McLeod hopes for an earlier return

The Jazz said Tuesday starting point guard Keith McLeod could miss up to two weeks due to his strained right hamstring, but McLeod hopes he's back much earlier.

"I feel a lot better than I did (Monday)," he said Tuesday, "so I don't think it should be that long, as long as I do the things I need to do with (Jazz trainer) Gary (Briggs)."

McLeod was hurt reaching back for an errant pass in the waning seconds of Sunday's blowout loss to Seattle.

"I cut back the wrong way going for the ball," he said.

With McLeod out for tonight's rematch with the Sonics, backup Raul Lopez will start at the point and veteran combo guard Howard Eisley will back him up, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said.

There are no current plans to sign a free-agent point, Sloan added.

Meanwhile, the Jazz hope to reach a contract buyout agreement by this morning with veteran center Elden Campbell, acquired along with a lottery-protected 2006 first-round draft choice in last Friday's trade with Detroit for ex-starting point Carlos Arroyo.

Campbell will be waived when an agreement is reached, allowing injured-list big man Jarron Collins to be activated.

"Whenever Kevin (O'Connor, the Jazz's basketball operations senior vice president) tells us that's been consummated," Sloan said, "then we'll go ahead and put (Collins) out there."

One other option: If there is a snag with Campbell, McLeod could go on the injured list to make room for Collins on the 12-man active roster. In that scenario, McLeod would sit out at least five games — or until Feb. 7.

MONITORING MINUTES: Sloan would have liked to have been able to use All-Star forward Andrei Kirilenko more in Sunday's fourth quarter, but it was only Kirilenko's second game back after missing 26 with a sprained medial collateral knee ligament.

Kirilenko showed more hops Sunday than he did in his first game back Saturday. But his closely monitored minutes were capped Sunday at 14. The Jazz will continue to limit his minutes at least another couple games, O'Connor said.

"It was tough to take him out of the ballgame the other night," Sloan said, "because you know you're able to compete with him a little bit better.

"We're excited about getting him back, but on the other hand we have to be cautious," the Jazz coach added. "He wants to play more, but that's what our orders are."