Cleveland » Although the possibility of rejoining the Jazz for Saturday's game had been floated, Deron Williams opted to remain in Utah with his family to address the health concerns involving one of his young daughters.
"We've always had the same philosophy as long as I've been in basketball," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "If a guy's not able to play, he's got a problem at home, take care of that problem."
"He's got to do what he's got to do," Sloan added, "because most of the time your mind is so much on what's going on back there that you don't have a chance to really concentrate on basketball when you're trying to play."
After returning home Friday, Williams was said to be doing well, though he might have to wait through the weekend for test results involving his daughter. The Jazz will practice Monday, with Sloan saying he didn't know if Williams would be present.
"We just embrace him, like we do, and hope the best for him," Carlos Boozer said, "and hope he's getting some good news out there and we'll see him when we get back."
Homecoming game
With some "big time" help from his teammates, Kosta Koufos was able to line up 16 tickets for family and friends as the Canton, Ohio, native returned home for Saturday's game.
It was a different homecoming for Koufos this November than last, when he made an emergency start as a 19-year-old rookie with Mehmet Okur attending to his ailing father in Turkey and Jarron Collins out with an elbow injury.
"A different perspective," said Koufos, who did not play Saturday and has seen only 25 minutes of action this season. "Stay focused and be ready."
Sloan praised Koufos as a hard worker who has improved in his two seasons with the Jazz, adding, "It's just that being so young, trying to understand the mechanics of the game has probably slowed him down a little bit."
"He's big and long and he probably needs a chance to play a little bit more," Sloan continued, "but we're trying to win games every time we step out there and it's not an exhibition season now. Everything's on the line."
Sloan also was asked about the difficulty in trying to develop a pair of young centers in Koufos and Kyrylo Fesenko when both are seemingly competing for the same minutes.
"The minutes are always tough, but that's what the D-League's about," Sloan said, adding, "I think sometimes they think that's a demotion. What it is is a way to try to learn how to become a better player."
Koufos played 10 games with the D-League's Utah Flash last season, but is unlikely to return as long as the Jazz are struggling just to dress 12 players for games.
Pink game
The Jazz will donate $5 for every single-game ticket sold to Wednesday's game against Toronto to one of three organizations dedicated to fighting breast cancer -- Swing for Life, the American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
