Tyreke Evans headed to Pelicans in three-team deal

The New Orleans Pelicans have reached conformity on a three-way deal with Sacramento and Portland to obtain guard Tyreke Evans, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. As part of a sign-and-trade agreement, Evans will arrive to the Pelicans on a four-year, $44 million agreement. New Orleans will send guard Greivis Vasquez to the Kings and center Robin Lopez to the Trail Blazers, sources said.

Portland will send the draft rights to center Jeff Withey to the Pelicans and a prospect second-round pick to Sacramento. The trade came after free-agent point guard Jose Calderon discarded a agreement offer from the Kings, league sources said. The Kings had hoped to sign Calderon and trade Vasquez to another team.

 The threat of a four-year, $44 million offer sheet to Evans, a controlled free agent, encouraged New Orleans and Sacramento to work out conformity. Calderon will carry on talking about for a return Detroit, sources said, as well as negotiating elsewhere in the NBA.

The deal can't be made official until July 10. Evans, 23, averaged 15.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Kings last season. Vasquez was one of the NBA's most improved players last season, a fast-rising playmaker that averaged 13.9 points and nine assists for the Pelicans. He has a chance to become the Kings' starting point guard.

The Blazers needed a veteran center to plug into the lineup, and Lopez gives them a solid defender and rim protector. He has two years and $11 million left on an affordable contract.

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Gambhir likely to be recalled for Zimbabwe tour

MS Dhoni, who offended his right hamstring during India's tri-series opener in the West Indies, is likely to be feint out for India's short tour to Zimbabwe that begins July 24. If Dhoni is certainly out of stock, Gautam Gambhir is likely to get a call to mind into the team.

While announcing India's team for the Champions Trophy on May 4, the national selectors had also named 21 probables for the continuing tri-series in the West Indies. Besides the 15 who featured in India's triumphant Champions Trophy campaign, the probable’s included Ambati Rayudu, Manoj Tiwary, Praveen Kumar, Shami Ahmed, Rahul Sharma and Gambhir.

Shami replaced Irfan Pathan later than the latter injured him at the same time as training for the West Indies tri-series. Rayudu came in for Dhoni after Dhoni was feint out of the tri-series on July 1.

With Tiwary, the solitary other consultant batsman in the list, having warped his left knee, Gambhir leftovers the only feasible candidate to lend hardness to what has become an inexperienced India batting line-up. With his skill, Gambhir could also come in handy as a member of the direction group, thus serving Virat Kohli, who is place to be retained as captain in the occasion of Dhoni's unavailability.

It will be motivating to see if the selectors go for to rest a few hackneyed players. Discussions approximately require for rest could center on R Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav. If Ashwin is certainly rested, Jammu & Kashmir offspinner Parvez Rasool could come in argument along with Rahul Sharma, who is named in the probable.

With the selectors' eyes put on the travel around to South Africa afterward this year, it is probable that Praveen Kumar, who was in the probable, may be specified another possibility. If the selectors think the requirement to bring in either Cheteshwar Pujara or Ajinkya Rahane for the Zimbabwe ODIs ahead of the India's A tour to South Africa, Murali Vijay could be a sufferer.

However, with the India A tour to South Africa put to begin instantaneously later than the Zimbabwe series' conclusion, it is improbable that the selectors will attempt out too numerous youngsters. With the present group having fared well throughout the Champions Trophy, it is probable that some of the batsmen, who haven't got sufficient opportunities, may be asked to join the A team in South Africa.

Amol Karhadkar is a correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

National Preview of Brewers

In spite of being without their top hitters and trailing their starting decanter to grievance, the Milwaukee Brewers ended their slither.

With Kyle Lohse getting the nod following a brawny June, they'll attempt to string jointly back-to-back victories Wednesday night against the host Washington Nationals.

Milwaukee (33-49) was without Jean Segura and Carlos Gomez on Tuesday. Gomez, who leads the group in homers (12) and OPS (.906), sustained to create well a left shoulder injury that saw him miss time last month. Segura's .325 batting average is one of the best in baseball but he has been nursing a sore right thumb, manager Ron Roenicke told the team's official website.

