Untitled Page

Mehmet Okur News & Rumors

Trade of Mehmet Okur surprises Tyrone Corbin, players
December 24
The Deseret News
 
"So stunned by what he'd seen on the tube, C.J. Miles had to rewind his TV three times Thursday night before the breaking news fully registered. Mehmet Okur traded? Memo to New Jersey? Okur for the Nets' 2015 second-round pick and a $10.8 million trade exception? After rewinding times three, Miles realized he wasn't "bugging" (to use his word for going crazy). "It's tough," Miles said. "He's been here since I've been here. He's a good friend of mine.""
Mehmet Okur occupies sweet spot in Jazz history
December 23
Salt Lake Tribune
 columnist Kurt Kragthorpe
"His shooting stroke never would be labeled a quick release. That long, slow, drawn-from-the-holster motion that Mehmet Okur perfected from his signature spot at the left angle, with his toes on the 3-point line, is the reason I loved watching him launch the ball in key moments of home games. That style of delivery gave the EnergySolutions Arena crowd enough time to build this audible buzz of anticipation as Okur took aim and fired and the ball floated toward the basket. And then, bedlam. Those were great moments, to be relived Jan. 14 when the New Jersey — or perhaps "Eastern Utah" is becoming a better name — Nets visit the Jazz. Thanks in part to Thursday's trade for Okur, the Nets will"
Utah Jazz trade Mehmet Okur to New Jersey for trade exception, future 2nd-round pick
December 23
The Deseret News
 
"Greg Miller made a tough phone call Thursday — one that was part business, part personal. Considering the importance of the news he had to break and the sincerity of an accompanying message he hoped to relay, the Jazz CEO wanted to make it himself. Mehmet Okur was on the answering end of the call. The business part: The seven-year Jazz center was dealt to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for a valuable trade exception — the key to the deal for Utah — and the team's 2015 second-round draft pick."
Call it a comeback: Utah Jazz's Mehmet Okur ready for NBA grind
December 12
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"The Jazz have watched from the back row during the NBA's chaotic free-agency show, content to calculate and observe rather than react and indulge. Utah could still make a big splash this season via player addition, though, and the small-market organization wouldn't have to spend a single extra penny doing it. The rebuilding Jazz can quickly strengthen their roster with a respected nine-year veteran who's won an NBA championship; a worldly athlete with career averages of 13.7 points and 7.1 rebounds during 617 games; a dangerous outside threat who's knocked down 573 career 3-pointers on 37.7 percent shooting."
Jazz's Mehmet Okur signs with Turkish professional team
September 8
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"Agent Marc Fleisher confirmed Wednesday that Jazz center Mehmet Okur has signed with Turkish professional team Turk Telekom Ankara. Okur could join the squad as soon as this weekend, and his contract features an option that will allow him to immediately return to the NBA as soon as the league's lockout ends. "He didn't feel that the option to go play in pick-up games are what he needed," said Fleisher, who stated that Okur is close to 100-percent health and will be insured while playing overseas. "He choose this and it's a good team. He knows the league very well and it's a good opportunity for him to play at a high level. And when the lockout ends, he'll come back and be rearing to go.""
Mehmet Okur signs with Turkish team
September 8
The Deseret News
 
"Mehmet Okur is playing professional basketball again. The Utah Jazz center signed a contract today to play for Turk Telekom Ankara and will begin participating with the team from his country immediately, Okur's agent Marc Fleisher told the Deseret News. Okur's contract includes a provision that will allow him to leave the Turkish team to return to the Jazz when and if the NBA lockout ends this season."
Mehmet Okur regrets returning to the basketball court too soon
March 25
The Deseret News
 
