No match for Finley, Jazz

His surprise request to be released from the San Antonio Spurs granted last Monday, just in time for him to join another team and be eligible to take part in postseason play later this year, veteran NBA shooting guard Michael Finley reportedly planned to join the Boston Celtics today.
The Jazz — who had to add a requisite 13th player by last Thursday, and wound up calling up rookie swingman Othyus Jeffers from Iowa of the NBA Development League — had some interest in Finley.
But there wasn’t much.
And it wasn’t only because of the just-turned 37-year-old’s perceived skill erosion.
Finley wasn’t happy that he was playing sparingly in San Antonio, having been used in just 25 games this season — and averaging only 15.8 minutes when he did play.
He was no longer a rotation regular for the Spurs, and that evidently hurt his pride.
But if Finley wasn’t playing much for coach Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, there certainly would be no guarantee he’d play any more than that for Jerry Sloan in Utah.
Maybe, but maybe not.
And if he wasn’t thrilled with an erratic role and little more than 15 minutes per in San Antonio, the thinking goes, he probably wouldn’t be any happier with the same in Utah, would he?
Besides, Finley never professed an interest of any sort in joining the Jazz — which, added all together, couldn’t have worked out better for the loves-those-veterans Celtics … and one Othyus Jeffers.

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