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Anthony Davis Is The Best Player On Team USA
It will not come as a shock to anyone that the current FIBA USA Basketball roster is leaps, bounds, and a flying 747 jet to China difference than the 1992 Dream Team, especially with Paul George’s gruesome exit and Kevin Durant opting out at the last moment. Read more

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Pelicans News Around the Web (9/10/14)

Jim Eichenhofer

1)      There are 20 days until Pelicans training camp begins Sept. 30. We’ll begin the countdown to camp later today on Pelicans.com with a daily feature.

2)      The new Pelicans interior combination of Anthony Davis and Omer Asik posted double-doubles for their respective national teams Tuesday.

3)      USA Basketball’s 119-76 victory over Slovenia yesterday meant a trip to Thursday’s semifinal round of the FIBA World Cup. The Americans will face Lithuania tomorrow at 2 p.m. Central. The winner advances to Sunday’s championship game.

4)      This morning, Davis and Pelicans four-year head coach Monty Williams will hold a conference call from Spain with local and national reporters. We’ll have full coverage later today on Pelicans.com.

5)      Turkey’s defeat yesterday vs. Lithuania brought an end to Asik’s time in Spain. He’ll have some time to rest after what’s been a busy summer for he and the Turkish national team, then report to Metairie later this month.

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Five things to know about the Pelicans on Sept. 10

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2014 FIBA World Cup - USA vs. Slovenia

For the majority of USA Basketball’s trip to Spain, Denver forward Kenneth Faried has gobbled up every rebound in sight, while New Orleans forward Anthony Davis has handled the interior offense, leading the Americans in scoring average. The pair of frontcourt standouts spent parts of Tuesday’s 119-76 blowout win over Slovenia flip-flopping roles, with Davis compiling his best rebounding game of the FIBA World Cup, and Faried (14 points) frequently finishing plays around the rim.

Davis helped bring Team USA within just two victories of a gold medal in Barcelona on the strength of an excellent all-around performance that featured 13 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. He compiled those statistics despite playing sparingly in the second half, after the United States went up by a massive lead on the scoreboard. The 21-year-old logged 21 minutes overall. He went 5-for-11 from the field, highlighted by four slam dunks, while grabbing six offensive rebounds.

It was Davis’ first double-double at the World Cup, though he has come close with a 21-point, nine-rebound game against New Zealand in pool play.

USA (7-0) will face Lithuania on Thursday in the semifinal round. The winner of that game will advance to Sunday’s title game. The loser will play in Saturday’s third-place contest.

In other FIBA World Cup quarterfinal action involving the Pelicans:

Lithuania broke open what had been a tight game with a 26-17 advantage in the fourth quarter. Like his Pelicans teammate Davis, Turkey center Omer Asik notched a double-double Tuesday, recording 11 points and 10 rebounds. Asik added two blocks and one steal.

Over his seven appearances in the World Cup, the 7-footer finished with averages of 9.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. He shot 50 percent from the field, making 23 of his 46 overall shots.

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USA pulls away from Slovenia in second half, 119-76

1)      Pelicans training camp is exactly three weeks from opening in Metairie, on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

2)      Of the team’s 15 players on its roster, five are newcomers, including Omer Asik, Jimmer Fredette, John Salmons, Russ Smith and Patric Young.

3)      Asik and the Turkish national team tip off today’s FIBA World Cup quarterfinal schedule today by facing Lithuania at 10 a.m. Central. Turkey is the world’s seventh-ranked team, according to FIBA.

4)      Anthony Davis and Team USA play against Slovenia at 2 p.m. Central today, broadcast by ESPN. It’s a rematch of an exhibition tilt the Americans won 101-71 in August. The U.S. is FIBA’s No. 1-ranked team in the world.

5)      The winners of Tuesday’s games will meet Thursday (time TBA) in Spain, meaning there could be another FIBA World Cup matchup between Asik and Davis.

five-things-to-know-about-the-pelicans-on-sept-9

Five things to know about the Pelicans on Sept. 9

U.S. faces Slovenia in World Cup quarters
On a map, Slovenia is a mystery to the U.S. basketball team. Read more

Anthony Davis, Now on the World Stage, Is the Next Superstar
The United States will soon send a 12-man team of N.B.A. standouts to play in the FIBA World Cup — formerly the world basketball championship — in Barcelona, Spain. Read more

Why Austin Rivers Is Poised for a Breakout Season
Following two underwhelming NBA campaigns, New Orleans Pelicans guard Austin Rivers is entering the most important year of his career. Read more

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jimmer Fredette aiming to meet expectations
After three seasons, combo guard Jimmer Fredette has not emerged in the NBA like he did in college when he was the NCAA National Player of the Year in 2011 at Brigham Young. Read more

pelicans-news-around-the-web-9-9-14

Pelicans News Around the Web (9/9/14)

New Orleans Pelicans teammates Anthony Davis and Omer Asik have already faced each other once during FIBA World Cup competition in Spain. If there are two favorable outcomes Tuesday for the Pelicans’ big men in Barcelona, a second head-to-head matchup will take place this week.

On Aug. 31, Davis and Team USA prevailed by a 98-77 margin over Asik’s Turkish national team, part of America’s unbeaten run so far through pool play (the opening tip-off between Davis and Asik is pictured above). Davis is leading USA in scoring average (13.8 points) and blocks per game (2.2), while ranking second on the squad in rebounding average (6.3). The 21-year-old has been relatively quiet offensively by his standards in Team USA’s three most recent victories, but the Americans have yet to be seriously challenged by any of their opponents. As a result, Davis has been given extended rest during second halves of one-sided wins. USA has won each of its games by at least 21 points.

USA will next play against Slovenia in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round (2 p.m. Central). A victory by the Americans would mean a Thursday semifinal game against either Turkey or Lithuania. The Turkey-Lithuania game will take place a few hours earlier, at 10 a.m. Central on Tuesday. A semifinal round meeting between the United States and Turkey would occur Thursday, with tip-off time to be announced.

Asik and the Turkish national team have experienced several dramatic finishes at the FIBA World Cup, but perhaps none more so than Sunday’s 65-64 thriller over Australia in the Round of 16. Turkey trailed Australia 64-62 in the waning seconds, but Emir Preldzic nailed a three-point with five seconds to go for the game-winning basket. Australia was unable to get a shot off before the final buzzer.

Asik has compiled several big statistical performances in Spain – including a 16-point, 20-rebound outing – but had just four points and three rebounds vs. Australia in his 28 minutes of action. Still, Asik is Turkey’s leading rebounder at 8.2 boards per game and is second in scoring, with an average of 9.7 points. 

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Anthony Davis, Omer Asik one win apiece from rematch

1)      New Orleans Pelicans training camp will begin in just 22 days, with practices scheduled to start on Sept. 30. Media Day is slated for Sept. 29.

2)      Roughly 10 Pelicans players have already been in Metairie working out at the team’s practice facility, a number that obviously doesn’t include Anthony Davis and Omer Asik, who’ve had month-long obligations for their national teams.

3)      Speaking of Davis, he and Team USA throttled Mexico on Saturday, advancing to the next round of the FIBA World Cup.

4)      Meanwhile, Asik and Turkey held on for a 65-64 triumph over Australia on Sunday in the other portion of the bracket.

5)      USA Basketball and Turkey will play in separate games Tuesday, in the FIBA World Cup quarterfinal round. Turkey’s game is at 10 a.m. Central vs. Lithuania, followed by Team USA facing Slovenia at 2 p.m. Central. USA previously defeated Slovenia 101-71 in an exhibition game Aug. 26.

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Five things to know about the Pelicans on Sept. 8

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