Latest news with #Horst
New York Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Bucks GM Jon Horst on bold Damian Lillard move, Myles Turner acquisition
LAS VEGAS — The Milwaukee Bucks went through one of the most dramatic offseasons of any NBA team by pulling off a move no one expected heading into the summer. With nine-time All-Star Damian Lillard expected to miss much of the 2025-26 season recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon, the Bucks made the difficult decision to waive Lillard and then stretch the nearly $113 million remaining on his contract over the next five seasons. While the move puts roughly $22.5 million of dead money on their salary cap books each of those five seasons, it also helped open up enough cap space for the Bucks to sign Myles Turner, one of the biggest free agents on the market, to a four-year, $108.9 million contract. Advertisement But for Bucks general manager Jon Horst, there is one guiding principle behind all decisions. 'Maximizing Giannis' prime, our opportunities to win, I feel like that's our responsibility always,' he said in an exclusive interview with The Athletic this week. 'So it was really a now versus future decision.' The rest of the offseason was a bit less dramatic as the Bucks have only added three new players from outside the organization thus far and brought back six of their own free agents who played in Milwaukee last season, but that combination of moves was still one of the most surprising roster shake-ups of the summer. To discuss everything that happened this summer, The Athletic sat down with Horst at NBA Summer League for a wide-ranging conversation that touched on each move and some of the larger philosophical ideas behind the team's offseason. Below, you will find Part 1 of that conversation, focusing on big-picture topics for the franchise. On Friday, we will post Part 2 of that conversation that goes deeper into each move and the impact Horst believes those players will have for the Bucks next season. Highlights from Part 1 include Horst explaining: • How improving the team for next season outweighed the future risk of dead money on the salary cap books: 'We were dealing with a really big hurdle and complication that we had to figure out how to deal with now.' • When the organization started contemplating using the waive-and-stretch to acquire Turner: 'This was (an avenue) that we were always exploring. And Myles has always been a target.' • Why the team has decided to lean into Giannis Antetokounmpo's playmaking even more: 'He truly is becoming a real point guard.' • Why he believes in Doc Rivers: 'He's a championship-level coach. He's the right coach to get us to where we want to go.' Advertisement • Whether the organization has done enough this offseason: 'I've done everything within my human possible power this offseason.' (This interview was lightly edited for clarity.) Let's start with the biggest move of the offseason. You had the chance to talk about Myles Turner already in his introductory news conference, so I wanted to talk about the move itself. At The Athletic, we called it a risk, a gamble to put $22.5 million of dead money on your books for the next five years. That impediment, that dead money, how do you feel like you will be able to work around it to once again put the team in position to contend in the Eastern Conference? I think every decision, every move that you make, has risk and reward, so there's nothing unique about that in this case. We looked at the opportunity to acquire a highly productive, elite free agent, who is in the prime of his career, and who is an incredible fit next to Giannis, as an opportunity for these next two seasons in particular, instead of what would have been Dame on our books at a full salary, as really opportunistic, more than anything. The carry for the following three years, there's no question that if you want to call it an impediment or another hurdle, that's fine. But we were dealing with a really big hurdle and complication that we had to figure out how to deal with now, and the now matters more than anything. Maximizing Giannis' prime, our opportunities to win, I feel like that's our responsibility always. So it was really a now versus future decision. That being said, Myles is an incredible player in the prime of his career for four years. So four of those five years, we have Myles Turner, so it wasn't like we just did something now and then we have to take four years of risk beyond this year and four years of carry without any production. We have four years, at least, of Myles Turner at elite production while that's on our books. And there (are) other things that we did, there (are) other moves that we made, other players we're able to acquire because of this move now that I believe will outweigh the carry of the 20-plus million dollars that we have. You mentioned the move being opportunistic. I'd guess two weeks before free agency got underway as the Indiana Pacers were playing in the NBA Finals, you didn't imagine that Myles Turner would be available to you or anyone else. When did you feel like you might have a chance to add Turner? I think the strategy existed for us in a very honest way. It's unfortunate what happened at the end of our season. So the strategy was something in consideration for us, amongst many other different strategies that we were exploring and internally navigating and