Segura and Gomez's combined 92 runs ask for 28.2 percent of the Brewers' team total of 326.

"To take two guys out of the Nos. 2 and 3 holes, that's not something I wanted to do," he said. "We're trying to get them back vigorous. They're both such an significant part of our lineup this year."

Roenicke also said that Ryan Braun - still sidelined with a bruised right thumb - will likely not go back until following the All-Star break. Braun's primary substitute, Logan Schafer, is hitting .187 since Braun's last game on June 9.

But Schafer was 1 for 4 with a run in Milwaukee's 4-0 triumph over Washington on Tuesday, ending the team's second six-game losing smudge of the season. Starter Wily Peralta left in the sixth inning due to a constrain injury and Stephen Strasburg stifled the Brewers with seven shutout innings, but that was previous to they tagged reliever Drew Storen for four runs in the eighth.

The bullpen for Washington (42-41) ranks 15th in the majors in ERA at 3.62, but has posted a 6.14 mark over the last five games.

Five players pooled for the Nationals' eight hits Tuesday, and Bryce Harper was 0 for 4 in his second game back after missing more than a month with knee bursitis. Harper also dropped a fly ball off the bat of Martin Maldonado, most important to the third of Milwaukee's four runs in the eighth.

Looking to lead the Brewers to a second repeated road win for the first time since June 1 will be Lohse (3-6, 3.63 ERA). He exited his last start Sunday at Pittsburgh after 1 2-3 innings after a 2-hour, 20-minute rain delay. He didn't allow a hit though, putting a cap on an impressive June that saw him go 2-0 with a 2.34 ERA over 34 2-3 innings.

Harper is 3 for 6 against Lohse while Jayson Werth is 8 for 21 with three homers and three doubles. Werth was 0 for 3 Tuesday after going 11 for 29 (.379) over his previous eight games, including a five-RBI performance in Monday's 10-5 series-opening win.

Washington starter Ross Detwiler (2-6, 4.13) will hope to receive some better fortune than Strasburg. The left-hander is winless through his last five starts while posting a 7.15 ERA, but he also received a total of five runs of support in those games.

Rickie Weeks - who is hitting .229 on the season but owns a 1.050 OPS over his last 11 games - is 3 for 5 off Detwiler with a homer.


Source: Yahoo News

South African teams declare plans for Nelson Mandela Sports Day

South Africa's national football and rugby teams will play on the similar day at the former World Cup showpiece stadium in Soweto to honor Nelson Mandela, bringing together in a infrequent move the country's two most popular sports that once portrayed its deep cultural divisions.

The South African sports ministry said on Tuesday that the Nelson Mandela Sports Day on Aug. 17 at FNB Stadium — formerly Soccer City — was aimed at uniting the country and the world "in celebration and promotion" of the anti-apartheid leader's legacy, as South Africans continued to long for the critically ill former president to recover.

While calling the sports day a celebration of Mandela, the ministry referred to the sombre current mood in South Africa, with its inspiring and beloved national hero, now 94, still in a critical but stable condition after 25 days in the hospital.

"The launch happens at a time when South Africa is a nation in distress following the hospitalization of our father and icon Nelson Mandela, who also happens to be the primary inspiration behind this initiative," the ministry said.

On the day, South Africa's football team will face Burkina Faso in a friendly and the Springboks will start their Rugby Championship campaign against Argentina, both at the 94,000-seat FNB Stadium on the outskirts of Soweto, a site which holds significance for sport and for Mandela himself.

The old FNB was where Mandela made his first speech in Johannesburg and held his first major rally after his release from prison in 1990, having been jailed by the apartheid regime for 27 years. Renamed Soccer City and rebuilt for the 2010 World Cup — the first in Africa — it also was where Mandela made his last public appearance, smiling and waving to nearly 100,000 football supporters as he circled the pitch before the World Cup final, three years ago next week.

