GM in Turkey says team won't sign Jazz's Okur

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The general manager of a Turkish professional team denied reports Saturday that his club was pursuing veteran Utah Jazz center Memo Okur.Aydin Ors told Salsabasket.net, a basketball web site in Turkey, that Istanbul-based Fenerbahce Ulker did not plan to sign any new players.Earlier in the day, the web site MixBasket reported Fenerbahce Ulker and Okur were negotiating a one-year contract, which would include an opt-out clause in case the NBA lockout is settled. Attempts to contact Okur's agent, Marc Fleisher, were unsuccessful.Since being taken in the second round of the 2001 draft by Detroit, Okur has played nine NBA seasons, including the last seven in Utah.A native of Yalova, Turkey, Okur has averaged 13.7 points and 7.1 points in 617 games in his career. He played on the Pistons' NBA championship team in 2004 and represented the Jazz in the 2007 All-Star Game.Okur, who turned 32 in May, played only 13 games last season after rupturing his Achilles tendon in the first round of the 2010 playoffs against Denver.He has one year and $10.9 million remaining on his contract with the Jazz.— Steve Luhm