The Jazz will have a number of free agents this summer, and Paul Millsap has joined Carlos Boozer in his public desire to remain with the club.

"Of course," Millsap said when asked about whether or not he wanted to remain in Utah. "I love it here. I love the teammates here, the coaches, especially the fans."

The team has said that they want Millsap, as well as Boozer, to return next season as well.

Millsap might be tougher for the Jazz to re-sign because he is a restricted free agent and is expected to receive a few offers on the market.

"I'm just going to sit back and see what happens," Millsap said. "Whatever happens to me, I'm going to get in where I'm at and do the best I can.

"I'll fit in anywhere, seeing how hard I work and what I bring to the table," Millsap told the Salt Lake Tribune. "I feel like if I go wherever I go, I'm going to give it my all."

RealGM Note: Millsap was ranked 39th in season FIC and 'deserved' to make $12.25M, giving him a remarkable Reina Value of +1,436%.

Jerry Sloan will soon have knee replacement surgery, and is expected to return for his 22nd season as the head coach of the Jazz.

"The surgery won't have anything to do with" the decision, Sloan said, "... unless something happens and I have to have it taken off. Then I probably wouldn't be able to coach, if I had just one leg."

There had been some speculation that Sloan might retire in the wake of owner Larry H. Miller's death.

"It's still his decision," Utah team president Randy Rigby said Tuesday. "Jerry's style and philosophy hasn't changed, nor has ours. His passion to win continues to burn. ... I have the utmost confidence in Jerry, now and in the future."

Carlos Boozer missed 44 games this season and also filed for divorce in March, so Utah's first round exit capped off a difficult year.

"A fresh start could be right here," Boozer said. "It doesn't have to be a new venue. Just for example with the playoffs, I felt like I had a fresh start to start the playoffs.

"I had to start my season over when the playoffs started and I felt great, obviously played well. Part of it was just getting past the knee surgery and getting past the knee problems and gaining strength and going on from there."

Boozer also was pressed about rumors that he is unhappy in Utah: "They didn't come from me. I can't control what other people say. All I can control is how I feel."

Back in December it looked like Carlos Boozer would definitely leave Utah this summer, but his position has seemed to change following their Game 5 exit.

"Absolutely, love to be in a Jazz uniform," he said. "(I) feel like one of those cornerstone people that brought this team back to prominence and back to the playoffs. I'd love to continue to move forward and have a chance to win a championship in the future."

The Jazz are facing elimination against the Lakers on Monday night, and as many as eight players could be taking the court for their final time as members of the team.

Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Kyle Korver can opt out of the final seasons of their contracts, Paul Millsap is a restricted free agent, and Jarron Collins, Brevin Knight, Ronnie Price and Morris Almond will all be unrestricted free agents.

Utah also has until June 15 to decide whether or not to bring back Kyrylo Fesenko, and the team has the chance to sign Ronnie Brewer to an extension, which would keep him from hitting the restricted market next summer.

The Lakers, one game away from eliminating the Jazz in five games, would prefer not to make a return trip to Utah later this week.

"I love Utah," Bryant said, "but I'd rather not see it again until next year."

In reality, Los Angeles just doesn't want Utah to feel as though they have any life in the series.

"You don't give them any life, any hope. Set the tone early and control the game," Pau Gasol said. "Make the game yours, and that's what we're going to try to do."

The Lakers defeated the Jazz 108-94 on Saturday night to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round series, thanks in large part to Kobe Bryant's 38 points.

"Kobe Bryant was just spectacular," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "We couldn't get close enough to guard him, really. He just shot through us, over us, whatever it took. ... I think he just put them on his back, got them off to the way they wanted to play."

Bryant went 16-for-24 from the field, and helped the Lakers dominate in the second and third quarters.

Los Angeles will look to close out the series with a victory in Game 5 on Monday.

The Jazz could welcome back center Mehmet Okur for Game 4 on Saturday night after he missed the first three games of the series with a strained right hamstring.

Okur took the court for practice on Friday for the first time since April 13.

"So far, so good," Okur said early Friday. "It feels good. Less pain. I was able to do more moving and do more stuff. I'm going to probably do more stuff with the team and see how I feel."

When asked about the possibilty of playing in Game 4, Okur sounded hopeful.

"Yup, it's a possibility," he said. "It's all up to practice, how I feel and how my hamstring's going to react. I tell you what, I'm excited, so hopefully I'm going to feel good."

Longtime Utah broadcaster "Hot" Rod Hundley will retire at the end of the season.

Hundley has been broadcasting for the team since 1974 when the Jazz where an expansion team playing in New Orleans.

He played six NBA seasons for the Lakers before he retired in 1963.

Deron Williams hit a jumper in the final seconds to push the Jazz past the Lakers on Thursday night, keeping Utah from falling into the dreaded 0-3 hole.

- Boston 107, Chicago 86

Team FIC Differential: Celtics +48.6, Bulls -48.6

The Celtics (2-1) jumped out to an early lead and never looked back against the Bulls (1-2) on Thursday night in Chicago. Paul Pierce scored 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting, Glen Davis posted 14 points and 9 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo added 20 points, 11 boards and 6 assists in the win. Boston shot 48%, while holding Chicago to just 37% on the night. Chicago out-rebounded Boston by eight, but turned the ball over an astounding 22 times. Ben Gordon had a team-high 15 points on 5-for-13 shooting, Joakim Noah tallied 8 points and 10 rebounds, and Derrick Rose struggled with 9 points and 7 turnovers in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Glen Davis, Boston ? 21.6

Rajon Rondo, Boston ? 21.5

Joakim Noah, Chicago ? 12.8

Kirk Hinrich, Chicago ? 8.5

- Dallas 88, San Antonio 67

Team FIC Differential: Mavericks +48.1, Spurs -48.1

The Mavericks (2-1) limited Tony Parker and dismantled the Spurs (1-2) with their defense at American Airlines Arena. Dirk Nowitzki led with 20 points and 7 rebounds, Jose Juan Barea tallied 13 points and 7 assists, and Josh Howard turned in 17 points and 8 boards in the victory. Dallas held San Antonio to 32% shooting, while winning the rebounding battle by 10. Parker scored 12 points on 5-for-14 shooting, Kurt Thomas posted 4 points and 10 rebounds, and Fabricio Oberto scored 10 points off the bench in defeat. Gregg Popovich rested his starters for a majority of the second half with the game?s outcome having long been decided.

Game FIC Scores

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas ? 16.3

Josh Howard, Dallas ? 14.5

Fabricio Oberto, San Antonio ? 9.3

Kurt Thomas, San Antonio ? 8.5

- Utah 88, L.A. Lakers 86

Team FIC Differential: Jazz +26.5, Lakers -26.5

Deron Williams hit a fade away jumper with four seconds left in regulation to push the Jazz (1-2) past the Lakers (2-1) on Thursday night in Utah. Carlos Boozer dominated with 23 points and 22 rebounds, Paul Millsap posted 7 points and 14 boards off the bench, and Williams put up 13 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds in the win. Utah won the rebounding battle by 15, while holding Los Angeles to 36% shooting. Lamar Odom led with 21 points and 14 rebounds, Pau Gasol tallied 20 points and 9 boards, and Kobe Bryant chipped in 18 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in the loss. The game was a seesaw battle, with the Jazz holding a 26-17 lead after the first quarter. The Lakers fought back in the second and third though, to take a 68-60 lead into the final period.

Game FIC Scores

Carlos Boozer, Utah ? 25.8

Lamar Odom, Los Angeles ? 21.0

Pau Gasol, Los Angeles ? 13.0

Paul Millsap, Utah ? 12.0

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season