Posts Tagged ‘CJ Miles’

Hump Day Morning Trade Chatter

February 29, 2012  ·  9:55AM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Brook Lopez is definitely back. He put on an offensive show for the Nets last night in their win over the Mavericks.

A trade deadline cynic would argue that he was being showcased as well. He’s long been rumored to be the piece the Nets would have to deliver to the Magic in a potential blockbuster deal for Dwight Howard.

The broken right foot that cost Lopez 32 games this season appears to be in fine shape, he dropped 38 points and the go-ahead free throw to power the Nets over the Mavericks last night. His every move will be analyzed as the perfect bait for the Magic, who have to make a decision to either deal or not deal Howard before the March 15 deadline.

Deron Williams gushed about his current big man after the win over the Mavs, telling reporters:

“He was a monster tonight. He carried us from the start of the game and it makes a difference, I’ve said it all season. … He knows how to play the game and we’re glad to have him back.”

Williams has to be measured in his praise. And the Nets have to be careful with Lopez, who outside of his ability score, isn’t in Howard’s category in any way. If they see him play at a high level for long enough, they might start to rethink this notion of moving him for Howard or anyone else.

Still, you can’t argue that Lopez has great timing. The Nets have won three of their last five games, and that includes wins over the Bulls, Knicks and now, the reigning champs.

BEASLEY BEING SHOWCASED, TOO?

Go ahead and add Timberwolves’ forward Michael Beasley to the list of players being showcased as the trade deadline draws near. So what if he’s still coming off the bench.

Rookie Derrick Williams and Beasley dropped 27 points a piece as the Timberwolves knocked off the Clippers in Los Angeles. They’ve both been overshadowed this season by All-Star power forward Kevin Love and rookie sensation Ricky Rubio. But with rumors swirling about the Timerbwolves hoping to get involved in a potential deal for Lakers forward Pau Gasol, Beasley would have to be a part of that deal.

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An Inspired Jazz Effort On Tap?

May 10, 2010  ·  3:05PM

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Posted by Sekou Smith

SALT LAKE CITY – In our endless search for clues, the HT staff stationed here for tonight’s Game 4 of the Lakers-Jazz Western Conference semifinal series canvassed the city for signs of hope that the Jazz can somehow fend off elimination.

As of right now, we have come up empty.

We’ve heard lots of deflated comments about how the Jazz “hope” (check the video above) to stave off a season-ending fishing trip, they are also trying to avoid the first four-game playoff sweep in franchise history.

“We’re not thinking about that,” Carlos Boozer said. “As funny as it sounds, we feel like we’re getting closer and closer to getting one and something’s got to give on Monday, so hopefully we can get one.”

You expect the stars to say all the right things, just as Deron Williams and Boozer have done in every instance leading up to the tip of Game 4 (keep in mind that no team has ever  recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a series).

But what about the other guys? Do the role players on this Jazz team share the same fire? Do they believe that they have a chance to win and send this series back to Los Angeles for a Game 5 Wednesday night?

“There  are no quitters on this team,” C.J. Miles said. “Guys are going to be ready, guys are going to play. It’s really win or go home now, and i don’t think anybody want’s to go home … well, I know no one wants to go home. So the biggest thing for us is to just go out there and play hard. We are still on our home floor.”

Jazz rookie Wesley Matthews, whose last-second tip would have won Game 3 for the Jazz had it gone down, refuses to concede anything to the Lakers, even with the inevitability of this series’ finale staring him in the face.

“We’re going to come out and fight,” he said. “What else can we do? It’s that or go home. They’ve got to beat us four times. We’ve got nothing to lose. We just have to lay it all on the line and see if we can make history.”

We shall see this evening.

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