ATLANTA -- There was a buzz in the Hawks locker rm after their long-awaited first lk at their new starting five together.Clearly, Atlantas new big man has generated big expectations for the season.The Hawks final home preseason game on Tuesday night provided the first chance for forward Paul Milsap, who has made three straight All-Star teams, to play beside center Dwight Howard, an eight-time All-Star and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.Milsap was brought along slowly following a non-surgical procedure before training camp to reduce swelling in his right knee before making his first start in Atlantas 96-89 preseason win over New Orleans.Seeing Howard and Milsap finally playing together bsted small forward Kent Bazemores enthusiasm for the season.The ball moves really well for us, Bazemore said. Paul and Dwight have really gd chemistry and theyre going to be passing the ball a lot to each other ... so they lked really gd tonight.Howard signed a three-year, $70.5 million deal in July, giving Atlanta the legitimate center it lacked through much of the Al Horford era.Horford, now with Boston, was a big reason the Hawks reeled off nine straight playoff seasons, but even he said he wasnt a true NBA center. No one has ever said that about Howard, whose defensive rebounds and blocked shots have coach Mike Budenholzer thinking about fast-break opportunities.Howard, entering his 13th NBA season, is still only 30. He sees his move to his hometown as a fresh start and an opportunity to repair his reputation following eight seasons with Orlando, one with the Lakers and the last three with Houston.I really want to show the Hawks fans how dedicated I am to winning, Howard said. I think a lot of people have probably got it twisted with the things that have happened in my past but Im very dedicated to this sport, very dedicated to myself and winning and being whatever I can be for this team.---Here are some other things to know about the Hawks:NEW POINT: The other new piece in Atlantas lineup is point guard Dennis Schroder, who moves up after playing behind Jeff Teague for three years. Bazemore said Schroder, like Howard, bsts the Hawks defense. Defensively hes a stud and thats where it starts, Bazemore said. Weve got one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the league at point guard. Its just a pleasure playing with him and the grit he brings every night. Its huge for us.DELANEY THE BACKUP: Schroders backup will be rkie Malcolm Delaney. Veteran Jarrett Jack, who was still recovering from surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right knee last season with the Nets, was released on Thursday. Delaney, from Virginia Tech, has played in Europe for five years. Budenholzer said Delaney is not your typical rkie. ... I just feel very gd about the way he has progressed and fit in with the group.KORVERS ROLE: Kyle Korver, 35, likely will open the season as the starting shting guard, but for how long? The 3-point specialist saw his scoring average fall from 12.1 in 2014-15 to 9.2 last season. The Hawks could bring Korver off the bench if they opt for a bigger lineup with Bazemore at shting guard and rkie Taurean Prince (6-8, 220) or Thabo Sefolosha (6-7, 220) at small forward.FOR OPENERS: The Hawks open at home against Washington on Thursday. After trying a later 8 p.m. tipoff for most home games last season, most night games will start at 70 p.m. this season.THE TRY FOR 10: The nine straight playoff seasons is the longest in franchise history and the longest active streak in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks set a franchise record with 60 wins in 2014-15, when they made their first appearance in the Eastern Conference finals. They fell back to 48 wins last season.Air Max 97 Off White Wolf Grey Menta .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. Air Max 97 Factory Outlet . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indr hard-court at Belgrade Arena. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. http://www.outletairmax97.com/air-max-97-2020.html .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Air Max 97 Plus Black Shock Orange . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. New Air Max 97 2019 . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama.MOSCOW -- A year after the release of a damning report into widespread doping, Russian track and field is hopeful of a way back into the global fold.On November 9, 2015, the World Anti-Doping Agencys independent commission unleashed a strongly worded, 323-page account of how Russian athletes, coaches and officials had colluded in the use of performance-enhancing drugs before and after the 2012 London Olympics.That report set in motion a year of turmoil and legal battles for Russia, which had more than 100 athletes in various sports barred from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, including all but one member of the track and field team. The Russian track federation remains barred from international competition, with no date set for when it could return.Weve lived through a hard year, very hard, All-Russian Athletics Federation general secretary Mikhail Butov told The Associated Press. Not just regarding the participation of our athletes at the Olympics, which was the most important thing for us, but in terms of recognizing the situation and understanding which way to go.Despite being under the heaviest sanctions in track and field history, Russian officials insist they are making progress on anti-doping reforms and plan to send athletes to major competitions in the coming months. The main target is the European indr championships in Belgrade, Serbia, from March 3-5, federation president Dmitry Shlyakhtin said after talks with IAAF representatives in Monaco.The IAAF will hold a special congress in Monaco on Dec. 3.Any Russians who are allowed to compete will probably have to accept neutral status in IAAF events rather than officially representing Russia, Butov suggested. The IAAF declined to comment on the talks.The work has continued and there is something to show for it, Butov said.The only Russian who competed in track and field at the Rio Games was long jumper Darya Klishina, who was allowed to take part under IAAF rules because she had been based in the U.S. for several years, away from the Russian drug-testing system, which faced accusations that offficials and lab staff had covered up hundreds of failed tests.ddddddddddddRussian track and field officials and athletes hope the IAAF will accept individual athletes applications to compete, even if the federation as a whole remains suspended.Now it seems as if that criterion about living abroad can probably be disregarded, Butov said. The issue now is that the testing that has been done in this period is considered convincing and guaranteed to give an athlete the opportunity to be considered for competition. If its not like that, itll be an endless process.The Russian drug-testing agency has been suspended for almost a year, with testing carried out in reduced numbers by Britains anti-doping agency. Russian Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov said the situation was totally unacceptable because UK Anti-Doping plans to collect only 6,000 samples in 2017, compared to the 20,000 collected by the Russian agency at its peak. He said that only national team athletes are being targeted for testing, leaving youth and junior athletes out of the system.So, in a situation like this, why not to find a fast-track way to give the accreditation back to RUSADA and to renew its activities, especially since it is under the full control of WADA? Zhukov said in a speech to IOC officials released Wednesday. What is preventing this? For our part, we would like to appeal to you as WADAs founders to assist in the prompt reinstatement of the Russian anti-doping agency and the anti-doping laboratory in their rights.Among those who missed the Rio Games was hammer thrower Sergei Litvinov, who had hoped to compete in his first Olympics.Ive spent the whole year on edge, he said.Litvinov, a vocal critic of drug use, had requested extra drug-testing by the IAAF to prove he was clean, but still came under the Russian teams ban. He still doesnt know when he can compete again.Whatever will be, will be, he said. It could all change at any moment. ' ' '