Utah Jazz: Defending Carmelo Anthony could fall to Wesley Matthews

DENVER — With news coming Friday that veteran small forward Andrei Kirilenko will be out for at least two more weeks after reinjuring his already strained left calf Thursday, replacement starter C.J. Miles surely will get to know Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony quite well in coming days.

Backup shooting guard Kyle Korver may have to take a turn or two on Anthony, and backup power forward Paul Millsap may get a shot at putting some muscle on the 28-plus-point scorer, too.

But the one who could assume even more time than previously planned gives up about three inches to Anthony, is an undrafted rookie from Marquette and is the reason the Jazz felt comfortable enough to make a cost-trading deal in February that sent former starting shooting guard and one-time lottery pick Ronnie Brewer to Memphis.

He's (relatively) new starting shooting guard Wesley Matthews, son of ex-NBA player and (with the Los Angeles Lakers) NBA title-winner Wes Matthews.

The younger Matthews wasn't high enough on the draft radar of many teams last June, but after impressing Jazz brass during summer-league play in Orlando, he's wedged his own way into the NBA.

And here he is now, with defensive assignments against the likes of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant and LeBron James already under his belt and, mostly likely, Anthony in the playoffs on the horizon.

Matthews' big break came during training camp, when Miles sustained a thumb injury that required almost immediate surgery and Korver was bothered by a knee problem that prompted eventual arthroscopic surgery.

"He was in shape to play and compete and not lose his concentration, and he's done a good job for us," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said.

"I (told him), 'If you come and play defense and work at your defensive game, you can help our team and you'll be able to play,' " Sloan added. "But little did we know he was going to get as many minutes as he got (during the regular season)."

Putting so much faith in a rookie — let alone an undrafted one — can scare some coaches come playoff time.

Sloan — uncharacteristically, some would argue — hardly seems concerned.

"That's always a possibility," Sloan said of a rookie wilting under playoff pressure.

"But he's stood up to most of the things," the Jazz coach added. "He has a thing or two go wrong once in a while, but as long as he keeps playing hard and keeps his nose to the grindstone, I think he'll be just fine."

e-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com