Utah Jazz Notes

Back from a weeklong training session at the Peak Performance Project in Santa Barbara, Calif., Kyle Korver said Wednesday he was encouraged about making his return from left knee surgery in a matter of weeks.

Asked how close he was, Korver answered: “A lot closer than I was a week ago, for sure. It’s hard to really say. Just as I keep doing more stuff, see how it responds. But I definitely made a lot of progress in the last week.”

Korver added that he was hoping to return in “two weeks, tops” - - he didn't rule out the possibility of playing in November - - which would be ahead of schedule after he underwent arthroscopic surgery Oct. 28 to remove a bone spur from his knee. He played in only one of the Jazz's preseason games before the surgery.

He was able to regain strength in his knee during the week at P3, a training center with which the Jazz have worked closely in recent years. Korver went through morning workouts - - “You’re going 100 mph for two hours,” he said - - followed by shooting sessions at night.

“To me, it’s the best,” Korver added. “I feel like there, it’s the perfect combination of train really hard but also train really smart. They’re very technical and very good. Mechanics and posture . . . they look at everything. It was good.”

--Ross Siler

The Toronto Raptors arrived in Utah early Wednesday morning after suffering a 130-112 loss at Denver.

Obviously, Toronto's defense was lacking. Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points in 30 minutes.

The Raptors battled the Nuggets to a 64-64 tie at halftime, but fell apart in the third quarter.

According to a couple of stories about the game that I have read, Toronto All-Star Chris Bosh was a non-factor for the first time this season.

He finished with only 13 points and 14 rebounds. He was slapped with a technical foul with seven minutes left in the game and the Nuggets leading, 110-93.

Expect Bosh to bounce back against the Jazz. He's too solid to play poorly two nights in a row.

Another note: Hedo Turkoglu missed the Denver game with a sore left hip. He is listed as questionable against the Jazz.

Turkoglu averages 14.5 points a game. And remember, he's also the reason it cost the Jazz $32 million to re-sign Paul Millsap last summer.

Portland wanted Turkoglu, who was a free agent. It looked like he was headed to the Trail Blazers, too, until he signed a last-minute deal with Toronto.

After losing Turkoglu, the Blazers turned their attention to Millsap. They offered him the $32 million deal the Jazz eventually had to match.

More from EnergySolutions Arena a little later.

-- Steve Luhm

After a slow start, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan knows the upcoming schedule gives his team a chance to get rolling.

Utah plays 11 of its next 14 games at home, starting Wednesday night against Toronto, which will be playing back-to-back after tonight's game in Denver.

"It would be great for us to get back on track and win some games and get some confidence back," Sloan said before practice Tuesday morning. "We've got an opportunity to do that here at home. Sometimes you can do it on the road but, when you've got home games, you'd really like to do it then."

The Jazz, who have had only one losing record at home in the last 27 years, are off to a 2-2 start at EnergySolutions Arena. They have beaten the Clippers and Spurs but lost the Houston and Sacramento.

"These games stick out a little bit more at this time of year, it seems like, especially if you don't win them," Sloan said. "But we need to win these games at home."

The Jazz come off a 107-103 loss at Cleveland. Besides the 113-99 win over San Antonio, however, it was probably Utah's best effort of the season.

"I thought we played pretty well," Sloan said. "I thought we competed harder."

Just three nights earlier, the Jazz got waxed in Boston by the Celtics, 105-86.

It wasn't that close and Sloan hopes it was the season's low-point.

"The Boston game, we got beat up pretty good," Sloan said. "But that's part of basketball. At least we fought back after that. It wasn't like we fell over. We kept fighting back and that's all you can do."

-- Steve Luhm

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan is expected back at practice this morning after missing Monday's session.

He had a good reason.

Sloan underwent a routine colonoscopy that had been delayed because of his knee replacement surgery last summer.

Normally an extremely private person, Sloan authorized the team's public relations department to tell reporters the specific reason for his absence because he wants to encourage others to do the same.

Sloan's first wife, Bobbye, died of pancreatic cancer in 2004.

-- Steve Luhm 

Deron Williams had a lot of nice things to say about rookie Eric Maynor's play in games at Philadelphia and Cleveland last week.

Maynor had 13 points and 11 assists against the 76ers and 24 points and four assists against the Cavaliers.

Called away from the team because of a medical situation involving his daughter, Williams watched on TV as the Jazz beat Philadelphia and lost a close one to Cleveland.

Before practice on Monday, Williams claimed that Maynor's performances did not surprise him. All the rookie needed, he said, was a chance to play some extended minutes.

"Everybody's been asking me [for] an assessment on him this season and it was tough to say," Williams explained. "He'd come in for two minutes and get subbed out. He'd come in for three minutes and get subbed out. Five minutes and get subbed out."

When a young player gets stuck in that kind of a rut, Williams said, it's difficult for him to get a feel for the game.

"It's hard to get a rhythm," Williams noted. "[But] when you know you are going to play and know you have to produce, it's a different story and I think that's what happened. He knew he was going to get his minutes and he went out there and made the most of it."

Williams also liked the way rookie Wesley Mathews played after coach Jerry Sloan moved him into the starting lineup against the Sixers.

In the final two games of the Jazz's trip, Mathews averaged 14.5 points. Significantly, he went 6-for-7 from the three-point line. I say significant because perimeter scoring has been a shortcoming for Utah, which has started the season without its best long-range shooters, C.J. Miles and Kyle Korver.

"I thought both our rookies did a great job," Williams said. "They were very poised. I thought they stepped up when they had to. It shows the coaches have a lot of options."

-- Steve Luhm