With the decline of big centers, the current NBA has gradually become a world of strikers. In comparison, guards are also full of talents, but in terms of overall quality, they are really not as good as strikers.
Especially those excellent small forwards, their speed is no worse than that of guards, their shooting ability is the same as that of guards, but their bodies are stronger, and their lethality on both offense and defense is greater than that of guards. Especially with the emergence of an all-around forward like James, who can play from position one to position five, it directly affects the position of the point guard. With such a small forward in the team, the position of the point guard who cannot shoot is On the contrary, they are not as good as those 3D players on the wings.
This will be the trend in the NBA in the future. As a defender, he either has super scoring methods like Curry, Westbrook, and Harden; or he is a 3D player like Beverley who can defend well and shoot three-pointers. Point guards who rely solely on organization are becoming less and less popular. People like Irving, Thomas, Lillard, Lowry, etc., although they all have good assist capabilities, are becoming more and more focused on scoring.
The future Cavaliers will rely more and more on James, who also averages several more assists per game than Irving; the Spurs will rely more and more on Leonard, and Parker, the former Spurs organizer, has begun to become irrelevant; As for the Warriors, the key to victory is not Curry or Thompson, but Draymond Green.
In comparison, at the small forward position, the Lakers' Wesley Johnson is really too weak. Lakers general manager Kupchak also knows this. If you want to go further in the playoffs, reinforcements are necessary. Kupchak also wanted to strengthen, but unfortunately it is difficult for a clever woman to make a plan without rice.
Before the start of the season, the Lakers had almost no room to operate. This season, the salaries of Kobe, Gasol and Nash occupied a lot of space. The Lakers' salary has exceeded the salary cap, and the Lakers have no first-round draft picks. There is no mid-level exception and no two-year exception. The only thing the Lakers can do is sign players with minimum salaries. After Kobe's injury, the Lakers have already planned to fail. What else does a failed team need to operate
"Reinforcement of the forward line is easy to say, but what can I do to strengthen it? The trade deadline has passed, and now I can only find people in the free market. But at this time, there are no decent players in the free market, and You can only sign with a minimum salary. Wait a minute, a veteran's minimum salary! Maybe you can try that person! I don't know how his knee injury is recovering." Kupchak suddenly remembered a familiar name.
…
While Kupchak was having a headache to strengthen the Lakers' lineup, the Lakers were also challenging the Timberwolves away from home, and the Lakers once again fell into a tough battle.
Gasol was hit by Love in the second quarter and came off the court for examination. When Gasol came off the court, the inside combination of Kaman and Jordan Hill felt like it was beaten by the Timberwolves.
For the Timberwolves, the two starting insiders are Love and Pekovic. Love's strength needs no introduction. Pekovic is also a heavy-weight center who is very aggressive on both offense and defense. , standing in the low post under the basket, almost no center can shake his position.
Having said that, Pekovic is really a bit like Kaman when he was young, with very similar characteristics. If Kaman were five years younger, he might really have fought to the death with Pekovic. But now Kaman is past his prime, while Pekovic is at his peak. The competition between the two , Kaman is really unable to do what he wants.
There is really a gap between Jordan Hill and Love by several levels.
Although some people say that Love is a data brush, it is undeniable that Love is a rare scorer in the league. Love's scoring average can be said to be the highest among inside players. Jordan Hill looks very tough on the outside and has outstanding athletic ability, but his strength and basic defensive skills are very average, that is, he is not strong enough on the defensive end. For Love, he likes to play against opponents who look tough but are actually very weak. As a result, Love's data once soared, and he almost reached a triple-double after three quarters.
For the Lakers, Bazemore's defense made Kevin Martin a little tight, and his shooting percentage was not high. Rubio, on the other hand, was simply beaten by Zhang Guan.
Spain's "golden boy" Rubio has been in the NBA for three years, but his shooting ability has still not improved at all. In recent times, Rubio has no desire to attack, and he also has no confidence in attacking. He can even break through five opponents and then pass the ball to his teammates without daring to attack himself.
The Timberwolves were wreaking havoc with their twin towers inside, while the Lakers were showing off their outside players. The two sides were evenly matched. In the end, the game was dragged into overtime. In the overtime, Pekovic's physical decline caused the Timberwolves to be unable to follow up. The Lakers also won the game in a thrilling way.
After the game, Gasol was found to be fine. Mild treatment and rest were enough, and it would not affect the next game.
However, the inside was beaten, which made Zhang Guan's rating of the Lakers' inside players even lower.
"Now the Lakers have a lot of insiders. Gasol, Kaman, Jordan Hill, Ryan Kelly, Sacre, Gasol is completely trustworthy; Kaman has recently become a bit bully and afraid of the tough. When I encounter a team without an inside line, I will score double-doubles, and when I encounter an opponent with a strong inside line, I will be defeated immediately!"
