July 20, 2010

Jazz Welcome Al To Utah

Al Jefferson finally has his chance to play in Utah.

After completing the trade to bring him West, the Jazz welcomed Al to Utah last week and to a winning organization that is looking at Al to be a final piece to a championship puzzle.

"If you look statistically at what he's done, it's been terrific. Now the challenge is going to be to turn all those statistics into wins," Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said at Al's introductory press conference. "That's what we've talked about and he sounds excited to be here. The last thing that's important, and I think it has to be underlined is, he's been in the league a while but he's 25 years old. We expect his best years ahead of him."

Al's first season in Utah will be his seventh season in the NBA, but Al has had aspirations to play with the Jazz from the outset of his career. He believed that they would choose him in the 2004 NBA Draft, but the Celtics swooped in and stole him one pick ahead of Utah.

Now Al will have his chance, joining a Utah team that has made the playoffs each of the last four seasons but has not reached the NBA Finals since 1998.

"I'm not just saying this because I did come to Utah, but I told my agent 'If you can make Utah happen, let's do it.' It's a place I can come here and fit right in," No. 25 said. "I'm just very happy to be here. I've been put in a great situation. I just want to thank everybody for making this happen. I think the basketball gods were thinking about me that night. When I woke up and found out I had a chance to come here, for a long time I didn't believe it. Even last night when I got to the airport, I still couldn't believe it."

Al averaged 17.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while recovering from knee surgery last season. In his three previous seasons No. 25 went for double-double averages in each.

Back at 100 percent for the first time in well over a year, Big Al will be expected to return to that form next season. He's ready for the challenge.

"I feel like my knee isn't stopping me from doing anything. I finally feel like the guy I was before I got hurt," he said. "I'm going to do whatever it takes. Whatever it takes. I'm not here to bring the team any steps back. I'm here to try to get the team to the Finals and win. I'm going to do whatever it takes to do that. This is a first class team and I have to step up to the plate. I'm going to be ready and I'm very excited about it. I can't wait for training camp to start and normally I don't ever say that, but I'm very excited for training camp to start."

PAIRED WITH A POINT
One of the attributes that made AJ most giddy at the chance to play with the Jazz is being paired with point guard Deron Williams.

Williams is widely considered one of the top point guards in the NBA. He too has averaged a double-double in each of the last three seasons with points and assists. Last season Williams ranked third in the NBA with 10.3 assists per game and also scored to the tune of 18.2 ppg.

"I think when you look at the NBA and you look at teams that have success and have had success over the course of many years, some of the things that you note are 1) they've got a good point guard, 2) they've got a good, inside, low-post scorer and, 3) They've got a good coach. I'd like to think that we've continued that trend by getting Al," O'Connor said.

The Jazz believe the Williams-Jefferson combo gives them one of the best 1-2 punches in the league. AJ said a phone conversation with Williams got him even more hyped for the season.

"To play with a point guard like D-Williams is amazing. I used to always tell Jonny Flynn, 'You have a chance to be just as good as this guy.' We used to always talk about how good D-Williams is. Now I have the opportunity to play with him," Al said. "I talked to [Deron] last night. He's very excited about me being here. He said 'You got you a good point guard now.' And I said 'Right!' He's very excited and by him being so excited, it made me even more excited because now I know I have his blessing. That made me feel even better when I got off the phone with him."

Though he gives credit to his former point guards, both Flynn and Rajon Rondo in Boston were early in their careers when Al played with them. With a veteran like Williams, AJ knows that hell have to be more attentive.

"I have to be ready to catch the ball," he said. "[Otherwise] the ball might hit me in the face. If I come off the screen and I have my hands ready, everything is going to take care of itself."

FILLING THE VOID
The trade for Al comes on the heels of Utah losing beloved power forward Carlos Boozer to the Chicago Bulls in free agency.

Boozer spent the last six seasons in Utah and has averaged a double-double over each of the last four. Al knows he has some big shoes to fill.

"Boozer was good pick and pop and he was very good scoring in the paint. He had an edge on me as far as the outside range but maybe I have the edge on him in the post game," Al said. "The difference is, I'm always just on the block. Boozer could beat you in a lot of different ways.

"My whole game, ever since I've been playing basketball, I like to be in the paint. That's where we get nasty. That's where you become a man. I just like to be in the paint. I'd rather do an up and under and 1 then do a dunk."

With the early season availability of Utah center Mehmet Okur, who suffered a knee injury of his own late last year, in question, No. 25 may be asked to start the season back at the center position. Al said he's comfortable wherever the team puts him.

"I'm going to do whatever I can and whatever they want me to do. Just tell me, it's done," he said. "I'm going to work as hard as I can so this team can continue to go forward and not backwards.

"I've been playing the 5 my whole career. I really don't see the difference between the 4 and the 5. The biggest difference with the 5 is that he's the captain on defense, the goaltender. Everyone knows that's been a weakness in my game, my defense. But I feel like me being here, that's going to bring me to another level."

No. 25 also has the chance in Utah to follow in the footsteps of one of the greatest forwards of all-time, Karl Malone. Big Al told the press that his grandmother loved watching Malone play and was thrilled about his trade to Utah for that reason.

"My mom's mom knows the game. I averaged 42 points per game in high school and I swear nothing I did was good enough for her. If I missed a rebound, she was going to tell me. And I'm talking about embarrassing me, coming out there on the floor after the game in front of everybody, all my friends and fans who think I'm amazing," Al said. "She's very excited about this because she was a big fan of Karl Malone and she said 'Now you’ve got the opportunity to be that type of player.' I talked to her two nights ago when I found out it was done."

The Jazz aren’t shy about mentioning that Al can be that type of player either:

"I think on an overview, this is one of those days in Jazz history that we're going to look at and say, 'Boy we're glad we got him,'" O'Connor said.

SUMMER TRAINING
Even before his trade to Utah, No. 25 was working hard to get ready for the 2010-2011 season.

"I've been really working hard this past summer to get the knee back right and it's been paying off," Al said. "I know it's paying off."

Most of AJ's training has been taking place around Boston, the first place he played in his career, where he trains with a former Celtics conditioning coach.

"I like to work out in Boston. There's a nice little small town there that I like to go work out in where Walter Norton Jr., the strength and conditioning coach for the Celtics when I was there, is," Al said. "He has his own gym now so I just go work out to get me away from everybody and stay focused. That's where I was when I got the call to let me know that the deal was done."

Al's focus on training forced him to turn down an invite to play for Team USA at the World Championships in Turkey this summer.

"The reason I decided not to go…I just felt really comfortable in what I was doing now as far as rehabbing, working out, rehabbing on my knee," he said. "I just needed to continue to do that."

Al said he thinks his declined participation in the World Championships kills any chance he had of playing in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

"From my understanding from me not coming and trying out, I would not be able to go in 2012, if I'm not mistaken," he said.

AJ does have past experience with USA Basketball. Though he was never formally on a team, he worked out with the group in 2007 as they prepared for the upcoming Olympics. He said he'd love to have the opportunity to represent his country down the road.

"I would love to be a part of the team in the future," he said. "I feel like I'm young enough to have a chance to go four years from now and that's the reason why [I held off now]. My team supported me on that and USA [Basketball] supported me too."