Center, Jazz part — for now
The move — coincidentally coming on Grant's 30th birthday — means Utah will again be shorthanded when facing Memphis tonight at the Delta Center.
It does not necessarily, however, mean Grant's relationship with the Jazz has concluded.
"We're keeping our options open," said Kevin O'Connor, the Jazz's senior vice president of basketball operations, "and what we're going to do is evaluate the next 48 hours, and possibly bring him back."
The transaction, though, needed to be made so Grant's non-guaranteed contract is off the books as of Saturday.
That's the day all NBA contracts except 10-day deals become fully guaranteed for the rest of the season, and the Jazz are not prepared to make Grant their 15th player with a fully guaranteed contract.
Assuming Grant clears the league's 48-hour waiver window, however, the Jazz can sign him to a 10-day contract later this week. After that, they are permitted to sign him to one additional 10-day deal before they must either release him or pay him for the remainder of the season.
The reason: Big men Keon Clark and Curtis Borchardt remain out with long-term injuries, center-power forward Ben Handlogten is out for the season, and small forward Matt Harpring still is waiting for a medical opinion on his aching right knee that in a worst-case scenario could result in season-ending surgery.
According to NBA rules, Grant's return could come in time for a back-to-back set Friday night at Denver and Saturday vs. Atlanta — but no sooner.
Also still out for the Jazz: big man Michael Ruffin, who was moved onto the active roster Monday but still did not dress for Monday night's win over Dallas.
Ruffin, who due to a preseason abdominal strain has yet to play a game for Utah, did practice Tuesday. His availability for tonight is doubtful, and there still is no set date for his return.
"I'm trying to get back out on the floor, sometime this week, hopefully," Ruffin said Tuesday morning. "We'll see . . . I'm close."
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said the club is patiently awaiting the debut of Ruffin, whose own contract became fully guaranteed in late December.
"I think we could use him, if he just got healthy, you know," Sloan said Tuesday. "But . . . I don't want to put any pressure on him to be out there."
Sloan suggested Ruffin may have suffered a bit of a setback by trying to return prematurely shortly after he initially got hurt.
"I (told him) 'If you want to play, fine . . . but you yourself have to be responsible for what's going on with your body,' " Sloan said.
Even when he was activated, Sloan added, O'Connor made it clear that the club was not trying to rush Ruffin into returning.
"Kevin explained to him that that wasn't our objective — to force him out here on the floor," Sloan said. "Because we weren't going to do that. I won't do it."
No matter how shorthanded on height the Jazz may be.
E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com
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