Sloan not blaming Arroyo for team's recent slump

The Jazz are just 3-5 in his eight games since returning from an ankle sprain.

But starting point guard Carlos Arroyo, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan suggested Monday, is being unfairly blamed for Utah's recent woes.

"He's not the reason why we're losing," Sloan said Monday. "I don't think he deserves all of the problem — because we've got a lot of other things that are not going right."

That said, Sloan believes there's a reason Arroyo is seemingly struggling.

"Sometimes," Sloan said, "he gets confused — as all players get confused — because of the pressure the other team puts on you, and the things they do to take you out of some of the stuff we do in an offense. If there's any doubt, it's not going to work. "And that's what teams do — they come out and try to put doubt in your mind."

Arroyo is averaging nine points, 37.7 percent field shooting and 2.6 turnovers per game — all worse than last season's averages of 12.6 points, 44.1 percent and 2.2 turnovers.

BORCHARDT, MCLEOD QUESTIONABLE: No. 3 center Curtis Borchardt, who did not play Saturday in San Antonio because of soreness in his surgically repaired right foot, and No. 3 point guard Keith McLeod, who did not play in Saturday's second half due to a groin strain he sustained before the game and aggravated during first-half play, are both "day-to-day" and questionable for tonight's Delta Center game against Phoenix, Jazz trainer Gary Briggs said Monday.

Briggs said Borchardt has residual soreness, and Jazz basketball operations senior vice president Kevin O'Connor said the 7-footer is an injured-list potential candidate.

"We knew going in that he's had some problems," Sloan said of Borchardt, whose foot is held together by surgical pins. "We just have to go on about our business, and play. If we have to play five guards . . . I don't have a problem with that."

Sloan said he wants no one "to play hurt," including McLeod.

"I didn't know he had hurt his groin," he said. "If I had to do it over," the Jazz coach added, "I wouldn't have played him. I would have let everybody yell at me, 'Where's Keith?' You know, that's a familiar sound now."

McLeod was the Jazz's starting point when Utah, without Arroyo, opened the season 6-1.