Al Jefferson says Minnesota a couple years away from winning, so he likes Utah better

There is some talent on the Minnesota roster. Kevin Love can ball. Michael Beasley was a No. 2 overall pick for a reason. We’ll see what Wesley Johnson can bring as a rookie. We’ll watch Luke Ridnour get them the ball.

Okay, not that much talent, and it is all being assembled in a haphazard way. Which is why as much as Al Jefferson loves Minneapolis, he is happy to be playing in Utah with Deron Williams, as he told Marc Spears of Yahoo.

“They have a nice group of guys, but will have a couple more losing seasons,” Jefferson said of the T’wolves. “Minneapolis is my home away from home. I respect the fans that have supported me through the good and the bad ... but when I told people I played for Minnesota, some people didn’t even know they had a team. Everybody knows about Utah. Everyone knows the Utah Jazz.

“I go from being in a Toyota to a Bentley. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Utah is without Carlos Boozer and Al Jefferson is more than happy to take those points and put them next to his name in the box score.

“The first thing [Williams] told me is he’s going to make me an All-Star,” Jefferson said. “It was music to my ears. That meant a lot. It’s a blessing. It means he is not done here. He’s an All-Star, the best point guard in the game, and I said that before I got here. I just need to have my hands ready.”

The Jazz are a good team but firmly entrenched in the middle of the West. They are not the Lakers, they are not up-and-comers like the Thunder or Trail Blazers. They don’t have the big talent making one last run like in San Antonio.

But they are good and think they could surprise some teams. And after some cold and dreary seasons in Minnesota, that chance sounds pretty good to Jefferson.