"While speaking for the first time since it was announced his basketball year is over, Mehmet Okur jokingly told reporters he finally has a concrete timetable regarding his injury. "Out for the season." Despite scrapping this injury-plagued year — one in which he was hampered by his surgically repaired left Achilles tendon, a sprained ankle and nagging lower back problems — the 6-foot-11 center has no plans on calling it quits for good. His real timetable for return: Day 1 of the 2011-12 season (knock on wood for multiple reasons). Between now and then, however, Okur has quite a bit of rehab work to do to strengthen his ailing Achilles and his sore back. "The smart thing," Okur said, "was"
Okur says that he doesn't plan to retire
March 25
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"Jazz center Mehmet Okur said that he never felt right. Not during his multiple comeback attempts this year. Not while battling recurring back pain, the latent effects of offseason left Achilles tendon surgery or shrugging off a freak right ankle injury. Too many setbacks, too much downtime. "I kept trying day in and day out. It didn't work out," said Okur, prior to Utah's 121-117 overtime home defeat to the New Orleans Hornets on Thursday. "And I'm one of those guys who really don't like to sit. And this year really didn't go well for me. Everything's downhill for me. ... I tried everything and we tried everything — everybody did a great job. It just didn't work out." The nine-year veteran"
Mehmet Okur's season over
March 17
The Deseret News
 
"The Utah Jazz still don't have a timetable for Mehmet Okur's predicted return to action. But after Wednesday's 119-104 win over Minnesota, they announced a time frame in which the injury-plagued center won't come back. "We're going to shut Mehmet Okur down for the rest of the year," Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said. "We've tried everything. He's tried everything. He's disappointed and discouraged that he couldn't be back because he wants to help the team." During his impromptu postgame press conference, O'Connor revealed that Okur's difficulties with his strained lower back have caused his surgically repaired left Achilles tendon to become sore and lose strength because of an"
Injury-decimated Jazz 'need bodies'
March 16
The Deseret News
 
"The Utah Jazz training staff might be putting in for some serious overtime — or at least be deserving of a bonus for extra hours. Seven players are on the current injury report, and their availability for tonight's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves mostly remains up in the air. "I'm concerned about it," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said of the team's injury situation. "We need bodies and we need guys." The good news is that eight players are healthy — or at least have nicks and dings that aren't quite injury-report worthy. It could also be considered a positive sign that Mehmet Okur (strained lower back) is the only player who has been ruled out of participating in tonight's home game"
Mehmet Okur gets OK to return to practice on limited basis
March 3
The Deseret News
 
"There is no set timetable for his return to action, but Utah Jazz center Mehmet Okur has received the green light from his back specialist to increase his basketball-related activity. Having just finished a three-week period of rest, cardio and rehab for his lower back, Okur has been approved for limited on-court activity that will "continue on an as-tolerates progression," according to a team spokesman. Before Wednesday morning's practice, Okur said Dr. Graham Hill told him he could begin jogging and shooting and gradually up his participation level at practice. Okur is trying to temper his excitement. "I don't want to get too excited. When I get too excited (last time), the things didn't"
Okur seeks medical green light
March 1
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"Mehmet Okur faces an important test. The veteran Jazz center has a doctor appointment Tuesday, which will evaluate his status following three weeks of rehabilitation to address inflammation in his lower back due to a chronic disc problem. Okur said Monday that he feels better, and Utah coach Tyrone Corbin acknowledged that Okur has made progress during recent weeks. But for Okur to return to action, he must first receive a medical greenlight. Even if that happens, he will have to go through several practice sessions to work his way back into game shape. "I've been resting, getting rehab," Okur said. "Doing cardio. Nothing running, nothing jump. And not much basketball, to be honest." After"
Ailing back could keep Okur out three weeks
February 10
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"The Jazz are thinning out inside. Utah announced Wednesday that veteran reserve center Mehmet Okur is expected to be out at least three weeks while undergoing rehabilitation to address inflammation in his lower back due to a chronic disc problem. Okur has missed seven consecutive contests due to the injury. He also sat out a six-game stretch from Dec. 30 to Jan. 8 because of back pain. Okur, 31, has only played in 13 of Utah's 54 contests this season. He is averaging 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds , while shooting just 35.5 percent from the field."
Mehmet Okur out at least three weeks
February 10
The Deseret News
 
