METAIRIE, La. -- As mounting losses bury them deeper and deeper in the Western Conference standings and Anthony Davis holds out for help like a kitten caught on a telephone wire, the New Orleans Pelicans have cautioned not to expect any miracles upon the return of Jrue Holiday.We dont want to put pressure on him and make him feel like hes the savior, general manager Dell Demps said.Jrues not the cavalry, coach Alvin Gentry said last week. Hes not coming in with the white horse and the stuff like that.Indeed, when it comes to New Orleans postseason chances, the white horse may have already left the barn.The Pelicans, at 2-10, are one game better than they were this point last season, when an injury-induced malaise ultimately gave way to a disappointing 30-win season. Precedent doesnt foretell a much kinder future this time around, either: In NBA history, of the 65 teams that have started 2-10, eight have gone on to make the playoffs.But perhaps this offers a shred of hope: The most recent team to begin 2-10 and make the postseason cut was the 2010-11 Philadelphia 76ers, who started a 20-year-old point guard named Jrue Holiday.Thats just the beginning of why Holidays return from a three-month hiatus to tend to his wife and new daughter has loomed over this beleaguered franchise, even as every member with a speaking role has, to their credit, stressed patience and family first.Hes an All-Star, point-blank, said Pelicans forward Solomon Hill, a fellow Los Angeles native who shares a trainer with Holiday.Hes a great defender, scorer everywhere. Hes a leader. Hes been there, hes been in the playoffs, hes upset guys in the playoffs. Hes a proven vet, but hes still young. Hes definitely a core-type player, one that you [build] a franchise around.The Pelicans obviously have one of those in Davis, whose numbers have swelled across the board as his role expands to include keeping tempo, singing backup and cleaning up afterward. Even after missing Wednesdays loss in Orlando, the 23-year-old superstar leads the team in minutes played, points, rebounds, blocks, steals, field goal attempts, field goal makes, free throw attempts, free throw makes and morose interviews.But as anyone with internet access will tell you, Davis needs more support. Even as their superstar maximizes an offensive workload befitting Atlas, the Pelicans rank a meager 27th in offensive efficiency. Take Davis and the since-waived Lance Stephenson off the ledger and their field goal percentage (40.8) would rank tied for last.The leagues basement is also where youll find a 3-point percentage (29.1) that somehow dips on open looks (22.3 percent, per NBA.com/Stats), of which there are plenty thanks to the attention Davis draws.ETwaun Moore has stretched out his legs in new environs but an aversion to contact leaves him dependent on a slow-coming 3-ball.Tim Frazier scraps and knows how to keep Davis stuffed with touches (40 percent of Davis buckets come off Frazier passes, per NBA.com/Stats), but has seen his turnover rate steadily rise as defenses adjust to play the pass.Terrence Jones had perhaps the best non-Davis offensive performance with 26 points in Wednesdays loss to the Magic, but their skill sets may overlap too much to coexist like they did in Kentuckys 2012 national title run (the duo has a minus-8.6 net rating in 134 minutes this season, per NBA.com/Stats).The Pelicans dont need a second-coming. Theyll take something, anything from a talent like Holiday to galvanize an offense that mustered league-average last season despite a parade of late D-League call-ups but has struggled this season with parts coach Alvin Gentry admits are better-suited in tertiary roles.With a guy like [Holiday], a guy that can score the ball the way he does -- youre not just talking about scoring but efficiently, Hill said. Getting to the line, creating for others. You cant just all of a sudden triple-team Anthony Davis anymore. You have to account for [Holiday]. Regardless if he plays five minutes or 48 minutes, hes going to affect the game. He just brings an intensity that if youre not ready for him youll never be ready for him.Davis, whose effective field goal percentage last season rose four points when he played next to Holiday, per nbawowy.com, has been looking forward to the opportunity since the summer.We worked out a couple times together in L.A. We just tried to develop that chemistry, Davis said. Theres always been that gap where we couldnt really build that chemistry. But this summer was a good summer for us. Its unfortunate he had to go through what he had to go through with his family. But now that hes going to be back, we got to try to find a way to rekindle that chemistry.How quickly theyll be given the opportunity to showcase their pick-and-roll synergy remains to be seen. Holiday, at least from the jump, is likely to come off the bench until he gets back up to NBA speed.It will be harder to keep Holiday -- who occupied a bigger role on offense than ever last season yet kept his turnover rate among his career lows and assist rate among his career highs -- away late. The Pelicans are tied for the most crunch-time opportunities this season, per NBA.com/Stats, but have also totaled the most losses (7) in those situations in large part because of the sixth-worst clutch offense.I think I can do whatever they want me to do, if its