While Arroyo was going from indispensable to unwanted, the Jazz was going from the early leaders in the Northwest Division to taking up residence in the cellar. Forward Andrei Kirilenko, the NBA's most unlikely star player, was lost to a sprained right MCL on Nov. 27. The hope at the time was that the Jazz might get Kirilenko back before Christmas, but his absence stretched on for nearly two months, a stretch during which the Jazz went just 6-20, demonstrating Kirilenko's value. Kirilenko returned last night in Utah's 110-94 home loss to Memphis, playing 12 relatively uneventful minutes. Kirilenko can be expected to play about 15-20 minutes tonight.

That's about 15-20 more than the Seattle SuperSonics would like to see him play. While the Jazz's head-to-head domination of the Sonics in recent seasons has been ascribed to many factors and predates Kirilenko's arrival in Salt Lake City, it's tough to overstate how important the gaunt Russian has been. Kirilenko's 6-10 frame and long arms make him one of the toughest matchups for Sonics forward Rashard Lewis, who averaged 11.0 points on 31.6% shooting against Utah in 2003-04, when the Jazz won three of four matchups. With Kirilenko sidelined, those numbers have exploded to 22.5 ppg and 53.1% shooting as the Sonics won their first two matchups of this season with the Jazz. It will be interesting to see if Sloan alters his usage of Kirilenko - who came off the bench last night - to ensure a matchup with Lewis in this game.

Of course, Seattle is hardly the only team Kirilenko disrupts defensively. Second-team All-Defense a year ago, Kirilenko was even better this year before being injured, averaging 4.4 blocks per game - more than 50% than the next best shot-blocker (San Antonio's Tim Duncan). Kirilenko's absence has devastated the Jazz on defense; Utah's Defensive Rating (?) is a ridiculous 15.4 points per 100 possessions better with Kirilenko in the lineup (of course, the Jazz is 10.3 points per 100 possessions better on offense with him too; plus-minus data points to Kirilenko being as valuable as anyone in the NBA).

The key is that while Kirilenko plays small forward, his ability to help weak-side and clean up penetration is like that of a 7-foot center, a Duncan or a Hakeem Olajuwon. Utah's top two big men, Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur, block shots about as often as they vote for president. That was acceptable alongside Kirilenko, but without him meant opponents made a beeline to the basket and either got layups or free throws out of the deal. Overall, the Jazz rate as the NBA's worst defensive team on a per-possession basis even with Kirilenko playing 15 games; in the 26 games he missed, they were probably one of the worst defensive teams in NBA history. That will start to change with Kirilenko's return, though there's only so much he can do while his minutes are limited.

The Sonics enter tonight's game with defensive concerns of their own, having allowed 228 points in consecutive KeyArena losses to the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. The two teams did it in different ways, the Nuggets getting to the basket time and again and the Timberwolves bombing away from the perimeter. After winning the first two games of a five-game homestand, the Sonics now stand the risk of going below .500 if they don't win tonight. That makes this an important game psychologically before the Sonics head out on a three-game road trip. Seattle has responded well to losses throughout the season, and needs to do the same now.

G U A R D S
	After going undrafted and spending a year in Italy, Keith McLeod looked like he was headed back as a rookie, doing little productive in Minnesota when forced into action behind Sam Cassell. In the cradle of point guards, McLeod has improved dramatically this season. While he remains a weak shooter (37.7% fg), McLeod is averaging 7.6 points and 4.9 assists and has posted a 2.68 assist/turnover ratio. He's also far and away the Jazz's best point guard on the defensive end of the court. Sonics guard Luke Ridnour set a career high in scoring for the second time in less than a week Friday, recording his best shooting game ever with 19 points on 7-for-8 from the field.
	Sloan has rotated Gordan Giricek and Raja Bell at shooting guard, with Giricek getting the nod recently. Giricek is a shooting specialist, but he's become more consistent at doing that since being traded to Utah last February, shooting 47.5% from the field and 42.9% from downtown this season. Add in his 89.7% shooting from the free-throw line and Giricek barely earns entry in the prestigious "180 Club" of the NBA's best shooters (for a combined percentage total of 180 or better). Sonics guard Ray Allen was a 180 Club member in 2000-01, but is unlikely to do so again because of the heavy defensive pressure he faces as the Sonics go-to scorer.
F O R W A R D S
	Despite Utah's poor record without Kirilenko, it would be most unfair to criticize his replacement in the starting lineup, Matt Harpring. Considered the Jazz's co-go-to player with Kirilenko last season before undergoing knee surgery, Harpring hasn't missed a beat in his return to the starting lineup, averaging 15.6 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 49.2% from the field. Legal requirements force Harpring to be called a "hard-nosed" defender; while he's not the difference-maker Kirilenko is, he's very capable one-on-one. Still, Lewis will be much happier if Harpring's name appears in the starting lineup at small forward.
	One of the pleasant developments of the 2004-05 campaign for the Jazz has been finding out that Boozer can be successful as a first option on offense. After building his reputation as a garbage player in Cleveland, Boozer has pushed his scoring average to 19.7 points per game this season without sacrificing any efficiency - he's still shooting 52.7% from the field. Boozer is also a fine rebounder, pulling down 9.4 boards per game. His defense has been an issue, and Sonics forward Reggie Evans got loose for nine points, including five free throws, in the last matchup. Evans also helped force Boozer into eight turnovers, but Boozer scored a career-high 36 points in the meeting before that.
C E N T E R
	Looking to bring Okur off the bench, Sloan has tried several options at center this season. Most recently, the wheel has landed on Eastlake High School grad and one-time Stanford center Curtis Borchardt, who has had difficulty staying healthy during his NBA career. When healthy, Borchardt has yet to be particularly productive, averaging less than 11 rebounds per 48 minutes and shooting 38.8% from the field over the last two seasons. Sonics center Jerome James was very effective against Minnesota, doing a capable job of defending Kevin Garnett while scoring 11 points before fouling out.
B E N C H
	Okur (right) and Bell give Sloan the luxury of bringing two double-figures scorers off the bench. Of course, the Sonics, with Antonio Daniels and Vladimir Radmanovic (left), can make the same claim. That should make the bench battle an important one this evening. Okur's shooting ability spreads the defense, while Bell is Utah's best perimeter stopper. Kirilenko's presence makes the Jazz's reserves group even stronger. Lightning-quick Raul Lopez - who could give the Sonics trouble with his penetration - and veteran Howard Eisley both see time behind McLeod. Minnesota's smallball style in Friday's game neutralized the Sonics bench, keeping Danny Fortson and Nick Collison from being able to make much of an impact. Look for the Sonics to try to re-establish Fortson's important role this evening.

TEAM LEADERS ALLEN BOOZER Allen 23.9 PPG Boozer 19.2 Evans 8.3 RPG Boozer 9.4 Ridnour 6.2 APG McLeod 4.9 Ridnour 1.3 SPG Kirilenko 1.4 Lewis 1.3 BPG Kirilenko 4.4 Allen 40.5 MPG Boozer 36.4