ESPN NBA

SALT LAKE CITY -- An Illinois college pal was in tears after Roger Powell Jr. was cut by the Utah Jazz.

"He worked harder than a lot of dudes," said Dee Brown, also a Jazz rookie. "He deserved to be here. It's crazy, man. It's a crazy situation. ... That's my brother, man. I care for him a lot."

Brown, Powell and another Jazz player, Deron Williams, played together at Illinois.

"Nobody on the team expected this," Williams said of the decision to waive Powell.

Coach Jerry Sloan said the opening allows the Jazz, 23-9 before weekend play, to add another player.

"We need more veteran players, if the opportunity presents itself for us to pick up a veteran player who knows how to play," Sloan said Thursday.

Powell appeared in just three games.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press