Fesenko's minutes
If I told you that Kyrylo Fesenko played fewer minutes in the Jazz's victory Thursday in the Rocky Mountain Revue than Rickey Paulding, Hiram Fuller, Earl Calloway, Kevin Lyde and Leemire Goldwire, you'd probably wonder what on earth happened.
Well, Fesenko played only 12:48 against the Hawks, despite starting both the first and second halves, and I honestly can't explain why. For the second consecutive game, Fesenko didn't get off the bench in the fourth quarter with a tight score.
If you saw him in that fourth quarter, Fesenko looked bored sitting on the bench. He pretty much bolted after the game, the first player out of the locker room. I chased after him and he said "Ask coach" when I asked if he knew why he wasn't playing more.
Fesenko has played only 84 minutes in five games - - an average of 16.8 per game - - compared to 140 minutes for Morris Almond (28.0 mpg) and 97 minutes for rookie Kosta Koufos (19.4). What's harder to understand is that Fesenko was playing well Thursday.
He tipped in a Fuller miss in the first quarter, was called for a loose-ball foul and blocked a shot. In the third quarter, Fesenko blocked two more shots, threw a nice pass to Almond for a basket inside and tossed in a shot after Calloway hit him in the post.
Fesenko finished with four points, three blocks, two rebounds and two fouls, making the only two shots he took. Assistant coach Tyrone Corbin said there was no message being sent to Fesenko and talked about how hard it is to find playing time for 15 guys.
While Fesenko isn't in what he called "top-notch" shape, Corbin did say that his conditioning has come along during these two weeks. So the issue shouldn't be that Fesenko can't play more than six or seven minutes at a time.
Given the Jazz's investment in Fesenko, there's no way he should only be playing 13 minutes in a summer-league game. These are opportunities for game experience that won't be there come November and probably won't be there in October, either.
It's also difficult for the Jazz to criticize C.J. Miles for skipping the Revue when Fesenko is playing so little. If it's so important to the development of their young players, then the Jazz's young players need to be playing 25-plus minutes right now.
* * *
The Jazz have never doubted Almond's ability to score, but the second-year guard again showed them what he's capable of Thursday. Almond finished with 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting in 30 minutes, scoring 15 of the Jazz's 22 points in the third quarter.
Among his highlights, Almond twice cut for layups, ran the floor for layups, posted up and hit a jumper in the lane and knocked down a three-pointer. Once again, Almond also got to the foul line, converting 8 of 10 free throws.
Corbin said he appreciated that Almond was looking to pass more and play tougher defense this summer. It's the little things, though, that are going to make all the difference in Almond's game, and he still has a ways to go in that respect.
He got trapped in the first quarter, held on to the ball, and committed a turnover. He watched a rebound instead of hustling after it. After the Hawks grabbed that loose ball, Luke Jackson buried a three-pointer.
Almond was blocked by Frank Robinson when he had tunnel vision to shoot coming off a screen. To start the second half, Almond got caught napping on defense while Mario West hit a three-pointer. You could hear Corbin yell, "Let's go, Mo," from the bench.
That said, Almond answered the West three-pointer with a basket of his own and was on a terrific roll in the third quarter. The last two games Almond has scored 24 and 29 points, making the case that he's gotten better as the Revue has gone on.
* * *
After seeing the offer Atlanta's Josh Childress signed with Olympiakos, you have to wonder how the Jazz kept Koufos away from the Greek club.
If Koufos someday develops into a star, there's no question the money he can make will be better in the NBA. The Jazz told him just to look at the deal Deron Williams was about to sign. But if he's an average player, Koufos might have a better offer to go overseas.
--Ross Siler
Well, Fesenko played only 12:48 against the Hawks, despite starting both the first and second halves, and I honestly can't explain why. For the second consecutive game, Fesenko didn't get off the bench in the fourth quarter with a tight score.
