Ruffin awaits a shot to play

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — He's been along for the ride all season long, including Utah's current six-game road swing, with visits already to Philadelphia, Washington, New Jersey and Boston.

Today's stop: Detroit, for a meeting with the Pistons in the first game of a back-to-back set that closes with Monday night's trip-ending faceoff in Chicago.

Michael Ruffin, however, could not care less what city the nomadic Jazz are in.

Because he's as uncomfortable in the passenger's seat as he is behind the bench, which is where the injured-list big man has been parked since late October due to a strained abdominal muscle that just doesn't seem to want to heal.

"It's been frustrating all season," said Ruffin, a former Chicago Bull and Philadelphia 76er who was signed by the Jazz to a partially guaranteed contract after a strong free-agent showing in last July's Rocky Mountain Revue summer league.

"I've tried to stay patient with it and stay positive, but I want to play," Ruffin added. "I didn't really come (to Utah) just to sit on the bench the whole season injured."

The good news for Ruffin:

Vacant roster room has been awaiting him, and — at least for now — still is.

Even with veteran big man Keon Clark and rookie center Curtis Borchardt both recovering from ankle and wrist surgeries, respectively, the Jazz have so far shied away from filling Borchardt's spot on the active roster by signing a free-agent big man.

"We've discussed it," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said before Utah's Friday-night win over the Celtics, "but we haven't talked that seriously about it."

One reason: "We thought Ruffin was going to play for us," Sloan said.

That's a basketball decision and not a budget-related decision, said Sloan, who also suggested he does not feel handicapped by not having 12 healthy players available on his active roster.

Rather, the Jazz seem to be content for now distributing minutes up front among power forward Andrei Kirilenko and center Greg Ostertag, their two starters, and reserves Jarron Collins, who is still recovering from last season's reconstructive knee surgery, and Ben Handlogten, the 30-year-old NBA rookie.

"These guys are here," Sloan said. "Let them play."

The bad news for Ruffin: