After a non-start and a late deal with the NBA lockout, the Utah Jazz sprinted through the shortened season full of surprises and young talent, Matt Harpring wrote at KSL.com.

“Jazz started the season off on the road and were dealt some disappointing losses,” Harpring wrote. “Jazz fans were tested and even more people jumped on the ‘Jazz are even worse than we thought’ bandwagon. The team stayed together and Coach Ty Corbin did an excellent job in making his young team believe they could win.”

According to Harpring, Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson carried the Jazz, while Gordon Hayward and Devin Harris came alive and finished “extremely strong.” Harpring also had praise for Derrick Favors, Alec Burks, Enes Kanter, Raja Bell, Earl Watson, Josh Howard, C.J. Miles and Jamaal Tinsley.

“The Jazz finished the year at a 36-30 record and surpassed all expectations,” Harpring wrote. “Overachieving? Yeah probably. But they proved to the basketball world that they aren’t a fluke.

Read more at KSL.com.

SALT LAKE CITY — Before LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Team USA take on the world this summer, they’ll have to deal with a couple of Utah Jazz players.

Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward have been chosen to participate on the prestigious 2012 USA Select team, which will play against and help prepare the U.S. men’s basketball team ahead of the Summer Olympics in London.

The young Jazz players will join 11 other NBA up-and-comers for the training competition, according to a CSN Bay Area report.

The USA Select team reportedly will include: the Jazz’s Hayward and Favors; DeMarcus Cousins (Kings); Jeremy Lin (Knicks); Klay Thompson (Warriors); Kyrie Irving (Cavs); John Wall (Wizards); DeMar DeRozan (Raptors); Paul George (Pacers); Kawhi Leonard and DeJuan Blair (Spurs); Ryan Anderson (Magic); and Taj Gibson (Bulls).

USA Basketball has not officially announced the members of its prep squad, which gives officials a chance to evaluate potential future Olympic players as well. LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook are 2012 Olympic team finalists who were on the 2008 Select squad.

It’s possible Hayward and Favors would not be able to participate with the Jazz’s summer league team in Orlando (July 9-13) despite Utah management’s wishes for that to happen. Team USA will begin preparing for the London Games in Las Vegas during the same time period (July 5-12) before continuing training in Washington, D.C. from July 13-16.

Former Jazz point guard Deron Williams is the only player with local ties among the 22 hopefuls looking to be included on the final U.S. roster. Olympic action begins on July 29 for the Americans against a tough pool that includes the likes of Argentina and France.

Hayward struggled to find his shot in the postseason, but the shooting guard played especially well during the second half of the regular season to help the Jazz make a successful playoff push. The 22-year-old finished his second year in the NBA with averages of 11.8 points, 3.5 assists and 3.1 assists.

Hayward helped the U.S. Under-18 team win the 2009 world championship in New Zealand. The ex-Butler standout was named to the all-tournament team.

Favors averaged 8.8 points and 6.5 rebounds during the season, but the powerful and athletic 20-year-old came on strong in the playoffs. The 6-10 Favors was one of Utah’s best players during the Spurs’ sweep, averaging 11.8 points and 9.5 rebounds while playing some menacing defense.

Both Hayward and Favors played well in the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend.

Email: jody@desnews.com

Twitter: DJJazzyJody

Blog: Jazzland.blogs.deseretnews.com

USA Basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski has announced that Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward has accepted an invitation to join this year’s team at the Olympics, reports Michael C. Lewis of the Salt Lake Tribune.

Hayward will be a welcome addition to the American squad, as injuries have ravaged an originally promising roster. LaMarcus Aldridge, Chauncey Billups, Dwight Howard, Kevin Love and Derrick Rose all suffered injuries this season that put their status for this summer’s Games in doubt. James Harden and Anthony Davis were added to the Team USA roster earlier this month, but more help was still needed.

Hayward is a promising young player — the former No. 9 overall draft pick started for the playoff-bound Utah Jazz this year, averaging 11.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in his second pro season.

