MANCHESTER, England -- Vincent Kompany admitted he ignored the advice of his teammates to score the winning goal that kept Manchester City's title challenge on track.

City were struggling to find the breakthrough against Leicester City when the veteran City captain hit a stunning 30-yard strike to secure a 1-0 victory and keep their Premier League hopes in their own hands.

"I could hear people saying: 'Don't shoot, don't shoot!'" the 33-year-old said. "I've not come this far in my career to have young players tell me when to shoot! For 15 years, I've told people I'll score one like that.

MANCHESTER, England -- Vincent Kompany obviously wasn't going to score from there. His teammates knew it, his manager knew it, and, crucially, Leicester City's players seemed to know it as well.

There were 20 minutes remaining in a match of cloying tension on Monday at the Etihad Stadium when Aymeric Laporte squared the ball to Kompany midway inside the Leicester half. This is where Manchester City were. Their centre-backs camped on the halfway line, their forward players clustering ineffectively around the opposition penalty area, they had thrown everything at Leicester and were rapidly hurtling toward last-roll-of-the-dice territory.

In the run of 12 straight wins that preceded this game, Pep Guardiola's side had taken the lead no later than the 63rd minute. This was unfamiliar and uncomfortable terrain.

Kompany pushed the ball a few feet in front of him. Leicester had been in their opponents' faces throughout the game, but here, no doubt lulled into a false sense of security by the identity of the player in possession, they backed off. Wilfred Ndidi and Hamza Choudhury continued to jog across the edge of the penalty area. James Maddison stood off. So Kompany took another touch. Then he let fly.

The camera angle from behind Kompany told the story best. He hit across the ball with the laces of his right boot, the effort of the strike lifting both of his feet clean off the ground. The ball arrowed high toward goal, beyond the despairing hands of Kasper Schmeichel, and hit the top-right corner as squarely as it is possible for the top-right corner to be hit.

It was a wonder goal, a one-in-a-million strike, and the more you unpicked it, the more absurd it became. It was Kompany's first goal in more than a year, and it gave him a first Premier League goal from outside the box at the 37th attempt. He had not hit even the target from outside the box since December 2013.

In its significance and its tension-popping explosivity, Kompany's goal recalled the header at the other end of the pitch against Manchester United in April 2012 that provided the spur for City to go on and win their first title in the Premier League era. He celebrated this goal with the same kind of abandon, leaping into the air beside the corner flag in the stadium's northeast corner before sprawling himself on his back and allowing himself to be smothered with kisses by Bernardo Silva.

In the stands, there was an explosion of joy and relief. When the television cameras landed on Guardiola, he was in an almost messianic pose, standing on the touchline with his open-palmed hands in the air, a sea of limbs behind him.

What had he been thinking as Kompany lined up his shot, Guardiola was asked afterward. "Don't shoot, Vinny," he replied. A clip of a postmatch exchange between Kompany and Sergio Aguero revealed that the Argentinian had been thinking exactly the same thing. It was, Guardiola said, "an incredible goal."

Kompany's goal -- the 100th City have scored in front of their home fans this season -- was his reward for a characteristically influential performance. Aside from a wild challenge on Maddison, for which he was booked, he defended with carefully controlled aggression, keeping City's back four high up the pitch and preventing the dangerous Jamie Vardy from turning with the ball and running at him. Not for nothing, he has successfully supplanted John Stones from City's starting XI on knife-edge nights such as this.

The home side came within inches of taking the lead shortly after the half hour, when Aguero's header bounced down off the crossbar and was clawed off the line by Schmeichel, but as the game wore on, the tension swelled. Early in the second half, Guardiola could be seen scurrying in front of a bemused ball boy to retrieve the ball for a quick throw-in. The home fans alternated between anxious silence and howls of desperation. Then Kompany delivered them.

