"I think it's been a roller coaster with him," O'Connor said. "We've seen some spots where he's certainly been significant in a couple of games. I think he continues to improve, and I think that we've got to evaluate where he's at."

The Jazz made a nearly $3 million investment in Fesenko, paying $500,000 to buy out his contract with a Ukrainian club team, then signing him to a three-year, $2.4 million deal themselves. But Fesenko's future in Utah is not guaranteed.

The team holds an $870,00 option to bring back Fesenko for the 2009-10 season. According to a league source, the Jazz must decide about the option by June 15, 10 days before the draft and two weeks before the start of free agency.

"My job is to work, my job is to play, and their job is to decide do they need me or not?" Fesenko said. "I want to stay here."

The Jazz might not find a backup center more cheaply than Fesenko, whose salary is modest by NBA standards, but they also are facing an expected drop in the league's salary-cap and luxury-tax numbers with the deepening recession.

In addition, the Jazz would not be able to send Fesenko to the NBA Development League next season as a third-year player.

Fesenko has had his moments, helping the Jazz to a victory last season over the L.A. Lakers with both Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur injured, but has endured his share of ups and downs as well, especially last summer.

Fesenko parted ways with private coach David Thorpe, showed up with blond hair for the start of summer league and finished scoreless with four fouls and seven turnovers in his first Rocky Mountain Revue game.

"I thought it was a long shot at best for him to even have the idea to get better," Sloan said.

O'Connor said Fesenko "wasted some time in his improvement curve," but added that the comparison from where he was a year ago to now was favorable. The Jazz's biggest concerns with Fesenko deal with his focus and his weight.

More recently, Fesenko has showed signs of coming around. During his stay in the D-League, he worked after practice with Flash coach Brad Jones on his post moves and counter moves, with Jones reporting back to Sloan with positive reviews.

"He appears to be more settled," Jones said, "but he's still not totally settled out there on the court as trying to know who he is and what he is."

Talking about Fesenko last month, Sloan said: "He's come a long way and he's got a long ways to go. He's a young guy. If he starts taking the game a little bit more serious. I think he's too happy-go-lucky sometimes for me in a daily routine."

If they do not bring back Fesenko, the Jazz could risk watching him blossom in Sacramento, where Fesenko's former agent, Jason Levien, is now the Kings' assistant general manager.

rsiler@sltrib.com