by Derek Flack

Created on: May 07, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

The 2007 off-season was a tumultuous ride for the Utah Jazz franchise. The teams highest paid player, Andrei Kirilenko, was upset about the criticism he received for his poor 2007 playoff outing and was disappointed with his role in the teams offense. In the summer Andrei left for his homeland Russia to play for his nation's team in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Europe.

While on the Russian national team Kirilenko transformed into his old NBA All-Star self and led his team to the tournament title. He was then named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament and the top European player in the game. After his overseas success AK publicly demanded either a trade from Utah or to have his contract terminated so he could return to Russian and play in the Europe Pro Leagues.

After a visit with Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and Utah General Manager Kevin O'Conner, things seemed to be okay between the two sides, and Kirilenko rescinded his trade requests and decided staying in Utah would be best for both himself and the team.

Then, somewhat unexpectedly, back up veteran point guard/shooting guard Derek Fisher asked to be let out of his contract, knowing that it would cost him millions of dollars. Fisher asked to be let go because his young daughter was suffering from a rare cancer of the eye found in babies. The Jazz, being a classy organization, let Fisher walk from his contract with nothing in return. Later in the week Fisher signed with the title contending Las Angeles Lakers, where having a home in California would place his daughter close to eye specialists.

In the 2007 NBA draft last June the Jazz selected the sharp shooting 6 foot 6 inch guard out of Rice, Morris Almond with the 24th pick in the draft. They also swapped second round draft picks with the Philadelphia 76ers and came away with the raw, 19 year old 7 foot 1 inch center from Ukraine, Kyrylo Fessenko, who likes to be called Fess. Having a player from Ukraine on the roster would also please Kirilenko, who now had someone from close to his home country to talk to.

Next up for the Jazz was the Summer League Rocky Mountain Revue, which is played every summer at Salt Lake Community College in Utah. Last year showcases the Jazz's young players, as well as the Philadelphia 76ers, Seattle Supersonics, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks, and Chicago Bulls.

After a successful summer league players were off until training camp began in late September. During this time the Jazz tried to fill the back up point guard

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