Wilkommen bei den Schatten » salary cap and will have to contribute to an

ATLANTA -- Dwight Howard has played all of one game for the Atlanta Hawks.Hes already the center of attention.On opening night, Howard led his new teammates in a raucous display of bouncing and screaming during the pregame introductions. When it was over, with the Hawks victorious and their new center having provided a tantalizing glimpse of the skills that made him one of the NBAs most feared players, Howard worked the locker room from one end to the other, doling out good-natured ribbing to anyone who got within his imposing shadow.Superman has come home. Maybe hes found his swagger.I just tried to zone out and focus on the task at hand, Howard said at the end of the night, sitting at his locker surrounded by reporters and cameras and microphones. Ive been in a lot of opening nights and the worst thing you can do is lay an egg in the first game.Of course, its going to take more than one game to make up for what happened over the last several seasons.Still, Howards homecoming could wind up having a bigger impact on the league than some of those more touted moves this past summer.If all goes according to Atlantas plan, Howard will reclaim his place among the NBAs elite. Hell lead the league in rebounding, as he did through most of his glory years with the Orlando Magic, and give the Hawks the sort of imposing presence theyve been missing in the lane, someone who can alter shots and cover up his teammates mistakes and take some of the burden off teammates such as three-time All-Star Paul Millsap, who is still Atlantas best player.Thats the way it worked Thursday night in a 114-99 victory over the Washington Wizards. Howard grabbed 19 rebounds, more than anyone in an Atlanta uniform had all of last season, and continually sparked the transition game by with crisp passes to teammates fast-breaking in the opposite direction. Freed of carrying a big load on the glass, Millsap led the Hawks with 28 points.I didnt have to get down there and bang as much, Millsap said. When a guy like Dwights down there and securing the rebounds, hes taking a lot of the load off me. I think throughout the course of this season, Ill be a lot fresher, be able to do a little bit more on the offensive end.You might remember Howard as one of the leagues most dominant players, but its not something that comes immediately to mind. He got lost along the way, his once Hall of Fame-bound career sliding off the rails during a miserable one-year layover with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, followed by three forgettable seasons trying to coexist with James Harden on the Houston Rockets.Not only did Howards production suffer, but he went from one of the leagues most likable, endearing players to someone who came across as whiny and petulant, self-absorbed by his frequent trade demands and struggling to mesh with personalities as big as his own.When he became a free agent this past summer, Howard hardly had a pick of destinations or the leverage to name his price. He was certainly an intriguing piece in the offseason puzzle, but not as crucial to completing the picture as Kevin Durant landing with the Golden State Warriors, or Dwyane Wade taking off for the Chicago Bulls, or Derrick Rose being traded to the New York Knicks.Howard fell in with the next wave of shuffling, more along the lines of Pau Gasol heading to San Antonio or Andrew Bogut being dealt to Dallas to create cap space. In fact, there were plenty of people questioning whether the Hawks had done the right thing when they doled out a three-year, $70 million deal to Howard and allowed undersized but more versatile center Al Horford to bolt for the Boston Celtics.Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer was convinced that Howard, who has been in the league for 13 years but is still only 31, could be a franchise player once again.After the Hawks plummeted from 60 wins and the top seed in the East two seasons ago to a quick second-round exit from the playoffs this past spring, Budenholzer decided a dramatic overhaul was in order. Howard was eager to return to the city he grew up in and still calls home -- a striking change from his last foray into free agency, when he pretty much forwarded the Hawks calls straight to voicemail.This time around, he needed the Hawks as much as they needed him.For Howard, this is his best shot -- maybe his last shot -- at redemption and rejuvenation. Hes on a team where he can again be the loudest voice in the room, where he doesnt have to worry about Bryant putting him down or Harden demanding the spotlight.His work and his commitment to everything were doing, Im very, very pleased with it, Budenholzer said. I think hes looking forward to being a force.Maybe hell even be able to break out that cape again.---Paul Newberry is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . Nike Air Max 97 Online . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. Cheap Nike Air Max 97 . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. https://www.fakeairmax97wholesale.com/ . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. Wholesale Nike Air Max 97 .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. Nike Air Max 97 Sale . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. With the NBL season approaching its halfway point, the gap between the haves and have-nots is plain to see.The powerhouse Sydney Kings sit top of the ladder after defeating the Perth Wildcats 83-72 in the Saturday night home leg of their double-header against the defending champions.It was a different story in Adelaide where the bottom-placed 36ers slumped to their fourth straight loss, going down 105-87 to Brisbane.Sydneys success is due in no small part to the firepower they have added to their roster, signing reigning MVP Kevin Lisch, dual Olympian swingman Brad Newley and NBA imports Josh Powell and Steve Blake.With the NBL allowing each side to sign three imports this season, it has never been more important to add the right players.But part of that equation is having the money to attract quality talent, something Adelaide coach Joey Wright is all too aware of.The 36ers boast the best scorer in the competition in star guard Jerome Randle but desperately lack depth, and a shortage of funding and corporate backing is preventing them from making any import changes.We dont have the finances to do that. Its not even an option for us, Wright said after Saturdays loss.Thats something we have to accept. Were sticking to the guys weve got who have to step up and get the job done.NBL general manager Jeremy Loeliger has admitted several teams are over the leagues soft $1.dddddddddddd million salary cap and will have to contribute to an equalisation subsidy for struggling teams next season.But Loeliger said talk of a two-tier competition with a division between rich and poor clubs was being proved wrong.Everyone said that Cairns, by all rights given the economic situation of respective clubs, should be on the bottom of the ladder but its just not true, he said earlier this month.Everyone says Melbourne at the beginning of the season were the clear favourites and they are sitting at the bottom of the ladder.Melbourne welcomed back star shooting guard Chris Goulding in style with an 84-79 win over Cairns on Friday night.Goulding, who was sidelined for a month with an ankle injury, drained eight of his 12 three-point attempts to finish with 30 points.The Wildcats beat Sydney at home on Thursday but will sweat on the fitness of big man Matt Knight, who injured his shoulder in the return leg in Sydney.David Stockton, the son of NBA legend John Stockton, scored 17 points on debut to help the New Zealand Breakers to a 100-85 win over Illawarra on Friday. 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