Utah Jazz notebook: Almond earns praise for 'D' in New York

All the emphasis, fuss and coaching Morris Almond got from the Utah Jazz on improving his defensive game the past two years might finally pay off — for the New York Knicks.

In an unexpected twist, an aspect of the guard's game that was considered a liability while in Utah — both with the Jazz and the Flash of the D-League — is now earning him high praise so far in his summer stint with the Knicks.

Remember Almond the sharpshooter? Meet Almond the defensive stopper.

That, at least, is how he's being billed in New York this week.

Although Almond, who holds the D-League single-game scoring record, hit 7 of 12 shots en route to 17 points in his Knicks' summer-league debut in Las Vegas on Tuesday, the New York Times reported that coach Mike D'Antoni was especially impressed by the ex-Jazz guard's defense.

"That's kind of what we're looking at is, can he do something else, because you know he can score and shoot," D'Antoni told the Times. "I thought his instincts on defense were good; obviously, the Utah system helped him."

The Knicks, the Times claimed, have had their eyes on Almond since he was drafted by the Jazz as the 25th overall pick in 2007. New York reportedly even attempted to trade for him last year, but the Jazz declined due to injuries.

After Utah turned down the third-year team option on Almond's rookie contract, the Knicks offered him a spot on their summer-league squad.

New York is looking for a shooting guard, and the 6-foot-6 Rice University alum is looking like he could win that job.

"If you look at our team, we don't really have a prototype 2 guard," Knicks president Donnie Walsh told the Times. "He's more of that. He's close to that."

After he dazzled New York in his debut, Almond told a TV reporter he is happy to be in what he called "a free-flowing offense." He added that "it allows players to make plays. It's everybody's dream to play in a system like this."

Almond, who also called playing for New York like "a breath of fresh air," especially loved what he heard from a Knicks assistant.

"(Coach) Phil Weber, the first thing he said before I went out there was, 'If you've got an open look, take it,' " Almond told MSG.com. "I hadn't heard that in a while, so that makes basketball fun again."