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After waiving big man Henry Sims this week, the Utah Jazz must make one last cut before the regular season begins next week.
And coach Quin Snyder says it's never a simple choice.
"It's never easy to make those decisions, on any team," Snyder said. "… When you have people that are really committed, it's a hard thing to do."
The Jazz had 16 players on the court as practice came to an end Friday afternoon, but the NBA only allows for 15 on a roster. As always, the most likely candidates are the ones owed the least amount of money. Rookie Joel Bolomboy, a second-round pick in June, is guaranteed a reported $1 million over the next two seasons. Center Jeff Withey and forwards Chris Johnson, meanwhile, both have non-guaranteed deals.
Withey played 51 games for the Jazz last year and proved himself a capable stopgap when starting center Rudy Gobert went down with an injury. Johnson appeared in 70 games, averaging 2.9 points and 1.9 rebounds off the bench.
With Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks still sidelined by injury, the Jazz's depth on the wing has taken a hit. Still, Snyder said, that won't be the only factor in the Jazz's final decision.
"There are a lot of different decisions that can be made going that way, just like there are throughout the course of the year," Snyder said. "Injury can always play a role in those things. There are a lot of factors, though."
Sims, who was cut Thursday, appeared in three preseason games for the Jazz and averaged 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in six minutes of action.
"We have guys that are NBA players, so that makes it harder," Snyder said. "They've been able to show that they belong in this league."
Survey says
Gobert apparently still has something to prove.
NBA.com released its annual anonymous survey of the league's general managers this week, and while Gobert was listed among the league's top interior defenders, he was left off the list of best overall defenders entirely.
"It's OK," Gobert, who loves to quietly use perceived slights to motivate himself, said with a grin.
Half of the GMs surveyed named Clippers center DeAndre Jordan the "best interior defender" in the NBA, while 16.7 percent voted for Gobert.
The honor of being called the league's best defender went to San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard, who won the Defensive Player of the Year award last season. Leonard received 66.7 percent of the vote, with the rest going to LeBron James, Avery Bradley, Draymond Green, Jordan and Hassan Whiteside.
"I think it's more about impact," Gobert said of why he might have been left off the list. "Kawhi's a great defender, so I respect that. It's just about the impact, the impact you made for your team and the other team."
Still sidelined
Forward Derrick Favors' troubles with Iliotibial Band Syndrome continue to keep the big man sidelined for the Jazz. Favors hasn't played or practiced since the opening game of the preseason as he's dealt with the injury. Asked if he thought Favors would be ready for the seasoner opener on Tuesday, Snyder said he was not sure.
"He hasn't turned a corner where's been able to practice or play," Snyder said. "But hopefully he's making progress at the same time. I'd like to think [he'll be back] sooner than later, but it's been a month now, so it's hard to say."
Burks (knee rehabilitation) and forward Boris Diaw (right leg contusion) were also held out of practice Friday.
Twitter: @aaronfalk