"Mehmet Okur's injury-plagued season is awhile from taking a turn for the better. It was decided on Wednesday that Okur will miss at least the next three weeks because of his strained lower back. That decision came after Okur visited a Salt Lake City-based back specialist, Dr. Graham Hill, who confirmed that Memo has inflammation of his chronic disc problem. The specialist placed Okur on a back rehabilitation program, which will include lower-back rehab and cardiovascular exercise. "Everybody that has those things happen they have to stay after it and try to stay as positive as they can and move on," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "He's never complained about work. He's always worked hard,"
Aching Jazz suffer pain of loss to the Rockets
February 3
The Deseret News
 
"It won't show up on the Utah Jazz's official — and very full — injury report. But there was no doubt that the Jazz's broken hearts ached more Wednesday night than all of the sore and injured body parts — Deron Williams' wrist, Andrei Kirilenko's ankle and Mehmet Okur's back — that forced them to play shorthanded Wednesday night. Their 97-96 defeat to the Houston Rockets stung more than any setback the Jazz have suffered this season. The dejection was thick in the locker room moments after C.J. Miles' last-second would-be winner bounced off the rim, handing Utah its eighth loss in 10 games. "It's definitely tough on your home floor," Miles said in an unusually somber postgame atmosphere."
Mehmet Okur plays well in return from injuries
January 13
The Deseret News
 
"Mehmet Okur's injured back passed all the necessary tests in his first game since Dec. 29. Hit a 3-pointer? Of course. Guard one of the best players in the NBA in Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire? Absolutely. Get in the paint and dunk? Sort of. "I felt great," Okur said. "I'm still feeling good, and during the game I felt good. I didn't want a setback." In his first game since straining his lower back against the Clippers, Okur played a little more than 12 minutes and scored 10 points. He also had two rebounds and two assists. Okur received a warm greeting from Jazz fans when he entered Utah's 131-125 win over the Knicks at the start of the second quarter. He quickly assisted on a"
Jazz's Okur hopes to return against Knicks
January 11
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"Injury-plagued center Mehmet Okur hopes to play Wednesday night, when the Jazz end a three-day break against New York at EnergySolutions Arena. Officially, the Jazz say Okur's availability will be a "game-time decision." Okur injured his back Dec. 29 against the Clippers in Los Angeles. He has missed Utah's past seven games. The Jazz have gone 3-3 during Okur's most recent absence. They averaged only 93 points in those games. "I'm doing better," Okur said prior to Monday morning's practice. "I'll do some stuff today and see how I feel after that." Asked if he was excited about the prospect of rejoining his teammates, Okur smiled and said, "Every time, I keep saying the same thing. I'm"
Mehmet Okur happy to be walking again
January 2
The Deseret News
 
"Mehmet Okur's left Achilles tendon has been healed for months and doesn't give him problems. But Okur still feels another sort of pain from the major injury and the eight months of ensuing rehabilitation. The Utah Jazz center believes his latest injury setback — a strained lower back that kept him out of a second straight game Saturday — is an indirect result of the time he spent nursing his Achilles and rebuilding the strength in his weakened left leg. Four scrimmages in his rehab process left him below NBA playing shape. "It's been eight months. I just came back to play," Okur said. "My body (is) not used to it." That, he's certain, played a part in the return of an old enemy: his"
Injuries finally starting to take toll
January 1
The Deseret News
 
