Karl Malone almost always guarded the opposition's toughest inside presence, and some fans are clamoring for his to return to the Jazz to help teach defense, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

However, Steve Luhm of The Tribune doesn't believe that Malone will take a break from his retirement to re-enter the NBA life.

If the Jazz are looking for a new look off the bench they could trade Matt Harpring and Jarron Collins to the Grizzlies for Darko Milicic, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Milicic, however, is rumored to have injured his Achilles tendon while working out with Serbia's national team in July.

A recurring rumor involving the Jazz trading versatile forward Andrei Kirilenko has been popping up in Utah once again, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Kirilenko has three years and almost $50 million remaining on his contract with the Jazz, which makes him somewhat difficult to trade.

With Carlos Boozer possessing the ability to opt out of his contract next summer, possibly to sign a long-term deal with the Jazz, the team could look to trim some salary to order to prepare a lucrative offer for the former Duke big man.

Trading Kirilenko, could help them accomplish that

Jazz owner Larry Miller was released from the hospital on Friday morning nearly two months after suffering a heart attack that nearly killed him, according to The Associated Press.

Miller held a news conference in which he described his heart attack, kidney failure, and gastrointestinal bleeding that required eight pints of blood transfusions.

"It was really neat just getting in the car at the hospital, knowing I was going home," Miller said.

Utah reserve guard Ronnie Price has welcomed the competition he'll receive from recently-acquired point guard Brevin Knight, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

"I've watched Brevin play his whole career and been a fan of Brevin Knight," Price said. "He doesn't have to be super explosive and just be a crazy athlete, but still in all, he can get the job done, and he just does all the right things on the court."

Price supplanted Jason Hart as the lead backup to Deron Williams last season and is excited to learn from a veteran like Knight.

"Whatever my role is, I have to be able to face it and be able to do the best I can," Price said. "It's just something that comes along with the game. As easy as it is to make it into a competition or anything like that, it's really not."

The Nuggets will reportedly open the 2008-09 season against the defending Northwest Division champion Jazz, according to The Rocky Mountain News.

Carmelo Anthony will not take part in the season opener as he begins serving a two-game suspension for his April arrest on a drunken driving charge.

Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko is honored to have been selected to carry the Russian flag during the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games on Friday, according to The Deseret News.

"Representing in front of the world, you know, is a big honor," said Kirilenko, "and I will try to do my best."

He appeared for Russia in the 2004 Olympics Games, as well.

"I'm not sure how it's going to go, and if they have a practice or something," he said of the flag-carrying duties. "I think there's going to be a practice before the whole ceremony."

Jazz forward Carlos Boozer hasn't forgotten the bronze medal he took home with the U.S. Olympic team in 2004, according to The Deseret News.

"At first, it was disappointment," said Boozer. "Now that we're here, it's a distant memory."

Boozer is one of four players ? the others being LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade ? who were part of the 2004 squad that went 5-3 in Athens four years ago.

"We're learning from it," Boozer said. "The guys that were on that team ? we take that pain that we felt when we came back home with bronze. We know exactly what's at stake."