Review in Review
I thought I would take a moment to offer my observations on the Utah Jazz Rocky Mountain Review team. The main focus of this review will be players who have a chance to make the team. My apologies to all of you Nate Doornekamp and Wen Mukubu fans out there. At about the midpoint of the summer league here is what I have seen:
Paul Milsap
Milsap has been a man amongst boys. Much like Deron Williams last year Milsap has proven he does not need to be playing at the review. Offensively he has improved his range, handle, and feel for where he can get shots within a Utah Jazz system. He is in great shape and running the floor well. Offensive boards and ability to finish from tough angles around the hoop continue to be a strong point. If he can consistently knock down 15-17 foot jumpers, AK-47 might be on the next plane to the Eastern Conference before the All-Star break next year.
Defensively Milsap looks quicker and more able to handle the quicker small forwards. He still could use some improvement in this area, but even with his sometimes laking lateral quickness he makes up for that with the ability to block shots from behind. Milsap deserved to be the Utah Jazz summer league MVP.
Morris Almond
Offensively Almond is almost the complete package. He does not look like a rookie as he demonstrates much more poise than most other players in this league. On more than one occasion with the shot clock running down he has taken his time to find the right shot for that situation. His jumper is soft and looks good every-time it leaves his hands. Even after his poor performances he bounced back and showed some toughness.
Defensively Almond is more athletic than advertised. He is strong and can usually stay between his man and that basket, which is more than what you might say of any Jazz two guard last year. He could use some work guarding the pick and roll and needs to try to improve lateral movements. He has been the second best player on the Jazz team at the review.
Dee Brown
The "One Man Fast Break" has looked both good and bad so far. He is a great assist man and can run the offense, but his jumper has been all over the place. He had the most to gain from playing well with a contract on the line and a chance to win some minutes now that Fisher is gone and I can't help but wonder if this pressure got to him.
His is still the quickest player on the court and has been fairly active in the passing lanes. He can be a real pest on defense. His ability to be a ball hawk could help the Jazz next season. Expect him to be back with the Jazz unless he gets some crazy contract offer from another team.
Ronnie Brewer
Probably one of the most disappointing players as far as Jazz fans are concerned. Due to his injury, fans were not able to see if he has improved or not. I personally think he will be fine and all he needs to do from now until camp is work on extending his range and staying in shape.
Rafael Araujo
Before we get into his game, or lack thereof, let me talk about one of my pet peeves surrounding the Brazilian big man. Often times on sports radio I hear people call in and complain about his nick name Hafa, stating it has nothing to do with his name. In Brazil "R" makes and "H" sound. Hafa is short for Rafael. Back on point. He may work harder than any player out there and will probably get an invite to camp, but he still has a long way to go on both sides of the court. Before his injury he was a turnover machine on offense and played soft on defense. He would back away from contact just to preserve his own foul situation. Those facts combined with the Fess Factor (to be defined in the next section) could be the reasons Hafa's time in Utah expires.
Kyrylo Fesenko (Fess)
To me he was the most impressive play on the Jazz. I say that because I came in expecting to see Pavel Podkolzine 2.0. Meaning a slow unathletic big guy with no offensive skills and lack of stamina. What I saw was a little different. He is still very raw offensively. He needs to work on all aspects of his game. He can however run the floor very well for a big guy, block shots, provide energy, and is the funniest sucker out on the court. Those things combined with the fact that he is so young constitute the above mentioned Fess Factor. He is worth bringing on board to develop here in Utah. I would expect him to spend most of the season down in Utah County with the Flash. (I considered buying season tickets and making the commute down to watch him play, but then I remembered it was Utah County we were talking about.) If he can work hard and find away around the language/cultural barrier, he could be another 2nd round steal for the Jazz. Kudos to the KOC and the rest of the Jazz executives for taking a risk on him.
