Video´s von unseren Gassirunden » Birk becomes the eighth

NEW ORLEANS -- Monty Williams decided it was time to loosen the reins on Jason Smith. Darren Fells Jersey . By the looks of things, the Hornets coach wont be reeling the blossoming 7-footer back in any time soon. Smith scored 22 points, hitting 10 of 12 shots, to lead New Orleans to a 105-96 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night. "Ive watched his development and Ive watched him play himself out of restrictions," Williams said. "I had restrictions on him when he first got here and now we just say, Jason, youve got to go out there and make plays." It was the second time in three games that Smith had led the injury-riddled Hornets to a victory. The former Colorado State standout had 26 points and 10 rebounds in a victory last Saturday over Minnesota. "I dont know why hes not getting any acclaim for most improved (player)," Williams said. "Look at where he came from last year. This year, nobody expected Jason to be the kind of guys that comes in, hits big shots, plays good defence. ... Hes 7 feet tall. He can shoot to 18 feet. He can dunk. He can go to the basket. He plays solid defence. Hes not afraid of the moment." Smith averaged 4.3 points in 14.3 minutes per game off the bench last season. Now in his fourth NBA season, Smith is averaging close to 10 points in about 24 minutes per game. "Im trying to be more aggressive," Smith said. "Over time you develop your stuff in practice. ... I think thats what coach has allowed me to do. He sees me work in practice and he knows how hard I work." Smith wasnt the only Hornet shooting well against the Kings porous defence,. Marco Belinelli added 21 points and Greivis Vasquez 15 for New Orleans, which shot 55.9 per cent (38 of 68) and surged ahead for good with an 18-3 run in the third quarter. Hornets reserve guard Xavier Henry scored 14 points, while Chris Kaman grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. Marcus Thornton led all scorers with 25 points and Tyreke Evans added 19 points for the Kings, who have lost six straight. DeMarcus Cousins had early foul trouble and played only 20 minutes, missing nine of his 12 shots. But Kings head coach Keith Smart cited the play of the Hornets Smith as the key to the game. "That guy changed the game with his activity and his energy," Smart said. "He was a big question that if he played well, they would have a shot to win and that is what happened." Sacramento led 59-53 after Jason Thompsons three-point play on a layup as he was fouled, but then managed only one basket during a span of more than five minutes while the Hornets made their decisive run. "Since our team is so young, when things are going good, they are going great. When things arent going well, we get exposed," said Thompson, who scored 18 points. "We just have to get where we finish games strong." Kamans 15-foot fade started New Orleans spurt, during which he added a basket from inside. Vasquez hit a pair of jumpers, Henry converted a steal into a breakaway dunk and Belinelli hit one of his three 3s as the Hornets built a 71-62 lead. New Orleans lead reached 11 when Vasquezs 3 made it 79-68 late in the period and got as large as 12 early in the fourth quarter, when Gustavo Ayon tipped in Carl Landrys missed free throw as he was fouled for a three-point play that made it 84-72 The Kings pulled back as close as 94-90 when Evans jumper capped an 8-2 spurt, but Vasquez hit a jumper and Belinelli found Kaman cutting to the basket for a layup to give New Orleans enough of a cushion to hold on.Terrence Williams added 16 for the Kings, who shot 43.4 per cent and were hurt by missing 15 of 22 shots they attempted from 3-point range. New Orleans outrebounded Sacramento 44-37. Thornton, a former LSU star and Hornets player, had 13 of his points in the first quarter, when Sacramento took its largest lead at 29-20. New Orleans erased its deficit early in the second period and Belinellis 3 gave the Hornets a 50-49 lead at halftime. Notes: Hornets G Jerome Dyson made his debut, one day after being signed to a 10-day contract. The rookie out of Connecticut was the 21st player to appear in a game for the Hornets this season. He had 3 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and a steal in 23-plus minutes. .... Hornets G Eric Gordon missed his second straight game with a back injury. ... Thornton scored 20 or more in three of his four games against New Orleans this season. ... Cousins, who had seven points, failed to reach double figures in scoring for only 10th time this season. A.J. Moore Jersey . -- Mike Shanahan gave Robert Griffin III a rest, and may have turned up the pressure on himself, too. Angelo Blackson Jersey . The Islanders own the fifth pick in the 2014 draft but had until June 1 to decide whether to keep it or defer to 2015. The selection was packaged in the teams deal for Thomas Vanek on October 27, 2013. http://www.cheaptexansjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-keke-coutee-jersey .C. -- Kurt Busch put his chances at "70 per cent" at running the Indianapolis 500 this year because of recent developments that have pushed a potential program along.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Former Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens centre Matt Birk was hired Thursday by the NFL as director of football development. The six-time Pro Bowl player and 2011 Walter Payton Award winner as the leagues man of the year spent the 2013 season as an NFL-NFLPA appeals officer. In his new role, Birk will be involved in administration of game-day operations, oversee the further development of the scouting combine and regional combines, as well as the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine game for college players. "Im very excited to begin this next chapter of my football career,&quuot; Birk said. Austin Exford Jersey. "Its a real honour for me to be entrusted with developing the game in so many different ways." Birk becomes the eighth former player to take a job at the NFL executive offices, joining Merton Hanks, Dwight Hollier, Patrick Kerney, James Thrash, David Tyree, Troy Vincent and Charles Way. Vincent is the leagues top executive for football operations. "Matts experience as a terrific NFL player, a model citizen in his community and a reputation as a forward-thinking leader make him ideally suited for this role," Vincent said.