With the Rocky Mountain Revue canceled by the recession, the Jazz were left to play in a summer league hosted by another team for the first time in years. If anything, it only deepened their commitment to bring back the Revue next summer.

"We're going to try like heck to have the Revue back next year," general manager Kevin O'Connor said. "We think it's really good for our organization and our fans.

"I think in the middle of July, without pro football and Major League Baseball, that it gives our fans an opportunity to really come out and see the players."

The Jazz credited the Orlando league with being well-run, although it offered limited facilities compared with the Revue and Salt Lake Community College. As coach Jerry Sloan put it: "The overall picture [with the Revue] seems to be better."

As much as it was a source of pride to the Jazz , the Revue was doomed by competition from a rival league in Las Vegas, as well as by the economy, which left teams playing in fewer leagues -- or in some cases, not fielding teams at all.

The Jazz remain "unequivocally" opposed to going to Las Vegas, according to O'Connor, both out of frustration at their own league's demise and the belief that the environment along the Strip is the wrong introduction for players entering the NBA.

"The things that I've heard of and things that have happened, guys being in the casinos with their practice stuff on or their game stuff on," Sloan said. "I don't know, is that something you want to accomplish with young guys?"

Added Sloan: "We have a tough enough time trying to keep the image going in the right direction."

Even so, Orlando represented a dramatically different setting than the Revue. The games were held at the Magic's practice facility (RDV Sportsplex) and closed to the public, with small crowds numbering in the hundreds of team personnel and media members.

Orlando general manager Otis Smith said he appreciated seeing teams from the Western Conference -- the Jazz and Oklahoma City -- in the Eastern Conference-dominated league. He added that there are no plans to change the format.

"I think we like the intimacy of ours," Smith said. "It's not open to the public. It's closed. You come in and play five games in five days and you're in and you're out. Guys are getting the work that they need, and that's what it's about."

Although O'Connor and assistant coach Tyrone Corbin both said they missed the fans in Utah, Sloan thought it was a benefit to not have crowds in Orlando.

"I think that's a positive, to be away from it," Sloan said. "Players get a false sense of what they're doing. How many guys have been stars before they've ever played an NBA game? ... It's good for them to be out on the road."

There wasn't even an announcer to call out baskets, fouls and substitutions. The Orlando league has held one public game in its history -- LeBron James' debut -- but the overall belief is that keeping out fans makes for better working conditions.

The viewing options, however, are limited for the public, with the Magic broadcasting the games on the Internet only, though one team official said Orlando's Web site was receiving as much traffic during the summer league as the NBA Finals.

Unlike the Revue, which scheduled off days after back-to-back games, the Orlando league left the Jazz to play five games in five days. The Jazz held two-a-day practices before their first game, but had no practice time once play began.

While they could use their own practice facility for the Revue, the Jazz had fewer options in Orlando and ended up using another court at the Sportsplex. The Jazz also dressed at their hotel and returned immediately after games, with limited locker-room facilities.

"That's more like the NBA used to be," Sloan said. "It didn't hurt anybody. We had to do our own laundry and all that stuff, take care of your own stuff when I first came in the league."

Although the Revue ran significantly later into July -- often through Pioneer Day -- Sloan sounded in favor of its return after the week in Orlando. "It seemed like we could access a lot more people," he said.

rsiler@sltrib.com Summer league comparison

Orlando

Dates ? July 6-10

Venue ? RDV Sportsplex

Attendance ? Closed to the public

Teams ? Boston, Indiana, Utah, New Jersey/Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, Orlando

Las Vegas

Dates ? July 10-19

Venue ? Cox Pavilion, Thomas & Mack Center

Attendance ? Open to the public

Teams ? Chicago, Cleveland, D-League select, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Golden State, Houston, L.A. Clippers, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, Toronto, Washington