warrior godfather

Chapter 537
Antetokounmpo left Las Vegas the next day and flew to Charlotte.

He didn't play a lot of time in the summer league, and his consumption was very small. He didn't plan to rest and was ready to start training directly.

For Antetokounmpo, the summer league is a thing of the past, but for the fans, the aftermath of the summer league has just emerged.

Many Warriors fans who pay attention to the summer league are very dissatisfied with his performance. The Warriors' previous rookies were all able to perform well immediately after entering the team.

Even Leonard, who has the worst immediate combat ability, put up an impressive defense in the summer league.

And Antetokounmpo is thin and thin, unable to score offensively, unable to defend defensively, and often pays a lot of fouls, his performance is extremely poor.

Warriors fans don't expect him to play as well as Middleton and Jamichael Green. The selling point of high-ranking rookies is not immediate combat power, but they can't play so badly!
Antetokounmpo's performance on the court, no matter from which point of view, is the kind of typical high-ranking black and hard with nothing but physical talent, which is synonymous with parallel imports.

No, Antetokounmpo is just dark enough, but not hard at all. His thin figure makes people worry about whether he will fall apart when he is hit by someone.

Although the Warriors won the summer league championship, no one cared about the championship. Some people expressed their dislike for Antetokounmpo that night:
"Hey, the alphabet must be in the water, the confrontation is too bad, this type has been in the water before."

But there are also counterarguments:

"How can the talent of letters be blind and visible? He is the second Durant!"

"Let's put it down, and it's Durant. He can't make mid-range shots, and he can't get in the restricted area. It's not as good as Thabeet. Thabeet can block shots anyway."

"Can't you be more patient? The letter will definitely gain weight. When his resistance and strength improve, he will definitely not be as bad as he is now."

"Patience? You don't know anything, how long do you have to wait? The Warriors can't even compete for the championship? Hey, I didn't expect Coach Z to be blind..."

"Actually, Butler shouldn't be sent away. It would be great to keep him for three consecutive championships. If you have to exchange for a rookie who can't do anything, isn't this self-destructive Great Wall?"

"The current head coach of the Bulls, Stevens, was an assistant coach of Coach Z when he was in the NCAA. He has a good relationship..."

Many people began to question Zhang Yu's operation.

Butler has also accumulated some fans during his four years in the Warriors. They are very upset about the Warriors' practice of trading Butler away:
"Is this how the Warriors treat those who have meritorious service? Butler has made such a great contribution, and he doesn't even give him a maximum salary contract?"

"I'm just waiting to see what Leonard can do. I really think there are top small forwards? Leonard's offense is far worse than Butler's!"

"Ross is not worse than Curry, only one Butler is missing, don't say anything, Bulls champion!"

However, these voices did not cause many waves. The relationship between Butler and Zhang Yu is well known. After he left the Warriors, he also expressed his gratitude to Zhang Yu very sincerely on social media, and the Warriors broke up amicably.

However, the doubts about Antetokounmpo and Zhang Yu have not disappeared.

Even though Zhang Yu has made such brilliant achievements in coaching the Warriors and cultivated outstanding rookies, but Antetokounmpo's poor performance in a summer league has caused him to be questioned by many Warriors fans.

This is the NBA, and fans only remember one series, or even one game.

As long as they are in this league, anyone needs to continue to prove themselves, Antetokounmpo is like this, and so is Zhang Yu.

But not all Warriors fans question Zhang Yu's operation. Although most people have doubts, they still believe that Zhang Yu's vision will not go wrong.

Although Antetokounmpo's current performance is poor, he can definitely grow up and become the mainstay of the Warriors' front line.

However, all this, only time will tell.

……

After the end of the summer league, the NBA has officially entered the long grass period, and the players often end their rest and start training in the offseason to prepare for the next season.

At the same time, the turbulent trading market has gradually calmed down. In the past 20 days or so, 90% of offseason transactions and signings have been completed, which is also the rule of every offseason.

In the trading market, there are quick hands and slow hands. If you don’t make a quick move, the big fish will be snatched away by others.

