Für unsere Gäste » Clarksons deal, but the complications involved

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- No. 7 Duke proved its anything but a one-man show. These Blue Devils showed they also can win rather easily when they spread the scoring around. Duke routed Elon 86-48 on Tuesday despite not producing a 20-point scorer for the first time this season. Andre Dawkins scored 15 points, Rodney Hood had 13 points and freshman Jabari Parker had 12 points and a season-high-tying 10 rebounds for Duke (11-2). "We didnt know who was scoring," Dawkins said. "We just knew we were putting points up." The Blue Devils never trailed and had little trouble winning their fifth straight, shooting 48.5 per cent, forcing 22 turnovers and turning them into 25 points. "We just wanted to get into their legs," Hood said. "We wanted to contest them, make them take tough shots the whole night and we did that, and I could see the frustration on their face. They got a little tired (and) it was because of our defensive pressure." At least one Blue Devil reached the 20-point mark in each of their previous 12 games -- and in 10 of them, it was Parker. But they had little need to put the scoring burden on any one player in this one. "It was one of those days where everybody played hard and well, and they embraced playing defence," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. Elons 48 points were a season-low allowed by Duke, and at no point in the game did the Phoenix (7-7) have more field goals than turnovers. "We were beaten in every situation," Elon coach Matt Matheny said. Ryley Beaumont and Lucas Troutman scored 11 points each for the Phoenix, who shot 35 per cent and fell to 1-26 against ACC opponents since their 1999 move to Division I. Dawkins set season highs with 20 points and six 3-pointers three days earlier against Eastern Michigan. He finished this one with five 3s -- including four during the first-half run that gave Duke an insurmountable lead. Rasheed Sulaimon and Quinn Cook each had 11 points for the Blue Devils, who can finally focus on conference play. The ACCs preseason favourites visit Notre Dame on Saturday in their league opener. Hood -- a 17.6-point scorer -- was 4 of 12 in this one after managing just eight points against Eastern Michigan while playing through an illness. But the Blue Devils didnt need much from him to end a two-game losing streak at the Greensboro Coliseum -- where theyve won seven ACC tournaments under Krzyzewski and in a few months will go for their eighth. Dawkins wasnt around for the last loss -- an 83-74 clunker in the quarterfinals of last years ACC tournament -- because he spent last season away from the team for personal reasons. But he certainly shot better than he did in his last visit here -- Dukes stunning loss to 15th-seeded Lehigh in the 2012 NCAA tournament, in which Dawkins missed seven of his nine attempts. He turned the decisive run in this one into a personal game of around the horn, hitting 3s from the corner, wing and key during the 22-7 run that effectively ended this one at halftime. "When the first one goes in, thats when its kind of, Lets see how far this can go," Dawkins said. "Its easy when youve got teammates that are always looking for you, setting screens for you, things like that. All Ive got to do is catch the ball and shoot it." His 3 from the right corner off an inbounds pass capped the burst and made it 26-9 with 7 1/2 minutes before the break. "Dawkins 3s are daggers," Matheny said. Pointing out the Duke guards knack for swishes, he added: "I dont know if hes even touched the rim." Cook gave Duke its first 20-point lead when his 3 from the corner made it 33-11 with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the half. The Blue Devils then reeled off the first eight points of the second half and went up by 30 on Sulaimons 3 with 11 minutes left. Since making the Division I jump, the Phoenix have yet to finish closer than 22 points against Duke. "They knocked us down," Matheny said, "and we didnt get up quickly enough." Bernie Williams Yankees Jersey . -- John Fox will coach the Denver Broncos from the sideline and not the booth upon his return Sunday five weeks after heart surgery. Johnny Damon Jersey . -- Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich is expected to miss the rest of the regular season after having an operation on a groin muscle. https://www.cheapyankees.com/221g-breyvic-valera-jersey-yankees.html . On Sunday, head coach Patrick Roy said the teams leading scorer will skate at Mondays morning practice and the club will make a decision on his status for Game 6 at that point. Joe Torre Yankees Jersey . In the second game of their day/night doubleheader at Minneapolis, three Blue Jays pitchers, Steve Delabar, Sergio Santos and J. Gleyber Torres Jersey . Three pitches later, he was hugging Mike Napoli at home plate after his teammates winning home run. Napoli and Ortiz hit consecutive homers with one out in the 10th inning and the Boston Red Sox rallied past Minnesota 2-1 Wednesday, sending the Twins to their fifth straight loss.The Los Angeles Kings put veteran centre Mike Richards on waivers Monday, apparently not satisfied with the proposed return in any potential efforts to trade the declining centre. Richards, 29, was a point-per-game player at his peak, tallying 80 points in 79 games in 2008-2009 and has been a contributor on two Stanley Cup winning teams in Los Angeles (2012, 