Which of the following describes Utah Jazz forward Adam Keefe?
A. Tenacious rebounderB. Aggressive defender
C. Consistent hustler
D. Offensive threat
E. All of the above
If you're the average Jazz fan, you probably chose A, B and C.
Keefe thinks the answer is E.
He has evidence to support his stance. As a senior at Stanford, Keefe averaged 25.3 points per game, shooting 56.4 percent from the field. In one game as a rookie member of the Atlanta Hawks - Tuesday night's Jazz opponent - he scored 30 points. And they weren't all dunks, which some have suggested is the only shot in his current repertoire.
"I've seen the tape of that game," Keefe said. "I shot 12 of 13 from the field, and it was fairly well broken up - three fast breaks, three post moves, three offensive-rebound putbacks, three outside jumpers."
Whoa. Jumpers? Outside?
"I have no doubt I could shoot 40 percent from the perimeter, shooting 17-, 19-foot jumpers, and on most teams that would be good enough," Keefe said. "But on this team, with the outside shooters we have, Jeff (Hornacek) and John (Stockton) in particular, it has to be a really open shot for me to take it."
That may be so, but the perception is that Keefe can't shoot outside, and its a view apparently shared by opponents. Usually, if Keefe catches the ball 15 feet from the basket, no defender comes out to challenge him. And that means one more defender available to double-team the Jazz's big guys in the low post.
Which helps explain why Keefe's playing time has dwindled of late. In the last six games, he has played an average of 16.0 minutes. In the 18 games prior to that, he averaged 26.3 minutes.
Keefe doesn't whine about the decline in minutes, but he acknowledges it's been frustrating. Occasionally it's shown in the expression on his face as he's been pulled from a game.
"It's hard for any competitive athlete when the coach pulls you out," Keefe said. "I think he (coach Jerry Sloan) would be upset if we didn't care. I think he'd be really ticked off if he pulled me out of the fourth quarter of a close game and I kind of came out like, `Oh, well, at least now I'll get to rest.' He likes guys who like to play."
Another reason Keefe's minutes are down is the return of Chris Morris. Morris, who also plays some big guard, isn't the defender Keefe is, but he can shoot the three, and he can put the ball on the floor and go to the hoop.
"Chris is definitely a much better outside shooter than I am," Keefe granted. "But when you have shooters like Hornacek or Stockton, and you don't make that extra pass . . . you need to be shooting 50 percent or better, because that's what they're going to shoot."
And then there's starting small forward David Benoit. While a strong argument could be made that Keefe is more consistent than Benoit, the popular belief is that Benoit has something of a fragile psyche. The coaches don't say this, but there's a chance that if Benoit was relegated to strictly reserve status, the Jazz would get less out of him than they get when he starts.
So, does that mean Keefe is the team's No. 3 small forward? "That's an interesting question," he said, laughing. "It's not an easy one. To be honest with you, up until about four or five games ago, I felt almost as if I was the number one small forward on this team, basically playing out the second and fourth quarters, playing the overtimes."
Earlier in the season, Keefe said the coaches gave him a vote of confidence.
"They (the coaches) came to me at one point and said, `We think you deserve to be starting, you've played and put the numbers up, but we like your energy coming off the bench.' "
That was when they made Bryon Russell the starter for a nine-game stretch, in place of a slumping Benoit. But when the coaches decided another change was due, it was Benoit back to the starting lineup.
What continues to console Keefe is the belief that he is contributing.
"I think we're a very good team when I'm out there on the floor," he said. "If there's other players and they come in and they're better that's fine, but I also know I've done a pretty good job."