NEW ORLEANS -- Lance Stephenson has made the New Orleans Pelicans 15-man roster for the 2016-17 NBA season.The Pelicans waived small forward Alonzo Gee on Monday, ahead of the NBAs 5 p.m. ET deadline to trim rosters to their regular-season limit, clearing the way for Stephenson.It was a tough decision, Pelicans general manager Dell Demps said. What it came down to was team need. We just felt with Lances ability to play-make, especially with us without Tyreke [Evans] and Jrue [Holiday] to start the season, we felt like we had more of a need for a playmaker, which is why we elected to keep Lance.Gee, who signed a guaranteed one-year deal with New Orleans this summer after opting out of the final year of his contract ahead of free agency, is owed approximately $1.4 million.Asked if the money owed to Gee affected the teams thinking, Demps said, We were doing what was best for the team. Obviously that comes into play, but this was a team decision, a basketball decision.Stephenson split last season between the Clippers and Grizzlies after a subpar 2014-15 season in Charlotte led the Hornets to deal him to Los Angeles in the summer of 2015.?Before training camp, he signed a one-year contract with the Pelicans for a veterans minimum $1.4 million with $100,000 guaranteed, league sources told ESPNs Marc Stein.I love the game, so I just want to play ball, Stephenson said. For me to earn the spot, [I had] to go hard. I dont have to hide nothin. I go hard. I try to prove that every practice, and I try proving it in the games. I just had to earn a spot. And it shows how confident I am in myself. I just try to come in every day and work hard.The 26-year-old enjoyed a breakout season in Indiana in 2013-14, averaging 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game ?in helping the 56-win Pacers advance to the Eastern Conference finals. But he left the Pacers in the summer of 2014 to sign a three-year, $27 million deal with Charlotte, only to last one season with the Hornets after it quickly became clear that he wasnt a fit there.Stephenson said Monday that he is motivated to show that he has matured and to clear up misconceptions some may have of him from his six-year tenure in the NBA.Its like being a rookie again, he said. Everybody got this image on me thats a straight lie. So I got to show the teams in person.Coming in my rookie year, you think youre the guy, because you grew up and you were that guy since you were young. Coming into the NBA, everybody is similar to you. Of course I had a big head when I came into the NBA. Now that Im older and I learned the game a little bit more, I know how you control that and know how to show that Im working hard more than coming in and thinking Im that guy.Stephenson averaged 6.8 points, 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per game in the preseason for New Orleans.I think that he has the ability to play multiple positions, coach Alvin Gentry said. Hes a good ball handler. Hes a good facilitator. If you have those three skills, you can step in and help a bunch of teams. Denver Broncos Jerseys . -- The Missouri Tigers might not have a roster full of superstars. Phillip Lindsay Broncos Jersey . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. http://www.broncosrookiestore.com/Broncos-Shannon-Sharpe-Jersey/ . 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Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff.ANAHEIM, Calif. - Right wing Kyle Palmieri has re-signed with the Anaheim Ducks, agreeing to a three-year deal worth $4.4 million. The restricted free agent agreed to the deal Friday. Palmieri had 10 goals and 11 assists in 42 games with the Pacific Division champion Ducks last season, his first full NHL campaign. He added five points in Anaheims first-round playoff loss to Detroit, tying for the team lead with three goals.dddddddddddd Palmieri has 15 goals in 70 NHL games over three seasons with the Ducks, who drafted the American forward in the first round in 2009. The Ducks are hoping hell assume a more prominent offensive role next season after the departure of goal-scorer Bobby Ryan, who was traded to the Ottawa Senators earlier this month. ' ' '