SB Nation - Kyrylo Fesenko

The Downbeat - 2 December - #113 - The B-R.com Sponsored Edition

Basketball John — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:12:17 -0000

Over the past 7 games, the Jazz are holding opponents to just 92 points a game while allowing them to shoot 43.8%.

Those numbers are very close to what the top defensive teams in the league are doing right now.

Has Boozer initiated this much contact in his life on defense? Over the past 7 games or so, I've seen give hard foul after hard foul and has *GULP* been our best defensive player?

He has a defensive rating of 102 which means that he's giving up 102 points per 100 possessions. Take a look at the forwards in the league that have played at least 400 minutes,

That's pretty good. He also leads the team with .9 defensive win shares.

Malone's career average? 102.

Some more stats for you. The Jazz are in the middle of the pack when it comes to 3p shooting percentage with 35.4%. They're also in the middle of the pack when it comes to opponents' 3P percentage with 34.8%.

Here are the splits (rounded) for the previous seasons,

Year - Jazz/Opponent
2010 - 35/35
2009 - 35/36
2008 - 37/36
2007 - 34/36
2006 - 34/38

So those numbers are coming down on the opponent side.

I had the date wrong for the first home game for the green unis. They're going to be busted out at the game on Friday. Anybody here have one? Do you like the green and yellow or the one with the purple in it as well?

I made the assumption earlier this year that the KOOF was going to overtake FESS on the depth chart. He just seemed more committed and more basketball-oriented that Fesenko.

It's obviously been the opposite so far. Fess appears that he's worked his tail off to improve his game. I mean, last season, would you have ever envisioned him being able to make a steal and go coast-to-coast with it? Or have some of the moves he has made? Whatever his motivation is (contract, maturity, playing time), I don't think we should overlook the news that he's had a girlfriend since the summer time. We don't know anything about her, but maybe she's helped ground him a bit. Maybe she's his constant. (Sorry, that's a LOST reference - Only two months away!)

I wonder though how the KOOF would do with some consistent playing time. He may get some more PT soon, but it will likely be with the Flash.

Game 13: Detroit Pistons @ Utah Jazz [Game Thread]

Packey — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:00:51 -0000

NBA Regular Season Game 13
	@
5-7 (2-5 away)		6-6 (3-2 home)
Energy Solutions Arena Jazz Blog: SLC Dunk
November 21, 2009 9:00 PM ET
TV: Fox Sports Detroit PLUS Radio: 950 WWJ
Probable starters:
Rodney Stuckey	PG	Deron Williams
Ben Gordon	SG	Ronnie Brewer
Jonas Jerebko	SF	Wesley Matthews
Charlie Villanueva	PF	Carlos Boozer
Ben Wallace	C	Kyrylo Fesenko

You know how the Pistons kind of own the Magic over their last 25 meetings? Well, that's kind of how the Jazz own the Pistons in the Salt Lake City.

The Jazz have beat the Pistons in 17 of their last 19 meetings in Utah and the Pistons have not won there since March of 2005.

Hopefully, the new-look Pistons can put an end to the misery that exists for the Pistons when they step foot in the state. Luckily for the Pistons, they won't have to deal with former Piston, Mehmet Okur, who could have provided plenty of match up problems for the 'stons. He will miss his third straight game due to flu-like symptoms.

Detroit, of course, will be without Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince again. They've made slight progress in their recoveries, but it does not appear that they will be back this month. Will Bynum sprained his ankle in LA, but played in Portland and is expected to play tonight.

Detroit needs to take advantage of their couple days off and hop on Utah early by playing to their strengths. And it seems they aren't at their best until they get three guards on the floor.

Utah is averaging around 20 three pointers per game, so the Pistons will have to be conscious of the kick-back passes from the post and contest the Jazz shots. The Pistons have done a good job keeping opponents field goal percentages low (and rank 4th in points against), but the Jazz are top half in scoring and shooting 36% from beyond the arc and capable of lighting up on any given night with Williams and Kirilenko.

This should be a highly competitive game because these Pistons aren't going to walk into the arena scared and they'll be more focused on trying to end their current three game skid than any futility vs. Utah in the past. And with Phoenix tomorrow (Detroit 0-4 on back-to-back's), Utah is their best bet of winning on this west coast trip.

Tip off is 9 PM EST.

Game Preview #10: Utah Jazz at San Antonio Spurs

Tim C. — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:06:08 -0000

That kid is soooo a Spurs fan right now.

Are you pissed off now? You can bet the Spurs are. Both teams in this game are already backed into a corner in the young season, and are going to fight to the death tonight. This is a SEGABABA for all involved, so... we got that going for us.

Utah Jazz @ San Antonio Spurs
Where: AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX
When: November 18, 2009, 7:30 PM Spurs time
Watch: FSN Utah (SLC); FSN Southwest (SA)

How They Stack Up


4-1	Home	3-2
0-4	Road	2-4
101.9	Offense	100.8
99.9	Defense	100.9
46.4	FG%	48.1
34.8	3-pt%	32.5
73.1	FT%	79.0
40.1	Rebounds	41.5
12.0	TOs	13.6
4-5	Last 10	5-5
Lost 2	Streak	Won 1
3rd, Southwest	Position	4th, Northwest


Country/Time Zone	Game Time
Argentina	10:30 PM
West Coast	5:30 PM
Philippines	10:30 AM
Central Europe	2:30 AM
Palestine/Egypt	2:30 AM
Least Coast	8:30 PM
Colorado/Arizona	6:30 PM
Perth, AUS	8:30 AM
Tokyo, JP	9:30 AM
Sydney, AUS	11:30 AM

Spurs (4-5)	Matchups	Jazz (5-6)
George Hill Coach's Pet	Point Guard Tony's still out, and George has done a pretty good job standing in for him. Unfortunately for Cubits, he's getting a nightmare assignment tonight. Unlike the two-headed monster of Beaubois/Barea that he was up against last night, Williams is the total package. He's got size, speed, athleticism and excellent court vision. Did I mention he also plays defense? He's my personal favorite among current point guards, because he usually gets the better of CP3 head-to-head. Look, we all love Cubits, but he's completely out of his league here. And let's not even talk about Mason running the point. The best thing George can do is attack the rim on offense and use those long arms to draw contact. Advantage: Jazz	Deron Williams 2nd Best

Keith Bogans The Boogeyman	Shooting Guard As of this writing, Manu is officially out for this game. That means we'll see a lot of Bogans, probably guarding Williams. If he can get a couple of corner threes, that'll be nice, but I want him completely focused on limiting Williams. When Bogans is sitting, we'll probably see a lot of Michael Finley and Roger Mason, with a bit of Malik Hairston thrown in for good measure. Malik did good things last night, and appeared to earn Pop's trust for the most part, so I hope he can have a decent contribution off the bench. For the Jazz, Wesley Matthews and Ronnie Brewer will likely rotate at the 2 - these 2 need to be SHUT. DOWN. Cubits, are you up to it? Advantage: Nobody	Ronnie Brewer Meh.

Richard Jefferson Still Waiting For Some RAGE	Small Forward RJ still looks lost out there sometimes when the big 4 all play. Luckily for us him, Tony and Manu won't be there to defer to. Kirilenko is an able defender, but there's no way he can stop Rage. There better be a full assault on the rim tonight by RJ. Advantage: Spurs	Andrei Kirilenko AK-47

Antonio McDyess Anti-Boozer	Power Forward Poor Dice - he gets two incredibly difficult assignments in a back to back. Luckily, Boozer had to chase Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani around all night last night. If SAM plays the kind of D he has on Dirk tonight against Boozer, he'll be all right against a tired Boozer. In other news, DeBeast will get another shot at Millsap tonight. Let's hope all those comparisons were right. Advantage: Jazz	Carlos Boozer

Tim Duncan WWTD?	Center Okur was held out last night with flu-like symptoms, replaced by the 7'1" Ukranian, Kyrylo Fesenko. I'd expect him to return tonight, but Timmy has the advantage either way. If Timmeh does enough to counter the Boozer/Millsap combo, this game is in the bag. Something tells me he will. Advantage: Spurs	Kyrylo Fesenko Chernobyl Mutant?

