This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Houston • For the few dozen NBA players without fully guaranteed contracts, it was not just another Thursday.
While contracts officially guarantee on Jan. 10, teams had to waive players by Thursday afternoon to allow them to clear waivers ahead of the Sunday deadline.
The Jazz on Tuesday waived forward Elijah Millsap, but the team has kept center Jeff Withey and wingman Chris Johnson, both of whom had nonguaranteed deals.
Withey's future has seemed secure for some time now, having proved his worth while filling in for injured big men Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert.
Johnson's fate, however was more uncertain, though the reserve showed a flash Thursday of why the Jazz have kept him around. The forward came off the bench to score 11 points and dish out two assists in 19 minutes.
"He just plays so hard for starters," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said of Johnson after the 103-94 loss to Houston. "Anytime you have a guy that's giving of himself that freely, with that much enthusiasm, you can't help but be motivated by that and moved by that. He's the kind of guy you want to be around and the kind of guy you want to play with because he's just all about the group."
Johnson helped fuel a mini rally late against the Rockets, knocking down a corner-3 on possession and the driving and dishing a beautiful pass to Trevor Booker on the next for a dunk.
Utah has been thin at the position since losing Alec Burks for at least six weeks with a fractured ankle. It's been an opportunity for Johnson, who had played 15 minutes a night over the five games coming into Thursday, averaging 4.6 points and 2 rebounds in that time.
"I thought earlier in the year he could drift occasionally, whether it be between plays or running back on defense," Snyder said, adding that the 25-year-old has shown an improved focus and effort since.
Johnson's 3-point shooting gave him an edge over Millsap, a stifling defender but a limited offensive weapon. Millsap was waived Tuesday has since cleared waivers, making him a free agent. Johnson, meanwhile, said he's focused on improving his 34-percent shooting from deep.
"The three has been my thing, so I'm just trying to work on being consistent with that, knocking down shots when the opportunity comes and just provide energy," he said.
And the Jazz forward is settling in, Snyder said.
"He's all about his teammates and invariably that ends up having a bigger impact on the game than anything you see in a box score," the coach said.
Ballot box
Kobe Bryant still has a commanding lead over all other players in All-Star voting as the second round of returns were released Thursday.
Bryant, in his final NBA season, has picked up 1.2 million votes — far more than Golden State's Stephen Curry (925,789) and nearly double those of LeBron James (636,388).
Former Jazzmen Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll are among the top-15 frontcourt players receiving votes in the East. Former Jazz center Enes Kanter sits in 10th place among Western Conference forwards and centers, ahead of LaMarcus Aldridge, Dwight Howard and Dirk Nowitzki. Damian Lillard, the Weber State star and two-time All-Star with the Trail Blazers, is in 10th place among the West's guards.
Voting for the Feb. 14 game closes Jan. 18.
Serving time
Rockets' point guard Ty Lawson served the first game of a three-game suspension Thursday against the Jazz for a DUI arrest last year in California. Lawson, who did not play Monday against the Jazz because of an ankle injury, has already served a two-game suspension for a DUI arrest in Denver while he was still a member of the Nuggets.
"We will continue to support Ty," Houston coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "When he gets back, we'll embrace him. Hopefully he can continue to play the way he was playing because we thought he was playing pretty well. Obviously it's tough for him to have to go through these types of things, but you live and you learn and you keep the right people around you that support you and pick you up."
Twitter: @tribjazz