Among the many eye-catching transactions and signings, the heaviest signing was July 7, when Howard signed with the Rockets with a four-year $7 million maximum salary contract.

On July 7, the Rockets held a press conference at the Toyota Center to officially welcome the joining of "Warcraft" Howard.

The theme of this press conference is "Continuation of the Legend", emphasizing that the Rockets' center tradition can continue in Howard.

Therefore, the Rockets invited the four major centers in the history of the team, Elvin Hayes, Ralph Sampson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Yao Ming, general manager Morey, head coach Paul Serra Si, boss Alexander also came to the scene.

The Rockets attach great importance to Howard's joining, and Howard also revealed that he had already contacted Harden before, and the two had "very effective communication", and he was confident "helping the Rockets regain their glory".

The Rockets' operation is not over yet. On July 7, they signed a three-year, $17 million contract with Jeremy Lin.

This time, what the Rockets and Jeremy Lin signed was not a poison contract, but a starting salary of $800 million, which increased to $900 million in the last year.

This signing also allowed the Rockets to attract people's attention again.

Although Jeremy Lin was reimbursed last season, he played a very good performance before he was injured. He was the backup point guard of the championship team and played very stable in the playoffs. Moreover, he is still young and has the potential to continue to improve .

The Rockets can sign Jeremy Lin with an annual salary of less than $900 million, and the risk is not too great.

After this signing, the Rockets have a dual-core internal and external core composed of Harden and Howard, supplemented by powerful players like Jeremy Lin, and initially built the framework of the core lineup, showing strong competitiveness.

And Morey's operation is not over yet, he keeps shooting, making minor repairs to the Rockets' lineup.

The outside world generally believes that the Rockets will become a powerful spoiler in the Western Conference playoffs in the new season. If Harden can grow further and Howard's state is fully restored, they will even be contenders for the championship.

Howard joined the Rockets and seemed to press a switch, and the trading market was surging.

On July 7, the Clippers officially renewed Paul with a five-year $10 million maximum salary contract, of which the fifth year is a player option.

On July 7, the Nuggets and the Clippers completed the deal. Iguodala signed first and then traded, and joined the Clippers with a four-year $11 million contract. The Nuggets got Caron Butler and Ronnie Turi. Yave and a second-round pick.

As one of the most watched forward players in the trading market, Iguodala's deal also caused quite a shock.

The Clippers have strengthened the long-weak forward position. Iguodala can provide the Clippers with defense, scoring, and organization. The most suitable support around Griffin.

The Nuggets are not losing money in this deal. Iguodala was originally a free agent. After signing first and then replacing, the Nuggets can get back some assets.

The second-round pick is a lottery. Caron Butler has only one year left on his contract. After his contract expires, the Nuggets can free up $800 million in salary space.

But this is only the beginning of the Clippers' reinforcements. On July 7, the Clippers made a three-way deal with the Bucks and Suns.

The Clippers sent Bledsoe, Willie Green and a second-round pick to get JJ Redick.

The Bucks signed first and then traded, sending JJ-Redick to get Dudley and the Clippers' second-round picks.

The Suns sent Dudley for Bledsoe and Willie Green.

After the deal was completed, Sachs' operation shocked the entire league.

Redick shot 36.6% from three-point range last season, averaged a career-high 14.1 points per game, and made 2.1 three-pointers, making him the league's top shooter.

After getting Redick, the Clippers' starting lineup is even more terrifying, with almost no shortcomings on the offensive end.

The Suns also got their long-awaited potential point guard. Bledsoe played 76 games for the Clippers last season. In 20.4 minutes, he averaged 8.5 points, 3.1 assists and 3 rebounds per game. His efficiency was also good, and he made three-pointers. The rate reached 39.7%.

As a breakthrough guard, Bledsoe's long-range shooting performance and organizational skills are quite good, and he deserves the Sun's careful training.

Two win-win deals allowed the Clippers to get Iguodala and Redick, making up for their two major shortcomings, and officially became a strong contender for the championship.