Zhang Guan looked at Jordan Hill again and shook his head slightly.
"This guy Jordan Hill was also the No. 8 pick that year, but he bounced around many teams and never met people's expectations. There is a reason. This guy has good athletic ability and trains very hard. If the level cannot be improved, this is probably what people call lack of talent! If a guy like this can make a rotation in the NBA, it is already very good."
"As for Ryan Kelly." Zhang Guan looked at this "Gao Dabai" and couldn't help but sigh.
As the 48th overall pick in this year's second round and the Lakers' only rookie in recent years, Ryan Kelly's personal data is still very good. He averaged 22.3 minutes per game and scored 8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists. For a rookie, especially one who is young in the draft, he can almost squeeze into the best rookie team.
For someone like Ryan Kelly who can shoot but has no confrontation ability, the best template is undoubtedly Ryan Anderson, and he can be a little less like Steve Novak. But Ryan Kelly's shooting percentage is not very good. According to the new standards, his current shooting percentage is still acceptable, but his rookie season was his best season, and then Wang Xiaoer's New Year's Eve. Every year is worse than the last.
As for Thackeray, he really needs talent but not talent, physical strength but not body, and technique but not technique. The dirty work he does in the paint is unsatisfactory. As an NBA-level player, all Thackeray probably has is passion.
"With such an inside combination, I just hope Gasol won't get injured again!" Zhang Guan sighed silently in his heart.
…
On March 30, the Lakers faced the Phoenix Suns at home. This was a crucial game for both teams.
The Suns have just experienced a six-game winning streak. Their current record is 44 wins and 29 losses. In the West, the other teams with 29 losses are the Grizzlies and Mavericks.
The Warriors currently have 27 losses, ranking sixth in the Western Conference. The gap between two losses has made the Warriors stand out and their position in the playoffs is relatively stable. This also makes the competition between the Suns, Mavericks and Grizzlies more intense. When everyone has 29 losses, whoever loses a game will lose the lead and is likely to fall behind in the accumulated competition.
The Lakers can't lose a game now. If the regular season ends with a complete victory, the Lakers still have a glimmer of hope. If they lose another game, they may really be out of luck.
And if the current Lakers want to enter the playoffs, they must unseat two of the Suns, Mavericks and Grizzlies. Therefore, facing the Suns, Mavericks and Grizzlies, the Lakers will win It is equivalent to narrowing the advantage of two consecutive games. Therefore, the Lakers are also pursuing victory in this game.
The current core of the Suns is Dragic. The 2008 second-round pick has become a new inspirational figure in the league. He played the best season of his career, averaging 20.3 points, 5.9 assists and 3.2 assists per game. Rebounding is almost at an All-Star level, and he will be elected as the Most Improved Player this season.
Four years ago at the World Championships in Turkey, Zhang Guan had played against Dragic. Dragic was the point guard of the Slovenian team at the time. But now, when the two play against each other again, Dragic is much more mature than before, and his step-back jump shot is becoming more and more proficient.
Partnering with Dragic in the backcourt is Bledsoe.
"Blooded Cloth" Bledsoe is a desperate man on the court. This guy's defense is even better than Westbrook, and his desperate style also happens to complement Dragic, making the Suns His backcourt level is also outstanding in the entire league.
Zhang Guan has never been afraid of players who are willing to fight hard. He hopes that his opponents will compete with him physically. Anyway, no defender who dares to confront him will end well. So Bledsoe was a bit tragic in this game. He made 1 of 9 shots from the field, 0 of 4 three-pointers, plus four fouls and four turnovers.
In addition, the Suns' two inside players, Myles Plumlee and Channing Frye, were also completely blown away by Kaman and Gasol.
Kaman scored a double-double with 28 points and 17 rebounds in the game, and Gasol also scored 20 points.
Kaman's recent performance has been a bit unstable, and he is obviously bullying the weak and afraid of the strong. In the last game against the Timberwolves, he was bullied into a dog by Pekovic. This time he faced the inexperienced Plumlee and instantly regained his confidence.
As for Gasol, his performance is still relatively stable, and his experience is more than enough to deal with big pitchers like Channing Frye.
The twin Morris brothers on the Suns' bench did cause some trouble for the Lakers. The twins have a tacit understanding when playing, and it is easy to get confused when it comes to defense. However, the Morris brothers have similar playing styles, and the defensive strategies against them are also similar. Even if they get confused, it will not affect the overall situation.
In the end, the Lakers defeated the Suns 115-99 and won this crucial battle. The Suns' losses also turned into 30 games. They had lost the lead in the competition for playoff tickets. Behind the Grizzlies and Mavericks.
…
Next, the Lakers will play a back-to-back game. The first game is against the Trail Blazers at home.
Lillard was still restricted by Zhang Guan, but Aldridge achieved a huge double-double with 31 points and 15 rebounds. It's just that the Trail Blazers didn't win, because in the Lakers, Nick Young, the "mental knife", showed his power again.