vetting to create cap space. And there were different ways you could do it. You could do it via trade. You could do it via the waive and stretch. You could utilize our really beneficial position relative to the tax this year, as compared to past years. Advertisement We went into the offseason saying that, besides Detroit and Brooklyn at the time, we had as much flexibility as anybody else, and we actually had tradable draft picks and we had tradable contracts, and so this was not an offseason where we were completely up against the wall. It was an offseason where we had a lot of different avenues to pursue and explore. And so this was one that we were always exploring. And Myles has always been a target. But their unfortunate circumstance, the timing of ours, the timing of theirs … as we started thinking about it internally, I'm like, this could be a reality. So we should drill into this path a little bit more. What does this look like? What are the other moves we'd have to do subsequently to make it work? The strategy itself was kind of always there, something we've been always looking at, but I think him as a target and a realistic target culminated with the (Tyrese Haliburton) injury that they suffered. And that's the unfortunate thing in our business. That happens, and then you have to look for opportunities to pivot and address the needs that you have because of it. And that's what we did. Because of Turner's age and ability, it feels like you should be able to do things differently from a play-style standpoint next season. How do you feel like Turner can be an agent of change in that regard? One of the things that I love about the acquisition for us — one of many things — is there's no question that it opens up things for us to do differently. But, largely, it allows us to be the same in the ways that we've been really great also. We've been a team because of Giannis' style of play and Doc's style of play and the way that I love the game of basketball, we've always spaced the floor, we move the ball, we shoot a lot of 3s, and Giannis thrives in that. And so Myles is a great floor spacer. We love to be big and physical and defend the rim, and Myles does that. He's elite at defending the rim. And I think that we needed to grow in our perimeter speed and our perimeter ability to navigate the pick-and-roll game, which is such a big part of the NBA now. To have multiple switch defenders on the floor. To play faster offensively and defensively in transition. And I think Myles adds that, as does Bobby (Portis) in a bigger, more important role for us than I think that he's ever been in. I think that is one of the things that's a little bit undertold is keeping Bobby and letting Bobby play in the way he played near the end of the season. He's really increased his shot speed. I mean, he really gets rid of the ball quicker. His shot quality has really improved. He understands he can dominate around the rim, rebound the basketball, shoot the ball on the perimeter. Jericho (Sims) was one of the best switch defenders in the playoffs. He's got a limited, limited sample, but I believe that he can do it. He's an elite rim protector. He's big, he's physical, he's athletic. I think the core four of those guys as a frontcourt is as good as anybody. And I think that it's largely the way that we've been dominant in that space over 10 years. But I also think it gives us a chance to modernize and catch up in some of the other areas as well. Doc Rivers has been very public about his desire to play with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the point forward role. After Game 5 against the Pacers, Antetokounmpo talked about how that was the role he saw for himself moving forward. How do you feel about Antetokounmpo in that role and how did that change how you tried to build a roster this offseason? I feel like we've always played with a certain type of guard. Typically a guard that's willing to catch and shoot, a guard that is capable of being a primary playmaker, but doesn't need to be a primary playmaker. And I think some of our best teams that we've ever had — and we've had a lot of great teams — we had guys at the guard spot in that mold. They can really shoot. They're capable and willing defenders, and they could go five, six, seven possessions and just play off Giannis, or they can go five, six, seven possessions and they can initiate our offense. Advertisement And that's what we've tried to do. We tried to build a team like that this offseason. Take the opportunity for Giannis to go even more down that road. I would say we've always doubled down on it, maybe we're tripling down or quadrupling down on it now. He just continues to grow at such a high rate in generating 3-point shots for his teammates. It's elite. His decision-making is elite. His turnover game is reducing. He truly is becoming a real point guard — or a real point forward, like Doc calls it — so I think that allows us to dive even deeper into it than we have in the past, but I think those have always been some of our most successful lineups and groups. Putting him out there with a bunch of shooters and ball movers and let him just dominate. You stop him, he passes it. You don't, he dunks it. And I feel like we've got a number of those guys. Last year, we were the best 3-point shooting team in the NBA efficiency-wise, average at best in frequency. I think we were probably