On a night of multiple parallels, Brendan Rodgers found himself with a second chance to win the title for Liverpool after his agonising near-miss as Reds manager in 2014. The Liverpool fans nervously watching on TV could not have faulted the Leicester manager or his side for their efforts.

The 72nd minute almost provided the ultimate moment of déjà vu when Kompany slipped while in possession in a manner that recalled Steven Gerrard's fateful tumble against Chelsea in 2014, but to a soundtrack of gasps around the ground, he recovered the situation, and City were able to clear.

There was one last scare when Leicester substitute Kelechi Iheanacho, a City old boy, wastefully squandered a clear sight of goal with three minutes remaining. His shot from Choudhury's pass trundled apologetically wide of Ederson's goal, and Liverpool's title hopes probably went along with it.

Such has been City's superiority over their opponents that their title surge has been almost totally devoid of dramatic moments, but Kompany's goal was an instant classic. If he goes on to lift the Premier League trophy after City's final game at Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, as he surely will, it will become an emblem for the whole campaign.

Kompany, who turned 33 last month, looked tearful after the game as his children joined him on the pitch for a lap of appreciation. The Belgium international is out of contract at the end of the season, and both he and Guardiola were coy when asked if he will be at the Etihad next season.

If this was goodbye, he could not have penned a more beautiful farewell note.

Australia Day, January 26, will be devoid of an international fixture for the first time in 26 years as part of the schedule unveiled by Cricket Australia on Tuesday.

Not since Allan Border's final season in 1994, when the concluding final of the World Series Cup on January 25 was followed by the start of a Test against South Africa in Adelaide on January 28, has the national day passed by without a major match, either a Test generally played at Adelaide Oval or a limited overs game, occasionally elsewhere.

The slot is expected to be filled by the Big Bash, which will take up a great deal of the slack left by a major gap in Australian men's team fixtures between the end of the New Zealand Test series in early January and the Black Caps return for an ODI bout in late March.

"What we've found over the last few years is the composition of the Australian summer of cricket has changed and from a fan perspective I don't think the fan necessarily differentiates between international [or] domestic," CA's executive for events and leagues Anthony Everard said. "We put on a variety of forms of cricket for every fan right around the country and what we've found is from an attendance perspective, it's generally split around 50/50 in terms of attendees to BBL and international cricket.

"Australia Day presents a really great opportunity for cricket. Going back a few years now with the Adelaide Test match and then that transitioned into an ODI, we've got a great opportunity this year to schedule in some respects a celebration of cricket all around the country. It's a long weekend and we've got a variety of BBL games we can schedule, not just in one market but right around the country, and that's an opportunity for us as somewhat of a crescendo to the BBL season."

One side-effect of the India tour taking place in mid-January and also the shuffling of a Test tour to Bangladesh until June 2020 is that Australia's top players will be available for the pointy end of the BBL, as was the case last summer when the likes of Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Nathan Lyon and Glenn Maxwell all turned out for their clubs. At the same time, clubs are eagerly pursuing the likes of AB de Villiers and Andre Russell to help restock a league that has lost Shane Watson and Brendon McCullum among others this year.

"It's something we're really aiming towards," Everard said. "We want to make sure the BBL finals is an appropriate crescendo to that tournament. We saw this year the impact of having the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch available for the final and what that did in terms of the quality of the cricket played, so yes that is a focus for us and we're confident that this year in the BBL we will have Australian players available for the back end of the season.

"Something we've really been focusing on irrespective of the Australian team going to India, we're buoyed by some conversations that some of the clubs are having and it's been reported some of the big names potentially coming out. The success of the BBL has always been predicated on a combination of marketable overseas players, some young up and coming stars and the foundation of the Australian domestic players."

CA had originally been under the impression that they would be playing a game on January 26 in India, also known as Republic Day, as part of a bilateral tour. However, the BCCI has pushed the series forward to games on January 12, 15 and 17, leaving the Australian team to return in time for BBL commitments but without any international opponent. The other assignment for Australia's men between January and March is an ODI series in South Africa.