Well-known commentator Bill Simmons commented:

"When you have Paul, Griffin, Iguodala, Redick and DeAndre Jordan at the same time, if you don't win a championship, you lose. Oh, and I forgot, the Clippers have the best sixth man. Crawford, they may have the most powerful core six in the league, obviously, the championship is their only goal!"

At the signing ceremony of the two new Clippers players, Redick and Iguodala, Sachs also expressed his ambition:

"We have raised our sails and are waiting to sail into the sea. We are confident to meet all challenges and attack the championship!"

……

Both the Rockets and the Suns have made big moves, and other teams in the West are not to be outdone.

On July 7, the Thunder signed the Warriors' defensive champion Tony Allen for $19 million in four years.

Previously, Tony Allen had aroused the interest of many teams. Although his playing time was squeezed by Danny Green, his defense was as tough and tough as ever in the limited playing opportunities.

With the backcourt of the West full of players, the defense on the back line is a part that every team pays great attention to. After Tony Allen entered the free market, he received invitations from many teams.

In the end, the Thunder offered the best conditions and snatched the defensive expert.

When facing star guards such as Curry, Paul, Harden, and Parker, Brooks no longer has to worry.

Immediately afterwards, just one day later, the Thunder signed Ray Allen for $2 million in two years to further strengthen the back line.

After the trading market opened, Ray Allen announced through his agent Jim Tanner that he would give up his second-year $320 million contract with the Heat and become a completely free agent.

This decision did not surprise people. The Heat almost had internal strife in the finals. The whole team was sleepwalking in G6. With Ray Allen's character, he could not tolerate such a team atmosphere.

And he joined the Thunder, which is also a good story.

Ray Allen spent the peak of his career at the Seattle Supersonics. Now that he returns to the Thunder, he can be regarded as returning to his roots to some extent.

After these two transactions, the Thunder's back line has been greatly supplemented. Tony Allen and Ray Allen both have distinct functions. When needed, they can provide the Thunder with defense and shooting to make up for Westbrook's insufficient.

However, the Thunder's offseason reinforcements have come to an end. Their core lineup is solid enough. The trio of Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka is strong enough and does not need to be changed.

More importantly, Ibaka's four-year $4 million contract will start to be implemented next season, and the Thunder has no more room for reinforcement.

Still, with the addition of these two established guards, Presti has done a good enough job.

This offseason, the Thunder not only supplemented their immediate combat power, but also had a potential rookie like Gobert, and the future is bright.

At the same time, the pressure came to Brooks' side. Presti's operation has been perfect. If the Thunder can't make a breakthrough in the playoffs, his coaching position will also become precarious.

……

The West this offseason was turbulent, but the East teams remained stable.

Except for the Bulls ushering in new coach Stevens and introducing Butler, the other powerful players have not changed much.

The Pacers renewed David West's contract for $3 million in three years, of which the third year was a player option, and also signed guard CJ-Watson to strengthen the backcourt.

At David West’s contract renewal ceremony, he said to reporters that the Pacers’ signings are all in line with the kind of puzzle players a team needs in order to pierce the last layer of window paper. From the first day of next season, the Pacers will compete for the first place in the Eastern Conference.

In the eyes of all parties watching the show, the Heat calmed down unexpectedly.

Pat Riley announced that none of the Big Three will leave the team, and the Heat will continue to compete for the championship next season.

At the same time, the Heat renewed the contracts of Mike Miller and Chris Anderson to maintain the stability of the lineup, and also signed Greg Oden to further strengthen the inside.

The people who want to see the Big Three disintegrate are disappointed, but the outside world is not optimistic about the prospects of the Heat.

The Heat have no room for improvement, Wade and Bosh's state has been declining day by day, and cracks have appeared in the team atmosphere.

The Bulls' striker ushered in strong support. They were only close to the finals. It was extremely difficult for the Heat to cross the Bulls as before.

The Pacers retain the core lineup, Paul George will grow further, Hibbert is the natural nemesis of the Heat, and they will only get stronger and stronger.

The Heat's domination of the Eastern Conference may be over.

(End of this chapter)