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sports Diasabra 11 December 2021

Blazers look to a more steady future after stormy start

(AP) - With a spate of in- emphasized that the event team. He addressed them
juries, a series of disheart- was a discussion. before Wednesday night’s
ening losses, trade rumors road loss to the Golden State
galore and front office Billups, whose playing career Warriors and said he has not
upheaval, the Portland spanned 17 seasons, is in his asked for a trade.
Trail Blazers are having a first year as Portland’s coach.
stormy start to the season. His only prior NBA coaching “It’s gotten to the point in
experience was as an assistant this era that people can write
But rookie coach Chauncey last season with the Los An- stories and say things and, ‘I
Billups is nonetheless opti- geles Clippers. heard this and I heard that,’
mistic about the future and and because of who they are,
fostering a hard-working — The Blazers are 11-15 and people take it as like, this
and winning — culture. riding a four-game losing is credible, this is probably
streak. They’ve won just true,” Lillard told reporters.
“That’s all I ever did as a play- once on the road this season. “Me, on the other hand, I
er: I just came to work with don’t feel like I have to de-
my lunch pail and played And recently they’ve been fend myself against that and
my butt off. Sometimes you beset by injuries, notably to come out and challenge ev-
won, sometimes you didn’t, All-Star guard Damian Lil- erything that people say until
but you could live with the lard, who has missed five I’m asked about it, because I the luxury tax threshold. A
results,” Billups said. “And I games with lower abdominal know the truth.” splashy trade for a big name Cronin said he’s met with
just think as an organization, tendinopathy, would be a challenge. In- the players, including Lillard
that’s what we want from all Hankins took over for Blaz- stead, the Blazers are more and McCollum, to discuss
of our employees. So I’m ex- The team is also missing ers president and CEO Chris likely to look at deals that the team and get feedback.
cited, I really am.” Lillard’s backcourt running McGowan, who stepped shed salaries. Even though he’s carrying
mate, CJ McCollum, who down last month after nine the interim tag, Cronin has
Billups, acting general man- was diagnosed with a col- years in the position. “It’s been kind of a unique been given the green light to
ager Joe Cronin, and De- lapsed lung after getting year so far for us, but we’re strike deals, but they have to
wayne Hankins, the team’s hurt last weekend in a game Cronin replaced former committed to being aggres- be right for the team.
president of business op- against the Boston Celtics. Blazers president and gen- sive, to being willing to take
erations, spoke Thursday at eral manager Neil Olshey, on risks, to being creative and “We’re not afraid to do some-
a roundtable of sorts with Other players dealing with who was dismissed last week forward thinking,” Cronin thing if we need to, and we’ll
members of the media. injuries include Nassir Little, for violating the team’s code said. “Chauncey and I, we do whatever we need to in
who is day-to-day with a left of conduct. The Blazers had talk a lot about what it takes order to take us to this next
It was the first time Cronin ankle sprain, and Anfernee hired an outside firm last to win and what we believe step. But I do want to be
and Hankins met with re- Simons, out with a right an- month to investigate work- winning basketball looks patient, and I don’t want to
porters since recently being kle sprain. place environment concerns. like and I think we’re super panic about losing a few in a
appointed to new positions. aligned in what type of prod- row or hitting a little rough
The tone was a marked con- While Lillard has watched Cronin, considered adept at uct and what type of team we patch,” Cronin said. “We
trast to recent news confer- from the bench in street navigating the salary cap, has need to have in order to reach want to have a bigger picture
ences, which at times seemed clothes, rumors have swirled a difficult role: The Blaz- the levels that we’re trying to in mind.”
combative. The Blazers even about his future with the ers are some $3 million over reach.”

Beijing Games relying on charters, temporary flights

(AP) — Already roiled by departing from more than a they arrive in Beijing, Zhang also raised concerns about the party’s Politburo Stand-
the pandemic and a par- dozen worldwide hubs every said. the safety of three-time ing Committee of coercing
tial diplomatic boycott, day, along with 13 outbound Olympian and former top- her into sex three years ago.
the Beijing Winter Olym- flights . After that, the athletes, of- ranked doubles player Peng, The WTA has suspended all
pics face another chal- ficials and journalists will who publicly accused Zhang of next year’s events in China
lenge in finding airplane “The flight plans have been enter a closed-loop bubble Gaoli, a former member of and Hong Kong in response.
seats for all of the athletes confirmed and the flight for the duration of the Feb.
and officials. schedules have been re- 4-20 Games, which will take
leased,” Zhang said. place at three far-flung loca-
Ensuring the smooth arrival tions in downtown Beijing,
of participants has “become While China has largely con- its suburb of Yanqing, and
everyone’s concern” because trolled widespread virus in- neighboring Hebei province.
of a reduction in regular fections since the pandemic No spectators from outside
passenger flights because of began in the central city of China are being allowed.
COVID-19, Zhang Liang, Wuhan in late 2019, it has
director of the organizing maintained a strict “zero- The U.S., Britain, Canada
committee’s Arrival and De- tolerance” approach on pan- and others have announced
parture Center, said Friday. demic restrictions. a diplomatic boycott under
which they will not send
The committee and civil- Zhang said participants government officials to the
ian aviation authorities have should be fully vaccinated at Games in protest over Chi-
“established the principle least two weeks before their na’s treatment of Turkic
that chartered and tempo- departure for Beijing and Muslim Uyghurs and other
rary flights will be the main monitor their health daily. minority groups, along with
means, supplemented by They also need to take two civil society and human rights
commercial flights,” Zhang nucleic acid tests with 96 activists. China has dismissed
said at a media briefing. hours of boarding their flights that as a futile gesture that vi-
and receive a green health olates the Olympic spirit, but
He said 17 domestic and for- code issued by the Chinese has also vowed to retaliated.
eign carriers have signed on government showing they
to provide temporary flights, are virus-free. Another test Politicians, the WTA and
adding 15 inbound flights will be administered when leading tennis players have