MINNEAPOLIS -- In the winter of 1998, Ethan Casson started calling professional franchise after professional franchise, begging them to get his foot in the door in any capacity.One night, a human resources employee for the Minnesota Timberwolves picked up the phone and Casson talked his way into a meeting. He flew from the East Coast, met with several Timberwolves executives and, during the third quarter of a game against the Golden State Warriors, was offered an entry-level position on the business side of the operation at $24,000 per year.To think that what started as a cold call of me begging an HR person to let me come in and prove my worth 18 years later turned into me coming back as a CEO is amazing and certainly very special to me, Casson told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.Casson had to sell his car and some other possessions to raise the money to pay for his move from Boston to the Twin Cities, but the leap of faith has paid off. Six years after he left the Timberwolves to climb the ladder with the San Francisco 49ers, he is returning as CEO to breathe new life into one of the NBAs struggling operations.Timberwolves President Chris Wright remembered the impression Casson left in those first face-to-face meetings.I told him were going to find a place for you in this franchise because you are exactly the type of person that we want build this franchise around, Wright said.Cassons first stint with the Timberwolves lasted 11 years. He worked his way up to senior vice president of corporate partnerships and met his future wife here before leaving for the 49ers in 2010.When he arrived in the Bay Area, the once-proud 49ers were in the midst of an eight-year playoff drought. Their revenue had dropped to near the bottom of the league and they were playing in an outdated stadium that couldnt compete with the shiny new ones popping up around the league. He leaves after helping to secure a 20-year, $220 million naming rights deal with Levis for the new stadium and rebuilding the franchises business operations.The Timberwolves have not made the playoffs since 2004, the longest active drought in the league. That futility has contributed significantly to plummeting revenue and a dwindling season ticket base.Im not saying its apples to apples, but I certainly feel Ive been on a six-year journey that involved a lot of similar themes, Casson said. And Ill apply all of those lessons to this next phase of my career.Casson replaces Rob Moor, the longtime CEO who stepped aside to work more closely with Wolves owner Glen Taylors other business interests. At 42 years old, Casson is part of a youth movement coming into the organization. Taylor also brought in 41-year-old New York real estate mogul Meyer Orbach and 35-year-old Chinese entrepreneur John Jiang as minority owners, and he hopes the three of them help bring a new perspective and energy to the business side that mirrors the vibe youngsters Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine are bringing to the team.I was very aware and respectful that taking on this role wasnt about coming in and fixing things that were broken, Casson said. I dont look at opportunities like this as somethings not working. I look at it as an opportunity to reset and plot out a different course or a different version of a course that moves the business forward.The challenges are real. The Timberwolves competitive dormancy buried them in a crowded sports marketplace. Tickets have been hard to sell and the NFLs Vikings, the NHLs Wild and MLBs Twins are competing for the corporate dollars.Ive been here for a long time, said Wright, who is entering his 25th season with the Wolves. Ive tried to do it what I consider the best way for the franchise given all of the different sort of environments weve found ourselves in over the last 12 years as weve not been making the playoffs. And I think Ethan is going to just bring a completely fresh, new look to all of that and lead us in the direction we need to be as a club in the 21st century.The Wolves have one of the most promising young cores in the league, a brand new practice facility in downtown Minneapolis and have begun renovations on the dusty Target Center.Theres a lot of momentum in and around the organization that made it very exciting for me as a fan and now as someone who is coming back as CEO, he said. That will come and go. The renovation will eventually be complete. The team will stabilize and be competitive. You still have to make sure the business model is sustainable and drivable. Thats what were going to be. Air Max Verkaufen Air Max Online Bestellen . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games. http://www.schweizairmax.ch/ .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Nike Air Max Günstig Kaufen . The scientists believe the small earthquake during a Marshawn Lynch touchdown was likely greater than Lynchs famous "beast quake" touchdown run three years ago, which also came against New Orleans during a playoff game. Air Max Günstig Bestellen . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. Kidambi Srikanth and PV Sindhu lit up Indias badminton campaign in Rio, progressing to the quarterfinals of their respective singles events.?While Srikanth marched into the quarterfinals of the mens singles after beating world No. 5 Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark 21-19, 21-19, Sindhu cruised past Chinese Taipeis Tzu Ying Tai 21-13, 21-15 in the womens singles.?She [Tai] was a very tricky player, Sindhu said after the match. Even though I was leading, nothing was for granted. It was a good game, and even she played well.?I was not just aiming at the body. It was a mix of everything. Sometimes, I was hitting out, but I was always alert, and ready for the next point. I didnt take it easy.Srikanth will next play two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China on Wednesday, while Sindhu will have to beat Chinas?Wang Yihan for a spot in the semifinals.?Its a tough match tomorrow against the world No.2, Sindhu said. A lot will depend on the strategy on that particular day, which Ill have to discuss with my coach.Sindhu had a 2-4 record against Tai Tzu going into the match, having beaten her last at the Denmark Open last year, but she opened up a 3-1 lead early on and managed to lead 11-6 at the break.Tai depended on her deceptive game to reduce the margin to 10-12, but she was equally erratic with her placements, while Sindhu showed better presence of mind. Sindhu won a video referral to reach game point at 20-13 and then pocketed it comfortably with Tai hitting wide.After the change of ends, Sindhu once again moved to a 3-1 leaad but she erred twice on her backhand returns to give away two points.ddddddddddddTai tried to take away the pace from the rallies and came up with a few down-the-line smashes to make it 6-6 after Sindhu dropped her serve.However, Tais inability to rein in her unforced errors saw Sindhu lead 11-6 at the interval. Tai tried to put pressure on Sindhu but failed to give the finishing touch as Sindhu sailed away to a 14-7 lead.?Tai found it difficult to control the shuttle and hit long twice to allow Sindhu a lead of 17-11. A couple of drop shots deflected by the net chord took Sindhu to 19-12 before Tai sent one to the net to gift eight match points to Sindhu. Tai saved three match points before another long shot from her gifted Sindhu the match.?Earlier, Srikanth had joined Parupalli Kashyap as the only two Indian mens singles players to reach the quarterfinals of the Olympics.?Srikanth played his trademark attacking game throughout the tight match, taking every opportunity to land smashes and put Jorgensen under pressure.?The Dane ran him close in the second game -- which was tighter than the first despite the same scores -- but Srikanth pulled away at the end.Srikanth had earlier beaten Finlands Henri Hurskainen and?Mexicos Lino Munoz before the last 16 match.Srikanth, who is playing in his first Olympics, is ranked world No. 11. He had beaten Lin to win the China Open title in 2014. 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