"Scheduling international cricket is challenging in that nine of the ten major cricketing countries have seasons similar to ours, so working with them to find space in the calendar to fulfil our obligations to the ICC Future Tours Program is a juggling act," CA head of cricket operations Peter Roach said.

"Cricket Australia took the position that while January was our preference for these [New Zealand] ODI matches, there are times we need to honour our commitments to work in the greater context of international cricket scheduling. We evaluated different options for an alternative and saw the most value in the March opportunity to extend our window in the traditional cricket season.

Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand will all be touring Australia during the men's international program, while the national women's team will host Sri Lanka, India and England ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia in February and March.

As for the provision of a day-night Test match for Perth's new stadium, CA has been working at trying to provide more attractive time slots for cities other than Melbourne and Sydney. "We think day-night Test cricket has a really important role to play in the summer of cricket but it's not a one size fits all," Everard said.

"Clearly the Melbourne and Sydney Tests are scheduled at a time of the summer when our fans have the most discretionary leisure time available, so I don't see any time soon when those fixtures will move to day-night, but once you get out of that peak holiday period it is really important to be able to schedule our games in a way that they're as accessible as possible to our fans."

(All times local)

Women's T20s v Sri Lanka

September 29 North Sydney Oval, 2.30pm
September 30 North Sydney Oval, 7pm
October 2 North Sydney Oval, 2pm

Women's ODIs v Sri Lanka

October 5 Allan Border Field (Brisbane), 10am
October 7 Allan Border Field, 10am
October 9 Allan Border Field, 10am

Men's T20s v Sri Lanka

October 27 Adelaide Oval, 2pm
October 30 Gabba, 6.10pm
November 1 MCG, 7.10pm

Men's T20s v Pakistan

November 3 SCG, 2.30pm
November 5 Manuka Oval, 7.10pm
November 8 Perth Stadium, 4.30pm

Men's Test series v Pakistan

November 21-25 Gabba, 10am
November 29-December 3 Adelaide Oval, 2pm (D/N)

Men's Test series v New Zealand

December 12-16 Perth Stadium, 1pm (D/N)
December 26-30 MCG, 10.30am
January 3-7 SCG, 10.30am

Women's T20 tri-series

January 31 India v England, Manuka Oval, 2.10pm
February 1 Australia v England, Manuka Oval, 2.10pm
February 2 Australia v India, Manuka Oval, 2.10pm
February 7 India v England, Junction Oval (Melbourne), 2.10pm
February 8 Australia v India, Junction Oval, 2.10pm
February 9 Australia v England, Junction Oval, 2.10pm
February 12 Tri-series Final, Junction Oval, 1.40pm

Women's T20 World Cup

February 21-March 8 Full fixtures here

Men's ODIs v New Zealand

March 13 SCG, 2.30pm (D/N)
March 15 SCG, 10.30am
March 20 Blundstone Arena (Hobart), 2.30pm (D/N)

Australia's World Cup squad started their pre-tournament camp in Brisbane with a scratchy win over a New Zealand XI, while the Australia A tour also edges closer. A number of Australians are playing in overseas competitions in the lead up to the World Cup, Australia A and Ashes tours of the UK. Here is the latest on how they are faring so far.

Who's in form and who's not

James Pattinson was the only member of the Australia A squads playing overseas this week. He only played once though after Nottinghamshire's Royal London One-Day Cup clash with Durham was washed out. Pattinson took 1 for 55 from nine overs and made an important 15 from 10 balls in a thrilling win over Northamptonshire.

Ashton Turner, another Australia A squad member, oddly didn't get selected in Rajasthan Royal's last IPL game against Delhi.

Chris Lynn, who is not in Australia's winter squads, had an excellent finish to the IPL for Kolkata making 46 off 22 against Kings XI and then 41 from 29 in the loss to Mumbai Indians.

