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Boise, Idaho
Taking advantage of their mutual ownership, the NBA Development League's Idaho Stampede recently brought several staff members to Salt Lake City, where they shadowed Jazz employees.
Possessing that background knowledge, I may have expected too much from the Stampede's operation. My overriding judgment after visiting CenturyLink Arena in downtown Boise is that to reach the Jazz's level, Idaho's mascot needs to work on its game. No, Rumble is not quite like Bear.
Tibor Pleiss is not another Rudy Gobert, either. He's not even Jeff Withey. Yet after watching Pleiss play 32 minutes in Friday's 103-92 loss to Bakersfield, I'm convinced the 7-foot-3, 256-pound German center eventually can help the Jazz. Pleiss' 15-point, 11-rebound effort was his best statistical performance with the Stampede, although he didn't take a shot in 15 minutes of second-half action as Idaho's offense became outside-oriented.
Saturday's rematch with Bakersfield, Pleiss' sixth game with Idaho, may conclude a D-League stint that was his own idea. Idaho is booked for a three-game California trip, followed by a pre-Christmas week off. So Pleiss logically will be returning to the Jazz soon. In Gobert's absence with a sprained knee, Pleiss believes he can contribute to the Jazz after a D-League experience he labeled "the best thing that happened, because I got some playing time."
Pleiss impressed me Friday, although let's say my standards were low. My most recent in-person evaluation of a specific D-League player came four years ago when former Jazz center Greg Ostertag made a brief pro basketball comeback at age 38. In the context of having watched Ostertag labor to run up and down the court in Frisco, Texas, I was sure to give Pleiss favorable reviews.
Even beyond the comparisons to an old Ostertag, there's a lot to like about Pleiss, who's 26. He runs well, moves smoothly on defense and passes the ball nicely. His post game needs work, although he showed some athleticism early in the game when his teammates looked for him. On the Stampede's first play, he rolled to the basket, jumped to catch a pass and dunked effortlessly. Later, he spun in the lane and scored while being fouled.
Pleiss scored nine points in the first quarter as the Stampede built a 23-10 lead. Although Pleiss was not much of a factor offensively after that and blocked only one shot, Idaho outscored Bakersfield by seven points with him on the court and he raised his D-League averages to 13.2 points and 9.0 rebounds. Idaho coach Dean Cooper liked the way Pleiss responded to his challenge to become more of a rim-protector. "He made a real commitment to that," Cooper said. "I've seen progress every game."
With the Jazz, Pleiss had appeared in four games for a total of 13 minutes. By his account, he asked a couple of the team's assistant coaches about going to Boise, and Jazz coach Quin Snyder endorsed the plan. As Pleiss searched for the right phrase to describe those conversations, I helped him with "the same page."
Great, another cliché mastered.
Pleiss speaks very good English and wants to expand his vocabulary. He even apologized for repeatedly using "opportunity" to frame his D-League experience. But it is clear that he has maximized the assignment, via an attitude of blending into the team and wanting to improve. "He's definitely made strides in timing and physicality," Cooper said.
Pleiss' timing in joining the Stampede was good, compared to one of ex-Jazz center Kyrylo Fesenko's stints with the Orem-based Utah Flash. In January 2008, Fesenko made trips to Bismarck, N.D., and Sioux Falls, S.D., and later recounted, "When we fly into Bismarck, actually, I am thinking that all the scary movies, they capture in this city. It's quiet, you don't see anything, you don't see lights, no buildings, nothing. … Oh, it was really creepy. It was horrible."
In contrast, Pleiss got two road games in Oklahoma City and one in Harlingen, Texas, where he liked the setting near the Mexican border, engaging in his photography hobby. He's open to new experiences, which the D-League provided on and off the court.
At this level, he said, "I can make mistakes, you know? You have to make mistakes to get better."
Twitter: tribkurt