JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are close to hiring former Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden as their offensive coordinator, league sources told ESPN.

A deal, which NFL Network first reported as being close to completion, is likely to be finalized Wednesday.

Head coach Doug Marrone also interviewed former NFL head coaches Ben McAdoo and Scott Linehan for the position.

The Redskins fired Gruden in October after an 0-5 start in his sixth season. He led the Redskins to a 35-49-1 record that included an NFC East title and playoff appearance in 2015. Gruden was the offensive coordinator with Cincinnati for three seasons prior to being named the Redskins' head coach.

Gruden's offenses with the Bengals ranked in the middle third of the league in yards per game, rushing, passing and scoring in 2011 and 2012 but ranked in the top 10 in yards per game, passing and scoring in 2013. The Bengals had winning records all three seasons and quarterback Andy Dalton, the team's second-round pick in 2011, had his best season in 2013: 33 TD passes and 4,293 yards -- both of which are career highs.

Gruden's offensive coordinator in his first three seasons was Sean McVay, who parlayed that job into becoming the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams in 2017.

Gruden, 52, will be the third offensive coordinator Marrone has hired in his four seasons with the Jaguars. He retained Nathaniel Hackett from the 2016 staff but fired him midway through the 2018 season and hired John DeFilippo last January. The Jaguars and DeFilippo announced earlier this month that they had mutually agreed to part ways.

Gruden's top priority will be figuring out the quarterback situation in Jacksonville. The team signed Nick Foles last March to a four-year, $88 million contract that included a franchise-record $50.125 million guaranteed, but Foles suffered a broken collarbone just 11 snaps into the 2019 season opener. Rookie Gardner Minshew II, the team's sixth-round pick, took over and played well enough to get the Jaguars to 4-5 before Foles was able to return.

However, Foles and the offense struggled and Marrone benched Foles for Minshew after 10 quarters.

Neither Marrone nor GM Dave Caldwell -- both of whom were retained by owner Shad Khan despite winning only 11 games the past two seasons -- would commit to either player as the starter heading into the 2020 season.

Walter McCarty has been fired as Evansville's coach after an investigation revealed additional allegations of off-court misconduct, the university announced Tuesday.

Later Tuesday, Evansville announced the hiring of Todd Lickliter as McCarthy's replacement. Lickliter will coach the Purple Aces on Wednesday night against Drake.

McCarty was initially put on administrative leave by the university on Dec. 26, after reports of alleged sexual misconduct and violations of Evansville's Title IX policy.

In a statement announcing the decision, which is effective immediately, the school said it had received additional reports of off-court misconduct with members of the "campus community'' during McCarty's tenure of less than two seasons. It also noted that McCarty had previously participated in a training program about unacceptable behavior.

"While the investigation of potential Title IX violations will continue under University policies, UE has decided that, based on the facts uncovered thus far, it is necessary to terminate Mr. McCarty's employment immediately," the school said in a statement. "There is no place at UE for any behavior by any University employee or student that jeopardizes the safety and security of others."

In a separate memo sent to members of the Evansville community obtained by ESPN, university president Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz said that as part of the ongoing investigation, the school found that McCarty attempted to improperly influence witnesses.

McCarty finishes his career at Evansville with a record of 20-25.

McCarty was hired by the Purple Aces in 2018 after spending six seasons as an assistant coach in the NBA for the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers. He also spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Louisville under Rick Pitino.

McCarty won a national championship as a member of Pitino's 1996 Kentucky team before being drafted in the first round by the New York Knicks. McCarty played for four teams during his 10-year NBA career.

Earlier this season, McCarty led Evansville to a victory at Kentucky, one of the biggest upsets in recent college basketball history.

Lickliter was an assistant coach at Evansville last season and has head coaching experience at Butler (2001-07) and Iowa (2007-10).

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- Antonio Brown and his trainer allegedly battered the driver of a moving truck outside his residence here, the Hollywood Police Department said Tuesday.

Brown is a suspect in the alleged incident but is not in custody and has not been arrested, said police officials, who added that the criminal investigation is ongoing.

The trainer, Glen Holt, was charged with one count of felony burglary and battery. He was booked into jail Tuesday evening.

Brown hired the moving truck to bring some of his belongings to his Hollywood home before the disturbance occurred.

A Hollywood police spokesman said Brown was at home with Holt at the time of the incident and they attempted to make contact with him for further questioning but they were unsuccessful before leaving for the day.

The hope in contacting Brown was to determine whether they would bring battery charges against him, but they could not do that Tuesday.

In general, police say they prefer to deescalate situations where there is no other victim or apparent safety threatened rather than forcing contact to be made and potentially escalating a situation.

The criminal investigation is ongoing and an update from police on Brown's status is expected before noon ET on Wednesday. Police reiterated that detectives are diligently investigating this case and they still plan to make contact with Brown.

