Utah Jazz Management Excited About Paul Millsap’s Future

With the very real possibility that Carlos Boozer could bolt out of town in less than two months, Utah Jazz execs are already selling the fanbase on Paul Millsap’s emergence. The Salt Lake Tribune reports: “Back in November, Jazz chief executive Greg Miller opted to wear a No. 5 Carlos Boozer jersey to an interview for KSL 5’s SportsBeat Sunday, a show of support to the embattled power forward. Miller made no such fashion statement Sunday when he sat down for another SportsBeat interview. Not to suggest that Boozer is leaving as a free agent this summer and Paul Millsap is staying, but Miller did endorse Millsap in one respect. ‘In my opinion, Paul played his best basketball when he was the guy, when Carlos was out,’ Miller said. ‘And so it’s exciting for me to think about what we’d get out of Millsap if he knew he was going to play that key role for us. We’ll just have to wait and see if that happens.’ Obviously, the way in which Millsap plays that ‘key role’ as a starter next season is if Boozer heads to another team this summer. Miller also said not to exaggerate the significance of his March meeting with Boozer’s agent, Rob Pelinka, saying that ‘not much of any substantial conversation took place.’ KSL’s Tom Kirkland went through the usual list of indictments against Boozer – – his injury history, sitting out the regular-season finale against Phoenix, the playoff struggles against the Lakers – – and Miller did speak up on behalf of Boozer. ‘I would say to Carlos’ credit that I saw a lot of growth in him over the season,’ Miller said. ‘I think all the stuff that happened in the past is just water under the bridge and I think Carlos just wants to win and we want to win and hopefully there’s a way we can get together.”’