After missing four of the past six games with tendinitis in his left knee, the Jazz placed backup point guard John Crotty on the injured list before Monday"s game.

NBA veteran Rusty LaRue, who was with the Jazz in the summer league and the preseason, will be signed to a 10-day contract today if he passes his physical exam.

LaRue has been playing this season for Asheville of the NBA"s development league, the NBDL.

""He knows our system really well, which is paramount for a point guard," said Kevin O"Connor, Utah"s vice president of basketball operations.

Second-year shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson has filled in at point guard but with Crotty facing an extended layoff, the Jazz wanted to bring in another pure point guard to back up John Stockton.

""It"s not fair to ask DeShawn Stevenson to start at the "2" (shooting guard), go over to point guard, then go back," O"Connor said. ""We don"t want to overload him, but he"s done a very solid job."