Utah Jazz: So far, so good for Koufos

CLEVELAND — Matched against 7-foot-3 veteran and former All-Star Zydrunas Ilgauskas on Saturday night, Jazz rookie Kosta Koufos' fourth NBA start had to be his toughest.

But with starting center Mehmet Okur still out because he returned to Turkey to be with his seriously ill father, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan felt compelled to stick with the 19-year-old.

How long it lasts, and whether or not the stint has earned Koufos a place in the Jazz's regular rotation even after Okur returns, remains to be seen.

"Only time can tell," Sloan said before the Jazz's 105-93 loss to Cleveland at Quicken Loans Arena, where Canton-native Koufos played his first game as a pro in his home state in front of about 30 friends and family members. "He's come a long way from when we started off the season."

And Sloan, it's safe to say, is pleased with the progress.

"It's unfortunate we don't have our players here," said Sloan, who also was missing injured guard Deron Williams and forwards Andrei Kirilenko and Matt Harpring on Saturday. "But he was ready to step up when he got the chance."

Sloan likes much more of what he's seen from Koufos than not.

"He's recognized things better than I thought he would be able to do at this stage, for (being) so young," he said. "He played pick-and-pop a great deal (previously) and never really ran an offense inside too much, but he's doing a better job with those things.

"As he learns some more of that stuff it will be able to help him play inside and out, because he can shoot the ball. And he's shown that he can block shots here and there. That's a real plus for him."

Just what will it take for Koufos to stick with the Jazz and avoid any stints this season with the NBA Development League's Utah Flash?

"Just learn how to react to situations in the game," Sloan said before Koufos had a five-point, five-rebound night in 27 minutes while Ilgauskas went for 17 and seven.

"It's too early for (projecting the future), because we've just got to have somebody that can play," he added. "We get our people (back) first, then we'll worry about that later on. Because we have to have him play right now to see if we can try to compete. Those things will take care of themselves as we move forward."