"There have been bouts with gastric distress, a couple of tweaked adductors, along with a few strains and sprains here and there. And, of course, that troubled tendon in Mehmet Okur's Achilles heel. But for the most part, the Utah Jazz have been as healthy as an ox this season. Aside from time Okur missed for surgery rehab, Jazz players had only missed 12 games due to injuries and illnesses coming into this week. Even with Okur's 29 absences, the Jazz have missed just 44 man games due to various ailments this season. As a comparison, Portland players have now been absent 108 games this season. Perhaps one of their Northwest Division rivals started poking a Jazz voodoo doll or maybe they"
Blazers, Jazz both missing players
December 31
The Deseret News
 
"Injuries and player absences were the major themes of the night Thursday at the Rose Garden. And that was the case for both the shorthanded Utah Jazz and the Portland Trail Blazers, who found out that star Brandon Roy will be out indefinitely with a left knee injury. Various elements sidelined three Jazz players, with Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur both missing this one due to strained lower backs and C.J. Miles sitting it out because of the flu. It was the second game in a row Utah was forced to play without Kirilenko and Miles, who'd each played in every game of the season before Wednesday. Okur didn't play after getting injured during the 103-95 win at the Los Angeles Clippers the"
Okur makes big strides
December 28
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"Jazz center Memo Okur is back. Again. Okur returned from a two-game absence because of a sprained ankle during Portland's 96-91 win over Utah on Monday night at EnergySolutions Arena. Okur finished with six points and five rebounds in 17 minutes - a bright spot during an otherwise dull performance by the Jazz. Okur, of course, missed the first 26 games of the season after Achilles surgery in April. He returned and played two games on the Jazz's pre-Christmas trip, but he sprained his ankle one week ago during warm-ups in Cleveland. Okur missed the final two games of the trip, but returned with encouraging results against the Blazers. "It felt better than it was in the last game I played"
Jazz's Okur fights off fear, doubt to regain old form
December 26
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"The wall appeared after two months. Jazz center Mehmet Okur had faced and overcome seemingly overwhelming obstacles before. But nothing like this. His mind wandered and drifted. His atrophied body was gradually betraying him. Just two months after a damaged, broken Okur was carried off the court April 17 during Game 1 of a first-round playoff series against Denver, one of the NBA's unheralded Iron Men was slowly turning into blubber as he recovered from a ruptured left Achilles tendon. All the 6-foot-11, 265-pound Okur could do was watch television. There was no running, no jumping, no shooting. After playing 604 regular-season games during the first eight years of his career — averaging"
Jazz's second unit now must find way to integrate Okur
December 24
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"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"
Sprained ankle puts Okur back on bench
December 22
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"Jazz center Mehmet Okur said that the incident was mostly frustrating and partly ironic. After spending eight months working to rehabilitate a ruptured left Achilles' tendon, Okur made his season debut last Friday against New Orleans. He enjoyed two games on the court, and started to find a rhythm during a Utah victory last Saturday versus Milwaukee. Then Okur's basketball world hit a minor but annoying roadblock Monday, when he sprained his right ankle during warm-ups prior to the Jazz's win against Cleveland. The veteran big man was inactive versus the Cavaliers, wearing a large protective boot instead of much preferred athletic shoes. The boot was gone Tuesday, as Okur put up shots"
Mehmet Okur sits out because of injury to 'other' foot
December 21
The Deseret News
 
"Mehmet Okur's left foot continues to progress. His right foot, however, is another story. Three days after Okur and his surgically repaired left Achilles tendon returned to the lineup from an eight-month absence, the Utah Jazz center missed Monday's game with a mildly sprained right foot. It's unknown how long Okur will be out of action. Officially, he's listed as day-to-day, leaving open the possibility he could play Wednesday in Minnesota. The 6-foot-11 center injured this foot in pregame warmups while trying to get extra work in as he continues to rehab his left leg back to full strength. Okur twisted his ankle after stepping on Kyrylo Fesenko's foot during a one-on-one game. "I was"
8 months later, Mehmet Okur returns to Jazz lineup
December 18
The Deseret News
 
"People who had eight months exactly in their "How long before Mehmet Okur returns?" office pool can bask in bragging rights. For the first time since he ruptured his left Achilles heel on April 17, the Utah Jazz center and his surgically repaired tendon saw action in an NBA game Friday night. "It's been eight months," Okur said after his near-11-minute outing. "It's nice to be out there." It wasn't exactly a triumphant return, considering Okur only had two points on 1-for-4 shooting, one assist and zero rebounds off the bench in Utah's 100-71 blowout loss to the New Orleans Hornets. But simply returning was a triumph for Okur, who spent nearly eight grueling months rehabbing his Achilles"
Jeremy Evans put on inactive list to make room for Memo
December 18
The Deseret News
 
"Suiting up for a game took on a different meaning for Jeremy Evans on Friday night. For the first time while healthy, the Western Kentucky rookie sported his Sunday-best charcoal-colored two-piece suit for the Jazz's game against the New Orleans Hornets. The occasion was more special for Mehmet Okur than Utah's second-round pick. Memo's return to action after his Achilles surgery rehab gave the Jazz one guy too many for the game. Only allowed to dress 12 guys in uniforms, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan placed Evans on the inactive list for the night. "He was fine," Sloan said of Evans' reaction. "He didn't have any tantrums or anything, felt good about it. "I hope he doesn't handle it as a"
Elson back with team; Raja Bell, Mehmet Okur close
December 17
The Deseret News
 
"While they anxiously await the season debut of one of their international players, the Utah Jazz will welcome back another European big man to their bench. It's also possible another player not originally from the Continental 48 — U.S. Virgin Islands native Raja Bell — could rejoin the Jazz on the court tonight against the Hornets. Francisco Elson reunited with the Jazz on Thursday in the Big Easy and will be available to play — yes, legally — after the Netherlands' native spent a few days in Canada to resolve issues with his work visa. On Monday, the 7-foot center left the team and country to process paperwork in Canada. He then was required to stay out of the U.S. for a mandatory 48-hour"
No change to Okur's cautious schedule
December 14
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"Jazz center Mehmet Okur said Monday that his return is not imminent and there is still no timetable for his activation. However, Okur added that he will definitely play this season. "I don't even know when I'm coming back," said Okur, following a morning shootaround at EnergySolutions Arena. Okur's statement followed an interview conducted Monday by Utah general manager Kevin O'Connor, during which O'Connor clarified comments made Sunday night by team president Randy Rigby. Rigby told a local TV station that Okur's return was quickly approaching, and could be within a week or two. Okur and O'Connor said that Rigby simply became excited after recently watching the veteran big man practice."
Not so fast, Mehmet Okur's return may not be so soon
December 14
The Deseret News
 
"While Mehmet Okur continues to rehab from surgery to repair his torn Achilles tendon, the Jazz have back-peddled away from team president Randy Rigby's 1-to-2 week timetable for the injured center's return. "We have no timetable, OK?" general manager Kevin O'Connor said Monday. "I think Randy (Rigby) was excited about seeing Memo work out and talked to him — you know, listened to what he had to say. "But the timetable is such that I don't think he (Okur) knows when he's coming back. I think that with three days of practice this week we'll get him out on the court and running up and down the court a little bit. ... But there is no timetable." Rigby told KSL-TV's Tom Kirkland on the"
Okur glad to play 5-on-5
November 24
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"Two days before the oil-rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that caused one of the worst environmental disasters in history, Jazz center Memo Okur tore his Achilles' tendon. That was the last time he played five-on-five basketball - until Tuesday. Exactly 220 days after his Achilles' snapped April 18 during a first-round playoff series against Denver, Okur participated in a full contact scrimmage. It promised to be an emotional morning for the veteran. "I have been waiting for this moment for the last several months - to get better and play with my teammates," Okur said before practice. "So maybe I'm a little nervous and a little excited." According to Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, Okur has done"
Mehmet Okur goes through full practice
November 24
The Deseret News
 