Michael Finley Wise Beyond Our Years	Bench & Role Players The Findog is going to be backing up both of the wing positions, and needs to hit some shots to make up for his horrible defense. Roger Mason attacked the rim last night, and I would love for him to continue doing that, but he's going to be playing PG at times tonight. Please, Roger, break out of your shooting slump tonight. Matt Bonner, Malik Hairston, Dejuan Blair and Theo Ratliff probably see court time tonight as well, and they can all be effective. Utah's bench is decidedly thinner, but their bench wings are a pretty nasty matchup. Advantage: Spurs	Wes Matthews Undrafted Rookie Starter

Gregg Popovich The Veins Are Popping Out	Coach That Sloan has never been Coach of the Year is a crime against humanity, and a stain on the NBA. He gets no respect. He's the only coach who's been with his team longer than Pop, and he's done a great job year after year, even when he doesn't have much to work with. I still can't bring myself to take Pop's white box away, but Sloan gets one too. Advantage: Tie	Jerry Sloan Rodney Dangerfield
	images via yahoo.com

	Other Factors
Intangibles
Both of these teams are failing to live up to expectations so far. That doesn't mean it will continue, though. The Spurs have only looked slightly better. Advantage: Spurs
Mojo
On a SEGABABA, it's coming down to whose home crowd can give them an extra boost. Oh look, that's us! Advantage: Spurs
Winner: Spurs
There's no reason for the Spurs to lose this game. Well, no reason other than having our 2 best guards unavailable. Prediction: Spurs win, or our secret suicide pact takes effect.

Keys To The Game

Defense - The Jazz destroyed us in Utah a few weeks ago because our interior D was pathetic. The inside D has made great strides since that sad day, but it needs to continue. Without our two best outside scorers, we're also going to need the perimeter guys to step up. If the Bogans/Hill combo can limit the effectiveness of Utah's backcourt, Pop will have a happy face. OK, that was a lie - Pop never has a happy face.
Rebounding - This is getting old. Dallas got 17 offensive rebounds last night. Seventeen. The fact that the Spurs even had a chance to win this game is pretty ludicrous when you take that into account. These guys need to box the fuck out.

Strength of Schedule

The Spurs played a tough, demanding OT game against a division rival last night. The impact of that is compounded by the loss of Tony and Manu, causing our available backcourt to play a lot of minutes.

As for Utah, they had an easier go of things last night, beating Toronto 104-91. However, they always play much better at home. A SEGABABA on the road is usually terrible news for Jazz fans. The short flight the Spurs took home from Dallas is much easier than the considerably longer flight from SLC to SA.

Last Time They Met

Utah sliced and diced us mercilessly at home about 3 weeks ago. REVENGE!

Some Other Reading

Copied from previous Jazz game, due to lack of sleep.

Jazz

SLC Dunk - The Jazz SBN blog. They are not too happy about the start of the season and the Boozer mess.
Salt City Hoops - This is the TrueHoop network blog for the Jazz. I know nothing about this blog, but it looks snazzy.

Spurs

48 Minutes of Hell: Speaking of THN blogs, we're extremely lucky that the best one is dedicated to the Spurs. Tim and Graydon always do an excellent job of breaking down everything that's happening in the Spurs' organization.
Project Spurs: Good independent blog with lots of good content. Spurs fans are lucky to have so many good blogs out there.

The (sort of) Daily Twitter

DeJuan45

How do everybody like my new pic? It's a hott wall paper!!! Lol http://twitpic.com/q0m09

The Magic That Happened

Lots of stuff to read in the comments if you flip through the game threads. Really, it's fun.

Where to Tune In

TV

This game will be televised on local stations only. Fox Sports has the rights in both Utah and San Antonio.

Online

As always, NBA league pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Almost every Spurs game will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area.

Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate. In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". You can also shoot an email with your PtR username to dmenendez@gmail.com for more assistance.

Spurs League Pass audio is still free this year if all else fails, so check it out.

Radio

If you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM).

