a chance to be about as good a prospect as weve ever had. | Forum

NEW ORLEANS -- Alvin Gentry was defiant when asked if hes concerned about his job status after his New Orleans Pelicans lost their fourth straight game Thursday night. Mark Clayton Jersey . The Pelicans fell 99-88 to the last-place Philadelphia 76ers, who stopped a franchise record-tying 23 road games entering the night.I really dont give a s--- about my job status, Gentry said. Im gonna work hard, and Im gonna coach until the day they tell me Im not the coach here anymore. It doesnt matter. I dont ever worry about that. That isnt anything that I spend five seconds worrying about.My worry is how do I get the guys in the locker room to play at the level that I want them to. Thats where all my effort goes. It doesnt go anywhere else.The Pelicans have now lost six of their past seven games following a four-game winning streak sparked by the return of guard Jrue Holiday. New Orleans is now 7-16 overall and in fourth-to-last place in the Western Conference.Asked if this feels like a low point for the team, Pelicans star Anthony Davis replied, Yup.Asked if this is the most frustrated he has been after a loss in his five seasons in New Orleans, Davis replied, Yup.Davis currently leads the league in points (31.6), blocks (2.8), minutes played (38) and player efficiency rating (31.2) and is averaging career highs in rebounds (11.5) and steals (1.8).However, the Pelicans entered the night ranked 25th in offensive efficiency and second to last in 3-point shooting percentage (31.6).Weve got to be able to make shots, Gentry said. Weve got to be able to take pressure off Anthony some kind of way, and the only way we can do that [is] we have to have guys make shots.Davis finished Thursdays loss with 26 points on 8-for-21 shooting and 11 rebounds. As a team, the Pelicans shot 39 percent from the floor and 28 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.Even when we won, I thought it was fools gold, Pelicans forward Solomon Hill said. We won games, but our ball movement is nonexistent. We come down, pick-and-roll and throw it to AD, and you just have AD scoring over three people. We want to get him in position where its two at [most], or one.We have to come down [and] move the ball, move the ball and then get it to AD. I think we just come down and throw it right to him and we just wait and watch. We can say we want ball movement, but when hes going, everybodys out there watching.The Pelicans were without Holiday (left turf toe) and ETwaun Moore (right toe contusion) for the second straight game, and Dante Cunningham (broken right fibula) for a seventh game. Tyreke Evans (right knee/left calf) and Quincy Pondexter (left knee) have missed the entire season.I think its hard to measure because weve got so many people in and out, on this and on that, restricted this, that I dont think we have a fair handle on what kind of team we even have, Gentry said. Thats the frustrating thing, I think. I think we got confident guys. Obviously your confidence is going to be a little bit rocked when you lose five, six straight games. Thats just the way this league is. But youve got to find a way to regroup, and you keep moving forward.New Orleans players cumulatively lost 351 games to injury and illness last season, the second most by a team in the past decade, and the team used an NBA-high 42 different starting lineups last season.Asked if he ever envisioned the Pelicans situation getting this bad when he took the job during the 2015 playoffs, Gentry said, No, I didnt expect this, no. But we have who we have. And the bottom line is, I dont care who we have in the locker room. All I expect is them to do is compete and play hard, which theyve done most of the night, and then weve got to try to find a way to execute. And then weve got to make some shots. Weve got to knock down some shots. Thats the bottom line.Gentry is 37-68 (35.2 percent winning percentage) since he took over from Monty Williams before the 2015-16 season. Gentry has compiled a 372-438 record (45.9 percent) in 13-plus seasons as an NBA head coach.Hes doing fine, Davis said of Gentry.The Pelicans next face a road back-to-back this weekend against the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns.We need to figure out something, Davis said. [Were] on the road against two tough teams. Whatever it is we need to do, we need to figure it out. Mike Pouncey Jersey . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. Stephone Anthony Jersey . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. http:///...koa-misi-jersey.html . Miller finished in two minutes, 6.09 seconds, one day before the first medal race on the Alpine schedule. The 36-year-old American also turned in the top time in Thursdays opening training session. LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Bill Self knew after witnessing an emotional senior day that Canadian Andrew Wiggins was considering Kansas, even if the Jayhawks coach was in the dark like everyone else while the superstar recruit made certain of his future. For one thing, Wiggins saw on that visit in March just how beloved players are at Kansas, where icons such as James Naismith and Phog Allen have become deified. The six-foot-eight Vaughan, Ont., native also saw just how many players were departing. Four senior starters delivered farewell addresses that night. A few weeks later, star freshman Ben McLemore announced he would be declaring for the NBA draft, leaving the nine-time defending Big 12 champions looking for a bunch of guys to plug into the lineup next season. Undoubtedly, Wiggins saw in Kansas a place where he could shine. "I just felt like that was the place for me," the consensus No. 1-ranked recruit said after announcing his college intentions Tuesday in Huntington, W.Va. "Going to college will get me better mentally and physically in the game of basketball." Wiggins chose the Jayhawks over overtures from Kentucky, North Carolina and Florida State, where both of his parents attended and one of his teammates will be playing next season. "I felt like there was a connection," Self said, "but basically, he picked a good night to visit. He visited on senior day and kind of saw what this was all about, a game that wasnt a huge high-intensity game, but a game he was able to see how players are beloved here." Widely considered the next LeBron James -- though Self compared him more closely to Tracy McGrady -- Wiggins initially was part of the 2014 class, but was immediately raised to the top of this years recruiting market when he decided to reclassify. Wiggins averaged more than 23 points and 11 rebounds while leading Huntington Prep School in West Virginia to a 30-3 record last season. He also dazzled scouts, most of which knew they had no chance of landing him, at the McDonalds All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic. The entire recruitment of Wiggins was unlike anything college basketball has seen. Sure, hes the kind of transcendent talent that in bygone days could have jumped straight to the NBA, and that alone makes him unique. But by nature, hes a soft-spoken kid who cares little for the spotlight. So while other top recruits string along the public before making their college decision, Wiggins kept his thoughts largely to himself throughout the process. Self said he texted Wiggins on Tuesday morning to wish him luck, and received a text back from the small forward saying, "Thank you." But besides that, Self had barely spoken with Wiggins in the final tense days of his recruitment. Mike Hull Jersey. Wiggins revealed his choice at a small ceremony at his prep school. Self didnt even know hed won the recruiting derby until he received a phone call from a reporter. "There wasnt jubilation like youd think," Self said. "It was kind of a surreal feeling. I was so happy, but at the same time, it was almost a humble happiness, and so proud we were able to land Andrew to go with whats already a terrific recruiting class." Along with losing McLemore, whos expected to be an NBA lottery pick, the Jayhawks are also losing star centre Jeff Withey, forward Kevin Young and veteran guards Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford, who have never known anything but winning conference championships. Kansas has a few reserves returning, including junior guard Naadir Tharpe and sophomore forward Perry Ellis, a five-star prospect that finally caught on late last season. But the Jayhawks will be dominated by newcomers as they chase their 10th straight Big 12 championship next year. Wiggins is the headliner, but 6-5 Wayne Seldon from Tilton (N.H.) School is the second-rated shooting guard in the country. Seven-footer Joel Embiid from The Rock School in Gainesville, Fla., is the third-rated centre. Guards Connor Frankamp from Wichita, Kan., and Brannen Greene from Tifton, Ga., are in the top 10 at their positions, and point guard Frank Mason from Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Va., has steadily climbed into the nations top 100 recruits. "If anything," Self said, "it gets me excited to go to work." Wiggins said the most difficult part of his decision was informing the three other finalists that hed be going elsewhere. As for why he chose Kansas, well, hes keeping most of those reasons private, though he did say having his older brother Nick Wiggins at Wichita State was nice. His father, former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins, said fit was also a big part of it. "He liked their system. A lot of pro offence, the pick and roll," the elder Wiggins said. "The system is probably the biggest thing, and Coach Self is a pretty good coach." Self is the first to admit he wouldnt be nearly as successful if it wasnt for his players -- thats where it all starts, of course. But in luring Wiggins to Kansas, even Self acknowledged hes never coached another player like him. "He doesnt really fit the mould of some of the guys weve had in the past," Self said. "Hes a tremendous talent and a terrific kid. Probably an even better kid than he is a talent. We think he has a chance to be about as good a prospect as weve ever had." Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys From China Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys Wholesale Hockey Jerseys China Nike Baseball Jerseys Cheap College Jerseys China Cheap Football Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys Canada Wholesale Nike MLB Jerseys Canada Cheap NBA Jerseys Authentic Canada Stitched Soccer Jerseys Canada Cheap Jerseys Canada NFL ' ' '