In order to get them much-needed rehab minutes, the Utah Jazz have moved Alec Burks and Dante Exum to the D-League’s Salt Lake City Stars.
After 30ish games (two-plus years if you want to look beyond this season) of having to patch lineups together from a skeleton roster, Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder suddenly has an entirely different dilemma.
Too many bodies and not enough minutes.
This is especially problematic for players like Alec Burks and Dante Exum, who are trying to find their way back after incurring significant injuries. The rub there is that they need minutes and practice time to do so. However, the Jazz have lost three of their last four games and don’t have the luxury of letting them figure it out on the floor.
In order to get them that much-need court time, the Jazz have assigned the duo to their D-League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. Meanwhile, Raul Neto, the fourth point guard in Utah’s three-man rotation, also received D-League assignment in the move announced on Monday.
Jazz Assign Alec Burks, Danté Exum and Raul Neto to @slcstarshttps://t.co/JF91GPJ2G5 pic.twitter.com/q4F7dhE8TT
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 9, 2017
Whether or not Burks, Exum and Neto actually see any game action with the Stars remains to be seen. However, they are expected to get an extra practice in with the Stars before the Jazz take on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
The Stars’ next contest, a home bout with the Austin Spurs, also falls on Tuesday.
As league rules only allow teams three simultaneous assignments, the Jazz also recalled rookie Joel Bolomboy from the Stars. The former Weber State star had been on his ninth D-League assignment of the season.
Bolomboy played in three games with Salt Lake City on the assignment. He averaged 10.3 points and 11.0 rebounds in just under 28 minutes per game over that stretch.
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I, for one, think that all three players could benefit from a more extended stay in the D-League. Burks has played only 16 total minutes since making his season debut on January 2. Exum and Neto, meanwhile, have registered consecutive DNP-CDs.
If a Stars assignment is what it’s going to take for them to see game action, so be it.