Andrew Tye dismissed Lynn but had a very difficult season for Kings XI. After being the IPL's leading wicket-taker in 2018 with 24, and an economy rate of 8.00, he took just three wickets in six games this season with an economy rate of 10.59. In his last two outings he conceded 78 runs in just six overs.

#Asheswatch

The Royal London Cup continued in England this week as the County Championship remains on hold with World Cup preparations ramping up. Although 50-over white-ball form may not carry as much weight towards Ashes selection, the Australian selectors are undoubtedly keeping an eye on the players involved.

Cameron Bancroft was starved of opportunity this week due to bad weather. Durham's clash with Notts was abandoned prior to the toss and he was 18 not out when the clash with Yorkshire was washed out after 34.2 overs, a result that eliminated Durham from the competition

Matt Renshaw is putting his hand up for allrounder status in white-ball cricket. He took 2 for 17 from five overs and made 32 not out in Kent's a big win over Surrey. But his returns with bat and ball against Essex weren't as fruitful. Peter Siddle didn't play for Essex.

Marnus Labuschagne has been doing plenty of bowling, taking 2 for 57 from his full quote of 10 overs for Glamorgan against Middlesex, but he would prefer a few more runs after making 16 in the loss and became the first List A wicket for Sam Robson's part-time spin.

Did you see?

Jake Lehmann made an excellent start at Lancashire as a replacement for Glenn Maxwell. He struck 77 not out from 66 balls in a win over Derbyshire. He then followed up with 23 in a loss to Warwickshire.

Injury list

Turner revealed last week he will need shoulder surgery after the Australia A tour of England. It will be the third procedure he's had on his right shoulder but he hopes it will fix the issue that has restricted his bowling and throwing.

Performance of the week

Callum Ferguson is a forgotten man in Australian cricket. He was in the mix for the ODI tour of India but was dropped from South Australia's Sheffield Shield team late in the season. He made 103 not out from just 95 balls for Worcestershire on Monday as they chased down 352 with ease at Derby. Ferguson had a great season in the Royal London Cup last year with Worcestershire and will be hoping to carry that form forward.

Chris Gayle, set to feature in his final World Cup, has been named West Indies vice-captain for the upcoming 50-over tournament. Cricket West Indies named Gayle as Jason Holder's deputy for the World Cup, while Shai Hope has been appointed vice-captain for the ongoing tri-nation series involving Ireland and Bangladesh.

With 10,151 runs in 289 ODIs, Gayle is by far the most experienced cricketer in West Indies' World Cup squad. His career-best of 215 came during the 2015 edition of the tournament against Zimbabwe, still the highest ODI score by a West Indies batsman. He last captained West Indies in an ODI in June 2010.

"It is always an honour to represent the West Indies in any format and this World Cup for me is special," Gayle said after the announcement. "As a senior player it is my responsibility to support the captain and everyone else in the team. This will probably be the biggest World Cup, so there will be great expectations and I know we will do very well for the people of the West Indies."

On his appointment as deputy for the tri-nation series, Hope said that the decision was taken after he was asked by the management to take the role.

"It's a tremendous honour to be appointed vice-captain for this series here in Ireland," Hope said. "Ahead of this tournament I was asked to take on this role and I was happy to accept. Anything I'm asked to do for West Indies cricket I'm always happy and willing to put my hand up, so this is great."

The tri-nation series is set to end on May 17 in Malahide before West Indies make their way to England for the World Cup that begins a fortnight later. Their World Cup campaign begins with a trip to Trentbridge to face Pakistan on May 31.

The influence of Australia's players has helped the Gabba reclaim the opening Test of the Australia season, but the ground is under pressure to deliver strong crowds against Pakistan and will need further significant investment if it wants to keep its slot for the marquee fixture.

