Utah Jazz: Coach in a jam over playing time

Ronnie Brewer or Kyle Korver?

The slasher or the shooter?

Who do you play?

That last query, by the way, came out of Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's mouth the morning after Utah edged Denver 98-94 in Wednesday night's NBA season-opener.

"That's the question mark you have," Sloan said while responding to a question about playing-time distribution for the shooting guards. "One guy's a real threat to step out on the floor and make shots and people guard him out there, and that gives us a little better chance sometimes for our people inside."

That guy — aka Korver, who scored 11 points — came off the bench but got all of the 2-guard time in the fourth quarter as he resumed his role of being the closer.

The other guy — aka Brewer, who scored 15 points on 5-for-9 shooting — started but only played 20 seconds after handing the shooting-guard baton off to Korver midway through the second half.

Remarkably, the two just about evenly split the 2-guard playing time — almost as if Sloan had a timer going — with Korver logging 24:25 of action and Brewer getting 24:20 in against the Nuggets.

Deciding which of the two completely different players with different weaknesses and strengths to go with — Korver's range/hustle or Brewer's athleticism/improved shooting? — is part of the coaching game within the game Sloan will have the blessing/curse to toy around with this season.

"Right now, Ronnie certainly looks like he's earned some more minutes (down the stretch)," Sloan said. "So I've got a little logjam there trying to get everybody minutes."

Things will get even more crowded when Matt Harpring returns from rehabbing his ankle and C.J. Miles is thrown into the shooting guard mix.

For now, some PT decisions aren't as clear-cut as you might assume.

For instance, Sloan was tempted to insert Brewer, who's quicker and considered to be a better defender, back into the lineup in the fourth quarter when the Jazz's defense struggled during the Nuggets' 14-point comeback.

While watching game tape, though, the 21st-year Jazz coach saw that "it wasn't any better" at times defensively with Brewer out there.

Their Denver counterparts — Allen Iverson and JR Smith — combined for 35 points on 13-for-27 shooting.