The next Darko?
Talking to somebody from the Jazz on Wednesday, he noted that Darko Milicic also dyed his hair blond when he played with the Pistons. Of course, that's not exactly the label Kyrylo Fesenko is looking for as the next Darko Milicic.
It's only hair, as many readers have pointed out. But Fesenko's maturity has been in question since he arrived in Utah. I will admit to being as guilty as anybody when it comes to feasting off some of the outlandish things Fesenko has said.
But the NBA is littered with guys who just didn't get it and showing up blond to summer league wasn't a great omen. Having watched him struggle to hit a 10-foot baseline jumper while working out during the playoffs, I can attest to how far he still has to go.
The Jazz also made no small investment in Fesenko. Instead of the typical minimum contract that most second-round picks get, Fesenko signed for three years and $2.4 million, with the Jazz paying a $500,000 buyout to his Ukrainian team.
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, meanwhile, raised eyebrows when he said Wednesday that first-round draft pick Kosta Koufos was in better shape than Fesenko. It should be the other way around with a rookie and a second-year player.
"He has to stay focused on what he's got to do," Sloan said. "I don't know if he's going to get it or not. The other stuff has brought more attention to him than the basketball and that could be a problem."
Sloan couldn't have put things in more plain terms when it comes to Fesenko.
"We're just trying to get his attention to make him understand this is a short-lived career if you don't grasp what has to be done," Sloan said. "And that's to work hard. . . . We want to see him succeed but he has to do the work."
Fesenko has worked out with David Thorpe at the IMG Academy in Florida. Thorpe has been one of Fesenko's biggest boosters but didn't sound too encouraged in an ESPN.com chat Wednesday.
"He barely practiced when I was there," Thorpe said. "Sick, injured, etc. He could be a max player, or he could end up back in Ukraine."
* * *
Still hearing that the delay in getting a Deron Williams' extension done is the debate over length between the Jazz and Williams' camp.
--Ross Siler
It's only hair, as many readers have pointed out. But Fesenko's maturity has been in question since he arrived in Utah. I will admit to being as guilty as anybody when it comes to feasting off some of the outlandish things Fesenko has said.
But the NBA is littered with guys who just didn't get it and showing up blond to summer league wasn't a great omen. Having watched him struggle to hit a 10-foot baseline jumper while working out during the playoffs, I can attest to how far he still has to go.
The Jazz also made no small investment in Fesenko. Instead of the typical minimum contract that most second-round picks get, Fesenko signed for three years and $2.4 million, with the Jazz paying a $500,000 buyout to his Ukrainian team.
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, meanwhile, raised eyebrows when he said Wednesday that first-round draft pick Kosta Koufos was in better shape than Fesenko. It should be the other way around with a rookie and a second-year player.
"He has to stay focused on what he's got to do," Sloan said. "I don't know if he's going to get it or not. The other stuff has brought more attention to him than the basketball and that could be a problem."
Sloan couldn't have put things in more plain terms when it comes to Fesenko.
"We're just trying to get his attention to make him understand this is a short-lived career if you don't grasp what has to be done," Sloan said. "And that's to work hard. . . . We want to see him succeed but he has to do the work."
Fesenko has worked out with David Thorpe at the IMG Academy in Florida. Thorpe has been one of Fesenko's biggest boosters but didn't sound too encouraged in an ESPN.com chat Wednesday.
"He barely practiced when I was there," Thorpe said. "Sick, injured, etc. He could be a max player, or he could end up back in Ukraine."
* * *
Still hearing that the delay in getting a Deron Williams' extension done is the debate over length between the Jazz and Williams' camp.
--Ross Siler
5:02 PM
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3 Comments:
Darko is making 8 mil / yr. That wouldn't be half bad for a guy picked in the middle of the second round.
The next Darko???
Darko was the number two overall pick, ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.
Fess was a second round player, and realistically, the investment into Fess was not that large. A 3 year deal that amounts to roughly $900,000 (which includes the $500,000 buyout). Ask any team in the league and I dare say there are 29 teams that would take that contract for a 21 year old 7'2" guy.
Even if Fess never materializes into a starter, the second round pick and small contract keep him out of the Darko league.
funny . . . your "reporting" fails to mention that Memo also dyed his hair blonde when he played for the Pistons (and again in 2005 when he was playing for team Turkey). We need to get rid of that clown too!
http://allthatjazzbasketball.blogspot.com/2008/07/stop-presses.html
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