Waiting in the wings: Jazz small forwards

[RonnieBrewer (Ronnie Brewer)]

Waiting in the wings: Jazz small forwards
Wednesday, September 27, 2006 2:57 PM CDT
Chuck Nunn/Jazz Session

Our breakdown of the Utah Jazz roster continues as we look at the small
forward position.

Andrei Kirilenko, the 6-9 forward from Russia, remains at the top of Utah's
depth chart at the position, and with good reason.

Kirilenko excels in every aspect of the game. It all starts with his defense.
AK's shotblocking prowess makes him one of the league's top defenders. The
NBA leader in total blocks last season, Kirilenko can block an opponent's
shot wither straight on or helping from the weak side.

Jazz opponents also have to watch Kirilenko's quick hands and long arms when
it comes to getting steals. Kirilenko led the Jazz in that area with 1.48
steals per game last season. He is also one of Utah's leading rebounders,
averaging eight boards per game last season.

Kirilenko is also an asset on offense. He was Utah's third leading scorer last
year with 15.3 points per game and was second in assists with 4.3 per game.
While AK struggled just a bit last season with some of his shot selections
and turnovers, he also had two triple-doubles and remains a key component to
Utah's formula for success.

Utah's biggest offseason move this past summer was certainly the re-signing
of 6-7 forward Matt Harpring. While Harpring missed 11 games last season due
to his surgically repaired knee, he still played a big role in helping the
rebuilding Jazz break even last season.

While Harpring's scoring fell off a bit from past seasons, he still averaged
12.5 points per game and set a decent rebounding mark at 5.2 boards per game.
He's not as quick or athletic as some other forwards in the league, but
Harpring usually has an edge in strength and toughness over many of the wing
players he faces, and his heads-up hustle has benefitted the Jazz for the
past four seasons.

One of Utah's camp invitees that has already signed a make-good contract is
6-6 forward Roger Powell. A former teammate at Illinois to Jazz guards Deron
Williams and Dee Brown, Powell was at camp with the Seattle SuperSonics last
October.

While he didn't end up on the Sonics' opening night roster last season and
may not end up with the Jazz this season, Powell still has talent and
athleticism that he brings to the table. He is an able rebounder, having
pulled down a college career-high 14 boards against the North Carolina Tar
Heels in the 2005 NCAA Basketball Championship's final game.

Utah's first-round selection in this past summer's draft, Ronnie Brewer is
a player who could possibly see some minutes at the small forward spot. The
6-7 Brewer is an incredibly athletic and versatile player who is good on both
ends of the floor. He could very well emerge this season as one of the Jazz's
top perimeter defenders.

Offensively, Brewer's slashing ability and ballhandling skills help him get
into the lane where he can finish well at the rim. Brewer is also a deft
passer, and his perimeter shooting proved to be pretty steady during the 2006
Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue.

Utah's fall camp roster nears completion this week, and while there have
been no announcements yet, there are a number of small forwards who could
possibly receive an invitation. Among available free agents at the spot are
Nik Caner-Medley, Dan Langhi, Awvee Storey and Brandon Bowman.

Contact Chuck Nunn at [e-mail] or feel free to blog this
column at www/southidahopress.com.

http://www.southidahopress.com/articles/2006/09/27/sports/local/jazzsess.txt

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→ joyboytoy:Waiting in the wings... 好深奧的標題?  orz
推 amox:不知道啥意思...
推 enemy:難道是指擋切發動後  埋伏在兩側邊線附近的進攻位置？
→ enemy:以前Stockton在這點找的是Hornacek和Russell的投射
→ enemy:現在DW則是找Harpring的跳投和Kirilenko空切底線的接應
→ enemy:此外爵士的SG和SF也常要負責底線零度角傳球塔的任務
→ enemy:Stockton時代就常看到Hornacek通過底線Malone掩護在三分線外
→ enemy:接球  防守者一旦貼上來馬上又交內線給卡好位置的Malone得分
→ sam369: