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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 28 2012, 05:10 AM (49 Views) | |
| lingzi | Dec 28 2012, 05:10 AM Post #1 |
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OKLAHOMA CITY -- When Clay Bennett was seeking a leader for his team that would one day become the Oklahoma City Thunder, he picked a rising star from a San Antonio franchise on the verge of winning its fourth NBA championship in a decade. Frank Gore Official Jersey . It was the start of a process that would model Bennetts franchise after the Spurs, leading up to their meeting in the Western Conference finals starting Sunday night. The standards that led to San Antonios success rubbed off on Sam Presti, who got his start as a video intern for the Spurs before rising through that organization and eventually getting hired by Bennett as general manager of the relocating Seattle SuperSonics. He recognized the importance San Antonio placed on humility, sacrifice and a family atmosphere and has tried to instil those standards in the Thunder. "I think everyone within the NBA has great respect for what the Spurs have accomplished and the standards that they have established in recent years but I think every organization has to have their own identity," Presti said Thursday. "Certainly, were always going to look to try to pull from organizations such as the Spurs in our effort to build an identity and a foundation for an organization in Oklahoma City that has great endurance." The similarities are numerous. Each team plays in a smaller NBA market and has a nucleus of homegrown players acquired through the draft, including hidden gems plucked from overseas. But more than the basketball product, the franchises have a reputation for how they handle their business: no bad-mouthing other teams or players, few scrapes with the law or other incidents and no sense of entitlement. "I tell guys all the time: Not every guy can come here and play. This isnt for everybody," said Nazr Mohammed, who won an NBA title with San Antonio in 2005 and is now a backup for the Thunder. "The same in San Antonio. That isnt for everybody. ... Its not even the player, more so the person." It may not be no-nonsense, but there certainly isnt much of it. "It starts at the top, the way Sam has built the organization and then the players hes brung in to match that system. Its amazing to have these young guys around here that understand just the hard work, the family atmosphere," Mohammed said. "Ive been on some teams where youve got a bunch of young guys. Family atmosphere is the furthest thing from guys minds. Guys are thinking about, When am I going to get my opportunity to get out there and show the world what I can do and get my second contract? Here, its nothing like that. Guys just want to work, win, get better and they know and understand like veterans that the rest will take care of itself." While Presti has tried to foster that San Antonio-style atmosphere, he credits his players and coaches for carrying it out and putting in the work that has led to consecutive Western Conference finals appearances for the second time in franchise history. The attitude filters down from ownership -- Bennett used to represent the Spurs on the NBAs board of governors -- and through the front office, but Mohammed said the key is the franchises ability to find players who buy into it. At the forefront, he sees San Antonios Tim Duncan and Oklahoma Citys Kevin Durant -- both superstars who dont care about the limelight and only want "to work hard and play basketball." "You can preach it around but its still got to come from the player because you can get a young guy now whos unbelievable but if he doesnt buy into it, hes going to think his own way and do his own thing no matter what," Mohammed said. Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said he knew within a week of hiring Presti that he wouldnt be an intern long. Presti ended up helping persuade the franchise to draft point guard Tony Parker, who has developed into an All-Star and the Spurs leading scorer, on his rise through the organization. Coach Gregg Popovich joked that San Antonio "tried to keep him in a closet for a while so no one would know about him" but word eventually got out. And now some of the Spurs secrets may be working against them. "I dont have the intimate details of what Sams culture is. But from an outsiders perspective, the things that are important to the Thunders culture as established by Sam are similar to whats important to the Spurs culture," Buford said. Bennett, who declined comment through a spokesman, said upon hiring the 30-year-old Presti in 2007 that he viewed the Spurs "as the premier franchise in our business" but he was hiring the GM on his own merits and not because he worked for San Antonio. Presti has said from the beginning that he wasnt trying to re-create the Spurs. "No two places are the same and youre going to have different circumstances and different approaches. Thats what makes the NBA great," Presti said. "We have a lot of respect for them but we also have to build our own identity, but were also certainly using some of the core values that are in place there, that are also in place in other successful and sustainable sports franchises." And there are still four major differences between the franchises: The Spurs championships in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007. "Id like to think that as we continue to grow and build our