The Legend of the Hungry Wolf in Basketball

Chapter 417 [Newcomers who play well]

At the end of the game 153 to 105, the Clippers beat the Timberwolves! The team's scoring average increased again, and it was quite amazing to score 150 points without overtime.

The best performer of the Clippers was Marcus Thornton, who scored 30 points and 4 assists. Isaiah Thomas also scored 18 points. In 28 minutes, he made 10 of 6 shots, 4 of 2 three-pointers, and two free throws. He scored 16 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. This is also his most exciting game this season.The bench players are once again the protagonists, and gold always shines.

This season, the Timberwolves are moving towards the No. [-] pick again. Since Garnett left, the Timberwolves have been at the bottom of the league for several years in a row. It is useless to select a group of high-ranked rookies.

Rubio can't be the core of a team. He made 13 of 2 shots today and was easily overwhelmed by Curry and Thornton.The Timberwolves had thousands of choices, and they chose such a person who couldn't shoot.

The Timberwolves' big bet on Beasley was a failure among failures.Beasley is the kind of guy who always likes to be different.Most players are obedient and obedient, willing to be good kids in the NBA, willing to be controlled by the image created by the league, and afraid of being punished for saying the wrong thing.But Beasley seemed to feel that he couldn't be a man if he didn't tell the truth, and he didn't feel happy if he didn't do what he liked. He thought he was a man, but he was actually stupid.Not to mention that he hasn't played well now, even if he is capable, Stern is unwilling to praise him.He was second in the list back then, but now he is far less famous than Rose, Love, Mayo, Westbrook and others, not even Eric Gordon.

Ye Feng has also gained some experience from the Timberwolves. Even though he doesn't know what will happen after 2012, he is still confident in picking good players.To train newcomers, first of all we should look for honest and obedient ones, secondly we should look for hardworking and unselfish ones, and finally we should look for talent.Otherwise, players like Beasley and Jonny Flynn may be selected.

The Clippers had a smooth ride, but other teams were not so lucky, and the biggest hidden danger of shrinking the season began to show.All teams not only have to withstand the test of high-density games, but also need to face the "back-to-back" schedule of 3 consecutive days of games.Faced with such a schedule, even though NBA players are all people with superior physical fitness, they still cannot withstand the injuries caused by high-intensity games.

On January 1, the star of the Heat, Dwyane Wade, was injured. In the second quarter of the game against the Hawks, Wade took off to fight for the ball and landed without any physical confrontation. right foot.After the game, Wade said it was the worst sprained foot of his career.Although there was no fracture in the subsequent X-ray examination, Wade currently has no clear return time.

Bryant also injured his left tibia in the game against the Thunder on the same day, entered the observation list, and missed at least a week of the game.

If you count all the players who have experienced major and minor injuries since the official start of the NBA regular season, since the start of the game on December 12 last year, it has only been less than a month since the game started, and 26 people have been injured successively.

The high-density schedule compares with physical fitness, which is a big test for veteran players and core players. The 38-year-old Kidd missed the team's 4 consecutive games because of a back injury.And another Celtics team with veterans at its core has a poor record this season and ranks tenth in the Eastern Conference. Since the start of the regular season, a total of 5 players have been injured. For older veterans.

In addition to veterans, the core players of each team are also high-risk groups for injuries.After Zach Randolph joined the Rockets, he was played by Adelman as a bully. He averaged 38 minutes per game. Finally, he got tired and suffered a slight torn medial ligament in his right knee. He will be out for 6 to 8 weeks.When Randolph was injured, the Rockets were in a hurry inside and suffered a wave of 4-game losing streak.

In order to better maintain their health in this special season, players can only choose to deliberately reduce their playing time and allow their bodies to get more rest.The Celtics are very careful now. If the game does not enter the most critical moment, Garnett will have to rest basically every 5 minutes he plays.Although Kidd's previous back injury was not serious, the team immediately let him rest for 4 games.Even the Grizzlies star Westbrook, who can fly and dunk well, has reduced his average playing time this season by 4 minutes, sharing playing time with Billups and Mo Williams.

