Funkerstation » es. We want to have him back as soon a

NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis doesnt accept the premise that the New Orleans Pelicans will struggle again this season simply because they let two of their best shooters walk this offseason and didnt make a splash in free-agency.For now, Davis has faith that the acquisitions of hard-nosed, two-way players including Solomon Hill, ETwaun Moore and Terrence Jones will make up for the departures of more offensive-minded players like Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson.Its not about having the most talent, Davis said. Its about what (players) can bring to the table to help our team, and all these guys bring something to the table.Davis said he sees the Pelicans aspiring to be kind of like Boston last year, not having a lot of talent but guys play hard.Thats how they were able to win games, Davis added. Thats what we bought into and thats what were looking forward to.Beset by injuries to virtually all top players, the Pelicans went 30-52 last season, which was Alvin Gentrys first as head coach in New Orleans after winning a championship as a Golden State assistant the year before that.Gentry imported the Warriors up-tempo style to New Orleans, hoping it would suit Davis, whose speed and shooting range are exceptional for a 6-foot-11 front-court player. The Pelicans saw possessions per game rise by a league-leading 5.2 over the previous season, to nearly 99 possessions per game, but defensive deficiencies caused their up-tempo approach to backfire.So this offseason, We tried to make sure we were getting two-way players, Gentry said. We also signed guys that play with a lot of grit and added toughness to our team that maybe we were missing last year.---Some other things to watch as the Pelicans try to return to playoff contention:SIDELINED REGULARS: New Orleans will start the season without three prominent players: guard Jrue Holiday, guard Tyreke Evans and small forward Quincy Pondexter. Holiday is on indefinite leave to care for his wife, Lauren, a retired soccer star who was diagnosed with a brain tumor while pregnant. Treatment for the tumor could not start until after the birth of their daughter in late September. We told Jrue, forget about the basketball part of it. This is where you take care of your family, Gentry said. Were going to welcome him back whenever he feels its time. Evans and Pondexter are coming off knee surgeries. Pondexter missed all of last season and Evans most of it. Both hope to return by December.ROOKIE RANGE: The Pelicans know first-round draft choice Buddy Hield, their first round draft choice, can shoot. Hield, a unanimous AP All-American when he averaged 25.4 points for Oklahoma last season, routinely scored in double digits this preseason. But there are other aspects of NBA basketball the sixth overall pick is still learning, particularly on defense, so the Pelicans intend to have him come off the bench to open the regular season. Moore is slated to start at shooting guard for now.DAVIS IN THE MIDDLE: Gentry said Davis, who has filled out substantially during his first four pro seasons, now has the strength and skill set to routinely play at center when opponents dont have physically dominant big man on the floor. It gives us a huge advantage when were not playing overpowering centers, Gentry said. When Davis is at forward, the Pelicans top centers will again be 7-footers Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca.HILLS MISSION: When Hill played for Indiana, he routinely guarded opponents most dynamic scorers. He said hell embrace such a role with the Pelicans while helping instill a more defensive-minded mentality across the roster. We all love the style that coach Gentry wants to implement, but everythings going to be on defense, Hill said. We cant get out and run if we cant stop anybody. Whats the point of having points in the 100s if you only have 100 and the other team has 120?TOGETHER AGAIN: Davis and Jones are teammates for the first time since winning the 2012 NCAA national title with Kentucky (in New Orleans). I always loved Terrences game. He can score. He pays hard. He defends. He rebounds. And of course we all know hes got a winning mentality, right? Davis said. Its good to have one of your guys that you went to war with come back and play with you.Elias Jersey . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. Pele Jersey . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. http://www.soccerbrazilonline.com/Diego-Alves-Copa-America-Jersey/ . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. Hulk Jersey . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. Douglas Santos Brazil Jersey . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91.BOSTON -- Two teams coming off tough 3-2 road losses Tuesday night get together when the Carolina Hurricanes visit the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.Though both clubs fell, but the Bruins did manage to get a point at Philadelphia, losing a nine-round shootout after rallying for two goals in the third period to force overtime. Boston outshot the Flyers 47-21.The Bruins (21-10-1) are just 5-5-0 at home this season, but the Hurricanes, who are four points from the bottom of the Eastern Conference, are just 3-6-4 on the road.The Hurricanes (9-9-4) held a 2-0 lead in New York but were caught and passed by the Rangers, the second-winningest team in the NHL. Carolina, which felt it was a victim of a bad call late, slipped to 0-8-4 in its past 12 games at Madison Square Garden.For two periods we were by far the better team and didnt allow much of anything aside from the one goal and a couple other chances on the break, said Viktor Stalberg, who scored both Carolina goals Tuesday. He played for the Rangers last season. Other than that, they didnt have any zone time. We were putting pressure on them every single shift. Frustrating ending here.The Bruins, who went 8-6-1 in November, did pick up their first point of the season in nine games trailing after two periods. However, they succumbed in the third-longest shootout in team history (No. 2 was also this season).It was Bostons first game without both Zdeno Chara and John-Michael Liles, two of the teams three best defensemen. Chara, who missed the past four games, is still day-to-day with a lower-body injury, while Liles iss out with a concussion he sustained Sunday.ddddddddddddAsked Tuesday if Chara could return as early as Thursday, Bruins coach Claude Julien said, No idea. He could, (or) maybe not. I really dont know right now. I think hes supposed to skate back home. I dont have that news. So well see how he progresses. We want to have him back as soon as possible. But theres part of it that hes got to be medically cleared, and then the players got to feel that hes ready to go.The Hurricanes, 7-5-2 in November, dropped three of their past four and scored just seven goals in the four games.Weve got to continue to learn as we go, Carolina coach Bill Peters said. Obviously, this (loss to the Rangers) is one that I dont think too many guys will be happy the way it unfolded over 60 minutes. I thought we were in good shape at the beginning of the game, played real well and did a lot of good things. We just needed to continue that and sustain quality play for 60 minutes.Boston goalie Tuukka Rask is an impressive 7-3-3 with a 1.89 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage lifetime against the Hurricanes, while Carolina goaltender Cam Ward is just 14-15-3 with a 2.62 GAA and a .918 save percentage against Boston.Strangely enough, the Hurricanes go right back to New York and Madison Square Garden to face the Rangers on Saturday afternoon before hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning Sunday.The Bruins move on to Buffalo for a Saturday matinee against the Sabres. ' ' '