With Kosta Koufos last having played Feb. 17, the Jazz opted Thursday to send the 20-year-old rookie center to the NBA Development League's Utah Flash, who will play five games the next eight days.
To accommodate sending Koufos to the Flash, the Jazz recalled center Kyrylo Fesenko . With Morris Almond and Fesenko on assignment in Orem, the Jazz had the maximum two players permitted by the NBA's collective bargaining agreement. Fesenko will return to the Jazz having posted impressive numbers in his last four games with the Flash. He averaged 11.8 points and seven rebounds in his latest stint, but totaled 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in Friday's victory over Erie (Pa.).
Whether Fesenko will be given an opportunity on the Jazz's 12-man active roster remains to be seen. Koufos had been inactive for the Jazz's last eight games and hadn't played in more than a month.
This will be Koufos' first trip to the D-League, with the Flash set to play Anaheim on Friday and Saturday in Orem.
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Zoned out
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan wasn't happy watching his players struggle after Phoenix sprang a zone defense in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's loss. Carlos Boozer missed three shots and the Suns ran out for five fast-break opportunities in taking a 108-101 lead.
"We didn't have enough patience to play against it," Sloan said, "and we just took one pass and a shot so many times instead of trying to execute."
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Briefly
For the third time this season, the Jazz were grounded overnight by problems with their charter jet. The team was unable to fly out of Phoenix after Wednesday's game and didn't return home until Thursday. Mechanical problems were cited as the reason. ... The last time the Jazz finished with a winning record on the road was 2000-01, when they went 25-16. The Jazz dropped to 14-21 on the road after losing Wednesday, clinching a losing road record for the season.
rsiler@sltrib.com
