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chievements may have passed under the radar, but Howe and his players are exactly where they belong.Luther Bliss | Forum
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Nov 18 '16, 09:02AM
ATLANTA -- New Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer is "living a dream" as he makes plans to remain with the Spurs through the NBA finals before turning his full focus to his first NBA head coaching job. NFL Jerseys Wholesale . Budenholzer, the longtime San Antonio assistant, was named the Hawks coach Tuesday, one day after the Spurs completed a four-game sweep of Memphis in the Western Conference finals. "Its been a pretty amazing 48 hours, Ill be very honest with you," Budenholzer said on Wednesday as he was introduced by Hawks general manager Danny Ferry. "Its exciting for my family, exciting for me. "The opportunity to come here with the Atlanta Hawks, when you couple that with coming to the NBA finals, Im living a dream." Budenholzer, 43, spent 19 years with the Spurs, including 17 seasons as an assistant. He was the top assistant for coach Gregg Popovich the past six years, but he may be a new name to many fans outside of San Antonio. "Im definitely not a sexy hire," Budenholzer said. "Thankfully, that wasnt on Dannys shopping list." Similarly, the Spurs are viewed by some as lacking the flash of such other high-profile teams as Miami. The accusations of boring play didnt stop the Spurs from winning NBA titles in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007 as Budenholzer coached under Popovich. Budenholzer said hell bring the emphasis for strong defence and ball movement to Atlanta. And he said the Spurs system is catching on with other teams. "I think the league and the NBA, whether its fundamentals or the style of playing, is moving toward the style that were playing. I look forward to bringing to Atlanta the ball movement and people movement and people sharing and participating and a little bit less of the one on one," he said. "Its something you have to believe in and you have to sell. I think in the initial stages it may be a little difficult, but in the long run players, coaches, fans and everyone will enjoy it and see the benefits." Budenholzer said the Hawks ownership, Ferry and roster flexibility combined to make Atlanta "a perfect fit for me." Centre Al Horford is the lone starter with a guaranteed contract for next season. The only other players with guaranteed contracts are guard Lou Williams, who is recovering from a season-ending knee injury, and rookie guard John Jenkins. Point guard Jeff Teague can become a restricted free agent. Budenholzer said Teague "is someone I feel strongly about and hes part of why Im excited to get this opportunity. Hes a heck of a player. There are a lot of decisions that need to be made on a lot of different fronts, including Jeff. I look forward to working with Danny on that." Longtime starting forward Josh Smith tops Atlantas long list of unrestricted free agents. Budenholzer said hell build around Horford and the financial flexibility Ferry began to create by trading Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams before the 2012-13 season. Pending decisions on Teague and others, the Hawks could have about $40 million under the cap to spend in free agency. "We want to build it and so as a coach that is exciting," he said. "That is why to me, that roster element in making the decision was strong." Budenholzer said he and Ferry will work out how much time he will have for the Hawks while he completes his drive for a fifth NBA championship ring with the Spurs. "Danny and I are talking and working on that," Budenholzer said before adding he wants to "be sure I finish right with San Antonio. He and I both want Pop to still call us when this is said and done." Budenholzer said hell bring lessons learned under Popovich, including a strong defensive philosophy. Ferry came to the Hawks last year after two years as vice-president of basketball operations for the Spurs. After his close view of Budenholzers role with the Spurs, Ferry now is looking for the coach to bring at least part of San Antonios winning system to Atlanta. "Part of whats exciting about this for me is he has a great understanding of the league," Ferry said. "Hes been part of San Antonio. He wasnt just in San Antonio like some of us were, hes been there for the duration. Hes seen how it evolved. Hes seen how it has grown. Mike, (general manager) R.C. (Buford) and Pop were the ones who were there the whole time." Ferry said Hawks players will buy into Budenholzers ability to clearly communicate his plans. "I think Mike will certainly help us be more mentally tough by implementing clarity on a way to play that guys can and will believe in," Ferry said. "Theyll buy in and theyll play hard." Budenholzer replaces Larry Drew, who was 128-102 in three seasons. "Id also like to acknowledge my appreciation and respect for the job Larry Drew did here the last three years," Ferry said. "I enjoyed working with him. We talked again yesterday about things and I wish him great luck and success." Cheap NFL Jerseys . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . China Jerseys Cheap . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances.http://www.cheapjerseysoff.org/ .