like 15, 16, 17. I think if we get that number into the top 10 and we stay in the top two or three percentage-wise, it's going to have a big impact on our productivity throughout the season. And our style of play will allow us to do that, and the talent we have will allow us to do that. You've worked with Doc for two years. The results have not been what you have wanted and there are myriad reasons for that, but I'm curious how you have viewed working with Doc and why you believe he is still the right coach for this team. I've enjoyed my time with Doc immensely. It's one of the least established relationships I had prior to making a hire of anyone in my career so far, but he and I just continue to grow closer and closer each day. He's a big-time collaborator. He has the exact same views that I do on culture building and professionalism within the organization, how you treat people, how you communicate honestly. He is a great partner in that he'll have any tough conversation that you need to have with a player or players, and I think that's essential in this business. And it gives you a real chance to win when stuff gets tough. He's a great basketball guy. I learn from him every day. I love being around him. He's very well-connected. So when it comes to recruiting and networking and just the different things that you can do with a roster that are necessary, he's amazing at that as well. And so I've loved working with him, and he's a basketball junkie. I've been amazed. No one takes more notes. I sit right behind him on the plane, and he's watching film as soon as the game's over. It's the first thing he does. He's got a video guy with him, and he just really grinds. He really works at it. He still loves the game at a high level, and he's a champion. I think the reason why I still love working with Doc and I'm excited to work with Doc is because I think we have a chance to win with Doc. I think he's a championship-level coach. He's the right coach to get us to where we want to go. We haven't had the results yet in our two years together that we wanted. But it's been two of the most adversity-filled seasons that I've been part of. And we've had two really successful regular seasons. To go through the things that we went through, if people actually look at the facts of what we went through over two years — we still finished with a fifth seed and a third seed. Near 50 wins in both seasons. And then we lost to the team that lost in the conference finals two years ago and the team that lost in Game 7 of the finals this year. We lost to a really, really good Indiana Pacers organization that deserves everything that they've got. I mean, that team had an unbelievable two-year run and they beat everybody; they didn't just beat us. Advertisement So I'm really proud of the last two years with Doc, and I think we've learned a lot. And I think it's going to help us get to where we want to get. In your introductory news conference for Turner, you said when it comes to Giannis, your job is to put together a plan to build the best team possible to, present that vision to him and then 'go kick a– in the next season.' Do you feel like you've done enough in that regard this offseason? And where do you think you stand among the Eastern Conference's top teams? So, two-part question. Have we done enough? We've done everything, I've done everything within my human possible power this offseason. I feel like our group works our butts off. I've got to shout out Dave Dean, Ryan Hoover, Milt Newton, Pat Haneman, Samer Jassar, David Mincberg, and Arjun Mahendroo, the whole group, we do everything we can to get better. We do everything we can to put the next version of this thing out there, to give Doc and Giannis and Bobby and Scoot (Kevin Porter Jr.) and the guys on our team every chance that they can to win every night. And so have we done enough? I don't know. We'll find out. Have we done everything that we possibly could? Absolutely. And have we done more than anyone else could possibly do? I believe we have. And that's not an arrogant thing to say. In a very humble way. I think we've done as much or more than anyone else could possibly do, and I'm proud of that. It's a really tough Eastern Conference and it's a really tough NBA and that's what makes it fun. I think there are other teams that have had great offseasons. But we took our set of circumstances, we evaluated everything we possibly could to have the best possible chance that we could at the upcoming season. And I think we're in that spot right now. The thing that I'm as excited about or more excited about is that we're not done. That was just the offseason. Then we're gonna have a training camp, and we're going to be evaluating our roster. We're going to be evaluating our talent, and we are going to build up toward a trade deadline and we're gonna evaluate every single thing we can. And we're going to try to have an amazing trade deadline also. It might be that we do nothing because we have the best team in the NBA, or it might be that we do a bunch of things because we need to, but I just think we've left nothing on the table. As executives and coaches, you look at your team and all you want is for the guys to give everything they have and leave it all on the floor. We feel like we've done that to put this team together, so I'm proud of that. (Top photo of Myles Turner and Giannis Antetokounmpo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
