Ready for the Revue

One of the greatest weeks of the year is heading our way...the Rocky Mountain Revue. I can't get enough of it. So here's how I'll do this, I'll start by breaking down the Jazz roster, who to watch, what to expect and so on. From there I'll discuss some of the other teams and what/who to watch.

Utah Jazz: One thing about the Jazz is they reward all players on their summer league rosters with playing time. After all, there are many more leagues scouting the revue than just the NBA. Teams from the NBDL, Europe, South America, etc. will all be on hand to search for players to fill these rosters.

Point Guard - This will be a very interesting battle. The Jazz have 3 true point guards on their roster, all who may be worthy of getting an invite to the official team camp:
Kevin Kruger - Many of us fans from Utah saw Kruger play against BYU and Utah in college. Last season Kruger played for the Utah Flash in the Developmental League. The Flash ran a similar offense to the Jazz in Orem so he may have an advantage early on. Last season for the flash Kruger averaged 13.3 ppg and 7.1 apg while shooting 38.8% from behind the arc. Kruger has a lower ceiling than many players out there, but he is efficient and plays under control; something the Jazz like in their PGs.
Earl Calloway - Calloway had an excellent season last season playing in the D-League. It is somewhat surprising that the Jazz were able to land Calloway on their summer league roster. Just last week Calloway was playing extremely well for the Indiana Pacers summer league team in the Orlando Summer League. Calloway earned second-team all tournament honors after afteraging nearly 5 apg and over 14 ppg. Many expected the Calloway to be offered a contract from the Pacers. It's unclear whether the Calloway's presence on the Jazz for the RMR will change that. Nonetheless, Calloway is an excellent guard and will impress many during the Revue.
Tyrone Brazelton - Brazelton had a very successful collegiate career at Western Kentucky, and most experts had Brazelton projected as a second round draft pick in mock drafts. The draft didn't go Brazelton's way in terms of landing a partially guarranteed contract, but at least this way he gets more options when choosing teams to try out for. The Jazz were said to be very fond of Brazelton leading up to the draft, and I'm sure the jazz strongly considered taking Brazelton with one of their second round picks. Brazelton is an explosive guard, and may have the most potential of any of the point guards on the Jazz summer league roster.

Shooting Guard:
Morris Almond - Many eyes will be on Almond in this year's camp. It would be disappointing if Almond didn't earn first team all tournament honors. Almond's scoring abilities are second to none in this summer league. The Jazz will be watching closely to see if Morris has worked at his defense this summer. The Jazz have generally been quiet in the free agent market until after the Revue. This marks a crucial point in Almond's career. His success in the Revue may mean the departure of CJ Miles. His failure to play within the jazz system during the Revue may cause Almond to have to pack his bags. Don't forget, of the "log jam" at SG for the Jazz, Almond is the oldest of all the young guards.

Small Forward:
Yaroslav Korolev - Not too long ago Korolev was a highly regarded prospect out of Russia. He played overseas for a couple of years and never did quite develop to meet his expectations. Korolev possesses a variety of skills and will play professionally somewhere next season. I'm sure the Development League would love to land Korolev, but he is much more likely to land a large contract overseas. Nonetheless, I expect Korolev to play significant minutes and he very possibly could raise a few eyebrows in the stands and the Jazz front office.
Britton Johnson - We've seen Britton play ever since the 1998 Utah Utes run to the final four. Britton is no longer young enough to be considered a prospect, but Britton's skills have never been in question. Britton is an excellent shooter from the outside, has great length (6'10), is an excellent rebounder, and would love an opportunity to show the Jazz what he can do. The Jazz know Britton can score, but Britton will likely take the opportunity to show Jazz brass that his is willing to fill a role as a defensive specialist that can rebound and hit open shots. An interesting fact about Britton, he is so naturally gifted that he started his first professional game with the Magic. Things didn't work out for Britton then, maybe they'll go better this time with the Jazz after fine tuning his skills overseas for the past couple of years.

Power Forward:
Brian Jackson - Played last year for the Utah Flash, and got an invite to the Jazz summer league team. This is likely more of a move to try and help the Jazz affiliate in Orem than to actually help the Jazz. He's a solid player that doesn't do anything spectacular. It's possible he's a guy the Jazz keep an eye on in case of a midseason injury to Boozer or Millsap.
Hiram Fuller - The big fella has been coming around for years. He always gets significant minutes in the Revue, and seems happy with the way he has been treated. Between Fuller and Jackson, this is where the majority of the minutes at PF will be divided.

Center:
Kosta Koufos - Kosta will have loads of pressure to perform in the Revue. Jazz fans want to know if he can step in and fill a need. The reality is, Koufos is not going to be the defensive specialist most fans wanted for next season. However, Koufos will raise eyebrows with his skills and will seem somewhat redundant in some areas. Koufos was drafted as a prospect, and he is unlikely to find a spot in the rotation for the next couple of seasons. Koufos will surprise many with his shooting range and his overall offensive repertoire. He's an above average rebounder, and will likely have great games and poor games. Look for Koufos to struggle with foul trouble that will take him out of rhythm in about half of the Revue games.
Kyrylo Fesenko - Big Fess comes into the summer with much to prove to Jazz brass. Fess is still a huge body with good athleticism. More than anything, he needs to mature as a person. I expect Fess to step in and lead the Jazz in rebounding in the Revue, while picking up a few dunks and blocked shots on the side. This is a great opportunity for Fess to progress and earn back some of the respect he's lost this offseason through the acquisition of two centers in the draft.
Kevin Lyde - Lyde has come very close to making an NBA roster the past few years. He's struggled with weight in the past but worked very hard last season to get back in shape. If his weight is not under control this summer, I doubt the Jazz give him a look at all. He's a big body at 6'10, 270, and an insurance policy in case Fesenko and Koufos pull up lame during the


