Price moves into Giricek's backup role

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Gordan Giricek played zero minutes in the Jazz's 103-93 win Sunday at Detroit.

Ronnie Price played 14, and that's no coincidence after what coach Jerry Sloan suggested is — at least for the foreseeable future — a changing of the backup shooting guard.

"I'll give him a chance to play a little bit," Sloan said of Price, the Utah Valley State product who signed with the Jazz as a free agent from Sacramento this past offseason. "He hasn't had, really, a chance to play."

That was certainly the case until last week, when Price first filled in last Monday for usual backup point guard Jason Hart while Hart missed a win over New Jersey so that he could attend his grandmother's funeral, then again last Friday, when he scored 12 points in 15 minutes off the bench at the 2 spot during a victory over New Orleans.

By the time the Jazz visited the Pistons on Sunday, the one-time No. 3 point was Utah's new No. 2 shooting guard — and Giricek was left to wonder when he'll be worked back into the lineup.

"What can I do, right?" Giricek asked. "I don't know how much time I have. But we'll see. I mean, I really don't know ... I don't play (Sunday). At least I cannot get injury, right?"

As hurt as Giricek may have been over the demotion, Price seemed proud of the promotion.

He didn't say as much afterward.

But it sure showed in his play, especially on the defensive end of the floor, where the 6-foot-2 combo guard was continually posted up by 7-inches-taller Tayshaun Prince — and continually denied Prince down low.

"They tried to post him up some," Sloan said of Price. "He just got up and got his body on the guy and played him, instead of backing off of him. He was not afraid. Hopefully, by doing that, he'll get more comfortable with other stuff that we're doing.

"He got his body on (Prince), and that's all you ask guys to do," Sloan added. "But some people don't like their body to touch anybody."

Price didn't seem to mind, a mere fact that had Sloan beaming much more than the victory.

"I'm not looking for who I can get 20 points (from), or anything like that," Sloan said. "Just play, pass the basketball, defend, and do what you've got to do."

Sloan suggested he did not for a second consider altering the matchup, even though Price — who finished with two points, one assist and one steal — yielded so much height.