Benoit Gets Chance and Comes Through : Jazz: Rookie forward blocks out father’s terminal illness and plays a key role.

Rookie forward David Benoit of the Utah Jazz left the team when the regular season ended and returned home to Lafayette, La., to be at the bedside of his father, Clifton, 43, who has terminal cancer.

“I thought it would be the last time I’d see him,” Benoit said. “They said he was sick earlier, but finally he went to the hospital and he found out that it had spread throughout his entire body. It’s one of those things you can’t control.”

When Benoit returned to Utah, his mind was still at home with his father and Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan didn’t play Benoit much in the first four games of Utah’s playoff series against the Clippers.

“I think the reason Coach Sloan didn’t use me in the beginning was that he wanted to give me a chance to start thinking basketball again,” Benoit said.

But when the Jazz got off to a horrible start against the Clippers in Game 5 Monday night at the Delta Center, falling behind by 15 points as forward Karl Malone missed seven of his first eight shots and guard John Stockton got into early foul trouble, Sloan inserted Benoit. The rookie came through, scoring 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 33 minutes off the bench as Utah defeated the Clippers, 98-89.

“If you take away his production we win the game by eight points,” Clipper center Olden Polynice said of Benoit. “He was incredible. He was the difference, I don’t care what anybody says. It wasn’t Karl and it wasn’t Stockton, David Benoit was the difference tonight. We hadn’t seen him much the whole season, but he played 33 minutes tonight and they were the biggest 33 minutes I’ve ever seen.”

Benoit’s father, who is still clinging to life after undergoing treatment, called a talk show on Salt Lake City radio station KISN before the game, but sportscaster Dave Blackwell, thinking someone was playing a practical joke, was skeptical.

“You’re David Benoit’s father and I’m Whitney Houston,” Blackwell said.

After being convinced that the call was legitimate, Blackwell told the elder Benoit that his son probably would not play a lot against the Clippers.

But with Utah trailing 52-40 at halftime, Sloan inserted Benoit into the starting lineup in the third quarter in place of Blue Edwards, and Benoit was the catalyst as Utah outscored the Clippers, 33-25, in the quarter, scoring nine points.

Said Sloan: “Benoit was sensational. He came off the bench and gave us a great lift defensively.”

Matched against Clipper forward Danny Manning, who had scored 18 points in the first half, Benoit helped limit Manning to only six points in the second half.

Benoit also produced on offense, scoring 12 points in the second half as the Jazz outscored the Clippers 58-37.

With the Clippers leading 77-70 after Charles Smith made two free throws with 19 seconds left in the third quarter, Benoit hit a three-point shot with one second remaining off a pass from Stockton to trim the Clipper lead to four points going into the final period.

With the Jazz leading 88-84, Benoit hit another three-pointer with 4:27 remaining.

“Those were big three-pointers, but I never thought John was going to pass me the ball,” Benoit said. “I didn’t think it was going to come my way. But I was ready and I was able to get the shot off.

“I’m always grateful for the opportunity because you never know when it will come around. Tonight I got an opportunity and I took advantage of it.”

Signed by the Jazz as a free agent after spending last season in Malaga, Spain, where he was voted the Spanish League Rookie of the Year, Benoit almost became a Laker after graduating from Alabama in 1990.

Benoit played for the Lakers’ summer league team, but he injured his foot and they didn’t sign him.

“They didn’t take a chance on me,” Benoit said. “That’s just life. Sometimes you get a chance and sometimes you don’t.”