Gordan Giricek has decided to respond to his recent benching the best way he knows.
With humor.
"Just making fun out of it," said Giricek, who after losing his backup shooting guard spot to Ronnie Price had not played at all in three games leading up to the Jazz's late-starting meeting Friday with the Los Angeles Lakers. "That's the only way."
He wasn't kidding.
After sitting out last Sunday in Detroit, Giricek searched for the bright side, pointing out that at least he won't get injured.
Wednesday in Philadelphia, after a three-game trip in which he never got off the bench, the veteran from Croatia jokingly told reporters: "Strike one, strike two, strike three. I'm out."
Said Giricek on Friday: "It's not (frustrating), because I'm making fun out of it — so, it's OK. It's good."
Asked if he thought that was a healthy approach, Giricek said, "Well, I don't know. I guess. I guess it's good. I mean, it works for me, right?"
Giricek said he hasn't discussed the matter with coach Jerry Sloan, but he has been taking an early bus to road games to get in extra work.
"He has a reason why he doesn't play me. And, you know, that's his thing," Giricek said of Sloan. "I know I worked good, hard, and nobody can take that away from me. So, that's all I can say."
Asked if he wants to remain in Utah, Giricek — a subject of offseason trade rumors who in the final year of a four-year, $16 million contract with the Jazz — responded, "Yeah, why not?"
DOWN ON THE FARM: Sloan, incidentally, bought season tickets for the Utah Flash's inaugural D-League season in Orem and watched Thursday's win over Bakersfield from his third-row seat at McKay Events Center.
No fewer than five current Jazz players, meanwhile, also were on hand Thursday for the Jazz affiliate's game.
Ronnie Price (who played at McKay for Utah Valley State), Paul Millsap (whose brother John Millsap plays for the Flash), Ronnie Brewer and C.J. Miles watched from baseline seats, while Giricek looked on from halfway up the bleachers at midcourt.
OH CHUCK: Sloan on Friday responded to this quote from retired NBA star Charles Barkley, the current TNT analyst: "The Lakers are going to be the seventh or eighth seed (in the Western Conference playoffs), and they are going to lose in the first round. And let me tell you something, Denver is not legit. Denver is not an elite team. The reason the (San Antonio) Spurs are the best team in the West is they play defense. (Nuggets forward) Carmelo (Anthony) says 'our word of the day is defense.' It can't be the word of the day; it has to be in your DNA. The Spurs are the best defensive team; the only team that has a chance to beat them is Utah. Phoenix (doesn't) play defense, I watched them give up 130 points to Golden State the other night. You're not going to outscore a good team."
Said Sloan: "Well, Charles talks a lot. He always has."
SO WHAT: Sloan didn't feel too bad about the New York Knicks scoring just 59 points in their Thursday loss to Boston. "We lost to the Chicago Bulls in a playoff game; we scored 56 points," the Jazz coach said.
GOOD THREADS: Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, on point Deron Williams' photo in a Men's Journal fashion spread: "He's got the nice preppy Illinois look ... I put him on with my stylist out of New York, and he uses him ... He (Williams) picks his own style; I just put him on with a guy that gives him good threads."
TV TALK: The NBA on Friday announced that ESPN has dumped its planned national coverage of the Jazz's Dec. 19 game at Charlotte and instead will air Detroit at Boston. The Jazz-Bobcats game still will be carried in Utah by FSN Utah.
E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com