Another familiar face is returning to the Utah Jazz: The team re-signed free-agent center Greg Foster on Monday.
As per club policy, the Jazz refused to disclose details of the deal, but Foster revealed that it is a three-year pact."It definitely is nice not having to worry about next year," the 6-foot-11 center said. "I feel comfortable now and can put my mind to working on my game."
Foster said he had offers from other teams, including a hard push from Philadelphia, but said it was always his preference to return to the Jazz - a team he said has a "championship attitude."
"I'm glad to be where I am," he said. "I just want to prove to the people of Salt Lake that I belong here."
Foster was 10th on the team in minutes played last season. He appeared in 73 games, starting two. He averaged 3.8 points per game and shot 43.9 percent from the field. His 84.7 percent from the free-throw line was the second-best mark on the team.
"We like some of the things we saw in Greg last year," said Tim Howells, Jazz general manager, "even though his playing time was somewhat erratic. We wanted to secure another big man, someone who could play the center position, get that solidified a little bit."
One of the things the Jazz liked was Foster's willingness to occupy one of those largely ignored spots on the end of the bench without whining, yet be ready to play when called upon. In the playoffs, for instance, Foster didn't play much until the Seattle series, and then he played effectively.
"That was impressive," Howells said. "You need to find the kind of players willing to be role players, guys who understand we can't all be stars in this world."
Howells said the signing of Foster, and the solid play of second-year center Greg Ostertag in the recently completed Rocky Mountain Revue summer league, have no bearing on whether starting center Felton Spencer will return to the team.
"We had those three players last year (Foster, Spencer, Greg Ostertag), and really didn't feel we were overloaded at the center position," Howells said. "We were fortunate to have players who could compete for positions."
At the close of last season, the Jazz brassexpressed a desire to resolve a logjam at the center and small forward positions. But in light of the recent free-agent feeding frenzy, Howells said a position-by-committee suddenly looks preferable to paying some slightly-better-than-average player more than he's worth.
"We were one of the four best teams in the league," he said. "I wouldn't be one bit embarrassed to put the same 12 guys out there."
Howells also noted, however, that the Jazz may not be through dealing.
"We're a long way from the start of the season, and we're working at it every day," he said. "There might not be a lot of different faces (in camp), but there might be more than one."