Nick Young is like a young Kobe when he gets wind. In this game, he scored a full 40 points, and his shooting percentage was as high as 60%. Such a Nick Young directly stunned the Trail Blazers. Until the end of the game, Aldridge's face was gloomy. He got a big With a double-double, he originally wanted to win, but all his previous efforts were wasted because of a mental knife.
Immediately afterwards, the Lakers went to the away game to face the Sacramento Kings. The last time the two teams competed, Kings center Cousins was injured and missed the game. The Lakers also won relatively easily. But this time Cousins returned from injury, the Lakers' inside line will obviously suffer. to extreme pressure.
This is also true. Facing Cousins, Kaman turned into a weak shrimp again, and Cousins only played 25 minutes and got a 20+10 double-double.
It's just that the Kings' current record is only 26 wins and 48 losses, ranking second to last in the Western Conference. In the last season of the regular season, such a team will definitely fail, so the Kings players have no fighting spirit. Cousin After finishing their statistics, Si and Rudy Gay took a rest. The game entered garbage time, and the Lakers won another victory.
…
In the locker room, Marshon Brooks is packing his things. He had just returned to Los Angeles from Sacramento when he received an extremely disappointing notice that he had been laid off by the team!
Bazemore looked at his companion with some pity. Both of them were originally Warriors players. They were traded to the Lakers together, but now Marshon Brooks is about to be laid off.
Bazemore couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency in his heart. Like Marshon Brooks, he was a basic-salary player. Now that Marshon Brooks has been laid off, if Bazemore wants to stay, he must Just have to work harder.
"If Ma Shang is laid off, there will definitely be someone new to the team. Who will come?" Bazemore thought to himself.
But not long after, the answer was revealed.
"Everyone, let us welcome a new partner, to be precise, a new partner that everyone is familiar with, world peace!" Kupchak personally introduced the Lakers' new aid to the players.
Kupchak is not shouting a slogan, "World Peace" is the name of the player, and this new aid is Ci Shiping.
Ci Shiping was bought out by the Knicks in February because of a recurrence of his knee injury. Ci Shiping has been unemployed for almost two months now. The Lakers spent a year's veteran's minimum salary to sign Ci Shiping.
Speaking of the veteran's basic salary, only one-fifth of it is guaranteed. The other amounts need to be earned by Ci Shiping through personal efforts, such as getting more playing time, ensuring that injuries do not occur again, etc.
Ci Shiping can be regarded as an old player of the Lakers. When he was still called Artest, he helped the Lakers win the NBA championship. He also experienced the Lakers' "New F4" era. Last season, the Lakers waived him in order to save salary space.
Ci Shiping's advantage is that he can quickly become familiar with D'Antoni's tactical system, because he was a player under D'Antoni last season. As for the Lakers, they don't need Ci Shiping to score now. The Lakers have Zhang Guan and there is no shortage of people who can score. Ci Shiping is enough as long as he needs to contribute in the defensive period.
With Ci Shiping's current strength, as long as he stays healthy, there is no problem playing in the NBA. Two years later, Ci Shiping can still earn a veteran's minimum salary in the NBA. Now, Ci Shiping can still play more than ten minutes in a game.
"I remember that Ci Shiping was going to China to play in the CBA next season, and he went to Sichuan Province. It seems that he changed his name to 'Friends of the Pandas' at that time. I didn't expect that he would be signed back to the Lakers now. If he can If I maintain my form, I might stay with the Lakers next season instead of going to the CBA."
At this time, Zhang Guan thought of the domestic CBA league. The next moment, an idea flashed in his mind, and he suddenly thought of someone.
"Sichuan Province, why did I forget about him? He played there last year. If he can be signed to the Lakers now as a substitute center, that guy must be more reliable than Sacre!" Zhang Guan thought of this, Came to Kupchak.
"General manager, does our right scout have time now? I need a scout to inquire about someone." Zhang Guan said.
"Who?" Kupchak asked.
"This person participated in the 2010 draft. He was selected with the 33rd pick in the second round. He was later waived and then went to play in our country's NBL." Zhang Guan said.
"NBL? Isn't your country's league called CBA for short?" Kupchak asked.
"The NBL is equivalent to the development league of the CBA, similar to the relationship between the NBA and the NBDL." Zhang Guan explained.
"So, this player can't even play in your country's CBA, but will go to the next-level Development League?" Kupchak found it a bit incredible.
Even the strongest foreign players in the CBA can't play in the NBA, let alone CBA Development League players. Kupchak didn't understand why Zhang Guan would let scouts pay attention to such a poor player.
"What's his name?" Kupchak asked.
"Whiteside! The Chinese word for this word is -白IBian!" Zhang Guan said the last two words in Chinese.
Two chapters in one, please give me a guaranteed monthly ticket.
(End of chapter)