Arroyo may be available for tonight's Jazz game

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Dec 12, 2003 | by Tim Buckley Deseret Morning News

Usual Jazz starting point guard Carlos Arroyo took part in practice drills Thursday morning, but his availability for tonight's Delta Center game against the Sacramento Kings won't be made until today.

"He'll make that decision in the morning," Jazz spokesman Kim Turner said.

Arroyo has missed eight straight games with a resprained left ankle.

The Jazz for now are listing usual backup Raul Lopez as their starter tonight at the point, but if Arroyo is ready to play he probably will start, as earlier this week head coach Jerry Sloan said Arroyo will get his job back whenever he is ready to return.

PUB APLENTY: Arroyo and teammate Andrei Kirilenko are the primary subjects of a three-page feature story on the Jazz appearing in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated.

"Behind the coaching of a rejuvenated Jerry Sloan and the play of Kirilenko and Arroyo . . . Jazz basketball (is) exciting to watch," author Chris Ballard wrote.

The surprisingly 12-9 team also was the subject of a recent ESPN.com column by ESPN The Magazine writer Ric Bucher titled "Jazz's New Band of Brothers," and a USA Today writer was in town the past two days reporting for an upcoming story on Sloan and the Jazz.

SIR CHARLES, AND KENNY, SPEAK: Outspoken TNT analyst Charles Barkley, the former NBA star, and his sidekick Kenny Smith recently were heard singing the Jazz's praises.

"I love Matt Harpring, I love Kirilenko," said Barkley, who called Sloan the league's best coach. "Greg Ostertag -- he's never gonna be no all-MVP. But you know what? He's a big body. You have to look out for him. And the kid Arroyo is terrific also."

"You normally watched the Utah Jazz, it's like you knew what to expect, and it got a little boring," Smith chimed. "But these guys -- they make exciting plays, and they play all-out. They leave it on the floor, 100 percent on the defensive end and the offensive end."

NO STARS: The three Jazz players listed on this season's NBA All- Star ballot -- Kirilenko, Harpring and Ostertag -- are nowhere to be seen among the early leaders, according to the first round of vote totals released by the league Thursday.

Kirilenko and Harpring do not rank among the West's top-10 forwards, meaning they each have garnered fewer than 10th-place Amare Stoudemire's 61,502 votes. Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan lead all West forwards with 539,280 and 515,009, respectively. Ex-Jazz star Karl Malone, by the way, is fourth among West forwards with 180,826, just behind Dirk Nowitzki.

Ostertag does not rank among the West's top-five centers, meaning he has fewer than fifth-place Rasho Nesterovic's 37,484 votes. Shaquille O'Neal leads with 535,380, followed by Yao Ming 414,063.

Kobe Bryant easily leads all West guards, with Steve Francis just ahead of Gary Payton for the second starting guard spot.

In the East, Vince Carter and Jermaine O'Neal are the leading forwards, Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady the top guards and Ben Wallace the runaway leader at center.

Fan balloting is still ongoing.

E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com