AK OK with coming off bench News Utah Jazz

In eight games as a starter this season, Jazz small forward Andrei Kirilenko averaged 13.5 points and 4.6 rebounds. Since he started coming off the bench six games ago, though, the 2004 NBA All-Star has averaged 15.8 points and 7.3 boards. "I don't think it's any connection to coming off the bench or starting the game," Kirilenko said. The Jazz's highest-paid player moved back to the bench, which he came off most of last season, when coach Jerry Sloan addressed a recent two-game absence for point guard Deron Williams by starting rookie Eric Maynor in Williams' place, starting rookie Wesley Matthews at shooting guard and starting usual starting shooting guard Ronnie Brewer in Kirilenko's spot at small forward.

Even after Williams returned, though, Matthews stayed in the opening lineup and Kirilenko continued to come off the bench. "It doesn't really make a huge difference for me," said Kirilenko, who is expected to play as a sub for a seventh straight time when the Jazz host Chicago tonight. "I'm still playing, like, 30, 35 minutes, so that's not the point." Kirilenko's stats have improved, in fact, despite the fact his minutes per game have dipped from 37.9 as a starter to 33.0 as a sub. The 235-pound Russian offered no explanation for the incongruence, but did suggest some extra muscle he put on during the offseason has proven beneficial lately in late-game situations. "I can kind of hold my speed during the whole game, and don't be tired in the fourth quarter," said Kirilenko, who added he's been eating better and doing extra weightlifting before practices in an effort to maintain his weight, which typically drops as the season progresses. "So, I feel like that's really helped." Kirilenko, incidentally, needs two blocks to pass Greg Ostertag for second place behind Mark Eaton on the Jazz's all-time blocks list and 90 more minutes played to pass Adrian Dantley for sixth place in franchise history behind Karl Malone, John Stockton, Eaton, Darrell Griffith and Thurl Bailey. CHASING BOARDS: Williams is averaging 4.9 rebounds per game this season, which is two more than last season and 1.6 better than his 2005-06 season career-best of 3.3. And it's no mere coincidence. "It's just something I wanted to be better at," he said. "You know, I felt like I could get more rebounds. "A lot of times I defer to Booz (power forward Carlos Boozer) and (center) Memo (Okur), because they get a little mad," Williams added, "but it's better sometimes for me to get the rebound because then I go ahead and start the fastbreak, so I've been trying to be more conscious about going after the Basketball . . . I'm just trying to think about it more, react to where the Basketball's gonna be at." RARE CONCESSION: Sloan made a rare concession to injury woes after Tuesday's loss to Oklahoma City. "It's not like I've got the full complement of players. But that's part of it. I'm not complaining," said Sloan, who complimented the efforts of Matthews and Maynor while perimeter veterans C.J. Miles (thumb surgery), Kyle Korver (knee surgery) and Ronnie Price (sprained toe) have been out. "They've done a good job to get us even to this point, in my opinion," Sloan added. "And if we can stick together and play together and not turn the ball over so much, we'll be just fine." The Jazz committed 24 turnovers in their loss to the Thunder, three more than their previous season-high of 21 miscues in a Nov. 11 loss at Boston. TV TALK: Tonight marks the Jazz's second TNT game of the season. They're 1-1 on major national cable to date, beating San Antonio last Thursday on TNT but losing their opener to Denver on ESPN. e-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com

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