Yesterday we reported that there is no truth to the rumors that Carlos Boozer could be headed out of Utah, and as far as we know that's still true. However, according to a source close to Deron Williams the primary hold-up is that the Jazz point guard wants to know exactly what he's committing his long-term future to. There's little doubt that Utah will offer the max in terms of the extension, but if Boozer is on his way out, his counterpart would like to know that he's playing for a team with championship potential.

With Boozer and Williams in place, the Jazz are considered one of the best young teams in basketball, arguably one piece away from being serious contenders. Without Boozer they're suddenly closer to being a lottery team, depending on who comes back to fill the void . . .and there just aren't many Boozers out there. The Jazz are committed to being contenders, though, so the expectation is that the Boozer trade talk is all summer fodder and Williams will get his deal done. But you can't blame Deron for being concerned.

What the Jazz are saying is that the sticking point surrounds Deron's insistence on an opt-out clause, which is definitely the real concern. Deron wants to know that Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer are locked in long-term before he commits the best years of is career.

Zach Randolph and the Clippers

Several reports have the Clippers and Knicks in discussion about a deal that would send Zach Randolph to the Clips in exchange for, as one report suggests, Eric Gordon. Gordon was selected by the Clippers with the seventh overall pick, and was highly coveted by the Knicks at six, just not quite as much as they coveted Danilo Gallinari. According to reports, the mere mention of Gordon's name was enough to draw a dial tone from the Clips, who were thrilled with Gordon's summer league debut (23 points, seven rebounds) and think he's a huge part of their future. Gordon is looking forward to playing with and learning from Baron Davis, and that should be a match made in heaven.

Randolph is almost certainly going to get traded this summer, and there's plenty of reason to believe it could be to the Clippers, but don't expect Eric Gordon to be the piece that gets it done.

The Artest Sweepstakes

The Sacramento Bee is reporting that as many as five teams are interested in acquiring Ron Artest from the Kings. The problem is a few of the teams have already made their pitches and got little interest. The Dallas Mavericks would love to have Artest, and new head coach Rick Carlisle made no bones about how much he would love to have Artest back in his locker room. The problem is that deal takes Josh Howard going to the Kings, and the Mavs are saying Josh has been forgiven for his second half slump last season, including the infamous on-air admission of drug use. The Phoenix Suns are in need of help, but the Kings would have to be willing to listen to the Boris Diaw/Leandro Barbosa pitch to get anywhere with the Suns. That's not happening. The Miami HEAT are also said to be in the mix, but that's assuming they want to part with Shawn Marion, which they have repeatedly said they are not, and Toronto . . .well, let's be serious.

The more likely team continues to be the Lakers, who are reported to be more interested in Kenny Thomas now that it's fairly clear they're going to lose Ronny Turiaf to the Warriors. Hard to see that, as Thomas has fallen entirely off the radar in terms of being a meaningful player. It's sad, too, because when he was in Houston and Philly he was truly an impact player.

Ron Artest just walked into the gym here at UNLV wearing a Knicks hat . . .but we'll try not to make too much of that.

Back to summer league . . .