Jazz get some encouraging news on the injury front
Utah Jazz fans aren?t used to this, but there?s some slightly good news on the injury front as the regular-season opener approaches.
Two players who?d missed recent practices participated with the team Sunday as it continued to prepare for Tuesday?s game at Portland.
Derrick Favors, who?s been out the past few weeks while dealing with IT band and knee issues, participated in part of Sunday?s practice. Backup big man Boris Diaw, bothered by a right leg contusion, went through the full team workout.
While Diaw seems likely for the season debut, it remains uncertain whether Favors will be able to play that night.
Because Favors has been out for most of training camp, Jazz coach Quin Snyder acknowledged that it might take the seventh-year power forward a while to knock some rust off of his game and get back into sync with his teammates.
?I think we saw it with Rodney (Hood) the other night,? Snyder said, referring to the starting shooting guard returning after dealing with a sprained left hand. ?There's the tactical component, as in you don't know where you're going, and there's an instinctive level of understanding that you can't achieve, even in practice."
The Jazz will start the season without their best player, small forward Gordon Hayward, and without key reserve Alec Burks due to injuries.
It?s not the ideal way to begin a new campaign, but other Jazz players are intent on rallying around the missing guys.
?You lose two of your best players (and) obviously you want to have them on the court ready to go and everybody healthy,? Hood said. ?We?ve got guys that are going to compete. We?ve got to see what happens. Hopefully we get those guys back quicker than we expect.?
The Jazz haven?t put a timeline on anybody?s return, but sources told the Deseret News that Hayward was expected to miss six weeks of action after he broke his left ring finger two and a half weeks ago. If he?s out that long, the versatile 6-8 wing will miss the first 13 games of the season.
Burks continues to rehab from a June knee surgery.
The Jazz have been without three or four players in recent practices and games because of health issues, giving some a flashback to an injury-plagued 2015-16 season.
?That?s just the way it goes,? Jazz point guard Dante Exum said. ?We?ve talked about we have to adjust and keep adjusting throughout the season. You don?t know what?s going to happen. Take me for example.?
Exum missed his entire second NBA season after tearing the ACL in his left knee while playing with the Australian national team in the summer of 2015.
Based on their preseason games, the Jazz would likely begin the season with a starting lineup of George Hill, Hood, Joe Johnson, Diaw and Rudy Gobert if both Hayward and Favors are sidelined Tuesday night.
Utah Jazz fans aren?t used to this, but there?s some slightly good news on the injury front as the regular-season opener approaches.
Two players who?d missed recent practices participated with the team Sunday as it continued to prepare for Tuesday?s game at Portland.
Derrick Favors, who?s been out the past few weeks while dealing with IT band and knee issues, participated in part of Sunday?s practice. Backup big man Boris Diaw, bothered by a right leg contusion, went through the full team workout.
While Diaw seems likely for the season debut, it remains uncertain whether Favors will be able to play that night.
Because Favors has been out for most of training camp, Jazz coach Quin Snyder acknowledged that it might take the seventh-year power forward a while to knock some rust off of his game and get back into sync with his teammates.
?I think we saw it with Rodney (Hood) the other night,? Snyder said, referring to the starting shooting guard returning after dealing with a sprained left hand. ?There's the tactical component, as in you don't know where you're going, and there's an instinctive level of understanding that you can't achieve, even in practice."
The Jazz will start the season without their best player, small forward Gordon Hayward, and without key reserve Alec Burks due to injuries.
It?s not the ideal way to begin a new campaign, but other Jazz players are intent on rallying around the missing guys.
?You lose two of your best players (and) obviously you want to have them on the court ready to go and everybody healthy,? Hood said. ?We?ve got guys that are going to compete. We?ve got to see what happens. Hopefully we get those guys back quicker than we expect.?
The Jazz haven?t put a timeline on anybody?s return, but sources told the Deseret News that Hayward was expected to miss six weeks of action after he broke his left ring finger two and a half weeks ago. If he?s out that long, the versatile 6-8 wing will miss the first 13 games of the season.
Burks continues to rehab from a June knee surgery.
The Jazz have been without three or four players in recent practices and games because of health issues, giving some a flashback to an injury-plagued 2015-16 season.
?That?s just the way it goes,? Jazz point guard Dante Exum said. ?We?ve talked about we have to adjust and keep adjusting throughout the season. You don?t know what?s going to happen. Take me for example.?
Exum missed his entire second NBA season after tearing the ACL in his left knee while playing with the Australian national team in the summer of 2015.
Based on their preseason games, the Jazz would likely begin the season with a starting lineup of George Hill, Hood, Joe Johnson, Diaw and Rudy Gobert if both Hayward and Favors are sidelined Tuesday night.
