I'm personally a big believer in one Mehmet Okur and his chances of becoming a superstar Center in today's NBA. Now I know he doesn't look like the typical NBA player, than again Utah have witnessed several of this kind first hand, but his ability and potential is simply undeniable. Even back when Okur was in his first season, with The Pistons in 2002, he showed great potential averaging 7 PPG and 4.7 RPG in 19 Minutes Per Game. He was a key contributor in The Pistons 03-04 Championship run, giving them versatility off the bench and more importantly in their front court which most teams lacked. This summer when Okur opted out of his Second-Round Draft Selection's contract and signed with The Utah Jazz, I personally was very optimistic. I finally thought Okur would receive the opportunities he was denied in Detroit because of the ALL-STAR caliber talent playing infront of him. However, even given Utah's lackluster rotation at Center, Okur has not received what he's earned and more importantly deserves as he's currently in his 3rd season. Okur has only received 26.7 MPG in his brief stint in Utah, and more surprisingly just 8 Starts thus far. How could this be possible? It's not as though he's still playing behind talented bigmen like Rasheed and Ben Wallace. We're talking about unknowns like Curtis Borchard and Aleksandar Radojevic, so why are The Jazz limiting his production? <div align="center"> 12.3 PPG 7.80 RPG 26.7 MPG 37 GP (8 Starts)</div> Someone needs to give me the inside scoop, Is there a reason Mehmet Okur isn't starting? I mean a simple glance at his statistics or his versatility at the center postion would prove he's starting material. Perhaps he's in Sloan's dog house? What's the deal?
He started in Sloan's doghouse, worked his way out and know Sloan is starting to play him a lot. As for not starting, Sloan is a firm believer in it's not about who starts games - but who finishes. Mehmet Okur finishes games for the Jazz. There was also an article about Okur coming off the bench. Sloan believes that having someone who isn't a scorer (eg. Borchardt or Radojevic) starting helps the Jazz. I don't entirely agree with it, but the important thing is that he is getting on the court to finish games, showing Sloan's trust in him.
Sure, he finishes games because his performances earn him that spot. The fact still remains, he's only getting 26 MPG, that's just a shade under half the game!!! This guy deserves to be playing 35 Minutes a Night, there shouldn't be any question about that...
As I said, when the season started he was in Jerry Sloan's doghouse, and getting limited minutes on court. Getting roughly 20MPG at the end of November, when he was working his way out of the doghouse. It took until December 8 for Memo to get his first 38 minute game. By the end of the season, Memo should be getting 30 - 35 MPG. The start of the season just brought his season MPG down. For the 05-06 season, he shouldn't be starting in the doghouse, and I'd expect him to be average over 35MPG if he continues to impress Jerry Sloan on court.
I read an online article awhile back that said one of the reasons why Okur is not starting is so that the Jazz can have Okur or Boozer in the lineup at all times on the floor. It's much easier to do that with Memo coming off of the bench.
