FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS 1. Cassius Vaughn Jersey . STEVE NASH and STEVE BLAKE (Lakers): Both players are back in the lineup Tuesday against the Timberwolves. Blake had played quite well before he went down and, fingers crossed, Nash (who turns 40 on Friday - Happy Birthday!) tries to see if he can play through Back pain and finish the season. This Lakers season has not gone well with the loss of Dwight Howard, the injury to Kobe Bryant, and of course injuries to Blake and Nash. At the end of the day, this is a franchise that doesnt deal well with losing seasons yet it might be a time to re-invent themselves for the long haul. How these two guys hold up will give them better insight into where things are headed, at least short term, in their backcourt. 2. PAUL GASOL (Lakers): Speaking of this franchise, I think this ship has sailed here. If you can get cap space, luxury tax relief and/or a draft pick, you move him. He still has value, yet I see it diminishing despite him averaging close to 20 points and 12 rebounds a game in January. There is a lot of chatter about the Phoenix Suns making a run at him. Itll be interesting to watch it unfold but bottom line, it would be best for Gasol and the Lakers for him to have a change of scenery. 3. GREG MONROE (Pistons): There are rumblings from the Motor City that they need to look long and hard at what to do with this guy. I really like his game. When given the proper system and supporting players, I feel he has the attributes to help you win. Is he a franchise guy? No, but a very good player? Yes. Hes a positive building piece. I dont see how he can co-exist long-term with Josh Smith and Andre Drummond. Im not a huge Smith fan, nor am I big on the Brandon Jennings bandwagon. These are guys that will get you numbers but Im not sure if they understand what it takes to win on a nightly basis. Monroe can score in the post and has a solid face up game, he can really pass it and his rebounding and lane presence is sound. The Pistons need to figure out what their identity is because right now I see a team with a lot of parts yet with no semblance of the whole in mind. This is a team sport and when I watch them they dont look like one. Monroe is one of the few guys that gets how to play the team game. 4. RAPTORS at KINGS: Youll hear all the coach and player speak about it being ‘just another game. I dont buy it for one minute. Any time someone trades you, to some degree theyve given up on you and think they can do better with someone else, thats the reality of sports. The Raptors have benefited greatly with the acquisition of the Sacramento Four while Rudy Gay has played quite well for the Kings. Good for both sides. I expect a very intense game here tomorrow night in Sac-town. Cant wait. More importantly for the Raptors, its a chance to clinch a winning west coast trip (currently 2-1) with a win here before heading to LA to play the very difficult Clippers on Friday. Take care of business. Wont be easy, a lot of emotion will be present. 5. CONGRATS SEATTLE: I have buddies from Buffalo that hit a Super Bowl city each year. Unfortunately, Ive never been able to attend before. This year it worked. I was in Portland on Saturday night and went over to Seattle on Sunday morning before heading over to Salt Lake City to work the Raptors/Jazz game on Monday. My Super Bowl Sunday in Seattle was a total blast. A few quick observations: First, for the Raptors game in Portland, it was a wonderful turnout of Raptor fans from Vancouver area who made the drive over. Awesome support! And secondly, what a joke that an amazing sports town like Seattle doesnt have an NBA team right now. Everywhere I went I saw not only 12th Man signs for the Seahawks but Bring Back our Sonics signs. I couldnt agree more. And finally, once again, I ran into a ton of folks from Vancouver, this time while I was in Seattle. Fun time watching the football game with them and their passion for hoops as well. Ive said it a thousand times before and Ill say it again, weve got to get a team back in Vancouver as well. I travel all around North America and I feel pretty confident saying this, I have a very good sense for what makes a town a good fit for the NBA and there is NO doubt that Seattle and Vancouver fit my profile a whole lot better than many of the current NBA cities. You can fill in your own blanks. Maybe with a new NBA Commissioner in Adam Silver, this topic can be revisited again. It makes too much sense to me. Likely wishful thinking on my part. Larry Webster III Jersey . Froch retained his WBA and IBF titles with a ninth-round stoppage against Groves in Manchester on