Utah Jazz Halloween Pics

Basketball John — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:19:11 -0000

View full size photo »

UPDATE FROM CJ's FB Pic

Korver - Zach Morris

CJ - Kanye

Ronnie P - Taylor Swift

Wes Matthews - Hancock

Fess - Beetle Juice

Kosta - Harry Potter

Maynor - Batman

Ronnie B - Wolf

Millsap - T-Pain

Deron - Bob from Martin (Wikipedia),

Bob: A white man who worked in the marketing department of Gina's company who is best described as a stereotypical surfer-dude-cum-redneck. He spoke in a Southern Californian accent mixed with a Southern twang and often used words like "dude" and "man" even in professional settings. Lawrence achieved his appearance as this character with stage make-up and a prosthetic nose attachment to make him appear white, as well as wearing a long, blond mullet wig to complete the look. He only appeared in the first two seasons.

More pics after the jump...

(orig)

So we have Korver as ...? CJ as Kanye and Fesenko as Beetle Juice.

And we have this pic of Kosta Koufos as Harry Potter

Any guesses on the rest of them? Ronnie P? Deron???? Wes Matthews? Millsap in the wolf/grandmother clothing? Is that suppose to be Lil Wayne? And is that white face?

Looking at some of the other pics on Facebook, it looks like Maynor is Batman and Millsap is Lil Wayne. Can't tell if Brewer is the Wolf then.

That has to be Deron and Ronnie P up front, right?

Here's Fess up close,

And one more

Last Night in the Preseason

Jon L — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:47:49 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

about 1 month ago: Los Angeles Clippers forward Craig Smith, center, goes after a loose ball ball as Utah Jazz center Kyrylo Fesenko, left, and center Kosta Koufos look on during the first half of their preseason NBA basketball game, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Sorry this is late getting up, folks. My computer started making a loud noise as I was writing it last night, which I took to mean "turn off the computer now." But anyway, I also attended last night's Spurs vs. Thunder game, which was played in Austin but which was considered a Thunder home game. It was very odd, and I can only guess that they did it because Kevin Durant went to UT, and they thought people would root for Oklahoma City just because of that. I saw maybe one OKC jersey, the rest were all silver and black. Or maybe they just didn't care and wanted the gate money, which is fine. Whatever the case, it got me ready for the season to start so that I can write about games after watching them, and not just write "so-and-so grabbed three rebounds in three minutes." Not that you shouldn't read that if I write it.

San Antonio Spurs 119, Oklahoma City Thunder 102

So let's talk about this one first. Most of what I saw has to do with players this website doesn't really care about, so I won't bore you with them here, but Shaun Livingston, Curtis Jerrells, Tre Kelley and Malik Hairston all got some playing time, and they looked okay to varying degrees. Livingston had a hard time keeping up with George Hill, but he was decent on the offensive end (he finished with four points on 2-4 shooting). Jerrells played pretty good defense when matched up against Livingston, but his biggest issue was fighting through and/or getting around screens. The Thunder ran him threw several of them and he got lost on all of them. Tre Kelley also was able to take him off the dribble several times, and Kelley made both of his field goals, which came getting to the basket for layups or dunks. Hairston probably played the best of the group, though he took a few minutes to settle down. He made two of his three shots, picked up an assist and generally looked good within the flow of the Spurs offense.

Utah Jazz 108, Portland Trailblazers 97

Kyrylo Fesenko had a solid game, with eight points (though it came on eight shots), six rebounds and three blocks...except he also fouled out in 13 minutes and turned the ball over four times. Oh Kyrylo. Kosta Koufos gave the Jazz the solid rebounding and no turnovers but also no offense. Five boards in a little over 14 minutes and zero points. Oh Kouf. Ime Udoka was okay, 11 points on 3-7 shooting in 16 and a half minutes, although he didn't have any of the rebounding or assists/steals that he'll probably need to regularly produce in order to make the team.

Charlotte Bobcats 94, Milwaukee Bucks 87

Dontell Jefferson didn't have a great night last night, 0-2 shooting with two turnovers in six minutes, but the big story was Raja Bell spraining his wrist. Now, I never root for guys to get hurt, because I'm not a monster. But certainly the opportunity is now there for Jefferson to get more playing time as a lockdown backcourt defender, particularly on a Larry Brown-coached team, and I hope he's able to take advantage of it.

New York Knicks 108, Boston Celtics 103

All J.R. Giddens does is rebound. 0-3 shooting in a little over eight minutes, but he also grabbed five rebounds, including four on the offensive end (who knows how many of those were off his own misses). I have no idea what it's going to take to get him to find a passable offensive game on the NBA level, but if he's given a shot in the NBA I think he could be the greatest rebounding guard ever.