In addition, giving substitute players more opportunities to play and maintaining the rotation of the lineup is also a way to ensure the health of the players and the integrity of the lineup.It's just that the bench depth of other teams is not as strong as the Clippers, and the strength of the main force is greatly damaged.The Clippers can almost blow up the league as a starter, and they can hold up even when they come off the bench.Since the start of the new season, the Clippers have not had anyone injured, relying on strict control of players' playing time. No starter has averaged more than 35 minutes per game. As long as there is a big lead, Thibodeau will immediately replace him.

Due to the large number of injuries and the increase in transactions, the teams could not find suitable players to supplement in the free market, and low-ranked rookies and NBDL players got a chance.

For example, in order to make up for Randolph's vacancy, the Rockets quickly traded with the Kings and exchanged next year's second-round pick for Trey Tompkins, a rookie with the 38th overall pick in the second round.Before the draft, Tompkins had a market in the middle of the first round, but he was only 208cm tall and weighed 111kg. He was also a player who was too short to play inside and was too slow at the third position. Such people are not popular in the league now, so he fell to No. 18 In the second round, he had no chance to play in the Kings, but in the Rockets, he averaged 7 minutes per game and scored [-] points.

There are many similar examples, such as the introduction of Greg Stisma by the Celtics, and the acquisition of Corey Higgins by the Bobcats, all of whom have not passed the draft.

In fact, the outside world is not optimistic about the prospects of rookies this season. The worries first come from the harsh growth environment.Due to the lockout, the annual NBA rookie class was canceled.The rookie course is jointly organized by NBA officials and the players union. For those rookies who have just entered the NBA, the rookie course can help them better adapt to the NBA.The rookie course can be described as all-encompassing, and the big and small things inside and outside the arena are all the research topics of the rookie course.Rookies can learn how to better play the role of professional players through the rookie course.It is conceivable how much the cancellation of the event will affect the rookies.

What's more deadly is that for rookies, the summer league and preseason are the best platforms for them to express themselves, and they are an important opportunity for them to win a place in the team's rotation, but because of the lockout, the summer league is gone , The preseason is also greatly compressed, and the opportunities for rookies to play and exercise are greatly reduced. Many potential new stars may miss the opportunity to enter the team's rotation, which is a fatal blow to rookies.Especially for rookies in the middle and lower reaches of the draft, they may not even have a chance to hit the "rookie wall".

In addition, the worry also comes from the outside world's misunderstanding of the 2011 rookies. Although public opinion generally believes that 2011 is a small draft year, the low-quality rookies have not attracted much attention to the rookies this season.However, one month into the race, the results were astounding.

The No. 8 pick Irving broke out strongly. He teamed up with McGee and Jamison, and the three brought the Cavaliers to the eighth position in the Eastern Conference. This season is likely to enter the playoffs.Irving's shooting is many times better than last year's "genius champion" Wall, and he may become an All-Star this season.Thompson of the Cavaliers, Biyombo of the Bobcats, and Kemba Walker of the Bobcats also performed well.Even Thomas, the last rookie of the Clippers, performed well.

The rookie's performance is so eye-catching. Obviously, people's worries before are a bit unfounded.Perhaps for the rookies who have gone through a series of tests from middle school to college, running-in, adaptation, and adjustment have long been compulsory courses in their basketball career, and the deterioration of the environment caused by the lockout has become a way for them to mature faster and quickly enter the team. catalyst.

Of course there are unlucky players, but the most unlucky one is Jeremy Lin.Because "Small Steel Cannon" Lowry did not join the Rockets, they could only start with Dragic, and there was no suitable candidate for the substitute, so the Rockets needed to supplement their outside strength. After Morey introduced Jeremy Lin, he did not lay off him. An unguaranteed basic salary left him in the Rockets. So far, Jeremy Lin has shown no signs of breaking out.It's still the same "soy sauce" as in the Warriors. People don't even know that he can play pick-and-roll tactics, can shoot, and can't go to New York. Maybe he will be like this for the rest of his life.

Regarding this situation, Ye Feng did not find it strange.In his previous life, Jeremy Lin did have an outstanding performance for one month. After that, all that remained was the New York media's constant praise. His personal strength was not strong enough to be called a star.

