Mehmet Okur’s Season Is Done

Utah put its injury-prone forward on the shelf for the remainder of the season. The Deseret News reports: “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 inability to run. As such, the team’s physician, Dr. Lyle Mason, and back rehabilitation specialist, Dr. Graham Hill, have determined it best for Okur to sit out for at least the next month without making an effort to return to action.”