cheerlead, hand out Gatorades, play defense, call a set, whatever it is. Im just here to help, Holiday said. Down the stretch I do think I could help with some directing and just tightening it up at the end of the game.No one will confuse Holidays talents for those of Davis, whose origin story has reached the part where the superhero begins to hone his newfound powers. But a steady hand to guide him may be enough to save the day.Until he gets back I really wont be able to understand it, but Im pretty sure he has [maybe] the largest role on our team, Hill said. AD, being a young guy still coming into his own. Of course [Davis] can score the ball. But just that leadership role hes taken -- hes definitely taken strides, but Jrues done it. Jrues played with multiple All-Stars, played in the playoffs.He knows who he is. I definitely think when he gets back, hell be able to be that guy for us. Cheap Jerseys From China . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. Cheap Colorado Rockies Jerseys . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. http://www.jerseyscheapmlb.com/?tag=cheap-milwaukee-brewers-jerseys .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. Cheap Cleveland Indians Jerseys . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. -- Veterinarians hope an innovative type of CT scan can advance medical care for horses and possibly be adapted for humans, eliminating the need for people to lie still inside a tube.Robotic CT at the University of Pennsylvanias veterinary school allows a horse to remain awake and standing as scanners on two mechanical arms move around it. The resulting high-quality images, including some in 3D, for the first time offer detailed anatomical views of the animal in its normal, upright state.Thats a huge difference from the standard CT for a horse, which requires administering anesthesia, placing the animal on its side and maneuvering a scanning unit around the affected area. Not all body parts fit in the machines.Robotic CT is much less stressful, said Dr. Barbara Dallap Schaer, medical director of Penn Vets New Bolton Center. Its a pretty athletic event for horses to recover from general anesthesia.The New York-based company 4DDI created the Equimagine system with components from robot manufacturer ABB. First unveiled at Penn last spring, 4DDI now has orders for more than a dozen units at equine facilities around the world, according to CEO Yiorgos Papaioannou.The word is spreading, Papaioannou said.At Penn, the large white robotic arms are installed at a barn at New Bolton Center, the vet schools hospital for large animals in the Philadelphia exurb of Kennett Square. Horses are given a mild sedative and walked into the facility for a scan that lasts less than a minute.CT, or computed tomography, gives pictures of soft tissues that X-rays cant. While traditional CT requires the subject to be still, this new system compensates for slight movement. Eventually, vets hope theyll be able to capture CT images of a horse running on a treadmill.The ease of imaging means more horses can get preventive scans, said Dr. Dean Richardson, chief of surgery at New Bolton. As it stands, he said, many owners are reluctant to have their horses anesthetized for a diagnostic procedure because recovery can be treacherous. As the animals emerge from unconsciousness and woozily struggle to find ttheir footing, they risk catastrophic injury if they stumble.ddddddddddddSo the whole beauty of this technology, we hope, is that were going to be able to scan much greater numbers of patients much, much earlier in the process of things like stress-related injuries in a racehorse, Richardson said.For humans, the technology could be helpful when dealing with squirming children or claustrophobic adults. Doctors could also get clearer views of, say, spinal problems in a standing patient instead of relying on CT performed while the person is lying down. Penns translational research team has partnered with other hospitals to look at the possibilities.This is an interesting concept -- the ability to image in your natural state, said Dr. Raul Uppot, an assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School who is not involved in the research. It does offer something that doesnt currently exist in the market (for humans).Equimagines base cost is $545,000, according to Papaioannou, though he said some new customers are getting the equipment in exchange for a per-scan fee. The company plans to make another version of the system for smaller animals, he said.Penns system was made possible through a donor, said Dallap Schaer, noting the cost was comparable to standard CT scanners. Overall cost for the images will be less than CT scans that require anesthesia, she said.Dennis Charles, of Allentown, brought his horse Bert to Penn Vet for an MRI earlier this year, before robotic CT was available. The procedure required anesthesia, and Charles said he was incredibly nervous watching a wobbly Bert regain consciousness afterward.Last month, the horse again needed imaging but was able to have robotic CT. Charles, who described the robotic system as looking like something out of Star Wars, said the scans assured him Berts leg injury had healed.They get really precise images, he said. I think its a tremendous piece of equipment.---Follow Kathy Matheson at www.twitter.com/kmatheson ' ' '