All in all the review was great again this year. Lets hope it can continue so that Jazz fans can have the opportunity to get up close and personal with our Jazz rookies. If not, I will have to budget in a trip to Vegas in July 2008.
Paul Milsap
Milsap has been a man amongst boys. Much like Deron Williams last year Milsap has proven he does not need to be playing at the review. Offensively he has improved his range, handle, and feel for where he can get shots within a Utah Jazz system. He is in great shape and running the floor well. Offensive boards and ability to finish from tough angles around the hoop continue to be a strong point. If he can consistently knock down 15-17 foot jumpers, AK-47 might be on the next plane to the Eastern Conference before the All-Star break next year.
Defensively Milsap looks quicker and more able to handle the quicker small forwards. He still could use some improvement in this area, but even with his sometimes laking lateral quickness he makes up for that with the ability to block shots from behind. Milsap deserved to be the Utah Jazz summer league MVP.
Morris Almond
Offensively Almond is almost the complete package. He does not look like a rookie as he demonstrates much more poise than most other players in this league. On more than one occasion with the shot clock running down he has taken his time to find the right shot for that situation. His jumper is soft and looks good every-time it leaves his hands. Even after his poor performances he bounced back and showed some toughness.
Defensively Almond is more athletic than advertised. He is strong and can usually stay between his man and that basket, which is more than what you might say of any Jazz two guard last year. He could use some work guarding the pick and roll and needs to try to improve lateral movements. He has been the second best player on the Jazz team at the review.
Dee Brown
The "One Man Fast Break" has looked both good and bad so far. He is a great assist man and can run the offense, but his jumper has been all over the place. He had the most to gain from playing well with a contract on the line and a chance to win some minutes now that Fisher is gone and I can't help but wonder if this pressure got to him.
His is still the quickest player on the court and has been fairly active in the passing lanes. He can be a real pest on defense. His ability to be a ball hawk could help the Jazz next season. Expect him to be back with the Jazz unless he gets some crazy contract offer from another team.
Ronnie Brewer
Probably one of the most disappointing players as far as Jazz fans are concerned. Due to his injury, fans were not able to see if he has improved or not. I personally think he will be fine and all he needs to do from now until camp is work on extending his range and staying in shape.
Rafael Araujo
Before we get into his game, or lack thereof, let me talk about one of my pet peeves surrounding the Brazilian big man. Often times on sports radio I hear people call in and complain about his nick name Hafa, stating it has nothing to do with his name. In Brazil "R" makes and "H" sound. Hafa is short for Rafael. Back on point. He may work harder than any player out there and will probably get an invite to camp, but he still has a long way to go on both sides of the court. Before his injury he was a turnover machine on offense and played soft on defense. He would back away from contact just to preserve his own foul situation. Those facts combined with the Fess Factor (to be defined in the next section) could be the reasons Hafa's time in Utah expires.
Kyrylo Fesenko (Fess)
To me he was the most impressive play on the Jazz. I say that because I came in expecting to see Pavel Podkolzine 2.0. Meaning a slow unathletic big guy with no offensive skills and lack of stamina. What I saw was a little different. He is still very raw offensively. He needs to work on all aspects of his game. He can however run the floor very well for a big guy, block shots, provide energy, and is the funniest sucker out on the court. Those things combined with the fact that he is so young constitute the above mentioned Fess Factor. He is worth bringing on board to develop here in Utah. I would expect him to spend most of the season down in Utah County with the Flash. (I considered buying season tickets and making the commute down to watch him play, but then I remembered it was Utah County we were talking about.) If he can work hard and find away around the language/cultural barrier, he could be another 2nd round steal for the Jazz. Kudos to the KOC and the rest of the Jazz executives for taking a risk on him.
All in all the review was great again this year. Lets hope it can continue so that Jazz fans can have the opportunity to get up close and personal with our Jazz rookies. If not, I will have to budget in a trip to Vegas in July 2008.
posted by Tim Ormond @ 9:49 AM
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