It's not enough.
OK, it only seemed that way Sunday night, when the Jazz opened their preseason by learning which among them is already closest to midseason form: The trainer. With one player left behind in Utah, three more too sore to play, and another stricken by injury during the game, the remaining Jazz players nevertheless made several positive impressions by routing weary Seattle, 100-84 in Spokane Arena.
Mehmet Okur appeared to be money well spent, scoring 14 points on a startling variety of hooks, scoops and long jumpers. Matt Harpring - in a reversal of the night's theme, he looks completely healthy - displayed his pre-injury hustling style, scoring seven straight points (among his game-high 18, to go with eight rebounds) and leading an 18-5 third-quarter run that put the game out of reach.
And probably most encouraging of all, rookies Kris Humphries and Kirk Snyder seemed entirely at home in their first NBA action.
How much at home? Even noted skeptic Jerry Sloan offered mild praise.
"They had some moments when things went pretty well for them," the coach said before adding the qualifier: "But they've got a lot to learn."
Humphries ran the floor well and got to the line for 10 free throws, finishing with 14 points, while Snyder made three of his first four points to finish with 11.
"They looked like they were interested in trying hard, and that's the most important thing for a young guy," Sloan said. "They did OK - for young guys."
There were some young guys sitting behind the Jazz bench, too. Carlos Boozer missed the game after developing a sore back Saturday night. Curtis Borchardt's oft-injured right foot was bothering him after two weeks of training camp, and the Jazz take no chances with his brittle bones. And Raja Bell, still recovering from a sore groin suffered late last week, could have played, Sloan said, but the team decided to give him another couple of days to recover.
With point guard Raul Lopez back in Utah trying to strengthen his knee, and reserve guard Jason Miskiri pulled at halftime after straining his right hip, the Jazz were able to give Humphries 34 minutes and Snyder 28.
"It gives our other guys a chance, which is fine. That's what you will need when people get hurt later on," Sloan said.
If the Jazz offense works this way, they may eclipse 100 points more than the half-dozen times they managed it last year. Utah made 51.6 percent of its shots, posted a pair of 31-point quarters, and pulled away from the Sonics, playing their third game in four nights.
Defense? Well, there's another topic. "We couldn't get through people. They took shots and we couldn't get to them," said Sloan, though at least the Sonics didn't make them, hitting only 32.9 percent on the night.
Jazz notes
With their preseason finally under way, the games come fast now. The Jazz meet New York in the Delta Center on Tuesday, then face the Suns in Phoenix on Wednesday.
pmiller@sltrib.com
UTAH (100)
Okur 5-10 4-5 14, Kirilenko 3-7 8-9 14, Collins 2-2 0-0 4, Giricek 1-3 0-0 2, Arroyo 4-6 2-3 10, Snyder 4-8 2-2 11, Miskiri 0-1 0-0 0, Harpring 6-9 5-8 18, McLeod 2-5 5-6 9, Humphries 3-5 8-10 14, Henderson 2-6 0-0 4, Radojevic 0-0 0-0 0, Cornell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-62 34-43 100.
SEATTLE (84)
Evans 1-2 1-3 3, Radmanovic 2-11 9-12 13, Kotapenko 6-9 1-1 13, Daniels 1-6 3-4 5, Allen 6-13 4-6 18, Collison 1-4 0-2 2, Young 1-6 2-2 4, Ridnour 2-6 4-5 8, Kutluay 2-9 10-10 15, Cleaves 0-2 0-0 0, Swift 1-2 1-1 3. Totals 23-70 35-46 84.
Utah;31;22;31;16;-;100
Seattle;23;23;18;20;-;84
Three-Point Goals-Utah 2-3 (Snyder 1-1, Harpring 1-1, McLeod 0-1). Seattle 3-14 (Radmanovic 0-5, Daniels 0-2, Allen 2-4, Kutluay 1-3). Rebounds-Utah 48 (Okur 8, Harpring 8), Seattle 38 (Evans 9). Assists-Utah 27 (Arroyo 10), Seattle 17 (Daniels 3, Allen 3, Ridnour 3). Total fouls-Utah 34, Seattle 34. Technicals-none. A-4,507.
