Jazz player profiles

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Nov 2, 2005 | by Compiled by Tim Buckley Deseret Morning News

CARLOS BOOZER (5)

Power forward

HEIGHT: 6-foot-9. WEIGHT: 258 pounds. AGE: 23. COLLEGE: Duke. PREVIOUS NBA SEASONS: Three. OTHER NBA TEAM: Cleveland. HOW ACQUIRED: Signed as a free agent, 2004.

UPSIDE: After Boozer pulled a Houdini routine to escape from Cleveland in 2004, the Jazz offered him $68 million over six years in exchange for plenty of points and lots of rebounds. When he actually played last season -- Utah's first 51 games, all of them starts -- Boozer delivered on both counts. His career-high 17.8 points per game were a team-high, and his 52.1 percent shooting from the field was 10th-best in the NBA. He also averaged 9.0 rebounds per game, a team-high as well, and he posted double-doubles in 41 of his 51 appearances.

DOWN: Though the two later publicly claimed to have made amends, Boozer was blasted last February by Jazz owner Larry H. Miller for his effort -- especially defensively. Trade rumors ensued. A strained right foot cropped up on the heels of Miller's tirade, prompting Boozer to sit for all of the Jazz's final 31 games. He had a strong summer conditioning-wise, but a strained left hamstring caused Boozer to sit for much of training camp and the preseason -- prompting question marks over what is to come in the season ahead.

DEVIN BROWN (23)

Shooting guard

HEIGHT: 6-5. WEIGHT: 220. AGE: 26. COLLEGE: Texas-San Antonio. PREVIOUS NBA SEASONS: Three. OTHER NBA TEAMS: San Antonio, Denver. HOW ACQUIRED: Signed as a free agent, 2005.

UPSIDE: Brown is said to be an even-better defender than the man he was signed to essentially replace, Raja Bell. He can score in bunches on occasion, having posted 20 points or more six times last season. The San Antonio-raised Ogden native is a career 42.2 percent shooter from the field, and his high-energy play should keep coach Jerry Sloan off his back. Brown also has NBA Finals experience, playing in six title-series games and winning a ring with San Antonio in a reserve-role effort a season ago.

DOWN: The undrafted Brown doesn't have quite the offensive game as Bell, and his career 3-point shooting percentage -- 36.0 on 49- of-136 -- pales a bit compared to his predecessor's 40.3 percent in 2004-05. His scoring average has steadily increased in each of his three seasons, but has never risen into double-digits. He isn't accustomed to starting, coming off the bench in all 125 of his games the past two years. And after a bad back kept Brown out of 14 games last season, he has never played more than 67 in a full season.

JARRON COLLINS (31)

Power forward/center

HEIGHT: 6-11. WEIGHT: 255. AGE: 26. COLLEGE: Stanford. PREVIOUS NBA SEASONS: Four. OTHER NBA TEAMS: None. HOW ACQUIRED: Second- round draft choice, 2001.

UPSIDE: Collins is the quintessential forever-steady, never- flashy big man. The Stanford man is smart, knows the offense like the back of his hand and will never be found out of position. He can play two positions. He's quiet, too, and will never cause a stir. Coaches love having guys like him around. Besides being dependable, Collins also is quite flexible. He can start or come off the bench, and has been in the opening lineup for 144 of his 223 Jazz games. He comes fairly cheap, too, and should be motivated in a contract year.

DOWN: What you see is what you get. In four years, Collins has never averaged more than 6.4 points (a rookie-season career high) or 4.2 rebounds (also his rookie-season norm). Last season's 4.3 scoring average was a career-low by 1.2 per game. His game has little speed. Injuries are a concern, too. After a major knee blowout limited him to just 22 sophomore-season NBA games, the twin brother of New Jersey big man Jason Collins missed 22 games last season with a sprain in the same right knee and 10 with a sprained right shoulder.

GORDAN GIRICEK (10)

Shooting guard/small forward

HEIGHT: 6-5. WEIGHT: 210. AGE: 28. HOME COUNTRY: Croatia. PREVIOUS NBA SEASONS: Three. OTHER NBA TEAMS: Memphis, Orlando. HOW ACQUIRED: Trade with Orlando for DeShawn Stevenson, 2004.

UPSIDE: Giricek is a strong shooter with enough size to play either the 2 or 3 spots, which are essentially interchangeable in the Jazz offense. Though his 8.8 points per game last season were a career-low, he is a career double-digits scorer. He had 10 or more 39 times last season, including a season-high 22. He's also solid from the free-throw line, making 82.8 percent over three seasons. Giricek is experienced on the international level, and can start or come off the bench, having opened 149 of his 230 career NBA games.

DOWN: Giricek was asked to score when acquired from Orlando on trade-deadline day in 2004, and enjoyed the notion -- but struggled because of conditioning and family concerns. Last season, he was in better shape -- but the Jazz no longer needed him to be a primary scorer. Giricek struggled with his new role, and his playing time fluctuated -- even though he did appear in all but one of Utah's 82 games in 2004-05. This season, his attitude, effort and play on the defensive end should go a long way toward determining just how he is used.