Jerry Sloan has sent a message — through the media, ironically — to Jazz players seeking to soak up the postseason spotlight.
Don't do it.
The Jazz coach has issued a stern warning to his men, especially those who feel as comfortable on TV as on the court.
"Players have to be able to understand what their job is and also able to understand that they have to take care of themselves," Sloan said. "And I know you guys (media members) want a lot of their time in between games, but I say, 'The more time you spend on television, the more time you spend not thinking about basketball.' "
On recent evenings, Olden Polynice, Armen Gilliam and Bryon Russell were among those making the rounds.
With a singular focus on winning, however, Sloan seems to care less that his players are merely cooperating with media outlets that covered and, in many cases, hyped the Jazz product throughout the season — at great monetary and manpower expense.
Forget that one of the stations tapping the time of Jazz players is owned by Jazz owner Larry H. Miller, and forget that some believe the NBA is on the brink of a popularity crisis.
Sloan has only one concern.
"I don't know that those things are really that important sometimes," Sloan said of the player appearances. "I know y'all do. But my job is to win — not to be on TV. And that concerns me a great deal. It always has.
"Every year that we're involved in this, we always see two, three guys at 10, 11 o'clock at night, they're on TV, and come and play the next day, they don't have the energy."
Message delivered.
KEEFE DOUBTFUL: Jazz forward Adam Keefe, injured during warmups prior to Saturday's Game 1 of the Western Conference playoff series against Seattle, is officially listed as "doubtful" for Monday night's Game 2.
Keefe strained his right hamstring while going through a pregame layup line. On Sunday morning he underwent an MRI that proved negative, but he is not expected to be available Monday night.
THE EYES HAVE IT: For a short time, Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek couldn't see himself playing in Game 1.
In fact, he couldn't see anything at all.
A pre-game show of smoke and fireworks got the best of Hornacek, who spent much of the time between player introductions and tipoff rubbing his eyes to try to get out whatever it was that got in them.
"It wasn't just smoke," Hornacek said, adding that backcourt mate John Stockton got something from the fireworks in his eyes as well.
Hornacek was just glad his eyes finally cleared and he was able to play. It would have been pretty frustrating, he agreed, to be done in by a fireworks show.
"What would be even worse," Hornacek said, "is getting hurt in warmups — like Adam (Keefe)."
PAYTON'S PREROGATIVE: Jazz backup center Greg Ostertag blocked five shots in less than three minutes during Game 1's opening quarter.
Gary Payton of the Sonics apparently was unimpressed.
"We're not worried," he said during Seattle's practice at the Delta Center, "about Ostertag right now.
"I'm going to keep going to the basket," Payton added. "I'm going to keep doing the things I do all the time."
MAILMAN AND THE TAX MAN: Karl Malone of the Jazz wasn't real thrilled with Game 1 officiating and let it be known with a ball slam that cost him a technical foul.
Afterward, however, Malone was guarded with what he had to say about the refs — primarily because he did not want to risk being fined by the NBA.
"I just paid taxes not too long ago . . . and I don't want to pay any more out," Malone joked. "I'm going to leave it like that.
"If I keep on talking about what you're talking (the refs), I'll be adding on to my tax situation, and I paid my share and a lot of other peoples', so I don't want to give any more money away."
AND FINALLY: Fans passing by the Delta Center recently certainly must have noticed the new additions: two giant, multi-paneled murals hyping the 2000 NBA playoffs, one each covering the building's northeast and southeast windows.
The bigger of the two, on the southeast side, is 168 feet long by 30 feet tall. Together, the two — produced by Creative Color, a photographic and digital-imaging company — are tiled over a total of 320 panels, which is enough to cover the floors of three NBA courts. The Jazz's "Bear" mascot, featured in the ads, is produced 24 times larger than true life.
You can reach Tim Buckley by e-mail at tbuckley@desnews.com