Utah Jazz Blog – Page 67 – NBA Blog

Timberwolves trade Al Jefferson to Jazz

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has acquired center/forward Al Jefferson from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for center Kosta Koufos, the Memphis Grizzlies’ protected 2011 first-round pick (obtained by the Jazz a previous trade) and an additional future protected first-round pick.

(Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.)

“We are happy to acquire a young power player who has developed into one of the best low-post scorers in the league,” said Jazz General Manager O’Connor. “We gave up significant assets to obtain Al and we look forward to watching him progress with our team.”

“I want to thank Al for his three years with the Timberwolves and the professionalism he exhibited this summer,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “Al is motivated to have a career-defining season and I recognize the Jazz will be the recipients of that, not us. I expect him to help Utah immensely.

“However, this trade was made in the best interests of not only Al, but also us. With the arrival of Michael Beasley, it would have been difficult to play Al the kind of minutes he deserves without jeopardizing the development of both Kevin Love and Michael. Moreover, I believe we had to take the opportunity to do this trade during the summer, when a small handful of teams are capable of absorbing his salary without sending back equal contracts in return.

“The first-round picks we receive plus the flexibility that we now have under the salary cap made this the right time to make what was a difficult decision.”

Originally selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round (15th overall) of the 2004 NBA Draft, Jefferson (6-10, 275, Prentiss H.S. (Miss.)) owns career averages of 15.3 points (.503 FG%), 8.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.25 blocks in 407 career games (276 starts) over six NBA seasons with Boston and Minnesota since entering the league directly out of high school in 2004. Jefferson has averaged a double-double in four of the last five seasons and has 98 career games with 20+ points and 10+ rebounds.

In three seasons with the Timberwolves (2007-10), Jefferson appeared in 208 games (all starts) and averaged 20.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.44 blocks in 34.7 minutes while leading the team in scoring each season. His best statistical season came in 2008-09, when Jefferson registered career-high averages of 23.1 points, 1.6 assists and 1.66 blocks while grabbing 11.0 rebounds per game, becoming one of only five players in the last 10 years to average both 23+ points and 11+ rebounds for a season (Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O’Neal and Chris Webber are the others).

In 2009-10, Jefferson averaged 17.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.29 blocks in 76 games (all starts) with 35 double-doubles. He scored 20+ points on 27 occasions and had 10+ rebounds 37 times, including a game on January 14, 2010 when he hauled in a Minnesota franchise-record 26 rebounds and scored 26 points in the Wolves triple-overtime loss at Houston. The effort was his fifth career 20-20 game and just the ninth 25-point, 25-rebound game in the NBA in the past 15 years.

In February 2010, the 25-year-old Monticello, Miss., native and former Mr. Basketball for the state of Mississippi was among 27 NBA players selected to the 2010-2012 USA Basketball Men’s National Team Program.

Originally selected by the Jazz in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft, Koufos (7-1, 265, Ohio State) owns career averages of 3.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.2 assists in 48 career games (seven starts).

Bulls sign Kyle Korver

The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has signed free agent forward Kyle Korver. In accordance with team policy, terms of the contract were not announced.

“We are pleased to welcome Kyle to the Bulls. He will be a great addition to our team and he will provide another dimension to our offense,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman.

Korver (6-7, 212), a seven-year veteran of the NBA, spent the last two-plus seasons with the Utah Jazz. He broke into the league with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2003, where he played for four-plus seasons after being drafted in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft (51st overall).

Last season with the Jazz, the Pella, Iowa native appeared in 52 games and averaged 7.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 1.7 apg in 18.3 mpg. He shot a career-best .493 from the field, a career-high .536 (first in the NBA) from behind the arc and .796 from the line. Korver’s long-range accuracy last season set an NBA record for highest three-point shooting percentage in a season, eclipsing former Bull Steve Kerr’s mark of .524 (89-170 3FG) set in 1994-95.

For his career, the 29-year old Korver has played in 517 regular season games (103 starts) and posted averages of 9.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.6 apg, 25.0 mpg, .431 field goal shooting, .410 three-point shooting and .879 from the line. His teams have advanced to the postseason four times, where he has played in 32 NBA playoff games (seven starts) and averaged 8.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 23.4 mpg and shot .423 from the field, .369 from downtown and .884 from the line.

Wesley Matthews signs Blazers offer sheet

The Portland Trail Blazers announced today they have signed restricted free-agent guard Wesley Matthews to an offer sheet. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.

The Utah Jazz will have seven days to match the offer sheet from the day on which they receive it.

Undrafted out of Marquette University, Matthews appeared in all 82 games, including 48 starts, for Utah as a rookie during the 2009-10 season. He averaged 9.4 points (48.3% FG, 38.2% 3-PT, 82.9% FT), 2.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 24.7 minutes for the Jazz.

