Now he'll be playing for Larry Brown, who in his career has had problems with discontented players of his own. It will be another learning experience for Arroyo. He can still have a good career in the NBA. But he needs to memorize something many NBA players never do: It's not a matter of wanting to play (who doesn't?), it's about doing whatever it takes to play.

He needs to do anything his coach requires, even if it doesn't fit his personal agenda as well as it could.

He needs to grow up.

Arroyo's career challenges aren't over. He's behind Chauncey Billups and Lindsay Hunter — Detroit's combination guards — which means he still probably won't be starting. Like Sloan, Brown believes in defense and hard work in practice. Whether Arroyo will meet Brown's expectations is hard to gauge. If he learns from his experience in Utah, he'll get more playing time. If he complains and sulks on the bench, he'll be regarded league-wide as a problem player, one few teams will want to consider.

As recently as Thursday, Arroyo seemed to be softening his position, which seemed a wise move. He said he "never wanted a trade" and intended to play out his contract in Utah. But it was too late. Apparently the Jazz thought the damage had been done and no amount of reconciliation would fix things.

In the end, it wasn't simply about playing time. It was about a clash of opinions on how the game should be played. It was about learning something Jazz players have been learning for 17 years: It's Sloan's way or the highway.

Harsh as it sounds, the philosophy has served the Jazz well. They are having a bad year, but playing Arroyo wouldn't have changed that. And keeping him around wouldn't have made things better.

Because sometimes splitting up is the only answer.

Before everyone goes down in flames.

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E-mail: rock@desnews.com