Denver Nuggets 129, Minnesota Timberwolves 100

Jared Reiner finally got some playing time, and while the offense wasn't good (two points on three shots), the rest of it was decent, as he grabbed three rebounds and picked up an assist in eight minutes. No fouls, either.

2009-2010 Season Preview - Utah Jazz

Basketball John — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:16:18 -0000

More photos » by Daniel Ochoa de Olza - AP

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First, thanks to Jeff at CelticsBlog for coordinating all this and setting it up.

Team Name: Utah Jazz

Last Year’s Record: 48-34

Key Losses: Golden State at home (4/11), Minnesota at home (4/3), Morris Almond, Jarron Collins (key?), and soon to be Matt Harpring

Key Additions: Eric Maynor (drafted), Wes Matthews(?), Deron Max + AK Max + Opt Ins + Portland Hosing = Luxury Tax

1. What Significant Moves were made during the off-season?

The Jazz were in wait-and-see mode all off-season. They had three players, Kyle Korver, Mehmet Okur, and Carlos Boozer that could have opted-out. In the end, all of them ended up opting in for various reasons.

Korver decided that the This is The Place Heritage Park reminded him of his home state of Iowa too much to leave.

Okur decided that launching threes in the thin mountain air while making $10M per wasn't such a bad proposition.

And of course Boozer, he who was opting out and getting a raise, regardless. Then, as young people who try to move out of their parents' house find out, things are not as easy financially as they seem. Having no suitors willing to give him a raise with a long-term deal, Boozer opted back in and then went on his nationwide tour of radio stations to drum up interest for a trade.

When that didn't pan out, Boozer headed back to Jazz camp and has so far kept quiet.

The Jazz also didn't make an offer up front for Paul Millsap, though he was their number one priority to re-sign over the summer. They were content to let the market set the price. Due to market conditions, the Jazz were poised to re-sign Millsap for much less than the $8-9M he was looking for. After OKC, one of the last teams with cap space, apparently dropped out of the bidding, it looked like the Jazz were home free. And they would have got a big break too if it hadn't been for those darn kids up north. Portland made a large front-loaded offer for Millsap that looks like it was designed more to adversely impact the Jazz than it was to sign Paul.

The Jazz made two draft picks with Eric Maynor in the first round from VCU and Goran Suton from Michigan State in the second.

Maynor projects to be a third-string backup to Deron Williams and Ronnie Price.

Suton probably would have been signed in any other year, but with the Jazz already over the luxury tax and having enough big men, he will probably not be offered a contract.

Should the Jazz sign anyone else, it would be either Wes Matthews or Ronald Dupree. With CJ Miles out the first 6 weeks or so and Matt Hapring already in the studio, the Jazz are in need of another wing player. Right now, Matthews is the favorite to get the job.

2. What are the team’s biggest strengths?

The Jazz still have one of the best offenses in the league. Three seasons ago when they went to the WCF, they had the third-best offensive rating. The year after that they were first in that same category. And last season, with injuries littering the Salt Lake valley, they were still a respectable 8th.

While it comes at a very, very high cost (almost $50 M), the Jazz have one of the best front-courts in the league in Okur, Boozer, Millsap, and Andrei Kirilenko. That gives you three former All-stars and at least half of them play respectable D.

As for the logjam at PF, if and when Boozer gets traded, it looks like Sloan will find a way to play both him and Millsap 30+ minutes. There has been some experimentation with Paul at the SF in the pre-season. He won't play significant minutes in that spot, but in some matchups, he could be there. Also, Kirilenko can play SF, PF, and even some C. Millsap and Boozer playing together, mass hysteria.

What I think will be the biggest strength for the Jazz this year is the team chemistry. Most of these guys came into the league around the same time. They've all played with each other for around 3-4 years. They know each other. Whether it's only words, the team has said they've moved on from the Boozer distraction. While I don't have anything to back it up, I believe locker room conflicts was a big cause of the team's stumble down the stretch last season. What I'm hoping to see is the the familiarity and cohesiveness helps eliminate in part some of the team's weaknesses.

And Energy Solutions Arena will be a perennial stronghold for the Jazz

3. What are the team’s biggest weaknesses?

I'm not sure that they're any different from last year's preview.

