Utah Jazz: Sneak peek provides plenty of promise, and some laughs, too
Even though the Blue and White squads were tied 76-76 after four quarters Saturday afternoon, Sloan pulled the plug on the Jazz's intrasquad scrimmage.
Don't expect an uproar similar to what happened after Selig ended the 2002 MLB All-Star Game all knotted up. Despite the end result or maybe because of it fans at EnergySolutions Arena got their money's worth. Then again, they might have felt that way even if the entertaining sneak peak of the 2008-09 team hadn't been a free event.
That's especially the case for spectators who caught souvenir balls from players and for the four fans who snagged freshly used-and-hucked shoes from Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer.
Here are a few highlights from the annual public scrimmage and introduction session with season-ticket holders:
• Jazz fans who weren't in Boise for Thursday's scrimmage got their first look at 19-year-old rookie Kosta Koufos with the varsity squad, and they probably saw enough glimpses of potential from the 7-footer to get a bit giddy about picking him up with the No. 23 pick. Koufos' first bucket was a 3-pointer, and he finished with 11 points. He used his height and hops to finish off an alley-oop pass from C.J. Miles with a dunk. He had some rookie moments, too, including a missed gimme layup after putting a funky spin on the ball.
Koufos demonstrated again that he is a serious contender for the NBA's Politest Player Award. As he ran to the scorer's table to check in the game, he called out: "Sub, sir. Sub, sir."
• Ronnie Brewer sparked the Blue team, which had a double-digit lead for much of the game, with 20 points. The third-year 2-guard looked like he isn't about to hand over his starting position, scoring in a variety of ways (from dunks to two 3-pointers) and hustling on defense to earn praise from coach Jerry Sloan.
Brewer only had one regret Saturday: He missed a game-winning jumper just before the buzzer.
"I'm kind of disappointed at that last shot, but it was a great look," he said. "I thought it was going in, but I was pretty happy about the shots I took today."
• Williams led the White team with 22 points, including a posterizing hammer dunk over Paul Millsap. (It must not have been the shoes or Williams likely wouldn't have given them away after the scrimmage.)
• Though he was dunked on, Millsap made the block of the game by stuffing a Jarron Collins layup attempt. Millsap also scored a dozen points, including a fading mid-range shot over Boozer.
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