Quantcast
Get news, sports and politics alerts

Click here to manage your alerts
Utah Jazz block out rumors as trade deadline nears
Jazz notes » Players try not to let upcoming deadline affect them.
First Published Feb 19 2013 08:50 pm • Last Updated Feb 20 2013 12:05 am

As distracted as fans are by trade rumors, coach Tyrone Corbin said Tuesday that the Utah Jazz have done a good job of blocking out speculation and anxiety before Thursday’s 1 p.m. trade deadline.

"These guys understand," Corbin said. "They’ve been around long enough and understand the rumors is part of the business."

Join the Discussion
Post a Comment

Center Al Jefferson and power forward Paul Millsap remained at the center of all speculation entering Tuesday’s game against Golden State, but both said they pay little attention.

"It don’t affect me," Jefferson said. "I cross that bridge when I get there, man. I just … I’m a Utah Jazz, this is my teammates and this is the way it’s going to be until I find out otherwise."

Millsap said that the flip side of being a centerpiece of trade talk is knowing that teams are interested in him.

"That’s how you’ve got to look at it," he said. "I try to keep it positive. When they’re not talking about you is when you should be concerned."

Corbin said he has talked to the team multiple times about not being affected by trade talk, and that he doesn’t put much stock in the chatter.

"I hear some," Corbin said, "and it’s like, ‘That’s not even close to being correct.’ But it’s out there."

The Jazz have eight players scheduled to enter free agency in the summer if they do not make a trade by Thursday.

"I love everybody on the team," Corbin said, adding, "These are Utah Jazz kind of guys."


story continues below
story continues below

Lowe returns

Jazz lead assistant Sidney Lowe returned to the Jazz bench on Tuesday, one day after he was arrested in North Carolina for failing to file state tax retuns in any of the last three years.

Despite Corbin’s assertion Monday night that Lowe would give a statement at some point, he did not address his legal troubles Tuesday. The Jazz directed all inquiries to Lowe’s attorney, North Carolina-based Lee Turner.

"We’re moving forward," Corbin said. "It’s a personal situation that he’s going to deal with. We support him wholeheartedly, he understands and is taking responsibility for where he is. We’ll support him and move on."

Lowe is scheduled to appear in Wake County court on March 19, a day before the Jazz open a three-game road trip in Houston.

Remembering Jerry Buss

Corbin only ever had one memorable interaction with Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who died Monday after undergoing cancer treatment for 18 months.

Corbin, who played 16 years in the NBA, said he visited the Lakers before his rookie season when coming out of DePaul.

"At the time, I was a young guy afraid of everything about the league," Corbin said, "and he was really warm. Had a good conversation about the Lakers and had a chance to meet with him and visit for a short time."

Next Page >


Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Top Reader Comments Read All Comments Post a Comment
Click here to read all comments   Click here to post a comment


About Reader Comments


Reader comments on sltrib.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Salt Lake Tribune. We will delete comments containing obscenities, personal attacks and inappropriate or offensive remarks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. If you see an objectionable comment, please alert us by clicking the arrow on the upper right side of the comment and selecting "Flag comment as inappropriate". If you've recently registered with Disqus or aren't seeing your comments immediately, you may need to verify your email address. To do so, visit disqus.com/account.
See more about comments here.
Staying Connected
Videos
Jobs
Shopping
Contests and Promotions