After the Jazz's win over New Jersey on Monday night, coach Jerry Sloan ripped a bit into starting shooting guard Gordan Giricek.
      "He took off like the game was all his, to begin the ballgame," Sloan said after Giricek made 3-of-6 from the field in the game's first seven-and-a-half minutes. "He shot every time he got it. And, fortunately, he made it. So it's hard for you to say too much in that situation."
      That, though, didn't exactly slow Sloan.
      "But if Giri just sticks to what we're trying to do — not what he wants to do all the time — we'll be fine. He'll be a much better player, as I see it, with what we're trying to do out there on the floor," he said. "But he has a tendency to think 'there's only one way to play,' and that's like he played in Europe."
      Before coming to the NBA, Giricek played in Russia and in his native Croatia.
      "And I'm not questioning his European ability to play over there. (But) sometimes I question how we play as a team," Sloan said. "He gets shots in the game. But he's also got to pass the ball to other people, to make them happy. Players don't like to play with a guy who never passes. Even if a guy is sitting on top of the rim, sometimes you've got to pass it.
      "He could make a contribution to this team, because he is very talented. He can defend," the Jazz coach added. "But it's up to him to stay focused and do that. And I don't think he's totally committed to this program at this stage, like I think he has to be to be successful."
      On Tuesday morning, Giricek responded.
      "If he says so, I will try to pass it. I mean, if I am open I will shoot the ball; if I am not open, if I see somebody else open, I'll pass," he said. "It's just a matter of recognition in the ballgame. So, I'll do my best.
      "Sometimes it gets to my head," Giricek added of frequently being told by Sloan that he needs to pass more, "and then, when I start to think about it, I start to get confused. But I'll try just to do my best. I'll get it in my mind, and if I see somebody open of course I'm gonna pass. I never didn't pass on purpose, that's for sure."
      Asked if he thought teammates want him to pass more, Giricek said, "I don't know. Some days they say, 'Shoot,' some days, 'Pass.' I just try to play my game, you know, and be useful for the team, and listen to the coach. You know, I'll try to do whatever he asks me to do. This is the only thing I can say."
      Giricek, though, did offer one other thought.
      "I'm a shooter — I think I should shoot the ball, right?" he said. "So, I'll continue to play as I know how to play, and try to help the team. And, also, I will have everything on my mind that Coach says, and I will try to get better in that."