"The vision was brief but memorable. As the Jazz's second unit spread the floor, reserve veteran center Mehmet Okur set up near the top of the key, released his trademark 3-point shot, and made the net sway.

Three points for Utah. Yet another 3-pointer for Okur, who has totaled 569 during his nine-year career and hit 37.8 percent of his attempts.

But that was the best that it got for the Okur experiment during the Jazz's 3-1 road trip. After unexpectedly being activated last Friday against New Orleans, Okur recorded five points on 2-of-9 shooting and one rebound during

Twenty-four minutes of action that stretched over two games. By Monday, the long-awaited return of a unique player with an even more unique skill set - a player whose health and ability to play at a high level are a major key for a Utah team looking to do more than just make the playoffs this season - had again been put on hold. Okur missed the Jazz's final two games of the trip after spraining his right ankle during pregame warmups as Utah prepared to take on Cleveland. He is expected to take the court next Monday versus Portland.

"It's part of the game. I can't really control it," Okur said. "I've just got to look forward now."

Despite the brief appearance, Jazz coaches and reserves believe that working Okur mid-season into the second rotation will not be a major obstacle. Time and patience will be required. Minutes for reserves such as Kyrylo Fesenko, Jeremy Evans, Gordon Hayward, Ronnie Price, Earl Watson and Francisco Elson - all of whom have made major contributions during the Jazz's surprising 21-9 start - could rise and fall nightly. But everything from Okur's knowledge of Utah's offensive and defensive systems to his willingness to come off the bench for the first time since 2004-05 should make the transition smoother than normal."