In the space of a few months, the Utah Jazz went from thinking they'd signed their long-term point guard to shipping him off to Detroit.

But they still think they may have a guy who can play that position for a long time.

Maybe two guys.

The Jazz got whomped by the Memphis Grizzlies, 110-94, Saturday night at the Delta Center, but it wasn't the fault of starting point guard Keith McLeod.

The second-year starter out of Bowling Green made 7 of 11 shots for 15 points, with seven assists and only two turnovers. His Grizzly counterpart, Jason Williams, scored nine points, with three assists.

"McLeod's a good player," said Jazz assistant coach Gordon Chiesa. "He's got talent. He's under-rated."

And the Jazz are still high on Raul Lopez, too, though he didn't have one of his better nights against Memphis.

"The future is really Keith McLeod and Raul Lopez," Chiesa said. "We like them both."

But hearing Chiesa talk, you get the feeling they may like McLeod just a little better. In the midst of the recent Carlos Arroyo upheaval, many fans of the Jazz—and Arroyo — said they couldn't understand how the team could pay Arroyo $4 million to sit on the bench, while McLeod was starting and making a lot less.

Chiesa points out, however, that salary isn't necessarily a measure of a player's value. Nor is draft status.

"Carlos Arroyo was never drafted," Chiesa said.

Like Arroyo, McLeod was a free-agent signee who had bounced around some before coming to Utah. He played with Minnesota, in the CBA and also in Italy.

The big question with a young point guard is whether he's a what-you-see-is-what-you're-going-to-get-type guy, or whether he has potential to improve. Chiesa thinks McLeod falls into the latter category.

"McLeod has upside potential," he said. "He's tough, he has good defensive instincts, he's a good driver to the basket, he gets the other guys involved. We like his progress very much.

"He plays good defense. Given the opportunity, he'll surprise a lot of people."

As for Lopez, Chiesa said, "Raul can shoot and he's still learning."

What is he learning? "Defense," Chiesa said. "Keeping the dribbler in front of him, being more physical, even though he's slight of frame."

One thing fans can't expect is for one of these young guys to blossom overnight. Even John Stockton spent time as Rickey Green's understudy before taking over the starting point-guard job with the Jazz.

"The learning curve in the NBA is tough, especially for point guards," Chiesa said. "It's the toughest position in the league. That's why there are so few good ones."

One thing both players have shown the coaching staff is a willingness to stay after the other players have ceased practicing and work on things like their outside shooting. A few seasons ago Howard Eisley spent countless hours working with Chiesa after practice, and it paid off in terms of a lucrative contract from the Knicks and a long career.

"Both of them do," Chiesa said of McLeod and Lopez. "That's why we like both of them. These guys' heads are on straight. They're good people, they want to sacrifice for the team."

But even while Jazz management has confidence in these guys, Chiesa said they can never rule out the possibility that someone else will come along who is even better.

If that happened, Chiesa said, "We'd have to look at him. Absolutely."

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E-mail: rich@desnews.com