Australia have not lost a Test at the Gabba since 1988 and the two times since that the opening Test of the season has not been scheduled in Brisbane are the only occasions Australia have been beaten - 2016 against South Africa in Perth and last season against India. Players and coaches were privately fuming at not getting the chance to start the India series at the Gabba, instead opening in Adelaide on a surface with less threatening pace and carry.

After extensive negotiations between Cricket Australia and the Queensland Government, Brisbane will host the opening match of the two-Test series against Pakistan in late November and there will be much focus on how many people come through the turnstiles with another tour by India in 2020-2021 and an Ashes series the following year.

ALSO READ: Australia Day fixture goes missing in new schedule

"We listen to what the players are after, that's something with how the schedule is put together," Belinda Clark, CA's interim high-performance director, said. "There's a lot of complex relationships that need to managed and the players are one of those. The players are thrilled that this result has eventuated for this season."

Max Walters, the Queensland Cricket CEO, said: "It's wonderful news that not only is the international schedule packed to rafters but the spiritual home of the first Test has got the first Test back. A fortress for the Australia, the Gabba is back in November. It's an outstanding result and fingers crossed in years to come with India coming back and also the Ashes."

Brisbane's Test last season was a day-night encounter against Sri Lanka, in the midst of the Big Bash, which was over on the third day and did not really capture the imagination of the public. It is understood that the venue is unlikely to pitch for day-night Tests in the future with Adelaide seen as the natural home for those matches and Perth now also making a strong push having earned a floodlight Test against New Zealand next season.

However, while there will be pressure on the Gabba to get healthy crowds for the visit of Pakistan - what figure would class as a pass mark remains to be seen, but it could be around 20,000 per day - it is accepted that the spectator experience also needs to be improved following work to upgrade the player facilities.

"We've got an expectation that this place is great for fans, great for the team and the endeavor is there to make sure that's the case," Clark said. "When you have a stadium in this city and state that people come to watch sport we just need to make sure it's at the right standard, everything is being done to make sure that's the case. Front and center is the experience for the fans."

Discussions are well advanced for the sale of the naming rights for the ground and the revenue generated from that will be put back into the stadium. The big long-term project which Queensland Cricket hopes will make a major difference is the construction of a train station opposite the ground and associated work outside the stadium, but that remains a number of years away from completion.

"When tickets go on sale I want to encourage every Australian cricket fan to book your ticket to see the return of the first Test at its rightful home of the Gabba," Queensland sports minister Mick de Brenni said. "Queenslanders and Australians were bitterly disappointed that the first test of last year's season wasn't here at the Gabba. Keeping it back here, though, will rely on us continuing to invest at the Gabba to make sure facilities are up to standard, for both players and spectators."

COLUMBUS -- After punching his ticket to the second round, Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask was asked if he thought it was important to be known as a big-game goalie.

"Yeah, well," Rask said. "It's better than sucking."

Rask did not suck at all in Monday night's 3-0 blanking of the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 6, which brought the Bruins to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2013.

Rask turned away 39 shots in the win, and was under constant siege. The Blue Jackets hit the crossbar or post at least four times.

"He kept us in the game," Bruins coach Brice Cassidy said. "He looks real composed. They couldn't hit him or bump him, and they hit him hard tonight going to the net, got called for it, and he kept his composure. I think there was some gamesmanship most teams go through to try to get a goalie off his game. He was able to play through that."

For the series, Rask posted a sizzling .948 save percentage with a 1.71 GAA. Columbus tended to come out hot in every game, and Rask turned aside 54 of the 56 first-period shots (.964 save percentage). In his four wins against Columbus, Rask allowed just six goals while facing 137 shots. In total, the Blue Jackets had 212 shots and 68 high-danger chances in the series, and mustered only 11 goals.

"I think that he was our best player the whole series," Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said. "He was the stone at the back end that we rely on every night, and he deserves a lot of credit for the performance he put in those six games."

It felt like the Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella was trying to rattle Rask earlier on Monday. Tortorella told reporters, "I think we put a dent in Tuukka Rask heading into Game 6 here."

