Saturday report
Evidently, the Utah Flash didn't miss Morris Almond and Kyrylo Fesenko too much Saturday. Although the Jazz recalled the two rookies, Kevin Kruger was still able to lead the Flash to a 109-106 victory over Idaho, scoring 43 points and hitting 10 three-pointers.
The Jazz, meanwhile, had two tired looking players on their hands Saturday morning. Almond said he learned he was being recalled after the Flash's loss Friday to Idaho. He had a 4-whatever a.m. wake-up call for a 6:35 a.m. flight back to Salt Lake City.
Although Ronnie Brewer returned to practice Saturday after sitting out Friday's game with a stomach virus, the Jazz are expected to be without two starters Sunday against Minnesota. Mehmet Okur didn't make the trip and Andrei Kirilenko is doubtful with a calf injury.
The Jazz were left with just nine players to finish Friday's victory over the Clippers and one of them, Paul Millsap, was sick after the game. Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said the team couldn't afford to be shorthanded given the Western Conference playoff race.
They made the decision to recall Almond and Fesenko - - O'Connor said the Jazz did consider signing a veteran to a 10-day contract - - and were able to get them back in time for practice Saturday morning.
That practice was critical because it served as a shootaround for Sunday's game against Minnesota. With a 1:30 p.m. (MDT) start, the Jazz had to hold their shootaround before they got on the plane to fly to the Twin Cities.
Some leftover quotes from Saturday:
Jarron Collins was one of the heroes Friday, finishing with seven points and seven rebounds while starting in place of a sick Okur. Collins also stuck up for himself, Jason Hart and C.J. Miles, all of whom have found themselves out of the rotation at times.
"We're players in this league," Collins said, "and we got here for a reason."
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan regularly describes coming off the bench as the hardest job the NBA has to offer. He turned a question Saturday about Collins' play into a statement about what Matt Harpring brings the Jazz.
"It takes a lot of concentration," Sloan said of coming off the bench. ‘You have to stay with what you're doing to try to make it work. That's why Matt Harpring's been so valuable to us over the years that he's been here.
"He's been able to come off the bench and you don't have to give him 10 possessions to get him warmed up. He looks like he's never warmed up when he's sitting there, but as soon as he steps on that floor, he's ready to roll. That's a big asset.
"A lot of guys say, ‘Well, I've got to get touches and all this stuff.' You make your touches by the way you work for it. He's got a great knack for that."
Sloan also talked about how the relationship with the Flash has benefited the Jazz this season. The Flash run the same offense as the Jazz and their front-office and coaching staffs are regularly around the Jazz.
"I think that's important," Sloan said. "We were able to win a game this year against the Lakers because Fes came in and gave us some good minutes. We didn't have to wait all day - - spend two weeks to try to teach him some of the stuff we try to do."
Both Sloan and O'Connor also talked about Almond's season to date. Sloan said it wasn't enough for Almond just to be a shooter, the Jazz's first-round draft pick also had to learn how to play defense and run the floor.
"You have to carry your load," Sloan said of the D-League, "and that's a good place to learn how to do it. That's a tough league, too. A lot of guys want to be in this position to be able to be on an NBA roster."
O'Connor said Almond had to learn how to play in a team framework again after being so dominant for Rice in college.
"If you look at his history, he starts slow," O'Connor said. "If you look at his history at Rice, he started slow until he kind of got it, and then when he got it, he got it pretty good."
--Ross Siler
The Jazz, meanwhile, had two tired looking players on their hands Saturday morning. Almond said he learned he was being recalled after the Flash's loss Friday to Idaho. He had a 4-whatever a.m. wake-up call for a 6:35 a.m. flight back to Salt Lake City.
Although Ronnie Brewer returned to practice Saturday after sitting out Friday's game with a stomach virus, the Jazz are expected to be without two starters Sunday against Minnesota. Mehmet Okur didn't make the trip and Andrei Kirilenko is doubtful with a calf injury.
The Jazz were left with just nine players to finish Friday's victory over the Clippers and one of them, Paul Millsap, was sick after the game. Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said the team couldn't afford to be shorthanded given the Western Conference playoff race.
They made the decision to recall Almond and Fesenko - - O'Connor said the Jazz did consider signing a veteran to a 10-day contract - - and were able to get them back in time for practice Saturday morning.
That practice was critical because it served as a shootaround for Sunday's game against Minnesota. With a 1:30 p.m. (MDT) start, the Jazz had to hold their shootaround before they got on the plane to fly to the Twin Cities.
Some leftover quotes from Saturday:
Jarron Collins was one of the heroes Friday, finishing with seven points and seven rebounds while starting in place of a sick Okur. Collins also stuck up for himself, Jason Hart and C.J. Miles, all of whom have found themselves out of the rotation at times.
"We're players in this league," Collins said, "and we got here for a reason."
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan regularly describes coming off the bench as the hardest job the NBA has to offer. He turned a question Saturday about Collins' play into a statement about what Matt Harpring brings the Jazz.
"It takes a lot of concentration," Sloan said of coming off the bench. ‘You have to stay with what you're doing to try to make it work. That's why Matt Harpring's been so valuable to us over the years that he's been here.
"He's been able to come off the bench and you don't have to give him 10 possessions to get him warmed up. He looks like he's never warmed up when he's sitting there, but as soon as he steps on that floor, he's ready to roll. That's a big asset.
"A lot of guys say, ‘Well, I've got to get touches and all this stuff.' You make your touches by the way you work for it. He's got a great knack for that."
Sloan also talked about how the relationship with the Flash has benefited the Jazz this season. The Flash run the same offense as the Jazz and their front-office and coaching staffs are regularly around the Jazz.
"I think that's important," Sloan said. "We were able to win a game this year against the Lakers because Fes came in and gave us some good minutes. We didn't have to wait all day - - spend two weeks to try to teach him some of the stuff we try to do."
Both Sloan and O'Connor also talked about Almond's season to date. Sloan said it wasn't enough for Almond just to be a shooter, the Jazz's first-round draft pick also had to learn how to play defense and run the floor.
"You have to carry your load," Sloan said of the D-League, "and that's a good place to learn how to do it. That's a tough league, too. A lot of guys want to be in this position to be able to be on an NBA roster."
O'Connor said Almond had to learn how to play in a team framework again after being so dominant for Rice in college.
"If you look at his history, he starts slow," O'Connor said. "If you look at his history at Rice, he started slow until he kind of got it, and then when he got it, he got it pretty good."
--Ross Siler
11:48 PM
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