Igor Kokoskov has some jokes for the Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY — As his first season with the Phoenix Suns winds down, former Jazz assistant Igor Kokoskov has had plenty of jokes. And most of them have been about or for his old team.

Last week during the Suns shootaround in Salt Lake City, he was asked how the Jazz have changed this season without him.

With a straight face, Kokoskov responded: "Since I left, they struggled. They couldn't figure it out. They miss me so much."

The deadpanning didn’t end there, either.

As his team prepared to play the Jazz on Wednesday, Kokoskov had a warning for his old boss and still very good friend Quin Snyder when he was asked about Jimmer Fredette.

“Quin Snyder better be ready,” Kokoskov told reporters. “Jimmer is coming. And I am serious, he is going to play more.”

That one might not have been a joke after all. And maybe the warning helped Snyder, too. Fredette played 21 minutes and finished with a new season-high 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting in Utah’s win over the Suns.

Kokoskov did have one final joke about his former team just before the start of the game. Speaking to media before tip-off, Kokoskov spoke about his impressions of Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio.

“I have an internal joke with Ricky,” Kokoskov said. “It’s that he’s a better person and a worse player than I thought.”

But he did have some flattering words as well.

"The time spent with him was a great experience,” Kokoskov said. “He’s an extremely, extremely good player and a special person. I’m happy for him and you can feel his leadership.”

And there was something else he wasn’t joking about with the Jazz — or at least didn’t appear he was joking about — and that’s just how good this Utah team is.

“I believe that this team is built to go to the end of May, maybe June,” Kokoskov said.

Kokoskov likened Utah to the 2004 NBA champions Detroit Pistons — a team he would know a thing or two about, seeing as he was an assistant coach on the team.

“If they stay healthy, all these teams in the West, I’m not saying they fear the Utah Jazz, but they don’t want to play them," he said.

Utah was without five key players — including two regular starters on Wednesday night due to injury. But at full strength, Kokoskkov believes the Jazz can matchup with anybody.

“They could easily match up with Golden State, Houston, Denver, all of those teams,” he said. “It’s not just because I have a lot of friends there, people I care about. I strongly believe that they have a chance to go all the way to the end of May.”

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