Let's start with the defense again. The Jazz were actually a bit above average last year in defensive rating. Where the Jazz are bothered on defense is length on the inside. They'll clean the glass with the best of them, but most big men can get whatever shot they would like off down low. This comes as being a bit undersized against a lot of opponents This is where the development of Kosta Koufos and Kyrylo Fesenko, the two seven-footers, would be beneficial. The Jazz also have the propensity of not getting back on D quickly and giving up easy points after a made bucket or drive by one of the guards.

For what it's worth, every other word out of all the players' mouths so far this season has been "defense". It may not be lip service this year.

Second on the list is the inability to win on the road. This has been a problem the last three seasons. Just breaking even on the road the past couple of years would have earned them a two seed two years ago and 53 wins last season.

This is where the next weakness comes in. There was a lack of mental toughness or focus last year, particularly on the road. A good example of this was the Orlando game after a crushing 3 OT loss to Miami the night before. It wouldn't have mattered if the Orlando game was two days later, the blow from that loss, being on the road, and being the second game of a B2B, there was no way the Jazz were going to even compete in that game, let alone win.

They may not have won against a very good Orlando team anyway, but even if Vegas gave them 30 points, I still would have wagered against the Jazz. The late season collapse had more to do with a mental breakdown than anything else. Inexcusable losses at home to the Warriors NBDL team and to the Wolves sealed the team's fate as the 8th seed in the West.

With each of players a little older and hopefully more mature, perhaps we can expect a more focused team this season.

Finally, for the Jazz to be taken seriously, they need to acquire a two-guard that can hit a three and create his own shot. I think Ronnie Brewer is fantastic, but I don't know if his jumper will ever come around. He' would be a great three, but when Kobe can sag 10-15 feet from you, there are problems. The Jazz as a team don't shoot the three well. The top teams shot nearly 40% while the Jazz had just one player (Okur, 44.6%) shoot at least that. That should go up this season.

4. What are the goals for this team?

I'm glad that most previews have the Jazz finishing at the bottom of West this season. Last year they were supposedly the dark house and that didn't turn out so well. According to Hollinger in prior playoffs, they should have gone to the finals. Whenever the team has been counted out is when they've surprised people. So that bodes well.

This is a team that has won 51, 54, and 48 games the last three seasons. For the most part, it's been the same team each year. Last year I had projected that they would win 56 games prior to Deron Williams' injury. Who knew that his pre-season ankle sprain was merely a precursor to the injur-plagued season the Jazz would suffer. There's no doubt that all of the injuries contributed to at least 2-4 losses.

This is the same team that's been here the last three seasons. For good or bad, that's what it is. So when everyone is healthy, there's no reason that this team shouldn't win 50-55 games. Heaven help us (and the league) if they figure out how to win on the road.

Should the Jazz be able to trade Boozer for a true shooting guard and get some expiring deals as well, Kevin O'Connor could be Executive of the Year.

We should see the Jazz challenge the Nuggets and Trail Blazers for the Northwest Division title.

5. Does Andrei Kirilenko need a hair intervention?

I mean, how can he be Ivan Drago with the flat hair?

Projected Finish: 52-30

Check out TBJ's preview as well.

Last Night in the Preseason

Jon L — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

8 months ago: Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum, right, has his shot blocked by Memphis Grizzlies center Hamed Haddadi, of Iran, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 12, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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So yesterday, as you'll see, wasn't really the best day to recap. A lot of teams without D-Leaguers played, and a lot of D-Leaguers who did play didn't do all that well. Oh, and Dontell Jefferson played just two seconds. What's that about?

Dallas Mavericks 93, Cleveland Cavaliers 82

Cleveland is to be commended for inviting several D-Leaguers to play for them, unfortunately with the exception of Jawad Williams they're not playing all that well. Rob Kurz grabbed three rebounds and blocked a shot in about 15 and a half minutes last night, which isn't great for a 6'9" guy but is decent for someone who spends most of his time on the perimeter. Going 0-3 on three-pointers, though, isn't all that great for a three-point shooter. Russell Robinson got the start and played 41 and a half minutes, and while the eight assists are a positive, combining them with five turnovers and 3-11 shooting really isn't. Coby Karl grabbed five rebounds, but also shot 1-7. This paragraph depresses the hell out of me.