DW
04-07-2025
- Business
- DW
Germany sees surge in shoplifting cases – DW – 07/03/2025
A new survey of major German retailers has found a rise in theft, committed by organized gangs or by individuals who find it ever more difficult to make ends meet. But some criminologists doubt the figures. Germany has never had more shoplifters than in 2024. An annual survey of 98 retailers estimates a 3% increase on the year before — amounting to some €4.95 billion ($5.84 billion) in losses. The latest study by Germany's Retail Institute (EHI) on "inventory differences" shows that the vast majority of those losses (€4.2 billion) was down to theft from customers, employees, or delivery workers, the EHI said, which would mean losses of some €570 million to the public purse through lost sales tax. The EHI also said that retailers had to resort to balancing out their losses and the costs of extra security by increasing prices. Study author Frank Horst calculated that some 1.5% of prices in stores could now be attributed to covering theft and security. The EHI said there had also been a 5% increase in organized shoplifting, which accounted for a third of the total shoplifting losses. Horst said this could be individual thieves working their way through a "shopping list," or else, the thefts could be carried out by coordinated groups. "One of them drives a vehicle, one of them distracts the staff, or shields the one putting the goods away so they can't be seen," Horst told DW. "Sometimes so-called depots are set up in the store, where all the goods are packed in a bag, and then someone else carries it out in a surreptitious moment." The survey does not include exact breakdowns of the kinds of articles that get stolen, but Horst says that thieves often target anything small, expensive, and that can be easily re-sold, such as perfume and cosmetics. There had also been a rise in the theft of foods, especially relatively expensive things like meats and cheeses. But Nicole Bögelein, a criminologist at Cologne University, cast doubt on how useful the study actually is. She told DW that the researchers estimate that 98% of cases aren't even discovered. "So it's just an assumption that the majority of these losses can be attributed to theft," she said. Bögelein also cast doubt on the EHI's conclusion that there are more organized shoplifting gangs, as that could simply be because store detectives are more on the lookout for such groups. Despite its shortcomings, the annual EHI survey is one of the few shoplifting studies there are, and it is focused mostly on the economic impact. Bögelein, by training a sociologist as well as a criminologist, has a different perspective and says that almost all cases of shoplifting are so-called poverty crimes — defined as crimes that don't cost any money to carry out, and are committed by people because they have no money. Bögelein's own investigations into shoplifting have found that the people who are caught are often poor — possibly, she says, also because store detectives are more likely to keep an eye on people who "look poor." Official statistics suggest that the majority of thefts from shops are relatively petty. According to German federal police statistics, in 66.7% of discovered and prosecuted thefts, the value of the items stolen was under €50 and in 40.2% of cases even under €15. The punishment is usually a small fine, or, if the fine can't or won't be paid, a prison sentence. Horst described Germany as a "paradise" for shoplifters, as the punishments are often relatively mild. Though theoretically thieves can be imprisoned for up to five years, he said that in practice first-time offenders are often not charged at all. Bögelein said that deterrence might have an effect on some minor thefts, but was generally skeptical of the idea that more punishment discourages petty crime. "People don't not steal because they're scared of punishment," she argued. "In criminology, we find that people stick to rules because they think those rules are correct and because they fear a bad conscience if they don't stick to them." There has been a debate among German criminologists about to what extent "poverty crimes" should be decriminalized altogether, on the grounds that such crimes are usually victimless and therefore don't require criminal justice. There have long been calls to downgrade one classic "poverty crime" — riding public transport without a ticket — to a misdemeanor, partly because punishing it has become a burden to public coffers and is clogging up the justice system. Between 8,000 and 9,000 people end up in prison in Germany every year for riding without a ticket. But Horst argued that shoplifting shouldn't always be defined as a poverty crime: The EHI estimates that two-thirds of shoplifting cases were what he called "opportunistic perpetrators," and many of them are not necessarily poor. Horst does think that inflation and higher prices for basic items may be playing a role in the rise of shoplifting, but he was reluctant to accept that poverty was the driving element of all theft. "It could be a protest theft, because people are saying they're not prepared to accept the price rises for a particular product," he said, "I'm sure poverty is a part of it, but that it explains the rise on its own — I don't see that."While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.
