no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 190 Free agent signing in 2011 (every day, I beg for a monthly subscription!)
Xu Yong was woken up by Harden's call.

Harden was shocked.

Because when rumors of a Westbrook trade spread after the Thunder were eliminated last season, Thunder general manager Presti clarified in person and said that Westbrook was not for sale to the team.

But before the season even started, Westbrook was traded away.

"This is the NBA, James, business is just business." Xu Yong explained on the phone.

Even he was actually prepared to go to the Heat as a bargaining chip for Wade in the playoffs last season.

Then after he finished the phone call with Harden, he also began to review the deal.

His first reaction was the same as everyone else's, which was that he felt a little nervous.

Paul and Kobe really teamed up? !

And the Thunder are actually willing to give up Westbrook? !

Then, the Clippers' alley-oop city is just gone? !
Finally, to sum up, this deal is a win-win-win situation?
Needless to say, the Lakers can form an ace combination of the league's first point guard and first shooting guard. How can it be a big deal if they were swept last season?
Moreover, the key point is that the Lakers have retained Bynum and Ariza, so what kind of bicycles do they need?

It's just that Okafor is not easy to deal with.

Okafor was the second overall pick in 2004, and was elected Rookie of the Year over Ben Gordon and Howard.

He is 2 meters tall and is a typical inside swingman. He can dunk and hit mid-range shots. If Howard had not skipped college and directly participated in the draft, he would have been the top pick.

It's just that by now, his skills have been finalized. He mainly plays center and occasionally plays power forward. He is a player who can defend the strong and attack the weak.

And he still has a problem. He has a three-year, 4000 million fully guaranteed contract, which is a semi-junk contract and is difficult to deal with.

This may also be the reason why the Hornets are willing to send Paul to the Lakers.

But the flaws are not to be outweighed, and not to mention that Okafor can also play as a power forward. With Bynum's body prone to injuries, a player of this type can still play a protective role.

So to sum it up in one sentence: Qin Shi Huang squatted in the pit and won!

Then came the Thunder.

The Thunder seem to have lost the most in this deal, because they sent away a main center and potential star and only received Gasol.

But please note that Gasol is only 31 years old!

This is different from the impression of many people.

In addition, his playing style is somewhat similar to Nowitzki's, both are standard technical insiders, and it will take until the 15-16 season before there will be a significant decline.

In fact, thanks to the Lakers' two consecutive championships, Gasol is the league's first power forward at this time, and this was before he was injured in the London Olympics.

And it is obvious that he, a Bulls player, knows the original intention of the Thunder to make this deal. It is clear that they want to copy the Bulls' success story.

To be honest, this wave of copying is really not an imitation of others.

First, Gasol is very suitable for this Thunder team. Needless to say, experience and so on. The key is that if his playing style can adapt to Kobe, he will naturally adapt to Durant.

Moreover, he is strong in offense and weak in defense, while Ibaka is strong in offense and defense. The two insiders are also complementary partners. They are also teammates of the Spanish national team, and they have a perfect understanding.

Even Gasol is still the kind of insider who can directly compete with Yao Ming on both offense and defense;

Second, the question of who to keep Westbrook or Harden has been resolved in advance.

This is not to say that the Thunder have a forward-looking vision. After all, no matter how good their draft vision is, their operational vision will be as bad as it is. It is that the Hornets' need is to sell tickets, so they will naturally want Westbrook more.

And Harden has also shown that he is stronger than in history, allowing them to make choices, so this is considered an accident, but it is solved in advance;

Third, Reggie Jackson's career is about to undergo a big change. The point guard selected by the Thunder with the 24th overall pick this year is definitely capable of starting in the NBA. The reason why he left the Thunder in history is just Because there is Westbrook up there, he cannot be the starter.

And now that the Thunder have traded for Fisher, he even has time to develop and then take over.

The starting lineup of Fisher, Harden, Durant, Ibaka, and Gasol, and the bench of Reggie, Sefolosha, and Nick Collison. This is what can be done without signing a free agent. line-up……

In terms of pure lineup strength, Xu Yong even thinks that the Thunder team is more reasonable and has a chance to achieve a better record than the Lakers.

As for the Hornets, this is far more valuable than the chip they have historically gotten from the Clippers.

If nothing else, Westbrook is the best.