"Mehmet Okur wouldn't — still couldn't, he seemed to suggest — narrow down the window for how much longer it will be before he returns from Achilles tendon surgery. Mere days? Maybe more months? Or something in between? Okur simply isn't sure. "It's just hard," he said, "to put any timetable, time on the table, to tell you guys how much farther I have, or how many days, weeks, whatever." But the Jazz center did take a big step in the process Tuesday, when for the first time since rupturing his left Achilles last April, he both practiced and participated in a 5-on-5 scrimmage with teammates. According to a Jazz spokesman's text message, Okur "completed" the full practice. The Jazz, who play"
Okur not ready yet, but he's making progress
October 15
The Deseret News
 
"Mehmet Okur isn't all the way back. The center isn't ready to go all out in practices, or even make contact in drills or scrimmages. He doesn't have a timetable for an official return from his left Achilles surgery yet, either. But progress is being made — physically and mentally. That was evident by the fact that he shot around, worked on post-up moves and did individual drills with the team Thursday morning for the first time this fall. "I just want to be out there, be with my teammates," Okur said. "And it's been a while, so it felt good." The Jazz will have Okur evaluated soon to see if a return can be more precisely pinpointed. He will travel with the team for its three-game trip in"
Injured Okur shows up at shootaround
October 15
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"Jazz center Memo Okur took a small-but-significant step Thursday toward his eventual return from Achilles' tendon surgery. During the Jazz's morning shootaround in advance of their preseason game against Phoenix at EnergySolutions Arena, Okur did some light shooting. It was his first on-court activity since being injured during the opening round of the playoffs last April. "I was out there … shooting," Okur said. "Kind of post-up. Individual. Not one-on-one or five-on-five stuff. [But] I just want to be out there [and] be with my teammates. It's been awhile. So it felt good." Asked how his surgically repaired leg feels, Okur said, "Better. Stronger. [I] can tell you that, which makes me"
Jazz will re-evaluate Okur in October
September 14
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said center Mehmet Okur will be re-evaluated by the team in mid-October. Okur, who is recovering from left Achilles tendon surgery, has started running drills and recently worked out with teammates in Santa Barbara, Calif. Okur's agent, Marc Fleisher, 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 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 during the latter part of the year, then ruptured it during"
Mehmet Okur says 'so far so good' on rehab
July 11
The Deseret News
 
"Mehmet Okur can't do much about his basketball game right now. The Utah Jazz center, however, was excited to work on his golf game Saturday afternoon at Deron Williams' charity tournament. That might come as a surprise to some, considering he had surgery to repair his ruptured left Achilles tendon in April. "Actually," Okur said when asked about golfing in his condition, "it's good for me." Though he's been cleared to golf — and reap the benefits of walking the fairways — the injured center said he's "hoping" to be ready to join the Utah Jazz on the court in the preseason. Okur even believes it's possible to play by the beginning of the NBA's regular season, which would be about six months"
Injured Okur visits Jazz teammates
May 9
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"Mehmet Okur couldn't stay for Saturday's game against the Lakers, but the injured Jazz center paid his first visit to see his teammates since suffering a ruptured left Achilles' tendon April 17 in the playoff opener at Denver. After being fitted for a walking boot this week, Okur was getting around without crutches before the game. He pronounced himself pain free and was in good spirits three weeks after the devastating injury. "I just can't go back and think about what happened," Okur said. "I got to look forward to getting healed and getting better. The good thing about this injury, I have more time hanging out with the kids and family because I've got nothing else going on." Okur"
Mehmet Okur hopes to return for fall opener
May 9
The Deseret News
 
