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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Steve Clifford said he isnt one to back down from challenges. That might make him a good fit for Charlotte. The Bobcats are a long way from being a legitimate NBA playoff contender. The team introduced Clifford as their new head coach at a press conference Wednesday. Clifford becomes the Bobcats sixth different coach since the 2006-07 season and inherits a team that went a combined 28-120 over the past two seasons, by far the worst record in the NBA. "Steve has worked quite a few years in this league and we feel very positive with that with our young competitive core that he is the right fit for us," said Rod Higgins, Bobcats president of basketball operations. Clifford said after meeting with Higgins and general manager Rich Cho last week he feels confident they share the same vision for the Bobcats. "When I met with them I left here thinking that the three of us could work very effectively together," Clifford said. His core players includes no big-time NBA stars, but rather young and developing players like four-year NBA veteran Gerald Henderson, second-year veterans Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo and last years rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. That may have scared some coaches away, but not Clifford. He called that foursome "above average competitors," and said thats exactly what he wants from his players. "I think every coach in basketball has his own priorities in terms of judging players, but for me it starts with competitiveness and then skill level, in particular shooting," Clifford said. "Coach (Bill) Parcells once said he wanted guys who are competitive on their own without the aid of coaches and in this league when youre playing four and five nights a week there arent many times you can address the group and have some magic word to get them to play hard. "You either have the right kind of guys or you dont. When you have young guys who are naturally competitive you have the opportunity to build the kind of culture that you want." Clifford said there will be an emphasis on improving the teams defence, pointing out that the top six teams in overall defence this season all reached the quarterfinals of the NBA playoffs. "Any good coach has a clear and definitive vision of how they want their team to play and practice -- and I have that," Clifford said. "I have seen what the right amount of work and the right amount of communication can do for a team.... Yes, I am inexperienced (as a head coach), but Im confident and I know how I want to do it." Clifford comes to Charlotte after spending last season as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers. Prior to that he spent five seasons (2007-12) working as an assistant under Stan Van Gundy in Orlando. He was also as an assistant coach under Jeff Van Gundy with the Houston Rockets for four years and was an assistant with the New York Knicks for three seasons. This is his first NBA head coaching job. Jeff Van Gundy, who now works as a NBA television analyst, believes Clifford is up to the task of building the Bobcats into a competitive team. The Bobcats have only been the playoffs once and have never won a post-season game. "Steve is the type of guy who can coach young teams that are rebuilding, teams on the verge of the playoffs and experienced teams, I really believe that," Jeff Van Gundy said. "I think he has great people skills and hes a quality basketball coach." The Bobcats made the move to hire Clifford one day before he was slated for a second interview with the Milwaukee Bucks for their coaching vacancy. Clifford replaces Mike Dunlap, who was fired after just one season. "Anytime you make the tough decision to change you want, if at all possible, to address some of the things that you didnt get from your prior" coach, Higgins said. "We felt very good with making the change with Steve to adhere to some of the issues we might have had here, whether its on the court, in the locker room or trying to compete every night. ... I think were getting close to becoming a very good team." Wholesale Jordans Shoes Free Shipping . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Cheap Retro Jordans Wholesale . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. http://www.wholesalejordans.us/ . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. Cheap Jordans For Sale Wholesale .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start. Wholesale Jordans For Sale .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. NEW YORK -- The New York Islanders are suddenly playing with confidence, and that may help them escape from the bottom of the Eastern Conference.The Islanders will try to extend their longest winning streak of the season to four games Sunday night when they face Frans Nielsen and the Detroit Red Wings for the first time this season.New York (9-10-4) opens a three-game homestand looking for its fifth win in eight games versus Detroit. The Islanders went 1-2-0 against the Red Wings in 2015-16 with the only win coming Feb. 15 in Brooklyn. Brock Nelson opened the scoring in a three-goal second period and Thomas Greiss stopped 28 shots in the 4-1 victory.During the Islanders current streak, Griess has turned away 56 of 60 shots en route to wins over the Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins. But Jaroslav Halak delivered his finest performance of the season on Thursday, making 38 saves for his first shutout of the season and 40th of his career in a 3-0 win against the Washington Capitals.To be able to string three in a row together -- especially with back-to-back against two of the best teams in the league -- is huge for us, said Shane Prince, who had the game-winner against the Capitals. Weve got to build off it and keep going.The Islanders may have a better chance of achieving that with Griess starting over Halak.In his last three starts against Detroit, Halak has struggled, posting a 1-2 record with a 4.40 goals-against-average and .825 save percentage. Greiss has made two starts among three career appearances versus the Red Wings, and has a 2.31 GAA and .913 save percentage.The Islanders, last in the Metropolitan Division as well as in the East, are still struggling to generate offense as they have been held to three goals or less 19 times, including 10 games at the Barclays Center (3-4-3).Facing Detroit may be what John Tavares needs to snap out of a season-long slump. Tavares has a goal and five assists in aa four-game points streak versus the Red Wings, and is averaging better than a point per game in his career against them (12 games, four goals, 11 assists).ddddddddddddTavares, who has averaged 29.5 goals per season coming into 2016-17, has just six in 23 games to tie Nelson for the team lead.As for Nielsen, he played 606 games over 10 seasons with the Islanders, totaling 119 goals and 230 assists. Nielsen told Newsday that he expects to be nervous at first when facing the team that selected him in the third round in 2002 NHL Draft.After a couple of shifts, it should be okay, he said. I still have a lot of friends over there and I want to see them do well. Hopefully well both be where we want to be by the end of the season.Needing a replacement for longtime star Pavel Datsyuk, who returned to Russia, the Red Wings signed Nielsen to a six-year, $31.5 million contract in July. A native of Denmark, Nielsens best season came in 2013-14 when he set career highs with 25 goals and 33 assists in 80 games.A two-time 20-goal scorer, Nielsen scored his third goal in five games and sixth of the season Saturday, but Detroit (11-11-3) squandered a two-goal lead after two periods and fell 5-3 to the Penguins.One thing I always took pride in when I was in New York was my consistency, being able to do that same things every night on the ice, Nielsen told Newsday. Thats been a little too up and down here. Maybe its from overthinking a bit, getting used to a new style of play.With Jimmy Howard day-to-day with a groin injury and Jarred Correau having lost his NHL debut Saturday, the Red Wings are likely to go with Petr Mrazek in goal.Mrazek is 6-5-3 with a 2.83 GAA and .907 save percentage. One of his career-high 27 wins last season came in Brooklyn, where he stopped 27 shots in a 4-2 win on Jan. 25. ' ' '