A.K. still missing stroke

Saturday morning, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said Andrei Kirilenko is "struggling with his shooting" — and suggested the forward from Russia is on his own when it comes to sorting out those woes.

"I'm trying to give him an opportunity to get himself going, or whatever he has to do," Sloan said of Kirilenko, who was hitting just 35.5 percent from the field in his first five games back after missing five with a sprained right ankle sustained in a Nov. 11 visit to Milwaukee.

"I can't run to him every minute and say, 'Andrei, please, do this and this.' I'd like for him to take the role himself," Sloan added. "He's a star player. He has to take the responsibility, whatever it is, for him to get out there and make shots or take shots he can make."

Saturday night, Kirilenko hit an efficient 4-of-6 and finished with 11 points in Utah's 109-107 win over Seattle.

By Sunday morning, his club preparing to host the Bucks tonight, Sloan was praising Kirilenko — for just about everything but his shooting.

"He did a terrific job whenever he was handling the ball a few times," the Jazz coach said. "He made some good passes and executed very well in what we were doing in the halfcourt game."

Still, Sloan hinted, Kirilenko must come to terms with his true range.

"The only thing I can say is, when you've got open shots, I think you have to be a threat," he said. "On the other hand, you've got to say ... 'Why am I always open out there in this particular area of the floor?'

"That goes with anybody — when you're open out there, probably teams don't think you can make that shot."

THANKS, NO THANKS: If the 14-4 Jazz continue their current pace, there's a good chance Sloan could be tapped to coach his first NBA All-Star Game.

"I'm not going to talk about that," he said Sunday, cringing at the suggestion. "I've got too much to worry about here."

Suffice it to say, the Jazz coach — not a big fan of the league's winter showcase and all its excess — would much rather spend All-Star Weekend tinkering with the tractors on his Illinois farm than cruising the Las Vegas Strip.

GO MO: The Jazz gave Mo Williams a shot, selecting him in the 2003 NBA Draft's second round and watching him show signs he could have a long, lucrative career in the league.