"His own spirits on the rise, injured center Mehmet Okur met with teammates Saturday in hopes of lifting theirs. "I'm glad to be here," Okur said while standing just outside the locker room of the Jazz, who were down 0-2 heading into Saturday night's Game 3 of their second-round playoff series with the Lakers. "I just wanted to come in and say, 'Good luck, you guys.' " Okur — seeing most of his teammates for the first time since rupturing his left Achilles tendon three weeks ago, in the first game of Utah's first-round series with Denver — was decidedly down shortly after sustaining the injury and in the days following surgery to repair it. Now, though, the one-time NBA All-Star seems"
Mehmet Okur 'crushed' at missing postseason play, FIBA World Championships
April 26
The Deseret News
 
"It sounds as if Jazz center Mehmet Okur is having a tough time dealing with the reality of missing the NBA playoffs and not being able to play later this year when the FIBA World Championships are held in his native Turkey. Okur tore his left Achilles in Game 1 of Utah's first-round playoff series with the Denver Nuggets and underwent surgery to repair the tendon last Tuesday. "I am crushed that I now can't take part in either," he said on his personal website. "I am trying to keep my spirits high. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't. "I am going (through) a tough period in my life right now. I want to be out there playing, because I honestly felt that we (the Jazz) would advance at"
Travis Hansen's memo to Mehmet Okur: It will be OK
April 22
The Deseret News
 
"Since this is Monster Medical Month for the Utah Jazz, sidelined Mehmet Okur can receive solace that a fan living in Spain can relate. Former Atlanta Hawk and BYU guard Travis Hansen feels Okur's pain. Hansen knows what it's like to have the Achilles tendon explode and have the body hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. He knows how the calf muscle absorbs the shock and the lock-up that follows. Hansen knows the worries, the concern of making it back, questioning if he'll ever be the same, if he'll be able to continue as an elite athlete, playing at the highest level. Okur had surgery to repair his Achilles tendon on Tuesday after crumpling to a heap on the floor of the Pepsi Center last"
Injured Mehmet Okur has surgery to repair Achilles; Andrei Kirilenko gets plasma therapy
April 21
The Deseret News
 
"Three days after suffering a season-ending injury, Jazz center Mehmet Okur underwent surgery to repair his ruptured left Achilles tendon on Tuesday afternoon. And he wasn't the only injured Jazz starter to undergo a medical procedure this week. On Monday, Andrei Kirilenko was treated with platelet-rich plasma therapy in Los Angeles to help heal his strained left calf, which has kept him out of the playoffs and forced him to miss most of the past month. Kirilenko will begin some rehabilitation exercises later this week and could possibly be available for the second round if the Jazz advance past Denver, according to a team spokesman. Okur, whose tendon was torn in the first quarter of Game"
Tough talk aside, Okur injury gives Jazz blues
April 19
Salt Lake Tribune
 columnist Gordon Monson
"Everybody feeling OK around here? Anybody feeling OK? Anyone? Uh ... no. Given the sorry circumstances, who could? The day after a disappointing double-digit loss in Game 1 of the Jazz-Nuggets playoff series, an even darker storm cloud blew in and hovered over Jazz practice, and no amount of manly talk, no amount of forced optimism, no amount of bull slinging could clear it away. News of Mehmet Okur's ruptured Achilles' tendon had arrived an hour or two earlier, and while most had guessed the wound was not good, the dour confirmation -- surgery and a long rehabilitation would be required -- was tough to absorb with any kind of sunshiny countenance. Instead, the Jazz had trouble"
It's over for Okur
April 19
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"As much as they hoped it wouldn't be the case, the Jazz's worst fears were realized Sunday with confirmation that Mehmet Okur ruptured his left Achilles tendon when he went down in the second quarter of Saturday's Game 1 loss to the Nuggets. Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said initial expectations are that Okur will miss three to six months, though the team will know more after he undergoes surgery this week to repair what was described as a complete tear of the Achilles. "It used to be a career-ending injury," O'Connor said. "Now guys come back from it, and some guys have come back and played extremely well; other guys haven't, so we'll just have to wait and see." Already"
Mehmet Okur ruptures Achilles tendon, could miss start of next season
April 19
The Deseret News
 
