Mehmet Okur may not come till January next year

Mehmet Okur may not come till January next year

Recently, Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor disclosed in an interview that Jazz Turk center forward Mehmet Okur will accept re-check in the mid of October. However, according to informed sources, Okur may have to wait until December of this year or next January when the order returns.

Okur’s agent, Marc Fleisher in charles barkley jersey, said his client is working hard during his rehabilitation and is pleased with his progress. “He’s doing everything he can to get back on the court,” Fleisher said. The 6-foot-11, 263-pound Okur in portland trail blazers jersey averaged 13.5 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Jazz last season, starting 73 out of 82 regular-season games. The 31-year-old dealt with a sore Achilles in blazers jerseys during the latter part of the year, then ruptured it during Game 1 of a first-round playoff series against Denver. The eighth-year center in brandon roy jersey from Turkey has spent six consecutive seasons with the Jazz. Okur, who is under contract through 2011-12 and is set to make $9.4 million this season, has averaged 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds during his career while playing in 92 percent (604 of 656) of his possible regular-season games. While a mid-October date looms large for Okur during his rehab, multiple sources said Utah is realistically targeting a December-January return for the center.

Okur in kevin martin jersey underwent surgery April 20 to repair a ruptured Achilles. A league source stated that the Jazz are employing an “Elton Brand” timetable for Okur. Brand, a Philadelphia forward, missed 74 games in 2007-08 for the Los Angeles Clippers while recovering from Achilles surgery.

It has been less than five months since Okur in spurs jersey had his surgery, and he is less than two months into his rehab. Asked if the Jazz expect to enter the 2010-11 season without their starting center, O’Connor would only say that the team will first evaluate Okur’s progress, then make “some decisions.” O’Connor stressed that Utah will not place a deadline on Okur’s return, adding that the organization has a history of being cautious with injured players. “When we deal with these things, we never put a timetable on anything,” O’Connor in san antonio spurs jersey said. “And I know everyone gets a little frustrated with us. But I don’t want to put pressure on our players, first of all. Secondly, I don’t want people to think that we’re [misleading] them.”

Nevertheless, the Jazz appear to be making initial plans on how to play through the start of the upcoming season without Okur. The Salt Lake Tribune reported last week that Utah will likely sign veteran center Franciso Elson in utah jazz jersey. The 7-foot, 240-pound Elson in deron williams jersey is expected to provide front-court depth and average 10-15 minutes of playing time. O’Connor in jazz jerseys said he had no comment when asked about the expected addition. Utah is also involved in ongoing contract negotiations with third-year center Kyrylo Fesenko in karl malone jersey. A mixture of NBA and European teams has shown interest in the reserve big man from Ukraine. However, the Jazz remain the most likely option for Fesenko.

It's bad news for the Jazz, but it should not be unexpected considering he went under the knife on April 17. Elton Brand in john stockton jersey had the same surgery and still isn't back to his old self years later, so fantasy owners need to tread very lightly here. The Jazz will lean heavily on Al Jefferson at the center spot and Paul Millsap at power forward until Okur gets back on the floor, which may not be until 20 or 30 games into the season.