Before Westbrook was injured, the way he played, his statistics were absolutely explosive. Coupled with the skyrocketing ball rights, he might be able to average a triple-double earlier.

Moreover, the Hornets' lineup, including Westbrook, Belinelli, Aminu, David West (who will most likely renew his contract), and Perkins, is not much weaker than the previous Hornets, and has no chance of making the playoffs. Very big.

Of course, there are not no losers. Western Conference playoff teams such as the Spurs, Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Nuggets have two superior competitors out of thin air.

Then there is the Bulls. Even if they can complete a double-play against the Heat in the new season, reach the finals, and face the Lakers, Thunder or Mavericks, it will be much more difficult to win the championship than last season.

But Xu Yong's character just likes to compete.

After realizing this, he got up and started training again.

It's like winning a championship in the park and being criticized for the rest of your life.

But if you can still defend your title in such a season, it will be like the championship in Nowitzki's history, and it will be praised for a lifetime.

So new goals have emerged, and there is no reason to stagnate.

Fans have also gone crazy on social media.

"God, Paul and Kobe have really joined forces?! The Lakers are about to rise again? They will be the Bulls' strongest opponents in the new season!"

"Don't ignore the Thunder. I think the Thunder will be the dominant team in the Western Conference next season. Their lineup is perfect." Comment from "KBfnas".

"The Western Conference is going to hell next season. The Lakers, Thunder, Mavericks, Spurs, Grizzlies, all free agents should go to the East!"

"Going to the East to be beaten by the Bulls, or the Heat? Or is it the friction between the Celtics and the Magic?"

"It's so exciting. I thought there wouldn't be much to see in the shortened season, but now it's full. I can't wait!"

"Yeah you read that right, this year's free agency hasn't even started yet, so it's really exciting."

……

Amid the discussion among fans, the door to the free market officially opened.

The first thing that broke out was some left-behind news.

The first is Noah. After he performed well last season and became an All-Star starter, the Rockets immediately offered him a five-year, 5 million-year maximum salary extension contract;

Duncan executed the last year of his 2100 million contract to stay with the Spurs. Although the Spurs failed to get Leonard as they wished, for Duncan, he has no shortage of championships and there is no reason to give up one man and one city at this time;
Ray Allen also exercised his contract option and stayed with the Celtics as previously rumored. It can be seen that he is preparing to make a last ditch effort in the Celtics;
The Mavericks chose to keep their lineup, and they retained Tyson Chandler with a four-year, $4 million contract;

David West also signed a three-year, 3 million contract extension with the Hornets, with the last year being a player option.

However, as West stayed, it brought about a chain reaction, that is, Odom, who was supposed to report to the Hornets in the previous three-party trade, made an application to Demps. He hoped that the Hornets could take him Traded to Heat.

Odom's contract was renewed with the Lakers in the summer of 2009. It is a four-year contract worth 4 million. Including the two years left on the contract next season, it is 3300 million per year and 890 million per year.

This contract is not too small, but not too big. There is room for maneuver in the Heat.

The reasons for this are easy to guess. The most direct aspect is that West's contract extension means that he can only play as a substitute in the Hornets.

It's understandable that he plays as a substitute for the Lakers. After all, the Lakers are a championship team, but what kind of team is the Hornets?Can West compare to Gasol?
On the other hand, he has been playing in big cities since entering the league, and he does not want to go to a small city like New Orleans.

As for the Heat, it is the home team he has played for, and the Big Three failed to compete for the championship last season, so they will have a strong desire for him to join.

In fact, this is indeed the case. The Heat quickly provided the Hornets with an offer, Mike Miller + Jeff Ayers + a future first-round pick.

In other words, if there is no slap in the face, Odom will propose this trade request, and Riley must be helpful behind the scenes.

In fact, this kind of thing is not uncommon in the NBA. When Francis was selected by the Grizzlies, he was unwilling to go to Memphis, and in the end he had to be traded to Houston.

Although the league has contracts to bind players, the players' wishes are also a key factor in the NBA. After all, with the example of Carter, it makes it uncomfortable for both teams to lose.

But this time, Demps didn't compromise.

Odom obviously doesn't quite understand the situation of the Hornets. The Hornets' current nominal owner is Stern!
How could such a trick threaten him?
So after the league gave Odom a warning, the sixth man last season could only go to New Orleans to report.

After the Heat tried to trade Odom to no avail, they could only turn their attention to this year's free market.

If last year's free market was rarely lively in history, then this year it is rare and deserted.

Except for some players who went to overseas leagues due to the lockout and could not come back, those who had options mostly chose to execute them because the free signing time caused by the lockout made it difficult for them to get the contract they wanted.

So this is a first-come, first-served basis.

Some notable players in this year's free market include: Jamal Crawford, O'Neal, Glen Davis, Kenyon Martin, Tracy McGrady, Prince, Mike Dunleavy, Josh McRoberts , Shane Battier, Landry, Dalembert, etc.

Against this background, the Bulls are under a lot of pressure this summer.

Battier, O'Neal Jr., and Novak have all received many offers.

For example, Novak directly received a four-year, $4 million offer from the Knicks.

That winning goal last season really changed his career.

The Bulls did not choose to follow up on this offer.

Another example is Battier. The Thunder offered him a three-year, 3 million full mid-level contract.

But in the end, Battier and the Bulls reached a three-year, 3 million contract extension.

It is worth mentioning that because the salary on the Bulls' books is already very close to the salary cap (the salaries of Yao Ming and others are all incremental), this is a cap extension.

The so-called cap extension means that as long as you have early bird rights or bird rights, you can reach a certain amount of renewal contract with the home team. This contract accounts for the salary cap but is not subject to space restrictions.

The Bird Rights, named after "Big Bird" Larry Bird, means that players can renew their contracts with their home team after playing for their home team for three consecutive years.

Early bird rights shorten this period to two years.

The continuous effectiveness here means that the player has not been bought out or signed a free agent to change teams, but it does not include transactions because the transaction contract has not been terminated.

Battier had been playing for the Rockets before and was traded to the Bulls, so the Bulls own his Bird Rights.

As for why Battier chose less money, it was because he really couldn't find a reason to leave the Bulls.

After all, he won the championship here, and Yao Ming is here again. As for the few million less, he really doesn't care that much.

But under the same rules, O'Neal's problem will become difficult.

Because O'Neal was signed by the Bulls as a free agent last season, the Bulls do not have his bird rights or early bird rights.

This means that if O'Neal Jr. breaks out of his contract and gets a contract with an annual salary of more than 500 million, the Bulls will not be able to renew his contract.

Forman personally visited O'Neal because of this problem.

After O'Neal retired, the Bulls could not find a better inside man than O'Neal in the free market.

In the end, after some communication and weighing, O'Neal Jr. chose to implement the contract option.

There are many factors involved. For example, like Battier, he can continue to win the championship if he stays with the Bulls. Furthermore, due to the lockout, there is great uncertainty in the contract offer he can get in the free market.

Of course, it is unknown whether Foreman guarantees compensation for renewing his contract next year.

After all, even if there is such a thing, it doesn't exist.

These two signings are the two most important operations for the Bulls to remain competitive.

However, after completing these two signings, the Bulls' salary for the new season has exceeded the luxury tax.

Some people may wonder why the Bulls' lineup just reached the salary cap last season and is now over the luxury tax this season?

Because there is not much difference between the two.

The so-called salary cap is 48% of the league's revenue in the previous year, and the threshold for luxury tax is 55% of the previous year's revenue.

Take the new season as an example. The salary cap is 5800 million and the luxury tax is 6600 million. In fact, there is only a difference of 800 million.

After the Bulls signed Korver with the mid-level exception last year and then traded for Battier, they were actually very close to the luxury tax.

After the super-luxury tax, the Bulls no longer have a mid-level exception, but only a mini-mid-level exception.

Each team in the NBA has a mid-level exception every year. Those who are not full of the salary cap are called space exceptions, those who are full are called mid-level exceptions, and those who are beyond the luxury tax are called mini-middle class. The years and salaries of these three special cases are different.

Under the new labor agreement, the starting salary of the special mid-level contract is 500 million, while the minimum salary for the mini-middle class is only 300 million. The two have different attractions for players.

In the end, the Bulls also chose to use this special case and signed veteran Kenyon Martin to a two-year, $2 million contract.

Martin was the No. 2000 pick in [-]. The trident formed by Jason Kidd and Jefferson in the Nets reached the finals twice, but unfortunately fell short in the end.

He is 34 years old this year. Due to Nene's rise and decline in form, it has been difficult to get a big contract in the market.

