Point guard Arroyo thinks it's time for him to start again

HOUSTON — In the midst of a five-game losing streak, former Jazz starting point guard Carlos Arroyo is calling for his job back.

"I'm upset," Arroyo said after the Jazz's 99-80 loss at Houston on Sunday night, "because I want to play."

Arroyo fell out of favor with Jazz coach Jerry Sloan after a sideline flare-up between the two last month, but the two publicly made amends a few days later.

Arroyo logged 12 minutes against the Rockets, coming off the bench third behind current starter Keith McLeod and backup Raul Lopez in the opening half, and second behind McLeod in the second half.

He has not started in the Jazz's last nine games, a stretch in which Utah has gone 1-8, and he logged just one minute in last Friday's loss to Sacramento.

In the 16 games Arroyo has started this season, the Jazz are 5-11.

"I want to play," said Arroyo, who started every game in which he played last season. "I want to help this team win, and I know I can."

Sloan did make a change to his starting lineup Sunday, opening with Curtis Borchardt at center over Aleksandar Radojevic.

But he kept his point guards the same, starting McLeod for a fourth straight game.

"We're making some changes, and I want to be part of the changes," said Arroyo, who signed a four-year, $16 million contract this past summer. "Hopefully, it's coming. Hopefully soon, because I'm sick and tired of nobody telling me why I'm not playing. I want to play. That's why I signed here for four years."

As for the switch at center, Sloan gave Borchardt his first NBA start Sunday. Doing so meant benching Radojevic, who started six games so Mehmet Okur could offer a scoring option off the bench.

"I want to play (Borchardt), and see where he is," Sloan said. "The other guy (Radojevic), I think, has struggled a little bit in the last couple games."

The Jazz must decide before Jan. 10 whether or not they will guarantee Radojevic's contract for the rest of the season. He played only three garbage-time minutes Sunday.

Borchardt, meanwhile was less than thrilled with his 0-for-3, three-rebound, 20-minute night.

"I just want to be ready and give us energy," he said, "but I didn't play particularly well out there."