Hilfestellungen » basketball," Sakic said, smiling.

Two teams still hoping to jumpstart their seasons hook up Wednesday night when the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings face off at American Airlines Center.Though the season is only about a quarter old, the Mavericks (4-16) and Kings (7-13) appear headed to the lottery. Missing the playoffs is nothing new for Sacramento, which is working on a decade-long postseason drought.The Kings had high expectations. Instead, this DeMarcus Cousins-led squad has dropped three games in row and eight of the last 11. Sacramento, 11th in the Western Conference, ends a five-game road trip in Dallas.The Kings lost 106-98 at New York on Sunday. Sacramento battled back from a 21-point deficit to make it a game in the fourth quarter before running out of gas.I think well be fine, Darren Collison told the Sacramento Bee. Weve just got to figure out how to compete at a higher level. Not from a physical side, but a mental side, and try to limit our mistakes mentally.Cousins is off to a great start, averaging a career-high 29.1 points and 10.5 rebounds. The seven-year pro is third in the NBA in scoring and 11th in rebounding.Closing out games is point of contention for the All-NBA center.Most guys, adrenaline gets going in those last couple of minutes, Cousins told the Bee. Youre going to find out who has the most heart in those last situations, and (Sunday) it was them. I dont think theres any one thing you can do or talk it over. Its who wants it the most in those last couple minutes.Dallas has failed to qualify for the playoffs only once since 2001. Unless something dramatic happens with this injury-ravaged club, this season will be about ping-pong ball positioning.The Mavericks are without Dirk Nowitzki, Andrew Bogut and J.J. Barea. Bogut injured his right knee in Mondays 109-101 loss to Charlotte. Seth Curry (knee) is making progress, but is officially listed as questionable against the Kings.Dallas led for much of the second half before faltering down the stretch. The Hornets outscored the Mavs 34-23 in the fourth quarter to pull away.Two days after their best performance of the season in a 107-82 rout of Chicago, the Mavs fell flat with the game on the line. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle pinned the collapse on a lack of effort late.Why we fell into that, Im not sure, he said. Maybe we were resting on the laurels of our one-game winning streak.Charlotte outrebounded the Mavericks 55-35. Losing Bogut in the first quarter didnt help, but Carlisle didnt use losing his starting center as an excuse.The thing thats most disappointing is the rebounding numbers, he said. After really going toe-to-toe with Chicago and playing even on the boards, we got wiped out (Monday) by 20, which shouldnt happen. That points to effort.Dallas won two of its previous four games before Monday, and was competitive in the other two. That qualified as progress in a campaign thats off to the worst start since Mark Cuban bought the team in 2000.Losing their edge in the fourth quarter against Charlotte -- the Mavs were up 11 in the third -- didnt sit well in the locker room.We just went cold for whatever reason and we just cant do that, Wesley Matthews sad. We have to be crazed dogs from the tip to the final buzzer and that is how we have to play. That is how we have been playing. We have been that way for the last, however many games, we showed that identity.The Mavericks won 22 of the last 27 regular-season meetings against Sacramento, but the Kings claimed three of the four games last season.Robbie Ray Diamondbacks Jersey . 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Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career.DENVER -- Josh Kroenke will now be keeping just as close a watch on power plays as power forwards. Already in charge of the Denver Nuggets, Kroenke was announced Friday as the new president of the Colorado Avalanche. He will take over for Pierre Lacroix, whos stepping down after 18 seasons and two Stanley Cup titles. Lacroix will stay with the team as an adviser. Former team captain Joe Sakic also received a promotion as the Avs overhauled their front office. Hes now the executive vice-president of hockey operations and will have a big say on just about everything, including the next coach after Joe Sacco was fired last month. Greg Sherman will remain the teams general manager as the Avalanche try to get back on track after finishing last in the Western Conference and missing the playoffs for a third straight season. "I like challenges. Ive never been one to back down from a challenge in my entire life," Kroenke said. "I dont sleep a lot, because Im constantly thinking about teams. Im always paying