May 11 -17, 2013
Sports International
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
CLASSIFIEDS 43
Karl wins NBA’s Coach of the Year award
Usain Bolt, who said it was a “bad race” finished in a modest time of 10.09s.
Bolt wins 100m at Cayman Invitational in photo finish SIX-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt won his first 100m of the season in a photo finish, beating fellow Jamaican Kemar Bailey-Cole at the Cayman Invitational. Bolt is carrying a hamstring problem, but said that was not to blame for his modest time of 10.09 seconds. “It was just a bad race. It wasn’t a bothering pain so I can’t blame it on that,” the 26-year-old said. Bailey-Cole, one of Bolt’s training
partners, was given the same time. Bolt, the triple Olympic champion from London 2012, added: “I felt it [hamstring injury] slightly. I just have to go back and figure out with my coach what went wrong.” Antigua’s Daniel Bailey finished third in the Cayman Islands with a time of 10.23s. America’s Carmelita Jeter won the women’s 100m in a world leading 10.95s. (BBC)
SELFLESS and starless. These were the staples of the exhilarating Denver Nuggets’ NBA franchise-record 57win regular season. George Karl kept with that theme Wednesday, sharing the credit far and wide after being named the league’s Coach of the Year for the first time in his quarter century as an NBA head coach. Karl thanked everyone from his middle school coach who got him into the game to his good friend, the late Rick Majerus, in an emotional news conference at the Pepsi Center. He credited Nuggets players, assistant coaches, scouts, trainers, front office, ownership and support staff as he eyed the bronze Red Auerbach Trophy in front of him. “What I hope is everybody understands this is not about me. It’s about a lot of people and a lot of people in my past and I am proud to have that trophy,” Karl said. The trophy depicts the architect of the great Boston Celtics teams back in the fledgling days of the NBA, Auerbach sitting at one end of the bench with his trademark cigar in his right hand, a rolled up program in his left. There’s a life-sized statue of it in Boston and Karl said he sat there once, imagining this very day. “When I was told of the award about a week ago, it was a very humbling, emotional experience, because it made me think about my career,” Karl said. “... A lot of times I wanted to win it and never did win it and now I’ve gotten calloused to winning it. And now I win it because
George Karl won his first NBA Coach of the Year award after his 25th season as a head coach. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the most seasons coached before winning the award for the first time in NBA history.
this was probably in my career the most ‘oneness’ of an organization, a basketball team, a coaching staff, a support staff, administrative staff. “I get the award in my name but it is totally because of the ‘oneness’ that we brought to the table this season.” Karl worked wonders with a lineup that lacked an All-Star, was beset by injuries to several starters and twisted its way through a brutal early-season schedule in which 22 of the team’s first 32 games were on the road.
Relying on an old-school, uptempo offense and a deep bench that wore out opponents, especially at altitude, the Nuggets led the league in scoring, fast break production and points in the paint with nary a dominant scorer -- Ty Lawson led Denver with 16.7 points a game, which ranked 31st in the league. They went an NBA-best 38-3 at home, winning their last 23 games at the Pepsi Center in the regular season and going 24-4 overall after the All-Star break. The third-seeded Nuggets sorely missed forward Danilo Gallinari (knee) in the playoffs, however, and they lost in six games to Stephen Curry and the sixth-seeded Golden State Warriors. That was their fourth straight firstround exit and the most disheartening in Karl’s 8½ seasons in Denver. “It was an incredible season. That’s why the disappointment is so immense,” Karl said. “I wake up every morning depressed. I woke up about 6 o’clock, I was hoping for sunshine and I got rain and it didn’t make me feel very good, and then I said, ‘Oh, God, I’ve got to put a suit and tie on. ...” “Hopefully, come next Oct. 1 ... we’ll move on knowing that we have a great young basketball team that is growing, that got better this season, that improved at such a fast rate that we got maybe too cocky and too ahead of ourselves,” Karl said. “And the coaches fall into that category, too. None of us are happy with the result, but I think we’re also motivated by the challenge.”
Bangladesh skipper to quit after ODI series loss Manny Pacquiao (right) needs a big win to rejuvenate his career.
Pacquiao to face Brandon Rios in Macau in November MANNY Pacquiao will return to the ring after an 11-month absence when he faces Brandon Rios in Macau on 24 November. Former seven-weight world champion Pacquiao, once rated as the best pound for pound boxer in the world, was knocked out in the sixth round by Juan Manuel Marquez in December . In his previous fight the Philippines boxer lost his WBO welterweight title to Tim Bradley in June 2012. Pacquiao is not fighting in the
United States for tax reasons. “People know what Rios brings to the table,” Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com. “People want to see a real fight, and that is what you get with Rios. We’re building a business in Macau and China and these are the kinds of fights - real action fights - that they want to see.” Former WBA lightweight champion Rios, 27, lost to Mike Alvarado at light-welterweight in his most recent bout in March. (BBC)
MUSHFIQUR Rahim has said he will stand down as Bangladesh captain after this weekend’s two Twenty20 internationals against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. The Tigers lost the preceding oneday international series 2-1 after the Test series was drawn 1-1. Wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur, 24, has been captain since September 2011 when he succeeded Shakib Al Hasan. “I failed to perform. I think I failed to lead my team, so the two T20 matches will be my last as captain,” he said. Since his appointment, Bangladesh have only won one series against one of the International Cricket Council’s full member teams - a 3-2 ODI success against West Indies in December 2012. Mushfiqur’s Test batting form has improved since taking over the captaincy, including a double century against Sri Lanka in Galle
Mushfiqur Rahim said he failed to perform as skipper during his tenure at the helm.
in March and making 60 and 93 in his most recent Test, against Zimbabwe. However, he has only passed 50 twice in 20 ODI innings as skipper. Born in Bogra, he has played 34
Tests, 119 ODIs and 27 Twenty20 internationals since making his international debut as a 16-year-old while still at school, playing purely as a batsman against England at Lord’s in 2005. (BBC)