Brown's home is located in a gated community in Hollywood where multiple neighbors told ESPN they've been fed up with the antics coming from the Brown home including multiple police encounters this month.

Last week, Brown's agent Drew Rosenhaus conditionally terminated his relationship with him until the wide receiver seeks counseling, an NFL Players Association source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Rosenhaus wrote in a letter the NFLPA received Thursday that he would like to work with Brown, but not until he first gets help.

The NFL is aware of the current situation regarding Brown and have begun their own investigation in an attempt to procure details. This latest incident does not help Brown's attempts to return to the NFL.

Earlier this month, Brown had an obscene outburst toward the police and the mother of his children that he streamed live on Instagram. The video was later picked up by TMZ. In it, he can be heard using explicit language and calling the police officers explicit names.

Brown, 31, wasn't on an active roster for most of the 2019 season. He was released from the Oakland Raiders after the preseason following public demands. He was active for one game with the New England Patriots but was released shortly after, amid sexual assault allegations. The former Pittsburgh Steelers star recently had a workout with the New Orleans Saints, which he later called a publicity stunt on social media.

The NFL is investigating Brown after a lawsuit was filed by his former trainer, Britney Taylor, alleging that she was sexually assaulted by Brown on multiple occasions. Brown also was accused of sexual misconduct at his home by an artist who was working there in 2017.

The NFL has not concluded its investigation.

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- A massive brawl marred the end of Kansas' 81-60 win over rival Kansas State on Tuesday, with players from both teams throwing punches as the stunned crowd at Allen Fieldhouse looked on.

The melee, which spilled out into the disabled seating section behind Kansas State's basket, began when Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa blocked DaJuan Gordon's shot, then stood over him in a taunting fashion.

With the Jayhawks dribbling out the clock up 22 late in the game, De Sousa was stripped by Gordon near midcourt and Gordon tried to go in for a layup. The Jayhawks' big man recovered and blocked the shot, sending the Wildcats' freshman to the floor and drawing a technical for taunting.

Kansas State's Antonio Gordon and David Sloan quickly went after De Sousa, and from there players from both benches ran onto the floor.

At one point during the brawl, De Sousa, who had thrown multiple punches, held a stool above his head before assistant coach Jerrance Howard grabbed it from him. The Jayhawks' Marcus Garrett and David McCormack were also in the thick of the scrum along with the Wildcats' James Love and David Sloan, who was the first player to come to Gordon's defense.

It took several minutes for tensions to deescalate and the teams to exit the court.

Local police officers as well as coaches from both teams helped break up the fight. Former Kansas star Wayne Simien, an adviser to the team, also ran onto the floor to help break up the fracas. Multiple fans were caught in the fight and scrambled to safety.

Adding to the bizarre finish, both teams were summoned back from the locker rooms by the officials, and one-tenth of a second was put on the clock. Kansas State shot technical free throws to a chorus of boos from the few thousand fans who were still in the arena.

Only five players from each team returned to the court because the rest of the players -- including those dressed in street clothes -- were all ejected for leaving the bench while the game was in progress.

Kansas coach Bill Self called the incident an "embarrassment" and said there would be consequences once he was done fully reviewing what had happened.

"It's not something to be proud of," Self said. "What happened showed zero signs of toughness. It's a sign of immaturity and selfishness more so than toughness.''

Kansas athletic director Jeff Long said in a statement after the game that he and Self would review the incident "along with the Big 12 Conference and Kansas State to determine appropriate consequences."

"It should have been avoided,'' Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. "It's my guys -- it's my fault. They came here wanting to have a game, compete, and we didn't compete the way we needed to, and probably a little frustration, especially the young guys.''

Weber had instructed his players to back off in the closing seconds and let the game run out. And while Self said he didn't agree with the steal and layup attempt, he did acknowledge that Kansas State was merely playing to the final whistle.

"Silvio knew he was being defended,'' Self said. "He took his ball, and certainly the way Silvio reacted to getting his ball taken, going and blocking his shot, that's fair game. What transpired after that is what set everything off.''

De Sousa has been at the center of the team's current situation with the NCAA, which recently issued a notice of allegations following the forward's ties to an ongoing FBI investigation.

It outlined major violations in men's basketball, levied a head coach responsibility charge against Self and alleged a lack of institutional control. Those violations are being appealed and a decision is not expected until well after the season.

De Sousa was suspended last season for his role in the case, and he was supposed to sit out this season as well. But the school successfully appealed the decision, allowing the junior forward to return to the court.

Kansas and Kansas State meet again Feb. 29, in Manhattan.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- Just a city block and an avenue away from the Olympic Tower office where he had peered out over a metropolis, if not the entire world, dreaming up ways to grow the sport of basketball, the life of former NBA commissioner David Stern was celebrated Tuesday.

