By Ron
Richards
Yesterday's scoring binge by Mo
Almond brought up a interesting
question.
Just what the heck are the Jazz
going to do with him?
Here is a scoring machine, a great
shooter, like the Jazz haven't seen
for years and years. In fact, I
would venture to say that the Jazz
have never had a prospect like Mo
Almond.
It's the D-League, you say. It
doesn't count, it's bush league, Mo
struggles when he comes up to the
big leagues. There are obviously
some kernels of truth there, but it
brings up more questions than it
does answers.
Could Ronnie Brewer do what Mo has
done on two occasions? Could he
average 30 points a game in D-League
play? Could CJ do that? Could Kyle
Korver do that? For that matter,
could DWill do that?
I think the answer is no, they
couldn't. They do other things very
well, and for example Ronnie's
athleticism, length and slashing
ability have earned him a spot in
the starting lineup for a team
verging on elite status. Kyle Korver
has a well earned reputation for
shooting the three as well as anyone
in the NBA, though he's struggled a
little so far in his stay in Utah.
Regardless, he's been a major
contributor to the Jazz's
turnaround. Deron's abilities are
well known and accepted as fact.
He's one of the best.
I tend to think that Mo Almond is
one of a very rare breed, of NBA
players who can fill it up faster
than the scorekeeper can push a key
on his laptop.
Michael Redd comes to mind, as does
Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and others. I
hesitate to compare any of those
players with Kobe, or LeBron,
because they combine that scoring
talent with overwhelming
athleticism, as if you combined
Ronnie Brewer and Mo Almond into one
composite player.
No, Mo will never be Kobe, or LeBron,
or DWade. He simply isn't that kind
of an athlete. He does, however,
have that special ability to score,
to be in the right place at the
right time, have a wonderful stroke
and be able to post up, hit shots
off of screens and picks, and
possess wonderful scoring range that
ignores the boundary of the three
point line.
Mo Almond can score, that goes
without saying. In fact, he might be
the best pure scorer the D-League
has ever known. Whether that
translates into stardom in the NBA
is another story, and that is the
meat of this foray into questions
without obvious answers.
I think the answer lies in the
curious fact that both Mo Almond and
Ky Fesenko have struggled when first
coming back into the D-League.
Common sense should tell you that
they'd light it up, a la Kobe
playing in a pickup game at the
local gym.
It hasn't happened. For some reason,
they both have struggled for a
period of time when returning to the
D-League, until they become used to
playing as regular starters playing
consistent minutes. I think that is
where long NBA experience matters
most of all, for a player to come in
and play his best, regardless of
spot minutes, starter minutes,
whatever minutes are presented.
It comes down to experience, to
minutes played and confidence
earned.
It might come this year, if the
opportunity presents itself, if
injuries make minutes available, if
Mo Almond can play enough at the NBA
level without Jerry having a stroke
at his rookie mistakes. Probably
won't happen, this year.
My guess is sometime next year,
probably after the All-Star break.
Mo will come into a game, light it
up, and stay lit up for years to
come.
That brings up another interesting
question, and one we as Jazz fans
have been wondering about ever since
the glut of shooting guards has
given the Jazz a pleasant sort of
headache. Who goes, who stays, who
becomes a future star and mainstay
of an elite team?
It's just a hunch, I have no real
concrete facts to back this feeling
up, but my gut is telling me that it
will be Mo Almond who will be
starting for the Jazz for a long,
long time to come.
Regardless of what I think or feel,
I do know one thing.
It will sort itself out, regardless
of how I, Jazz fans, or even Jazz
management think it will. Sometimes
things just happen, for whatever
reason.
Hang on, Jazz fans. It will be an
interesting ride.
|
