Larry H. Miller, the owner of the Utah Jazz is making a serious run at both Brand and A. Miller from the Clippers. Malone/Stockton's contracts end after this year, and people in Utah are screaming about getting Brand and Miller to replace them and extend the PG to PF legacy. I am a fan for both team, so I don't mind either way. That said, do you think the Rockets have an upper hand over the Jazz to get Brand?(We don't need Miller obviously) Remember, the Jazz will have about 27 million cap room after the Malone/Stockton contracts. How much does the Rockets have next year?
Personally, I would love this trade to the Jazz. Jazz trade Harpring and Kirilenko to Clippers for Brand and Miller. Brand and Miller have car, planes, helicoptors reserved to get the heck out of Salt Lake when the final horn blows (by the way, they miss the playoffs because of poor chemistry). Jazz become the Cincinnati Bengals of the NBA...a decade of losing at least.
This is not up to Miller or Alexander. Ask the agents. Cheaney and Harpering are Utah-fits. I don't see Brand in SLC. Miller? Maybe. Of course that would likely see the premature exit of Stockton/Malone who have 5-7 good years left in them.
Who would Utah be offering? Kirelenko? Stevenson? Draft picks? Beyond that, they dont really have anything of much value (as trade bait).
Didn't we already discuss this in a previous thread? If Brand and Miller go to the Jazz, I'd have to shoot myself...oh wait, they're leading the Clippers to a last place finish right now, so I say let the Jazz have them!
I would like the Rockets to get Brand, but if the Jazz got Brand and Miller I wouldn't mind, the Rockets are fine. If Griffin keeps playing with a sense of urgency he will be a very good player in his own right so if we don't get Brand it's not the end of the world, far from it. And besides, the best thing about the Jazz getting Miller and Brand is that it makes them the Stockton/Malone of the new millenium, a new set of Jazz that Yao Ming and Steve Francis can prevent from getting rings, and there's nothing wrong with that at all!
OK, below is the link to an article on the Deseret News, which is the biggest newspaper in Salt Lake City. ------------------------------------------ Brand shows his game in leading Clips by Jazz By Rich Evans Deseret News sports writer For Jazz fans wondering why they paid big bucks to see their team coast for three quarters Wednesday against the Clippers, there may have been a bright side to the eventual Utah defeat. It may have offered a look at the Jazz cornerstones of the future. There has been speculation that Utah is interested in both ex-Ute point guard Andre Miller and power forward Elton Brand, both of whom will be restricted free agents this summer. Miller got most of the postgame attention, having been a local college favorite, but Brand probably was the more impressive player in the game, which the Clippers won, 96-89. Some consider Brand undersized to play power forward. He's listed as 6-8 yet is probably closer to 6-7, and his official weight as of Wednesday was 265, but if he really weighs 10 pounds more than Utah's Karl Malone, he's hiding it well. Regardless of his actual size, though, Brand had more than enough moves around the basket - particularly a nice jump hook - to cause the Jazz all sorts of defensive problems. He made 10 of 19 shots from the field for a game-high 24 points, while also grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds. One thing that is obvious about Brand is that he understands his role, which is to be a low-post player. He runs to the low block every time, and when he gets the ball there he more often than not goes inside. In fact, his longest shot of the night was a 10-footer. He is also, by all accounts, a team player with a good attitude. While it isn't uncommon to read stories of Clippers popping off, those stories so far haven't involved Brand. He's been a solid citizen, which may explain why - like Miller - he seems reluctant to discuss any interest the Jazz might have in him. "Right now I'm definitely a Clipper," he said. "I'm here to play here." Brand did smile when it was suggested the Jazz might have him on their short list, and said, "It seems like a great city, great people. But that's far away, as far as I'm concerned. I'm not even going to look at that right now." What Brand preferred to look at was the Clippers, who are starting to show some life after a dismal start. "This is a big, big victory for team morale," he said of the Clippers' first win ever in the Delta Center. "This is a big boost for us as a team." The Clippers started turning things around recently when coach Alvin Gentry shortened his rotation. With center Michael Olowokandi out due to a deep thigh bruise, Gentry used just eight players against the Jazz. Whether that's the reason for their resurgence or not, it's clear the Clippers are playing more like what people expected when they acquired Miller in a summertime trade with Cleveland. "We've had a pretty good stretch," Brand said. "We've beat the Jazz, we've beat Sacramento, took the Lakers to the last two minutes and took Dallas to the last minute. We start turning this thing around before the All-Star break, we'll be excited to come back." -----------------------------------------
I HATE the Jazz with all my heart, and hope that the franchise leaves Utah never to return....and Flopton and Karla's jerseys can be hanging in some other city !!! Andre Miller Kirilenko Harpring Brand That is a great cornerstone to have and damn they could be scary!! Those are four guys that I respect because they all know how to play the game, and i'm sure Jerry Sloan would stick around to coach this group!! Besides....we're not getting either of these guys because of this little think called the Salary cap. Francis MAXED MoTay 48 Million Griffin Will need to be paid Posey Will need to be paid Yao Will need to be paid We can sign another max player because we won't be able to retain 3 max players if we get to re-sign Yao.
Utah just has to accept the fact that they have to rebuild like every other team does. No way even the Clippers consideirng doing a trade like that.
See the other thread about trading for Brand. Maybe we will....maybe we won't. Andre Miller might very well go to Utah. And there's gotta be somebody in the league worth the money who'd go there. But I HOPE NOT!
Do you even have a clue as to how old Malone and Stockton are? If they are even in the league next year it will be a testament to Geritol!
I expect they'll call it a day when Jordan does. I mean Michael Jordan's son. These guys must have sold their souls to the Devil and drank from the Fountain of Youth. So, yes, I have an idea of how old they are -- too darn young! I hate them both. I hate Sloan. But, sheesh, I respect them and fear them. They are still better than just about any of the kids 15-18 years their junior out there.
There's nothing alluring about Utah (the state or the team) to convince Brand to play there. And as spectacular as he is, he's no Karl Malone (though I hate Malone's guts). But who knows. I'm starting to grow weary of all this Brand trade talk. Though I'd pull the trigger if I were the Rockets GM, I don't think the Rockets are in bad shape by keeping their team in tact (so long as Cuttino learns to defer to Yao).
Utah has nothing to match our trade bait for Brand. Kirilenko and/or Harpring + picks for Miller/dead contracts - quite possibly. Miller is a Utah guy. May play well eventually for his old college coach.
