Once down by 19 points, the Jazz were rallying against San Antonio.
The crowd at EnergySolutions Arena was roaring Wednesday night, doing its part to help Utah against the NBA’s best team.
Twice during the comeback, Memo Okur found himself with the ball at the 3-point line with an open shot at the basket. Each time, the fans inhaled, ready to explode when Okur buried one of his trademark 3-pointers, as he’s done so often in the past.
But Okur didn’t pull the trigger. Either time.
“That’s why I need to get used to it again,” Okur said Thursday. “I need to gain my confidence back a little bit.”
Said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, “That’s what we’re dealing with ever since he’s come back.
“I’m sure there are some remembrances of hurting his leg — it still troubles him some. And that’s part of it, trying to get it out of your head.”
Don’t misunderstand.
Okur played effectively for 13 minutes in the 112-105 loss to San Antonio. He finished with three points, two rebounds and two assists. He was on the floor when the Jazz trimmed a 19-point deficit to 86-78 with an 11-0 run near the end of the third quarter.
But one of Okur’s dagger-like 3s? It didn’t happen.
“I should have taken those shots,” he said, almost apologetically. “I got wide-open looks, but I didn’t realize how wide open they were.
“I just didn’t want to settle for my jumper, you know? I wanted to mix up my game — try to take it to the hoop, help my teammates.”
Hesitancy is a byproduct of injury. Or so it seems. During the first round of the 2010 playoffs, Okur tore his Achilles tendon against Denver. He missed eight months.
Since his return from surgery in December, Okur has been sidelined again with a sprained ankle and a strained back.
He has played in 12 of the Jazz’s first 46 games.
“The thing about my body, I have not been able to focus on one thing because I’ve had different injuries,” Okur said. “So I am trying to focus a little bit of everything — trying to get better.”
https://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/jazz/51138363-87/okur-jazz-bit-confidence.html.csp
we believe you MONEY MAN !!!
The crowd at EnergySolutions Arena was roaring Wednesday night, doing its part to help Utah against the NBA’s best team.
Twice during the comeback, Memo Okur found himself with the ball at the 3-point line with an open shot at the basket. Each time, the fans inhaled, ready to explode when Okur buried one of his trademark 3-pointers, as he’s done so often in the past.
But Okur didn’t pull the trigger. Either time.
“That’s why I need to get used to it again,” Okur said Thursday. “I need to gain my confidence back a little bit.”
Said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, “That’s what we’re dealing with ever since he’s come back.
“I’m sure there are some remembrances of hurting his leg — it still troubles him some. And that’s part of it, trying to get it out of your head.”
Don’t misunderstand.
Okur played effectively for 13 minutes in the 112-105 loss to San Antonio. He finished with three points, two rebounds and two assists. He was on the floor when the Jazz trimmed a 19-point deficit to 86-78 with an 11-0 run near the end of the third quarter.
But one of Okur’s dagger-like 3s? It didn’t happen.
“I should have taken those shots,” he said, almost apologetically. “I got wide-open looks, but I didn’t realize how wide open they were.
“I just didn’t want to settle for my jumper, you know? I wanted to mix up my game — try to take it to the hoop, help my teammates.”
Hesitancy is a byproduct of injury. Or so it seems. During the first round of the 2010 playoffs, Okur tore his Achilles tendon against Denver. He missed eight months.
Since his return from surgery in December, Okur has been sidelined again with a sprained ankle and a strained back.
He has played in 12 of the Jazz’s first 46 games.
“The thing about my body, I have not been able to focus on one thing because I’ve had different injuries,” Okur said. “So I am trying to focus a little bit of everything — trying to get better.”
https://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/jazz/51138363-87/okur-jazz-bit-confidence.html.csp
we believe you MONEY MAN !!!