A crowd of thousands filled the lower bowl at Radio City Music Hall, as people from all corners of the sport -- players and coaches, referees and agents, public relations staffers and journalists, family and friends, league executives and team employees, Hall of Famers and the entire current New York Knicks roster -- gathered to honor Stern's 30-year tenure running the NBA.

Stern, who died earlier this month at age 77 after suffering a brain hemorrhage, was memorialized by 10 speakers in a nearly 2½-hour ceremony, starting with current NBA commissioner Adam Silver and culminating with deeply personal -- and equally witty -- words from his two sons, Eric and Andrew.

Perhaps no presenter was as moving as Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson, who in a tearful tribute detailed how Stern stood by him when he was diagnosed with HIV in 1991.

"In a time of need 29 years ago -- the toughest time in my life, the darkest moment in my life -- my commissioner turned into my angel and he was able to throw me a lifeline," the normally effervescent Johnson said, with emotion and conviction dripping from every word.

Johnson, who spoke from the cuff without consulting any notes, recalled a phone call he received from Stern ahead of the 1992 All-Star Game, inviting him to participate in the weekend's grand event despite having already retired because of the uncertainty surrounding his diagnosis.

"That game saved my life," Johnson said. "It gave me the energy that I needed to carry on and to live on and knowing that David paved the way for me to actually play in that game. ... We used to talk about it all the time, how we changed the world and how we changed HIV and AIDS on that particular day, as well as we saved a lot of people's lives that day."

Johnson revealed that Stern leaned on him to convince Michael Jordan and Larry Bird to join him on the USA Basketball "Dream Team" at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona -- the first time NBA players competed in the event.

If the trio of Johnson, Bird and Jordan (who was also in attendance Tuesday) made the NBA a mainstream sport in America during Stern's watch, the Dream Team made the league popular around the globe.

Stern's innovation, not just in growing the sport internationally, but in diversifying the sport domestically by championing the WNBA and NBA Development League (now the G League), was a constant theme.

"For all the advancements in women's team sports since [the WNBA debuted], I hope historians will write that it was women's basketball and the WNBA that did it first and blazed the trail," Val Ackerman, who worked as Stern's assistant for many years before serving as WNBA commissioner, said while fighting back tears. "I hope they'll write that David, while always quick to deflect credit, was the most important figure in the women's sports movement since Billie Jean King."

Golden State Warriors president and COO Rick Welts worked in the league office for 17 years under Stern.

"What we were doing could be important and meaningful, even as it was entertaining," Welts said. "We were all in awe of his intellectual curiosity. He went from being the NBA's best lawyer to the NBA's best marketer to a media expert. All self-taught."

Attendees were presented at the entrance with basketball-shaped lapel pins featuring Stern's distinctive signature. They were treated to a video to begin the ceremony that showed a mustached Stern being interviewed by an Afro-sporting Greg Gumbel when he first took over as commissioner in 1984 and included clips dating to his childhood as the son of a New York deli owner.

Laughter flitted throughout the concert hall when Stern was shown trying on LeBron James' oversized white sports coat on the night of the seminal 2003 NBA draft and when Stern playfully held the championship trophy out of arm's reach from Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach's eager hands following another Boston title in the 1980s.

Silver, who honored his former boss by saying he learned from "a master at the top of his game," rattled off a list of snackable Stern wisdom he referred to with affection as "Davidisms."

"'You have to be willing to step into traffic' -- his way of saying, 'You better be willing to take risks,'" Silver said. "'If you stand still, you go backwards' -- his way of saying, 'We better keep innovating.' ... 'Micromanagement is underrated' -- clearly one of his favorites. ... 'Relentless pursuit of perfection' -- I'm sure he stole it from a Lexus ad, but it was our mantra for years."

Stern's business acumen was trumpeted by Pat Riley, who shared how his playing career started with the San Diego Rockets, a franchise that has since moved to Houston and is worth 1,000 times what it was back then. And Stern's irascible side -- which straddled the line between cunning and adroitly comical -- was detailed.

"One [member of the media] even wrote me to say that the 'F--- you!' phone call from David was the best he ever received," Silver said. "Sorry, that was David."

If that quip by Silver got the room going, Stern's youngest son, Eric, brought the house down by exuding his father's same irreverent sense of humor.

"He didn't speak until he was 4 years old -- that's true," Eric Stern said. "And as my mom likes to point out, once he did start speaking, he didn't shut the f--- up for the next 73 years."

Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Isiah Thomas, Bill Russell, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, David Robinson, Bob Lanier, Bill Bradley, Bill Walton, Earl Monroe, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Gary Payton, Jason Kidd and Yao Ming were among the luminaries who turned out.

