lity-wise with the guys if I go back with the thre

METAIRIE, La. -- Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday will play for the first time this season on Friday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, general manager Dell Demps said Tuesday.Meanwhile, guard Tyreke Evans returned to practice on a non-contact basis Tuesday. Demps said it is unclear when Evans will play, but that he appears to be in great shape.Holiday has been on indefinite leave since summer to care for his wife, retired international soccer star Lauren Holiday, who had brain surgery last month, just weeks after giving birth to the couples daughter.The Pelicans play in Orlando on Wednesday night, and Demps said Holiday is slated to practice with the team on Thursday before making his debut the following night in what will be New Orleans 13th game of the season.Demps said he expects Holidays return to be gratifying for Pelicans players and staff on both personal and professional levels.Hes just a great person -- just bringing him back and getting him back with the group, from a social standpoint, is most important, Demps said. From a basketball standpoint, we dont want to put pressure on him and make him feel like hes the savior.Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said he wasnt certain whether Holiday, who has been working out on his own in North Carolina the past couple months, would start or how much hed play.I just know we wont play him 35 minutes the first game back, Gentry said. Were not going to do anything like that. I think weve got to be smart about it. Hes been working out twice a day. Hes in great shape. Theres a big difference in being in great shape and being in basketball shape.New Orleans has won just two of its first 11 games, but also two of its last three after and 0-8 start.Its good for us -- a big, key component to our team that were able to get back, said forward Anthony Davis, who has been averaging 30.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks, but has lacked the help he need to produce more victories. Its good for everybody and well try to get this thing going.Holiday is expected to return as healthy as he has been in several seasons.He began last season on minute restrictions following his rehabilitation from a nagging lower leg injury that had sidelined him for much of the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns.A former Eastern Conference All-Star with Philadelphia before his trade to New Orleans in 2013, Holiday wound up playing in 65 games with 23 starts during the 2015-16 season, averaging 16.8 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 28.2 minutes per game. He scored 20 or more points 25 times and recorded six double-doubles.Jrues very good offensively and very good defensively, Davis added. Hes going to bring that passion, that energy, that fight. So its going to be good to have him back on the floor for us and have Jrue being Jrue.Tim Frazier has been starting in Holidays place this season, averaging 11.4 points and 7.9 assists. He said hes been in constant contact with Holiday, particularly after games to ask for his evaluation.Coming from the point guard spot, I know what you see outside is different from what I see on the court, Frazier said. He just told me what hes seeing and hes been positive, telling me to keep my head up and continue to fight and that he was on his way back soon.As for Evans, the Pelicans will gradually ramp him up to contact practices within the next couple weeks, Demps said, raising the prospects that the versatile 6-foot-6 guard and wing player could be playing in early December.Itll all be based on how his rehab goes in the next days, weeks, Demps said, peering through a conference room window with a view of Evans running through basketball drills on the practice court. If you just look at him right now, its pretty close.Demps said the Pelicans also hope by the end of next week to receive a medical update on small forward Quincy Pondexters recovery from multiple knee surgeries, which might provide a clearer timetable on his return. Cam Reddish Hawks Jersey . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. DeAndre Hunter jersey .J. Jefferson has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend. https://www.thehawkslockerroom.com/Chandler-Parsons-City-Edition-Jersey/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Mike Bibby Hawks Jersey . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. Damian Jones Hawks Jersey . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new.PASADENA, Calif. -- Colin Millers tenure as head coach of the Canadian mens soccer team is coming to an end, and he wants at least one victory before he makes way for his successor. His best shot may come Sunday when Canada opens the CONCACAF Gold Cup against Martinique. "I dont want to say I was desperate but Im as close to desperate as you can imagine. Weve played some very good games during my time as the interim head coach," said Miller, who will stay on until Benito Floro takes over in August. "Personally, Id love to get that first win under my belt because its very important to me. I care very much about what were doing as an association and Im excited about it." Miller has been in charge of three of Canadas four international friendlies in 2013. Combined with his previous stint as interim boss in 2003-04, Miller is still winless. Its now seven international games without a win and Miller doesnt want it to reach eight. Canadian Soccer Association president Victor Montagliani let Miller know on Wednesday about Floros hiring. But, despite the impending regime change for the team, Miller was informed that for the next month hes still the man in charge. "Montagliani gave me a call just before training and said it was absolutely status quo," said Miller before the teams final training session at the Rose Bowl on Saturday. "Its my show throughout the whole process. Mr. Floro will be in attendance and watching the whole team and I will just continue to do the best job that I can possibly do along with my entire staff. Nothing has changed." Canada first faces Martinique, taking on a team thats not a FIFA member since its still a French territory, before more difficult tasks in Mexico and Panama. But while Martinique may present the best chance of a win, the fact that they remain something of a mystery is their biggest advantage. "Obviously the Panamanians and the Mexicans are great teams, but theyre known quantities. With Martinique we dont really know what to expect," said captain Will Johnson. "Im not sure what any game is easier than the other, to be quite honest with you." Most of the Martinique pplayers play domestically and are noticeable by their size.ddddddddddddAfter their own training session ended, the group was remarkable by their abundance of players who stand over six feet. Johnson, who is also the captain of the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer, does have one familiar face on the opposing side. Veteran player Frederic Piquionne also calls Portland home. In the press conference prior to the Martinique training session, a wide grin spread across Piquionnes face when he was asked about the prospect of playing his club-mate. Johnson says pride will be on the line between the two club teammates. "I said I was just going to tackle him and make sure we got the win because it would be tough to go back without three points," Johnson said with a grin. "It will help me credibility-wise with the guys if I go back with the three points." Martinique is making a return to the Gold Cup for the first time since 2002 when they reached the quarter-finals only to be knocked out by the Canadians on penalty kicks. Only goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld and Julian de Guzman remain from that team as Canada goes through a changing of the guard after last years elimination from World Cup qualifying. With the likes of Dwayne De Rosario left off the roster and midfielder Atiba Hutchinson still sorting out his club future, the next generation of talent has an opportunity to prove itself and Canada will likely be fielding a mix of a veteran core with some youth sprinkled in. "Weve got a young group thats probably a little bit naive of what to expect but thats a good thing," Johnson said. "Its something Im excited about to see how those guys react, how theyre going to perform in front of big crowds and intense pressures. Either way were going to learn a lot about ourselves in a short amount of time so I think theres a lot of positives to be gained from that regardless of the results." Notes: D.C. United midfielder Kyle Porter was added to Canadas 23-man list, replacing injured Nana Attakora. However, he will not report to training camp unless the coaching staff calls on him. Porter has been capped twice for Canada. ' ' '