Fesenko and his light bulb

[erudite23]

Is it finally coming on for him? I know I had written him off before this year. Just didn't see him ever overcoming his mental limitations.


So far this year he's had three or four quality games where he's looked sharp and like a real bona fide NBA player. In the past he's been so out of it mentally that he would completely miss rotations, lose his man on the weakside, foul offensively for no reason...just ridiculous mistakes. At times this year he's looked like he could be a solid rotation guy for 25mpg a night.

If we're seeing the light come on to the point where he could play starter's minutes, that could completely change the face of this franchise. A fully developed Fes solves every defensive big man problem we have had.

[Neon Black]

If he really starts approaching his potential then we really need to think about Boozer. There are two scenarios:

1. Booze leaving doesn't hurt us as much as it might have
2. Boozer stays, Fes becomes insurance for his bad defense and we develop one of the best frontcourts in the game. In this case, we need to let Memo go.

[HolyToledo]

KOC has some tough decisions to make. Keep or trade Boozer? Keep Boozer and trade Memo? Is Fess the answer at center? I definitely think he is a good starting center in the NBA if he wants to put the work in. Im a Sloan hater but he does make his plasyers work hard to develop to their maximum potential.

[red4hf]

People forget how young Fesenko was and just how little experience he had before coming to the NBA....... It takes some players, particularly bigs, more time to develop than others.......

Fesenko has certainly looked like he belongs in the NBA...... I am really happy with his growth and development this season.......

[Soul Patch]

I like how determined he looks when he's on the court. Especially with the ball in his hands, he's no longer holding it and wondering what coach wants him to do with it, instead he's aggressive and does something with it right away. He still needs to work on his pick and roll defense but it's come a long way since last year.

[Tapoona]

Something that i have been wondering is what is up with the Jazz's sudden resurgence? Does it have to do with Memo getting less playing time? Is the defense better without Memo? If it is, I would try to somehow keep Boozer and let Memo go.

[Jampod]

Fes has always had potential to be a great center. Granted, he is a little slow but so is Memo. I really wish I could see him get more playing time.

[@ndrew]

They need to close him in a gym for the whole summer. With Ben Wallece.

[Soul Patch]

They need to close him in a gym for the whole summer. With Ben Wallace.

+10000

[Ming Kong!]

Yeah, his footwork has improved a lot, but he still has really bad hands. His PER36 of 1.0bpg is very impressive, nor is his 7.6rpg for PER36. I think he's become less aggressive to stay out of foul trouble.

[Ming Kong!]

Something that i have been wondering is what is up with the Jazz's sudden resurgence? Does it have to do with Memo getting less playing time? Is the defense better without Memo? If it is, I would try to somehow keep Boozer and let Memo go.

I wouldn't doubt it, Memo is very inconsistent playing alongside of Boozer, and his defense is pretty terrible, especially with his speed, though he's probably no slower than Fes, atleast Memo has good footwork. Regardless, I really Okur in his role when Boozer is out, but we are much better without Memo, than without Boozer, I'd miss the guy a little at first, but it would be for the best.

[erudite23]

Something that i have been wondering is what is up with the Jazz's sudden resurgence? Does it have to do with Memo getting less playing time? Is the defense better without Memo? If it is, I would try to somehow keep Boozer and let Memo go.

I wouldn't doubt it, Memo is very inconsistent playing alongside of Boozer, and his defense is pretty terrible, especially with his speed, though he's probably no slower than Fes, atleast Memo has good footwork. Regardless, I really Okur in his role when Boozer is out, but we are much better without Memo, than without Boozer, I'd miss the guy a little at first, but it would be for the best.

Memo is so up and down its disgusting. He's been very down so far this year.


No, the reason for the resurgence is very simple: offense. When the Jazz were 4-6 we were ranked 16th in offensive efficiency. Now we stand in the 5th spot. Meanwhile, our defensive ranking is 19th.

I think part of the struggles of this team is its lack of an identity. Who are we? We used to be Boozer/Williams team that thrived off of pick and roll offense between those two with our third option being a Memo 3 from the wing. That was a potent attack. With Boozer's injury we got away from the pick and roll, did too much iso and penetrate-and-kick (to players who couldn't hit a freakin' J to save their lives) and ended up as just a mediocre offensive team as a result.

Now we're getting back to our late 07-08 form. Once CJ and Korver get back and provide the extra dimension of perimeter shooting and Memo gets it going we have a chance to be a top 3 offensive team. Still, unless we are going to find a solution to our defensive woes we won't seriously challenge the top teams in the West. But I think this upsurge we've seen is going to be sustained as long as Boozer or DWill stay healthy, and we'll likely get even better.

[Ming Kong!]

And one key thing... we got the Knicks pick next summer!

[GP]

personally, I think the team looks better with Fes/Boozer, than Memo/boozer. Even after all this time I am still not a fan of having a 3pt shooting center who doesn't play defense. Of course if boozer leaves, then this is a moot point.