Harpring takes shot – and gets a shout out – from Coach Epidural

The guy some fans refer to as Jerry Sloan Jr. – and if they don’t, maybe they should – was back on the court for the Utah Jazz tonight.

And while Matt Harpring got plenty of playing time, his coach wasn’t about to give him much sympathy for bouncing back into action four days after getting an epidural shot to relieve pain in his strained lower back. He missed five games with that injury.

When asked after Utah’s 114-87 win over the Raptors if he’s ever seen someone play so soon after getting that type of a shot to the spine, Sloan quickly responded:

“Myself. I’ve had about eight of them. I’ve come back every time. Matt’s not that tough.”

But, seriously folks.

Sloan, obviously, has never had to take one of those punishing screens from the former football standout.

After joking that the shot is “pretty non-invasive,” Sloan transitioned from Harpring one-liners to heaping praise on Harpring. The backup small forward, who’s dealt with an ankle infection and the back issues, scored 14 points with seven rebounds in his best 11-1/2 minutes of the season.

“We’re glad to have him back. He’s a tough guy. He plays hard.”

Sloan also believes the hard-nosed Harpring is a role model for the junior Jazz members.

“Young guys who are sitting on the bench on our team should be able to watch him, watch how he attacks people with his body … standing you up and you’ve got to step back up outside,” Sloan said.

Sloan even liked that Harpring came out firing off the bench Friday, though it probably helped his mood that he hit those two quick jumpers to jumpstart his 6-for-9 shooting night.

“That’s why he’s played off the bench and has been so effective for us. You’ve got to somebody that’ll step out there and they don’t take 10 minutes to get warmed up and he’s always had that ability,” Sloan said. “He’s a bulldog that way and that really helps our team.”

While a lot of focus has been made about how the Jazz might be a better team when Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko all get back to 100 percent, Sloan believes Harpring’s health also figures to play a key role in the team’s success this year.

“He has a tremendous impact on our team the way he plays and the way he attacks people on the offensive end of the floor,” Sloan said. “And he goes after the basketball. He makes you a better player.”