Stern was also eulogized by longtime friend and neighbor Michael Cardozo, NBA president of social responsibility and player programs Kathy Behrens, and acclaimed jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, as Stern's wife of 56 years, Dianne, looked on.

Marsalis and other members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Quartet closed the proceeding by playing a bluesy New Orleans jazz funeral tune onstage -- the same stage where Stern once helped arrange games to be played by both USA Basketball and the WNBA.

And Johnson's message stayed with attendees as they exited into the cold, winter afternoon.

"I'm going to miss my friend, I'm going to miss my angel," Johnson said.

ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk contributed to this report.

DALLAS -- The Mavericks fear that starting center Dwight Powell suffered a season-ending torn right Achilles tendon early in the first quarter of Tuesday night's 110-107 loss to the LA Clippers.

"It's a somber night with Dwight's situation," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's going to have an MRI tomorrow. Right Achilles injury feared to be severe, but we won't know for sure until the diagnostic tests are done. It's a real tough one."

Powell was injured when he attempted to drive with 3 minutes, 1 second remaining in the first quarter. His right leg gave out on him when he attempted to push off, causing Powell to collapse to the floor, and he was in agony before being helped off the floor.

Powell, 28, has developed into a critical role player since arriving in Dallas as part of the Rajon Rondo trade in 2015. He is averaging 9.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in his first season as a full-time starter.

His impact goes beyond basic statistics. Powell is considered a critical part of the Mavs' culture, described by Carlisle as "one of the soldiers of the franchise." He's also an excellent complement to franchise cornerstones Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Powell is one of the NBA's most efficient pick-and-roll finishers and typically defends power forwards, allowing Porzingis to play to his strengths as a rim protector.

"He means a lot, off the court and on the court," said Doncic, who had 36 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in the loss. "He gave us a lot. He's a great guy. He doesn't deserve this. He's going to come back strong, though, for sure."

Powell, who signed a three-year, $33 million contract extension with the Mavs in July, was expected to play a major role in Team Canada's attempt to qualify for the Olympics this summer.

Carlisle referenced J.J. Barea, the Mavs' 14-year veteran reserve point guard, as evidence of a player with remarkable work ethic and mental toughness who came back strong from a torn Achilles tendon. Barea, 35, ruptured his right Achilles tendon in January last year and was ready to begin this season, when he has averaged 9.2 points and 3.3 assists in 15.6 minutes per game.

"Nobody better and mentally tougher to come back from this than him," Barea told ESPN of Powell. "Nobody has ever and will ever work as hard as he is going to do."

Powell's injury occurred early in Porzingis' return after he missed the past 10 games because of right knee soreness.

Porzingis said he felt good physically, but he shot the ball poorly against the Clippers. He had 10 points on 4-of-17 shooting (1-of-8 from 3-point range) in 27 minutes.

"I think that if I played just a little bit better, we'd have won the game," said Porzingis, who had nine rebounds and a blocked shot. "So this loss is on me. That's how I feel. I just have to play better for my team, for my guys, for my coaches. I know it's my first game back and all that, but I always have high expectations for myself. I'm just disappointed that I wasn't able to shoot the ball better."

With Powell out, Carlisle opted to shift Porzingis to center and play a small lineup to start the second half, replacing the 6-foot-10 Powell with the 5-foot-10 Barea.

"The bind you get in is with the rebounding, and that was obvious in the second half," said Carlisle, whose other options are to start Maxi Kleber or Boban Marjanovic at center. "We were really up against it on the boards. You take a little bit here and you give a little bit there. We've just got to find a sweet spot with the guys that we have and find a balance. In terms of the lineup and everything else, there's a lot of things we've got to keep on the table as possibilities."

METAIRIE, La. -- Sleep might be hard to come by for New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson on Tuesday night.

The No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft is set to make his NBA regular-season debut on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs (ESPN, 9:30 p.m. ET), but he said the excitement is already getting to him.

"Honestly, I don't know if I'm going to get sleep," Williamson said Tuesday. "I'll be too excited thinking about my first NBA game."

Williamson was in good spirits as he prepares for the Spurs, even joking about television cameras catching him as he tried to fight off sleep on the bench during recent games. Williamson said he simply was "meditating on the sidelines."

But when asked about Wednesday's game compared to his debut at Duke, Williamson acknowledged this one will be a little different.

"This is my first NBA game. This is business now," Williamson said.

He's set to make his debut in front of the home crowd in what is expected to be a sold-out Smoothie King Center. On Monday night, teammate Brandon Ingram said he expects every home game from now until the end of the regular season will be sold out after people get a look at Williamson.

Williamson said he has received positive vibes from people around the city as they prepare to watch him in a Pelicans jersey for only the third time. The first was at a Pelicans open scrimmage; the other time was during a preseason game.

