This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
El Segundo, Calif. • Richard Jefferson isn't letting the Jazz's 1-4 preseason record bother him. "Not a chance," he said before the Jazzed practiced at Toyota Sports Center, the Lakers' gym, Monday afternoon. "I've seen teams that went undefeated in the preseason and lost every game in the regular season. I've seen the Lakers go 0-8 and win a championship. Maybe I might be exaggerating, but that's just the way it is." It wasn't every game, but the Jazz did finish below .500 (39-43) in 2010-11 after going a perfect 8-0 in the preseason. So, factual accuracy aside, Jefferson's point is well taken. The vet also emphasized the many changes this Jazz team has undergone, whether its new faces or returning players taking on new roles, versus the relative stability of Utah's preseason opponents. "We've had a change in point guard and before that we were going with a rookie point guard, which is going to take some time," Jefferson said. "We've got a lot of new guys with new roles and new players coming in. If you look at the teams we've played: Portland, they've got their returning core back, Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge. You look at Golden State, they got their whole team back." Once again, something of an exaggeration from Jefferson, who along with Andris Biedrins and Brandon Rush played for the Warriors last season. Still, point taken. Injury report Rush (knee), Marvin Williams (achilles) and Jeremy Evans (rotator cuff) did not practice Monday and will not play agains the Lakers tomorrow night. Rudy Gobert (shoulder), Mike Harris (ankle) and Scott Machado (abdominal contusion) were all going to try to practice and are game-time decisions for tomorrow. On the L.A. side of things, it doesn't sound like Chris Kaman will play. Steve Nash, meanwhile, said that his injured ankle is "serviceable," and should be available tomorrow, according to the O.C. Register's Bill Oram, who used to write in this space. — Aaron Falk