The Utah Jazz activated guard Keith McLeod from the injured list after being out since December 6th with a moderate strain of the left adductor muscle.  

McLeod will replace guard Howard Eisley on the roster after Mr. Eisley was placed on the injured list with left Achilles tendonitis.

The Nuggets are reportedly showing some interest in Jerry Sloan?s top assistant of 17 seasons in Utah, Phil Johnson.

"He said they were interested, that's all," Johnson said of a "very brief" phone conversation with Vandeweghe, who fired Bzdelik on Tuesday after 2 1/2 seasons and the Nuggets in the midst of a six-game losing streak. "He wants to talk."

Johnson, who has been rated as the NBA?s top assistant coach in a survey of the league?s managers in October, is not sure he wants to take over a team in mid-season after a rough experience in Kansas City, taking over a team in midseason is much more awkward than during the summer - he knows from experience, having assumed the Kansas City Kings' reins midway through the 1973-74   season - and it leaves the coach's current team in a difficult situation, "so maybe that makes you less inclined [to seek the job]. But we'll see," he said.

The SuperSonics beat the Jazz in Utah for the first time since Feb. 1, 2000, winning Monday 98-88.

"To beat them here at home, mentally it is a challenge," Nate McMillan said. "I thought our guys kept their composure and played through the aggressive play. In the second half, I thought we got stronger."

The Sonics converted 25 Utah turnovers into 23 points.

The Toronto Raptors pulled of a 98-86 victory over the Utah Jazz Wednesday night, however, at least one Raptor is not happy.  Raptor Jalen Rose came off the bench for the first time in 78 games with the Raptors and despite his 12 point performance and the win, Mr. Rose is not happy.

"Honestly, I feel like I've been shown the door," Rose said afterwards.

This latest development only serves to add fuel to the fire, rather the whispers of a Jalen Rose trade rumors being murmured around the league.

When is the last time you heard the words 'Jazz' and 'feud' used in the same sentence?

According to Phil Miller that is exactly what is happening in Utah right now as the frustrated Jazz try to get their season back on track.  Miller writes that the coach and his point guard aren't speaking, the defense has all the inviolability of a speed bump, and the record to this point is now the worst in 22 years.

So whats the solution?  Hopefully a trip East according to guard Raja Bell.

"We need a change of pace," said Bell. "We need some different surroundings. Sometimes it's good for guys to be forced to be with each other and just think about the team and how we can be better."

Coach Jerry Sloan cancelled the Jazz's practice Thursday, preferring to get an earlier start on the team's  cross-country flight from Phoenix. So the coach had no interaction with Carlos Arroyo, the point guard he benched Wednesday as punishment for an argument between the two one night earlier.

"We'll probably talk at some point," Sloan said before Wednesday's loss to the Suns, but apparently neither side has made a move toward resolving the disagreement yet.

A solid Utah team that was picked by many to place high in the West has struggle as of late with the injury of their star guard, the very athletic Andrei Kirilenko.  Now with the latest news, the Jazz will have to stay afloat for at least another month while Kirilenko recovers from a knee sprain.

Kirilenko must wear a brace during ?walking hours? and spends several hours a day in a hyperbaric chamber that forces extra oxygen into his bloodstream in hopes of speeding up the recovery process.

The Jazz can only hope it works before it is too late.

As the trade winds blow through the NBA one team who consistently fails to even rate a mention is the Utah Jazz.  There is a good reason for this writes Phil Miller of the Salt Lake Tribune, because the Jazz haven't even  finished evaluating their current roster.

"People like to talk, but I think it's important that we find out who we are first," he said. "We're still finding out what we need, what we don't need, what we have already. . . . You always have conversations, but I would say there's nothing serious going on for us right now."

Still, he added, "if we can do something to improve the team, we're going to do it, as always."

According to Phil Miller at the Salt Lake Tribune the outlook on Andrei Kirilenko does not look good.  Kirilenko, who injured a ligament in his right knee on Nov. 27, won't even begin to rehabilitate the sprained MCL until the Jazz return from their upcoming eastern road trip at Christmas, the Jazz's medical staff has determined. While nobody can predict how long a rehab will be necessary, Miller writes don't expect to see the Jazz's all-star in uniform for another month.

"He understands this is a slow process," said Jazz trainer Gary Briggs. "We're still in the healing process now. [After Christmas], we'll get to the rehab phase."

"The doctors have explained to him, if his little boy runs into him, if he slips on the stairs, if he steps on a stone walking across the street and tweaks the ligament again, we're back to day one," Briggs said.

"It's tough to really defend anybody," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, when asked about the new methods of officiating after losing to the Sonics by a final score of 129-119 on Wednesday night.
     
"If you can't put your hands or your forearms on anybody, then guys can pretty much go where they want to go, and then get to the free-throw line," Sloan added. "That does increase scoring ? when you are standing at the free-throw line making baskets when the clock's not running."