On the other hand, there are those who argue for patience and support for players like Fred, citing factors such as adaptation to a new league, playing style, or personal circumstances that may be affecting their performance. They believe that every player goes through rough patches and deserves a fair chance to prove their worth. However, while a certain degree of patience and support is necessary, there comes a point where tough decisions must be made for the benefit of the team.Interpreting the December Political Bureau Meeting: Policy Turning Point Confirmed to Boost the Economy
The "Spring Dawn Project" is the brainchild of a team of forward-thinking entrepreneurs who recognized the inefficiencies and challenges faced by both manufacturers and consumers in the current market landscape. By cutting out middlemen and intermediaries, the project seeks to create a win-win scenario for all parties involved.
Generally speaking, if you are looking for a basic statistic that groups the good NBA teams and the bad teams together, it’s assist-to-turnover ratio. ADVERTISEMENT You certainly want as many assists as possible — that’s a sign of good offense. And you would like to limit giveaways that decrease your number of looks at the bucket while often feeding your opponent Grade A opportunities. The ratio balances out the equation for teams that may turn the ball over more than others simply because it moves the ball at such a high rate. The bad teams are the ones that turn the ball over often without the added benefit of creating easy shots when they do take care of the ball. That, currently, is the group that includes the Timberwolves. ADVERTISEMENT The Wolves have just 1.52 assists for every turnover, the sixth-worst mark in the NBA entering Saturday’s games. Of the nine NBA teams below 1.6, only the Wolves (8-7) and Clippers (10-7) have winning records, and the Clippers have been dominant defensively. Also in the bottom nine are the two-win Wizards, the three-win 76ers and Jazz and the four-win Pelicans. Since the 2020-21 season, nine teams have finished the season with an assist-to-turnover number below 1.6. Only one of those teams won more than 27 games — the 2022-23 Magic, who went 34-48. While the Wolves are still above .500 going into their game against the defending champion Celtics on Sunday in Boston, that’s with what has been the NBA’s fourth-easiest schedule to date, per ESPN. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch has cited the turnover issues in recent weeks when discussing his team’s struggles, though he’s noted the giveaway totals have dipped in recent games, Thursday’s loss to Toronto not withstanding. But Minnesota hasn’t committed fewer than 11 turnovers in a single game this season. Meanwhile, the Wolves have tallied fewer than 25 assists in more than half of their games. ADVERTISEMENT It all speaks to a disjointed offense. Finch has at times attributed that to missed shots that were good looks. But the Wolves are tied with Charlotte for the fifth-fewest potential assists this season, at 43.7 per game. The stats say Minnesota’s shot making is what has saved the Wolves’ offense this season. The Wolves have the NBA’s 10th-best offensive rating, averaging 1.14 points per possession. That’s with having the League’s fourth-best effective field goal percentage (56.3). The three teams above it in that category all average 1.2-plus points per possession. Those same squads also average more than 2.1 assists per turnover. It all fits the eye test for the Timberwolves. They have an offense that’s run on shot making off isolation basketball. So much of it is without the rhythm and movement Finch aspires for his teams to achieve. And, given that this Wolves unit doesn’t seem to be nearly as dominant defensively as it was one short season ago, until Minnesota can look more like a fluid offense, it will continue to look like a .500 team, or if not worse. ADVERTISEMENT ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .AP Trending SummaryBrief at 5:25 p.m. EST
Women will for the first time make up a majority of state legislators in Colorado and New Mexico next year, but at least 13 states saw losses in female representation after the November election, according to a count released Thursday by the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics. While women will fill a record number of state legislative seats in 2025, the overall uptick will be slight, filling just over third of legislative seats. Races in some states are still being called. "We certainly would like to see a faster rate of change and more significant increases in each election cycle to get us to a place where parity in state legislatures is less novel and more normal," said Kelly Dittmar, director of research at the CAWP, which is a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. As of Wednesday, at least 2,450 women will serve in state legislatures, representing 33.2% of the seats nationwide. The previous record was set in 2024 with 2,431 women, according to the CAWP. The number of Republican women, at least 851, will break the previous record of 815 state lawmakers set in 2024. "But still, Republican women are very underrepresented compared to Democratic women," Debbie Walsh, director of the CAWP, said. From left, House Maj. Whip Reena Szczepanski, D-Santa Fe, Rep. D. Wonda Johnson, D-Church Rock and Rep. Cristina Parajon, D-Albuquerque, talk July 18 before the start of a special session, in Santa Fe, N.M. By the most recent count, 19 states will have increased the number of women in their state legislatures, according to the