DW
03-07-2025
- Business
- DW
Shoplifting on the rise in Germany – DW – 07/03/2025
A new survey of major German retailers has found a rise in theft, committed by organized gangs or by individuals who find it ever more difficult to make ends meet. But some criminologists doubt the figures. Germany has never had more shoplifters than in 2024. An annual survey of 98 retailers estimates a 3% increase on the year before — amounting to some €4.95 billion ($5.84 billion) in losses. The latest study by Germany's Retail Institute (EHI) on "inventory differences" shows that the vast majority of those losses (€4.2 billion) was down to theft from customers, employees, or delivery workers, the EHI said, which would mean losses of some €570 million to the public purse through lost sales tax. The EHI also said that retailers had to resort to balancing out their losses, and the costs of extra security, by increasing prices. Study author Frank Horst calculated that some 1.5% of prices in stores could now be attributed to covering theft and security. The EHI said there had also been a 5% increase in organized shoplifting, which accounted for a third of the total shoplifting losses. Horst said this could be individual thieves working their way through a "shopping list," or else, the thefts could be carried out by coordinated groups. "One of them drives a vehicle, one of them distracts the staff, or shields the one putting the goods away so they can't be seen," Horst told DW. "Sometimes so-called depots are set up in the store, where all the goods are packed in a bag, and then someone else carries it out in a surreptitious moment." The survey does not include exact breakdowns of the kinds of articles that get stolen, but Horst says that thieves often target anything small, expensive, and that can be easily re-sold, such as perfume and cosmetics. There had also been a rise in the theft of foods, especially relatively expensive things like meats and cheeses. But Nicole Bögelein, criminologist at Cologne University, cast doubt on how useful the study actually is. She told DW that the researchers estimate that 98% of cases aren't even discovered. "So it's just an assumption that the majority of these losses can be attributed to theft," she said. Bögelein also cast doubt on the EHI's conclusion that there are more organized shoplifting gangs, as that could simply be because store detectives are more on the lookout for such groups. Despite its shortcomings, the annual EHI survey is one of the few shoplifting studies there are, and it is focused mostly on the economic impact. Bögelein, by training a sociologist as well as a criminologist, has a different perspective, and says that almost all cases of shoplifting are so-called "poverty crimes" — defined as crimes that don't cost any money to carry out, and are committed by people because they have no money. Bögelein's own investigations into shoplifting have found that the people who are caught are often poor — possibly, she says, also because store detectives are more likely to keep an eye on people who "look poor." Official statistics suggest that the majority of thefts from shops are relatively petty. According to German federal police statistics, in 66.7% of discovered and prosecuted thefts, the value of the items stolen was under €50 and in 40.2% of cases even under €15. The punishment is usually a small fine, or, if the fine can't or won't be paid, a prison sentence. Horst described Germany as a "paradise" for shoplifters, as the punishments are often relatively mild. Though theoretically thieves can be imprisoned for up to five years, he said that in practice first-time offenders are often not charged at all. Bögelein said that deterrence might have an effect for some minor thefts, but was generally skeptical of the idea that more punishment discourages petty crime. "People don't not steal because they're scared of punishment," she argued. "In criminology, we find that people stick to rules because they think those rules are correct and because they fear a bad conscience if they don't stick to them." There has been a debate among German criminologists about to what extent "poverty crimes" should be decriminalized altogether, on the grounds that such crimes are usually victimless and therefore don't require criminal justice. There have long been calls to downgrade one classic "poverty crime" — riding public transport without a ticket — to a misdemeanor, partly because punishing it has become a burden to public coffers and is clogging up the justice system. Between 8,000 and 9,000 people end up in prison in Germany every year for riding without a ticket. But Horst argued that shoplifting shouldn't always be defined as a poverty crime: The EHI estimates that two-thirds of shoplifting cases were what he called "opportunistic perpetrators," and many of them are not necessarily poor. Horst does think that inflation and higher prices for basic items may be playing a role in the rise of shoplifting, but he was reluctant to accept that poverty was the driving element of all theft. "It could be a protest theft, because people are saying they're not prepared to accept the price rises for a particular product," he said, "I'm sure poverty is a part of it, but that it explains the rise on its own — I don't see that." While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.
