Millsap feels Miles' pain regarding injured thumb News Utah Jazz

MADRID ? While swingman C.J. Miles was in New York to undergo surgery on the left thumb ligament he ruptured during practice earlier this week in London, teammate Paul Millsap was sitting in a chair at Palacio de DePortes here and feeling Miles' pain. While Miles' injury seems more severe ? Millsap said his was a partial tear, and it was on his left, non-shooting hand, while Miles is a southpaw ?

it's quite similar to the one that the Jazz power forward dealt with this past offseason. Millsap tore his thumb ligament during the Jazz's playoff series loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and then, after surgery, spent much of the summer rehabbing. "Mine wasn't as serious of a situation as C.J.'s (because) the season was about to start for him ? and the season was ended for me," Millsap said. "So, it's a different scenario. But I managed through it. His best thing is to stay in shape and be ready for these two months." That's roughly the amount of time, thanks to experience, Millsap figures Miles will be out. In any event, Miles expects to miss the Oct. 28 NBA regular-season opener for the Jazz , who on Tuesday lost a preseason game to Chicago in London and who today play an exhibition against Spanish League power Real Madrid. "It might take a little bit of time for him to get the range of motion back in his thumb," Millsap said, "but you don't shoot the ball with your thumb, so he should be all right. "For me, it was maybe six weeks max before I got back on the court to play pickup," he added. "But that's because it was on my off-hand, and it didn't really bother me at the time. I just put a brace on it and played with it." Millsap said his thumb's range of motion still isn't the same as it once was, but that hasn't proven particularly problematic since training camp got under way late last month. MEMORIES: Walking into Palacio de Deportes on Wednesday was a moving experience for Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko, who in 2007 led his Russian national team to the FIBA EuroBasket European championships title with a 60-59 win over host Spain in the very same building. "When you step in the arena, when you have such memories, you pump yourself a little bit," Kirilenko said. "That was big-time." OH RICKY: The decision of Spanish teenage sensation and Minnesota Timberwolves first-round draft choice Ricky Rubio to stay in Spain rather than jump to the NBA season was a hot topic for Spanish reporters at practice Wednesday. "He's definitely a guy ahead of the time. I'm very sorry that he can't go and play in the NBA right now for a couple years," Kirilenko said of Rubio, who has a huge buyout clause on his current Spanish League contract. "But probably it's a good experience for him to play a couple years in Europe and put himself in a position to be a leader of the team, and to be a major player so he can go to the NBA with confidence. "Everyone expects him to play at the highest level and be a major star in the NBA," Kirilenko added, "but it's hard to predict because it's such a tough league." BODY CLOCKS: The pitfalls of overseas travel continue to play games with the Jazz , who didn't arrive in Madrid until about sometime after 4 a.m. local time Wednesday. "I still haven't adjusted. My clock's still all messed up," point guard Deron Williams said. "It's just different, you know. I don't really want to get adjusted to this time, because we have to go back in a day and get back adjusted to being at home. "You know, it took me until about a quarter to warm up (in Tuesday's loss to the Bulls at London) until I even felt, like, I felt my legs." Confusion abounds as to what time the Jazz actually arrived in Madrid on Wednesday morning, as some thought it was 4, Kirilenko said 5, several said 6 and one even thought it was 8 a.m. MISC.: Williams shed his knee brace by the end of the London game, but the joint still aches. "It's sore," he said. "It's tendinitis, man. ? It hurts, and there's nothing you can do about it." ? Two Utah Valley State products who have played in the NBA ? Real Madrid's Travis Hansen, formerly with the Atlanta Hawks, and Jazz guard Ronnie Price ? had wide smiles when they greeted each other Wednesday on the floor of Palacio de Deportes. ? Williams took part in a promotional event for sponsor EA Sports on Wednesday, and was last seen sitting at an outdoor table doing a television interview on a plaza in the heart of Madrid. e-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com