Dein erstes Forum » times now with great courage. If at first

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Given the number of Buffalo Sabres players being mentioned in trade talks, interim coach Ted Nolan has established a running joke with captain Steve Ott. "You dont want to make light of it, but every day when I walk in, I say, Steve, youre still here," Nolan said, with a chuckle after the teams pre-game skate Friday. The question remains, for how long? And the buzz leading up to the NHLs trade deadline Wednesday hasnt been limited to Ott, who is in the final year of his contract and eligible to become a free agent this summer. Goalie Ryan Miller, forward Matt Moulson and veteran defenceman Henrik Tallinder are also being shopped because their contracts are coming up, too. And add defenceman Christian Ehrhoff to the group after confirming he recently complied with the Sabres request to submit a list of eight teams that would make up the no-trade clause of his contract. Though the submission of the list doesnt guarantee Ehrhoff will be dealt, it suggests the 10-year veteran has been the subject of trade conversations. Ehrhoff was not caught by surprise. "No, not really because obviously, we are in 30th place and they have to be prepared," said Ehrhoff, who declined to reveal what teams were on his list. "Its just part of the business. Ill keep focusing on hockey." The Sabres (17-34-8), who host San Jose on Friday, are bracing for a shakeup under newly hired general manager Tim Murray, who continues to drop major hints that hes eager to make big splashes in a bid to rebuild the NHLs worst team through youth. On Tuesday, Murray confirmed hes shopping Miller, adding hes fielded calls from more than two but fewer than 10 teams. On Friday, during an interview with Torontos FAN 590, Murray narrowed the number of teams interested in Miller to about five, while adding that much of his entire roster is available. "Theres no untouchables," said Murray, who took over in early January. "Its a rebuild." The Sabres are in the midst of an overhaul that began under Murrays predecessor, Darcy Regier, who was fired in November. Buffalo will likely miss the playoffs for a third straight season and hasnt won a playoff round since 2007, when the team reached the Eastern Conference finals before losing to Ottawa. The roster purge began last season, when the Sabres traded numerous high-priced veterans, including captain Jason Pominville. And it continued into October, when Thomas Vanek was traded to the New York Islanders for Moulson and a first-round draft pick. The Sabres, as a result, have stockpiled draft picks. They could have as many as two first-round and three second-round selections in this years draft. Buffalo also has a solid group of prospects in its farm system, including defencemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov, who were both drafted in the first round in June. Murrays objective is to add more draft picks or young prospects. Ehrhoff has value because hes a dependable two-way defenceman who leads the team averaging 24:02 of ice time per game, and leads Sabres blue liners with 28 points (six goals, 22 assists). Hes in his third season with Buffalo after signing a 10-year, $40 million contract on June 30, 2011. Miller, who is set to start against San Jose, has already spent much of this week reminiscing about his 11 seasons in Buffalo, and making sure to thank fans for their support. "Its a great place to play hockey. You feel part of something. You feel appreciated," said Miller, who holds franchise records with 284 wins and 540 games played. "With the uncertainty, you dont want to miss an opportunity to say, Thank you." Miller recalled with a laugh the time a fan approached him at a local grocery store to provide pointers on how to hold his stick. And then there were the times when "sweet old ladies" would come up and hug him and suggest he needs to eat more. "I always got a kick out of the people who wanted to get me more to eat because they thought I was a little thin," said Miller, who is 6-foot-2 and 168 pounds. "Its good that people care." Carlos Zambrano Jersey . Sections of the British media reported Friday that Brooklyn Beckham, the son of United great David, was invited to a training session at the club on Thursday. Addison Russell Cubs Jersey .com) - No Sidney Crosby, no problem. http://www.cubsauthentic.com/cubs-kosuke-fukudome-jersey/. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made. By releasing Bailey, the Broncos would open up cap space with the 12-time Pro Bowl player scheduled to make around $10 million next season. Anthony Rizzo Jersey . - Vince Carter, heading into his 17th NBA season, doesnt consider age a big issue anymore. Yu Darvish Jersey .C. -- The Steve Smith era in Carolina is over. NEW YORK -- Deron Williams felt so good, he even dunked for the first time this season. Or, maybe he didnt. "Were trying to debate if that was a dunk," Brooklyn coach Jason Kidd said. It wasnt pretty, but it went in, just like nearly every other shot Williams took in one of his best games of the season. Williams scored 28 points, leading the Nets to a 108-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night that extended their home winning streak to nine. Williams shot 11 of 13 from the field and looks all the way back after ankle problems wrecked his first half of the season. He was two points off his season high and rose above the rim to throw down a dunk that finished off a fourth-quarter fast break started by Andrei Kirilenkos steal. The dunk wasnt exactly a no-doubter, but far better than what Williams was capable of a couple of months ago. "Im going to give it to him," rookie Mason Plumlee said. "Hes gone up about three times now with great courage. If at first you dont succeed, keep trying. This one, I mean it rattled in, so he didnt get the flush, but he got a dunk. Theres a difference." Williams joked that his coach was supposed to have his back, adding that Kidd "was never a dunker in his day, either." But theres no debating that the two-time Olympian looks better, and so do the Nets when he plays like this. "Im definitely feeling better," Williams said after shooting 80 per cent in a game for the first time in his career. "Still not jumping that high, as you can tell, but definitely feeling better and more confident every day." Joe Johnson added 19 points for the Nets, on their longest home winning streak since winning nine straight from March 15-April 6, 2006. Playing without Kevin Garnett because of back spasms for the ninth straight game, the Nets continued to thrive playing small ball, making 67.5 per cent of their shots in the first half and leading by as much as 23 in the game. Garnett hasnt played this month and will miss at least two more games before he is re-evaluated Saturday before the Nets leave for a three-game trip. But Mason Plumlee had another strong game in his absence, ffinishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds in outplaying his brother, Miles.dddddddddddd Markieff Morris scored 18 points and Gerald Green 17 for the Suns, who were seeking a perfect three-game trip against Atlantic Division teams after winning at Boston and Toronto. But they never led and fell 1 1/2 games behind Memphis for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. "We cant have these semi-efforts on nights. We had terrible effort tonight," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "This team has a bunch of All-Stars on it. This should have been a big game to get hyped up. Maybe we were worn out with four games in five nights. I dont know." Kidd talked before the game about how potent the Suns, who scored 121 points at Toronto, could be. But it was the Nets who were quicker up and down the floor in their 16th victory in their last 18 home games. The Nets made eight of their first 11 shots, hit 70 per cent in the first quarter, and led by as much as 14 in the period before taking a 30-20 lead to the second. With a couple of huge dunks by Green to answer some by Shaun Livingston, Phoenix was able to match Brooklyn in first-half highlights but not in baskets. Williams made all three of his shots in the second quarter, including a layup that gave the Nets a 62-49 lead at the break. "They were better than us today," Suns guard Goran Dragic said. "We tried to battle but we didnt find energy, and when you play hard you get all the calls. They were just better in all aspects of the game." Phoenix cut it to 76-67 on Morris three-point play, but Johnson and Paul Pierce hit consecutive 3-pointers to start a 14-0 burst and gave the Nets a 90-67 lead with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter. NOTES: Livingston, who suffered a devastating knee injury early in his career, surpassed his previous bests for minutes played and points scored in a season Monday. ... Brooklyns Jorge Gutierrez played 7 scoreless minutes on the day he signed a second 10-day contract. He played in only one game during the first deal. ... The game featured two sets of brothers, with the Suns Morris twins, Markieff and Marcus, and the Plumlees. ' ' '