San Antonio Spurs:
Ian Mahimni - Mahimni was a first round draft pick a few years back who played overseas before finally coming to the States. He made the Spurs team last year but never broke into the rotation. This year will determine a lot about his future in the league. He's got lots of raw ability.
George Hill - The Spurs snatched Hill with their first round pick in this year's draft. He's a small school guy (IUPUI) with huge upside. He slid in the draft because of his "small school" status, but many teams below the Spurs would have loved to have him on their team. I expect Hill to step in next year as the backup to Tony Parker in a significant role.

New Jersey Nets:
Mo Ager - Ager has played in the Revue for years with the Mavericks, and this year was traded to the Nets. With the departure of Jefferson, Ager could be a role player for a young team with some real talent. He's an athlete with a good outside stroke.
Jaycee Carroll - Carroll has played terrific so far this summer. He played in the Orlando League with the Nets, and also with the Toronto Raptors in the Vegas League. He's averaging double figures, shooting over 50% from behind the ark, and doing the little things to help his team win. The question with Carroll is whether or not he can play the point. Jaycee may be the only player listed here that doesn't make the Nets team. He may get an NBA camp invite, but Jaycee will be a star in Europe.
Julius Hodge -Hodge was a former first round draft pick out of NC State. He's never broken into a solid role with an NBA team, and this may be his last chance. He's always been a heady player. He was a victim of a stabbing before starting his NBA career, and never has seemed to be a major prospect since (whether the stabbing has anything to do with that I don't know).
Sean Williams - Williams will be in an NBA rotation throughout his career. He was considered a lottery talent out of Boston College until he got kicked out of school for drug problems. He seems to have gotten his act together and started many games last year for the Nets. He is the best shot blocker in the tournament, and a guy the Jazz would likely have picked in the first round last year if he had been available.
Chris Douglas-Roberts - A huge talent and first team all-american out of memphis. Roberts finds a way to score, but never really looks pretty doing it. He has an excellent mid-range game and gets to the foul line. Many called him the steal of the draft. I don't know about that, but I do think he will stick in the league.
Ryan Anderson - Thank goodness this guy wasn't available when the Jazz picked. The Jazz worked hard to get him in for a workout but never could. Anderson has some good skills, but I never see him as anything better than a 10th man in the NBA. He should be fun to watch in the Revue though as he possesses good athleticism for a big, and has some good skills.

Golden State Warriors:
Marco Bellineli - Bellineli and Morris Almond were called the best scorers out of last year's draft. Bellineli was expected to earn a starting role with the run and gun warriors last year, but never did break the rotation. With the departure of many guards off the Warriors roster, Marco will be gunning for sure this year. He's a tremendous shooter with good athleticism. He'll be fun to watch because he has one mindset; score.
Anthony Randolph - Might have the highest ceiling of any big out of this year's draft. He's long, athletic and has good skills. He played 1 year at LSU before entering the draft. He had great games and poor games in the Vegas Summer League, and I expect similar from the RMR.
Louis Amundson - Former Jazzman still trying to find a home. He'll be a career 10th-12th man in the NBA. Athletic hard-nosed player who may be looking for the chance to replace Stephen Jackson in the Warriors rotation. Probably not, but good luck to him.
Brandan Wright - Wright was a top 10 pick last year by the Charlotte Bobcats before being sent to GS in the Jason Richardson deal. A tremendous talent out of North Carolina, but he really would have benefited from another year in Chapel Hill.

Dallas Mavericks:
Gerald Green - Green just signed with the Mavericks out of free agency, and hopes to find a long-term home. Green is one of those few athletes in the NBA who will blow your mind with their dunks. Mark him down for one jaw-dropping dunk for every game in this year's Revue. He's also a former slam-dunk contest champion who lost the close battle to Dwight Howard this year. Who will ever forget the cupcake dunk?
Keith McLoed - Former Jazzman. It'll make you sick to see how average he is in the Summer League...and to think he started some games for the Jazz. It makes me sick. Thought I'd mention him.

D-League Ambassadors:
James Lang - He's a guy that came very close to being a Jazz Man. He played for the Flash last year and if he gets his weight down to a better playing weight, he could find a spot on an NBA roster.

FIBA Asia Champion (IRAN):
The Iranian National Team will be headed to the Olympics to play in the bracket opposite of the USA. There has been bad blood of late between Greece and Iran, so let's hope they don't get unnecessarily rough with Koufos (despite him being as American as they come). I guess if they want physical we can always send in our Ukranian man-child (Fesenko). I'm actually very interested to see their different style of basketball.
Jaber Rouzbahani - The 7'5 monster made himself eligible for the 2004 NBA draft but went undrafted. I don't know what to expect from their best player, but I'm expecting the next Pavel Podkolzine. He's only 22 and is said to have solid skills for a big man...and he's very big.

It should be a fun year at the Revue with some new teams and different looks. The Jazz will sell out every night, but I'm also really looking forward to watching the Nets and Warriors. What a great week.

Go Jazz!