Coach: Coaching the Grizzlies at the beginning, playing the bantam

Chapter 277 The naked insider is a killer!Make a deal with the Raptors!Is the dimensionality reduction attack on the lineup in the new season?
The next day, all major media outlets rushed to report news related to the draft.

Interestingly, the rookie Crabbe, who was selected by the Knicks with the 30th pick in the first round, received crazy revelations from the media. He received more attention than most lottery picks, even the top pick Bennett.

There are many fans on the Internet discussing the reasons why Lu Yong chose Crabbe, looking through his high school and college career resume, trying to see what magic Crabbe has.

Yes, everyone firmly believes that Crabbe will be able to show his worth in the future. Regardless of his previous performance, being picked by Lu Yong is enough to prove that he has potential.

Lu Yong's draft vision in recent years has long been rumored by the media to be miraculous. None of the players selected by him are parallel imports. This is a fact recognized by the outside world.

New York fans are looking forward to Crabbe's performance in the new season, saying that even if he doesn't win the Rookie of the Year award, he will still be one of the best rookies in the 13th class.

In fact, when he learned that he was selected by the New York Knicks, Crabbe could no longer hide his excitement.

Lu Yong has a unique method of cultivating new players, and no rookie can refuse to play for him.

If Donnie Walsh hadn't called him and told him to keep a low profile, Crabbe would have wanted to brag wildly in front of the media and show off himself.

Even so, Crabbe still held a big banquet on the night of the draft and invited his relatives and friends to have a meal to witness this historic moment.

The news that Covington and Seth Curry are about to be signed by the Knicks has not yet been announced. Otherwise, like Crabbe, these two will become the darlings of the media and be singled out for in-depth analysis by experts.

There is no way, the Knicks' performance last season was too strong, and any slight disturbance during the offseason will be noticed by the entire league, making it difficult to keep a low profile.

Crabbe has yet to play a game on behalf of the team after being drafted by the Knicks, and the news about him on the Internet has been overwhelming. This alone is enough for him to brag about for a lifetime.

Of course, Bennett, who was favored by the Cavaliers as the No. [-] pick, is also very popular.

The difference is that Bennett's hot topic is not because of his superior strength, but because it is puzzling that he was selected as the No. [-] pick.

Most of the discussions about him on the Internet are full of doubts, and it is obvious that Bennett is not very optimistic about his potential.

This is like holding a warrior competition in a zoo. When everyone thought the tiger would win, the winner turned out to be a gorilla.

Contrasts that exceed fans' expectations always bring traffic. Bennett has become popular this summer, but his evaluation is a bit low, far inferior to Allen Crabbe, the late pick selected by the Knicks.

Nerlens Noel's popularity is not low, because before participating in the draft, he was the biggest No. 13 pick in the 10.5th draft. In his freshman season, he averaged 9.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and [-] blocks per game, including blocks. Ranked No. [-] in the nation, he was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.

At the same time, he also became the player in the history of the University of Kentucky after Anthony Davis to send at least 50 steals and 50 blocks in a single season, and his talent is even better than Oladipo.

Unfortunately, Noel tore the meniscus in his left knee during a game against the University of Florida in February and was ended for the season.

Noel had just undergone knee surgery on the eve of the draft, and his rookie season was announced early. If it weren't for serious injury risks that made teams afraid to gamble, he would have been the eighth No. [-] overall pick this year.

After the draft ended, Lu Yong decisively devoted his energy to the upcoming free market, sitting in New York to make the final layout.

This is what makes him different from other head coaches. In addition to leading the team, he also participates in team building during the offseason. This is equivalent to holding the two positions of head coach and general manager. He will not be able to enjoy his vacation until mid-July at the earliest.

Fortunately, his hard work over the past few years has paid off. Five championship rings are the best proof. No one is faster than him in harvesting honors.

On July 7, the NBA free agency officially opened.

The Knicks first announced the implementation of J.R. Smith's team option for the final year, keeping the championship hero.Then they officially announced the signing of two undrafted players, Covington and Seth Curry.

Not surprisingly, the Knicks made the headlines on sports channels as soon as the news was announced, and the popularity of Covington and Curry also skyrocketed.

From an unknown undrafted player, he became the focus of the 13th session.

Everyone is familiar with Seth Curry. His father, Dell Curry, was once a Hornets star. He won the Sixth Man of the Year award in his peak season and has superb shooting skills.Elder brother Stephen Curry is now also thriving in the Warriors. Not only has he secured his position as the star player, but he is also expected to make an impact on the All-Stars in the new season.

The one who was really dug out by the media was Robert Covington. This guy's name was unfamiliar to many fans. He was a real nobody before he was officially signed by the Knicks.

In just two hours, a reporter posted Covington's personal data from college online and listed the reasons why he was not selected in the draft.

Looking at the data alone, Covington averaged 17 points and 8 rebounds per game in his final year of college, which is not bad. The reason for his failure to be drafted is not complicated, because he has played in college for four years, and the small potential of older rookies is the main reason for his failure to be drafted.

Passing by two promising newcomers made many teams anxiously slap their thighs.

It seems that being missed by the Knicks is more uncomfortable than missing out on [-] million.

Especially Rockets general manager Morey, he is even more angry than other teams because he just tried out Covington not long ago and is ready to offer him a contract.

As a result, before the Rockets could take action, the Knicks decisively took down the player, which made Morey, the stupid dog, angry to death.

Once an undrafted draft pick is labeled "Luxury", his future will definitely not be simple. Morey feels that he really missed out on [-] million this time.
On the 7th, Crabbe, Covington, and Seth Curry represented the Knicks in the annual summer league. Chief assistant Quin Snyder was responsible for leading the team. This will be his role next to Lu Yong. Final year as assistant coach.

The Suns had previously sent an invitation to Snyder, hoping that he could serve as the team's head coach. However, Snyder remained calm and did not want to coach the Suns, a bad team that was destined to be in ruins for many years. He did not even think about it. I thought about it and refused.

Before the draft, Snyder had talked about this issue with Lu Yong, saying that next season will be his last year as an assistant coach with the Knicks. No matter what the result is, he will accept greater challenges next year.

Of course Lu Yong has no objection. Snyder's current coaching level has already surpassed most coaches in the league. He is only one opportunity away from becoming the head coach, an opportunity that satisfies himself.

Snyder feels that the Suns will be bad for a long time in the future. There are no stars, no potential newcomers on the team, and nothing to attract him. The lineup has no future, so it is better to wait another year.

Once the Knicks defend their title in the new season, as the chief assistant coach, he will definitely become popular, and there is no need to worry about no team inviting him.

Jacqui Vaughn left, and the Magic offered him a four-year contract. In the new season, he will go to Orlando to coach, transforming into another "Luxury head coach."

Although Lu Yong is not very optimistic about the development of the Magic team, since Vaughn wants to take this opportunity to give it a try, he will certainly not refuse. At worst, he will come back for further studies in the future. There are also disadvantages in always being an assistant coach by his side. Victory comes too easily. After all, you have to endure some hardships to make progress.

Lu Yong has never been short of assistant coaches, and every year those who want to join his coaching staff have to queue up.

Jason Kidd officially announced his retirement in early July. In the new season, he will join the Knicks coaching staff. He will be responsible for player development under Lu Yong and take over the job of Jacqui Vaughn. Another new "Lu coach" was born. .

In Lu Yong's previous life, Kidd directly became the head coach of the Nets this summer. The identity of player/coach was seamlessly connected and became his own school.

However, history changed after the Knicks won the championship. Kidd did not choose to coach in Brooklyn, but stayed with Lu Yong as an assistant coach, planning to study for a year before taking up the position. It was a very wise choice.

Lu Yong knows that Kidd does have some talent as a coach. Although he is still far from being a famous coach, he is deeply loved by the management of each team.

Keeping Kidd this time can be regarded as a win-win deal. Labeling him a "Luxury coach" will help Lu Yong become famous in the future.

The level of this summer's league is average. Except for Oladipo, Burke and McAway, the high-ranking rookies have played good data, but the others have obviously not adapted to the rhythm of the NBA, and their average points per game are generally not high.

Especially No. 28.6 pick Bennett, his performance in the summer league was laughable. He started the first three games, averaged 7 minutes per game, only scored 5 points and 40 rebounds, and shot less than [-]% from the field.

In the next few games, the Cavaliers head coach simply took him out of the starting lineup, and his playing time was reduced to 21 minutes, with dismal statistics.

You must know that most of the players participating in the summer league are newcomers and marginal players who have no ball to play. Bennett cannot adapt to this level of confrontation. Entering the regular season, his data will only get worse. It is simply bad.

On the other hand, several newcomers to the Knicks have performed well. Under the leadership of the three, they have a good record, 5 wins and 1 loss.

Crabbe performed best. He started as a shooting guard. He and Seth Curry formed a backcourt with a double three-point shot that was amazing. He could always hit a wave of climax to stop the opponent in a very short period of time.

There are no players who are particularly strong defensively on the outside who participate in the summer league. They basically focus on the offensive end, trying their best to produce good data to prove themselves.

Faced with low-intensity defensive confrontations, Crabbe and Curry both averaged double figures per game and combined to score 6 three-pointers per game, giving them full offensive firepower.

Crabbe averaged 18.5 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game in the summer league, shooting 45.2% from the field and 37.6% from the three-point range; Seth Curry was slightly worse, averaging 15.2 points, 2 rebounds and 1.5 assists, and his three-point shooting percentage was The highlight is that he shot 48.4%, which ranked first in the Summer League.

As a point guard, his assists are indeed a little less.However, Snyder did not regard him as a traditional point guard at all. The important task of organizing the offense has always been handled by second-year rookie Green, creating a lot of shooting opportunities for the two brothers.

Covington, another undrafted player, has average statistics, averaging only 9 points, 6 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1 block per game.However, his performance on the defensive end is quite eye-catching, and many of his effects cannot be reflected in the data. At least Snyder likes to use him, and he often said good things about him when reporting to Lu Yong.

Of course, what makes Lu Yong most satisfied is Covington's three-pointer.

After six games in Summer League, he averaged 4.8 shots per game and hit 1.7 goals. His 35.6% three-point shooting rate is not very accurate, but he is already very good as a defensive sharpener.

Lu Yong plans to let Covington focus on practicing three-pointers this summer. As long as he can stabilize this efficiency at the start of the new season, the Knicks' forward strength will be greatly improved.

The management is also very satisfied with the performance of several newcomers, and Donnie Walsh admires Lu Yong even more.

From this point of view, anyone with the title of "draft consultant" in the NBA will have an annual salary of at least 500 million.

He earns $500 million every year just by talking, which is much faster than robbing a bank.

On the 11th, the Knicks officially announced a signing.

Signed "former Wolf King" Al Jefferson for 2100 million in two years, of which the second year is a player option.

This signing is Lu Yong's intention. The purpose is to strengthen the inside attack and improve the depth of the lineup.

While with the Timberwolves, Jefferson briefly served as the Wolf King for two years, averaging 23.1 points, 11 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.7 blocks per game.

Last season he played for the Utah Jazz, averaging 33.1 minutes per game and scoring 17.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1 steal and 1.1 blocks.As an offensive-focused interior player, Jefferson ranks among the league's top scorers in the penalty area, with a field goal percentage of 49.4%. Even Tyson Chandler was confused by his low-post offense.

In his peak season, Al Jefferson was selected to the NBA All-NBA Third Team and was considered by fans to be the best center in low post offense.The only drawback of this guy is that his defense is very poor and his reactions are slow.

With a height of 2 meters, he is too slow to defend against power forwards, and he is too short to defend against centers. He is typically strong in offense and weak in defense.

Of course, Lu Yong named Jefferson because of his unsolvable low-post offense.

Although the Knicks already have many strong players in Stoudemire, Chandler and McGee, it is still a mystery how Stoudemire will be in the new season after winning the championship. Chandler has been plagued by injuries in the past two years and wants to be more To easily defeat the Heat, we must strengthen the inside line. This is the correct way to open the "fire extinguisher".

In the final analysis, signing Jefferson as a reinforcement is more about dealing with the Heat, and at the same time doing emergency work in advance when Stoudemire's condition declines, so as to avoid struggling in the regular season and delaying the team's defense of the title.

According to the normal historical trajectory, Stoudemire's personal data in the new season has shrunk to 11.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.6 blocks, and his status has declined significantly.

Even if the butterfly effect instigated by Lu Yong helped Stoudemire extend his peak period, he cannot guarantee that the little bully with a championship ring can still devote himself to the game as he did last season.

In short, Al Jefferson's low-post offense is exactly what the Knicks need. No matter what role he plays in the new season, it will greatly increase the Knicks' strength and increase their chances of defending the championship.

The next morning, Lu Yong called Donnie Walsh and prepared to make a deal with the Raptors.

After the team signed Al Jefferson, the 15-man roster was full, and if they wanted to strengthen, they could only free up spots through trades.

Taking advantage of this trend, Lu Yong was ready to cause trouble.

