ecial credit for his leadership through six crucial years.The No. 1 rank has changed hands several times in 2016. In January, India took over from South Africa after South Africa were defeated 0-

MINNEAPOLIS -- Tom Thibodeau, king of solitary marathon film sessions, got lonely. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steel...Pouncey-Jersey/ .It happened throughout the past year as he moved around the country, trying to take advantage of a paid year away from the NBA. In all, he spent time with 13 NBA teams, watching practices, having lunches with coaches, watching games and, of course, going through security checks and riding shuttle buses.I didnt like traveling alone, Thibodeau said. It got to me. I dont know how people do it.The Minnesota Timberwolves hired Thibodeau because of his strong history of teaching defense and his demonstrated ability to squeeze everything out of his Chicago Bulls teams from 2010-15. But owner Glen Taylor, who gave him a five-year, $40 million deal to also oversee the teams basketball operations, might be getting a coach who is slightly different from the one the NBA last saw.Thibodeau kept telling people he viewed last year as a sabbatical. That meant more than rest, it also meant training. In all that time alone, Thibodeau did a lot of thinking and considering. Whether it will lead to real changes is to be seen.Thibodeaus methods were often branded as old school, even though he repeatedly showed his defensive principles were designed to slow modern offenses. When it came to playing time and the 3-point shot, well, he wasnt as progressive.But there are already signs he is trying to modernize his approach in his first days working with one of the leagues most promising young rosters. As an example, Thibodeau for the first time has hired a shooting coach -- Peter Patton, who was schooled by San Antonio Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland -- because as he went around the league he noted many teams were adding the position. Patton wont just work with the Wolves players, he will consult the front office in looking at player acquisitions and draft preparation. Again, thats progressive.When examining how the Wolves can break their 12-year playoff drought, Thibodeau immediately pointed to the 3-point line. The Wolves finished 29th in 3-point attempts and makes last season.We gave up nine [3-pointers] a game, and we made only five and a half, Thibodeau said. Thats like starting the game 10 points behind.Thibodeaus Bulls teams werent 3-point heavy. They were 28th in attempts in 2013-14 and 29th in 2012-13, though in his final season, they improved to 16th. Some of that, of course, was due to personnel. But his focus on it now is part of the old-fashioned coachs attempts to evolve.Were a work in progress, Thibodeau said, perhaps even talking a little about himself. Weve got to close the gap.Thibodeau has been using that line a lot in the first days of the season, sometimes reaching his arms out and making a symbolic squeezing motion.The team had plenty of salary-cap space this summer, and some speculated theyd get deep into the bidding on former Bull Luol Deng. But instead of using a large block to chase a veteran starter, they signed a range of reserve players, including?Cole Aldrich, Jordan Hill and Brandon Rush. Thibodeau also signed veterans John Lucas III and Rasual Butler, both of whom played for him with the Bulls, to help the transition for younger players and to teach his systems.The Wolves left $10 million in cap space unused, and two of their highest-paid players, Kevin Garnett and Nikola Pekovic, wont be playing for the team this season. Its a young, relatively cheap and deep roster, albeit still largely unproven.In theory, at least, all the bodies should reduce Thibodeaus famous dependence on riding his front-line players for major minutes, which some believed led to the Bulls rash of injuries. Long-term rest techniques and injury-prevention methods were other league trends Thibodeau observed, notably in his time around the Golden State Warriors and their strength in numbers vision.I liked the core of the team. I want to get to know them better, he said. Im going to focus on the players we have. That gives me a better idea of what our needs are.The Wolves finished last season ranked 27th in defensive rating, a woeful number that Thibodeau certainly has the expertise to improve. They did win four of their last five games, including a bit of a magical West Coast trip in which they won at Golden State and Portland in the same week. Still, it added up to just 29 wins, another losing season.We have the talent, and we have the length to be better on defense, but we didnt always have the discipline, Karl-Anthony Towns said. Im willing to say I dont know. I want to learn.Towns said he thought Thibodeaus defensive system was similar to what he ran at the University of Kentucky, and he was encouraged that hed learn quickly. When this was mentioned to Thibodeau, he just grunted with a half-smile. Towns and the Wolves havent seen anything yet.Thibodeau didnt need a league-wide tour to learn how to teach defense. Looking at the way the Wolves have set up their preseason schedule makes it clear who is in charge now and what his goal is. Thibodeau essentially designed three training camps. Though technically voluntary, every Wolves player was doing full workouts for 2-3 weeks before the beginning of actual training camp. According to players, these were de facto practices.Its a clinic every day, guard Ricky Rubio said. Theres an intensity in practice. Hes tough but in a good way.Then Thibodeau scheduled 11 days between the start of official practice and his first preseason game. Some teams had as little as four days of practice before the preseason opener. In a way, that is the second training camp. The third is an unusual nine-day preseason road trip that will take the Wolves to five cities, including stops in Kansas City, Missouri; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Louisville, Kentucky. This will enable a long bonding session, much of it in non-NBA cities, that will mimic an offsite training camp.In this time, Thibodeau, as one would expect, is drilling his players on defensive techniques. He didnt say it, but his actions make it clear he was appalled at the Wolves defensive habits last season. More than half of the early