CAWP. The most notable increases were in New Mexico and Colorado, where women will for the first time make up a majority of lawmakers. In New Mexico, voters sent an 11 additional women to the chambers. Colorado previously attained gender parity in 2023 and is set to tip over to a slight female majority in the upcoming year. The states follow Nevada, which was the first in the country to see a female majority in the legislature following elections in 2018. Next year, women will make up almost 62% of state lawmakers in Nevada, far exceeding parity. Women in California's Senate will make up the chamber's majority for the first time in 2025 as well. Women also made notable gains in South Dakota, increasing its number by at least nine. Four of South Carolina's Sister Senators, from left, Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-Walterboro, Sen. Mia McLeod, I-Columbia, Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, and Sen. Penry Gustafson, R-Camden, stand in front of the Senate on June 26 with their John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award in Columbia, S.C. At least thirteen states emerged from the election with fewer female lawmakers than before, with the most significant loss occurring in South Carolina. This year, the only three Republican women in the South Carolina Senate lost their primaries after they stopped a total abortion ban from passing. Next year, only two women, who are Democrats, will be in the 46-member Senate. No other state in the country will have fewer women in its upper chamber, according to the CAWP. Women make up 55% of the state's registered voters. Half the members in the GOP dominated state were elected in 2012 or before, so it will likely be the 2040s before any Republican woman elected in the future can rise to leadership or a committee chairmanship in the chamber, which doles out leadership positions based on seniority. A net loss of five women in the legislature means they will make up only about 13% of South Carolina's lawmakers, making the state the second lowest in the country for female representation. Only West Virginia has a smaller proportion of women in the legislature. West Virginia stands to lose one more women from its legislative ranks, furthering its representation problem in the legislature where women will make up just 11% of lawmakers. Many women, lawmakers and experts say that women's voices are needed in discussions on policy, especially at a time when state government is at its most powerful in decades. Walsh, director of the CAWP, said the new changes expected from the Trump administration will turn even more policy and regulation to the states. The experiences and perspectives women offer will be increasingly needed, she said, especially on topics related to reproductive rights, healthcare, education and childcare. "The states may have to pick up where the federal government may, in fact, be walking away," Walsh said. "And so who serves in those institutions is more important now than ever." November 7, 2024: Trump Victory Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.On the other hand, there are those who argue for patience and support for players like Fred, citing factors such as adaptation to a new league, playing style, or personal circumstances that may be affecting their performance. They believe that every player goes through rough patches and deserves a fair chance to prove their worth. However, while a certain degree of patience and support is necessary, there comes a point where tough decisions must be made for the benefit of the team.As the investigation into Bu's alleged criminal activities continues, the public remains divided on the nature of the case. Some believe that Bu is innocent and that he is being unfairly targeted, while others are convinced of his guilt and are demanding swift justice. Whatever the outcome may be, one thing is certain: the case of Bu has shone a spotlight on the dark underbelly of society, and has prompted a much-needed conversation about crime, justice, and accountability.Terre Haute pitching great Tommy John has been a candidate for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown 20 times, and much to his hometown's chagrin, hasn’t yet gotten the call. On Sunday night, John was passed over again for induction into the Hall at Cooperstown, New York. The lefthanded pitching great didn’t receive the minimum of 75% of the votes cast by the Classic Baseball Era Committee, a 16-member panel that included six Hall of Fame players, big-league executives and veteran media and historians. Seven other players were on the ballot. The committee chose instead former Phillies and White Sox slugger Dick Allen, and powerful former Pittsburgh Pirate and Cincinnati Red Dave Parker. Their selections were announced live on the "MLB Tonight" program on the MLB Network on Sunday evening. Parker was named on 14 of the 16 committee members' ballots, while Allen was on 13 voters' ballots. John received seven votes, third most but five shy of the necessary 12. John, now 81, lives with his wife in Florida. "I thought I had a great chance," he said Sunday night by phone from Florida. John didn't offer a comment on the choices of Allen and Parker, but pointed out that Allen had missed induction by one vote in the last veterans balloting. Also on the ballot were Ken Boyer, Steve Garvey and Luis Tiant, as well as former Negro Leagues star John Donaldson and manager Vic Harris. Boyer, Donaldson, Garvey, Harris and Tiant each received less than five votes on Sunday. John had connections with several fellow candidates. He