Many teams also want to strengthen their lineup through trades with the Clippers. The targets are marginal players such as Wright, Vujacic, and Barnes. However, no matter who they use as bargaining chips, Thibodeau directly denies it. Yes, their lineup is already the strongest in the league.

Then the Clippers started another wave of back-to-back away games against the Spurs, Mavericks, and Nuggets.In the continuous campaign, the status of the Clippers players also had some problems. They encountered some troubles when they played against the Spurs. In the last 2 minutes of the last quarter, they relied on Ye Feng and Smith's key free throws for 5 points.

Before the start of the season, no one was optimistic about the Spurs.

But don't forget, the last time the season shrunk, the Spurs were the biggest winners.At least, no one in the league has more successful experience in shrinking seasons than Popovich and Duncan.

Realistically speaking, the situation for the Spurs is indeed very complicated and the prospects are unpredictable.To say that they are inferior, Ginobili, Parker, and Duncan all stayed in the team well. The foundation of their success in the past eight years is still there. Even though Duncan is old, slow, and lacking in strength, under the protection of Popovich , and where could it go?But to say they are good, this is already a half-rebuilding team, and there are no major signings, the most important new member is just a rookie.

The action during the offseason is still the familiar Spurs style. In the last year of Duncan's contract, they have no intention of making a drastic revolution, only tinkering with some parts.Richard Jefferson, who has been disappointing in the past two years, they did not buy out and stayed in the team to see the aftermath.The rookie Leonard traded for George Hill, as well as last year's rookies James Anderson, Danny Green and others will become a vital force in the 2nd and 3rd positions, decompressing Ginobili and preparing to top off Jefferson.After veteran McDyess retired, the Brazilian Split officially entered the regular rotation. As Duncan's playing time dwindled, Split and Blair would show up more and more.

Now people find that after the silent and slow changes, the Spurs are no longer the old image of the past. They have fresh blood flowing in their bodies, and these young people have gradually come to the front and played important roles.Rookie Leonard is typical of them. The reason why the Spurs are willing to replace Leonard with George Hill, an important substitute, is because of Leonard's stature and versatility. He has height, wingspan, and A perimeter defender with strength and speed, this alone is enough to make the San Antonio people happy. He is indeed better than Hill.

Thanks to the addition of young people, the Spurs at least have considerable depth on the outside, which can reduce the adverse effects of the shrinking season schedule to a certain extent.Last season, Popovich used the strategy of speeding up and strengthening offense to cope with the regular season, and as a result, he had the second record in the Western Conference.They still use the same trick this season, and young people will be very comfortable with this style of play that is stronger in offense than defense and relatively free.

It's just that the playoffs have never been a paradise for young people and offenses.This is the source of the Spurs' confusion and confusion.A good regular season may not necessarily bring good luck to the playoffs.If young people play well, they may not have enough playing time and performance opportunities in the playoffs.Popovich also understands that offense first can never help the team pass the playoffs and open up territory, only defense can.

They caused trouble for the Clippers in the regular season. If the two teams meet in the playoffs, the Spurs will definitely lose.

And this time the Spurs' efforts made a wedding dress for the Mavericks.

In Ye Feng's previous life, the Mavericks traded Rudy Fernandez for the sole purpose of reducing the luxury tax payment and gaining more space to pursue a No. 5 player.The Nuggets only paid for a future second-round rookie, and they got Fernandez.It was a nonsensical deal. In fact, trading him had no effect on reducing his salary.Now the Mavericks traded Fernandez for Wizards backup center Kevin Seraphim, a strong insider with a height of 206 cm and a weight of 125 kg, and finally got back a useful person.

Back-to-back encounters with the main rivals in the West, the Dallas Mavericks, this time the Clippers fought hard, and finally lost, 106 to 109 by three points.

Gasol was defended by DeAndre Jordan, and Gasol was defended by Seraphim outside the penalty area. The game only scored 6 points, and Love's three-pointer unfortunately missed.In this game, several insiders of the Mavericks played well.Their signing goal was to restrain the Clippers, and it succeeded!The Clippers' winning streak ended at 14 games, and there were so many players, it was impossible to guarantee the best performance every game.

(End of this chapter)