UPDATE: Apparently Coby Karl was one of the Cleveland players who had/has the flu, so his performance is somewhat understandable and I'll maybe stop being so hard on him. Unfortunately when it comes to nonguaranteed guys, NBA teams don't usually care whether a poor shooting night is because of illness or not, so his chances aren't necessarily any better.

LA Clippers 103, Utah Jazz 96

So remember the other night when Kosta Koufos played okay and Kyrylo Fesenko struggled? Well flip those. I guess Koufos wasn't that terrible, as he picked up three rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block, but he also had all three of his field goal attempts blocked. Yikes. Fesenko was certainly better on the offensive end than he was the other night, scoring four points on 2-3 shooting with a block and an assist in eight minutes. Keep in mind that for both of these guys you're not going to see an offensive explosion, but if they can keep the rebounding up and maybe cut down on getting their own shots rejected they can be useful to the Jazz.

Memphis Grizzlies 115, Detroit Pistons 95

Hamed Haddadi had three blocks in three minutes, because that's what he does. And not really much else.

Last Night in the Preseason

Jon L — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:24:35 -0000

More photos » by Chris Young - AP

about 1 month ago: Houston Rockets' Pops Mensah-Bonsu, left, scores over Toronto Raptors' Rasho Nesterovic during second-half NBA preseason basketball game action in Toronto on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Chris Young)

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Houston Rockets 124, Toronto Raptors 112

Pops Mensah-Bonsu had a huge game off the bench for the Rockets, with 17 points on 8-9 shooting, seven rebounds and five blocks in 23 and a half minutes. It's probably not just optimism that makes me say that Mensah-Bonsu has a solid shot at becoming Houston's backup center this year, as the only other two guys who can play the position are Luis Scola, who's really more of a power forward, and David Andersen, who's talented but also new to the system and to the NBA (he fouled out in 22 and a half minutes). M-B's a bit undersized to play in the middle, true, but that matters less in Houston than with any other team. The lack of a consistent offensive game is what's held Mensah-Bonsu in the past, and one game certainly isn't evidence that it's suddenly shown up, but I do like his chances. Sonny Weems wasn't great for Toronto, scoring 11 points on nine shots, but he was bothered by his foot a little bit and also picked up three rebounds and a steal.

Utah Jazz 99, Portland Trail Blazers 96

Ime Udoka hasn't played much this preseason, but he had a pretty good game last night with five points on three shots, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals in 19 and a half minutes. Utah's former D-Leaguers were more of a mixed bag (which makes sense, since there were, well, more of them). On one side there was Kosta Koufos who made his only shot, grabbed two rebounds and had a block, and while his per-minute numbers aren't great (he played just nine, and eight rebounds-per-36 is okay but not fantastic), both rebounds were on the offensive end, so that's nice. On the other side is Kyrylo Fesenko, who picked up four fouls and turned the ball over three times in his 11 minutes of action, though he did also have a pair of blocks.

Miami Heat 97, New Orleans Hornets

The Heat were in control for almost the entire game, and surprise surprise New Orleans' lack of any real bench scoring was one reason why. Rookie Marcus Thornton should help, but I remain puzzled as to why a team with such a smart, capable GM hasn't brought in any cheap help in over the last year. The team reported has liked Courtney Sims in the past, for instance, and he could've helped them out in both the scoring and big man departments. Maybe there are some stories I'm not privy to, or maybe they just don't consider the D-League, and bring in guys like Luke Nevill and Earl Barron and Larry Owens instead. If all of this seems off-topic it's because no one this website cares about played much. The aforementioned Barron played a little over four minutes and had two points and zero rebounds. John Lucas played two and a half minutes and scored four points on 1-1 shooting and going 2-2 from the free throw line, but once again Carlos Arroyo got the big backup PG minutes. Wheeeeeee.

Dallas Mavericks 113, Detroit Pistons 88

Nate Jawai played a little under eight minutes in this one, and the result was, well, Jawai-y. Two points, two assists, zero rebounds, two turnovers, two fouls. Maybe Dallas wasn't crazy for bringing Jake Voskuhl in after all (four minutes, two points, three rebounds, a steal and a block).