If you saw him in that fourth quarter, Fesenko looked bored sitting on the bench. He pretty much bolted after the game, the first player out of the locker room. I chased after him and he said "Ask coach" when I asked if he knew why he wasn't playing more.
Fesenko has played only 84 minutes in five games - - an average of 16.8 per game - - compared to 140 minutes for Morris Almond (28.0 mpg) and 97 minutes for rookie Kosta Koufos (19.4). What's harder to understand is that Fesenko was playing well Thursday.
He tipped in a Fuller miss in the first quarter, was called for a loose-ball foul and blocked a shot. In the third quarter, Fesenko blocked two more shots, threw a nice pass to Almond for a basket inside and tossed in a shot after Calloway hit him in the post.
Fesenko finished with four points, three blocks, two rebounds and two fouls, making the only two shots he took. Assistant coach Tyrone Corbin said there was no message being sent to Fesenko and talked about how hard it is to find playing time for 15 guys.
While Fesenko isn't in what he called "top-notch" shape, Corbin did say that his conditioning has come along during these two weeks. So the issue shouldn't be that Fesenko can't play more than six or seven minutes at a time.
Given the Jazz's investment in Fesenko, there's no way he should only be playing 13 minutes in a summer-league game. These are opportunities for game experience that won't be there come November and probably won't be there in October, either.
It's also difficult for the Jazz to criticize C.J. Miles for skipping the Revue when Fesenko is playing so little. If it's so important to the development of their young players, then the Jazz's young players need to be playing 25-plus minutes right now.
* * *
The Jazz have never doubted Almond's ability to score, but the second-year guard again showed them what he's capable of Thursday. Almond finished with 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting in 30 minutes, scoring 15 of the Jazz's 22 points in the third quarter.
Among his highlights, Almond twice cut for layups, ran the floor for layups, posted up and hit a jumper in the lane and knocked down a three-pointer. Once again, Almond also got to the foul line, converting 8 of 10 free throws.
Corbin said he appreciated that Almond was looking to pass more and play tougher defense this summer. It's the little things, though, that are going to make all the difference in Almond's game, and he still has a ways to go in that respect.
He got trapped in the first quarter, held on to the ball, and committed a turnover. He watched a rebound instead of hustling after it. After the Hawks grabbed that loose ball, Luke Jackson buried a three-pointer.
Almond was blocked by Frank Robinson when he had tunnel vision to shoot coming off a screen. To start the second half, Almond got caught napping on defense while Mario West hit a three-pointer. You could hear Corbin yell, "Let's go, Mo," from the bench.
That said, Almond answered the West three-pointer with a basket of his own and was on a terrific roll in the third quarter. The last two games Almond has scored 24 and 29 points, making the case that he's gotten better as the Revue has gone on.
* * *
After seeing the offer Atlanta's Josh Childress signed with Olympiakos, you have to wonder how the Jazz kept Koufos away from the Greek club.
If Koufos someday develops into a star, there's no question the money he can make will be better in the NBA. The Jazz told him just to look at the deal Deron Williams was about to sign. But if he's an average player, Koufos might have a better offer to go overseas.
--Ross Siler
12:40 AM
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4 Comments:
It doesn't bother me at all that Fez isn't getting minutes. The question I have is why the non-contract people even show up when the Jazz are already at a max for contract players.
Back to Fez, he has and will get his minutes in the D-League. However, I'd like to see him get more minutes in the real league. Are we really better served by getting mediocre play from Collins night in and night out than in seeing if Fez's development can be accelerated by throwing him into the fire?
I agree. Please get rid of Collins. Thank you.
The non-contract players show up with the hopes of getting another NBA team's attention through their play or to get an overseas team's attention. The overseas leagues scout the NBA summer leagues heavily.
Today is the last day for the Jazz to match (or not) Oklahoma City's offer to C.J. Miles. I've liked what I've seen from Morris Almond. Between Almond, Brewer, Korver, AK, and others, I think the Jazz are in good shape at the 2and 3 spots. Let Miles go.
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