Coach K and Hayward share an interesting connection — the coach’s Duke Blue Devils beat the youngster’s Butler Bulldogs in the NCAA Tournament final in 2010. Hayward missed a desperate halfcourt shot at the buzzer to end March Madness.

SALT LAKE CITY — Even though he didn’t see the court much this year, Jeremy Evans was clearly one of the happiest players in the Jazz locker room.

“Season went great,” Evans said with a big smile on his face during the Jazz’s locker clean out.

Evans is a team player, and evaluates everything on the team level. He only averaged 7.5 minutes a game this season, but he still had an eventful year.

As a replacement, Evans competed in and won the NBA dunk contest this year in Orlando. Evans even sees winning the dunk contest as an accomplishment that his team made.

“Not every player gets that chance and opportunity,” Evans said, “To go down there and share it with my teammates was fun.”

Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin has been impressed with Evans this year.

“Even though Jeremy Evans didn’t get a lot of time on the floor, I think he made tremendous strides in his game,” Corbin said Tuesday.

Evans agrees that he has improved from his rookie season but still wants to enhance his game.

“I feel like I’ve improved, but not to where I want to be,” he said, “I still want to keep working and get better. And improve my ball-handling skills.”

Evans wants to progress as a small forward and said that the Jazz management wants him to build more confidence while out on the floor.

Corbin admits Evans deserves more playing time and said, “It’s unfortunate for him and it’s on me, that I didn’t find other ways of getting him time on the floor.”

Evans said he would talk to his agent about his options, but he expects to be playing in Utah next year. He went on to say, “Hopefully it stays that way.”

“I look forward to seeing (Evans) going forward,” Corbin said.

Besides figuring out his contract situation, Evans plans on helping out at some Jr. Jazz camps this summer and also playing in summer league with the Jazz.

It is still unknown if Evans will have a place on the Jazz next season, but wherever he ends up, Evans will probably have a smile on his face.

email: bbrown@desnews.com

SALT LAKE CITY — Despite being just 25 years old, C.J. Miles has already logged seven seasons in the NBA — all with the Utah Jazz.

That, however, may change. For the first time in his career, the swingman is an unrestricted free agent.

“I’m definitely going to explore my options. I have to,” Miles said. “I feel like I owe it to myself to be able to do that. (It’s an) experience I need to be able to go through.”

At the same time, though, Miles noted that he still believes there’s room for him in Utah — where he can keep growing with the team.

“I grew up here, basically,” Miles said while confirming that the Jazz remain an option in his future plans — although he later took a shot at head coach Tyrone Corbin’s communication skills at Tuesday’s locker cleanout.

Miles has appeared in 389 regular-season games for Utah, averaging 8.4 points and shooting 41.9 percent from the field. He’s also played in 23 playoff games over his career, although he was sidelined with a strained calf throughout the recently concluded series with San Antonio.

Texas is home for Miles. He was an All-American at Skyline High in Dallas before turning pro after being drafted in the second round by the Jazz in 2005.

Signing with the hometown Mavericks, where he could possibly be reunited with former Utah teammate Deron Williams, intrigues Miles.

“If that was an issue that came up I definitely would look at it. Who wouldn’t, especially with the way that team is built now,” Miles said. “They’re aging a little bit and I’m pretty sure they’re going to be looking for some guys that do some of the things I do.”

Wherever Miles ends up, he’s just hopeful it’ll be a place that will help him grow as a player and win basketball games.

And yes, Miles considers Utah a franchise where he can do that. Even so, his options will be explored. There’s excitement and uncertainty, he acknowledged, in being an unrestricted free agent for the first time.

“I’m going to just attack the summer the way I’ve been attacking as far as working on my game and just put everything else in God’s hands,” Miles said.

Utah’s two other unrestricted free agents — Josh Howard and Blake Ahearn — also addressed their futures.