However, he still has a certain amount of fighting ability, and can be used as an inside swingman. At his peak, he also existed against Duncan and O'Neal.

After making key signings, the Bulls then started to make some piecemeal decisions.

They first used a veteran's minimum salary to acquire Peja Stojakovic to make up for the loss of Novak's departure.

Old Peja was already lying down and ready to retire, but when he heard that the Bulls were interested in him, he immediately jumped out of bed.

For these old guys, there is really no reason to refuse if they can compete for a championship ring at the end of their careers.

In addition, the Bulls signed combo guard Delonte West with a one-year veteran's minimum salary.

A little trivia: West only entered the league in 2004, and he is actually only 28 years old this year.

There is no doubt about his talent. If he had not suffered injuries and off-court problems during his time with the Cavaliers, he would not have been reduced to a minimum salary now.

However, the Bulls are not worried about this problem. After all, no player will make a mistake in Chicago.

Of course, it's definitely not possible to just be an old guy. The Bulls' last signing was to sign Yi Jianlian with a basic salary contract.

It’s time to talk about Yi Jianlian.

After reaching the top with the Chinese team in 2010, Yi Jianlian's career has also undergone some subtle changes.

Although he was still sent to the Wizards by the Nets, he is obviously much more confident than before.

It is said that you will be at the top of the mountain and have a panoramic view of the mountains. After seeing the scenery at the highest place, the change in mentality is different.

Xu Yong's performance in the finals also had this impact to some extent. After all, I have won the world championship, what's wrong with winning an NBA championship?
Talking back to Yi Jianlian, he posted 7.5 points and 4.9 rebounds with the Wizards last season.

Although both statistics are the lowest since entering the NBA, that is more because he played as a substitute most of the time. In fact, his shooting percentage reached 44.2%, which was the most efficient season in four years.

The only problem is that his three-point shooting percentage dropped to 25%, a career low.

All in all, Yi Jianlian's overall performance is better than that of the same period in history, which gives him a certain value in the free market.

But the Wizards signed Nene, as well as McGee, Bulayche and others. There is no room for him next season, so they gave up matching this contract.

The Bulls' idea is relatively simple. They need to continue to recruit people in the interior. Now there is no one in the free market who is more cost-effective than Yi Jianlian.

Because while they have completed all previous signings, players with high cost performance or quality have been signed one after another.

As for why Chinese players cannot be on the same team, after the experience last season, the Bulls no longer care about this factor at all.

After completing all these signings, the Bulls completed the reinforcement of the lineup in a very short period of time.

Point Guard: Rose, Hinrich, Delonte West

Shooting Guards: Xu Yong, Tony Allen, Jimmy Butler
Small forward: Artest, Battier, Peja

Power forward: Gibson, Martin, Yi Jianlian
Center: Yao Ming, O'Neal Jr., Asik
The overall strength of this 15-man roster has not changed much compared to last season. Forman can be regarded as doing his best to complete these operations after winning the championship.

After confirming the roster, Forman then completed a very important thing.

Before this matter, we should mention the "Ross Clause", which is the origin of the "super contract".

The new version of the collective bargaining agreement stipulates that when a player is elected MVP during his rookie contract, or has been selected as a starter in the All-Star Game twice in the All-Star voting, or has been selected to the annual All-NBA Team twice (whether it is the third With several lineups, including defensive lineups), he is eligible to sign a super-maximum contract with his parent team with a starting salary of 30% of the salary cap.

To put it simply, before this, the starting salary of a rookie's contract extension was restricted by the maximum salary rule, which was for 0 to 6 years of service, and could only be a starting salary of 25% of the salary cap.The Rose clause raises this starting salary to 7% of the salary cap for players who have played for 9 to 30 years.

Because Rose was the first to satisfy the clause, it became known as the Rose Clause, just as the Bird Rights were also known as the Larry Bird Clause.

But Rose is not the first person to enjoy this clause, Durant is the first.

Durant's contract was signed with the Thunder last summer, but it was only implemented this season.

Because he meets Rose's clause, his contract will be automatically adjusted, which means that in the new season he will have more than $200 million in pre-tax income than before.

Rose is the second person to enjoy this clause.

For comparison, Noah just signed a five-year, 5 million contract with the Rockets, while Rose's early extension with the Bulls was for five years, 8300 million, and the entire contract was 5 million more.

Xu Yongze basically booked the next one.

Because he was already selected to the All-NBA team last season and was also an All-Star starter. He only needs to meet one of these two conditions to meet the conditions.

There is still uncertainty about the best team, but as the record-breaking vote leader last season, the probability that he will not become an All-Star starter is too low.

The free market is still going on, and Xu Yong and Yao Ming, the "veteran players" of the Bulls, are also training in the training camp while accepting the addition of new players.

Today they were chatting with Peja, tomorrow they were talking with West, an old rival, and the day after tomorrow, they were fighting with Martin, an old gangster.

Of course, the happiest moment was when I met Yi Jianlian in the last few days of the training camp.

To be honest, neither Xu Yong nor Yao Ming expected the Bulls to sign Yi Jianlian.

It can only be said that after Foreman tasted the benefits of last season, he has become more and more trusting of Chinese players.

Of course, it's not just the Bulls. The Knicks also signed Sun Yue with a minimum salary contract during the offseason.

Although Sun Yue didn't get many opportunities with the Warriors last season, this is the impact of the Chinese market being fully developed.

You don’t think that the NBA is impersonal and sophisticated, right?
If you think so, Brother Antetokounmpo and Pippen's son will have something to say.

Yi Jianlian himself is very introverted and shy, but he can relax a lot when meeting Xu Yong and Yao Ming.

It is no exaggeration to say that he felt that he was not in the Bulls at this time, but in the national men's basketball team!

People who are not introverts may not be able to relate to Yi Jianlian at this moment. The feeling of no longer being alone in a foreign country makes me really happy.

"Brother Lian, have you found a place to live?" Xu Yong asked Yi Jianlian with concern before the training started.

Yi Jianlian is different from Yao Ming. Yao Ming's character does not need help from others, but Yi Jianlian is the complete opposite.

"Just call me Ah Lian." Yi Jianlian said quickly. Although he was older than Xu Yong, he couldn't afford Xu Yong to call him that.

Xu Yong didn't care, so he changed his name and asked again.

Yi Jianlian shook his head.

He actually joined the Bulls in a hurry.

Because he returned to play for the Guangdong team during the lockout, the Bulls only recently contacted his agent, and he rushed to Chicago in a hurry.

Now, he is still living in a hotel in Chicago.

"I am going to find a place to live in the city in two days. My agent told me that the traffic in Chicago is very congested." Yi Jianlian continued.

"You can change your agent."

"Ah?" Yi Jianlian was stunned.

"Didn't he tell you how chaotic the city of Chicago is?" Xu Yong then asked.

"He didn't say anything about it, because he is indeed a little busy right now." Yi Jianlian said with an awkward smile.

His agent is Dan Fagan, a well-known agent in the league. Now that he is not doing well in the NBA, he has naturally become a small client there.

"Well, I rented two houses in the city. I live in it myself, and there is another house where Jimmy and Little Tiger live. But there are two rooms on the second floor. If you don't mind, you can stay there first, and then wait. Find a more suitable one and then move out." Xu Yong suggested.

"Will this trouble you?" Yi Jianlian was a little embarrassed.

"No trouble, it's empty anyway, you can just pay me the rent then." Xu Yong waved his hand.

"Okay, you have the final say on how much it will cost." Upon hearing the rent, Yi Jianlian breathed a sigh of relief.

"We'll talk about money later. I'll take you to see it after training is over." Xu Yong said with a smile.

Yi Jianlian nodded vigorously after hearing this.

After the training, Xu Yong drove Yi Jianlian and Butler back to their residence.

When he was about to enter, Butler looked at Yi Jianlian with a smile. Yi Jianlian was a little confused for a moment.

But after Xu Yong led them in, he discovered why Butler did that.

Because there was a white cerebellum walking around in the yard. When it saw them coming in, it climbed up the steps with its calves raised, and then ran towards Xu Yong.

Those who saw it up close knew it was a brain tiger, and those who saw it from a distance thought it was a big white cat.

"...Can tigers be raised?" Looking at Xu Yong who was already petting the tiger, Yi Jianlian was a little confused. He originally thought whose nickname was the little tiger.

And of course he has heard from his teammates about their experiences of raising pets for so many years in the NBA, but this was the first time he heard about Tiger, no, saw it.

"Everything can be played, as long as it's still small." Xu Yong said with a smile.

In fact, they are now in the same house that O'Neal rented before.

Because the backyard of this house was large, Xu Yong rented the house after accepting the "gift" from O'Neill.

This house is larger than the one he lives in, but it is also a standard American wooden house with a two-and-a-half-story structure.

The bottom floor is for the keepers, and the second floor, as he said before, has two rooms with bathrooms. A butler lives there. He has been here for a few days, and the remaining room is Transition to Yi Jianlian.

"Is this a Bengal tiger?" Yi Jianlian walked closer and asked.

The little tiger felt an unfamiliar aura, turned his head and made an "ouch" gesture towards Yi Jianlian.

Yi Jianlian stopped subconsciously.

Xu Yong reached out and stroked its head, then let it lie down again.

"Yes, O'Neill gave it to me. I named it King." Xu Yong said, turning the little tiger over and rubbing its belly. It sat on its back comfortably.

"Ah?" Yi Jianlian was stunned for a moment.

"The king of beasts is concise and concise." Xu Yong explained.

"Okay." Yi Jianlian nodded.

Although, he always felt something was strange.

Early the next morning, when Xu Yong got up for training, Butler was already waiting for him at the door.

Although Butler doesn't talk much, his character is not shy at all. On the contrary, he is very proactive and knows what he needs.

After learning about Xu Yong's training plan, he also joined in.

After the morning training was over, they chatted while eating.

Because Christmas is coming soon and the new season is about to start, ESPN's annual strength prediction list has come out.

The attention on the list in previous years may have been average, but this year because of the rush of time and too much news, many fans regard it as a summary to understand the changes in the team, so the attention is higher than in previous years.

This is what Xu Yong and Butler were talking about right now.

And ESPN is also making progress. They even used a very user-friendly scoring method this year to make it easier for users to read.

I have to say, this trick is really intuitive.

First, Bulls (99 points)
The Bulls have retained their core lineup as much as possible during the offseason. As the defending champions, they will be the strongest team this season.

Barring injuries, it will be difficult for any team to stop them.

Expected starting lineup: Rose, Xu Yong, Artest, Gibson, Yao Ming;
Expected rotation: Hinrich, Allen, Battier, Martin, O'Neal Jr.

Second, Heat (96 points)
The experience of last season did not defeat this team. The ball rights problems of Wade and James were resolved in the summer, and James will become the new leader of the Heat.

They renewed Chalmers with a four-year, $4 million cap hit, and he will become the Heat's new starting point guard.

Although it was regrettable that they were unable to trade for Odom, they immediately signed DeShawn Stevenson with a two-year, 2 million mini-mid-level contract.

Stevenson was the Mavericks' starting shooting guard last season. He is a qualified 3D player with remarkable performance. He is the type that the Heat desperately need.

Expected starting lineup: Chalmers, Wade, James, Bosh, Joel Anthony;

Projected rotation: Norris Cole, Stevenson, Mike Miller, Haslem, Jeff Ayers.

Third, Lakers (95 points)
This may be the strongest backcourt combination in the history of the NBA. Paul and Kobe are a team. This is a team that may not be formed in 2K.

And they also signed players like Josh McRoberts in the mid-level in the free market, which is an underrated signing.

McRoberts is a versatile player like Odom. When the Lakers offense is in trouble, he can partner with Bynum/Okafor on the court.

At the same time, veteran Grant Hill also gave up the contract provided by the Suns and joined the Lakers with a basic salary, chasing the championship at the end of his career.

Expected starting lineup: Paul, Kobe, Ariza, Okafor, Bynum;

Projected rotation: Blake, Grant Hill, Matt Barnes, McRoberts, Troy Murphy.

Fourth, Thunder (94 points)
The Thunder were one of the most underrated teams this offseason, making one of the boldest trades in the past five years.

Westbrook's departure will also give Harden more opportunities to show himself. It is expected that he will become the team's point guard in the decisive stage.

And it is worth mentioning that they also used a three-year, 3 million full mid-level contract to bring Nick Young from Washington to Oklahoma.

It's obvious that the Thunder are completely following the Bulls' team-building model last season.

Expected starting lineup: Fisher, Harden, Durant, Ibaka, Pau Gasol;

Projected rotation: Reggie Jackson, Sefolosha, Nick Young, Nick Collison, Nazr Muhammad.

