NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Pelicans signed veteran guard Archie Goodwin on Monday and waived injured guard Lance Stephenson, whose agent said the move stemmed from roster constraints and there are no hard feelings.They had no interest in letting Lance go, thats for sure, said Stephensons agent, Mark Bartelstein, adding that Pelicans general manager Dell Demps has gone overboard to make sure Lance knows how much they value him and how much theyd look forward to having him back.Bartelstein said Stephenson will have surgery to repair his torn groin in Philadelphia on Tuesday and likely will remain there for at least the first couple of weeks of a rehabilitation period that is estimated to last about two months. The Pelicans also have invited the 6-foot-5 Stephenson to conduct rehab at the clubs New Orleans-area headquarters if he wishes to do so.Its unfortunate because I think Lance did everything we asked him to do. He was playing really good basketball, coach Alvin Gentry said before a game at Golden State. Its unfortunate for him the injury came. Just to clear up a little bit, we had to waive him in order to have a spot to have somebody else come in. We couldnt get an injury exception because technically Jrue (Holiday) is not injured. Thats how that whole thing played out. It had nothing to do with Lance. Hes been a model citizen and a good, good player for us. Hopefully when things go through and the operation goes through and he gets healthy, well see how everything goes.New Orleans signed Stephenson this past offseason to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract worth about $1.2 million. He played in New Orleans first six games, averaging 9.7 points, 4.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 27 minutes per game.Obviously, its disappointing for Lance because he was playing so well, Bartelstein said. He really liked it there.New Orleans has two regulars -- guard Tyreke Evans and small forward Quincy Pondexter -- who are trying to come back from knee injuries and have guaranteed contracts. Meanwhile Holiday is on leave while his wife recovers from brain surgery performed last month, weeks after she gave birth to the couples daughter. The fact that Holiday is absent while healthy makes it harder for the Pelicans to lobby the NBA for injury exceptions that would allow more than the usual league limit of 15 players on the active roster.Because of the rules and the roster limitations and the injuries, and also what theyre going through with Holiday, it just put a crunch on their roster, Bartelstein said. This has nothing to do with economics at all.The Pelicans will cover Stephensons rehab and pay him at least until hes healthy, Bartelstein said.Stephenson is going to be back in the league as soon as he gets healthy, probably sometime in the next couple months, and he could very well be back with the Pelicans, Bartelstein said.The 6-foot-5 Goodwin, a fourth-year pro out of Kentucky, has averaged 6.2 points in 150 career NBA games -- all with Phoenix -- since 2013.Goodwin was able to join the team in time to be available to face the Warriors.Great athlete, hes just a young player that needs that experience of being on the floor, Gentry said. Hes still trying to find himself in this league but great young man, very athletic. He has some areas he has to improve in but hard-working kid, so were lucky to have him.---AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley in Oakland, California, contributed to this report.Zach Sterup Jersey . 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Jalen Davis Jersey . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg.Max Verstappen admits he would have pushed Daniel Ricciardo off the race track during their battle at the Malaysian Grand Prix if they werent both driving for Red Bull.Ricciardo and Verstappen battled wheel-to-wheel for several corners a couple of laps before Lewis Hamiltons engine failed. The pair managed to fight without coming to blows, with Verstappen eventually having to back out when the pair went through the fast Turn 6 corner.The battle, and the subsequent Virtual Safety Car, effectively neutralised their fight and meant Verstappen had to settle for second behind Ricciardo. The teenager admits he would not have been so generous if it had been another driver alongside him.?Into Turn 6 I was like, if it was someone else next to me then I would have got the move done, Verstappen said. I would have pushed them wide, but its your teammate so you cant.Verstappen had looked strongly-placed before Hamiltons failure and the VSC periood, but ultimately crossed the line as the second Red Bull.dddddddddddd. Despite it being a possible victory lost Verstappen is not dwelling on what might have been.No frustrations, you have to see the positive side and I think the whole weekend was very strong. The pace was there, just a bit unfortunate with the last Virtual Safety Car but thats racing, sometimes it doesnt go your way. I still have a lot of years ahead of me so I shouldnt be complaining about this single race.He also feels encouraged Red Bull would allow its drivers to fight so closely without reeling either man in with team orders, which were not implemented in the final 16 laps as the pair ran first and second.I think we showed the team we could do it in a very respectful way, and I think that shows for the future a lot of confidence. ' ' '