Crazy Rebel(l)s
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04.04.2019 09:25
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For someone who competes with so much passion, who still pursues rebounds with such gusto, whose playing style is so synonymous with blue-collar effort, Liberty forward Swin Cash has one verb attached to her that just doesnt seem to fit.That would be stroll.As in, what she does when its time to leave the hotel for the bus to go to a game, or a practice, or the airport.Its amazing how close she can get to the exact time were supposed to leave without being late, Cashs former teammate/now assistant coach Katie Smith said, laughing. She literally gets out of the hotel, gets on the bus, and its strolling. She is never in a rush. I couldnt plan it if I wanted to.Seattles Sue Bird, also a former teammate of Cashs in college, the WNBA, and with the U.S. national team, has asked her about it.Its like, This is annoying; why do you do it? She says, I dont like sitting on the bus before we leave, Bird said. And you say, All right, I cant really argue that.I think thats Swin. It might not make sense to you, but when you ask her about it, shes going to have a simple, concise answer. Shes always going to be there on time and get the job done, but shes going to do it her way.Cash, the No. 2 pick behind Bird in the 2002 WNBA draft after theyd helped lead UConn to a perfect record as seniors, will be doing things her way for the remainder of New Yorks season. And then she will retire after 15 years in the WNBA.At the beginning of the season, my mind wasnt so much on it, Cash said of her career coming to a conclusion. September was forever. But then youre like, Oh, crap. Its that time, already?So I have had my moments. Its like, This is really happening. I dont question the time of it happening, but you just dont think its ever going to end.Cash will be honored in a retirement ceremony Wednesday at Madison Square Garden after the Liberty face Birds Storm. Bird jokingly lamented that shell only have five minutes to speak, which isnt nearly enough time for her to run through her catalogue of funny Swin stories.But it will be long enough for her to express her admiration for her friend.There are a few people I would consider my favorite teammates, said Bird, who gave a touching and humorous tribute speech at former Seattle center Lauren Jacksons retirement ceremony in July. If I had a top three, it would probably be Lauren, Diana [Taurasi] and Swin. Swin and I just clicked.Cash will say goodbye to her playing career, which began when she was a kid in the Pittsburgh suburb of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and which, at times, took every bit of her resolve and stamina to continue. Cash wrote about the challenges she faced -- serious injuries, a cancerous tumor in her kidney, relationship difficulties, the huge disappointment of not being picked for the 2008 Olympic team -- in her 2013 book, Humble Journey: More Precious Than Gold.There was about a four-year span that was very difficult, Cash recalled of the period from around 2004 to 2008, which included the end of her stay in Detroit, the team that drafted her, and the start of her time in Seattle, where she was traded. I had to question if it was worth it. I was evaluating my health, and it was making me wonder if I should walk away. But my family, my faith, and my competitiveness were what helped me get back.Cash was a key to Detroit winning WNBA titles in 2003 and 2006. But her relationship with then-Shock coach Bill Laimbeer went sour, and a fresh start elsewhere was what she needed. Yet now shes going to finish her career playing for Laimbeer in New York. What repaired their bond?Time. Clichés are clichés for a reason: Time heals all wounds, Laimbeer said. Everybody grows. It was just a difference of opinion in Detroit on where we were going and how we were going to do things. We had a team of very strong-willed people, the coaches and the players. For various reasons, it just didnt work out.I take nothing personally; and she ended up in a really good spot. She got to play with Sue, and she won there.Cash won her third WNBA title with Seattle in 2010. She was traded to Chicago in 2012, and also got another opportunity that year with the Olympic team, winning her second gold medal. A 2014 trade sent her to Atlanta, but during that season she was dealt again, this time to New York.Shes still hopeful of getting one more championship, which would be the Libertys first.But if its not to happen, I hope they still hunger for that and understand how hard it is to get there, Cash said. Thats one of the things that I can leave with them. I think you value each championship, but the more you get, the more you value them because you understand better how much it takes to do it.As good a player as Cash has been, Laimbeer wonders whether she will have an even bigger impact after she retires. Cash will continue to expand on her broadcasting career and pursue other interests. She has long been involved in the players union and hopes to continue working to improve the WNBA and players salaries.I dont know if that chapters been written yet, Laimbeer said when asked what Cash will be most remembered for. I think theres an opportunity for her to be even more known off the court than on the court.Theres no one more competitive than her, with the drive that she has of playing at a certain level. Her work ethic got her the most out of what a tweener can get.At 6-foot-1, Cash came to the WNBA as an undersized power forward. She averaged 15.9 PPG in her first three seasons in Detroit, but back and knee injuries took a toll. Cash didnt score at quite that level again in her career, but she became a very dependable cog for every team she was with. She averaged 13.8 points and 6.0 rebounds for Seattle in its 2010 title season, and by that time, she was playing a different position, too.Shes one of the few players I can think of who successfully made the jump from the 4 to the 3, Bird said of Cashs move