Kritik und Anregungen » ked up her impressive bar routine

ATLANTA -- Dwight Howard watched Kent Bazemore choke up with emotion and soon did the same.Returning to Atlanta means a lot.My prayers are answered, Howard said. Im home. Im with my family, so thank you.Howard has a new team, a new jersey number and a fresh start in his hometown.After five mostly disappointing years with Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers after leaving Orlando, Howard says this time will be different. Atlanta is where he belongs.The Hawks hosted a homecoming Wednesday for Howard, a three-time NBA and welcomed back Bazemore at a youth recreation center in southwest Atlanta where Howard grew up. The gymnasium was packed with children, family members and friends.This was all about a new beginning for Howard, who has switched his number from No. 12 to No. 8 for biblical inspiration. In the Bible, number eight signifies resurrection and regeneration. Howard says the number will motivate him as he gets in shape and changes his outlook on life this summer.One of the things biblically is the purging of the heart and throughout the years there are things that have happened behind closed doors that it really hardened my heart towards different situations, Howard later told reporters. I really have to purge my heart and come at basketball in a different manner. I was very upset with how things turned out and what people were saying. I hardened my heart towards everybody.Orlando drafted Howard No. 1 overall out of Southwest Atlanta Christian School in 2004. He became one of the NBAs elite big men over the next few years, leading the Magic to the 2009 NBA finals and ranking first in rebounds for five seasons and ranking second in another.But Howards time in central Florida ended bitterly after a falling out with coach Stan Van Gundy. He joined Kobe Bryant for one difficult season with the Lakers and slipped occasionally into mediocrity over his last three years with Houston.The Hawks, who have signed him to a three-year, $70.5 million contract, believed the time was right to bring Howard aboard.He can have a huge, positive impact, coach and team president Mike Budenholzer said. He can take us to another level if he and everybody are kind of playing and understanding their roles. We feel like it can be special.Budenholzer doesnt seem concerned that Howard is step back offensively compared Al Horford, a longtime fan favorite who left in free agency for Boston.Budenholzer compared Howards inside presence somewhat to retired San Antonio center Tim Duncan. Howard doesnt have Duncans or Horfords shooting touch, but Budenholzer said Howards 6-foot-10, 265-pound frame is ideal for what the Hawks want to accomplish on both ends of the court.Hes more of a traditional center, Budenholzer said. Its been clear hes been one of the top defenders in our league for a long time. Offensively, hes somebody whos a presence inside, whos putting pressure on the rim whether it be in pick-and-rolls or post-ups. It will probably be something more like what San Antonio had for the majority of time I was there as an assistant coach.Bazemore, whos played the last two seasons in Atlanta, returned to the Hawks with a four-year, $70 million contract. He visited Houston, where he said James Harden, Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler each made a pitch, but staying in Atlanta was his preference.Wiping back tears, Bazemore called it one of the highlights of my life to build relationships in the local community.I play for you guys every night wearing Atlanta across my chest, Bazemore told the gym. It means more than just a jersey. I feel your pain here. I love the grit that this area gives off. Coming here to talk to the kids, I was here a couple of weeks ago for the court unveiling. To see the progress theyve made over the years is what Im all about.Howard cried when it was his first turn to speak.This building is where I spent a lot of time working on my game and wanting it to make it to the NBA, Howard said. This brings back chills. This area was home for me. My school is two minutes away.Every morning at 4 a.m., my dad and my cousin were back there with me on the track, trying to make it to the NBA. Its great. A man told me, `If you want to get back to the top, youve got to go back to your roots. Jordan Binnington Blues Jersey . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. Al Macinnis 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.cheapbluesjerseys.info/authentic-wayne-gretzky-blues-jersey/ . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others. 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From afar, thats the story, the tension.But up close, the reality is far less dramatic.Entering this weekends competition, which began Friday night at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, and continues Sunday evening, four of those five spots were considered to be all but locked up by three-time world champion Simone Biles, 2012 Olympic floor champ Aly Raisman, reigning Olympic all-around champion Gabby Douglas and 16-year-old newcomer Laurie Hernandez.That leaves one spot for an athlete who can contribute a high-scoring bar routine -- the weakest event for the collective four women named above -- during the team competition in Rio. And because the team selection is based on the discretion of national team coordinator Martha Karolyi and a selection committee, a gymnast doesnt need to place in the top five at trials in order to make the team. Instead, the final decision is based on more intangible criteria that includes past results, consistency in practice, and how the athlete fits into the team dynamic.That fifth and final spot will likely go to one of two women: Madison Kocian of Plano, Texas, the 2015 co-world champion on bars, and Ashton Locklear, the bars champion at the 2016 Pacific Rim Championships and 2016 U.S. national champion in that event.At the start of Fridays competition, the potential for either gymnast to make the team seemed almost identical. Both women own recent titles on the apparatus at international competitions and consistently put up the highest scores on bars of any current American gymnasts. Either would give a strong U.S. team an even greater advantage to win gold in Rio.In San Jose, Locklear was the first of the two women to compete on bars, in the second rotation, and she made a strong statement to the selection committee that her name should be called Sunday night. Her score of 15.750, the best of the night until that point, was higher than her winning score at nationals in June, higher than her score at Pac Rims, and higher than Kocians winning score at the World Championships.Im really confident, Locklear said. Ive done so well at past competitions and won so many times, and I feel like Im building a good record for myself.If shes named to the team, Locklear would be the first Native American gymnast to compete for the U.S. at the Olympics. A member of the Lumbee Tribe, the largest in North Carolina, Locklear wears a Lumbee pin on the strap of her competition bag and carries a dream catcher with her that was given to her by a member of the tribe.ddddddddddddts a great feeling knowing theyre cheering for me back home, Locklear said. Its very unique and it means the world to me that I have their support.Locklears score set the bar in San Jose. But Kocian says she didnt notice.I didnt see [Locklears] score before I competed, Kocian said. I try to focus on myself. Thats all you can control. What she does doesnt affect what I can do. If I let my mind wander to anyone else, you dont have 100 percent focus on yourself, and thats when you start making mistakes.In the next rotation, as Locklear prepared to mount the balance beam, the only other event in which she competes, Kocian completed her bar routine and was also awarded 15.750. It was a tie. At least in the literal sense.The scores dont really matter to the selection committee right now, Kocian said. Its what you have been doing in practice throughout the week and your consistency. After tonight, my confidence has increased.Soon after the crowd celebrated Kocians score, Locklear fell from the beam.I dont think I fell once this week in training, so its frustrating coming into a competition like this and falling, Locklear said. I have to turn the page. Beam is not my specialty, and that is not what they are looking at me for. I showed them that I have a good bars routine, and Ive had good bars in the past. They know I have a good record.But so too, does Kocian, who backed up her impressive bar routine with solid performances in each of the other three rotations and finished sixth in the all-around. Kocian also competes a bar routine with a higher difficulty score than Locklears, which leaves more room for mistakes -- and for improvement.They tied on bars, but [Kocian] had some other routines that could be useful in a team situation, Karolyi said. Right now, she is placing well in my eyes.Still, Locklear believes if the selection committee focuses not on her fall on beam -- where she is unlikely to be asked to contribute in Rio -- but only on her strength and consistency on bars, she has a legitimate shot at the final spot.Its the little things, she says. There were a couple handstands I missed, and my dismount might have been a little low. I could have done better.As the Lumbee Tribe watches from North Carolina, shell have one final opportunity to do so on Sunday. ' ' '