Healthy basketball, starting from eating the old Lakers F4

Chapter 275: Continue to strengthen, the opening game!

“Brother, you’re finally here! Welcome to Chicago!

Don't worry, we won't let you down!
It’s time for you to get a championship ring that belongs to you! "

"Joe, on behalf of all the Chicago Bulls players, I welcome you to join us."

Back on July 7, the Bulls were still working on reinforcements after acquiring Garnett in the trade.

This is mainly because the Bulls have become the public enemy of the league. Many of the original championship pieces were poached by other teams this summer.

Andres Nocioni, Burris Diaw, Clifford Robinson, and Mickey Moore left Chicago one after another after their contracts expired and they received offers from other teams.

Baron Davis and Tyson Chandler, the two main players who won the championship, were actively traded away by the Bulls.

Coupled with Jalen Rose, who was given up by the Bulls, the Bulls suddenly lost half of their team this summer.

Fortunately, the main force remains basically unchanged and the strength has not declined much.

And because they just acquired Garnett, a well-known veteran star in the NBA, the Bulls' ability to attract veterans this summer has greatly increased.

It is worth mentioning that after Garnett joined the Bulls, he learned that the Bulls were relatively short of personnel, and he fully demonstrated his connections in the NBA to the Bulls management and Duane.

Veterans like Joe Smith, who has the reputation of being the No. [-] pick, were recruited by Garnett himself.

Speaking of Joe Smith, we have to mention the Yin-Yang contract. It can be said that the great No. [-] pick was ruined by the Yin-Yang contract.

At his peak, Joe Smith also played near-All-Star numbers.

Even if he later transitioned into a blue-collar position due to overlapping positions with Garnett, he would at least be able to get by in the NBA with the physical talent of the No. [-] pick.

If he hadn't been punished by the alliance because of the yin and yang contract, and then gave up on himself, he wouldn't be in this difficult situation of being homeless and wandering around.

However, what surprised Dunn was that it was obviously Garnett who signed the big contract first, and the Timberwolves had no salary space. As a result, Joe Smith's yin and yang contract could be said to have completely ruined Joe Smith's career. Garnett was screwed.

However, when Garnett opened his mouth, Joe Smith really believed Garnett's lies and ran to Chicago to play for the Bulls as a veteran with a minimum salary.

"Don't you just rely on betrayal and betrayal of your friends to get around? Are there really people who play brother basketball these days?"

I have to say, this is really green tea that has tricked me thousands of times. I treat green tea like my first love.

After the Bulls acquired Joe Smith, the bench lineup undoubtedly regained a few points.

Not long after Joe Smith joined the Bulls, through Garnett's unremitting efforts, Grant Hill, who received a maximum salary of 1600 million from the Magic last season, also signed with the Bulls as a veteran with a minimum salary.

However, Grant Hill requested that the second year of the contract be a player option, giving him the autonomy to jump out of the contract next summer.

Naturally, the Bulls have no objection to this.

Is it such a loss to win Grant Hill for 200 million a year?Is it good to make money with blood?

Even if Chicago's medical level is not as good as Phoenix's, arranging a reasonable rotation plan for Grant Hill can still ensure that Grant Hill can be used in the regular season and playoffs.

To put it bluntly, the intensity of competition between starters and substitutes is completely different.

Some stars are very good as starters, but after being reduced to substitutes, they become more durable.

Of course, Chicago is one of the top big cities in North America. Even if the quality of team doctors is not as good as that of the Suns, it is still better than that of teams such as the Trail Blazers, Magic, and Rockets.

It is also because there is no need to consider the durability of substitute players. The Bulls are short of ball handlers, especially point guards to sort out the offense, so they invited Penny Hardaway out of the mountain after two years of training.

As early as the 05-06 season, Penny Hardaway could no longer play.

Whether it's scoring or defense, he's not as good as a rookie who just entered the league.

However, passing depends on skill accumulation and game experience.

The Bulls don't need Penny Hardaway to play the entire regular season. As long as he plays dozens of games a season and plays for more than ten minutes in each game, that's about it.

And Penny Hardaway really wants to receive a championship ring before officially retiring.

