Olympic event. The Olympic 50 free semifinals were scheduled

TSNs Jack Armstrong offers his thoughts on the Toronto Raptors GM target Masai Ujiri, the Dwight Howard sweepstakes, Jeff Hornaceks hiring in Phoenix, the Heats ability to win on the road and the talents of Tony Parker. 1. Masai Ujiri (Nuggets): The reigning NBA Executive of the Year and former Toronto Raptors assistant GM is the target of the Raps for their new GM search. Im sure well know something in the near future. Hes a sharp guy and, in his time with the Raptors, he stood out to me as a guy who had a nice future in this game. His work in Denver has been outstanding. Hed be a good fit in Toronto if he decided to make the jump. Im not a bit concerned about the former relationship (which was excellent) with president Bryan Colangelo. I see Masai as his own man who will be respectful to not only Bryan (I see no issue here either from the other end - Colangelo knows how hard the job is and will be supportive, professional and respectful) but anyone he comes in contact with; thats his nature. Hes a gentleman but dont kid yourself, in every way, shape or form, this will be his show if he decides to make the move. Hell run it as he sees fit and thats what youve got to do, its your name on the product that appears on the court so you make all the calls. Hell be calling the shots. 2. Dwight Howard (Lakers): Lets just get this Dwight-Mare out of the way and say here are the four legit contenders for his services: Lakers, Rockets, Mavericks and Hawks. The latter three have created cap space and/or will move pieces to make it work if he wants to come on board. No clue figuring how this will all shake out. The one consistency of late with Howard has been his inconsistency as a person. Wonderful talent and I think hell be much better next season after getting through the back surgery rehab. Whomever gets him will have to deal with his immature/petulant ways yet will have a guy the next five years that can still be a dominant force. 3. Jeff Hornacek (Suns): Will serve as the head coach in Phoenix after a very good playing career and a stint as an assistant coach in Utah. You look at the system that Jerry Sloan, Frank and Scott Layden and Kevin OConnor put into place with the Jazz over the past 25 years and you have to marvel at whats been accomplished in such a small market like Salt Lake City during that stretch. No NBA championships but a steady winning and playoff presence; one of the most consistent franchises in pro sports. Hornacek both played and coached there and Im sure learned/absorbed lots of the teachings of how to do it the right way. With a young team in Phoenix and multiple draft picks on the horizon, hes going to have to be firm and hold young players accountable, yet have the ability to be an outstanding communicator with todays athlete. With patience, this could be a solid fit. 4. Miami Heat: Its funny, watching the game Sunday night, the thing that most jumped out at me was the fact that great teams love the challenge of playing on the road. It appeared to me that the Heat were close-knit and loving the task at hand. Watch their bench; all for one and one for all. LeBron schooling Paul George in the post was priceless; took him to the woodshed. New component of LeBrons game that makes him such a lethal factor, particularly when you play on the road and need paint points. It will be interesting to see how the Pacers defend him in the post in Game 4. Cant stay single coverage on each possession, hell carve them up. 5. Tony Parker (Spurs): Look at his playoff stats: 22 ppg - 7 APG - 4 RPG - 45% FG - 35% -3PT and you have your answer as to why the Spurs are one game away from going back to the NBA Finals. Tim Duncan has been very good in clutch moments, yet hes not the player he once was. Manu Ginobili is a wonderful scorer but doesnt do it with as much consistency as he used to. Have no fear, Parker is here. Steady and spectacular as well. Love his deceptive change of speeds and vast array of shot making maneuvers. Crafty and efficient. He totally gets whats expected of him. Masterful and another example of how important it is in todays NBA to have a point guard who can truly impact the game in so many ways. His skills are top-shelf and his basketball smarts is sensational. Wholesale Air Max .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. Cheap Air Max . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. https://www.airmaxchina.us/ . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No. Cheap Air Max From China . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Discount Air Max . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No. RIO DE JANEIRO -- While Andriy Hovorov hasnt been home for almost three years, he is representing his native region of Crimea quite well in Rio.Hovorov raced for Ukraine on Thursday and posted the fastest time of the mens 50-meter freestyle heats, making the furious dash to the wall in 21.49 seconds, better than U.S. medal contenders Nathan Adrian and Anthony Ervin.We were planning for this, we had expectations, but its just the start, Hovorov said.Hovorovs life took an unexpected turn when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. The swimmer, who is from Sevastopol, ruled out changing his nationality, leading to his extended absence from his home territory.Ukraines economy is in crisis, but sports officials have focused much of their meager funding on him, allowing him to train abroad with coach Arilson Silva, the former mentor of Brazilian world-record holder Cesar Cielo.This result comes from him, Hovorov said of Silva. We know what were doing, we know the plan, and this is just the first step to have better results.Hovorov arrived in Rio in good form, having won silver in the 50 free at the European Championships in May, plus a gold medal in the 50 butterfly, a non-Olympic event. The Olympic 50 free semifinals were scheduled for Thhursday night, with the final taking place on Friday.ddddddddddddSpeaking with The Associated Press in June, Hovorov said he was proud to stay with Ukraine but understood how other Crimean athletes could have been tempted to switch to Russia if they were struggling to fund their careers in the Ukrainian system.After the 50 heats, Hovorov said he doesnt want to talk politics in Rio, but plans to speak with relatives in Crimea later in the day. He said the situation there is stable, even with tensions high this week following what Russia claims was a military incursion by Ukrainian forces.Ukraine has another Crimean medal contender in rhythmic gymnastics, where Anna Rizatdinova must face the Russian gold medal favorites.Crimeans who switched allegiance to Russia have struggled to reach Rio because of International Olympic Committee rules mandating athletes observe a period of ineligibility after changing their registered nationality. One Crimean, javelin thrower Vera Rebrik, has been approved to compete for Russia, but is not in Rio because of a doping-related ban on the Russian track and field team. ' ' '