Almond's best shot could fit Utah's needs

[RonnieBrewer (Reverse Layup)]

Almond's best shot could fit Utah's needs
By Tim Buckley
Special to ESPN.com
Updated: July 14, 2007, 2:19 AM ET

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah -- When the Utah Jazz earlier this month lost veteran
Derek Fisher to free agency and ultimately the Los Angeles Lakers, a clock
full of minutes opened at shooting guard.

Fisher -- who started, but also backed up Deron Williams at point guard --
averaged 27.9 minutes per game last season.

And when the Jazz were unable to sign Toronto Raptors free agent Morris
Peterson as Fisher's replacement in the opening lineup, even more opportunity
to play could be heard ticking in the ears of rookie Morris Almond.

Some of those minutes, as it turns out, will be absorbed by Jason Hart.

Several hours after it became public Friday that Peterson would spurn the
Jazz and instead accept a four-year, $23 million offer from the New Orleans
Hornets, Hart -- a combo guard who has played 240 games over six NBA seasons
for Milwaukee, San Antonio, Charlotte, Sacramento and, most recently, the Los
Angeles Clippers -- accepted a multi-year contract offer from Utah.

Still, there is time to be had in the land of Jerry Sloan.

Rather than sound any alarms, however, Almond prefers to take things slow
and easy.

In fact, the Rice University product -- selected No. 25 overall by the Jazz in
last month's NBA draft -- says he's not even thinking about the possibility of
winning regular-rotation minutes in the regular season.

"I haven't looked that far ahead yet," Almond said after scoring 12 points on
6-of-14 shooting from the field in his summer league debut at the Jazz-hosted
Rocky Mountain Revue.

"I keep things very simple," added Almond, the nation's third-leading
collegiate scorer last season and a swingman billed, along with Italy's Marco
Belinelli, as one of top two pure shooters in this year's draft. "You know,
I'm taking baby steps -- and I really just want to get a solid foundation and
get to know the organization, because I'm still very new."

The Jazz, however, are not shy about introductions.

Almond seemed to have a green shooting light in their 64-63 Revue win over
Atlanta, which got a game-high 18 points off the bench on 6-of-12 field
shooting in 32 minutes from 2007 No. 3 draft pick Al Horford.

He took five more shots, in fact, than his next-closest teammate.

Utah even drew up a go-to play for Almond when the Hawks were leading by one
point and less than six seconds remained. As it turned out, he missed from
the lane -- but regular-season backup power forward Paul Millsap scored with
the rebound for Utah's game-winner.

Consider it the first among many lessons for Almond, who before the summer's
done just may prove himself worthy of some of that time vacated by Fisher.

"He's a scorer," said Sloan assistant Tyrone Corbin, who coached the Jazz's
Revue team. "He's pretty poised about waiting to get good shots. He took one
or two shots that were a little questionable, but for the most part did a
good job.

"It's early," Corbin added. "But he has a major NBA skill: He can shoot the
ball. That's one of the things that may get him on the floor a little sooner
than later."

Not that Almond, at least for now, is concerned about later.

"All that stuff," he said, "will come in due time."


           全文請見:
           http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=rockymountainday1 

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