“I enjoyed my time. It would be an option,” Howard said of the possibility of a return. “I just have to see how things go in the offseason.”

Related list: Utah Jazz players’ summer plans and final thoughts

SALT LAKE CITY — Lockers were cleaned. Boxes were packed. Goodbyes and laughs were exchanged.

Exit interviews and offseason goal-setting were also checked off the list Tuesday by Utah Jazz players and brass at EnergySolutions Arena.

Almost symbolic of a 2011-12 season that had some bitter and better moments, several salvos were sent and good memories shared.

And then, one-by-one, players filed out of the building — some for good, some until next October when they hope to build upon this weird and wacky playoff season that started late because of the lockout and finished later than many figured it would because of the playoff push.

“I think we reached our goal. Nothing to hold our head down about,” Jazz center Al Jefferson said about 14 hours after San Antonio finished off its first-round sweep of his team. “I think we did some things that nobody think we could do, so I thought it was a great season.”

The future of the Jazz, of course, remains a mystery.

Multiple contributors, including Josh Howard and C.J. Miles, aren’t under contract for next season.

Veteran Raja Bell made it clear he doesn’t want to be back next year while also calling Tyrone Corbin “unprofessional,” citing major communication issues.

It remains to be seen if Utah keeps intact its four-headed frontcourt monster of Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter.

Multiple other offseason issues need to be addressed — from outside shooting to the point guard future to defensive improvement to necessary roster acquisitions, either through a trade, the draft or free agency.

And the wheels inside the Jazz brass decision-makers’ heads are already spinning in anticipation of a busy summer.

During their final get-together of this season, members of the Jazz family that want to stick together reflected back on this fast-and-furious, 66-game irregular season and postseason adventure with smiles on their faces.

“I think we’ve grown a lot,” Corbin said, recalling in his mind the uncertainty that surrounded the team when it assembled at a shortened training camp last December.

If Al Jefferson were Utah’s general manager, he wouldn’t trade Al Jefferson — or any of the team’s other big men.

One day after San Antonio eliminated the Jazz from the playoffs, Jefferson said, “I’m here to do my job. It’s not my decision. But if I had my way, everybody would come back. We have a great group of guys.”

The problem?

Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter and Jefferson create a logjam at center and power forward.

The Jazz hope Favors and Kanter become foundation-type players, so the question of trading Jefferson or Millsap will be raised during the offseason.

Jefferson thinks the Jazz should proceed with caution.

“In my opinion, you need bigs to win a championship,” he said. “You need a lot of them.”

Tremendous strides

Asked which player surprised him the most this season, coach Tyrone Corbin said Kanter, who did not play at Kentucky last year because of eligibility issues.

story continues below

Still, the Jazz selected Kanter with the No. 3 pick in the 2011 draft. He averaged 3.5 points and four rebounds in 33 games during his rookie season.

“I thought he made tremendous strides,” Corbin said.

Besides not playing at Kentucky, Kanter did not benefit from a summer league or full training camp because of the lockout.

“It was really hard,” he said, “because I couldn’t play the whole year last year. I just start playing in the NBA — with all the best players. It was tough for me because I was kind of rusty. But I feel next year will be so much better.”

Kanter does not turn 20 until May 20. He will play in the Orlando Summer League in July. So will Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks and Favors, according to GM Kevin O’Connor.

Howard, Tinsley want to return

Next Page >

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Game 4: San Antonio Spurs (3) at Utah Jazz (0), 6 p.m. MT, Monday at EnergySolutions Arena (TNT)

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz have taken a pretty good beating over the past week.

They’ve put up 58 fewer points overall and been outscored 170-108 in the paint in three blowout losses to the San Antonio Spurs.

They’ve witnessed Tony Parker pick-and-roll like John Stockton, seen a rejuvenated Tim Duncan look like he’s bathing in Oil of Olay, watched helplessly as Matt Bonner, Stephen Jackson, Kawhi Leonard and Gary Neal have chucked 3-point daggers into the bottom of the nets, and marveled as Gregg Popovich channeled his inner Phil Jackson, Pat Riley and Red Auerbach.

The Jazz’s defense has become suspect, their confidence seemingly shattered, their aim all skewonkered.

They’ve even fallen into that bleak no-NBA-team-has-ever-conquered-a-3-0-deficit territory.

But get this: The Jazz want more.

They aren’t ready to throw in one of the white towels fans waved around at EnergySolutions Arena on Saturday while the team stumbled against the Spurs again.

And not just because they’re fearing the season-ending task of cleaning out their lockers.

“We’re trying to rewrite history,” a still-hopeful Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. “We’re going to come out and compete, man.”

While winning this series is out of reach judging history, the Jazz are at least hoping to extend the education they’re receiving from the San Antonio School of Hard Knocks.

For this young team, valuable lessons have accompanied the vile losses.

That’s why the Jazz scoff at the notion that it would’ve been better for them to lose their way into the lottery — and keep their pick that’s heading to Minnesota — instead of getting smashed by the Spurs.

“Experiences are invaluable. Just playing in the postseason is good for us as a team,” said Jazz shooting guard Gordon Hayward, who’s getting his first taste of NBA playoffs. “We just have gotten outplayed thus far, but I don’t think you should ever play for picks.”

Corbin knows the Spurs would like to teach the Jazz one more thing: learning how to deal with being swept.

For the third consecutive time after a humbling playoff loss, Jazz center Al Jefferson appeared beaten. He spoke slowly and quietly. He avoided eye contact. His confidence and swagger were gone.

Minutes after Utah coach Tyrone Corbin hinted at a lineup change and praised young power forward Derrick Favors for refusing to accept defeat, the Jazz’s premier player all but ruled Utah dead and done in its Western Conference first-round series against the surging San Antonio Spurs.

“We’re playing against a team that is at its peak, and I don’t see nobody beating ’em. … It’s a great team. I just take my hat off to ’em. Mad respect,” said Jefferson, prior to practice Sunday at Utah’s workout facility.

Jefferson said a Jazz team down 3-0 in a best-of-seven matchup hasn’t given up and will fight for a Game 4 victory Monday at EnergySolutions Arena. But during a series of questions about the strength of a highly efficient Spurs offense that’s shooting 51.2 percent from the field and averaging 107.3 points during the series, an up-front and honest Jefferson acknowledged what’s been obvious since the postseason began: An unproven Utah club has been severely outmatched against a four-time NBA champion San Antonio squad.

“Right now they just playing well, man,” Jefferson said. “I ain’t never seen nothing like this.”

Jefferson began the series saying he was honored to play against Spurs center Tim Duncan, who has limited Jefferson’s aggressiveness and efficiency on the offensive end of the floor. As the series has unfolded, the Jazz’s average leading scorer and rebounder during the regular season has offered constant praise and respect for a fine-tuned Spurs machine that’s won 24 of 26 games dating back to April 11.

Jefferson said he hasn’t competed against a team comparable to San Antonio during his eight-year career. And three separate times during an interview Sunday, the Utah big man acknowledged the Spurs are stronger than and superior to the Jazz.

“It gets to the point where you’re just playing a team that’s better than you; that know what it takes to win and know how to win,” Jefferson said.

He added: “If you lose to a team because you didn’t play your best, that’s one thing. If you’re playing your best and doing everything that you can, and you’re just playing against a team that’s better than you, that’s another one.”

bsmith@sltrib.comTwitter: @tribjazzfacebook.com/tribjazz

story continues below

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

SALT LAKE CITY — There’s a long list of reasons the Utah Jazz dropped Saturday night’s playoff game against the San Antonio Spurs.

Utah missed 12 free throws, going just 14-of-26 from the line, and got outscored by a whopping 50-28 margin in the paint ?— which has normally been the Jazz’s stronghold all season long. Utah only shot 40 percent from the field and 31 percent from 3-point range, and was outscored 50-40 in the second half.

