McDavid, but the 2015 draft is expected to be strong, so there is likely more value for the Sabres getting that pick rather than one late from zgr123's blog
ATLANTA - No LeBron James. Tanoh Kpassagnon Youth Jersey . No Al Horford.Late decisions by Cleveland and Atlanta to hold out the two stars could have led to a letdown, but Paul Millsap made sure the Hawks were tough down the stretch.Millsap scored 26 points and took over for Atlanta in the fourth quarter to help hold off a Cleveland comeback and the Hawks beat the short-handed Cavaliers 109-101 on Tuesday night.James, celebrating his 30th birthday, was held out with a sore left knee. Cavaliers forward Shawn Marion was held out with a left ankle sprain.Horford left the court with an upset stomach only minutes before tipoff.Hearing the news that James wont be in uniform can be disappointing — even for the opposing team.Different guys arent playing, guys on our team arent playing, guys for them arent playing, said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer. Its just human nature, as much as you want to fight it, it can be hard. We dont want to lower our expectations ... but it wasnt a pretty game.The Hawks led by 17 points early in the second half but had to hold off a comeback by Cleveland, which had 35 points and nine assists from Kyrie Irving.I had to be aggressive; we had some guys down, Irving said. I just kept shooting. ... We gave ourselves a chance to win. We just couldnt get over the hump.Irving made 13 of 27 shots from the field.I just thought Kyrie played his heart out, said Cavaliers coach David Blatt. I cant say enough about that kid. I just think the world of that kid.After a jam by Tristan Thompson cut the Atlanta lead to 93-90, Millsap scored Atlantas next eight points. Millsap had 10 points in the fourth quarter.Thats what we expect out of him, said Atlanta guard Jeff Teague of Millsap.Teague had 23 points and 11 assists, and Kyle Korver sank five 3-pointers while scoring 19 points.Thompson had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland.The Cavaliers have lost three of four. Before the game, Blatt addressed speculation of unrest on the team.I didnt feel a necessity to talk to the guys about that because thats simply not the case, Blatt said. And just because things are reported or said, it doesnt mean that theyre true.We have a very good group. Close knit. Guys are engaged, guys are listening. We went through a couple of tough games. A few short games ago we were 18-10 and looking good.James status is day to day.Obviously, we want to get him right, Blatt said after James was pulled from the starting lineup about 90 minutes before the game.James also was held out of Clevelands Dec. 11 game at Oklahoma City with soreness in the knee.___TIP-INSCavaliers: G Matthew Dellavedova had six points in his fourth start of the season. ... Irving had eight turnovers. Irvings 27 shots from the field set a season high. ... The Cavaliers shot only 34.1 per cent from the field in the first half and made only 6 of 21 shots (28.6) in the second quarter.Hawks: C Pero Antic had five points in his first start of the season. ... Millsap blocked three shots. ... Shelvin Mack, who set a career high with 24 points in Atlantas 127-98 win at Cleveland on Dec. 17, did not play. ... Two players were assigned to NBA Development League teams — guard John Jenkins to Idaho Stampede and centre Adreian Payne to Austin.LOVE LOSTCavaliers forward Kevin Love had seven points and seven rebounds, making only one of eight shots from the field, before leaving the game in the third quarter with tightness in his back. Love said he had a similar problem once before and was fine the following day.STAR GAZINGJames wore a grey suit as he watched the game from the bench. He shared a hug and laugh with singer Usher, who had a front-row seat near the Cavaliers bench, during a timeout.UP NEXTCavaliers: Host Milwaukee on Wednesday.Hawks: At Utah on Friday. Tanoh Kpassagnon Jersey . on the 15-day disabled Monday list because of a strained right hamstring. Kareem Hunt Jersey . Its not intended to be some magical formula and doesnt apply any context, like, for example, taking injuries into account. This remedial statistical method has gone 9-5 in picks through the first three rounds.The St. Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres came to an agreement on a big trade that may only offer incremental improvement to the Blues in their quest for a Stanley Cup. Numbers Game breaks down the Blues acquisition of Ryan Miller and Steve Ott. The Blues Get: G Ryan Miller and C Steve Ott. Miller, 33, is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career, despite rarely getting rewarded with wins by this struggling Sabres team. Millers .923 save percentage this season is the second-best of his career, bettered only by his .929 save percentage in 2009-2010, when he won the Vezina Trophy as top goaltender. Its that strong play from Miller this year that has made him an attractive commodity on the trade market because, over the past three seasons, his .926 even-strength save percentage is only okay, just barely ahead of Jaroslav Halaks .925 mark. Its also not like Miller has a sterling playoff reputation. He hasnt played beyond the first round since 2007 and his .917 career save percentage in the playoffs is actually worse than Halaks .923. The numbers arent going to present a strong edge for Miller, so the deal has to be predicated on some comfort level; that the Blues intangibly feel better about their chances with Miller than Halak. Ott is a 31-year-old forward who has been asked to handle too much ice time on a Sabres team lacking bona fide NHL talent. Hes averaging a career-high 19:42 per game -- a couple of seconds more per game than current Blues No. 1 centre David Backes -- despite getting destroyed in terms of puck possession. However, Ott had established earlier in his career that he could be a decent complementary forward, skating in a top-nine role and penalty killing while chipping in some offence and annoying just about anyone he comes in contact with. Since the start of the 2009-2010 season, Ott is the only player in the NHL to have at least 60 goals and 600 penalty minutes. In a third or fourth-line role with the Blues, though, Ott should be in position to have some success. Both Miller and Ott will be unrestricted free agents in the summer, so there isnt any grand financial commitment from the Blues, though if their playoff run goes well, its safe to assume that St. Louis would at least want to keep Miller around. The Sabres Get: G Jaroslav Halak, RW Chris Stewart, LW William Carrier, a first-round pick in 2015 and a third-round pick in 2016. Halak, 28, has been decent this season, posting a .917 save percentage (that matches his career mark) in 40 games. Hes had some ups and downs, including an injury-marred 2013 season during which he posted an .899 save perccentage but, by and large, hes been an above average goaltender throughout his 260-game NHL career. Patrick Mahomes II Womens Jersey. Halaks .917 career save percentage is actually a hair better than Millers .916 save percentage. While Halak was moved out, its not impossible for the Sabres to flip him again prior to the deadline. Halak will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer, so there are no guarantees about where hes going to be playing next year. Stewart is a 26-year-old power forward who has 15 goals, 26 points and a career-high 112 penalty minutes in 58 games this season. Those numbers are a far cry from last season, when Stewart led the Blues with 36 points in 48 games and his ice time has been knocked down to 14:42 per game, his lowest since his rookie year in 2008-2009. Even worse, Stewart has been getting torched in terms of puck possession, despite starting more than 60% of his shifts in the offensive zone. On a team as good as the Blues, thats not easy to accomplish. Nevertheless, Stewart is a big winger who can score and is under contract at a cap hit of $4.15-million for next season. If he doesnt perform well in Buffalo, Stewart could very easily be moved again, or he could get flipped even before he suits up for the Sabres. Carrier was a second-round pick of the Blues in 2013 and has 56 points (17 G, 39 A) in 59 QMJHL games. He has the size to be a power foward and was traded to Drummondville part way through the season. Carrier will need a few years to develop, but his offensive production this year raises some questions about whether hes going to be a notable scorer as a pro. Getting the Blues first-round pick in 2015 is a nice coup for the Sabres. Its not as though the Blues can be expected to collapse and be in line for the No. 1 pick, which is earmarked for Connor McDavid, but the 2015 draft is expected to be strong, so there is likely more value for the Sabres getting that pick rather than one late in the 2014 draft. The third-round pick in 2016 is a nice sweetener, with upside, as it could be a first-round pick if the Blues reach the Western Conference Final or Miller re-signs in St. Louis. These are two teams in virtually opposite positions. The Blues are ready to take a run at the Stanley Cup and are willing to take on a couple of potential rentals to help in that regard, and while the Blues sacrificed some draft pick value, they didnt lose any core pieces of the team that has been so successful to this point in the season. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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