"It's been great man," Williamson said. "The city is beautiful. The people are beautiful as well. They're welcoming. I feel like they adopted me a bit. They show love everywhere I go. They tell me they can't wait until I get out there."

Williamson said the waiting process has been difficult. He had surgery on Oct. 21 to repair the meniscus in his right knee. The original timetable was six to eight weeks, but Wednesday will mark nearly 13½ weeks since the surgery.

The organization has taken its time with Williamson's rehab to make sure he's 100 percent when he takes the court. The rehab process itself started to wear on Williamson.

"There's a lot of times when I wanted to punch a wall or kick chairs because it's frustrating," Williamson said. "To not be able to move your body the way you want to, not to make any athletic movements; I mean, it's tough. Especially because I'm 19 and I haven't even played my first NBA game. It was tough but I battled through it."

Part of the rehab process, Williamson said, was learning how to land differently than he had been doing before.

"I think it's not landing straight legs, kind of don't let all my force go into my legs," Williamson said. "It's a lot of technical stuff. I really couldn't explain it to you, to be honest. I could probably show you on a video better."

Williamson is also tempering expectations for himself heading into the contest. He said all he wants to do is go out there and help his team continue winning.

New Orleans started the season 6-22, but the Pelicans have won 11 of their last 16 games and sit just 3½ games back of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The winning has also made it a better situation for Williamson to come back to.

"We did go through a bad stretch, but things have turned around," Williamson said.

"Everybody's been playing better. I'm just looking to go join in and have some fun."

Zion Williamson's NBA debut with the New Orleans Pelicans is here.

Williamson's surgery to fix the meniscus in his right knee happened on Oct. 21, the day before the Pelicans opened the 2019-20 season against the Toronto Raptors. The original timeline for Williamson was six-to-eight weeks, which would have put his return in early-to-mid December. However, the Pelicans took the heavily cautious route and have held him out until now, in a home matchup on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Williamson made his presence felt in the NBA during the first minutes of summer league, when he ripped the ball away from Knicks forward Kevin Knox and slammed it home. In the preseason, he averaged 23.3 points on 71.4% shooting. All signs pointed to Williamson making an immediate impact on a Pelicans squad that was expected to compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

But this season hasn't gone how the franchise hoped. New Orleans sits at 17-27 and 12th place in the Western Conference, yet somehow still just 3.5 games behind the eighth and final spot in the postseason. The Pelicans started the season 7-23. The front office could have turned into early sellers, trying to get the best trade packages available for veterans Jrue Holiday, JJ Redick and Derrick Favors.

Then, in December, New Orleans finally got a healthy Favors to add to the lineup and made defensive changes. They've turned things around, and adding Williamson to the mix should only help them further.

The Pelicans will have some restrictions on Williamson now that he's back on the court. On Jan. 7, head coach Alvin Gentry said Williamson will be on a minutes limit initially. He didn't know how long it would last or how many minutes a night Williamson would play. And don't expect to see Williamson in back-to-backs.

Still, it's hard to temper expectations for a top overall pick with this kind of hype. Williamson's No. 1 jersey dominates the landscape at any Pelicans game. He's the main attraction for fans in away arenas, even if he is just shooting pregame.

While it isn't going to be the entrance the young phenom envisioned months ago, the Zion Williamson show has finally arrived. -- Andrew Lopez

How Zion uses his go-to moves

How will Williamson score in the NBA? His ability to create his own offense will be the key to unlocking his superstar potential.

Here are his favorite moves with the ball and how they might work at the pro level.

1. In-and-out dribble

Zion puts opposing bigs on skates with hard in-and-out dribbles in either direction, while maintaining a low center of gravity before exploding to the rim. His ability to laterally shift his body weight so effortlessly leaves defenders wobbly, and Zion only needs the slightest crease to catapult all 285 pounds to the cup for a highlight slam or powerful finish.

2. Change-of-pace crossover

Williamson loves utilizing basic change-of-pace crossovers to dust opponents, and he's equally as effective going right or left. He sets up the move by slowing up and relaxing his body, sending the defender -- for a split second -- into chill mode. But right as the ball rests in his outside hand, he abruptly widens his stance, contracts his muscles and rips past his opponent's hip.

While known for his nuclear bounce, Zion's ability to contract and relax his muscles on a dime makes him one of the shiftiest big men the game has seen to date.

3. Behind the back

If Williamson's straight-line drive or crossover is taken away, he regularly counters with a simple behind-the-back dribble to beat his man off the bounce.

While there's nothing flashy about the actual move, the fact that he maintains such a sturdy base when he changes direction, combined with his quickness and strength, makes it extremely difficult to defend.