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy was not amused when he heard of that comment.

"I don't think he's been dented," Cassidy said on Monday morning.

Tortorella was much more complimentary of Rask after the series.

"Rask just took off, he's a big reason," the coach said. "We had some opportunities, but Rask just took off."

The Bruins will play the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals. Game 1 has not yet been announced.

When it comes to voluntary workouts, New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell said on Monday that he knows what "works for me to be the best player I can be."

Bell took to social media to respond to a question about when he's going to attend practice after skipping some voluntary workouts: "When it's time to play football...l got to stick to the formula that I know works for me to be the best player I can be...l'm not just tryna win football games, I want a ring! I want to desperately show everybody what I can what I can REALLY do...I'll take the heat right now, everybody will forget about that once January comes around."

Bell attended the first week of voluntary workouts, which began April 8, but hasn't attended since. Last month, coach Adam Gase appeared unconcerned about Bell's absence at the start of the team's voluntary three-day minicamp.

"It's voluntary," Gase said. "(Bell) was here that first week (of offseason workouts), and we got a lot of good information that week to him."

Gase also said players who don't attend can stay on top of things remotely with their iPad playbooks. The Jets will conduct their first official practice on May 21, but that, too, is voluntary. The first mandatory event is their second minicamp, starting June 4.

The Jets signed Bell this offseason to a four-year, $52.5 million deal that includes $27 million in fully guaranteed money.

Desperate to add playmakers on offense to help second-year quarterback Sam Darnold, the Jets made Bell the focal point of their offseason game plan on offense. They also signed wide receiver Jamison Crowder and traded for former Pro Bowl guard Kelechi Osemele.

The Associated Press and ESPN's Rich Cimini contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump awarded golfer Tiger Woods the nation's highest civilian honor on Monday, describing the 43-year-old as a "true legend" who transformed golf and then fought through years of injury to return to the sport's summit.

Trump awarded Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Woods is the fourth golfer to earn that distinction and certainly the youngest. While he dominated the sport for more than a decade, he won his first major in nearly 11 years at last month's Masters Tournament, a comeback that captivated the sporting world.

"Tiger was back on top," Trump declared during the Rose Garden ceremony.

Trump described the litany of victories Woods has obtained during his remarkable career and the injuries that almost derailed it.

"This evening, we are in the presence of a true legend, an extraordinary athlete who has transformed golf and achieved new levels of dominance," Trump said during the presentation. "He's also a great person. He's a great guy."

Jack Nicklaus, a previous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, was among several golfers to congratulate Woods in messages on their Twitter accounts.

Heartfelt congrats to @TigerWoods on receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom this evening! His impact on golf and his ability to inspire others to play this great game is on par with his incredible talent!

— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) May 6, 2019

Woods was joined at the ceremony by his mother, Kutilda; daughter, Sam Alexis, 11; son, Charlie Axel, 10; and girlfriend, Erica Herman. Woods' father, Earl, passed away more than a decade ago. Woods' longtime caddie, Joe LaCava, also attended.

Woods became emotional as he spoke of his parents, and he thanked those who have supported him over the years, saying, "You've seen the good and bad, the highs and lows, and I would not be in this position without all of your help."

Woods tweeted after the White House ceremony:

It's an incredible privilege to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Considering the recipients, history, and what this means to me and my family, it's also very humbling. Thank you all for your support and I hope this inspires others to never give up on their dreams. pic.twitter.com/33CJIHwQvz

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) May 7, 2019

President George W. Bush presented the Medal of Freedom to Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Obama presented it to Charlie Sifford, sometimes referred to as the "Jackie Robinson of golf." Woods noted that he named his son after Sifford. "He was like the grandpa I never had," Woods recalled.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is given to individuals who have made "especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors," according to the White House. Presidents have complete discretion over whom they honor with the medal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Gersson Rosas has firsthand experience with success from unconventional strategy from his 17-year run with the Houston Rockets.

