"I know they (Flash staff) talked to him about doing things to give him a chance to make himself better," the Jazz coach said. "But somewhere along the line you've got to grasp all that.

"You can't have the luxury of a guy shooting every time he touches it, and not doing anything else," added Sloan, who did praise Almond for looking stronger and more athletic at the start of his second NBA summer camp. "You have to learn how to play basketball with other people."

Message delivered?

Almond said he understands Jazz plays better this summer. He knows to tuck in his shirt. He remembers to keep the drawstrings to his shorts hidden as well, just as Sloan demands.

But the rest?

What matters most?

With absolutely no one ahead of him at shooting guard on the summer team, the six-game Revue should tell if Sloan's heartfelt words have made their way to willing and able ears.

"I think it's a very important two weeks to show that I made progress, and show that I didn't rest on my laurels all summer," Almond said. "I think it's a good stage to show that I can do what they ask me to do ... show them I have a better understanding of the concepts, what's expected to me.

"It's not," he added, "about trying to go out and score 50 again in the summer league."

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com

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