South Africa's first democratically elected president has strong and emotional ties to sport in his nation, having famously supported the Springboks rugby team when it won the World Cup in 1995, and then the football team — known as Bafana Bafana — a year later when it lifted the African Cup of Nations trophy at the FNB.

Rugby and football were previously examples of South Africa's racial segregation, with rugby mainly followed by whites and football by blacks until Mandela's act of reconciliation and unity at the '95 Rugby World Cup, when he embraced the Springboks, a team associated just a few years earlier with apartheid and white racist rule.

Wearing team shirts on both occasions, Mandela endeared himself to sports-mad South Africans with his appearances at those rugby and football games, and he is still often referred to as a motivation for current South African sportsmen and women.

As well as the Springboks and Bafana Bafana sharing the same field, the Aug. 17 sports day also will have a music concert and another football game between former South African and Italian internationals. And South Africa's continental champion netball team and leading Springboks try-scorer Bryan Habana will be recognized, the sports ministry said.

South Africa's minister of sport and minister of arts and culture will visit Mandela's foundation offices in Johannesburg on Wednesday to deliver messages of support for the ailing former president, they said.

Source: cbc

Brazil Won the Confederations Cup 2013

Score: BRAZIL 3 - SPAIN 0, FRED 2, 47, NEYMAR 44

Brazil humbled the world and European champions Spain with a crushing 3-0 win in the Confederations Cup final, ending their opponents' three-year record run of 29 unbeaten competitive matches

Two goals from Fred, one either side of a stunning left-footed shot from Neymar, gave next year's World Cup hosts their fifth straight win in the competition as they clinched the trophy for the third time in a row.

Spain endured a miserable night with Sergio Ramos missing a penalty early in the second half and Gerard Pique sent-off after 68 minutes for a lunge on his new Barcelona team mate Neymar.

Fred put Brazil ahead after two minutes, Neymar added a majestic second just before half-time and the crowd erupted again when Fred made it 3-0 two minutes after the restart with his fifth goal of the competition.

The Maracana crowd taunted Spain and chanted "the giant is back" as Brazil overpowered Vicente del Bosque's team, whose last competitive defeat was against Switzerland at the 2010 World Cup.

Brazil started this competition just over two weeks ago with a third minute goal against Japan and began this final in similar fashion with an even faster opener. Fred's second minute hook-in while he was on the ground lacked the powerful beauty of Neymar's strike against Japan, but its impact was even more emphatic.

The crowd, who just minutes earlier had given a rousing rendition of the Brazil national anthem, raised the decibel levels even higher in celebration to settle Brazil's nerves, unsettle Spain's, and put the hosts firmly in control.

Oscar should have quickly doubled the lead but fired wide after eight minutes when Fred set him up with a clever backheel, while Paulinho went close in the 14th minute when he had Spain keeper Iker Casillas back-pedalling to keep his lobbed shot out.

Spain were clearly rattled by Brazil's rampaging start and they survived another early scare when defender Alvaro Arbeloa escaped with a yellow card when he was the last defender and sent Neymar tumbling. Spain, who usually dominate matches with their intricate midfield passing moves, showed patches of their usual self-assured control, but they also looked tired and leggy following Thursday's exhausting semi-final penalty shoot-out victory over Italy.

In contrast, Brazil, with Fred, Neymar and Paulinho looking fresh and powerful, continually had Spain on the backfoot with a series of swift breaks, often initiated by David Luiz after some Spanish-style passing of their own.

David Luiz's name boomed through the cavernous ground four minutes before half-time when he raced back to clear a goalbound shot from Pedro just in front of the line, with Julio Cesar beaten.

Instead of finding themselves pegged back to 1-1, Brazil were 2-0 ahead within three minutes. Oscar provided the final pass to Neymar who smashed an unstoppable angled left-foot shot, past Casillas at his near-post and into the roof of the net.

Spain were bidding to become the first team since Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup's decisive match to beat Brazil in a competitive international at the Maracana, but after falling behind so early, that never looked likely. Instead, Brazil fans left believing that coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who won the World Cup with Brazil on 30 June 2002, could deliver a sixth world title to the Maracana in a year's time.

Source: guardian