played in the majors with Boyer, Garvey and Tiant, faced Allen and Parker on the mound. John also played against Allen in the minor leagues, and both entered the majors in 1963. John and Tiant — best known for his years as a Red Sox pitcher — were both officially rookies in the Cleveland rotation in 1964. In head-to-head matchups, Allen was 2-for-4 at bat against John for a .500 batting average, with one homer and one strikeout. Parker went 7-for-28 against John, a .250 average, with two homers. John struck out Parker a hefty nine times. The 16-member Classic Era Committee gathered at the MLB winter meetings Sunday in Dallas. The eight-person ballot was comprised of candidates whose primary contribution to the game came prior to 1980. Modern-era greats could join Allen and Parker in the Class of 2025, which will be inducted in ceremonies at Cooperstown on July 27. Parker, now 73, and the late Allen, who died in 2020, will be joined by any former players or managers elected in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voting, to be announced on Jan. 21. John was unsure if he'll be considered again in future Hall of Fame votes by veterans committees. "I have no idea what they're going to do," he said Sunday night. Later Sunday, Craig Muder — National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum director of communications — told the Tribune-Star, "Tommy John remains eligible in the future. Next election would be fall of 2027 for Class of 2028." John was on the primary Hall of Fame ballot in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America 15 times and never made the cut. He was back on the ballot by veteran panels to reconsider overlooked players, but also missed those cuts 2011, 2014, 2018 and 2020. Two recent developments seemed to strengthen John’s chances. First, one of John’s contemporaries — fellow former lefty pitcher Jim Kaat — was inducted last year with a similar career resume. Kaat finished a 25-year career from 1959 to ‘83 with a 283-237 record, a 3.45 earned-run average and three All-Star appearances. Kaat endorsed John for Hall induction. And, an upcoming, new documentary will soon shine a global spotlight on John’s life story. Winter State Entertainment has been crafting “Tommy John: The Bionic Man” since 2023 and prime elements of the upcoming 90-minute movie were filmed in Terre Haute. But only Allen and Parker received the necessary votes on Sunday. Allen played 15 seasons for the Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers, White Sox and Athletics, totaling 351 home runs and 1,119 RBI. He won the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year Award with the Phillies and was named the 1972 American League Most Valuable Player with the White Sox. Parker was named to seven All-Star Games in his 19 seasons, winning back-to-back NL batting titles in 1977-78 while earning league MVP honors in the latter year. He starred with the Pirates' World Series championship team in 1979 and played for the Athletics World Series title team 10 years later. Parker won the 1979 All-Star Game MVP Award, displaying his legendary throwing arm from right field. John was born May 22, 1943 and raised in Terre Haute, and played boyhood and Gerstmeyer High School games, including his last one in 1961, at Spencer F. Ball Park on Eighth Avenue. Fittingly, his hometown named one of the park’s diamonds for John in 2014. John signed with the Cleveland Indians right out of high school, and went on to pitch 26 seasons in the big leagues from 1963 to 1989. A first-of-its-kind elbow surgery in 1974 preserved his career, but caused John to miss a full season and a half. John recovered magnificently and played another 14 seasons, finishing his career with 288 wins and 231 losses and a 3.34 earned-run average. John won 20 or more games three times, all after his surgery. In fact, John got 164 of his career wins after Jobe replaced the ulnar collateral ligament in his left arm with a tendon from John’s right arm. It had never been performed before, and his rehabilitation was also groundbreaking and unprecedented. John retold the story in his book “TJ: My 26 Years in Baseball.” After high school, he signed in 1961 with the Indians and was sent to play for the Dubuque Packers in the Class D Midwest League. Within two seasons, the Indians called him up to the Cleveland club. He pitched for the Indians, White Sox, Dodgers, Yankees, Angels and Athletics. He started 700 games in his long career, the eighth-most in history. His 4,710.1 innings pitched ranks 20th all-time. He made four All-Star games, including three after his epic elbow surgery, conducted by Dr. Frank Jobe.
Cam Inman: Brock Purdy’s long-term outlook worth pondering as 49ers QB rests sore shoulder
Hisense's swift response to the layoff rumors reflects its commitment to open communication, transparency, and employee engagement. By addressing the speculation head-on, the company has demonstrated its dedication to upholding its values and supporting its workforce during challenging times. Hisense values its employees as its most valuable asset and recognizes the vital role they play in the company's success.
When a traveler discovered that the same flight ticket could be purchased directly from the airline for only 1070 yuan, while Flight Manager was selling it for 3357 yuan, outrage quickly spread on social media. Many people expressed their frustration at what they perceived as unfair and unjustified pricing practices. Some accused Flight Manager of taking advantage of unsuspecting customers and profiteering at their expense.Sincerely,
