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Earlier today the Utah Jazz announced that starters Derrick Favors and Rodney Hood will both miss tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns. Those two will join Alec Burks — who missed the previous game against the Portland Trail Blazers — as regular rotation players who will not suit up tonight.
Jazz Injury Update:
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 5, 2016
• Burks (rehabilitation) - OUT
• Favors (left knee soreness) - OUT
• Hood (left hand sprain) - OUT#UTAatPHX
This is an update from the submitted and published game notes that the team had sent to the NBA earlier today. It doesn’t appear to be serious though.
Not sure. Hood did have ice on his left hand (and both knees) after Monday's game. https://t.co/gRkdIfvBBQ
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) October 5, 2016
Both went through all of shootaround. If this were the reg season, they'd be playing tonight https://t.co/Vqsu7N5GTY
— Tony Jones (@tribjazz) October 5, 2016
I’m fine with that. Hood (8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 three, 1 steal) and Favors (14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal) are quite known at this point. Both men have guaranteed contracts for the upcoming 2016-2017 season, and guaranteed rotation spots. I’d say both are virtual locks for starting spots unless something crazy happens.
Something crazy is not likely to happen, though. What is inevitable, though, is that the team is going to have to make some cuts at some point. Probably not after two games, but in order to trim the roster down from 20 the brain trust is going to have to see what some of these guys have. Similarly, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gordon Hayward sit out game three for the same purpose (that will be against the Los Angeles Clippers).
The starters for tonight will be George Hill, Dante Exum, Gordon Hayward, Boris Diaw, and Rudy Gobert.
And that means we’re expecting to see a little time that may trickle down to both guards and bigmen as a result. I don’t know if that means rookies Marcus Paige, Quincy Ford, and Joel Bolomboy are going to get some more run. And I don’t know if that means guys like Henry Sims or Eric Dawson are going to see the court.
But what I do know is that we don’t need to worry about Quin Snyder / Dennis Lindsey sitting our starters right now. And we do need to figure out as much as we can with limited time. Sitting guys out of games is a smart way to make a little more time where you can.
The Jazz will tip off against the Suns tonight at 8:00 pm. Exum on the floor with Diaw at the same time is going to be something fun to watch, if you like passing. How they match up against Earl Watson’s Suns is going to be something else entirely.
Stay tuned for our game preview coming up shortly!