Perhaps the Rocky Mountain Revue awards were a little premature.
Utah Jazz sophomore sensation Paul Millsap, by way of select media and coaches, claimed the Revue’s Most Valuable Player award just before the start of game time.
Millsap received more votes than the likes of Atlanta’s Shelden Williams and Philadelphia’s Louis Williams and Louis Amundson.
Unfortunately, the MVP was MIA in Friday night’s Revue finale that was anything but climactic.
Millsap and the listless Jazz fell to the Chicago Bulls, 78-60, before a quiet crowd that began trickling out the doors before the fourth quarter was underway.
“Chicago played well,” said Utah’s acting coach, Scott Layden. “I mean, they shot over 50 percent and they played some great defense.”
The numbers don’t lie. The Bulls shot a solid 52 percent compared with the Jazz’s 36. The Jazz also tossed up a morbid 40 percent on free throws.
Millsap was held to just three points — none in the first half. The nation’s former three-time collegiate rebounding champion pulled down just one rebound.
When the leading scorer finishes with 12 points, things can’t be good. At least Morris Almond gets that distinction for the third time in what developed into a nice summer for the rookie.
Jazz forward Levon Kendall certainly did his part contributing 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
Scoring in double digits, however, was too much to ask from the rest of the Jazz.
The Jazz came out flat, quickly falling into a 24-13 hole by the end of the first quarter. By the time the Bulls’ lead grew to 21, the Jazz had thrown in the proverbial towel.
The Bulls’ Thomas Gardner, a sure-fire candidate for the Revue’s Most Underrated Player, no doubt had some in the crowd wondering, “Who is that guy?”
The former Missouri guard, who spent time in Belgium last season, poured in 20 points to boost his average to more than 17 points in four games.
The Jazz threw every big man they had at Chicago center Aaron Gray, a second-rounder out of Pittsburgh. But Gray remained stoic on his way to 23 points and nine rebounds.
The Bulls’ other center, D’or Fischer, regulated the paint defensively with six rebounds and five blocks. He also added 10 points.
When asked about Millsap’s performance, Layden had nothing but positive words for his new MVP.
“He’s gotten a lot better. He’s in great shape and he’s very efficient,” Layden said. “We’re very fortunate to have him on our team.”
Almond’s professional rsum thus far will force Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan and his staff to think hard about using the rookie substantially beginning in October.
But Layden would not even venture to guess whether this was a possibility.
“That’s up to Jerry,” he said. “As soon as I walk away from here, I go back into the oblivion of assistant coaching.”
The Utah Jazz’s final game on Friday night brought the Rocky Mountain Revue to a quiet end 23 years after it first began unofficially in 1984.
This summer’s edition showcased a future superstar in Seattle’s Kevin Durant, portrayed a few flashes of sure-to-be-solid rookies and sophomores and even pulled out a few surprises.
The Revue peaked Tuesday night when thousands showed up at the Lifetime Activities Center in standing room only to see the young man who has been billed as the next Tracy McGrady, Dirk Nowitzki, or Kevin Garnett. Take your pick.
Durant did not disappoint, scoring 29 points while his teammate, fellow rookie Jeff Green, stole some of the spotlight with 28 points of his own.
Philadelphia took the crown of the Revue with a perfect record of 5-0 behind the play of Williams and Amundson. The two 76ers were voted into the All-Revue Team by the media.
Seattle’s Green, as well as Atlanta’s Acie Law and Shelden Williams, rounded out the top five named to the team.
Overall, the Revue featured more than 50 players that will never see an NBA team in the 2007-2008 season, but for a week those players got to put their skills against some of the best young talent in the country, and in the end, the fans were well rewarded for their efforts.
Lennie Mahler