Matthews (6-5, 220) started all 10 of Utah’s 2010 postseason contests, posting averages of 13.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 37.1 minutes.

Bulls sign Carlos Boozer

The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has signed free agent forward Carlos Boozer. In accordance with team policy, terms of the contract were not announced. We’ll post details about the deal later today.

“We are very happy to have Carlos join the Bulls. We are confident that his skill set, toughness and leadership are all qualities that make him a great fit for the Bulls, and he will add a low-post element to our team that we have been searching for,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman. “Post players, with the skills that Carlos possesses, are at a premium in the NBA and we believe that we have landed one of the best big men in the NBA.”

Boozer (6-9, 260) joins the Bulls following a successful six-season run with the Utah Jazz. With the Jazz last season, Boozer played in 78 games (all starts) and averaged 19.5 ppg (20th in the NBA), 11.2 rpg (fifth), 3.2 apg, 1.08 bpg, 34.3 mpg and shot a career-high .562 from the field (sixth) and .742 from the free throw line. The eight-year veteran posted 55 double-doubles (third), including 29 contests with 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds. He also was one of 10 players in the NBA last season who averaged a double-double.

“I am extremely excited about coming to Chicago and joining the Bulls,” said Boozer. “I am really looking forward to being a part of this organization, and I am eager to start working with my new teammates. I feel we have the talent here to begin competing for a title and I cannot wait to get started.”

For his career, the 28-year old power forward has played in 510 regular season contests (469 starts) and owns averages of 17.2 ppg, 10.2 rpg (2.7 OR), 2.5 apg, 0.97 spg, and shot .541 from the field and .728 from the line in 32.7 mpg. In his eight seasons in the NBA, his teams have advanced to the playoffs six times, where he has appeared in 44 postseason games (44 starts) and averaged 20.3 ppg, 12.5 rpg and 2.8 apg in 38.2 mpg, and shot .503 from the field and .707 from the line.

A two-time NBA All-Star (2007, 2008), Boozer was originally drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round (35th overall) of the 2002 NBA Draft. He played two seasons in Cleveland before signing with the Jazz as a restricted free agent on July 30, 2004.

Born in Aschaffenburg, Germany, and raised in Juneau, Ala., Boozer enjoyed a three-year career at Duke University where he was a starter for the Blue Devils 2001 NCAA Championship team. More recently, he earned a gold medal with Team USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and he was also a member of Team USA’s Senior National Team in 2004 that won a bronze medal in Athens.

Carlos Boozer will join Bulls

The AP reports:

Carlos Boozer is headed to the Chicago Bulls.

A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that the two-time All-Star forward agreed to a deal on Wednesday and is leaving the Utah Jazz after six seasons. The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the contract doesn’t become official until Thursday, did not reveal the terms…

With about $30 million in salary cap room, the Bulls were looking to make a big splash in free agency after back-to-back first-round playoff exits.

Adding Boozer strengthens their standing in the Eastern Conference and maybe makes them more attractive to James.

Jazz sign rookies Gordon Hayward, Jeremy Evans

Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has signed forwards Gordon Hayward, the ninth overall selection, and Jeremy Evans, the 55th overall selection, in the 2010 NBA Draft. Per team policy, financial terms were not released. They are rookies and therefore are signed to NBA rookie scale contracts. NBA first round picks are guaranteed a contract, but second rounders (which Evans is) are not.

Hayward and Evans are expected to participate in the Jazz’s mini-camp in preparation for the 2010 Orlando Pro Summer League. Camp is being held at RDV SportsPlex in Maitland, Fla., and will run through Sunday, July 4. Hayward and Evans will then make their professional debuts when the Jazz opens its Orlando Pro Summer League schedule vs. Charlotte at 11 a.m. MT on July 5.

In the 2009-10 season, Hayward, a 6-8, 207-pound forward, was named the Horizon League Player of the Year after leading Butler to its first ever NCAA Final Four and the 2010 National Championship Game. The 20-year-old sophomore posted 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds in that game, a 61-59 loss to Duke. Prior to the Final Four, Hayward posted game-highs of 22 points and nine rebounds in a win over Kansas State in the championship game of the West Regional, hosted at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City.

Hayward was chosen to the 2010 Final Four All-Tournament Team, selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the West Regional and was named a finalist for the Naismith Trophy. He ranked in the top five in the Horizon League in scoring (15.5 points) and rebounding (8.2 rebounds) and led the league in double-doubles with 12. As a freshman, he was named the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year and named to the Foxsports.com National All-Freshman Team after averaging 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds a game.

