Jazz make five cuts, will start year just 11 healthy players
The Utah Jazz took their roster from 20 to the limit of 15 on Saturday, waiving five players.
Utah Jazz have cut Brian Cook, Dominic McGuire, Justin Holiday, Lester Hudson and Scott Machado.
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) October 26, 2013
While those moves are necessary and the 15-man limit is a strict one, the Jazz are left in a precarious position. Trey Burke, Marvin Williams, Brandon Rush and Jeremy Evans are all currently unavailable, so the team will enter the season with only 11 healthy players.
Three of the waived players can be assigned to the D-League should they agree. However, the Jazz share Bakersfield as an affiliate with four other teams and may not opt to do that.
Here's how the five players cut performed in the preseason:
| Name | Games | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biran Cook | 6 | 10.7 | 6.2 | 1.8 | 0.5 |
| Dominic McGuire | 5 | 10.4 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 0.6 |
| Justin Holiday | 7 | 10.4 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Lester Hudson | 5 | 14.8 | 4.6 | 2.4 | 2.2 |
| Scott Machado | 6 | 11.5 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 2 |
The Jazz opted for recently-signed veteran Jamaal Tinsley over the less experienced Scott Machado as the third point guard. Tinsley will probably see run behind John Lucas while Burke recovers.
Mike Harris, a 30-year old with a few brief NBA stints on his resume, got the nod as the final wing over Lester Hudson, Justin Holiday and Dominic McGuire.