Oct. 5--Jazz forward Matt Harpring rejoined the team Saturday after four days of rehab work in Santa Barbara, Calif., but with no indication whether he'll be able to play in the preseason.
Harpring is recovering from an infection he suffered after undergoing ankle surgery in June. He had to be hospitalized for four days and treated with intravenous antibiotics for four weeks.
While the Jazz headed to training camp in Boise, Idaho, Harpring said he had a good week of work with a group of private trainers. But Harpring still is trying to regain full range of motion, let alone strength, in his right ankle. After sitting out the entire preseason last October as he recovered from knee surgery, Harpring might be in for the same again. He will travel with the Jazz but has no timetable for returning to action.
"I don't know," Harpring said. "We'll see how it goes. I can't say. It depends on how quickly it gets better. If it all of a sudden jumps, you know, just makes a great stride, then maybe. But if it doesn't, I've got to just keep banging away.
"It's frustrating, obviously, but there's nothing I can do about it. It is what it is and I've got to just keep working hard and do what I can do."Familiar positionAfter playing off-guard opposite Chris Paul this summer with USA Basketball, Deron Williams was back in a familiar position Saturday.
The Jazz had Williams play off-guard twice alongside Gerry McNamara during their scrimmage at EnergySolutions Arena. Williams did so at the end of the second and fourth quarters, with Jazz coach Jerry Sloan indicating the second-team all-NBA guard could see time there during the regular season.
"There might be times when we do that, yeah," Sloan said.
Doing so would give Sloan the chance to give backup point guards Ronnie Price and Brevin Knight more minutes. The first possession after he made the shift, Williams attacked for a ferocious dunk against Ronnie Brewer. But Williams made clear afterward that he has little interest in playing anything other than point guard.
"I hate playing the two," Williams said. "I don't like playing the two. I'm a one. I like to have the ball in my hands.
"I feel uncomfortable when I'm playing the two. I mean, I don't feel uncomfortable, I can play the two, but that's not my position. We have enough two guards on this team. I don't need to play the two."
Williams scored 22 points in the scrimmage, hitting a three-pointer and finishing three three-point plays. Kyle Korver had 16 points and hit 7 of 8 shots. Rookie Kosta Koufos finished with 11 points, knocking down a three-pointer and showing impressive dunking ability.
rsiler@sltrib.com
-----
To see more of The Salt Lake Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sltrib.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Salt Lake Tribune
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Vision 
