First game back after All Star Game we were flat with no energy and suffered a loss to the New York Knicks. It is in games like this that you wonder what would have happened if Caron was healthy or if we had Gil back or Etan. Any of them or any combination of the three. What the heck how about all three. 

  Injuries are part of the game and the coaches have done a great job of dealing with them. The guys that have been healthy and have suited up come to play every night. They work hard in practice and pull for each other. They are a team in every way. The guys root for one another and get along both on and off the court.

   Next up for us was Cleveland and they just made a blockbuster trade. They were in the Finals last year and just traded away Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Shannon Brown, Donyell Marshall, Ira Newble and Cedric Simmons. In return they picked up Ben Wallace, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak. They won’t be playing against us as they have to have physicals. Cleveland beat us anyway. This was a game that ESPN had on. They were thinking that it would be a great game and it would’ve been if everyone was healthy and the trade was complete. Instead they got two teams with depleted rosters. At least the game was close.

    This was another game that we could’ve won. There have been quite a few of them this year. We just don’t have enough weapons right now to close games out. 

  The guys bounced back with a home victory over Charlotte. They played without Gerald Wallace. Gerald suffered a concussion against Sacramento when Mikki Moore hit him with an elbow. He was down for quite a long time and had to be taken away on a stretcher. Both teams were coming off of back to backs. We played Cleveland and Charlotte lost a tough one in overtime versus Sacramento. It was a total team effort. Everyone played well for us and the bench was huge too. This is the type of effort and energy that we need every night from every player. We have no margin of error, if we are to win games.

    Had a huge win against New Orleans tonight. DeShawn Stevenson was sensational. He comes to play every single night and he has been injured all year. Most players wouldn’t even try to play. D Steve had a career high 33. His dagger at the end of regulation was the difference. I have so much respect for him as does the rest of the staff and the team. I am so happy for him and the rest of the players and coaches. We have been on the short end of these games the past month, so it was a well deserved victory on the road. Got to see Morris Peterson before the game. He is a classy guy and we had a great time in Toronto last season. He seems to be doing well in New Orleans.

    Now we have to get ready for Houston. They are the hottest team in the league, having won their last twelve in a row. The coaching staff watched them play Chicago Sunday night. It was great watching the game as they are two teams that we will play against this week. We close out our road trip in Chicago on Friday.

    Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the blog. Take care and God Bless.