But the biggest reason the Jazz lost 102-90 to go down by a demoralizing 0-3 deficit in this best-of-seven series is really pretty easy to see, and it doesn’t have anything to do with free throws, points in the paint or shoddy shooting statistics.

No, the real reason the Jazz are now one game away from starting their summer vacation is that the Spurs, quite simply, are just too good for ‘em.

Oh, sure, with an energizing EnergySolutions Arena crowd urging them on, the Jazz gave it a great effort — much, much better than in their embarrassing 31-point blowout loss in Game 2. Devin Harris had a solid 21-point performance; Al Jefferson’s steady jump shooting paved the way for a 21-point night of his own, and he also grabbed 11 rebounds to share game-high honors with teammates Paul Millsap and Derrick Favors, and youngsters Favors and Alec Burks showed they are ready-for-prime-time players with strong performances off the bench.

But in the end, the Spurs had too much Tony Parker, too much Tim Duncan, too much Stephen Jackson, too much Manu Ginobili and too much Tiago Splitter for Utah to contend with.

“I thought we played better,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said, “but we just couldn’t put it together enough to get over the hump against these guys.

Their experience showed; they are a great ballclub. Take nothing away from them — they know time and situation and know exactly what to get.”

Parker, the slick point guard who the Jazz passed on drafting a decade ago, scored 16 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter on some perfect shooting — 5-of-5 from the field, 6-of-6 from the foul line — and he also had six assists. Duncan scored the game’s first six points and finished with 17, while Jackson and Splitter both scored in double figures off the bench and Ginobili wound up with a game-high 10 assists.

Indeed, the Spurs showed why they earned a 50-16 regular-season record that matched the Chicago Bulls for the league’s best mark, and why they’ve got their sights set squarely on winning the fifth NBA championship in franchise history.

When the NBA playoffs started, Enes Kanter would always tune in. It was his favorite time for basketball, and the teenager would soak up as much postseason basketball as possible through the magic of television.

Now, Kanter’s a 19-year-old center with the Jazz. And after taking the court during Games 1 and 2 against San Antonio, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2011 draft said one of his childhood dreams has become reality.

“Last year, I couldn’t even play. Now, I’m in the playoffs with the team and it’s a great experience for me. … I’m learning a lot. I’m watching Tim Duncan. I’m watching Al [Jefferson] going against him. Every time when I’m not playing, the only thing I’m doing is watching,” said Kanter, prior to tipoff Saturday for Game 3 against the Spurs.

Kanter hasn’t been stuck on the bench. With Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin running a 10-deep rotation during the first two contests, Kanter’s continued to back up Jefferson in the post. The young big man played a combined 26 minutes during Games 1 and 2, and he scored eight points on 4-of-8 shooting while grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds Wednesday.

“[The playoffs are] different. The crowd, even how the fans are. People look at the players and they get so much excited,” Kanter said.

He added: “Last four of five years, I was always watching the playoffs. Now I’m actually in the playoffs. It’s just crazy to me.”

No answer

Corbin acknowledged what was obvious after two Spurs blowouts: San Antonio’s offense ran at such a high level during Games 1 and 2 all the Jazz could do was hope for the best.

The Spurs averaged 110 points in the first two contests, shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 41 percent behind the 3-point line while posting a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio.

story continues below

“They have the three-headed monster. They have the post game in Duncan. They have the penetrating game in [Tony] Parker. And … they spread the floor to the 3-point line,” Corbin said. “You’ve got to pick your poison at times. You would hope you could stop all three. But in order to stop one you’ve got to give up something, and they’ve been taking advantage of all three.”

Briefly

Jazz guard Earl Watson attended shootaround Saturday morning and was around the team for Game 3. … Spurs reserve center Tiago Splitter and forward Matt Bonner were active after initially being listed as probable.

bsmith@sltrib.com

Twitter: @tribjazz

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.