Rookie forward Jose Ortiz is drawing attention from NBA teams who have noticed he's stuck on the Jazz bench, but Jazz general manager David Checketts said, "We're not seriously interested in moving him at this point."
Checketts confirmed that Boston is one of several teams inquiring about Ortiz, but added, "We're not talking to anybody that I'd consider serious."A clue about Ortiz's future with the team will be whether or not the Jazz sign forward Eric White for the rest of the season. White's 10-day contract runs through Sunday; the team can sign him for another 10 days but must make a decision on him after that. For now, White is replacing Bobby Hansen, who will be on the injured list for at least three more weeks.
In the last month, Ortiz has played in only six of 13 games, so other teams figure he'd be easily available. "Naturally, everybody thinks we're going to trade him," noted Checketts. The NBA trading deadline is Feb. 23.
The Jazz play Milwaukee tonight in the Salt Palace, with former Bingham High/BYU/Jazz forward Fred Roberts expected to start for the Bucks in place of the injured Larry Krystkowiak.