Dante Cunninghams basketball exile is over.The New Orleans Pelicans signed Cunningham to give them some much-needed depth at forward and said he would be available Thursday night on the road against Golden State.Its such a relief, Cunningham told The Associated Press in a phone interview. I just knew that with the time and the situation that was going on, I kind of had to wait it out and get the right opportunity.Cunningham was charged last April with felony domestic assault after his girlfriend at the time accused him of choking her and slamming her head against a wall. She also accused him of sending her threatening messages, but the charge was dropped in August after an investigation uncovered inconsistencies in her story.Cunningham was a free agent after his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves expired at the end of the season. But even after Hennepin County authorities dropped the charges, many teams were reluctant to consider signing him after the Ray Rice domestic abuse scandal rocked the NFL.Cunningham spent the previous two seasons with the Timberwolves, carving a niche as a valuable bench player who was reliable on both ends of the floor. He averaged 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds last year and was paid $2.1 million in the final season of his contract. Cunningham said he had preliminary talks with a few teams, but didnt get any firm interest while the charge was being investigated.Cunningham urged authorities to pursue charges against Miryah Herron for making false allegations, but Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman told The Associated Press in October he was reluctant to do so in part because of the message it could send to victims of domestic violence.To what extent all of this impacts his livelihood in the future, I hope it doesnt, Freeman said at the time. I hope he can go forward and play basketball.Cunninghams agent, Joel Bell, has worked to try to help his client clear his name. But its taken some time.The criticism that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league received for its initial two-game suspension of Rice, the former Baltimore Ravens running back who was caught on video punching his then-fiancee in a hotel elevator, gave pause to NBA front offices as they evaluated the 27-year-old Cunningham.Cunningham said his conversations with the Pelicans were centred on making sure that all the facts were consistent with what I had to say and what the police report had to say and what the police had to say. At this point now were just moving on.New Orleans coach Monty Williams said he was confident Cunningham would be able to fit in with his new team.Hes pro, hes been around, Williams said Thursday night prior to the Pelicans game against the Warriors. He understands what I want from him because Ive coached him already. Hes watched our team so he knows what we need.The Pelicans were one of a number of teams to look at Cunningham and last week they scheduled a workout. As talks progressed, team officials reached out to the league to try to determine whether Cunningham would face any kind of discipline for even being accused of domestic violence.We have commenced an independent review of the matter and the charges that were subsequently dropped against Mr. Cunningham, but at this point we have no basis to conclude that he engaged in conduct that warrants discipline from the NBA, NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.With Anthony Davis emerging as one of the best players in the league, the Pelicans are pushing to get into the playoffs in the hyper-competitive Western Conference. Shooting guard Eric Gordons left shoulder injury has tested the teams depth and three straight losses have dropped them to 7-8 and 11th in the West.Gordon is out indefinitely with a torn labrum and the Pelicans initially responded by moving 6-foot-6 Tyreke Evans from small forward to shooting guard and starting 6-foot-8 Darius Miller at small forward. Miller was ineffective, and the Pelicans waived him and Patric Young on Sunday to start making room for Cunningham.Cunningham is a more natural power forward, but has the flexibility to play small forward, especially on the defensive end.I am definitely in shape, but I havent been away from the game atmosphere for this long, Cunningham said. I assume its just like riding a bike and once I hit that court its going to be back to normal.He was drafted by the Trail Blazers in 2009 when Williams was an assistant in Portland, and Cunningham welcomes the reunion during such a trying time.Coach Monty, he was the one that moulded me and sculpted me as a rookie with Portland, Cunningham said. He showed me how to be a professional and carry myself as a professional. To come back to him and not necessarily start over again, but have him back in my life again, I definitely need that.___AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report. Custom Nike Tampa Bay Rays Jerseys . The Nuggets leading scorer, Lawson is characterized as day to day by the team. Hes averaging 17.9 points and 8.9 assists. Lawson suffered the injury late in Denvers win Sunday at Sacramento. Custom Nike St. Louis Cardinals Jerseys . Obasi chested the ball past one defender, prodded it past another and then rounded the keeper before scoring from a tight angle in the 16th minute. Seconds after the restart, Obasi set up Klaas Jan Huntelaar for the Dutchmans 11th goal from 13 games this season. https://www.customnikebaseballjerseys.com/. The 28-year-old lefty made his MLB debut in 2013, making 10 starts and going 2-5 with 4.05 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Albers was named the Twins organizations minor league pitcher of the year for 2013. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys Store . Even that couldnt slow them down against the New Orleans Hornets. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook scored 31 points apiece and the Thunder overcame injuries to two key backups to beat New Orleans 101-93 Monday night for their 10th straight home win. Cheap Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping . No surprise there. Kershaw, who also earned the title after throwing his first career no-hitter in June, had a 1.LONDON -- A second-half own goal from Fulham goalkeeper David Stockdale and strikes from Kevin Mirallas and Steven Naismith secured Evertons fifth consecutive Premier League win at Craven Cottage on Sunday. The defeat leaves the Cottagers at the bottom of the table, five points clear of safety. Meanwhile, Everton are now on 60 points, four adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal, albeit with a game in hand. "This season were fighting to be as high as we can in the table to have that European qualification would be an incredible achievement for the players and thats the way were going to look at every game," said winning manager Roberto Martinez. The home side started brightly, and almost took the lead after twenty-two minutes. The influential Lewis Holtby slid in Moussa Dembele, but Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard made a smart save with his legs to deny the Frenchman from breaking the deadlock. At the stroke of half-time, Holtby and Dembele combined again. Holtbys inviting cross found Dembele in the area, but his powerful header was kept out by Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard, leaving Fulham ruing a dominant first-half display without breaking the deeadlock.dddddddddddd Despite struggling in the first half, Everton started brighter in the second and took the lead in the 50th minute, when a Naismith shot from the edge of the box took a deflection off Pajtim Kasami and rebounded off the Fulham keeper into the goal. The hosts drew level in the 71st courtesy of a stunning 25 yards drive from Ashjan Dejagah. He found himself with the ball on the edge of the box, and a slip from Everton midfielder James McCarthy allowed the attacking midfielder a clear sight of goal, from which he finished with aplomb. With a Champions League position in their sights, the away side responded well, and began to take control of the game. Aidan McGeady delivered a pinpoint pass to fellow substitute Kevin Mirallas, who took the ball expertly in his stride and shot past a diving Stockdale in the Fulham goal. Steven Naismith sealed the Evertons fifth consecutive league win in the 87th when he guided the ball past a helpless Stockdale after Leighton Baines pass. "This was our best game up till now, so we are very disappointed, but we now focus on the next game" Fulham manager Felix Magath said. ' ' '