Portland, Ore. ? As he reminded a reporter in the locker room Saturday, Kyrylo Fesenko was back at the scene of his first unofficial NBA double-double, a 10-point, 10-rebound effort in an Oct. 12 preseason game against the Trail Blazers.
That afternoon represented a breakthrough for the second-year Ukrainian center, and the Jazz's last four games could be considered something similar. Since returning from an eight-game stay with the NBA Development League's Utah Flash, Fesenko has averaged 10.3 minutes, playing ahead of Kosta Koufos and Jarron Collins as the Jazz's first big man off the bench.
"You've got to give him some opportunity to play somewhere along the line, in order for him to hopefully continue to work harder to make himself better," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said.
Fesenko has had his moments, dunking twice in 15 minutes in Friday's victory against Oklahoma City. He fouled out with six points, four blocks and three rebounds in Sunday's loss to Denver.
There are still miles to go for Fesenko -- especially at the foul line, where he has gone just 3 of 13 this season -- but the 22-year-old said he was glad to be done with the commercial flights of the D-League and feeling more confident on the court in the NBA.
"Way, way, way more comfortable," Fesenko said. "Maybe it's like some period that you just need to adjust for the game, like you need to get used to the NBA team game. It feels great. I'm happy right now. I feel really, really, really comfortable right now."
Sloan received positive reports from Flash coach Brad Jones about Fesenko's stay, in particular that he regularly stayed after practice for an extra half-hour of work.
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Russell unretired?
He last played in an NBA game with Denver in February 2006, but former Jazz forward Bryon Russell is trying to make a comeback at age 38, according to ESPN.com.
Russell, who spent nine seasons in Utah, told the Web site he has been working out daily and felt like he could still play a "good, solid 15-20 minutes" a game for a team looking for a veteran presence.
"I think the league still needs guys like myself," Russell said. "Good guys, well-spoken, no trouble. I think I can definitely still shoot the ball, stay between the guy I'm guarding and the basket. If they need some leadership, if they want to take the chance, I know the game."
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Super spot
Carlos Boozer will be featured in a 30-second Super Bowl commercial for Salt Lake City-based Overstock.com set to air immediately after the halftime show. Boozer will be talking to kids about dedication, according to a company press release.
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Briefly
Matt Harpring 's $6.5 million salary for the 2009-10 season became fully guaranteed Saturday. Had he missed 35 games this season with a right knee injury, Harpring would have been guaranteed only $2.5 million; Saturday was the 48th game of the season.
rsiler@sltrib.com
