With the start of the Asian Cup only weeks away, a wide-open tournament has become even more unpredictable after a rash of coach firings in recent months left many of the top teams in disarray. Joe Perry Jersey .Only six of the 16 teams in the tournament that starts on Jan. 9 in Melbourne have the same coach they started the year with.Japan and South Korea appointed new coaches following dismal World Cup campaigns that saw both finish last in their groups.Javier Aguirre was hired in August to replace Alberto Zaccheroni as coach of defending Asian Cup champion Japan, but the former Mexico coach has since become embroiled in a massive match-fixing probe launched by Spains state prosecutor in the Spanish league. Aguirre denies any wrongdoing.South Korea, meanwhile, named former Real Madrid midfielder Uli Stielike to replace Hong Myung-bo as coach in September. Hell be attempting to bring the continental trophy back to South Korea for the first time since 1960, but his squad is coming off a 3-1 loss to Costa Rica in a friendly in October.Things arent much more stable in western Asia. Following last months Gulf Cup, a biennial tournament played among the eight teams in region, four more teams fired their coaches — Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.Bahrains coach had the shortest tenure of them all. Adnan Hamad, one of Asias most experienced coaches, was appointed in August only to be fired three months later after his team failed to advance to the knockout stages of the Gulf Cup.Of course, (firing the coach) is not ideal and historically it hasnt really proved to work, said Anthony Hudson, the English coach who led Bahrain before Hamad took over. The reality is there is very little time to shape and organize the team.Kuwait started the Gulf Cup promisingly, but fired Brazilian coach Jorvan Vieira following a 5-0 loss to Oman. Vieira, who led Iraq to the 2007 Asian Cup title, was replaced by former Tunisia midfielder Nabil Maaloul.Kuwait is in perhaps the toughest group at the Asian Cup, alongside host Australia, South Korea and Oman.Our group at the Asian Cup is very difficult, Maaloul said. However, we want to put in a good performance at the Asian Cup, as we will not be there just to take part.Saudi Arabia has changed coaches more than 20 times since reaching the second round of the 1994 World Cup. At nearly two years, Juan Lopez Caro lasted longer than most but finally was let go after losing the final of the Gulf Cup in Riyadh to Qatar.On Monday, Romanian coach Cosmin Olaroiu, currently in charge of United Arab Emirates club Al Ahli, said in Abu Dhabi he will take the Saudi job.Iraq fired Hakeem Shaker following a last-place finish in its group at the Gulf Cup last month. The 2007 Asian Cup champions are still searching for a replacement after a potential deal with Sebastiao Lazaroni, who coached Brazil at the 1990 World Cup, fell through.Even North Korea has had problems of late. The teams coach, Yun Jung Soo, was punished by the Asian Football Confederation after criticizing the referees following his teams loss to South Korea in the final of the Asian Games in October. He has been banned from entering the stadium on match days at the Asian Cup, though he can take part in training sessions.Host Australia is still getting used to its new coach as well. Since Ange Postecoglou was hired to the position last October, the Socceroos were knocked out in the group stage of the World Cup and have won only one of their last 10 matches.Asias in-form team at the moment is Qatar, which defeated Saudi Arabia to take the Gulf Cup title and recently defeated Australia and Uzbekistan in friendlies.We have big ambitions and this competition is a new step for us in a long-term project, Qatar coach Djamel Belmadi told FIFA.com. Every competition is unique and well give everything to be up to the challenge. Rod Woodson Jersey . Grimes signed a $32 million, four-year contract to remain with Miami. The deal, which includes $16 million guaranteed, rewards Grimes for his recovery from an Achilles tendon injury that forced him to miss almost all of the 2012 season. Rodney Harrison Jersey . Former San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds made his longshot request of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit upheld Bonds conviction in September. http://www.custompatriotsjersey.com/custom-randy-moss-jersey-large-2-1481f.html . Quarterback Drew Willy appeared to injure his throwing hand on the third last play of practice Thursday.Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Lance Stephenson banked in a 3-pointer as time expired in the second overtime, lifting the Charlotte Hornets over the Atlanta Hawks, 122-119, on Friday. The Hawks actually had the first chance to break the 119-119 tie, inbounding the ball with 2.7 seconds left. But Kyle Korver was called for an offensive foul. Following a timeout, Stephenson took a pass from Marvin Williams and hit the game-winning shot from the top of the arc. Stephenson ended with 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Hornets, who have won two in a row since a three-game skid. Al Jefferson added 34 points and nine boards. Al Horford had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who fell to 1-3 on the young season. Jeff Teague and Korver tallied 22 and 20 points, respectively, with Teague also dishing out 15 assists. Final Score: Orlando 112, Minnesota 103 (OT) Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Aaron Gordon scored 17 points and made a number of highlight reel plays down the stretch as the Orlando Magic topped the Minnesota Timberwolves, 112-103, in overtime. Gordon had played sparingly off the bench in his young NBA career, but enjoyed a coming out party on Friday. The fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft shot 6-of-9 from the floor for 17 points and pulled down six rebounds while fellow rookie Elfrid Payton netted 15 points and handed out a team-high four assists. Tobias Harris scored 17 points with 16 rebounds for Orlando, winners in two straight after opening the season with four losses. Kevin Martin scored 21 points for Minnesota, which lost point guard Ricky Rubio to a sprained ankle in the second quarter. Corey Brewer and Nikola Pekovic added 16 apiece. Final Score: Chicago 118, Philadelphia 115 Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - No Derrick Rose again, no problem. Although the Chicago Bulls had to fend off the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers in the closing minutes. Mike Dunleavy had 27 points and the Bulls hung on for a 118-115 victory over the 76ers on Friday night. Trailing by as many as 18 in the second half, Hollis Thompson and Chris Johnson hit 3-pointers in less than a 10-second span to cap a 13-3 flurry and pull the Sixers within a point. After Thompson hit his three with 14.9 seconds remaining, Kirk Hinrich missed two foul shots and Johnson swished a left corner trey to cut the deficit to 116-115 with 5.9 ticks on the clock. Hinrich then sunk two free throws with 2.1 seconds to go and Johnsons halfcourt heave at the buzzer was well short. Philadelphia played Fridays game with just nine healthy players. Final Score: Boston 101, Indiana 98 Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Jared Sullinger scored 17 points with six rebounds and five assists to lead the Boston Celtics to a 101-98 win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday. Jeff Green scored 15 points for Boston, while Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley netted 12 and 11 points, respectively. Roy Hibbert finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who have lost five straight since an opening-night victory over winless Philadelphia. Chris Copeland tallied 17 points and Donald Sloan added 15 in the setback. Final Score: Brooklyn 110, New York 99 Brooklyn, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Deron Williams had 29 points and six assists as the Brooklyn Nets routed the New York Knicks 110-99 on Friday night. Brook Lopez posted 20 points and nine rebounds, while Joe Johnson added 18 points and seven boards for the Nets, who have won three of their last four games since dropping their opener at Boston. Brooklyn was 14-of-24 from beyond the arc. Carmelo Anthony netted 19 points, but was just 5-of-20 from the field for New York, which has lost three in a row. Final Score: Detroit 98, Milwaukee 95 Auburn Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 19 points and five rebounds in the Detroit Pistons 98-95 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. Brandon Jennings added 15 points, six assists and two steals for the Pistons, who have won two in a row. Josh Smith and Caron Butler each tallied 14 points and Andre Drummond donated 11 points and 10 rebounds.. Patrick Willis Jersey. Jabari Parker ended with 18 points, five boards and three steals for the Bucks, who have lost two straight. Brandon Knight had 17 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Final Score: Toronto 103, Washington 84 Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - The Toronto Raptors are off to their best start in franchise history. Kyle Lowry had a triple-double and DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points as the Raptors crushed the Washington Wizards on Friday, 103-84, sending a message to the rest of the Eastern Conference in the process. Lowry went for 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, posting a triple-double for the sixth time in his career. DeRozan shot 7-of-13 from the floor and made all 11 of his free throws, and Terrence Ross dropped 18 points for the winners. The Raptors are 5-1 for the first time in team history. Washingtons starters shot 11-for-48, with none of them cracking digits in the scoring column in the humbling setback. Otto Porter led three reserves in double figures with 13 points. Final Score: Memphis 91, Oklahoma City 89 Oklahoma City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Conley scored 20 points with five assists to help the Memphis Grizzlies remain unbeaten with a 91-89 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. Courtney Lee tallied 17 points and Zach Randolph deposited 16 points with seven rebounds for Memphis, which continued the best start in franchise with a sixth straight win. Reggie Jackson led the depleted Thunder with 22 points, Jeremy Lamb scored 17 in his season debut and Steven Adams registered 13 points with 11 rebounds. Oklahoma City, which had won three straight regular-season home games in the series, has dropped three straight overall since a 102-91 win over Denver. Final Score: Sacramento 114, Phoenix 112 (2-OT) Phoenix, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points and 18 rebounds but fouled out late in regulation and had to watch two overtime periods from the bench. His teammates stepped up in crunch time and the Sacramento Kings took a 114-112 win over the Phoenix Suns, extending one of the best starts in franchise history. Darren Collison had 16 points and Ben McLemore scored 15 for the Kings, who improved to 5-1 on the young season despite shooting just 3-of-16 from behind the arc. They have also won five straight games for the first time since 2006-07. Eric Bledsoe had 23 points and eight assists for Phoenix, losers in three of four. Goran Dragic scored 22 points and Miles Plumlee filled the stat sheet with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Final Score: Dallas 105, Utah 82 Salt Lake City, UT (SportsNetwork.com) - Dallas revamped offense impressed throughout the first week of the NBA season, but it was humbled Thursday night in Portland. The Mavericks bounced back on Friday night. Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points and 10 rebounds as the Mavericks routed the Utah Jazz, 105-82, on Friday night. Tyson Chandler posted 15 points and 13 boards and Monta Ellis tallied 13 points, six assists and three steals for the Mavericks, who suffered a 108-87 loss against the Blazers. After leading the NBA with 111.8 points per game and a 52.4 percent field-goal percentage through its first four games, Dallas shot just 36.7 percent and was 5-of-23 from beyond the arc Thursday. The Mavs shot 47.7 percent (42-of-88) from the floor Friday. Alec Burks netted 14 points to lead Utah, which was coming off Gordon Haywards buzzer-beating win over Cleveland Wednesday. Final Score: Cleveland 110, Denver 101 Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - LeBron James scored 22 points with 11 assists and seven rebounds to help the Cleveland Cavaliers snap a two-game losing streak with a 110-101 win over the Denver Nuggets. Kevin Love went for 19 points and eight boards, Anderson Varejao supplied 15 points and Kyrie Irving netted 12 points with six assists for the Cavs, who had seven players in double figures. Randy Foye poured in a game-high 28 points off the bench for Denver, which has lost four straight. Wilson Chandler and Nate Robinson each deposited 14 points in the setback. ' ' '