"Use Bazemore + Novak as bargaining chips?" Walsh asked softly. "Are you sure you want to do this? Lu? Bazemore is a newcomer you personally brought out. I think he still has potential to be tapped."

"I know Bazemore is a very good player, but there is someone who can perfectly replace him in this year's free market. This two-for-one deal can greatly enhance the strength of the Knicks. In the end, we only get Novak is just a replacement." Lu Yong explained with a smile. "Believe me, man, I have never made a loss-making deal. The Raptors are preparing to rebuild in the new season. With Bazemore as a bargaining chip, they will be interested."

"Okay, I trust your judgment." Downey-Walsh shrugged and hung up the phone.

Two days later, Toronto media broke the news that the Knicks and Raptors had reached a deal.

The Knicks traded Bazemore and Novak for 06 No. [-] pick Bargnani. Both teams got what they needed and it was considered a win-win.

After "Turkish Magician" Turkoglu left the team, the Knicks lineup lacked space inside players. Bargnani, who shot 35.4% of his three-pointers in his career, could just make up for this gap.

Draymond Green can shoot three-pointers, but Lu Yong doesn't dare to use him as a space player. This guy is definitely good at organizing offense and defense. Three-pointers can only be his secondary weapon. After the season The game works well and sometimes doesn't work, which messes with people's mentality.

Covington can play three or four positions, but he can't play center in a small lineup, and his scoring ability is far inferior to Bargnani. He is not a player with a style.

作为06年的状元秀，巴尼亚尼巅峰赛季交出过场均21.4分5.2篮板和1.8次助攻，最高的一个赛季投出过40.9%的三分球命中率。

Lu Yong does not need Bargnani to score in isolation like he did with the Raptors. As long as he uses his long-range shooting characteristics and serves as an inside line to open up space, the Knicks will win this deal.

Last season Bargnani only played 28.7 minutes per game with the Raptors, scoring 12.7 points, 4 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He can play both power forward/center positions and is very suitable for serving as a high-post fort in a small lineup.

As the coach who values ​​three-pointers the most in the league, Lu Yong always feels flustered as there is no inside player on the team who can shoot three-pointers.

When he coached the SuperSonics, he had Gasol, and when he coached the 76ers, he had Yi Jianlian. Last season, the Knicks had Turkoglu. This year, Bargnani will become a new piece of the puzzle.

Although it is indeed a pity to put Bazemore on the shelf, Bazemore was originally signed as an undrafted player. His contract expires next season. By then, he will definitely receive a big contract from other teams. Lu Yong cannot do it for Keeping people around locks up salary space, and you can only let people go.

Rather than letting Bazemore enter the free market, it is better to put it on the shelf to improve the strength of the lineup for the new season.

The most important thing is that there are players in this year's free market who can perfectly replace Bazemore.

Lu Yong has put Walsh in contact with Al-Farouq Aminu, intending to use the last quota to sign the defensive hero.

Aminu is 2 meters tall and weighs 06 kilograms. He mainly plays small forward and occasionally plays a guest role at the fourth position.

Last season he played for the New Orleans Hornets, averaging 27.2 minutes per game, 7.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals. His defense was very strong.

This guy is an athletic forward with an outstanding wingspan, and his shooting range can extend beyond the three-point line, even if he faces taller opponents.

Aminu's career three-point shooting percentage is not too high, barely reaching 34%. However, in his most season, he averaged 4.9 three-pointers per game, made 1.8 goals, and shot 36.9% from long range. He can still do it through hard training in the summer. Practiced.

His defensive level is not inferior to Bazemore, and he is more than enough to serve as a substitute in the Knicks.

The key is that Aminu's price is cheap enough. The Hornets only offered him a contract with an annual salary of 390 million. The Knicks directly took it for 400 million a year, which is extremely cost-effective.

At this point, the Knicks have officially determined their 15-man roster for the new season.

No player is redundant, and there are almost no flaws in any position.

Center: Al Jefferson, Chandler, McGee.

Power forward: Stoudemire, Green, Bargnani.

Small forwards: Anthony, Covington, Aminu.

Shooting guards: Butler, J.R. Smith, Crabbe.

Point guard: Deron Williams, Seth Curry, Felton.

After looking at the player list, Lu Yong feels that the Knicks have locked in the championship in advance.

If this lineup is viewed from the perspective of later generations, it is simply a dimensionality reduction attack.

Unless multiple players are injured during the season, the Heat's championship dream will be shattered again.

(End of this chapter)