<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> If first impressions mean anything, Jazz vice president of basketball operations Kevin O'Connor believes the coming NBA season might be a good one. While training camp does not open until next week in Boise, Jazz players have been trickling into Salt Lake City. Some have began working out at the team's practice facility, and from what he's seen, O'Connor is smiling. ?Guys we asked to do things - from a physical standpoint - have done them,? O'Connor said. Speaking at a media luncheon Wednesday, O'Connor rattled off the names of players who have spent the summer successfully getting ready to get back to work. The group includes Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Andre Kirilenko, Jarron Collins and Rafael Araujo. According to O'Connor, Williams has worked on his ball handling, lost eight pounds and ?looks terrific.? That's good news for the Jazz, who believe the No. 3 pick in the 2005 draft is on the threshold of becoming a franchise cornerstone at point guard. ?Over the last 20 games of last season,? coach Jerry Sloan said, ?I don't think many guys played that position better than he did.? Boozer, who has battled foot and hamstring injuries the past two seasons, spent time during the offseason in Miami, where he worked out with the trainer of Heat center Alonzo Mourning. O'Connor says Boozer is 100 percent physically heading into training camp weighing about a slimmed-down 270 pounds. </div> Source
Working out over the offseason should help out some Jazz players significantly. In his first season with the Jazz, Memo Okur came to training camp out of shape and started the season in Sloan's doghouse. In his second season, Okur came to camp in shape, started the season strongly and continued to play well for the entire season.