attention and watching. Im looking forward to taking these things to new heights." By many, Kroenke is viewed as primarily a basketball guy, especially since he played at Missouri. The Nuggets won a franchise-record 57 games this season before bowing out to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. In the meantime, the Avalanche languished in Kroenkes three seasons as the teams governor. Hes constantly heard the criticism that neglect is the reason for the Avalanches recent slide. He just shakes his head. "I dont like losing. Im a very competitive person," said Kroenke, whose father, Stan, owns the Nuggets, Avalanche, St. Louis Rams and a majority of the English football club Arsenal. "The hard part about team building is staying patient. If we can continue to add and draft well, we will be in a good position in a few years." If Sakic didnt believe that, he wouldnt have signed on. Kroenke had to sell Sakic on taking a larger role with the team after spending the last two seasons serving as the teams executive adviser/alternate governor, with somewhat undefined responsibilities. "Were not that far away," Sakic insisted. "But we still have to add pieces for sure." Priority No. 1 is finding a coach. Sakic said he wants a leader with a nurturing nature. After all, the Avs have a young nucleus in place with Matt Duchene, Ryan OReilly and captain Gabriel Landeskog all under 23. "We need that winning attitude down in the dressing room," Sakic said. Over his career with the organization, Lacroix supervised the relocation of the team from Quebec to Denver and was the architect behind the championship teams in 1996 and 2001. He assembled a talent-rich lineup led by Sakic that captured nine straight division titles a decade ago. Lately, Colorado has fallen on some lean seasons. "There are cycles to every team," Kroenke said. &quuot;There are teams playing very well in the playoffs right now that were not in a position far off from where we are several years ago.dddddddddddd" By promoting Sakic, the Avs are borrowing a page from the Denver Broncos, who brought in Hall of Famer John Elway to take over as executive vice-president and help revive the team. Elway has flourished in his front office role, just like he once did on the field. Its a model that Kroenke has carefully monitored. "Having somebody that has the experience both as a player and as an executive, such as John or Joe, is very valuable to an organization," Kroenke said. "John has only proved that the last few years with the Broncos." Sakic was the face of the franchise since the day the team arrived in the Mile High City before the 1995-96 season. He wore the captains "C" for 17 seasons and guided the Avalanche to championship titles in 1996 and 2001. He also won league MVP honours in 2001 and was a 13-time All-Star. For all of that, the team retired No. 19 in his honour and a commemorative banner hangs from the Pepsi Center rafters. "Theres pressure coming with this title," Sakic said. "Im ready for it." Things got so bad for the Avalanche toward the end of this season that veteran goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere questioned the teams heart, enraged that some of the players were more concerned with post-season vacation plans in Las Vegas than their play on the ice. That ignited them, too, as the Avs went 3-2-2 down the stretch against teams that had already clinched or were looking to sew up playoff berths. Soon after the season, Sacco was fired and Lacroixs son, Eric, left his position of vice-president of hockey relations. Colorado owns the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, with defenceman Seth Jones largely considered the top prospect. Jones was drawn to the game in part because of Sakics influence when Jones father, Popeye, once suited up for the Nuggets. "(Popeye) was a little upset his son wanted to play hockey and didnt want to play basketball," Sakic said, smiling. "I think it paid off." Asked if hockey will now be on the same footing as hoops given his new role, Kroenke said: "Were committed to all of our teams equally. "Assuming the presidency title of the Avalanche answers that question very clearly," he continued. "As far as any kind of perceptions out there -- Greg and Joe can both tell you behind the scenes how passionate I am, how much sleep I lose." Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri can vouch for that as well. Ujiri, who was named the NBAs executive of the year on Thursday, frequently receives texts from Kroenke at all hours of the night. "Hes an absolute gem," said Ujiri, who showed up at the news conference to support Kroenke. "You can see what hes done with the Nuggets and I bet you its going to be the same way for the Avalanche." ' ' '