No time for end of bench

LOS ANGELES — Rookie big man Robert Whaley has played in just two of the Jazz's last four games, logging a grand total of 63 seconds. In fact, he has played more than eight minutes in only one of the Utah's last eight games.

Second-season forward Kris Humphries has dressed for but did not play in the Jazz's last four games and five of the last eight. He has played more than eight minutes once in the last 11 games.

Healthy rookie guard Andre Owens has not played since Dec. 21, dressing but not appearing in four games since then and watching from behind the bench while on the inactive list for the other seven.

Rookie shooting guard C.J. Miles has not played since Dec. 20 and has appeared in only two games since Dec. 1. He has been assigned to affiliate of the NBA Development League while the Jazz have played their last five games and was healthy but inactive for seven straight games prior to that.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, the 19-18 Jazz have turned their season around since Christmas — relying on a strong dose of healthy, more-veteran players to win eight of their last 10.

"It's pretty tough to play 12 guys," coach Jerry Sloan said Sunday, "when Andrei (Kirilenko) is playing 40 minutes, and Memo (Okur) and those guys are playing some pretty good numbers."

Sloan has shortened his rotation to 10: Kirilenko (who has played 40 or more minutes in six of the last seven games), Okur, Matt Harpring, Keith McLeod, Deron Williams, Milt Palacio, Jarron Collins, Greg Ostertag, Gordan Giricek and Devin Brown.

Of the 10, only rookie Williams has played in fewer than three NBA seasons. Winning, in other words, has come at the expense of the development of the some of the Jazz's youngest.

But so be it, Sloan suggested.

"I feel bad . . . I'd like to play 12 guys every night," the Jazz coach said. "That would be the nice thing to do, to keep them occupied and active, and hopefully growing. But that's difficult."

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: The Jazz appear to have newfound respect for today's opponent, a 19-14 Los Angeles Clippers team currently holding down a Western Conference playoff spot.

Said Kirilenko: "Everybody knows the Clippers are a good team right now." Added Ostertag: "It's not the Clippers of old, where you can count on a win."