Rebirth of Hayes Cyclone

Chapter 164 ["Chicken Rib" Okafor]

山猫队4日宣布裁掉了肖恩-梅。将4年330万签下的二轮新秀塞申斯，以及4年380万签约的蓝领中锋戈塔特一起下放NBDL缅因红爪队。

According to the labor-management agreement, each team in the NBA has a lineup of 15 players, but each regular season team can only propose a list of 12 players. The number of players in each team in the playoffs will increase from the original 12 to 13 players.

In today's Bobcats, it is difficult for Sessions and Gortat to get a chance to play. After discussion, the uniform team decided to send them to the Development League for exercise.Another rookie, Landry, was appreciated by D'Antoni and stayed in the team because of his mid-range shooting ability, although he was unstable.Landry and Moon compete for the final spot.

Moon's situation is not optimistic, the Bobcats are full of talents at the forward position.However, his mentality is very correct. He is already satisfied to be able to land in the NBA and get a guaranteed contract.All he has to do is train hard and play hard when he's needed.

After the Bobcats beat the Bucks, the players were very happy, and the only depressed person was Okafor.

Okafor and Howard entered the NBA in the same year. He was the No. 2 pick that year. It is said that the Magic hesitated for a long time before choosing the younger Howard.Okafor won the best rookie that year, and Howard ranked second.He also broke O'Neal's rookie-season double-double, and fans have dubbed him "Elvis" ever since!
Okafor thought he should be the No. 26 pick in the draft. Unfortunately, he suffered a serious injury in the second year and only played 14.4 games.Last season, Okafor averaged 11.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and [-] blocks per game, turning the inside of the Bobcats into a no-fly zone.Just when he was excited about his recovery, the Bobcats signed Hayes, and "Elvis Presley" suddenly changed...

Hayes is really strong, and Okafor feels ashamed.But he doesn't accept others.His offensive range does have to be close to the basket, but his defensive ability is league-leading.The coach actually let him play as a substitute because he didn't adapt to the rhythm of running and bombing.

Becoming a substitute for Biedrins has already made Okafor a bit unacceptable.His statistics last season were at the All-Star level. What is the newcomer Biedrins?Why can he ride on his head?There is also Kurt Thomas, because he has played in the Suns and is familiar with run-and-gun tactics, D'Antoni gave him some playing time.What Okafor can't stand the most is Landry, this rookie will also take up some of his playing time...

In the game against the Bucks, Okafor played a total of 18 minutes and scored 4 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block.Suddenly reduced from "Elvis Presley" to a role player, even a marginal person, which made Okafor feel very sad.When he first entered the NBA, people said he was Dwight Howard's lifelong enemy, and now Howard has completely surpassed him.

Okafor is an introverted person. After much consideration, he decided to talk to D'Antoni after training and ask for more playing time.It's a pity that the current coach is D'Antoni. If Van Gundy, who likes defense, becomes the coach, Okafor believes that he will be reused.

D'Antoni had a conversation with Okafor very kindly, after hearing Okafor's thoughts.D'Antoni said helplessly: "Emeka, you are a very good player, you know what you should do on the court. But you also know that you are not used to the running and bombing tactics we are playing now. If the opponent is A team that is not afraid of running and bombing, I will definitely give you more playing time. Biedrins may not be as good as you in other aspects, but his speed is fast, which meets the tactical requirements. What you have to do now should be It’s about practicing the mid-range shot.”

Okafor left frustrated.If CIC is so easy to practice, he would have practiced it in college.His specialty is defense.He suspects that if he does not transfer and stays with the Bobcats, he will soon become an ordinary blue-collar worker and eventually be forgotten.

After Okafor left, D'Antoni found Hayes and Van Gundy to chat about the prospect of the Bobcats.

D'Antoni is not very satisfied with the inside of the Bobcats.He has been a coach in the Suns for several years, and after he is used to coaching Stoudemire, he also looks down on players like Biedrins.He believes that the Bobcats must be traded in exchange for a stable inside offensive point.

Bobcats' inside offense is now a big problem.D'Antoni is going to suggest to the top management to poach Stoudemire, but it is difficult for the Suns to let go of the team's top scorer unless Hayes is replaced.If other bargaining chips can be exchanged for Stoudemire, D'Antoni believes that the Bobcats must be invincible.The Bulls' 72 wins are also floating clouds.

"Emeka (Okafor) talked to me just now, hoping to increase playing time. What do you think?" D'Antoni asked.

Okafor's offensive ability is unsatisfactory. He is 208cm tall, and Stoudemire can run faster than him on one leg. The ability to support the inside line in the offense is also poor. If he pulls to a high position to cover for his teammates, it will be terrible. , the opponent can let him go, and unscrupulously double-team the main scorer of the Bobcats.

