Matt Harpring might have gone to bed a little angry Monday night, but he woke up Tuesday with a calmer perspective: His coach was just doing what Harpring had asked.

The Jazz forward was enraged when Jerry Sloan sent Kris Humphries in for him just 33 seconds into overtime of Utah's 105-102 victory over Memphis on Monday, upset that Sloan would call a premature halt to one of the most effective outings Harpring has had all season. Harpring snapped at the coach as he walked to the bench, and Sloan shot right back at him: "I can't play you anymore."

Well, it might have been a little more colorful than that.

The reason for the benching was spelled out in writing: Harpring's knee surgeon had sent Sloan a letter outlining his recommendations for Harpring's activity while he continues to recover from April surgery. Limit his playing time to 30 minutes a game, the letter specified, and no back-to-back games.

Harpring had played a key role in the Jazz's amazing rally from 18 points down against Memphis, making five of his seven shots in the second half. But he had played 32 minutes - more than he was supposed to. Sloan finally, reluctantly, subbed out one of his most effective offensive weapons, then was shocked when Harpring got mad.

"I'm a competitor. I wanted to play," Harpring said of his challenge to Sloan. "Once I slept on it, I realized it's not his fault. I'm not mad at him, I'm not mad at anyone. It was just tough to sit there."

Sloan's reply: He thinks he had the tough part?

"I just go on what I'm told. Everybody wants to keep playing when they're going good, but it's his people who made the decision, not me," Sloan said. "I don't ever want to screw a guy's career up."