be a Sunday afternoon practice at the O2 Arena in London. It's a long way from here to there.
--Ross Siler
12:45 PM
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