A huge question coming into the season was who would emerge as the Jazz's starting shooting guard.

With Ronnie Brewer having answered that one unequivocally, all the other contenders have been vying for backup minutes. The latest to get them: third-year swingman C.J. Miles, who assumed the role in Friday's win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Miles got the call instead of combo guard Ronnie Price, who didn't play at all Friday after shooting 1-of-10 from the field while backing up Brewer for three straight games, and Gordan Giricek, who earlier had lost his backup job to Price.

And it came as something of a surprise.

"I just ran to the scorer's table," he said. "Wasn't nothing else I could do. I wasn't gonna say no.

"When I got a chance," added Miles, who had logged just 51 minutes over nine games before Friday, "I just went out and tried to play hard, tried to stay within the offense, not try to do anything crazy and just not be a dropoff."

Whether Miles will retain the role, however, remains uncertain.

"I'd like to give all these guys some minutes," coach Jerry Sloan said Sunday, before the Jazz practiced for tonight's game against Miami. "I'm kind of searching around."

At various times this season, Sloan has also used starting point Deron Williams, starting small forward Andrei Kirilenko and backup point Jason Hart at the 2.

He also suggested Sunday he hasn't squashed the idea of sticking with No. 3 point Price as Brewer's primary backup: "I might go back to that," Sloan said. "A lot of times who we're playing will dictate that."

In the meantime, it's Miles — who started 12 straight times at the start of last season — first off the merry-go-round.

"I'm just gonna take the same approach and stay ready, like I've been doing every game," he said.

What Miles will try not to do is making something happen too quickly in his limited minutes.

"That happens," he said. "But because I've been in this situation before, I got to the point where I don't really try to force it as much like I used to when I knew I had to do something to prove. Now, if I let it come, most of the time it works out better."

SECURITY CONCERNS: He works in Utah. But his family has been living in Miami, where his young son Carmani continues to battle sickle cell anemia.

In light of last week's murder of Sean Taylor during a burglary attempt at the Washington Redskins safety's Miami-area home, it's all cause for pause by Jazz power forward Carlos Boozer.