This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

El Segundo, Calif. • Alec Burks' left shoulder was wrapped with an ice pack as he came off the floor following shootaround this morning. But after missing three straight preseason games because of injury, the Utah Jazz guard says he's good to go tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers."It feels real good," he said. "I'm ready to go."The fourth-year shooting guard injured his left shoulder bumping into a teammate during a shootaround on Monday. Jazz coach Quin Snyder said the team was "erring on the side of caution" in holding him out."He looks comfortable," Snyder said this morning. "It's good to have him back on the court."In Burks' absence, the Jazz have started Rodney Hood at the two-guard spot and the rookie's shooting ability has provided some nice floor spacing.Snyder believes the Jazz will still be able to stretch the floor with Burks in the starting five."I think Alec is a good shooter, too," the coach said. "We think of Alec because of his ability to get to the rim. But we want to play the same way and have those guys take advantage of their different strengths."Hood has averaged eight points and hit 50 percent of his 3-pointers through five preseason games. Burks had averaged 16 points in two games before getting hurt."They both bring different things. They both are really good scorers," point guard Trey Burke said. "Alec's more of a scorer getting to the rim. He can also shoot, but Rodney stretches the floor with his ability to knock down that outside jumpshot. We're going to need both of them. We missed Alec [Friday night against the Clippers] because Rodney got in foul trouble. We're looking forward to him coming back. He's going to help us out a lot. He's a big key to this team."— Aaron Falk