Nov. 23. Groves launched an appeal, saying referee Howard Foster stopped the fight prematurely, and the IBF then ordered a rematch. Jason Jones Youth Jersey . Amid lusty boos from a modest crowd on a rainy, 46-degree night, Cano began his first game in the Bronx since joining Seattle this winter for $240 million with a wink -- at Yankees starter CC Sabathia (3-3).PHILADELPHIA - After struggling through another start, Phillies right-hander A.J. Burnett said he might walk away from millions of dollars not to return in 2015. Hisashi Iwakuma struck out a season-high 11 batters in eight scoreless innings and Kyle Seager homered to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 5-2 victory over Philadelphia on Tuesday night. Burnett (6-14) lost his fifth straight decision and dropped to 0-6 with a 6.41 ERA in seven starts since the All-Star break. He allowed six hits with four walks and hit two batters in 7 2-3 innings. Burnett signed a one-year deal with a player option for next year in the off-season. After Tuesdays outing, he sounded as if he might decline the option. He would stand to make $10 million next season after making his 27th start on Tuesday. Asked if he would return to the Phillies in 2015, Burnett said, "Probably not. Well see." Control has been a problem all season for Burnett, who began the day leading the majors with 72 walks. He started poorly, with eight straight balls to open the game. "It took a while to get loose, much more than normal," Burnett said. The Mariners took advantage as both of those batters, Austin Jackson and Dustin Ackley, scored on RBIs by Robinson Cano and Logan Morrison. "He struggled out of the gate with early walks," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "He just couldnt find the strike zone. But then he settled down." His counterpart settled in right from the jump. Iwakuma (12-6) was masterful while allowing four hits and no walks. Since July 1, the right-hander is 7-2 with a 1.63 ERA, 65 strikeouts and four walks in 72 innings over 10 starts. "He was outstanding," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He commanded all of his pitches. He was in and out, up and down. Did a tremendous job for us." The Phillies, who have scored three runs or less 65 times this season, got just one batter to second base against Iwakuma. They have lost six of their last eight. The Mariners needed three pitchers in the ninth to preserve the victory. The last of the trio, Fernando Rodney, came on with two outs and the tying run at the platee and struck out Cody Asche to record his 36th save in 39 opportunities. Isa Abdul-Quddus Jersey. "We have a strong belief in our bullpen, so I was able to watch the TV very calmly," Iwakuma said through an interpreter. Asked if he was tempted to let Iwakuma come out for the ninth, McClendon said, "No, no." The Phillies avoided their 14th shutout when Chase Utley scored on Yoervis Medinas wild pitch. Domonic Brown followed with an RBI double to pull Philadelphia within 5-2 before Medina hit Carlos Ruiz to put runners on first and second for Asche. Mike Zunino was 0-for-17 before getting two hits and driving in two runs. The Mariners, who scored two runs in the first, have won 11 of their last 14. Seager began the sixth with a homer, his 19th, to deep right on a 3-0 pitch. Zunino hit a two-run single in the eighth to chase Burnett and put Seattle in front 5-0. TRAINERS ROOM Mariners: RF Michael Saunders, who has been on the DL since July 11 with a strained left oblique, made his 10th rehab start Tuesday night for Triple-A Tacoma. Entering Tuesday, he was batting .258 at Tacoma. Phillies: OF John Mayberry Jr. played in his first rehab game with Triple-A Lehigh Valley at Pawtucket on Tuesday night. Mayberry has been on the DL since July 21 with left wrist inflammation. UP NEXT Mariners: LHP James Paxton (3-0, 2.20) makes his sixth start of the season when the teams wrap up their three-game series on Wednesday afternoon. The 25-year-old is unbeaten in nine career starts, with his latest victory last Friday at Detroit when he allowed one run on five hits in six innings. Paxton will be facing the Phillies for the first time. Phillies: LHP Cole Hamels (6-6, 2.44) will look for some better luck. He has a 1.71 ERA in his last three starts but is 0-1 over that stretch due to a lack of run support that has plagued him all season. REVERE HITLESS Philadelphias Ben Revere went without a hit for just the second time in his last nine games, going 0-for-4 with a rare strikeout. Revere entered Tuesday second in the NL in batting at .313 and leading the league in hardest to fan (one strikeout per 11.9 plate appearances). cheap jerseys ' ' '
