From Deseret News archives:
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.
• Others in double digits included Andrei Kirilenko (11) and Ronnie Price (11) for the Blue team; Kyle Korver (16) on 7-for-8 shooting and Boozer (14) for the White.