Qatar Tribune
29-05-2025
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Bundesliga club Werder Bremen sign Horst Steffen as new coach
Berlin: Werder Bremen have signed Horst Steffen as their new coach, the Bundesliga club said in a statement on Thursday. Steffen will replace Ole Werner, who parted ways with Bremen after opting not to sign a new deal amid frictions with the board. 'Horst's expertise and personality impressed us during our conversations. He's done some incredible work at Elversberg over the last seven years. Horst plays an attacking and attractive brand of football and leads a team extremely well,' managing director of professional football Clemens Fritz said. This season, Steffen guided tiny Elversberg to third in the second tier with a vibrant brand of attacking football. They narrowly missed out on promotion to the Bundesliga when they conceded in stoppage time in the play-off with Heidenheim on Monday. 'The fact that Werder got in touch with me was first of all recognition for myself and my work,' Steffen said. Bremen finished eighth in the Bundesliga season just finished. Details of the contract were not disclosed, but according to media reports, the coach signed a deal until 2028 and Elversberg are to receive compensation between 300,000 euros ($340,590) and 350,000 euros. (dpa)
Time of India
26-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
How to mine in Tainted Grail The Fall of Avalon
(Image via Awaken Realms) In Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, mining is important for survival. It fuels players' energy and lets them craft the weapons/armor that are critical to battle the horrors of the realm. However, cracking open the mineral-rich nodes requires much more than just luck. It demands the right tools and knowledge along with a better strategy. Here is how you can master the skill and turn the raw ores into lifelines. Secure pickaxe to unlock mining The mining journey begins on a storm-battered beach, where the prologue ends. From there on, head to the Horns of South Fortress. Near the gates, you will find the vendor named Orlaith, who sells the pickaxe for 16 coins, the small fee for early-game access. If you are tight on gold, you can venture for another Tainted Grail pickaxe location. For it venture right at the beachside fork till you see the Horst, the NPC chipping at Arthur's fallen statue. Right beside him, you will find the free pickaxe. Claim it without any consequences. The tool is important as it is not just any key. It's a multiplier. Using it, all the jagged outcrop becomes the potential cache for crafting the materials. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Drink dit 's avonds en begin meteen af te vallen Beauty Ideas Meer lezen Undo One pickaxe will be enough. So, give priority to getting it early on to avoid any backtracking. Also, make sure to keep an eye out for the veins while you explore. Early mining can help you save troubles later on. Mastering ore extraction and making its best use Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon - Shadow of The Horn: Mine Copper & Iron Ore In Third, 1st Person Approach the ore deposits—marked by the colored glints, and interact for swinging the pickaxe. Every node will break after 3 strikes, dropping the resources like, Copper-greenish veins Iron-peach hues Some of the rare finds include the white Wyrdstone in the depths of the Archspire and the red titanium in northern areas. Even the meteorite ore hides in the forgotten corners, like the collapsed tower near Forgotten Cemetery. As the upgrades demand some specific resources, to know where to look for them ensures you remain prepared. Just make sure to mine regularly. It will assure you of better gear, making the battles and your survival significantly easier, with the progressing story. Note: Wyrdstone and titanium are important for the late-game upgrades. Why is mining important in Tainted Grail The Fall of Avalon? Beyond crafting, mining is tied to Avalon's unforgiving economy. Sell the surplus ore for the gold or just hoard it for some high-tier blueprints. Upgraded gears are not optional too. They are meant for survival. The Wyrdness and bosses-infested zones demand all the stat boosts you could forge. Pro tip: Combine mining and looting. The crates quite often hide the ore and let you double dip in the resource-rich areas. Also, do not forget to be vigilant. Avalon will reward your preparedness and punish your carelessness. Just remember, mining is not a side task but your progression in-game's backbone. So, secure a pickaxe faster and start mining strategically. Watch the nightmares of Avalon crumble beneath the reforged steel. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
