OT: Linas Kleiza drops 41 and 9

[2poor]

That's somewhat true, but 41 is 41. I watched the whole game, and Utah tried several different players on Kleiza. He just out-hustled and out-played whoever they put on him. He was running the floor well, had some nice baseline drives, and his shot was on. I think it was just a matter of him being extremely aggressive and getting some extra burn with K-Mart out. Not something I expect he can replicate very often, but he had a great game.

Truth. Utah's D blows, but what Kleiza did is expose it. You don't just fall into 41 points on accident. I think at one point there were 2 or 3 possessions in a row where Linas beat Utah down the floor on made baskets and either got a dunk/lay-up or free throws. He was hustling up and down the floor and attacking the basket all night long...the 14 free throw attempts are indicative of that.

[almost famous]

"He got a couple of easy ones, and once you get a couple of layups, the basket looks bigger," said Iverson, who had 28 points. "He played a great game, and hopefully he can continue to play that way."

Oh wow... Sounds like AI is really letting LK have it...

[breaker91]

Kleiza is a nice player, but I wouldn't read too much into it. Richie Frahm scored 31 points in a NBA game once. I also think there is some karma at work here for the Nugs. A day after Kleiza has a huge game Bobby Jones who the released had this pretty impressive stat line tonight:

20 points
13 boards
7 dimes
3 steals

[L-Burna89]

I really don't see why Portland fans really care about what Kleiza does and worry about "who won the trade." The trade wasn't Jack for Kleiza/Sanchez.....it was the 22nd pick for the 27th and 35th. The trade was agreed on before the picks were made(the Nuggets would have taken Kleiza at 22 if they weren't able to trade down and pick up an extra asset, since they knew he would last at least a little bit longer, as he was only projected to go in the mid-2nd as it was). So it's not like the Blazers really picked Kleiza, as a player they actually wanted, and then decided to trade him afterward.....they made the trade for Jack and picked who the Nuggets told them(like most draft day trades).

No one really "won" the trade. The Nuggets got the player they were going to take at 22 later in the draft, while picking up another pick(that didn't turn out to be anything.....but at least they saved some money with the difference between the salary of the 22nd pick and that of the 27th). The Blazers got the PG they wanted, who may not have been available at the time they were going to pick. It was just a matter of two teams making smart, logical draft day moves....I don't see why people actually connect the two players in any type of comparison though.