This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Excerpts from interviews with Jazz players and coach Tyrone Corbin for a feature story about forward Josh Howard.
Jamaal Tinsley Utah's a good place. When you hear about Utah, you just hear about Mormons and cold weather. I tell people it's not like that. People's people. At the end of the day, you've got to get to know a person before you can judge 'em. Sometimes when you don't know a person and you just hear things and the rumors are out there in public, sometimes people just go off of that. It's good to have people that have been through certain stuff like that in life. When you go through stuff, it makes you better. It makes you a stronger person. It makes you believe in stuff. It makes you more humble and appreciate what you got. I don't think no one perfect. And if it is, I don't want to be around them. At the end of the day, I think everybody can get better as a friend, father, as a basketball player. I think everybody can get better in life. If you don't, you're not a person willing to have growing spurts in your life. Quiet, hardworking, hardnosedC.J. MilesThere's more to him. He'll be the first to tell you that he made mistakes and he did what he did. And he says it made him who he is now — it made him a better person. Understanding the game-wise, understanding off-the-court stuff, on-the-court stuff.But there's always going to be that about anyone person that you pick up that's not this big-market guy.Fans want everything right now. The first thing that happens, it's like, 'Why?' And then the second he starts playing well, they change. That's how it is.He did a good job of just coming in and just playing basketball; playing the way he plays and [being] what made him who he is. That's why I don't think he's had any problems, as far as mentally, as worrying about the talk. But it's always going to be there. Unless you're coming off an All-Star season the year before, there's always going to be something about it. Because everybody has their thing they envision for their team and what they think we need. And the people in the front-office are the people who make the decisions.Devin Harris[Salt Lake City's] different than any other NBA city. And I think what's helped me out and Josh, we're kind of older now, family-men now — it kind of fits the bill of what Salt Lake City is. It's a lot of families and it's kind of a warm town that way. So I think that helped his adjustment more than anything else.We do our different things but we still find time to get together. … Usually we hit the mall.He just matured. Obviously Dallas wasn't a very fun time, especially the end part of it. It kind of helped him grow up a lot faster, and kids do that to you as well. He's done a great job of just reinventing himself. He really is [smart]. But you have to get through that outer shell to really see it. And that outer shell's always going to be there; that protective shell is going to be there. We're working on it now to get him to release it a little bit more.CorbinHe's been a tremendous pro for us. He gives us a veteran guy who can come in. … He's done all the things that we look for him to do to help us have a chance to win.He's a great guy. He knows how to get along with his teammates and they respect what he brings to the team. We haven't had any issues there. Defend bigger 3s, scoreBrian T. SmithTwitter: @tribjazz