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SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah center Mehmet Okur is returning to his home country of Turkey to deal with an illness in his family.
The Jazz said Monday they have excused Okur so he can be with his family. No other details were released.
Okur is Utah's second-leading scorer at 15.5 points per game and has been averaging 6.5 rebounds for the Jazz.
Backup bigman Kyrylo Fesenko is currently back in Ukraine dealing with visa issues. The earliest he can rejoin the team will be against Charlotte on Friday.
The Jazz are already suffering at the center position with Jarron Collins out with an injury. Matt Harpring is also out with an injury. Look for rookie Kosta Koufos to get a few minutes in tomorrow night's game against the Sixers.
Deron Williams did return to practice today after suffering an ankle injury, although it is uncertain when he will return to game action.
(Copyright 2008. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
