Sports
BASKETBALL: Ankle twisted Harris' fate
Even if he’s not a member of the Utah Jazz when the regular season begins next week, Paul Harris plans to stay in Utah to pursue his NBA dream.
The Niagara Falls native survived Wednesday’s first round of cuts, but he doesn’t expect to be on the opening day roster after missing the entire preseason because of a badly sprained ankle.
“I try to put myself in their shoes, and if I was in the front office, I wouldn’t keep me because how can you pick a guy that hasn’t done anything,” Harris said by phone Tuesday.
Harris was injured during a pickup game with Jazz players on Sept. 22, and is still unable to run, jump or cut off his right foot. He’s been doing rehabilitation exercises in the pool and working on his shooting form during practices, but is still at least two weeks away from being able to play full-court basketball, he said.
The Jazz waived three forwards on Wednesday, trimming their roster to 16 players. They’ll need to cut one more player before the regular season opener next Wednesday, and because the team has one of the highest payrolls in the league, many expect the Jazz to carry only 14 players.
Harris, who went undrafted after forgoing his senior season at Syracuse, is one of three players in Utah with a non-guaranteed contract.
“I talked to (coach) Jerry Sloan the other day and he said the only thing I should worry about is getting better,” Harris said.
Had he been healthy, Harris would’ve been in a good situation to prove himself worthy of a roster spot. Small forward C.J. Miles injured his thumb and had to have surgery last week, and with Matt Harpring already out because of chronic knee and ankle pain, Kyle Korver nursing a sore knee, and Andrei Kirilenko missing one game to tend to personal matters, the Jazz were thin on the wing throughout the preseason.
Wesley Matthews, an undrafted rookie from Marquette, is averaging more than 20 minutes heading into Friday’s preseason finale, and has emerged as a likely candidate for the 14th roster spot.
“I feel like it would’ve been so perfect for me,” Harris said. “If it was me, I would’ve taken advantage. But shoulda, woulda, coulda.”
When his ankle heals, Harris said he will turn his attention toward joining one of the NBA D-League teams, preferably the Jazz affiliate, the Utah Flash.
“Right now, I wouldn’t go play in Europe if they paid me a million dollars,” he said. “It’s never been about the money. I want to be closer to the NBA.”
E-mail reporter Jonah Bronstein at jonah.bronstein@niagara-gazette.com
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