The Jazz begin their longest road trip of the season Wednesday night and, as usual, they'll be playing without forward David Benoit. But Benoit - who has been out since Nov. 10 with a torn hamstring - says it should be the last road trip he'll miss.
"I'm feeling pretty good," said Benoit this week. "But I still have a ways to go."Benoit tore the hamstring in a game at the Delta Center against the Atlanta Hawks. Although the Hawks lost, they went on to become one of the hottest teams in the league. Benoit went into what will probably be about seven weeks of recuperation.
The Jazz forward, who started the first four games of the year, said he can now run on the treadmill and the leg is at about 70 percent of normal. He said he expects to miss the Jazz's entire five-game road trip, which begins in Minnesota Wednesday and ends Dec. 23 in San Antonio. But he expects to be back for the Dec. 27 game in the Delta Center against Minnesota.
What Benoit's status will be upon his return is uncertain. Though he was the team's starting small forward, he got off to a rocky start, making just four of 17 shots (.235). Meanwhile, rookie Bryon Russell has been one of the bigger surprises in the league, starting the last 17 games and playing well. Then there's Tyrone Corbin, a starter last year who is only now beginning to come out of a deep shooting slump.
"Where I fit in is up to the coach," Benoit said. "But I don't think I was so terrible that it caused me to lose my spot. I feel I can come back and work as hard as the other guys and prove the position is really mine."
But is it?
"I still feel it's my spot," Benoit continued.
Sloan said "ordinarily we don't punish a guy for being hurt" but stopped short of saying he will have his old starting spot returned immediately.
"It depends on how he's feeling," said Sloan. "We may bring him back and use him a little to start, when he's warmed up. We'll just have to see. We just want to make sure we do the right thing as far as the injury is concerned."
If he starts, though, there is no guarantee he will play more minutes than Corbin or Russell, Sloan said.
Certainly having three players at small forward capable of starting is a new experience for the Jazz. In past years, Thurl Bailey was the one and only starting small forward. The Jazz's depth at that position was usually suspect. But with the veteran Corbin and the improving Russell available, Benoit could find playing time tough to come by.
Meanwhile, he said he hopes to get confidence in his leg back. "I've had plenty of time to think about that," he said. "But once I run up and down the court, I'll be OK. After I get that first dunk, it'll be all right. It'll be like `I can't believe it, I can do this.' "