NEW ORLEANS -- Pelicans?star Anthony Davis?will be eased back into action in training camp and the preseason, but the team expects him to be ready for its regular-season opener on Oct. 26.Davis, 23, said he feels fine and is all in for practice and two-a-days after the first big medical procedure of his career, an ultrasonic debridement of his left knee in March. But Pelicans GM Dell Demps said the team is taking a long view with Davis recovery.Were going to be real smart with him during training camp, Demps said at Fridays media day. So if you come to practice or you see him not working out, our goal is to get him 100 percent ready for the start of the regular season. So were going to be monitoring his workload. We do expect him to be full go on opening night.Davis, a three-time All-Star, reiterated his commitment to New Orleans for the long term and to staying on the court after failing to reach 70 games played in each of his first four NBA seasons.This offseason was big just to get back on the floor, he said. Where some of our guys wanted to improve their games, mine was, Can I be ready for the first game. Im ready. From there, [it was about] withstanding an entire season without missing games. Stuff happens. You cant control what happens. But stuff that I can control, I want to control. I think our doctors and our trainers are doing a great job of getting me back to that point. I feel like I can withstand an 82-game season right now.Meanwhile, the Pelicans will not have Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter for the start of the season. Demps said both former starters could be available as early as November, but returns in December or January are more realistic.Evans, 27, underwent three surgeries on his right knee in the span of nine months and revealed Friday that he also suffered a blood clot in his calf following the most recent procedure, an osteochondral autograft transfer system (OATS) procedure to replace cartilage in three areas of his knee in February.Evans said that though the clot was painful, he was given pills by doctors and it went away after two days. Evans said the issue wasnt a concern moving forward, and that he maintains a good relationship with the organization.When asked what the last hurdle in his recovery was, Evans said, Just getting my knee stronger. Im working out right now and Im able to put the ball on the floor, moving pretty good. A lot of people say they cant really tell that Im hurt, but I just know I need to get a little bit stronger. Thats just rehab with the trainers, getting my quad stronger.Pondexter, who missed all of last season after having two surgeries on his left knee, said theres no swelling and there have been no setbacks in his recovery, but Demps said the team has decided to take it a little bit slower moving forward.Its not like it was one little scope, or one little surgery. Its two major surgeries, Pondexter said. Its been 16 months, and it still has to get a lot stronger again for me to play or withstand an NBA season or game.Were working on it. Were using all our resources to make it better. Im really looking forward to stepping back on that court. I know Im probably going to bust out in tears, for sure.Pondexter, 27, has participated in some team workouts this offseason. When asked if Pondexter will ever play again, Demps said that hes betting on him returning.Its been a long, long journey, Pondexter said. Theres not a person thats attacked their situation or worked harder than me in this thing. I wish everyone knew how much Im working and Im dedicating my life to getting back on the court and playing for this team and this organization.Evans and Pondexter will not travel with the Pelicans to China for their two preseason Global Games matchups with the Houston Rockets. Demps said theyll receive better estimates for both players in two to four weeks.When asked if any of the recovering players had setbacks or additional procedures this offseason, Demps said, I think in any type of rehab, there are setbacks sometimes. There are situations where guys are going back and forth and getting there, and I think thats part of it. But nothing that I would say has not been anticipated.Point guard Jrue Holiday is expected to miss an undetermined portion of the start of the season to be with his wife, Lauren Holiday, who is expected to undergo surgery to remove a benign tumor from the right side of her brain, and care for their newborn daughter.New Orleans lost 351 games to injury and illness last season, the second most in the past decade, and finished 12th in the Western Conference at 30-52. Custom Los Angeles Angels Nike Jerseys . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. Custom Cleveland Indians Nike Jerseys . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/?tag=custom-chicago-white-sox-nike-jerseys . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Nike Jerseys . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. Custom Cincinnati Reds Nike Jerseys . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed two sexual assault laws in response to national outrage over the six-month jail sentence given to a former Stanford University swimmer for assaulting a woman passed out near a trash bin.The Democratic governor announced his approval Friday of laws requiring longer sentences to be served in state prison for defendants convicted of assaulting unconscious victims, ending the possibility of brief jail sentences like the one Brock Turner received in June.Turner faced a minimum sentence of two years in state prison, and prosecutors argued for six years. But Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky cited the extraordinary circumstances of Turners youth and clean criminal record in imposing a shorter term in county jail.The new law removes a judges discretion to sentence an offender to jail, meaning future defendants will face state prison sentences as long as 14 years.Judge Perskys ruling was unjustifiable and morally wrong, however, under current state law it was within his discretion. While we cant go back and change what happened, we have made sure it never happens again, Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Campbell, said in a statement. If you do the crime, youre going to do the time.Turners case burst into the spotlight after a poignant statement from the victim swept through social media.Politicians and law enforcement officials have lined up alongside sexual assault survivors to criticize Turners sentence, back a recall effort against the judge who imposed it and urge Brown to sign the tougher sentencing legislation.The 21-year-old one-time Olympic hopeful was released from the Santa Clara County jail in September after serving three months for good behavior. He will be on probation for three years in his native Ohio.Brown said in a signing message that he usually opposes adding more mandatory minimum sentences. But he said he signed the sentencing bill because I believe it brings a measure of parity to sentencing for criminal acts that are substantially similar.Outside jail after Turners release, county Sheriff Laurie Smith said she believed his sentence was too light and urged Brown to sign the bill.Letting felons convicted of such crimes get off with probation discourages other survivors from coming forward and sends the message that raping incapacitated victims is no big deal, Democratic Assemblyman Bill Dodd of Napa said in a statement after lawmakers approved his bill in August.But more than two dozen groups dedicated tto ending campus sexual assaults urged Brown to veto it, fearing that the punishment would more likely be applied to minority and lower-income defendants than white offenders like Turner.ddddddddddddMahroh Jahangiri, executive director of Know Your IX, a national organization representing survivors, said mandatory minimum sentences also could deter victims from pressing charges against their attackers, who are often people they know.Brown also signed another bill permitting sexual assault victims to say in court that they were raped, even if the attack doesnt meet the technical definition under California law.State law defines rape as nonconsensual intercourse between a man and a woman, leaving out other forms of sexual assault, including Turners 2015 attack on the woman he met at a fraternity party. He was convicted of three sexual assault felonies, including digital penetration of an unconscious woman.The rape definition that came under fire in the Turner case leaves Brown in an awkward position as he promotes a November ballot initiative that would allow earlier release of prisoners as a way to control overcrowding.Proposition 57 would allow earlier parole consideration for nonviolent inmates, but the legal definition of a violent felony includes just 23 crimes, such as murder, kidnapping and forcible rapes and sexual assaults.Turners crimes were considered nonviolent under California law because he assaulted an intoxicated or unconscious person who could not resist, so he didnt have to use force.All sexual assaults are a violent offense. There is no such thing as a nonviolent sexual assault, Stanford law professor Michele Dauber said.Dauber is a friend of the woman Turner assaulted and is leading a campaign to recall Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky for departing from the usual minimum sentence in the case.The bill passed without a dissenting vote, though Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia of Bell Gardens scaled back her initial proposal to expand the definition of rape. Prosecutors were concerned the original version would prevent them from filing multiple charges against perpetrators.Sexual penetration without consent is rape. It is never invited, wanted or warranted. Rape is rape, period, Garcia said in statement. When we fail to call rape `rape, we rob survivors and their families of the justice they deserve. ' ' '