It didn't happen.

Prior to the Jazz's afternoon practice, Sloan said he likely will cut his bulky 19-player roster sometime before Monday night's exhibition game at the Delta Center against the Phoenix Suns.

Asked why he was waiting, Sloan said, "Because we haven't made up our mind. You want to be fair if you do cut someone. I've always tried to be fair. And you don't want to make a mistake. That's happened. I'm not infallible."

The steady improvement of the young players on the Jazz's roster contributed to Sloan's decision to hold off cutting any of them.

"Are they getting better?" he said. "Every day I ask our coaches that question and they've all agreed with me. They are all a little bit better than they were three of four days ago. Now, is that good enough? I don't know."

As a former player, Sloan knows the Jazz's veterans probably want to see a smaller roster so their roles in the preseason could be increased.

Artest the best?

After playing a critical role in the Jazz's 102-101 win at Toronto on Wednesday night, 18-year-old rookie C.J. Miles did not get off the bench in a 99-92 loss to the Pacers on Thursday night.

"I didn't want to put him out there against Ron Artest, to be honest," Sloan said. "Artest is a great player."

Motivated, too.

Artest scored 23 points in his first game since serving a season-long suspension last year. It resulted from his part in the infamous brawl that spilled into the stands during a Pacers-Pistons game in Detroit last November.

Miles "is a young kid," Sloan said. "We want to help him grow up, not set him back."

Teammates meet

They used to practice against each other daily in San Antonio, so Devin Brown knew what to expect when he drew the assignment to defend Pacers guard Stephen Jackson on Thursday: physical play and an endless hunt for open shots.

The matchup was an entertaining one, and had to be considered a draw - which, considering Jackson's greater experience and status as a regular on a title contender, is an encouraging sign for the Jazz.

"It was fun. We didn't have a chance to talk a whole lot, but we know each other's games pretty well," said Brown, who is expected to greatly expand his playing time with Utah.

The former Spurs teammates shut each other down in their eight minutes together in the first quarter, with Brown missing two shots and Jackson missing all three of his - including one that the 6-foot-5 Brown blocked. Jackson also fouled Brown once, and the Jazz guard drew an offensive foul as well.

In the third quarter, Jackson drove past Brown for a hoop and nailed a 20-footer, but he missed a couple of other shots that Brown defended well. The final tally: Jackson outscored Brown 6-2 while they were guarding each other, but needed seven shots (making only two) to do it.

"He's going to shoot threes, that's what he's out there for," said Brown, who stayed close to Jackson on the perimeter. "And [the Pacers] like to post their guards, so you have to watch for that."

Different styles

The grind-it-out style of the Pacer veterans was a contrast to the run-and-shoot tactics of Toronto's rookies a night earlier, and Brown said the Jazz will benefit from those differences. "It's good to play a finesse game one night and a power game the next," the guard said. "Some nights, guys are going to be running at you, other nights they're going to bang you. We've got to be ready for both styles."

Preseason schedule

Mon. Phoenix 7 p.m.

Thur. x-Portland 8 p.m.

Oct. 25 y-L.A. Lakers 8:30 p.m.

Oct. 26 at Houston 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 28 Denver 7 p.m.

x-at Eugene, Ore.

y-at Anaheim, Calif.