Utah Jazz: Opportunities are there for centers

Considering Jarron Collins' departure left just one veteran center on Utah's roster and seeing how interior defense has been a Jazz liability, now seems like a fine time to be one of the two 7-footers on the team.

Coach Jerry Sloan won't spell it out for the tallest guys on the squad — Kyrylo Fesenko and Kosta Koufos — but if he did, the writing on the locker room wall might look like this:

P-L-A-Y-I-N-G T-I-M-E A-V-A-I-L-A-B-L-E.

O-P-P-O-R-T-U-N-I-T-I-E-S.

C-A-R-P-E D-I-E-M.

*-%-$-@-!

"If they don't understand that and can't see that there's an opportunity there for them maybe to get some minutes, then I'm not going to tell them," Sloan said at practice this weekend. "I think they should know enough on their own maybe there's opportunities if they're willing to work at it, be ready when they're called on, keep a good, positive attitude."

Sloan needn't pull out the eye chart.

Fesenko and Koufos — who've shown flashes of exciting potential in their short careers along with some forgettable moments — both clearly see an opening in the door.

They both say they're ready to bust through it, too.

"I'm here to compete for a bigger role," said the second-year Koufos.

Different accent, same message from the Jazz's Ukrainian center, who says he's come a long, long way over the course of his first two seasons in Utah.

"I really feel great about this year, and I think I can prove to all my haters that Utah Jazz keep me for a reason," Fesenko said. "You'll see a whole new Fes."

Sloan sure hopes so but admits that's easier said than done.

"I tell him talk is cheap," he said. "All he has to do is go out here and perform, run the floor, use his big body. He's got a great body for basketball. He's thick, got good hands."

However, what the 22-year-old has seemed to lack — such as a drive to compete, to get into tip-top shape and to take things seriously — has counterbalanced God-given gifts and hoops skills.

Fesenko appeared in just 30 NBA games in his first two seasons, and spent time in the D-League with the Utah Flash.