Lyde gets floor time in Jazz OT win

Kevin Lyde has played in the NBA Development League about as long as almost anyone, parts of four seasons. The rest of the time, he played in Europe or Argentina or somewhere.

The people who watched him in places like Dakota, Fayetteville, Greenville or Columbus or overseas might not recognize the big fella anymore, though.

Over the past several months, he's lost a good 50 pounds and cut his dreadlocks down to almost no hair at all.

"I cut that off, too, just trying a whole new look, a whole new thing," said the 6-foot-10 and still 260-pound Lyde, who is playing for the Utah Jazz in the Rocky Mountain Revue that ends tonight.

"Lose some of the weight, lose the hair — a different approach. I'm somebody new. I hope they'll give me a chance. I just felt like it was time for me to get in great shape and give it a push. That's what happened."

Lyde, who played collegiately at Temple, may still be too big and too slow for many NBA standards, yet in Thursday's Jazz 88-86 overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks at Salt Lake Community College, Lyde was able to stay on the floor for nearly 22 minutes — more than any Jazzman other than second-year men Paul Millsap and Dee Brown — and contribute some defense in the fourth period and the overtime while many of the players seemed just worn out from playing five games in seven days and doing double-day practices before that.

"It's starting to wear on them a little bit," said Jazz assistant Ty Corbin, who coached Thursday's game, "but this is what being a pro is all about.

"(Lyde) could be in a little better shape, but he continues to fight and give himself a shot," Corbin added.

"I'm a little older than some of these guys, so I know a little bit more at the moment, and I just use what I know. I guess that keep me on the floor," said the Washington D.C. product who simply says he keeps trying and trying simply because he loves the game so much. "When you're playing a game you love, you can't complain," he said.

Millsap was dominant late in the game, hitting a 3-pointer with seconds left to force the overtime, opening the overtime with a jab-step 17-footer and scoring the winning basket with an impossible shot while trapped well underneath the backboard with 1.4 seconds left.

Jazz rookie Morris Almond also picked it up late in the game, hitting nine points in the fourth quarter and one in the overtime to finish with 18.

Lyde's defense against Atlanta's Shelden Williams was helpful in allowing Millsap's three to tie and holding Williams to just one overtime point.