4. Hop step

Zion's most lethal weapon is his hop step. Whether he's creating the shot himself or catching the ball with a head of steam, he's able to cover an incredible amount of ground with his signature hop, dodging help defenders before exploding off the hardwood for an electric finish.

5. Drop-step footwork

Zion was college basketball's most efficient and prolific paint scorer in large part because of his footwork in the post. His attack is simple, but the speed at which he utilizes basic drop-step footwork makes him really tough to guard on the block.

He sets the move up by shifting his body weight one way and slowing up, while wrapping his foot around the defender before quickly exploding into the move. When he doesn't have the strength advantage, he utilizes fakes to shake his defender, widening his stance to hard plant one foot and show the ball in that direction, maintaining balance and swinging around his other foot before violently going into his move. -- Mike Schmitz

The five biggest Zion games to watch

The Pelicans will be cautious with Williamson the rest of the season, so we aren't completely sure how many of the 38 remaining games he'll appear in. But these are the matchups we're highlighting.

1. New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs

• Jan. 22, 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN

Here we go -- more than 40 games into the season, Williamson will appear in his debut NBA regular season game. It's not a bad first matchup. The Spurs have the No. 23 defense in the NBA and they lack big, shutdown defenders ready to keep Zion in check.

2. New Orleans Pelicans vs. Boston Celtics

• Jan. 26, 6 p.m. ET | ESPN

Williamson makes his ESPN Sunday debut against the Celtics and their deep crew of wings ready to try and slow him down.

3. New Orleans Pelicans vs. Milwaukee Bucks

• Feb. 4, 7:30 ET | TNT

The rookie sensation gets his first matchup against the NBA's other standout athletic marvel -- reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

4. New Orleans Pelicans @ Los Angeles Lakers

• Feb. 25, 10 ET | TNT

The Pelicans and Lakers have already gotten the Anthony Davis reunion out of the way, meaning this game will be all about Williamson's first matchup against LeBron James.

5. New Orleans Pelicans @ Dallas Mavericks

• March 4, 8:30 p.m. ET

Luka Doncic and Williamson finished in the top two when ESPN experts were asked for the NBA rookies and sophomores with the most potential. This could be the first of many big matchups between the two young stars during their careers.

Can Zion help push the Pelicans into the playoffs?

Despite New Orleans' poor start and a record still 10 games below .500, the possibility of a postseason appearance is more realistic than it appears.

Monday's crucial win at Memphis moved the Pelicans within 3.5 games of the Grizzlies for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. And though New Orleans has to pass three other teams (San Antonio, Portland and Phoenix) and has the worst point differential (minus-3.2 PPG) of this group, there are reasons to think the Pelicans will be the best of the contenders over the season's final three months.

Start with the schedule. So far, New Orleans has played the most difficult competition in the NBA, according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index (BPI). Naturally, that flips the rest of the way, when the Pelicans will have the easiest schedule among West teams while the other West contenders play competition ranked among the 11 most difficult in the league.

Second, the Pelicans have been a different team with veteran center Favors in the lineup. Their slow start came with Favors playing just nine of the team's first 25 games due to injuries and the sudden death of his mother. New Orleans is 11-12 in the 23 games started by Favors, who has solidified the Pelicans' interior defense.

Thanks to those factors, New Orleans would have a reasonable shot at a playoff run even without Williamson in the lineup. Projections based on BPI show them climbing into eighth 12% of the time, better than Memphis (just 5%). Any contributions the Pelicans get from Williamson, who was dominant in the preseason before undergoing knee surgery, will only help that. FiveThirtyEight's RAPTOR projections, which are based on player rather than team ratings, make New Orleans a heavy favorite as a playoff team in better than 60% of simulations.

Because other teams may upgrade at the deadline, and because Zion's minutes will likely be limited (RAPTOR projects him for 32 mpg at full strength, which is optimistic even before accounting for the reasonable possibility he sits out a game of back-to-backs), I'm not quite that bullish. I'd put the Pelicans' playoff chances somewhere in between, like 1-in-3. But that's still encouraging for a team that was considered out of the race after starting so poorly. -- Kevin Pelton

More on Williamson

• Zion Williamson's preparation and preservation have no precedent

• Zion excited, anticipates sleepless night ahead of NBA debut

• Williamson pays homage to Martin Luther King Jr. with custom kicks

• NBA comps for five elements of Zion's extraordinary game

• The education of Zion Williamson

• Zion's dunk dynasty

NEW YORK -- Derek Jeter came within one vote of being a unanimous pick for the Hall of Fame, and Larry Walker also earned baseball's highest honor Tuesday.

Jeter, the longtime New York Yankees captain, appeared on 396 of 397 ballots cast by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, falling just shy of the standard set last year when longtime Yankees teammate Mariano Rivera became the first unanimous selection. Jeter's 99.7 voting percentage moved above Ken Griffey Jr. (99.3%) for the second highest.