An outside-the-box approach might be necessary if the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to catch up in the cutthroat Western Conference.

"We're going to question the norm with everything that we do," Rosas said.

The first Latino to lead an NBA front office has landed with a 30-year-old franchise defined by bad-luck setbacks and self-induced dysfunction as much as any accomplishments on the court. The hiring of Rosas as president of basketball operations was greenlighted by Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor as the remedy to one of the latest backfires, the hiring of Tom Thibodeau three years ago for the dual role of president and coach.

As Taylor and chief executive officer Ethan Casson narrowed their search, they couldn't help but notice Rosas appeared as confident and eager about joining them as they were about offering the job to him. The Timberwolves used an outside search firm to hire Thibodeau. This time, Casson directed an interview process that included several members of the organization from various levels and departments.

"I wanted someone that could work with the entire staff," Taylor said. "Not only the players, but the whole organization. Somebody that felt like they were part of the team and knew what teamwork meant."

The Timberwolves averaged the third-smallest crowd in the league last season, an announced figure of 15,305 fans per game, while missing the playoffs after a spirited postseason return in 2018 that ended a 13-year absence. The midsize market of the Twin Cities is as crowded as ever for attention and revenue. There's just as steep of a climb facing the business side, then, as the basketball operations.

One of the reasons Rosas stood out among the four finalists -- Chauncey Billups, Trajan Langdon and Calvin Booth were the others -- was his holistic vision of a collaborative and innovative culture. During the Thibodeau era, the environment was more fractured than not.

"The organizations that have figured that out, and we hope to be one of them, I think will in fact not just win, but win at a high level," Casson said.

Rosas briefly left the Rockets in 2013 to become the general manager of the Dallas Mavericks only to return because he decided the fit was not ideal. This time, with his wife, Susana, and 3-year-old fraternal twins, Giana and Grayson, in tow, the opportunity felt right.

"When the resources are in place, this is a great market not only for the organization and the players, but for my family," said Rosas, who was introduced at a news conference in the Target Center lobby on Monday. He added: "Not only were they interviewing me, but I was interviewing them. And as I've talked to different organizations in this league, they stood out."

Rosas moved with his family from Bogota, Colombia, to Houston, where learned to love basketball in high school and began coaching after college. He started with the Rockets as an intern, immersed himself in the scouting world and worked his way up to executive vice president of basketball operations, the title he largely held for the past seven seasons.

"He's been way overqualified for his job for a while here," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. "He's more than earned his shot, although I wish he would've gone East. We're going to have an extremely tough competitor in the West."

The first order of business for Rosas will be to determine whether Ryan Saunders, whom Taylor has wholeheartedly endorsed, will remain as coach. General manager Scott Layden, who also added responsibility when Thibodeau was fired on Jan. 6, has been in limbo, too. Rosas said there were no preconditions established by Taylor about their status.

Rosas credited Thibodeau for leaving behind a competitive roster, a team led by center Karl-Anthony Towns with plenty of young talent and unrealized potential. The greatest immediate challenge to improvement, beyond the competition in the West, will be the salary cap. Maximum contracts for Towns and enigmatic sidekick Andrew Wiggins have helped push the Timberwolves close to the luxury tax threshold.

The most practical changes, then, could first come in the playbook. The MIT-educated Morey led a data-driven overhaul of the Rockets more than a decade ago, with current coach Mike D'Antoni more recently steering the innovation on the court in the pace-and-space era of the NBA. The Rockets have led the league in 3-point attempts for three straight seasons, with the Wolves ranking 26th this season after finishing last in each of the previous two years.

"We want to be strategic, and we want to play to our strengths," Rosas said. "A lot of it has to do with the players we have on our roster and how we can operate out of that, but I think you're going to see a lot of similarities with how the modern game is being played."