FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS: 1. Steve Nash (Lakers): I watched the game Sunday against Minnesota and to see him have to leave the game due to back issues is concerning. He doesnt look like he has the same explosiveness in his game as in the past. Obviously everyone loses that step/pop as we get older but to watch him this season its clear that hes far from 100%. Hes had an amazing career and as I watch right now I wonder whether hell be able to play at a high level and finish his contract with the Lakers through next season. Fingers crossed he gets well; its never easy to watch an older star player deal with injuries at the end of their career. 2. UTAH JAZZ (0-7): Man, I feel bad for Coach Tyrone Corbin. The team he has to coach is far from capable of competing at a high level on most nights. This is going to be a long season for the Jazz faithful in Salt Lake City who have been used to a good or very good level of play for over the past 25 years. Everyone was on board with the Suns (5-2) and 76ers (4-3) as the Tank Nation leaders yet theyve been a pleasant surprise. After watching the Jazz in person and a few Suns and 76ers games on TV there is no doubt that Utah is the worst team in the NBA by far. I understand teams trying to clean up their salary cap and add future picks but this is tough to watch. I feel bad for the season ticket holders and sponsors paying full price for a totally inferior product. 3. STEVEN ADAMS (Thunder): Its not as bad as the grief I get from Raptors fans for their trading of the draft rights to Roy Hibbert (17th overall) for Jermaine ONeal but Im starting to have a few fans already ask me about this guy drafted 12th by OKC with the Raptors pick that was used to acquire Kyle Lowry from Houston. Its so hard to evaluate how a trade works out until you let the whole process work itself out over a period of years in relation to both Lowry and Adams. I will say that so far Adams has impressed me with his great energy, instincts and grit. His numbers are far from Earth shattering (6ppg, 6rpg , 1.3 blocks, 52% shooting) yet if you watch him he has really nice potential and will grow at a nice steady pace in OKC not having the weight of the world on his shoulders as a young player. He was a good get for Sam Presti with the 12th pick. 4. STEVE CLIFFORD (Bobcats): Must be a day for Steves! I hope and pray that hes ok and ready to go again. Hes a longtime friend from my coaching days and weve texted back and forth since his health scare. Hes an outstanding coach and terrific person and will do a nice job for the young Charlotte squad. As I well know, the coaching profession is a meat grinder and incredibly stressful, particularly coaching a young team with limited talent. Every one of these coaches, despite the opinions on the W-L record and strategies, works their tails off and yes, are well compensated but its still a job that can break you. Ill never forget what former Utah Jazz President, GM and head coach Frank Layden said to me when I was coaching, Remember, the job doesnt love you back. Very true words and when I see Clifford, John Fox (Denver Broncos) and Gary Kubiak (Houston Texans) all experience health episodes I worry what the job/profession has become and whether the price truly is worth it. Its not an easy gig. 5. RUDY GAY & DEMAR DEROZAN (Raptors): Let me get this right out there in the open: they are NOT selfish players. Does the offence slow down and/or come to a stop when they get the ball? At times, yes. With Gay shooting 37 percent and averaging 17.6 field goal attempts, and DeRozan shooting 39 percent and averaging 16.6 field goal attempts, there are a lot of concerns about the fluidity and flow of the Raptors offence. They are legitimate concerns that Im sure Dwane Casey and his staff is spending a significant time on to address. Offensive continuity is a huge challenge on every team and is a tough habit to crack. You watch San Antonio destroy the Knicks Sunday and you see a team where the ball moves and there is incredible flow. You watch the Miami Heat on most nights and the ball and player movement is picturesque. The Raptors have a ways to go to get there but they can. Both Gay and DeRozan are guys that love to probe and attack the defence with the dribble which Im cool with. The area that both need to improve upon is identifying when to dribble it, pass it or shoot it, and they need to decide a whole lot quicker before the defence gangs up on them and their four teammates become spectators. Be decisive. The idea of using four, five, six, evenseven dribbles to create a shot when the other four guys on your team stand and watch and your opponent loads up on you forcing lower percentage shots has to be a no-no. Both are very talented offensive players that can get big numbers on their own and yet more importantly can, and know how to, do it within the confines of a more structured offence. I talk every night to coaches and scouts from opposing teams and the major theme with the Raptors is that at times these two guys make their team too easy to guard with the ball-stopping habits; habits that can and have to be broken. Its easier said than done yet this is a fixable issue. Both are good guys and team guys and want to win yet their style of play sometimes causes indecision by teammates. The improvement of the player and ball movement by the Raptors will lead to a much improved team. I have no doubt that if they improve this area theyll be a tough team for any opponent to defend and thats a benefit to everyone. Nike Vapormax Belgique . -- Canadian freestyle skier Roz Groenewoud isnt letting surgery to both of her knees deter her expectations for the Sochi Olympics. Vapormax Femme Pas Cher . The Arena das Dunas in the northeastern city of Natal sustained minor damage during the protests, but demonstrators stayed away on Sunday and officials said the stadium passed its first test, with only minor adjustments needed going forward. http://www.vapormaxpascher.be/air-max-va...cher/femme.html. Eller scored the midway through the third period after Dallas scored twice to tie it, leading Canadiens to a 6-4 win over the Stars on Thursday night. Fausse Vapormax 2019 . The Brazilian heads into Saturday afternoons race coming off a close runner-up finish to Ryan Hunter-Reay in the Indianapolis 500. Vapormax Off White Fausse . Nothing pretty. But this is 1/4 World Cup. Usually plays out this way.NEW ORLEANS - Injuries and illness across New Orleans roster provided Daruis Miller a chance to play extended minutes with his old Kentucky teammate, Anthony Davis. They did a lot of winning together in college, and Wednesday nights game against an NBA playoff contender was no different. Davis had 16 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks while Miller capped a 16-point outing with a pair of clutch jumpers, and the under-manned Pelicans won their fourth straight, 98-96 over the Los Angeles Clippers. "I just knew I had an opportunity. I wanted to come out and play aggressively," said Miller, whose nearly 29 minutes of action were more than double his season average of 11.8. "I just so happened to have a good game. I think everybody did, though. Everybody stepped up and thats the reason why we won." Millers 3 made it 95-90, and his 16-foot jumper coming off a screen to the left of the foul line gave the Pelicans a 97-92 lead with 47 seconds left. Anthony Morrow, also playing extended minutes, scored 27 points, while reserve centre Alexis Ajinca added 14 points and 11 rebounds. "We beat a team thats got a chance to win a title," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. "I cant say enough about our group. It felt like a playoff game in there tonight." Jamal Crawford scored 31 for the Clippers, but narrowly missed a couple late 3-point attempts, including one as time expired that could have won it. "We didnt execute the play," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of the final seconds. "But the game didnt come down to the final play. I really thought (New Orleans) deserved to win. "If we had won, I would have taken it, but sometimes the basketball gods punish you for messing around and I though thats what we did." Former New Orleans star Chris Paul had 12 assists, but set a Clippers record for shooting futility by missing all 12 of his attempts from the field. His only points came on two foul shots. "If I go 0 for 15 or 0 for 20 and we win, I could care less," said Paul, whose team had won nine of its previous 10 games to get within striking distance of the second playoff seed in the Western Conference. "Its more than this game. Its about playing the righht way going into the playoffs.ddddddddddddquot; Blake Griffin had 21 points, including a late off-balance floater as he was fouled with 10.5 seconds left. But he missed the following free throw that could have tied it. Davis rebounded the miss, but clanked a free throw on the other end, giving Los Angeles one more chance to tie or win. Davis scored 10 of his points in the second half, including a two-handed dunk in which he sprung toward the hoop from right side of the lane too quickly for DeAndre Jordan to respond. Davis also took on Griffin with confidence, rising over him to score on one end and alter his shots on the other. "AD wanted to prove that he and Blake are on the same level," Williams said. Jordan had 11 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks, but lamented, "We didnt play defence in the first half. We gave them a lot of confidence and when that happens its hard to turn guys off." Pelicans guard Eric Gordon missed his third straight game with left knee tendinitis, while point guards Brian Roberts (bruised left knee) and Austin Rivers (upper respiratory infection) were also out. That forced Williams to start shooting guard Tyreke Evans at point guard, with Miller, normally a small forward, also playing some minutes at guard. Evans finished with 10 points and nine assists. "Its like MASH unit," Williams said. "Were sitting there looking at the guys go through warm-ups this morning and it didnt look good. So we brought the guys together and just talked to them about, Just compete at a high level." New Orleans managed to keep pace with Los Angeles in part because Paul kept missing and didnt score until hitting two free throws with 2:52 left in the third quarter. "Chris started pressing a little bit," Rivers said. "He was trying to get going, which you want him to do. Just keep doing it in the realm of the offence." Notes: The Clippers went 13 of 30 from 3-point range. They won the previous 33 games in which theyd made at least nine 3s. ... The Pelicans victory was their first over the Clippers in four games this season. They wont meet again. ... New Orleans reached 10 blocks in a game for the 10th time this season, most in the NBA. ' ' '