h 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds.NEW YORK -- Former Nets coach Lawrence Frank will return to the team as an assista

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. candidly declared two weeks ago that he has too good of a race team to be worried about making NASCARs playoffs.Since then, he has produced underwhelming finishes at Daytona and Kentucky and slipped to 13th in the Sprint Cup standings. Earnhardt hasnt scored a top-10 finish in a month and, yes, he is indeed in danger of missing the championship Chase.With eight races remaining to complete the 16-driver field, Earnhardt ranks third among drivers who have yet to secure a win this season but are ranked high enough to make the Chase. Its not a safe position by any means: Earnhardt has slipped from seventh in the standings since May and has led only four laps since mid-March.Hes not the only driver in a precarious position. Because 11 drivers have so far won races this season, any first-time winners in the next two months will claim the remaining five Chase berths. Among those looking for automatic berths in the Chase are two of Earnhardts Hendrick Motorsports teammates -- Chase Elliott and Kasey Kahne -- as well as 2015 qualifier Jamie McMurray.Ryan Newman, who has made the Chase the last two years without a win, is on the bubble. Austin Dillon, rookie Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson are all eyeing wildcard spots but they could solidify a berth with their first career Cup wins.The chances of some of the bubble drivers over the final two months of NASCARs regular season before the playoffs begin:EARNHARDTNASCARs most popular driver is probably the most puzzling performer this season. After winning seven races the past two years, this is the deepest he has gone into a season without a victory since his 2013 winless campaign. Earnhardts numbers are down across the board. Hes got only five top-five finishes, six top-10s and 53 laps led.He told reporters after Saturday nights 13th-place finish at Kentucky that he is not nervous about his positioning for the Chase.What am I going to do? he asked. Were running as good as we can. Its either going to be good enough or wont be enough. Im not really going to lose any sleep over it, at least at this moment. When we miss the Chase, itll be frustrating and disappointing, but were going to plan on not doing that. Were going to plan on making it.In the coming month, Earnhardt could gain some traction at Pocono, where he has two career victories, finished second in June and has seven consecutive finishes of 11th or better.He has also won at Bristol, Michigan and Richmond, where the Chase field will be finalized Sept. 10. Even if he doesnt get a win, mediocre results at his strong tracks should be enough to get Earnhardt into the Chase.EARNHARDTS TEAMMATESElliott is having a very nice rookie season and has climbed from 10th in the standings in early May to as high as sixth. He is currently eighth, the highest-ranked driver without a victory but three consecutive finishes outside the top-20 weakened his position.What could work against Elliott is a lack of experience at some of the upcoming tracks. Hes yet to run a Cup car at New Hampshire, site of Sundays race, or Watkins Glen. Elliott has only been to Pocono in a Cup car once, same with Indianapolis. But he won Xfinity Series races at Darlington and Richmond, so both tracks are very familiar.Kahne is in much rougher shape at 17th in the overall standings, but seventh among winless drivers.Kahne has only one win in almost three full seasons, and hes not exactly knocking on the door of victory lane. Hes finished in the top-five only twice this season and has yet to lead a lap.Hes likely going to need to steal a win somewhere to have any shot at making the Chase.NEWMANHe is the sneaky driver in this field and has successfully made the Chase the last three seasons. Despite not winning a race since 2013, Newman was runner-up in the championship in 2014 and made it to the second round of the Chase last year. Now hes on another quiet run toward a Chase berth. Newman has climbed from 18th in the standings in May to 12th, and hes ranked only behind Elliott among winless drivers. Also in his favor? Hes really good at Indy, where hes got one career victory and five consecutive finishes of 12th or better.THE YOUNG GUYSNASCAR has high hopes for the future of the Cup Series with fresh talent in Elliott, Dillon, Blaney and Larson. Of that crop, Elliott is having the best year, but the others have shown flashes of stepping it up a notch.Dillon is currently on the Chase bubble at 14th in the standings and only one point below Earnhardt. His season is up one week, down the next, and he needs consistency to maintain his footing.Blaney is ranked 18th in the standings and is probably the longshot for victory lane. He has yet to lead a lap and only has six top-10 finishes, but Ford has turned it up of late and hes got de facto Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano to lean on for assistance.Larson might be the first of the group to get a win, which would be long overdue. He has been erratic since his 2014 rookie campaign, though his drop-offs are much shorter now He was third at Michigan, followed by 12th at Sonoma. Then he was sixth at Daytona, followed by 19th at Kentucky.If hes going to make his first Chase, he either needs a string of top-10 finishes, or to finally get that first win.Cheap Custom Tigers Jersey . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. Custom Tigers T-shirts . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. http://www.customtigersjersey.com/ . Artturi Lehkonen, Joni Nikko and Ville Leskinen had the other goals for Finland (1-0) while Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots. Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2). Tigers Jerseys China . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. Custom Tigers T-shirts . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds.NEW YORK -- Former Nets coach Lawrence Frank will return to the team as an assistant under new coach Jason Kidd. The Nets said Friday they also agreed to terms with assistants Roy Rogers, Eric Hughes and holdover Doug Overton to fill out the staff of their rookie coach. Frank is the Nets career leader in victories, going 225-241 in parts of seven seasons, when Kidd was his point guard. He returnns to the franchise after spending two seasons as the Detroit Pistons coach, going 54-94.dddddddddddd Rogers worked under him in New Jersey and Detroit, while Hughes spent the last six seasons in Toronto. Overton will be entering his sixth season with the Nets, including fourth as an assistant coach. The Nets hired Kidd shortly after he retired following a 19-year playing career. ' ' '