In the 2009-10 season, Evans, a 6-9, 196-pound forward, appeared in 34 games (all starts) for the Hilltoppers, averaging 10.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. He led the Sun Belt Conference in field goal percentage (64.9) his senior season and leaves Western Kentucky as the school’s all-time field goal percentage leader at .693. He also finished his four-year WKU career as the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots (224).

The 22-year-old became just the second player in WKU history with 1,000 points, 750 rebounds and 200 blocks and was honored with the Danny Rumph Outstanding Teammate Award. As a sophomore, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, following his averages of 13.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 78.9 percent (15-of-19) from the floor.

Jazz make qualifying offers to Kyrylo Fesenko, Wesley Matthews

Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has tendered qualifying offers to center Kyrylo Fesenko and guard Wesley Matthews. Per team policy, financial terms were not released.

In accordance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement, in order for a team to retain its right of first refusal with respect to a restricted free agent, the team must tender the player a qualifying offer by June 30. A restricted free agent may sign an offer sheet with any team, but is subject to a right of first refusal with the team for which the player last played.

A three-year NBA veteran, Fesenko (7-1, 300, Ukraine) appeared in 49 games (five starts) for the Jazz in 2009-10, averaging 2.6 points and 1.8 rebounds in 8.3 minutes. He also appeared in all 10 Jazz playoff games (nine starts), averaging 3.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.50 blocks in 18.0 minutes. Fesenko scored in double figures three times on the season, and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds in Game 4 of the Conference Semifinals vs. the L.A. Lakers. Originally selected by Philadelphia in the second round (38th overall selection) of the 2007 NBA Draft, the Jazz acquired Fesenko’s rights in a draft night deal that sent the draft rights to Herbert Hill (55th overall pick) to the 76ers. Fesenko has appeared in a total of 79 regular season games (all with the Jazz) and owns career averages of 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 8.0 minutes per game.

Matthews (6-5, 220, Marquette) appeared in all 82 games (48 starts) for the Jazz as a rookie in 2009-10, averaging 9.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 24.7 minutes. He also started all 10 Jazz playoff games, where he averaged 13.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.80 steals in 37.1 minutes. Matthews became just the ninth rookie in Jazz history to appear in all 82 games, and his 48 starts marked the most by a Jazz rookie since Jarron Collins (68) in 2001-02. Matthews scored in double figures 40 times, scoring 20+ points on three occasions, and started the team’s final 28 games of the regular season. He finished the season ranked in the Top 10 in scoring, minutes and free throw percentage among NBA rookies. Matthews was not selected in the 2009 NBA Draft and appeared with the Jazz in the team’s summer league entry in the 2009 Orlando Pro Summer League before making the team as an undrafted rookie free agent in training camp.

Cavs-Celtics Game 6 had huge TV rating

The AP reports:

The Boston Celtics’ series-clinching victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals is the second-most watched basketball game ever aired on ESPN.

The broadcast Thursday night drew a 6.6 rating on the cable network and averaged 6,552,000 households and 8,983,000 viewers. Only Game 4 of last year’s Western Conference finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets did better on ESPN, earning a 6.9 rating.

InsideHoops.com Says: It was the biggest game of the entire year, in both the regular season and playoffs.

Has Carlos Boozer played last game for Jazz?

Jody Genessy of the Deseret News reports:

Nobody knows where Carlos Boozer will end up after he becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

That’s not the only unsettled — and unsettling — question regarding the Utah Jazz power forward.

Many had to wonder where he was Monday for most of Game 4, too.

Miami? Chicago? New Jersey? Detroit?

Boozer — especially his offensive game the Jazz rely on — was missing in action for much of the night during Utah’s season-ending 111-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at EnergySolutions Arena.

“I thought I was terrible,” Boozer admitted.

Struggling again to cope with the Los Angeles Lakers’ length, Boozer didn’t seem to save his best for what could have been his last performance in a Jazz uniform. Though he grabbed 14 rebounds, Boozer’s shot was way off again… He missed seven of 11 field goals and finished with only 10 points.

Game 4: Lakers eliminate Jazz

The AP reports:

The Lakers stormed out to a 22-point lead in the first half, then withstood a brief surge by Utah in the third quarter before regaining control in the fourth and winning 111-96 on Monday night, sweeping the second-round series and advancing to the Western Conference finals for the third straight year.

“With close-out games, you have a tendency to lose focus,” said Kobe Bryant, who scored 32 for the Lakers. “We kept our concentration and paid attention to detail.”

Pau Gasol added 33 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who are off until hosting the Phoenix Suns next Monday in Game 1 of the West finals…

“We’re a playoff team and they’re a championship team. They’re just better than we are,” said Deron Williams, who had 21 points and nine assists for the Jazz…

Carlos Boozer had 10 points and 14 rebounds, and Kyrylo Fesenko added 12 rebounds for Utah, which was swept for the first time in 21 years.