workouts were focused on defense. There were film sessions focusing on positioning. There were drills intended to create habits.We have to get an understanding of it. We cant rest, Thibodeau said before starting a checklist. We have to be a talk [on defense] team, we have to be challenging shots, we have to learn to finish defense correctly.Thibodeau gave the impression that theres a long way to go for the Wolves, even if his players talk positively about their improvement. Hes also paying a lot of attention to Andrew Wiggins, who two seasons ago was the leagues rookie of the year. In many ways, Wiggins holds the key for the long-range upside of the Wolves. Towns, last seasons ROY, has the look of a budding All-Star, perhaps the most exciting young player in the league. Young wing Zach LaVine quietly had an outstanding second half last season, especially shooting from long range. Theres a lot of excitement over rookie point guard Kris Dunn, who had a promising summer league.But the team needs Wiggins to grow into his potential, to be heading into the conversation for All-Star and All-NBA teams starting now. Going into his third season, this is the time when he should be taking large leaps forward. Thibodeau is spending extra time with him, watching him work on individual drills after practice and giving special instruction.Theres significant excitement around the team, the idea that Thibodeaus arrival combined with natural maturation of young players could truly create the roots of a serious team. Combined with a new practice facility and a renovated Target Center, there is a feeling of rebirth. Thibodeau, of course, is more focused on the work than anything else.Its like building a house, Thibodeau said. Were still working on the foundation. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steel...n-Swann-Jersey/ . With their top three point guards and Kobe Bryant all sidelined by injury, the Lakers signed Marshall out of the D-League on Friday before their home game against Minnesota. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steel...-Bettis-Jersey/ . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steel...Gilliam-Jersey/ . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. Pakistan have risen to No. 1 in the ICCs Test rankings for the first time. They took the top position from India, following Indias washed out Test against West Indies in Trinidad.Pakistan had moved to No. 2 on the table last week, after drawing the Test series in England 2-2 and after Australia were whitewashed 3-0 in Sri Lanka. At the same time, India had moved to No. 1 after beating West Indies in the St Lucia Test to go 2-0 up in their four-match series; they needed to win the final Test, in Trinidad, to hold on to No. 1, but the match was drawn after weather and outfield issues forced play to be abandoned over four days.Last week was the second time in less than a year that Pakistan had moved to No. 2 on the rankings - the highest they had previously been since the current rankings system was put in place in 2003. They had featured at No. 2 for the first time in November 2015, after beating England 2-0 in the UAE.Their rise to No. 1 was built on the back of a run of unbeaten Test series since August 2014, when they were down at No. 6. Apart from the successes against England, they had also beaten Sri Lanka 2-1 in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh 1-0 in Bangladesh, and whitewashed Australia 2-0 in the UAE. Against New Zealand in the UAE in November 2014, the series during which Phillip Hughes died in Sydney, they had drawn 1-1.Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said he was proud to have his team at the top, but his focus remained on delivering consistently good performances going forward. There is no greater feeling than to achieve the No. 1 ranking in the most traditional and purest format of the sport, Misbah said. This is what cricketers play for and want to achieve in their careers. It is a reward for something we had planned as a group a few years ago and have worked extremely hard to achieve it.I want to compliment everyone who has been involved in the process, including all the players, the support personnel, the management, as well as our loyal fans and followers who remained committed to us and continued to back and support the side through the good and not-so-good days. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steel...ickillo-Jersey/. For us, the No. 1 ranking is not a destination but part of a journey. Our long-term objective and strategy is to remain competitive, continue to challenge the top sides with good cricket and once again become the most followed side like the Pakistan teams of yesteryears.PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan, much like former coach Waqar Younis, said credit for Pakistans achievement should go to Misbah. The ascension to the top of the ICC Test rankings culminates an incredible journey for Pakistan, Khan said. This is a historic moment in our rich Test cricket history and the credit for this great achievement goes not only to this team but to all... coaches and support staff members who have represented Pakistan in recent years. Misbah-ul-Haq deserves special credit for his leadership through six crucial years.The No. 1 rank has changed hands several times in 2016. In January, India took over from South Africa after South Africa were defeated 0-2 by England at home. In February, Australia climbed to No. 1 following their 2-0 win in New Zealand. They gave No. 1 back to India following their recent 0-3 loss in Sri Lanka, and then came Indias handover to Pakistan.The ICCs ranking system takes into account matches played over the previous four years, with the oldest matches in the cycle being dropped every May. For the current cycle, matches played from May 2013 to April 2015 carry 50% weightage, while matches played since then carry 100% weightage. In May 2017, matches played between May 2013 and April 2014 will be dropped from the calculations. Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Outlet Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Black China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2020 Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Throwback Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Stitched Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '