While giving Jazz players the upcoming Phoenix-hosted All-Star Weekend off, coaches voted to reward guards Chauncey Billups (Denver), Tony Parker (San Antonio) and Brandon Roy (Portland) along with big men Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas), Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers), David West (New Orleans) and Shaquille O'Neal (Phoenix).

The West's fan-chosen starters include Chris Paul (New Orleans), Kobe Bryant (Lakers), Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix), Tim Duncan (San Antonio) and Yao Ming (Houston).

Before the announcement was made Thursday evening, Ronnie Brewer said at practice he thought the Jazz trio "had a good chance to make the team.'

Carlos Boozer was an All-Star the past two seasons, and Okur earned the merit in 2007. The Jazz's most-recent honoree prior to that was Andrei Kirilenko in '04.

Brewer wouldn't be surprised if Williams used not being named again as motivation. The Jazz point guard was named second-team All-NBA last season and was selected as a U.S. Olympian last summer but has yet to receive All-Star recognition.

"I think he takes it personally -- for getting snubbed," Brewer said.

Missing 13 games with a severely sprained ankle certainly didn't help Williams' cause. Utah's 25-21 record likely didn't do any of the Jazz players any favors, either.

"Hopefully, he'll get to be an All-Star player. We think he is and all that," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who voted for seven players but as per NBA rules couldn't select any of his own guys. "But I can't say he's got to play, it's not my job. Other people have to pick him."

Sloan didn't divulge whom he voted for, but he said the Jazz staff try to be "as fair as we can" while evaluating potential All-Stars. The two-time NBA All-Star with the Chicago Bulls doesn't believe in playing games or trading votes.

While extra time off in mid-February might be ideal for his players, Sloan also said he likes for them to be part of the festivities.

"I wish all of our guys could be on the All-Star team," he said. "But the bottom line is you've got to look and see how much you win and things like that, and evaluate how guys are playing.

"I can't control it and don't pay much attention to it anyway."

MORE SHARING: With the Jazz now knowing Kirilenko will be out long-term after getting arthroscopic surgery done on his right ankle today, Sloan will have an extra 30 minutes per game to spread out among his players that are still standing.

The Jazz coach isn't planning on repeating the PT distribution used in Tuesday's loss to the Spurs, during which all five starters played at least 38 minutes while five subs who saw action combined for less than 31 minutes.

Beginning tonight, he'll likely split time "probably more than what I did the other night," Sloan said. "I probably pushed guys a little far and probably got them a little tired."

BAD, BAD LOSS: Williams readily admits that losing earlier this month to Oklahoma City, which at the time was last in the league, wasn't exactly a good thing.

But he also makes a case that the loss to the Thunder, who visit tonight, won't necessarily be the one that stands head and shoulders above as the season's worst when all is said and done.

"We've got a lot of bad losses," Williams said. "Denver was a bad loss the other night. New York, Charlotte, Washington when they were 0-8. I can go down the list. Milwaukee. Chicago twice.

"We've had some bad losses we wish we had back," he added, "but I'm sure every team every year can go back and be like, 'If we hadn't lost this one, if we hadn't lost that one.' ... That's how it goes."

ANALOGY TIME: If life is like a box of chocolates, that makes a deep bench like -- an extra Michelin? That's a comparison Sloan made regarding his team's deep-but-diminishing set of reserves.

"You've got a good spare tire," he said, "but if it doesn't hold up then what are you going to do?"

Maybe hope like heck the shop quickly repairs and patches up the other two tires?

BOXED UP: Like all other NBA coaches outside of Minnesota, Sloan received a GPS unit (the "Double-Double Machine") as a creative way of trying to help All-Star wannabe Al Jefferson of the T-Wolves find his way to Phoenix for the star-studded game.

The 66-year-old Sloan self-deprecatingly admitted he hasn't tried out the technology yet.

"I don't know how to open the box," he joked. "That's the only problem I have." E-mail: jody@desnews.com tbuckley@desnews.com