ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos will face the leagues No. 2 scoring offense Sunday without two starters -- cornerback Aqib Talib and defensive end Derek Wolfe -- but coach Gary Kubiak expressed hope Friday that those two players would be back in the lineup after next weeks bye.Sundays game against the New Orleans Saints will be the third consecutive game Talib has missed because of a back injury, and Wolfe suffered a fracture in his right elbow in the Broncos loss Sunday night to the Oakland Raiders.Kubiak said after Fridays practice the expectation is that the two would be ready to play against the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 27 after the bye.I would say very much so, Kubiak said. I sure as hell hope so, I think theyre close, I think theyre both close. Were lucky with Derek, and Aqib has kind of been trending in that direction the whole time. Hes been out there [at practice] all week, just not ready to turn it loose yet.Talib, who is believed to have a herniated disc in his back and received an epidural injection last week, has been on the field for the teams walk-throughs and practices but has not participated in a practice since Oct. 28.Asked this week when he thought he could return, Talib said soon, real soon.The Saints are No. 2 in scoring at 30.3 points as New Orleans and the Atlanta Falcons (33.9) are the only teams in the league averaging more than 30 points a game.Saints quarterback Drew Brees is also second in the league in touchdown passes (21) and passing yards (2,689).The Broncos lead the league in pass defense and will be aided some by the return of cornerback Kayvon Webster, who will play in some of the teams specialty packages on defense. Wholesale Nike Dunk Shoes .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. Nike Dunk Shoes China . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. http://www.cheapnikedunk.com/ .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Wholesale Nike Dunk Shoes Online . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Cheap Nike Dunk Shoes Free Shipping . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. NEW YORK -- Paul Pierce stared straight ahead, an occasional smile or laugh interrupting the otherwise distant look on his face. Now a Net, its clear hes still getting over not being a Celtic. "Its tough when youve been in a situation like me for 15 years," Pierce said. But hes getting used to it, and he and Kevin Garnett are ready to make the most of their new surroundings. Traded from Boston to Brooklyn, the duo was introduced along with Jason Terry on Thursday at a news conference at Barclays Center, their new home. Pierce said it was difficult to leave the city where hed spent his entire career. He appeared dazed at times while listening to questions and answers, even having to ask for one to be repeated while trying to fight his way out of a fog. "You saw the trade and its like, OK, theres a trade. But for me to actually be here now, looking for a place to live, being in this arena, trying to get to know my way around the city, its really starting to sink in now that its become real," Pierce said. "Im no longer a Boston Celtic, Im a Brooklyn Net and thats what it is right now," he continued. "Its a business. At some point we all have to move on and Im here to try to create some kind of legacy here in Brooklyn." The crowd applauded, appearing more excited about having Pierce in Brooklyn than he was about being here. Thats understandable given his history in Boston, where he is the Celtics No. 2 career scorer and was the NBA Finals MVP when they won the last of their NBA-high 17 championships. "Hell yeah, hes been with Boston his whole life," Garnett said. "Youve been in a system, been in a city, especially its the Celtics. Yeah, its very difficult." But Pierce realized it would be coming, saying he thought "the writing was on the wall" in June when the Celtics negotiated a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers to let coach Doc Rivers out of his contract in Boston. "Its sinking in and Im liking what I feel right now," Pierce said, adding he got a jolt when he saw his new white-and-black uniform in the locker room. The Celtics and Nets agreed to the blockbuster trade on draft night and it became official last week. Garnett waved a no-trade clause to accept the deal -- after some urging from Pierce during a lengthy phone call -- and while saying it was "unfortunate" they had to move on, he seemed to have a little easier time embraccing it, greeting the audience with "Whats up, Brooklyn!" before his first remarks.dddddddddddd "I dont know anyone that loves change, but change has to happen for things to (get) better," he said. The three newcomers were joined on the podium by general manager Billy King and first-year coach Jason Kidd, who at 40 is a longtime rival, a former teammate of Terrys and just a few years older than his new players. And they got a visit at the end from Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who made a late decision to attend the news conference and meet the players whose salaries helped the teams payroll soar so high that the club will pay about $80 million in luxury tax next season. "I think theyre still counting money in the back office, but frankly speaking, I just hope the check doesnt bounce," Prokhorov joked. The Russian billionaire has said his goal was to win a championship within five years of buying the team in 2010. Including the signing of Andrei Kirilenko this summer, Brooklyn has now gotten into position to contend. "For me, its not the way to wait 10, 15 years for results," Prokhorov said. With Pierce and Garnett joining the trio of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and All-Star centre Brook Lopez, the Nets will have one of the NBAs most potent lineups. But they will have to win soon, as Pierce will be 36 by opening night and Garnett is 37 -- though his refusal to answer to question about how much he has left showed he believes the answer is plenty. The Celtics won a title in the first year that Garnett and Pierce were together, and they believe the Nets have the talent to compete for one this season. "This is like mirror images," Garnett said. "You see the talent thats already here, you see us coming into it, now its about how well we gel." It will be strange trying to do it in jerseys that dont have any green. Garnetts even has an unfamiliar number, now in No. 2 in honour of his friend and former Minnesota teammate, the late Malik Sealy. Pierce always envisioned them playing together, but not anywhere else. He figured when he signed his last contract that he would retire a Celtic, and felt even more certain after Garnett later re-signed. "I thought we were going to be linked together pretty much the rest of our careers in Boston," Pierce said. "As you can see we are pretty much linked together, but just not in Boston anymore." ' ' '
