Monday report
The Jazz have to sign second-round draft pick Kyrylo Fesenko if only because the 20-year-old Ukrainian center's adjustment to the U.S. is going to fill up this blog all season.
Fesenko's agent, Jason Levien, said last week that his client is committed to not throwing away whatever money he makes in the NBA. As part of that, Fesenko asked Levien to find him a car - - and I'm not making this up - - in the $3,000 to $4,000 range.
That would make Fesenko the first player in league history to drive a worse car than the reporters who cover the team. We're wondering if Larry Miller, with seemingly every car dealership in Utah, can help Fesenko find something a little more respectable.
The Jazz are still trying to find a way for him to play in the Rocky Mountain Revue, but the car question seemed far more interesting Monday.
Here was Fesenko's explanation: "I am not actually NBA player right now, and I'm not really good driver. I need something cheap that if I get some problems, it wasn't so bad on my soul."
There is some question if Fesenko is actually licensed to drive. He said he was in Ukraine, but told a story of the first time he got behind the wheel. Somehow he started in a field, but wound up nearly driving off a cliff with his girlfriend in the car.
"Her face like white," he said.
He's a funny guy, too. Asked how he spent practice on the sidelines, Fesenko said he "rode bicycle to Ukraine." Laughter ensued. He spent 40 minutes on a stationary bike and is desperate to play a little 5-on-5.
We also appreciated Fesenko's thoughts on Salt Lake City. Pretty soon he's going to be running for mayor.
"I see Los Angeles, I see Miami, and I see Salt Lake City, and it looks for me so comfortable," Fesenko said. "You've got everything here. You don't need nothing. No traffic. Everybody smile. I don't see crazy people in this city. Here everything is perfect. And I really like the air here. It's fresh."
Keep in mind that you couldn't see the mountains Monday because the air was so bad, whether the product of forest fires across the state or the million-degree temperatures. It makes you wonder what Ukraine is like.
* * *
Morris Almond again said all the right things after his first summer-league practice, whether it was joking about learning to keep his jersey tucked in or chasing after the balls Dee Brown threw all over the gym to retrieve as part of his rookie baptism.
"It's just good to get back to a team concept," Almond said. "The whole draft process is me-me-me, what can I do to get beat that guy? And now it's: What's in the framework of a team? I look forward to getting back into that."
* * *
This is what I'm hearing about why C.J. Miles didn't play in the Revue, since it's been the most e-mailed question recently. It was decided that the injury risk was too great when he could be looking at a multimillion dollar contract in the near future.
Miles is following the lead of free agents Amir Johnson and Andray Blatche, both of whom are not playing in summer league. Johnson has played in only 11 NBA games in two years, but could re-sign with Detroit for three years and $10 million.
(Once he signs, Johnson is expected to play for the Pistons team in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.)
Blatche should command an even bigger deal. All three players were second-round picks out of high school in the 2005 draft. All three are going to get paid based entirely on potential, in Miles case off two D-League stints and 60 games of NBA experience.
The thinking was the Jazz know what they have in Miles after two years and the rest of the league has seen enough to draw conclusions about the player the 20-year-old could be.
Ronnie Brewer did say he was "kind of surprised" Miles wasn't playing in the Revue. "I wish he would've been here to try to keep everybody together," Brewer said. "It was fun playing with him and hopefully he can still be with this team."
--Ross Siler
Fesenko's agent, Jason Levien, said last week that his client is committed to not throwing away whatever money he makes in the NBA. As part of that, Fesenko asked Levien to find him a car - - and I'm not making this up - - in the $3,000 to $4,000 range.
That would make Fesenko the first player in league history to drive a worse car than the reporters who cover the team. We're wondering if Larry Miller, with seemingly every car dealership in Utah, can help Fesenko find something a little more respectable.
The Jazz are still trying to find a way for him to play in the Rocky Mountain Revue, but the car question seemed far more interesting Monday.
Here was Fesenko's explanation: "I am not actually NBA player right now, and I'm not really good driver. I need something cheap that if I get some problems, it wasn't so bad on my soul."
There is some question if Fesenko is actually licensed to drive. He said he was in Ukraine, but told a story of the first time he got behind the wheel. Somehow he started in a field, but wound up nearly driving off a cliff with his girlfriend in the car.
"Her face like white," he said.
He's a funny guy, too. Asked how he spent practice on the sidelines, Fesenko said he "rode bicycle to Ukraine." Laughter ensued. He spent 40 minutes on a stationary bike and is desperate to play a little 5-on-5.
We also appreciated Fesenko's thoughts on Salt Lake City. Pretty soon he's going to be running for mayor.
"I see Los Angeles, I see Miami, and I see Salt Lake City, and it looks for me so comfortable," Fesenko said. "You've got everything here. You don't need nothing. No traffic. Everybody smile. I don't see crazy people in this city. Here everything is perfect. And I really like the air here. It's fresh."
Keep in mind that you couldn't see the mountains Monday because the air was so bad, whether the product of forest fires across the state or the million-degree temperatures. It makes you wonder what Ukraine is like.
* * *
Morris Almond again said all the right things after his first summer-league practice, whether it was joking about learning to keep his jersey tucked in or chasing after the balls Dee Brown threw all over the gym to retrieve as part of his rookie baptism.
"It's just good to get back to a team concept," Almond said. "The whole draft process is me-me-me, what can I do to get beat that guy? And now it's: What's in the framework of a team? I look forward to getting back into that."
* * *
This is what I'm hearing about why C.J. Miles didn't play in the Revue, since it's been the most e-mailed question recently. It was decided that the injury risk was too great when he could be looking at a multimillion dollar contract in the near future.
Miles is following the lead of free agents Amir Johnson and Andray Blatche, both of whom are not playing in summer league. Johnson has played in only 11 NBA games in two years, but could re-sign with Detroit for three years and $10 million.
(Once he signs, Johnson is expected to play for the Pistons team in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.)
Blatche should command an even bigger deal. All three players were second-round picks out of high school in the 2005 draft. All three are going to get paid based entirely on potential, in Miles case off two D-League stints and 60 games of NBA experience.
The thinking was the Jazz know what they have in Miles after two years and the rest of the league has seen enough to draw conclusions about the player the 20-year-old could be.
Ronnie Brewer did say he was "kind of surprised" Miles wasn't playing in the Revue. "I wish he would've been here to try to keep everybody together," Brewer said. "It was fun playing with him and hopefully he can still be with this team."
--Ross Siler
8:31 PM
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