It was not immediately known which voter didn't choose Jeter, who was listed on all 219 ballots made public by Ryan Thibodaux's vote tracker before the announcement. The BBWAA will release additional ballots on Feb. 4 of writers who chose a public listing.

"Well, I look at all the votes that I got," Jeter said. "Trying to get that many people to agree on something is pretty difficult to do. So that's not something that's on [my] mind."

Walker got 304 votes, six above the 75% needed and up from 54.6% last year. Walker's increase of 22 percentage points in his last year of eligibility is the highest among the seven players to get into the Hall in their final year of eligibility, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

He was making his 10th and final appearance on the BBWAA ballot and tweeted earlier in the day, "I believe I'm going to come up a little short today," after checking the vote tracker and projecting he would finish at 73.3%.

As the announcement time approached, Walker had just about given up.

"I had it when they're going to call, a roundabout time, and that time had come and gone,'' he said. "And there was two minutes after that when the call actually came.''

When Walker's phone rang, he uttered a profanity and then: "Oh, my God!'' He answered, and BBWAA secretary-treasurer Jack O'Connell was on the line.

"You didn't come up short this year. You passed the 75% threshold, and welcome to the Hall of Fame,'' Walker remembered O'Connell telling him.

Pitcher Curt Schilling was third with 278 votes (70%) in his eighth ballot appearance, an increase from 60.9% but still 20 votes shy. Roger Clemens (61%) and Barry Bonds (60.7%), whose careers were tainted by steroids, both showed slight increases. Bonds rose from 59.1% last year and Clemens from 59.5%. Clemens missed by 56 votes, Bonds by 57.

Among those who saw sizable gains in their percentages were longtime shortstop Omar Vizquel (42.8% to 52.6%), in his third year on the ballot, and third baseman Scott Rolen (17.2% to 35.3%).

Jeter and Walker will be inducted July 26 at the Hall in Cooperstown, New York, along with catcher Ted Simmons and former players' association head Marvin Miller, who were voted in last month by the Hall's Modern Era Committee.

"Everyone told me it was a foregone conclusion. I didn't buy it. So it was not a relaxing day. There was a lot of anxiety,'' Jeter said. ''I was nervous -- sitting around, waiting for a phone call is something that is completely out of your control."

While Jeter said he didn't want to jinx things by believing his induction was a lock, Walker's election was far from a guarantee from the outset. He received just 20.3% in his first ballot appearance in 2011 and dropped as low as 10.2% in 2014. He rose to 21.9% in 2017 before jumping to 34.1% in 2018.

Not bad for someone who was not initially focused on a career in baseball.

"Being Canadian, you're born into this world with a stick in your hand and skates on your feet,'' Walker said. "So that's how I was as a kid. You played hockey and that's all that really mattered. When hockey didn't quite go the way I wanted, baseball more or less found me.''

Jeter played all 20 of his seasons for the Yankees after being drafted with the sixth pick of the 1992 amateur draft as a high school player out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Jeter was bypassed by Houston (Phil Nevin), Cleveland (Paul Shuey), Montreal (B.J. Wallace), Baltimore (Jeffrey Hammonds) and Cincinnati (Chad Mottola). He debuted for the Yankees on May 29, 1995, and was installed at shortstop -- taking over for Tony Fernandez -- the following spring training by new manager Joe Torre.

It was a position he held down for two decades, never logging a single defensive inning at another position. He won five Gold Gloves despite defensive metrics that were maligned.

Jeter defined himself by moments more than numbers: his unexpected backhand flip from foul territory to throw out Oakland's Jeremy Giambi in the 2001 American League Division Series; his Mr. November home run in the 10th inning that won Game 4 of the 2001 World Series; his face-first leap into the stands after catching a 12th-inning popup by Boston's Trot Nixon in 2004; a home run into the left-field bleachers for his 3,000th hit as part of a career-best 5-for-5 game in 2011; a ninth-inning walk-off single in his final home game in 2014; a single in his final at-bat three days later that lifted his career average to .310.

A 14-time All-Star, Jeter was named AL Rookie of the Year in 1996 and finished in the top 10 of AL MVP balloting eight times, topping out at second in 2006. He scored 100 or more runs 13 times and ranks sixth all time with 3,465 career hits. While leading the Yankees to five World Series crowns during his career, Jeter played in a record 158 playoff games -- 33 more than any other player. His postseason OPS (.838) was 21 points better than his regular-season mark (.817).

Still, Jeter's résumé lacked a coda.

"I had a great relationship and still do with Reggie Jackson," Jeter said. "And Reggie used to constantly remind me when he when he came to the park, he'd always tell me, 'You're not a Hall of Famer yet.'"

