He rolls with force to the rim and he's hurt us on some of his rolls the first couple times we've played them. He's an excellent player. – Jazz coach Quin Snyder, on Andrew Bogut

SALT LAKE CITY — First-year Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder and one of his players, center Enes Kanter, have drastically different opinions of Golden State big man Andrew Bogut.

Snyder considers Bogut a definite difference-maker for the Warriors, who brought an NBA-best 36-7 record into Friday night's matchup with the Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena.

But Kanter says Bogut, the former University of Utah All-American who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, is "nothing special."

"The most obvious thing defensively is just his rim protection," Snyder said of the 7-foot Bogut, who's averaging nearly 2.0 blocked shots a game this season. "I think he anchors a lot of things that they do.

"He's very communicative from what I can tell and, on the offensive end, they play through him quite a bit because he is such an excellent passer and so unselfish. He attacks the rim on offense, too.

"He rolls with force to the rim and he's hurt us on some of his rolls the first couple times we've played them," Snyder said. "He's an excellent player."

Kanter, though, would disagree.

"Andrew Bogut, big guy, knows a little Turkish," Kanter said following Friday morning's shootaround. "I don't know what to say about him. He's just a down-low big guy, nothing special."

True to Kanter's comments, Bogut's stats this season might qualify as "nothing special."

After all, the Warriors' big man is averaging 6.8 points, 8.7 assists and 2.8 assists per game in 29 games, and he's missed 14 ballgames due to injuries and illness.

But it's notable that, in the 29 games when Bogut has played, the Warriors have piled up a mighty impressive 27-2 record.

And experts around the league know that Bogut's defensive presence down low, along with his rebounding and passing ability, make him one of the key components for a Golden State squad that is a legitimate NBA championship contender this season.

NBA'S BEST BALLCLUB: Asked if he would consider the Warriors the best team in the NBA this season, Snyder didn't hesitate to respond.

"Oh, yeah, I think everybody would," he said. "The way that they play and the way they compete together, I think that'd probably be uniform across the league.

"They have the ability to adjust. They can take advantage of every situation — you name it, they're able to do it and do it well."

Asked what challenges Golden State brings its opponents, Snyder said, "I mean, every aspect of the game. Defensively, obviously, they're the best defensive team, the best offensive team, the best shooting team, the best passing team.

"They put so much pressure on you to defend in so many situations that it's a great test. If you ever want to figure out where you're weak defensively, play Golden State — they'll show you."

FRUSTRATING BUT FUN: Snyder admitted that his first season as a head coach hasn't gone as well as he wished it had, as the Jazz brought a 16-30 record into Friday night's game against Golden State.

But he's still having a good time.

"Frustrations are a part of it," he said. "I wouldn't know what to do if there wasn't some level of frustration. I'd rather call it challenges.

"And fun? I feel any time you get to do something professionally that you enjoy doing, it's pretty special. And I feel like I've gotten that opportunity, so I appreciate it."

NOT AN ALL-STAR YET: Fifth-year shooting guard Gordon Hayward, Utah's leading scorer with 19 points per game, was passed over in this year's selections for the Western Conference squad that will play in the NBA's annual All-Star Game.

But Hayward, who also averages 4.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, didn't seem too concerned.

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"We don't have enough wins as a team," he said. "Once we start winning as a team, then there will be a lot more people recognizing (what he's doing)."

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: Rookie point guard Dante Exum was inserted into Utah's starting lineup five games ago, with second-year guard Trey Burke being moved into a reserve role.

Asked how he thinks the 19-year-old Exum has handled the starting role, Hayward said, "I think he's doing well. He's adjusted pretty smoothly. We just asked him to compete and play hard and make sure he's guarding people, and he's done that so far."

EMAIL: rhollis@desnews.com

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