"Jazz forward Paul Millsap does not sit around and wait for Wesley Matthews to suddenly return. Utah guard Ronnie Price said that the current Portland Trail Blazers guard is still a personal friend, but now an on-the-court enemy. And Utah forward C.J. Miles believes that his team is doing perfectly fine without Matthews, an undrafted player whom the Jazz discovered, helped raise, and then were forced to watch unceremoniously leave. Thirty games into the 2010-11 season, Utah is living life without Matthews. And while the former Jazzman is putting up All-Star-caliber numbers for the Blazers, his old team is not just adapting — it is excelling. Utah (21-9) leads the Northwest Division by a half game over Oklahoma City and is tied for third place in the Western Conference with the Los Angeles Lakers. To Millsap, the fact that the Jazz have been able to successfully replace Matthews with a varied assortment of trusted veterans, one-time castoffs and unproven rookies is a tribute to the intelligence of Utah's front office. "That's a good choice that the executives made bringing guys in to fill that spot," Millsap said Sunday prior to practice. "Everything happens for a reason. We're our team, and that's the team that we've got to live with for the rest of the year." Some believe, though, that the Jazz as currently constructed are good but not great. And if Utah is lacking anything, it is a dangerous wing player who can consistently knock down outside shots — drawing pressure off of the Jazz's big three of Deron Williams, Millsap and Al Jefferson — and provide lock-down defense. Matthews initially appears to be the perfect missing piece. The best traits of his game — perimeter shooting, ballhandling, dribble penetration, running the fast break, defense — were clearly evident last season, when he averaged 9.4 points and 2.3 rebounds as a rookie for the Jazz. But when asked whether Utah needs to add one more star athlete to the team's 13-player roster, Price and Miles insisted that the Jazz are strong enough as currently constructed." Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/jazz/50940458-87/matthews-jazz-team-utah.html.csp
