the puck, that was awesome.Less than two minutes after McCle

PHILADELPHIA -- Joel Embiid yanked the rim with such force on a two-handed dunk that he managed a quick pull-up before he let go and snapped it back into position.Hes going to break the rim, right there, a 76ers employee said, laughing.The rim was sturdy during a pregame drill.So now, is Embiid.Embiid has teased the Sixers since he was picked third overall in the 2014 draft with the expectation he would become the cornerstone center that would lift the Sixers to -- well, lets start with 20 wins.What he became instead was a flawed symbol of a so-called Process that saw a losses-into-lottery methodology leave the organization as the worst in the NBA. The Liberty Bell crack would seemingly heal quicker than the broken bones in Embiids right foot. He had surgeries in consecutive years that cost him his first two seasons and relegated his double-doubles to snappy Snapchat and Instagram posts.The wait for Embiid is over.He is not only healthy enough to have his minutes bumped to a preseason-high 20 on Saturday night against Detroit, the Sixers have considered backing off their plan of holding him out one game of back-to-back sets. The Sixers first set of consecutive games is Nov. 1 and 2 and they have 17 this season.We would have guessed that back-to-backs would have been off the table, that they wouldnt have happened, coach Brett Brown said. I feel like where we now are at watching him, its stuff we are completely considering. To say it will happen, I cant say that.Embiid caused a scare when he landed awkwardly on his right foot in the first half Saturday, but he played in the second half for the first time in six preseason games and wowed the crowd by faking a spin before a left-handed layup and emphatic first pump for part of his 15 points.I like the pressure, I like the responsibility, Embiid said.Brown, in his fourth season, said he would take a cautious approach with Embiids minutes.There are some times just with normal aches and the other parts of his body that you pay attention. Its still a 275-pound, 7-foot-2 man going up and down the court, he said. How about his motor, when he puts his mind to it? How about his lateral quickness, when he puts his mind to it? To get that stuff, just harder, longer, makes you think we have to take this course.OK, so Embiid is back for the 10-win Sixers.But who will join him in the frontcourt?Once thought to have a logjam in the paint, the Sixers instead have more mystery. Big men, big questions: Who is ready for the 76ers?Jahlil Okafor led the Sixers with 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in his rookie year before he was shut down in March for surgery on a torn right meniscus in his right knee. The Sixers said he was expected to resume basketball activities in about six weeks.Six weeks has stretched into seven months. Okafor, the 6-foot-11 center out of Duke, has yet to play in the preseason and the Sixers are hopeful he can play in the Oct. 26 opener against Oklahoma City.The movement at times produces some things that make us feel like we dont want to push it forward too much, Brown said. There is some biting, there is a little bit of pain. We just pull him back.Nerlens Noel, another key cog in the rebuilding process, hasnt played since the first preseason game because of a strained left groin. Noel complained about the glut of big men (I dont see a way of it working) as he entered training camp.Oh, and theres the little matter of No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons sidelined indefinitely with a broken bone in his right foot.Robert Covington started at power forward against Detroit and Dario Saric, another `14 draft pick yet to play a regular season game for the 76ers, was at small forward. And, yes, its preseason, but the Sixers were still crushed 97-76 by the Pistons, and another lousy season is on tap in Philly.Embiid could make it a smidge brighter. He was 5 of 8 from the floor with five rebounds and an ugly seven turnovers before a crowd that cheered his every move. Nothing fancy, but spotting Embiids name on a stat sheet instead of an injury report is a rare reprieve from the gloom that dooms the 76ers.We all see how good we think he can be, Brown said.Wholesale Shoes Canada . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. Cheap Puma Shoes Canada China . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. http://www.pumaoutletcanada.com/ . On Mar. 16, coming off a "fight of the year" performance at UFC 154 the previous November, St-Pierre faced Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in what would be his eighth defence of the welterweight title. Using his superior athleticism, St-Pierre cruised to a five round, unanimous decision victory setting up a much-anticipated title defence against number one contender Johny Hendricks. Cheap Puma Shoes Canada . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Canada Puma Shoes . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Former Anaheim Ducks great Teemu Selanne had a philosophy about scoring goals. The Ducks are hoping his ketchup bottle theory applies to star winger Corey Perry.Perry and Nick Ritchie scored late in the third period to tie it and rookie Ondrej Kase got the deciding goal in a shootout, lifting the Ducks over the Carolina Hurricanes 6-5 on Wednesday night.After Ritchie deflected in Cam Fowlers shot with 3:59 left in the third, Perry got his fifth goal of the season with 2:28 remaining to tie it at 5.Its nice to see it hit the back of the net for once, and not the goalie, Perry said.Perry, who scored 34 goals last year and won the Hart Trophy with 50 in 2010-11, hadnt scored since Oct. 25, but said hes hoping this goal leads to more.There was a player that I coached before and his name was Teemu Selanne, Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. He used to say that goal scoring was like pouring ketchup out of the ketchup bottle. Once it starts to flow, then it comes readily.It was the first non-regulation win for the Ducks this season and it was aided by Anaheims young core. Kase slickly deked to his backhand before lifting his shootout attempt over Cam Ward. Stefan Noesen, recalled from San Diego of the American Hockey League earlier in the day, got his first NHL goal, and Andrew Cogliano and Ryan Kesler also scored for Anaheim. John Gibson made 29 saves.The light went on and I threw my hands up, Noesen said. It was all of the emotions from two long years coming through at once.Teuvo Teravainen scored twice for the Hurricanes, and Jay McClement, Sebastian Aho and Brett Pesce also had goals. Ward made 33 saves while Carolina matched a season high with five goals.There were a couple breakdowns, Carolina coach Bill Peters said. At times, I thought we did a real good job at controlling the tempo of the game. We had the puck lots. But we need to do a better job defensively and have a better awareness away from the puck.Pesce scoredd on a slap shot 4:46 into the third period to give the Hurricanes a 4-2 lead.dddddddddddd Kesler scored about four minutes later to cut the deficit, but Teravainens second goal a minute later made it 5-3.Noesen scored at 13:52 in the second period to make it 3-2. Joseph Cramarossa and Kase, Noesens former San Diego Gulls teammates and roommate, were credited with the assists.Theyre both two of my pretty good friends, Noesen said. I think no matter what happens, it was special. Seeing Cram being the first one to come hug me and get the puck, that was awesome.Less than two minutes after McClement broke a 1-1 tie with a backhand around Gibson at 10:10 in the second period, Aho broke away, faked a shot and backhanded it over Gibson to make it 3-1.With 38 seconds left in the first period, Teravainen tied it at 1 with a power-play goal. Jaccob Slavin couldnt get a stick on a pass and instead used his skate to get it over to the right circle, where Teravainen found it and ripped a slap shot past Gibson.Cogliano put the Ducks on the board with just over three minutes left in the first, when he went five-hole on Ward with his own rebound, his seventh of the season.Game notes The Ducks are 1-5 in overtime this season. ... Ducks C Rickard Rakell sat out his second straight game with an upper-body injury. ... Ducks D Korbinian Holzer was a healthy scratch. Noesen played in his third NHL game. ... Kase tallied his first NHL shootout winner. . Kesler has four goals in three games. ... Hurricanes F Elias Lindholm missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury. ... Hurricanes D Klas Dahlbeck and D Ryan Murphy were both healthy scratches.UP NEXTHurricanes: At Los Angeles for the second game of a three-game California swing on Thursday night.Ducks: Continue a three-game homestand against San Jose on Friday night. ' ' '