Appointed captain by owner George Steinbrenner in June 2003, Jeter filled a position that had been open since Don Mattingly's retirement after the 1995 season. He finished with 260 homers, 358 stolen bases and 1,311 RBIs, earning $266 million from the Yankees.

He was the ninth player elected to the Hall after playing exclusively for the Yankees, joining Lou Gehrig (1939), Bill Dickey (1954), Joe DiMaggio (1955), Earle Combs (1970), Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle (1974), Phil Rizzuto (1994) and Rivera. He becomes the 28th member of the Hall of Fame to represent the Yankees.

Jeter used some of his savings to join the group that purchased the Miami Marlins in September 2017, becoming CEO. Jettisoning veterans and going with low-priced youth in a way the Yankees never did, Jeter endured a pair of last-place finishes and the lowest home attendance in the major leagues.

Walker spent his 17-year career with the Montreal Expos (1989-94), Colorado Rockies (1995-2004) and St. Louis Cardinals (2004-05), winning the 1997 National League MVP for Colorado. He hit .366 that season with a career-high 49 homers, 130 RBIs and a .720 slugging percentage. Walker won NL batting crowns in 1998 (.363), 1999 (.372) and 2001 (.350). Known for his athleticism and strong arm, Walker won seven Gold Gloves during his career, and his .965 OPS ranks 15th all time.

Walker hit .313 for his career with .383 homers, 1,311 RBIs and 230 stolen bases and was a five-time All-Star.

Evaluating his offensive performance gave some voters difficulty because he spent 9½ seasons in the thin air of Denver's Coors Field. Walker batted .381 with an 1.172 OPS and 154 home runs in 597 games at Coors and .282 everywhere else.

Only three hitters in the live ball era (since 1920) have a higher batting average at a single ballpark with at least 2,000 plate appearances. Chuck Klein hit .395 at Philadelphia's Baker Bowl, Rogers Hornsby hit .392 at Sportsman Park in St. Louis and Tris Speaker hit .387 at League Park II in Cleveland.

Walker was born in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, where he also attended high school. His 72.7 career WAR, per Baseball-Reference.com, is easily the most among Canadian-born position players. Among pitchers from that country, only Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins had more WAR (82.2). Walker joins Jenkins as the only two Canadian-born members of the Hall.

Walker played hockey until he was 16, then switched sports. He thought about what would have happened had he remained on the ice.

"I would probably be missing a few more teeth,'' he said.

"I know I speak for the whole Rocky Mountain region in congratulating Larry for his election into the Hall of Fame," Rockies owner Dick Monfort said in a statement. "Larry blessed our region for parts of 10 seasons and we feel extremely fortunate to be a part of his incredible career. Congrats, Larry."

Schilling won 20 or more games three times during his career for the Orioles, Astros, Phillies, Diamondbacks and Red Sox. He finished second in the Cy Young balloting three times and twice finished in the top 10 of MVP voting. He was also known for his postseason prowess while winning titles with the Diamondbacks (2001) and Red Sox (2004, 2007).

While Schilling's on-field Hall résumé is comparable to other pitchers who have been admitted to Cooperstown, such as 2019 inductee Mike Mussina, his controversial off-the-field stances probably have stirred the ire of some voters.

Newcomers to the ballot next year include pitchers Mark Buehrle, Tim Hudson and Dan Haren as well as outfielder Torii Hunter. None appear to be slam-dunk selections, which could provide an opening for Schilling, Bonds, Clemens and others such as Vizquel, Rolen, reliever Billy Wagner (31.7%) and slugger Gary Sheffield (30.5%) to get over the threshold.

The 2022 ballot will include David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez, who served a season-long suspension in 2014 for violations of the drug program and baseball's collective bargaining agreement.

Information from ESPN's Bradford Doolittle and The Associated Press was used in this report.

ATLANTA -- Free agent outfielder Marcell Ozuna and the Atlanta Braves reached an $18 million, one-year deal Tuesday that puts him on the team he helped beat in the playoffs last October.

Ozuna hit .429 with two home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals in their five-game win over the Braves in the National League Division Series.

The 29-year-old Ozuna hit .241 with 29 home runs and 89 RBI last season. His low batting average was something of an oddity because he ranked among the major league leaders in the highest percentage of hard-hit balls, according to Statcast.

Ozuna is a two-time All-Star who spent his first five seasons with the Marlins, then was traded and played two years in St. Louis.

Ozuna's signing leaves infielder-outfielder Nicholas Castellanos as the last remaining major free agent with spring training set to start in about three weeks.

The two-time NL East champion Braves have been busy this offseason. On Monday, they signed former AL Cy Young Award winner and longtime Seattle ace Felix Hernandez to a minor league with an invite to big league spring training.