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play.Last weekend was a memorable one in the Premier League, but in between Arsenals collapse at Upton Park and Leicesters latest triumph at the Stadium of Light, there was a significant moment elsewhere that went largely unnoticed, writes Nick Wright. With their 2-1 win over Aston Villa, Bournemouth surpassed the 40-point mark with five games to spare. As they approach the end of their maiden season in the top flight, Eddie Howes side are in 11th place and just three points behind defending champions Chelsea. They are closer to the European places than the relegation zone.Perhaps the greatest testament to the achievement is that nobody is talking about it. Bournemouth were supposed to be on their way back to the Championship by now. Instead, a run of nine wins from 18 games since the start of December has given them the air of seasoned Premier League campaigners. Their survival hasnt looked in doubt for months. Howe hails landmark tally Eddie Howe declared himself delighted to reach the 40-point mark with victory at Aston Villa. And yet the circumstances could hardly have been more challenging. In the space of a few weeks between August and September, months of planning went out the window as club-record signing Tyrone Mings, £7m winger Max Gradel and top scorer Callum Wilson were struck down by knee ligament injuries.It was a nightmare scenario equivalent to Leicester losing Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and Christian Fuchs, or Spurs having to cope without Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Danny Rose. But Howe adapted without complaint, and even an eight-game winless run before Christmas wasnt enough to shake Bournemouths spirit. Bournemouths win over Aston Villa took them past the 40-point mark in the Premier League If you look at what theyve done in isolation or compare it to what everybody else has done in this league, it has been quite a remarkable feat, former England striker Luther Blissett, who spent three seasons at Bounemouth between 1988 and 1991, told Sky Sports.When they picked up the injuries they were written off and people were saying they were going to go down. They went through a period where they couldnt buy a victory but they kept plugging away. Youve got to give credit to the manager. He believes in his methods and the players, and they believe in it too.Bournemouths success owes a lot to good coaching and hard work, with Howe demanding maximum dedication and effort from his players at all times. Premier League tracking data shows they cover more distance per game than any other side, while only Liverpool and Tottenham record more high-intensity sprints. Most distance covered - Premier League 2015/16 Team Distance covered per game Bournemouth 117.2km Tottenham 115.9km Liverpool 112.4km West Brom 112.2km Man Utd 111.2km The breathless style is epitomised by midfielder Andrew Surman, who averages 12.1km per game, second only to Liverpools James Milner in the Premier League. All our training is high-intensity, he told the Daily Express in March. The manager has really high standards. He keeps that intensity high, and he expects it in return. If you drop your standards for one day, he is on you.Bournemouth brought in 11 new signings to strengthen their squad over the course of the season, but Howe values togetherness and continuity highly. As such, all seven of their players to have made 30 or more Premier League appearances had a key role in their promotion from the Championship last season, and six of them are British, too. Bournemouths spine The seven Bournemouth players to make 30 or more Premier League appearances are Andrew Surman, Simon Francis, Charlie Daniels, Matt Ritchie, Adam Smith, Dan Gosling and Steve Cook. Hes predominantly got British players there, so for them to be in the position they are is quite a feat, added Blissett. Its become so acceptable to just bring mediocre foreign players in, you forget that we have got very good British-based players here. Wholesale Authentic Jerseys. Hes given them an opportunity to play in the Premier League and the rewards are obvious.Not every signing that you bring in will be successful. So the more you bring in, the more disharmony you create in the squad, and thats something that never, ever goes away once you have started down that road. He needed to keep that harmony and belief and only bring in players who suited the club, the manager and the style - and hes managed to do that. Hes predominantly got British players there, so for them to be in the position they are is quite a feat. Luther Blissett One of the most impressive aspects of Bournemouths survival is the manner in which they have achieved it. The Cherries won the Championship playing slick, possession-based football, and Howe has stuck to his principles in the top-flight. They rank in the top 10 for passes, possession and chances created, and only Arsenal and Everton have completed more dribbles. Most dribbles completed - Premier League 2015/16 Team Dribbles Arsenal 397 Everton 384 Bournemouth 371 Man City 369 Chelsea 369 Saturdays cleverly worked opener against Aston Villa - where Matt Ritchies drag-back set up Simon Francis from a quickly-taken corner - was an example of Howes ability to innovate, and it is no mean feat to have scored more goals than Manchester United in their first season in the Premier League.You do have to adapt your style a little bit the higher up you go, but I think the ideal behind what youre looking to do should always be the same, says Bissett. If your players are able to cope with continuing what you started, then youve got to let them get on with it. Youve got to show them that belief, and theyve all done that at Bournemouth.They do play decent football and they do knock the ball around, and its good to see that theyve achieved what they have done in that way. Even the games theyve ended up losing have been entertaining. They go out with the intent to attack the opposition and that is a major factor in the success that they have had. Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe gave his post-match thoughts to Sky Sports after beating Aston Villa There have been heavy losses to the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham, but Bournemouth are no pushovers and Howe has shown tactical expertise, too.Along with Arsenal, they are one of only two sides unbeaten in two games against Leicester this season, and with their battling goalless draw at the King Power Stadium in January, they became one of only three sides to stop Claudio Ranieris men from scoring.Liverpool, Chelsea, Everton and Manchester United are among Bournemouths opponents in their final five games of the season, but they can approach the daunting run knowing Premier League status is assured. Their achievements may have passed under the radar, but Howe and his players are exactly where they belong.Luther Blissetts company Bliss8 is powering a new youth academy at non-league side Burnham FC Also See: Howe hails landmark tally Premier League grades Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
