akic sought input from around the league and became convinced Bednar was the best fit for Colorados

The 2016-17 NBA season is still very young, but both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets are already dealing with injuries.Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio was sidelined Tuesday against Memphis with an elbow injury, giving way to rookie Kris Dunn. Minnesota was able to withstand Rubios absence in a rout of the Grizzlies.The Nuggets, meanwhile, have been decimated by injury at shooting guard. Gary Harris wont play Thursday against Minnesota due to a groin injury, and an ankle injury will keep guard Will Barton on the bench in Minneapolis. Barton had been Denvers leading scorer in the early going, averaging 18 points per game.Despite two days off, Denvers lineup still wont be all too healthy when the 1-2 Nuggets face the 1-2 Timberwolves.We need everybody, Nuggets coach Mike Malone told the Denver Post. Gary Harris out, Will Barton is out now, Darrell Arthur is out. Thats one of the things about having a deep team. Everybodys got to be ready to play.Arthur, a 6-foot-9 forward, has yet to play this season due to a knee injury but practiced in advance of Thursdays contest. Denver will need to get healthy in a hurry in order to have enough fresh bodies to compete against a Wolves squad far less banged up.Rubio has been the only injury of note for Minnesota through three games. The veteran point guard went down late in the Timberwolves road loss to Sacramento and has since been ruled out indefinitely with a sprained right elbow.In stepped Dunn, the fifth overall pick from Providence, for his first NBA start. Dunn notched 10 points and added six assists and five steals in 29 minutes of action.Its not college or high school where I was the main focus, Dunn said after Tuesdays win. Theres other players. I like distributing the ball. I like when my teammates are scoring, because it helps everybody out.Minnesota secured its first win by finally holding onto a double-digit lead, thanks in large part to a 31-point effort from guard Zach LaVine. The Wolves led by 15 or more in each of their first two games but lost both road contests.After leading by as much as 40 on Tuesday, Minnesota made sure the Grizzlies never had a chance. Memphis was playing without two of its top players, but the Wolves kept the throttle down regardless.Denver enters Thursdays matchup after two straight losses by three points or less. The Nuggets lost by two at home to Portland before a three-point road loss against Toronto.In order to leave Minneapolis with a win, several players will have to step up for Denver in the absence of the Nuggets injured guards. One player who should see extended minutes is Jamal Murray, the rookie from Kentucky who has yet to hit a field goal for Denver.Its a good opportunity for me to get used to this team and be on the court, Murray told the Denver Post. Its going to be good. Marvin Williams Hornets Jersey . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Custom Charlotte Hornets Jerseys . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. http://www.hornetsteamproshop.com/Cheap-Michael-Kidd-Gilchrist-Hornets-Jersey/ .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. Larry Johnson Hornets Jersey .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Jersey . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No. DENVER -- Jared Bednar never got a shot in the NHL as a player but hes getting one now as a coach.The Avalanche on Wednesday formally introduced Bednar, who was hired two weeks ago to lead Colorado after spending years in the minor leagues as a player and as a coach.I havent been in a rush to get to this point in my career, Bednar said. I was hopeful this opportunity would come. I hadnt stopped believing in that.Bednar succeeds Patrick Roy, who abruptly resigned as head coach and vice president of hockey operations on Aug. 11. With Roys departure coming six weeks before the start of training camp, the team had to move quickly to find a replacement.We knew we didnt have the luxury of interviewing 20 candidates, but we tried to put a good group of candidates together, said Joe Sakic, the teams executive vice president and general manager. Usually you have one or two interviews after, but we didnt have that luxury.Without the benefit of time, Sakic sought input from around the league and became convinced Bednar was the best fit for Colorados young core.There were a lot of phone calls to different people that know him and coached against him, Sakic said. The message was consistent.The 44-year-old Bednars path to the Avalanche began with an unspectacular minor league playing career. He scored 61 goals in 434 games for two different teams in the ECHL, had one goal in 74 AHL games and three more goals in 74 games in the International Hockey League.He never got an NHL call-up.Probably didnt come very close, Bednar said. I was just kind of a bubble player, a role player, but I was never really consideredd a prospect.dddddddddddd. Its disappointing because you work your whole life to be a player in the NHL.He spent his last two years with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL and found a second hockey life there at the end of his playing days.I started coaching and realized how much I loved it, he said. Ive been a more dedicated coach than I was a player.He began as an assistant with the Stingrays in 2002 and became the clubs head coach in 2007. He led the Stingrays to the conference finals in his first year, and they won the Kelly Cup in his second year.He jumped to the AHL in 2011 with Peoria, where he spent two years. He took over the Columbus Blue Jackets affiliate in Springfield in 2014 and guided the Lake Erie Monsters to a Calder Cup title this year.His success in the minors helped him land the job with the Avalanche.I put value in winning a championship, Sakic said. Its hard to do that in any league.Things have moved fast for Bednar over the past two weeks. His wife, Susan, and their children stayed in Cleveland while he hopped into his truck for the move to Denver.I drove because I had some stuff I wanted to bring and it gave me some time to think, he said.His biggest realization? That finally reaching the NHL is not the end of his journey.Being the coach of the Avalanche isnt the be-all, end-all for me, its the success I want our team to have, he said. Getting here is certainly achieving something but its what you do when youre here thats more important. ' ' '