Post-draft, pre-vacation thoughts
With two weeks of vacation starting in about two hours -- not that I'm watching the clock -- I wanted to quickly pass along a couple of post-draft items.
1. NICK FAZEKAS
At Morris Almond's press conference on Friday afternoon, I wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy. I thought Almond was the Jazz's top choice in the draft, but I also thought he would be taken somewhere between No. 18 and No. 24. I did not think the Jazz would get a shot at him, so, in a couple of mock drafts, I listed Nevada's Nick Fazekas as the player I thought Utah would end up getting.
Well, Fazekas slipped all the way to Dallas, which picked 34th in the second round. So when owner Larry Miller talked about how Jazz rated Almond as the 16th-best prospect in the draft, I wanted to know where Fazekas has been rated.
When I asked Miller who the Jazz had rated immediately behind Almond and who they presumably would have taken if he hadn’t been available, the Jazz owner graciously responded by saying he could not remember their names. He thought they were foreign players because of the way their names sounded and were spelled. He also remembered they started
with the letter 'F.'
Ah, vindication.
I'm guessing just a little bit, but I would bet the next two names on the Jazz's draft board -- the ones behind Almond -- were Nick Fazekas and Kryrlo Fesenko, who Utah acquired in the second round in a trade with Philadelphia.
2. MORRIS ALMOND
I thought Almond handled himself extremely well during his press conference, and his answer to one of my questions showed a lot of insight into his character.
I asked Almond which game was the best of his senior season. His reply: Rice's two wins during the opening rounds of the Conference USA tournament.
Almond didn’t pick out his highest-scoring game or a televised game in which he played well. Instead, he picked out two games that were important for his team.
"... We were able to win a couple of games in the tournament, when you win of go home," Almond said. "... Those games have the highest stakes."
Good answer.
3. ANDREI KIRILENKO
While calling around to see if any teams were talking to the Jazz about acquiring Andrei Kirilenko prior to the draft, one East Coast executive suggested AK-47 won’t be going anywhere.
"We've always liked Kirilenko," he said. "But they seem married to him."
4. TYRONE CORBIN
Don’t be surprised if Seattle names its new coach early next week, and don’t be shocked if Jazz assistant Tyrone Corbin gets the job.
The known candidates include San Antonio assistant P.J. Carlesimo, Sacramento assistant Scott Brooks and former Minnesota coach Dwane Casey.
The way new general manager Sam Presti sent the Sonics in a new direction on draft night by picking Kevin Durant, trading veteran Ray Allen and acquiring Georgetown forward Jeff Green, I think Corbin might be the "fresh-start" fit that Seattle is looking for in a head coach.
Just a hunch.
One hour to vacation.
--Steve Luhm
1. NICK FAZEKAS
At Morris Almond's press conference on Friday afternoon, I wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy. I thought Almond was the Jazz's top choice in the draft, but I also thought he would be taken somewhere between No. 18 and No. 24. I did not think the Jazz would get a shot at him, so, in a couple of mock drafts, I listed Nevada's Nick Fazekas as the player I thought Utah would end up getting.
Well, Fazekas slipped all the way to Dallas, which picked 34th in the second round. So when owner Larry Miller talked about how Jazz rated Almond as the 16th-best prospect in the draft, I wanted to know where Fazekas has been rated.
When I asked Miller who the Jazz had rated immediately behind Almond and who they presumably would have taken if he hadn’t been available, the Jazz owner graciously responded by saying he could not remember their names. He thought they were foreign players because of the way their names sounded and were spelled. He also remembered they started
with the letter 'F.'
Ah, vindication.
I'm guessing just a little bit, but I would bet the next two names on the Jazz's draft board -- the ones behind Almond -- were Nick Fazekas and Kryrlo Fesenko, who Utah acquired in the second round in a trade with Philadelphia.
2. MORRIS ALMOND
I thought Almond handled himself extremely well during his press conference, and his answer to one of my questions showed a lot of insight into his character.
I asked Almond which game was the best of his senior season. His reply: Rice's two wins during the opening rounds of the Conference USA tournament.
Almond didn’t pick out his highest-scoring game or a televised game in which he played well. Instead, he picked out two games that were important for his team.
"... We were able to win a couple of games in the tournament, when you win of go home," Almond said. "... Those games have the highest stakes."
Good answer.
3. ANDREI KIRILENKO
While calling around to see if any teams were talking to the Jazz about acquiring Andrei Kirilenko prior to the draft, one East Coast executive suggested AK-47 won’t be going anywhere.
"We've always liked Kirilenko," he said. "But they seem married to him."
4. TYRONE CORBIN
Don’t be surprised if Seattle names its new coach early next week, and don’t be shocked if Jazz assistant Tyrone Corbin gets the job.
The known candidates include San Antonio assistant P.J. Carlesimo, Sacramento assistant Scott Brooks and former Minnesota coach Dwane Casey.
The way new general manager Sam Presti sent the Sonics in a new direction on draft night by picking Kevin Durant, trading veteran Ray Allen and acquiring Georgetown forward Jeff Green, I think Corbin might be the "fresh-start" fit that Seattle is looking for in a head coach.
Just a hunch.
One hour to vacation.
--Steve Luhm
5:39 PM
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1 Comments:
That foreign player behind Almond had to have been Rudy Fernandez
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