Geburtstagsgrüße » tate Warriors on Wednesday night.Bogut

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Panthers coach Ron Rivera said he benched reigning league MVP Cam Newton on Sunday night because he didnt want chaos setting in with his football team.Rivera opened his press conference Wednesday with a stern statement, hoping it will put to rest his much-publicized decision to not start Newton in a game the Panthers lost 40-7 to the Seahawks.I am going to address this situation one last time -- I made a decision based on rules. I treat everybody the same, Rivera said. The reason you do it, especially when you are having a tough season, is because chaos can consume your football team. The idea was to do the right thing, treat everybody the same. I have done it before where I have had to treat people the same, and thats all I have done. Thats the end of it. Please, as the football team would like to move forward and start focusing on the San Diego Chargers.Rivera kept the sixth-year quarterback out for one series against the Seahawks because Newton violated a team rule by not wearing a tie on the team flight to Seattle. He wore a turtleneck instead.The coach said after his comments Wednesday that he wouldnt answer any other questions about the situation.Newton didnt address the media at all, as is his normal routine on Wednesdays since coming into the league in 2011 as the teams No. 1 draft pick. Team officials said it was because the Panthers were working on a later schedule than normal after returning from the West Coast on Monday. Newton is expected to address the media on Thursday, team officials said.Tight end Greg Olsen said hes confident the Panthers wont let Riveras decision to discipline Newton split the teams locker room, calling that idea a media-driven story line.There has been zero comments that I have seen that have been anything other than positive, and everyone saying the same thing, Olsen said. The idea that there has been a divide... is complete and utter nonsense.Players were careful not to take sides on Wednesday.I feel like the situation was handled pretty good, tight end Ed Dickson said. Newton took ownership of it, from his mouth, it will never happen again. We will move on from that situation. Hes still our leader of the offense.San Diego Chargers coach Mike McCoy, who spent eight seasons as an assistant coach in Carolina, said NFL coaches are often forced to make tough decisions.You have to make a decision on what you think is right for your team, McCoy said. As a head coach that is your job and your responsibility to the organization. ... Thats the role you are in.The Panthers (4-8) are all but out of playoff contention one year after reaching the Super Bowl and losing 24-10 to the Denver Broncos, and things have gone downhill fast because of injuries and an inability to win close games.Rivera is hoping the Panthers can find a way to win out and avoid their fourth losing season in six years.Newton will start Sunday against the Chargers as normal.There was a bright side for the Panthers on Wednesday, as three defensive starters -- middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, safety Kurt Coleman and cornerback Daryl Worley -- all returned to practice on a limited basis.Rivera, however, said all three are still in the leagues concussion protocol for now but that Kuechlys return brought energy to the practice field.Defensive ends Mario Addison (ankle) and Charles Johnson (hamstring), linebacker David Mayo (concussion), right tackle Daryl Williams (ankle) and running back Jonathan Stewart (rest) did not practice.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Terrell Suggs Jersey Cardinals . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. 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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes return to the site of last years ultimate failure in the NBA Finals when the Dallas Mavericks visit the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.Bogut and Barnes were members of the Golden State team that won a championship in 2014-15 and came within one victory of a repeat last June against the Cleveland Cavaliers.The two frontcourt starters were salary-cap casualties in the wake of the runner-up finish when the Warriors exhausted basically all available funds on signing free agent Kevin Durant away from the Oklahoma Thunder for $54.3 million over two years.Bogut was dealt to the Mavericks in July in a swap of future second-round picks, with Dallas agreeing to absorb the remaining $11 million on the veteran centers contract.Bogut, the anchor of Golden States defense in recent years, contributed an average of 5.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 blocks to the Warriors cause last season.Just seven games into the new year, Warriors holdover Draymond Green assured Monday night that Bogut is missed.Defense is just like offense; its a chemistry thing, Green told reporters after Mondays 116-106 home victory over New Orleans. Last year we had Bogut back there protecting the rim. Hes one of the best at that -- maybe even THE best. Now we have Zaza (Pachulia). Hes a good positional player, but hes different. Its something we have to adjust to.Barnes, who averaged 11.7 points per game for the Warriors last season, has been replaced in the starting lineup by Durant. The former Golden State first-round pick got a four-year, $94.4 million contract from the Mavericks shortly after it became clear the Warriors were moving in aa different direction.ddddddddddddI had a great experience at Golden State, Barnes told reporters over the summer when asked what returning to Oakland as a visiting player would be like. They were a first-class organization. The fans there were great. It wont be anything bitterness or anything like that.Barnes already is thriving in a new system. Hes scored in double figures in every game, including 31 for the second time this season in Tuesdays 109-97 victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles, and has also scored 34 en route to a 22.3-point average.He never scored more than 21 for the Warriors last season, and was held to fewer than 10 points on 24 different occasions.While Barnes has been a boost for the Mavericks, so has Durant for the Warriors. He has topped 20 points in all seven games, running his streak of 20 or more points to 71 straight contests.For the second game in a row, the Warriors will be seeing an opponent thats at far less than full strength.With Dirk Nowitzki (Achilles), Deron Williams (calf) and Devin Harris (toe) all nursing injuries, the Mavericks (2-5) lost their first five games before getting into the win column Sunday night with an overtime triumph over Milwaukee.Dallas made it two straight Tuesday with their 11th consecutive victory over Los Angeles behind a strong performance from JJ Barea, who recorded 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.The Warriors (5-2) are coming off a win over a Pelicans team that was without Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans. Stephen Curry set an NBA record with 13 3-pointers in the victory. ' ' '