If John Amaechi showed the same agility, athleticism and motivation on the court that he showed leaving the Jazz locker room Wednesday night, he'd be an All-Star.
After his best performance in a Jazz uniform during a 98-92 loss to the Spurs at the Delta Center, Amaechi nimbly dodged several media types and was well on his way to the team bus before Kim Turner, team director of media relations, firmly suggested he stick around and chat.
The media interest was understandable. For three months they, and thousands of Jazz fans, have been waiting for the Amaechi who was signed to a four-year deal last summer to show up.
Coming into Wednesday's contest he had played fewer minutes than any other Jazz player, and that included Quincy Lewis, who has been on the injured list since Dec. 21.
And this wasn't a case of a guy landing a berth in coach Jerry Sloan's doghouse for mysterious reasons. He'd played his way there, shooting a robust 25.3 percent from the field, while showing some hideous shot selection.
So, putting the most positive spin on his elusive behavior, it's likely Amaechi was somewhat embarrassed by all the attention his showing against the Spurs generated.
"It's nice to play and play well," he said, after making 9-of-12 shots for a season-high 18 points, with three rebounds. "It's humiliating to be a good player and not play to your potential."
Asked what the difference was, Amaechi said, "Oh, dear, that's a tough question. If I would have known that, I would have been playing much better for this team a long time ago."
Amaechi said he preferred not to try to read too much into his solid game.
"I just take it for what it is, that I played well today, and that's all there really is to that," he said. "But it's reassuring, perhaps, to the people who pay the bills that I actually can play well."
As for whether he expected more minutes now, Amaechi declined to speculate. "I never try to put myself in the mind of a coach," he said. "That's a dangerous place to be."
Sloan didn't offer any insights into his thinking on Amaechi's playing time, but he was glad to finally get something out of the guy who was expected to be the Jazz's No. 1 center.
According to Sloan, Amaechi played well in camp and the exhibition season, much of which Karl Malone missed, then had a hard time figuring out his role once Malone returned to the lineup.
And when the regular season started, a series of bad outings caused Amaechi to rapidly lose confidence.
"He's fought himself, more than anything else," the coach said. "It wasn't a matter of we didn't want to play John."
Sloan said he told Amaechi recently, " 'You're the one who has to work this out. I'm not equipped to do that for you. You have to fight back. We're not going to give up on you.' "
E-mail: rich@desnews.com