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Over the course of his career with the San Antonio Spurs and the Indiana Pacers, George Hill's been able to accomplish a lot, not just in a team perspective, but as an individual player.

Because he's played with the likes of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Paul George and Manu Ginobli, Hill's accustomed to playing off the ball. Part of his appeal to Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey was his fit with Rodney Hood and Gordon Hayward, in this regard.

At the same time, Hill's proved more adept than given credit for with the ball in his hands. He's more than capable of creating for himself and others. The individual game of Hill, perhaps more than any other player in Utah's starting lineup, is chameleon-like, able to shift suddenly with the needs of the roster.

And the Jazz, right now, need scoring George Hill. Offensively aggressive George Hill.

"It's a new season, and we're still learning how to gel with each other," Hill said. "It's a new team, and a new environment for everybody, and we're just trying to figure out roles and positions. We're going to go out and make plays."

Hill gave a glimpse of his versatility this week, scoring 19 points against the Portland Trail Blazers in Tuesday night's season-opener. It was the way he accomplished that which should open eyes.

With the Jazz sputtering in the first half, Hill took it upon himself to jumpstart the Jazz offense, time and again using pick-and-roll sets to get into the teeth of Portland's defense for baby jumpers in the lane.

In the second half, once Hill figured out Hood and Joe Johnson carried hot hands, he made sure to get them the basketball, deferring to their offense, and keeping the overall offense humming in the process.

Hill showed exactly what Utah's been missing at the position for years. Hill's taken control of the team in short order. He's a defender, he's been able to seamlessly look for his offense, all while getting others involved.

As the Jazz wade through the first few weeks of the season without Hayward, Hill's offense will be counted on more than previously thought. He averaged a career-high 16 points a night two years ago when George missed a season because of a broken leg. It appears he's still capable of being a scorer when needed.

Feeling Blue

As he returned to Salt Lake City for the first time in more than a decade, former Jazzman Theodore "Blue" Edwards was eager to seek out his old coach to say hello on Friday night.

That wasn't the case the last time Edwards made his return here.

After three years in Utah, Edwards was feuding with Jerry Sloan over losing playing time and his starting spot when he was traded in 1992. And, when the Jazz traded to bring Edwards back in 1995, he was leery.

"I wanted to remain there, I loved playing there," said Edwards, who was brought back to Utah for the team's home opener on Friday. "I was told I was going to be there for a while and I took them at their word. When the trade happened, it did hurt. I was uncomfortable going back because I didn't know how I was going to be received."

But Edwards credited Sloan's late wife, Bobbye Sloan, with putting him at ease during a team function.

"She called me aside and said, 'I want to tell you something. I've never seen Jerry more happy in his life about a player than the day that they traded for you. He came in the door with a big smile on his face and he was so excited,' " Edwards recalled. "That smoothed over everything that was done or said. It was a really heartfelt moment. It wasn't expected."

Edwards and the Jazz went on to finish that season with 62 wins. So on Friday, Edwards was happily in search of Sloan.

"That will be one of the first faces I'll look for," he said.

 Friday's need

You never want to place an importance on Game 2 of an 82-game NBA schedule, but the Jazz will play seven of their next nine games on the road, following Friday night's matchup against the Lakers. The two home games? The San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks, two teams who have typically given the Jazz trouble over the years. The Jazz have one of the more difficult schedules in the NBA over the first 10 games, with five of the first six games coming against teams that made the playoffs last season.