organization that well establish an identity for the Oklahoma City Thunder but that doesnt happen in four years," Presti said, "and we have to embrace the fact that we have a long road ahead of us." Patrick Willis C Patch Jersey . Cibulkova routed Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-1, 6-1, while seventh-seeded Italian Errani was a 6-1, 6-2 victor over Spanish hopeful Carla Suarez Navarro. A.J. Jenkins Jersey . One day after setting the fastest qualifying time of the session, van der Biezen defninitively beat the seven riders in his heat to advance. "I did what I had to do," said van der Biezen. http://www.shopthe49ersjersey.com/aldon-smith-jersey . -- The Minnesota Twins placed Carl Pavano on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain before Monday nights game against the Kansas City Royals. Aldon Smith Elite Jersey .75 seconds at the London 2012 Olympic Games. American Carmelita Jeter captured the silver medal, finishing with a season-best time of 10. Deion Sanders 49ers Jersey . -- Second-half substitute Kelyn Rowe broke a scoreless game in the 70th minute to lift the Revolution to a 2-0 win over the Chicago Fire on Saturday night.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kyle Busch has been a force on the NASCAR circuit for years, but of is 24 Sprint Cup victories, none have come at his favourite track -- Charlotte Motor Speedway. He has nine top-10 finishes in 16 starts. Victory lane, though, has proven to be elusive. Hes hoping thats all about to change after capturing the pole for Saturday nights Sprint All-Star race for the second straight year. Busch completed the unique three-lap qualifying that included a mandatory four-tire pit stop in 1 minute, 59.11 seconds, wrestling the pole away from Ryan Newman. While winning the pole puts Busch and his No. 18 Toyota in great position to win his first All-Star race, it certainly doesnt guarantee a first-place finish -- and the $1 million prize that comes with a win. In fact, winning the pole has proven to be a bit of a curse. The last pole winner to win the All-Star race was Davey Allison in 1992. Just dont tell Busch that. "I dont have a win here in a cup car, so were definitely trying to break through that threshold," Busch said. "To do that you have to be able to put a whole night together and I havent been able to do that here in the past. Last year we ran a smart race and a good race, but we came up a little short. Hopefully the lessons we learn there will allow things to turn out different this time." It appeared for a while that Newmans time of 1:59.82 might hold up after 17 other drivers were unable to beat him. However, Busch, who was the fastest during practice and the last driver to hit the track for qualifying, pushed Newman to the outside row. Denny Hamlin will start third, followed by Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick. Jimmie Johnson qualified sixth, while Paul Menard, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Regan Smith round out the top 10. Defending champion Carl Edwards will start 13th. The All-Star race format has changed significantly this year. The 90-lap race will be split into four 20-lap segments preceding a 10-lap shootout. There will be a mandatory pit stop prior to the final 10 laps. The new format places a premium on winning one of the four segments and showcases the importance of the pit crew. Tarell Brown Jersey. The winner of each segment will move to the front of the field right before the cars head down pit road for their mandatory stop. Drivers will then line up in the order they leave pit road to start the final segment. Buschs strategy is to win the first segment. "If you win that first segment that sets your pace for the whole night," Busch said. "From that point out all you have to do is stay out of trouble and make it to their final segment where they have the realign and you start in the top four." Veteran crew chief and former team owner Ray Evernham says the new format forces teams to have a fluid strategy. "Nobody can sit here and say this is what were going to do. Youve got to perform on the fly," Evernham said. Evernham said track position is vital. "I would want to keep my car in the top four positions," he said. The field currently consists of 20 drivers, but will grow to 23 when the green flag drops Saturday at 9 p.m. Included are race winners from last season through the May 12 race at Darlington and previous All-Star race winners from the past 10 years. Three more will be added Saturday before the race -- the top two finishers in the 40-lap Sprint Showdown as well as the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote, which is almost guaranteed to be Dale Earnhardt Jr. should he not qualify in the preliminary race. A.J. Allmendinger captured the pole for the Sprint Showdown after running what he said was "the perfect lap" in qualifying Friday night. Hell start on the front row alongside Martin Truex Jr. Despite not winning a Sprint Cup race since 2008, Earnhardt remains the most popular driver in the NASCAR series and used the fan vote to advance to All-Star race last season. He knows that any win, even a non-points All-Star race, would provide a huge boost. "I think it would get people excited; it would get our team excited," Earnhardt said. "It would really help build confidence. I remember when we won here in 2000 how much confidence it gave me. Winning this kind of event would do wonders for our team." ' ' ' |
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