The Bulls' invitation was undoubtedly a timely rain that nourished the dry dream in Penny Hardaway's heart.

After acquiring Garnett in the trade and the Bulls signing three well-known veterans, the Bulls' lineup for the new season has basically been determined.

The core of the team, Duane and Garnett!

The three young players in contract years - Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Josh Smith - are undoubtedly the main players of the team next season and are also the main starting players next season.

In terms of the substitute lineup, only John Salmons is a defender, while the forward players include Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, Zhu Fangyu, Chris Webber, Joe Smith, and Milicic as a substitute center.

In general, the Bulls have three positions left on the regular season roster. If it is necessary to continue to strengthen, it is the two positions of point guard and center.

Just like last year, as long as the Bulls get the lineup together as soon as possible and stabilize their performance at the beginning of the season, they can continue to wait for veterans to join in the free market.

Although the lineups of the Lakers and Celtics are not bad, the Suns, Mavericks, and Spurs all have a certain ability to win the championship.

However, the Bulls have won two consecutive championships, the main lineup is relatively young, and Garnett was traded in the summer. These factors are mixed together, and they have undoubtedly become the most popular target for the veteran to mix rings.

"The preseason starts soon! I can tell you seriously that our goal for the new season is still the championship!"

In early October, the Bulls training camp for the new season started again.

On the first day of training, Doan openly expressed his attitude in the locker room to win three consecutive championships and establish a Bulls dynasty.

The veterans who had just come to the Chicago Bulls were somewhat excited when they heard Du En say this.

If it wasn't for the championship, they wouldn't be here.

As for the rookies on the Bulls, the reaction was not that big.

Of course, Zhu Fangyu is an exception.

Zhu Fangyu must have dreamed of winning a championship ring with Du En.

Moreover, unlike other rookies, even if he cannot get a contract in the NBA, he will not worry about work after returning to China.

As for Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Josh Smith, the Bulls management did not renew their contracts in advance last summer, which did have some impact.

However, if the Bulls management can be ruthless enough to trade Baron Davis and Tyson Chandler, then it can naturally cut through the mess quickly and deal with their contracts.

There are also bloody examples of Baron Davis and Tyson Chandler being traded, allowing Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Josh Smith, who are quite comfortable in the Bulls, to Don't dare to ruin the atmosphere in the locker room by openly seeking a big contract in the new season.

As for whether there will be rivalry in secret, that is not up to Du En.In the new season, Dunn is the boss of the team, but the boss in the locker room has been replaced by Garnett.

Garnett's treatment of rookies is not as lenient as Duane's.

After all, there are many rookies who were beaten to tears by Garnett, including those from the Timberwolves.

Of course, Garnett is new to the Chicago Bulls and has not yet integrated into the Bulls' locker room, so it is out of the question to take charge of the locker room.

The next nearly month will be for Garnett to integrate, and at the same time, other Bulls players will also start to join new players.

……

Time passed quickly, and the Bulls finished the preseason with a record of 5 wins and 3 losses.

Because the style of play is still the same as the Bulls last season - defensive counterattacks are the main focus, running and gunning, sudden points, passing and cutting are supplemented.

The newly joined veterans couldn't keep up with the Bulls' youth in terms of athletic ability, so they didn't integrate quickly. The Bulls also lost three games in the preseason.

But it's not a big problem. After all, after Garnett joined, the Bulls' defensive quality has improved to a higher level.

And Garnett is not too old to run. The Bulls must slow down to cooperate with him in positional warfare.

Anyway, the depth of the Bulls' forward rotation is pretty good. At the worst, Garnett's playing time will be reduced, which will also maintain Garnett's efficiency on both offense and defense.

Of course, the most important thing is that the Bulls have proven twice that their original style of play can win the championship, so it is naturally impossible to change their style of play for the sake of the new "losers."

The Bulls' style of play is not a death-defying five players. They must rely on the physical talents of the forward players to make up for deficiencies on the defensive end.

The main players of the Bulls are not veterans in their 30s who are in decline, but young and energetic new stars in the league who are in their prime in their early twenties!
In fact, relying solely on Duane, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Josh Smith, and Milicic, the Bulls don't have to worry about their regular season record.

