Only for Guild Members » the questions continued at Serenas

ATLANTA - Danny Ferry can only watch from afar, surely with plenty of satisfaction at the juggernaut he created, undoubtedly offset by a sense of melancholy that hes not along for the ride. Andrew Luck Jersey .Make no mistake, the Atlanta Hawks are Ferrys baby. He acquired nearly every player on a team that stunningly has the best record in the NBA.Even one of his harshest critics, who led the protests against Ferry after the general managers racially charged comments about Luol Deng, gives credit where credit is due.Clearly, Danny Ferry is largely responsible for putting together the winning team that we are enjoying here in the Atlanta community, the Rev. Markel Hutchins told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Friday.That said, there is essentially zero chance of Ferry returning to the team he created.Not this season.Not ever.I certainly hope that Danny Ferry gets a job as a general manager somewhere else, Hutchins said. He has expressed what I believe is sincere repentance off the court. Nobody should be condemned forever. He deserves restoration. But, he quickly added, that should not happen with the Atlanta Hawks.Ferry went on indefinite leave in September, just a few days after the scandal broke, and has been in limbo ever since. Hes apologized through public statements, met with civil rights leaders in private, and paid a huge price for repeating bigoted comments about Deng that someone else wrote in a scouting report.Now, nearly five months removed from the initial furor, Ferry has clearly suffered enough for his sin.I would welcome him with open arms, said Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll, one of many players Ferry brought to Atlanta. I dont feel hes a racist. I think he genuinely learned from his mistakes.The reality is, theres no impetus for the Hawks to bring Ferry back, not with the team holding a commanding lead in the Eastern Conference and extending its franchise-record winning streak to 18 in a row with a 105-99 victory over Portland on Friday night. His return would undoubtedly lead to renewed protests and create an unnecessary distraction. Besides, the Hawks are up for sale, so this can of worms will get kicked down the road to the next owner.Yet, in this greatest of seasons for the Hawks, thats the elephant in the room. There will be some huge decisions to make this summer, especially with free-agent-to-be Paul Millsap and what is expected to be plenty of salary cap flexibility.No one knows exactly who will be making those calls. Whoever it is, that person will face the enormous challenge of following in Ferry footsteps. He completely rebuilt the roster after taking over as general manager in 2012, while maintaining a competitive team that still went to the playoffs the last two seasons.Ferry defied the NBAs conventional logic, which held that major overhauls had to be accompanied by lots and lots of losses (see: Philadelphia 76ers).He did it a totally different way, said Kyle Korver, who bought into Ferrys vision right from the start. I think theres a whole lot of owners who would rather do it that way, rather than lose for five years and hope their draft picks turn out at the end of the day. Danny is going to have another job. Theres not any doubt about that.The only Atlanta holdovers from the pre-Ferry era are All-Stars Al Horford and Jeff Teague, and even Teague would have been out the door if Ferry had not matched a four-year, $32-million offer sheet from Milwaukee in 2013. Some wondered if Teague, who had been highly inconsistent to that point, was worth the money. Now, he looks underpaid.Hes not the only one. The Hawks have a lower payroll than all but four teams. Check out these bargains:— Millsap will be making his second straight All-Star appearance since signing a two-year, $19-million free-agent deal with the Hawks. Nondescript in Utah, hes now recognized as one of the NBAs best all-around players.— Korver, a backup most of his career, was acquired from Chicago for cash and a trade exception, then re-signed with the Hawks for four years at $24 million. Hes one of the best — if not the best — shooters in the league.— Carroll had bounced around to four teams until he landed in Atlanta for a two-year deal costing a mere $5 million. A defensive standout, hes improved offensively and hasnt met a loose ball he wasnt willing to dive for.Thanks to Ferry, the Hawks are also one of the leagues deepest teams. The draft produced Dennis Schroder and Mike Scott. Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore were below-the-radar free agents. Pero Antic was plucked out of Europe. Shelvin Mack initially came aboard on a 10-day deal.Almost as impressive was the list of players Ferry sent packing. Shortly after taking over as GM, he somehow persuaded Brooklyn to take Joe Johnsons max contract and Utah to accept the greatly overpaid Marvin Williams. In addition, Ferry didnt make much of an attempt to re-sign longtime Hawks stalwart Josh Smith, who was such a flop in Detroit that he got cut this season.And, of course, Ferry passed over better-known coaches to hire a little-known assistant from San Antonio.Mike Budenholzer could very well be the NBAs coach of the year.Under different circumstances, Ferry would be a lock for executive of the year.At the very least, he deserves another chance.It just wont be in Atlanta.___Paul Newberry is a national writer for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry@ap.org or www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 Tarell Basham Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Quenton Nelson Jersey . According to TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie, the deal will pay Schenn $2.25 million in the first year and $2.75 million in the second year. In 82 games with the Flyers in 2013-14, Schenn scored 20 goals and added 21 assists. http://www.coltsfansshop.com/Colts-Le-Raven-Clark-Draft-Jersey/ . The 7-foot-1 Hawes, who is in the final year of his contract, is averaging 13 points and 8.5 rebounds, both career highs, and shoots 40 per cent from 3-point range. The 25-year-old Hawes is in his seventh NBA season.MELBOURNE, Australia - To twirl or not to twirl? This is now a question at the Australian Open.Social media erupted overnight with reaction to Eugenie Bouchard being asked by an on-court interviewer to give us a twirl and show off her tennis dress after winning her second-round match.Some called the request by a male presenter sexist. Many on Twitter wondered if a man would be asked to twirl after winning a match.Serena Williams suspects not.I wouldnt ask Rafa or Roger to twirl, Williams said Thursday, referring to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.Williams was asked to twirl, too, by the same presenter a day earlier.I didnt really want to twirl because I was just like, you know, I dont need all the extra attention, said the No. 1-ranked player who is aiming to win her 19th Grand Slam singles title.She preferred not to enter the debate of whether the request was sexist.Life is far too short to focus on that, she said. Whether I twirl or not, its not the end of the world.Anyway, Williams said she always twirls. After winning matches, she walks back to court and twirls with a wave to thank the crowd. Shes taking dance class, too.I twirl all the time in dance class, she said. I really have to work on my spotting. My coach tells me to whip my head around.On Wednesday, Bouchard told her post-match news conference the twirl request was very unexpected.I dont know, an old guy asking you to twirl. Itt was funny, said Bouchard. Marlon Mack Jersey. y Jocelyn Gecker -- http://twitter.com/jgecker___THE WILLIAMS DOUBLES MYSTERY: Venus and Serena Williams prefer not to say why they pulled out of the doubles competition at the Australian Open.According to the rules you dont have to give a reason. I think well stick with that, Venus said Thursday after winning her second-round singles match.The Williams sisters have won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles together, including four at the Australian Open. They were scheduled to play their first-round match Wednesday but withdrew before it started without explaining why.The mystery continued Thursday, with Venus saying she was allowed to be coy, which naturally prompted a string of questions.Was it the heat?It was warm, the 34-year-old American said. I don think it was as warm as it could have been. But, no, that wasnt it.Was there a medical reason? Were doctors consulted?No further questions on that, Venus said. I object. Sustained. Thank you.But the questions continued at Serenas post-match news conference.I dont think we have to give a reason, reiterated Serena, who also advanced to the third round. I think Venus answered that already.By Jocelyn Gecker -- http://twitter.com/jgecker___Australian Open Scene follows tennis Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne as seen by journalists from The Associated Press. It will be updated throughout the day. 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