Teletopez

STAT picked up his 12th technical foul on the season, and we're only about halfway into the season.

A new CBA needs to be reached after this season, and the max contracts could take a hit in the new agreement. That's one point the Nets FO is likely to use to convince Melo that signing the extension with Jersey following a trade is the better option, as opposed to waiting until free agency.

Ken Berger

Fred Kerber Al Iannazzone (first reported by David Aldridge)

Good news, Favors is back in the game. Nets fans were holding their breath for some time.

First quarter was a highlight reel. Lopez and Kobe with 13 points apiece. Brook is dominating in the post and had arguably his best first quarter of the season. The Nets are one of the best teams when it comes to stopping Kobe, but it seems like after the coaching change, matters are different. But hey, if we can cut off the supporting cast while our offense produces, we're in the game.

I'm somewhat disappointed in Cashman over this one. What happened to him not losing the first-rounder? Interesting signing, great pitcher, but over $11M for a player who has had two major surgeries? Robertson, Logan, Joba, Feliciano, Soriano, Rivera. I suppose a stacked bullpen is key when it could be a rebuilding year for the rotation.

Woj Fred Kerber

Link

We could have traded away Montero for half a season of Cliff Lee. Thankfully, the deal didn't go down and we still have Jesus. No big name signings? No problem. Let's play it smart. Pitchers and catchers report: February 14.

Pre-blizzard... http://oi54.tinypic.com/2113xpg.jpg

What Dave D said about Prokhy back when around when he was approved as owner, saying that he's all-around NBA dumb, has been proven a couple of times, most recently in this instance. King and Prokhorov have two completely different stances on how to handle the situation. The Nuggets, as unprofessional as they have seemed through these talks, are doing what they're doing in part due to Mikhail's eagerness to complete the deal. After giving up Harris, Favors, Morrow, and three to four picks, our success down the road is dependent on more than just a couple of things. One writer suggested that gutting the team may not be the worst idea at 10-27. But you certainly have to be careful if, as apart of your transaction, you're removing the players that would have been key to your new look team.

Denver's reportedly hesitating again. It was reportedly about draft picks, but Woj says it's over players.

I wouldn't say collapse. It would likely just have to wait because the Nets wouldn't have enough players for Wednesday's game.

This is different, though. No other Melo rumor has had this many writers busy reporting.

Al Iannazzone:

Woj reports Melo, Hamilton, Billups, Carter, Williams to Jersey; Harris, Favors, Graham, Uzoh, picks to Denver; Murphy, Petro to Detroit (possibly with a first-rounder). He didn't mention Morrow, Farmar, or White. I will be thrilled if we keep Morrow.

He made unnecessary comments on Twitter out of frustration through our struggles, eventually got fined and benched for a period of time, expressed his frustrations toward the end of the season, started again with the comments on Twitter, and didn't seem to bother hiding that he wanted out. His wish came true when we traded him to Milwaukee. I'm not sure what to say about our performances yesterday and today. Milwaukee is the worst offense in the league on paper. You would think we'd be carrying momentum from the win against Chicago into Washington. It's possible that these trade talks are getting into the heads of our guys.

No Harris or Bogut. Dooling should get an ovation; CD-R should expect quite the opposite.

San Antonio edges out Indiana to avoid their third consecutive loss. 30th win of the season for the Spurs. Nice showing for Hansbrough in his first showing since the promotion to a starting spot.

Full Article This certainly isn't an invalid point. It's on Pettitte's mind without a doubt, and looking ahead to a personal issue this prominent alongside his baseball season isn't very comforting.

I'm not as familiar as others on the disease, but his having mono could have set him back a year in terms of his strength. I know it's been said over and over again, but him having to work his way back to his form from a year earlier hampered his progress. As a result, he's been playing farther away from the basket, which has affected both his rebounding and scoring. As for what King said, it's something worth re-assessing in a year or two.

Kelly Dwyer

WORP, ZORP, and TORP. Awesome answers, man.