"Jazz starting center Mehmet Okur soon must undergo surgery to repair an Achilles tendon that ruptured Saturday night. Okur sustained the devastating injury, which could sideline him even for the start of next season, driving to the basket in the second quarter of the Utah's Game 1 first-round NBA playoff series loss at Denver. "I am very disappointed for my team and the fans," Okur said on his personal website. "For two years now the season has ended with injuries for me, and I don't think that this is something I deserve." The Achilles had been giving Okur trouble for about two weeks — the Jazz called the injury "Achilles tendinitis" — and Okur received a local-anesthetic injection prior"
Okur's Achilles acts up, forcing him out of game
April 18
The Deseret News
 
"Jazz center Mehmet Okur reinjured his left Achilles tendon Saturday night, with just more than eight minutes to go in the second quarter of Game 1 of Utah's first-round NBA playoff series with the Denver Nuggets. Okur didn't return for the second half, and according to the team he will undergo an MRI exam today — leaving his status for Monday's Game 2 and the rest of the postseason very much in question. "I was driving to the basket and I slipped," Okur said, "and I felt pain, because all my weight was on the left side, because I was driving right. "Then I felt something pop." The Jazz's starting center has been bothered by tendinitis in the Achilles for about two weeks. He didn't play in"
Jazzmen Okur, Kirilenko on mend
April 12
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"The Jazz moved a step closer Sunday to being at full strength for their remaining two regular-season games as well as the start of the playoffs this week as both Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur took part in practice. Okur went through the full practice while Kirilenko, who has missed 13 of the past 15 games with a strained left calf, did all the running and shooting drills before sitting out 5-on-5 play at the end, according to the team. "We've been waiting for them to get back and healthy," Deron Williams said. "Hopefully, A.K.'s back for good and doesn't tweak it or re-injure it because we need him for the playoffs." "He brings a dimension to our team that nobody else on this team can"
Mehmet Okur hopes to play before playoffs start
April 10
The Deseret News
 
"He didn't play in Friday night's win at New Orleans. But starting center Mehmet Okur — much like starting small forward Andrei Kirilenko, who also sat out Friday — wants to play in one or both of the Jazz's two final regular season games next week, Tuesday night at Golden State and Wednesday night at home against Phoenix. "I'm glad we have three days (off) after (Friday's) game," Okur said, "and we're going to keep doing what we've been doing, treatment, and hopefully I'll be OK next game." Okur exited Wednesday night's loss at Houston in the third quarter due to tendinitis in his left Achilles. He shot free throws and walked through the Jazz's shootaround Friday morning, but that's about"
Okur aching but improved
April 10
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"Two days after he exited the Jazz's loss in Houston in the third quarter with soreness in his left Achilles' tendon, Mehmet Okur reported improvement Friday, but with an asterisk of sorts. "Without running, without jumping, it feels better," Okur said, adding, "I'm glad we have three days [off] after this game and we're going to keep doing what we've been doing, treatment, and hopefully I'll be OK next game after this." Okur shot some free throws and walked through the Jazz's pregame shootaround but did not play against New Orleans. He said he wanted to play in the Jazz's last two regular-season games next week rather than waiting to return with the start of the playoffs. The Jazz"
Like Andrei Kirilenko before him, Mehmet Okur gets the boot
April 8
The Deseret News
 
"Small forward Andrei Kirilenko only recently shed his. Now another Jazz starter is wearing a walking boot. It's center Mehmet Okur, who exited Wednesday's loss at Houston in the third quarter with what the team is calling "tendinitis" in his left Achilles tendon. "I started to feel it the last three days, and today it got worse," Okur said afterward, his foot and ankle wrapped and in a medical boot. "A lot worse, especially the second half." Asked if he had any idea how bad the injury may be, the report from Okur — who had nine points on 4-for-9 field shooting and five rebounds in 23 minutes against the Rockets — didn't sound encouraging. "It's pretty much sore," he said. "When I try to"