Jazz bring Moore back; Giricek to take leave

The Jazz's revolving door has Mikki Moore coming back in and, for a couple of games, Gordan Giricek headed out.

Moore, an NBDL call-up who played for the Jazz on two 10-day contracts from late January to mid-February, was signed Thursday for the remainder of the season.

Giricek, meanwhile, is headed back to Orlando — where he played before a Feb. 19 trade brought him to Utah — to be with his wife for the anticipated birth of their first child, a girl.

The swingman is excited but also disappointed he'll probably miss both tonight's home game vs. Indiana and Saturday night's visit to Portland.

"It's a bad time," he said, "because we have back-to-back games."

Moore, however, is expected to be available tonight.

"We felt like he deserved a chance to come back and go again," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said, "because he played pretty well when he was here for us earlier."

Moore — a 7-footer who played his first four NBA seasons with Detroit and had brief stints last season and earlier this season with Boston, Atlanta and New Jersey — averaged 3.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per game during his previous eight-game stint with the Jazz.

The Jazz like the 28-year-old University of Nebraska product's athleticism and work ethic, as well as the fact he has a working knowledge of the Utah system, basketball operations senior vice president Kevin O'Connor said.

"Jerry (Sloan) does things by how a guy works," O'Connor said, "and he felt (Moore) worked hard."

"I'LL BE BACK": Jazz big man Curtis Borchardt is back to shooting with his surgically repaired wrist, but he still has not been cleared to take part in full-contact practice sessions.

Borchardt continues to hope he can return later this month.

"If it doesn't work out it doesn't work out," he said, "but I'm pretty confident I should be back sometime this season.

"I don't know how good I'll be," Borchardt added, "but I'll be back."

Borchardt, though, is expected to be out at least another two weeks, which is one reason Moore was signed Thursday.