However, if Garnett and others cannot effectively integrate into the team, the Bulls may also encounter some difficulties in the playoffs.

Therefore, in the next regular season, we still need to practice what we need to practice, and we still need to get used to what we need to run in.

In the blink of an eye, time came to October 10, when a championship flag was once again hung on the dome of the United Center in Chicago, and the prologue of the NBA 30-07 season slowly began.

The opponent of the Chicago Bulls in this year's opening game is the biggest competitor in the Eastern Conference - the Boston Celtics.

"KG, are you ready to be slaughtered by Shaq?"

O'Neal walked to the center circle and joked with Garnett.

Duane also paid attention to the Celtics' preseason games. Although the Celtics only had 4 wins and 4 losses in the preseason, the performance of the starting lineup was still quite good.

Both Pierce and O'Neal are used to positional warfare.

Ray Allen can adapt to most tactics because of his ability to combine with and without the ball. Now that he is getting older, he does not pursue playing fast, but focuses more on finding opportunities to hold the ball or catch and shoot.

It is precisely because of this that O'Neal joined the Celtics two years later in his previous life, and he actually integrated well.

However, there is a huge problem with this Celtics team now, that is, who will defend?

The Celtics in 10 had Garnett, but after trading Kendrick Perkins, something went wrong.

Although O'Neal is in better shape now, and Kendrick Perkins is also on the Celtics, without Garnett as the defensive core, the Celtics are just a fake team that only has offense and lacks defense. Team.

However, the Bulls are still relatively experienced in playing against teams with O'Fatty.

After the game officially started, the Bulls accelerated immediately.

Although there are still some problems with the Bulls' starting lineup today.

The main reason is that there is no real big center. Garnett is playing the fifth position at his age, which will definitely be unbearable in the long run.

But it's not a big problem now. Garnett is willing to play the fifth position for a season in order to integrate into the team.

Other than that, everything must be even. After Baron Davis was traded away, Ben Gordon must be put into the starting lineup.

As a result, the Bulls' starting outside line has the defensive weakness of Ben Gordon, and it is easy to be penetrated by teams that are good at outside singles.

At the same time, Ben Gordon's organizational skills are insufficient, and Duan has to share more ball-holding pressure.

Fortunately, the Bulls' problems are not as fatal as the Celtics'.

The Bulls' lineup is also deep enough that they can continue to try more combinations during the regular season and experiment with the final lineup for the playoffs.

It is also because of the sufficient foundation and stronger defense that the Bulls can make more mistakes than the Celtics.

If the Celtics want to win the opening game, they need to pass the ball to O'Neal more, or let Ray Allen and Pierce name Ben Gordon more.

However, Celtics starting point guard Rondo is also a giant, but he just refused.

After the Bulls players made this clear before the game, they would take the initiative to let Rondo go, let him shoot, and then go around to restrict O'Neal from catching the ball.

Although Pierce is an offensive kaleidoscope, he is a standard floor flow.

Even under the no handcheck rule, the breakthrough cannot be like Kobe, who rushed into the penalty area and put the ball into O'Neal's hands.

As for naming Ben Gordon, it depends on whether Du En and Luol Deng agree.

Dunn leads the defense against Pierce. Although Luol Deng will be rid of Ray Allen without the ball, Garnett's help in defense is not a display.

Whenever Garnett leaves O'Neal, O'Neal is baring his teeth and constantly asking for the ball from his teammates.

Unfortunately, Peter Pan No. [-] and Flash No. [-] are no longer around him.

Therefore, O'Neal has the power to attract defensive deterrence, but he cannot get the pass from his teammates and stuff the ball into the basket.

The Bulls relied on defensive counterattacks and constant fast breaks to quickly widen the point difference.

However, in order to protect Garnett, the Bulls replaced Milicic in advance.

Milicic struggled with O'Neal in the interior, which was more disadvantageous. In addition, he also suffered from lack of experience and excessive assistance in defense.

If Milicic wants to evolve into Garnett and a defensive gate, it will obviously take some time.

However, the Bulls do not expect Milicic to complete his evolution and enter his peak period.

This season, Garnett is the Bulls' anchor inside!
(End of this chapter)