Fifth, Spurs (91 points)
Sixth, Mavericks (90 points)
The Mavericks have retained their core lineup, but their average age is one year older, and their status in the new season is still unknown.

But keeping Tyson Chandler was their most successful signing of the offseason.

Although they lost Barea, they still have Rodrigo Beaubois, a small man who is also known for his speed and was the starting shooting guard for a time last season. Like Butler, he also missed last season due to injury. Playoffs.

Cuban's trade in the draft is also a big gamble, and Kawhi Leonard's performance will determine their ceiling.

Expected starting lineup: Kidd, Carter, Marion, Nowitzki, Chandler;

Projected rotation: Beaubois, Jason Terry, Kawhi Leonard, Brandon Wright, Ian Mahinmi.

Seventh, Grizzlies
Eighth, Celtics
[-]. Pacers
[-]. Magic Team
……

After talking about this list, there are two places that they talked about more.

The first one is naturally ranked first, with a score of 99 points which is one point away from this one.

ESPN doesn't do anything to belittle people, but directly promotes and flatters them.

This year, the Lakers and Thunder are obviously no weaker than the Bulls on paper.

Then came the Heat. When they saw James as the new core of the team, Xu Yong and Butler both smiled in unison.

During the lockout, entertainment media such as TMZ once reported on Wade and James' yacht party, which was very immersive.

It is said that the Big Three all took their wives to go overseas, and then Wade once again took the initiative to make James the boss, and hoped that the team would no longer have conflicts in the new season.

James acted very surprised, but in the end he was moved to accept Wade's suggestion and said that they will always be brothers and he will definitely help Miami win the championship.

I don’t know if the story is true or not, but it is very vivid.

After all, Wade is neither Jordan nor Kobe, and his understanding of the team is biased.

The team makes concessions to each other, and if you blindly give in and accommodate, that would be arrogance.

No matter in history or now, Wade has brought it upon himself to get to this point.

After finishing breakfast, Xu Yong and Butler went to the training hall.

At this time, there are only two days left before the start of the season.

Thibodeau gave a lecture to the players before practice.

The content is mainly about the upcoming season.

A shortened season is not just about fewer games.

In fact, the game time is about two months shorter than before, but the number of games has only been reduced from 82 to 66 games, only 16 games less.

The direct result of this is an increase in back-to-back games, and even back-to-back games.

This intensive schedule can easily lead to injuries to players.

In fact, the league has foreseen the possible situation and increased the activation list from the original 12 to 13 people.

The main content of Thibodeau's training...is not that he also wants to expand the rotation, but that young players should be prepared for more playing time.

The young players on the team subconsciously felt weak after hearing this. The experience of last season's playoffs seemed like yesterday.

However, Xu Yong was shocked when he heard this.

His physical training throughout the past summer was not just for Thibodeau's words.

This time, even if Thibodeau fucked him for 44 minutes in the regular season, he said he could continue for another minute.

At the end of the day's training, Yi Jianlian found Xu Yong.

"I've seen Butler get up early these days. I just asked him, he said you train before breakfast?" Yi Jianlian asked curiously.

After seeing Xu Yong nodding in confirmation, he immediately asked: "Can I come with you?"

Xu Yong didn't expect Yi Jianlian to make such a request. After thinking for a while, he smiled and nodded.

In fact, his care for Yi Jianlian was somewhat selfish.

After next season is over, it will be the London Olympics that he and Yao Ming value most.

Although they won the World Championships before, as a player, who wouldn't want to prove themselves on the Olympic stage?

Especially, that was Yao Ming's last dance with the national team.

But Dream Team [-] is definitely much stronger than Dream Team [-]. Even if the original team of the World Championships competes, they will have almost no chance.

In order to get a chance, they all have to become stronger.

He wants to become stronger, and so does Yi Jianlian.

So, on the last morning before the game, the three of them trained together on the first floor of Xu Yong's residence.

Over the past two years, Xu Yongzao has transformed this place into a fully functional training room.

Training is boring, but if you have someone with you, the boring feeling will be reduced a lot.

Just after the training, when the three of them were sitting at the dining table having breakfast, Xu Yong suddenly felt that the scene in front of him seemed familiar.

By the way, among his stories about Jordan, there was a very famous "Breakfast Club". Is this a 2.0 wave?
This feeling made him feel a little dazed and a little strange.

(End of this chapter)