LA Lakers 98, Sacramento Kings 92

Shannon Brown seems to have firmed up his place in the NBA the last few years, but I'll include him here to "cover" this game. He didn't play particularly well, shooting 2-7 and finishing with six points and three fouls in 17 minutes, though he also grabbed four rebounds. It also sounds like he'll get some significant minutes this year, as he'll have spent more time in the Triangle, and the team has forwards who can run it (like Luke Walton) while hecontinues to get up to speed.

Kings Clips, September 15: Tyreke Evans Arrives Next Week

Ziller — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:17:24 -0000

Sacramento Bee: Martin accompanies Jordan to Hall festivities
Sam Amick has more good notes in addition to the Martin/MJ vignette. Among them: Petrie plans to stick to 13 players on the roster (which would mean no Kyrylo Fesenko) and Tyreke Evans will get to Sacramento Sunday.

KINGS.com: Francisco Garcia Injury Update
Garcia will be cleared for full basketball activity next week, according to the team.

ComcastSports Philly: NBA Notebook
Evans has been doing two-a-days in the Philadelphia area with his brother acting as trainer. Working on passing, among other things.

HOOPSWORLD: Sacramento Kings 2009-2010 Preview

Orlando Sentinel: Sacramento Kings still the league's worst team

NBA FanHouse: Three Teams Cheaper Than the Grizzlies
The Kings will have the second lowest payroll entering the season, barring some wacky trades or last-minute signings.

The Downbeat - 18 August - The Ukraine Is Weak? Edition

Basketball John — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:06:35 -0000

Fesenko's summer has gone from bad to worse. He declined playing for the Jazz in the summer league so that he could play for the Ukrainian national team. When he committed to the team though, the Jazz still hadn't picked up his option yet. While playing in the Euro Championships, his playing time diminished until he was eventually benched. Then, according to Ross Siler, he left the team. They then went on to beat Hungary and avoided getting sent down to the B league.

Fess has not had very good summers at all. Last year was the whole bleached hair debacle. His first summer was the summer of Millsap and Almond. He's never really gotten off on the right foot. This year he looks like he's going to be the 13th man.

I don't know how this year is going to be any different for the big man. He's going to be buried on the bench. Unless he suddenly turns into Shaq during training camp, he's not sniffing any hardwood.

Man, I would love to see this kid blow up this year (and the half court alley-oop wasn't on the NBA's top ten alley-oops of the year). Kiss Sloan's butt in training camp and practice please.

Given that training camp doesn't start for another month, there's lots of time to speculate what we'll see. The biggest story, unfortunately, will be Carlos Boozer. I hope it dies quickly though. I want to hear about the Ronnie P/Maynor competition, the KOOF's development, and what Deron thinks about VoteDeron.com (not up yet, but it will be by then).

Utah Flash Pres. Joe Brown getting tased...

The good thing about Sloan not knowing about Twitter? He can't ban it. Hopefully Fess will get a real account and post from the sidelines during games. He could tell Sloan he's computerizing some game plans or something and Jerry would get all confused and give him the "Ahh, forget it" way off.

SB Nation - Kyrylo Fesenko

The Downbeat - 2 December - #113 - The B-R.com Sponsored Edition

Game 13: Detroit Pistons @ Utah Jazz [Game Thread]

Game Preview #10: Utah Jazz at San Antonio Spurs

Coach

Keys To The Game

Strength of Schedule

Last Time They Met

Some Other Reading

Jazz

Spurs

The (sort of) Daily Twitter

The Magic That Happened

Where to Tune In

TV

Online

Radio

Utah Jazz Halloween Pics

UPDATE FROM CJ's FB Pic

Last Night in the Preseason

2009-2010 Season Preview - Utah Jazz

1. What Significant Moves were made during the off-season?

2. What are the team’s biggest strengths?

3. What are the team’s biggest weaknesses?

4. What are the goals for this team?

5. Does Andrei Kirilenko need a hair intervention?

Projected Finish: 52-30

Last Night in the Preseason

Last Night in the Preseason

Kings Clips, September 15: Tyreke Evans Arrives Next Week

The Downbeat - 18 August - The Ukraine Is Weak? Edition