2014), as well as playing a primary role on the Philadelphia Flyers run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. Since 2007-2008, Richards ranks eighth with 86 playoff points. Richards production has been in steady decline, however. RICHARDS DECLINING PRODUCTION YEAR TEAM GPG PPG SOG/GP CORSI% RELATIVE CORSI% 2007-08 Philadelphia 0.38 1.03 2.90 47.6% +1.2% 2008-09 Philadelphia 0.38 1.01 3.01 48.6% +0.6% 2009-10 Philadelphia 0.38 0.76 2.89 52.2% +1.4% 2010-11 Philadelphia 0.28 0.81 2.27 49.2% -0.3% 2011-12 Los Angeles 0.24 0.59 2.31 49.0% -6.6% 2012-13 Los Angeles 0.25 0.42 1.71 54.3% -2.9% 2013-14 Los Angeles 0.13 0.50 1.91 54.4% -3.2% 2014-15 Los Angeles 0.11 0.32 1.23 51.9% -3.2% He still has positive possession numbers but, given how well the Kings fare without him on the ice, Richards is practically being dragged to respectable shot differentials. While in previous seasons he at least faced a reasonable level of competition, Richards has continued his descent this year while facing relatively-soft competition. There may be an argument to make that a motivated Richards could still be a useful contributor, but his contract is going to make it challenging to find a new opportunity. After this season, Richards still has five years remaining on his deal, at a cap hit of $5.75-million per season, a big ticket for an underperforming player. The easiest way for the Kings to rid themselves of that contract would have been to use a compliance buyout on Richards last summer, but its hard to ante up $20-million for a player not to play on your team. Difficult as it may have been, the decision not to buy out Richards then leaves the Kings in a tight spot now. They dont get much cap relief ($925,000) by putting him in the AHL, and while that has value to a team jammed against the salary cap, it doesnt clear the decks in the way that it would have under the previous collective bargaining agreement, when Wade Redden, among others, got buried in the AHL with a big NHL salary. The hope for the Kings has to be to find a trade for Richards, but thats going to require some creativity. It may require eating up to half of Richards salary, taking on a bad contract from another team, or both. With a quick look around the league, seeking some undesirable contracts for underperforming players to go in the other direction, here are some possible options to consideer in a deal for Richards.dddddddddddd To Calgary: For LW Mason Raymond and C Matt Stajan, with the Kings retaining part of Richards salary. Raymond has been a frequent healthy scratch and Stajan has been playing fourth-line minutes, so their on-ice contributions arent very significant, but they would be cheaper for the Kings, either to keep and play in depth roles this season or to buy out in the offseason. Maybe throw Flames winger David Jones into the mix too. To Carolina: For LW/RW Alexander Semin The Hurricanes are paying Semin $7-million per season, on a contract that runs for three more seasons, and hes barely able to get into the lineup. Between injuries and healthy scratches, hes played five games in the past six weeks and has one goal in 26 games this season. Considering the Kings dont have much cap space, taking on Semins higher cap hit this season probably doesnt fit. To Edmonton: For a late-round draft pick, with the Kings retaining half of Richards salary. While the Oilers have room down the middle to give Richards an opportunity, the Oilers dont have any disastrous contracts on the books to send the other way. Its also fair to wonder whether Richards is the right influence on Edmontons young players. Sure, Richards is an accomplished pro with a strong playoff track record, but hes also a veteran whose game has been in decline due to questionable conditioning. To Philadelphia: For C Vincent Lecavalier or D Andrew MacDonald The Flyers are no strangers to regrettable contracts, and they could try to pawn off Lecavalier or MacDonald, two players with big money contracts that have been healthy scratches this season, in the hopes that a return to Philadelphia would energize Richards. To Toronto: For RW David Clarkson. There was talk that the Kings and Maple Leafs discussed a deal involving defenceman Dion Phaneuf, but there would have had to be more involved in the negotiation for the Kings, in need of help on defence, to turn that down. From the Maple Leafs perspective, they would love to get out from under Clarksons deal, but the complications involved in buying out Clarksons deal actually make Richards contract more palatable. To Winnipeg: For G Ondrej Pavelec and D Grant Clitsome The Jets could use depth up front, but if they are going to take Richards, they would have to send some undesirable contracts to Los Angeles. The Kings dont have a real need for Pavelec, but the others on long-term deals in Winnipeg are productive. Given that Pavelec only has a couple of years left on his deal, the Jets would need to acquire something else - draft picks, a prospect - to make the investment worthwhile. None of these destinations represent an easy fix to the Kings situation, and teams can afford to be patient - theres no rush to acquire that contract - but if the Kings are prepared to offer incentives and retain salary, there could be some feasible options. Otherwise, presuming that Richards will get throgh waivers, he will head to Manchester of the AHL, hoping to recover his game. Scott Cullen can be reached at scott.cullen@bellmedia.ca ' ' '