to small forward/wing. Its not easy to do that. But again, it comes back to if Swin wanted to do something, she did it her way no matter what anybody else said. And it worked out.Cash, who turns 37 later this month, has been very driven to succeed from the time she was an inquisitive, ambitious child. She was asked what she might say to that little girl she once was, dreaming such big dreams.Cash really gave thought to this imaginary scenario.I would tell her that its OK to be different and to speak your mind, Cash said. That standing up and believing in something will work out for you in the end. I would tell her, Everything in your environment and where youre from will help give you the character to become the woman youre going to be someday. So continue to embrace all the things around you. And never lose the compassion for other people that you have.Id say she should strive for progress, not perfection. Basketball will open many doors for you, but a lot of things will never turn out perfect. But if you stand on faith and integrity, you will be just fine. Cheap Minnesota Wild Jerseys . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. http://www.cheapwildjerseys.com/ .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. Cheap Wild Jerseys Authentic . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Cheap Wild Jerseys . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. MINNEAPOLIS -- In the winter of 1998, Ethan Casson started calling professional franchise after professional franchise, begging them to get his foot in the door in any capacity.One night, a human resources employee for the Minnesota Timberwolves picked up the phone and Casson talked his way into a meeting. He flew from the East Coast, met with several Timberwolves executives and, during the third quarter of a game against the Golden State Warriors, was offered an entry-level position on the business side of the operation at $24,000 per year.To think that what started as a cold call of me begging an HR person to let me come in and prove my worth 18 years later turned into me coming back as a CEO is amazing and certainly very special to me, Casson told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.Casson had to sell his car and some other possessions to raise the money to pay for his move from Boston to the Twin Cities, but the leap of faith has paid off. Six years after he left the Timberwolves to climb the ladder with the San Francisco 49ers, he is returning as CEO to breathe new life into one of the NBAs struggling operations.Timberwolves President Chris Wright remembered the impression Casson left in those first face-to-face meetings.I told him were going to find a place for you in this franchise because you are exactly the type of person that we want build this franchise around, Wright said.Cassons first stint with the Timberwolves lasted 11 years. He worked his way up to senior vice president of corporate partnerships and met his future wife here before leaving for the 49ers in 2010.When he arrived in the Bay Area, the once-proud 49ers were in the midst of an eight-year playoff drought. Their revenue had dropped to near the bottom of the league and they were playing in an outdated stadium that couldnt compete with the shiny new ones popping up around the league. He leaves after helping to secure a 20-year, $220 million naming rights deal with Levis for the new stadium and rebuilding the franchises business operations.The Timberwolves have not made the playoffs since 2004, the longest active drought in the league. That futility has contributed significantly to plummeting revenue and a dwindling season ticket base.Im not saying its apples to apples, but I certainly feel Ive been on a six-year journey that involved a lot oof similar themes, Casson said.dddddddddddd And Ill apply all of those lessons to this next phase of my career.Casson replaces Rob Moor, the longtime CEO who stepped aside to work more closely with Wolves owner Glen Taylors other business interests. At 42 years old, Casson is part of a youth movement coming into the organization. Taylor also brought in 41-year-old New York real estate mogul Meyer Orbach and 35-year-old Chinese entrepreneur John Jiang as minority owners, and he hopes the three of them help bring a new perspective and energy to the business side that mirrors the vibe youngsters Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine are bringing to the team.I was very aware and respectful that taking on this role wasnt about coming in and fixing things that were broken, Casson said. I dont look at opportunities like this as somethings not working. I look at it as an opportunity to reset and plot out a different course or a different version of a course that moves the business forward.The challenges are real. The Timberwolves competitive dormancy buried them in a crowded sports marketplace. Tickets have been hard to sell and the NFLs Vikings, the NHLs Wild and MLBs Twins are competing for the corporate dollars.Ive been here for a long time, said Wright, who is entering his 25th season with the Wolves. Ive tried to do it what I consider the best way for the franchise given all of the different sort of environments weve found ourselves in over the last 12 years as weve not been making the playoffs. And I think Ethan is going to just bring a completely fresh, new look to all of that and lead us in the direction we need to be as a club in the 21st century.The Wolves have one of the most promising young cores in the league, a brand new practice facility in downtown Minneapolis and have begun renovations on the dusty Target Center.Theres a lot of momentum in and around the organization that made it very exciting for me as a fan and now as someone who is coming back as CEO, he said. That will come and go. The renovation will eventually be complete. The team will stabilize and be competitive. You still have to make sure the business model is sustainable and drivable. Thats what were going to be. ' ' ' |
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