Utah Jazz notebook: Brewer benefits greatly from departure of Fisher
All are among the well-chronicled beneficiaries of the decision by Fisher — whose young daughter, Tatum, was diagnosed last season with a rare form of childhood eye cancer — to ask out of his contract with the Jazz last summer and return to L.A.
Perhaps the least-publicized beneficiary, though, has been second-season Jazz shooting guard Ronnie Brewer, who took the starting job that Fisher held and developed his game far beyond where he had during his rookie season.
"I doubt that (Brewer) would have gotten the opportunity," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "Probably would have been disappointed a great deal in not playing."
Instead, Brewer — Utah's 2006 first-round draft choice — is thriving, averaging 11.9 points and 28 minutes per game heading into Thursday night's late-starting game against Fisher and the Lakers.
Teammates notice the difference.
"From my experience," power forward Carlos Boozer said, "once you get thrown in the fire, you grow up faster, you learn faster."
The University of Arkansas product didn't realize just how big it would be, though, until the Jazz were unable to land Toronto free agent Morris Peterson, who instead signed with New Orleans.
"Nothing was sketched in stone, because once (Fisher) left they were trying to get Mo Peterson," Brewer said. "So I had to continue to work on my game, continue to get better. I had the mindset that no matter who they have, or who they drafted, or who they got coming to the team, I've got to work on my individual game and bring something to the team that those other guys don't.
"You never know if I would have got to play a lot this year if Fish would have stayed, or if MoPete would have came here," he added. "But I'm glad it worked out."
Now that it has, Sloan wants Brewer to take his game to yet another level.
"We really admire what he's done thus far," the Jazz coach said. "But we expect more. And he has to expect more out of himself. He can't just say, 'Well, I'm in the NBA.' ... He's got a tremendous amount of growing to do."
BOOZER, OKUR PLAY: Even though he left Monday's win over Toronto due to a mild muscle strain, and even though he didn't practice Wednesday, Boozer wasn't about to let his frequently sore back keep him from playing Thursday against the Lakers.
"Obviously I'm not 100 percent," he said, "but I've been playing with it for two months, so I'm gonna keep going."
Also playing Thursday was starting center Mehmet Okur, who left Monday's game in the first quarter due to the stomach flu.
"I'll be honest: It's been tough for me," Okur said after Thurday's morning shootaround. "When did we play? Monday? Tuesday I was (asleep), threw up, and I wasn't able to eat. (Wednesday) I finally started to eat a little bit, drink.
"I'm kind of right now ... it's tough to explain. I'm here, but I'm not. You know what I mean?"
HE SAID IT: TNT commentator Charles Barkley, earlier this week: "I think the best team, from top to bottom, in the NBA is the Utah Jazz."
E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com
Recent comments
@ Uno
Not smoking a thing. Nothing. I am completely in touch...
Winston | March 22, 2008 at 8:44 a.m.
Josh in NY, wanna buy a bridge?
Winston, what have you been...
uno | March 21, 2008 at 5:19 p.m.
If fisher is such a good guy why didn't he and his agent work...
bigjazzfan | March 21, 2008 at 4:48 p.m.