Van Gundy said: "I like Emeka's type of player very much. He has strong defensive ability and hard work. But when he plays, the Bobcats must play positional warfare. Unfortunately, his offensive ability is too weak and his passing awareness is not good. , The movement speed is slow, and he can only play as a center forward. I think it is better to let him be Andris's substitute. The first lineup played well, but the defense was not good."

D'Antoni was dissatisfied with the offense, and Van Gundy was dissatisfied with the Bobcats' defense.Let the Bucks score 97 points, which was unimaginable for the Rockets last season.

It can't be blamed that the Bobcats players don't work hard to defend, but once they enter the rhythm of running and bombing, the number of shots increases, and it is easy to be counterattacked by the opponent if they miss a shot.Michael Reid and Mo Williams have strong offensive capabilities, and it is not easy to defend against them in one-on-one situations.If you want to play a gorgeous offense, you have to sacrifice part of the defense, which cannot be changed.

The two coaches figured out how to trade Okafor and send him to a post-offensive team, which would benefit both the Bobcats and Okafor himself.Moreover, Okafor can choose to jump out of the contract next season, and it is very difficult to renew him with a low salary. His greatest value now is the transaction.

Hayes listened quietly.

D'Antoni said that the Raptors' Bargnani is good, and Van Gundy actually agreed. Hayes said helplessly: "Both, that's a shooting guard with a height of 211 cm! It's not good to change this parallel import."

D'Antoni looked at Hayes and said with a smile: "But Bargnani is fast, accurate shooting, and tall. Emeka can't adapt to the rhythm of running and bombing. His current position is awkward. Do you have any comments? You The few deals that have been proposed before have been good."

Hayes smiled and said: "Of course it is David Lee! Apart from Stoudemire, he is the most suitable person in the league for running and shooting. His rebounding ability is better than Stoudemire's, and he can also make mid-range shots. We Last season, we have cooperated very well. We traded the No. 30 pick in the first round for our No. [-] pick, and the Rockets did not lose. And in the first game, the Rockets were blown inside. David is more suitable for playing power forward, and the defense is definitely better than not With Emeka, after Oden was reimbursed for the season, the Rockets lack a center who can guard the inside, and I think they will be interested."

"David is really good!" Van Gundy frowned and said, "But now our relationship with the Rockets is too bad. Will they change? The Rockets are torn apart this summer, and there is no hope of defending the championship. Will they still send people to the Bobcats? ? You think Morey is too easy to talk to, don't you?"

"The Rockets executives may not be easy to talk about, but we can think of ways from other aspects. For example, we can call David and tell him that the starting position is reserved for him here, so that he should not play too hard in the last few dozen games... said Hayes.

"Isn't this unsportsmanlike?" D'Antoni opened his mouth wide and said in a daze.

"Right now the Rockets have no scoring points except McGrady. If David becomes the second scoring point and grabs more than 10 rebounds, he will soon become an All-Star. It's no wonder that he can be traded. McGrady likes singles so much, and David takes the opportunity to shoot. Just leave it to him, and others say he’s selfless if he misses a few shots.” Hayes rested his chin on his hand, thought for a while, and then said: “We still have to give Emeka a chance to play and let him collect enough statistics. .Like what Bunche-Wells did last year."

"Last year, you really deliberately asked Wells to use data. Didn't you just trade him for David Lee?" D'Antoni sighed.At that time, the media had hyped Wells as the best sixth man.As a result, the Rockets accidentally traded him out of the team.Many people find it strange, but now that he knows the reason, it really is a conspiracy.

"Yeah. David is such a good player. It's a championship puzzle that people can't let go." Van Gundy laughed: "Even so, I still don't think the Rockets will choose to trade with us. It depends on the Rockets' record. If they The inside line is not very bad, so there is no need to trade, if the game is blown up, it is very likely to consider Emeka."

Hayes snapped his fingers and said, "We can do both. Last season, didn't a lot of media and websites say bad things about me and try to force me to leave the Rockets? When the Rockets lose and lose in a row, we can also spend Money bought the media, Black David Lee's interior defense is too bad, it is a cancer of the Rockets. Then I asked someone to write an article, the content is probably that if the Rockets want to play well this season, they must strengthen the interior defense. Okafor is the most suitable candidate .While promoting Okafor, while criticizing David Lee. After posting non-stop on the Internet, it will take a few days for people to think it is true. If David Lee just doesn’t perform well at this time, it’s not a big deal. Is it done? I think David Lee can be exchanged for sure. My worry is that for salary parity, Morey will definitely ask us to bring in a good player and give us a rubbish contract, so that we will suffer a bit. .”

"Chuck, you have a great idea. I'll give David a call first tonight, and then you'll call, and Van (Weaver) and Corunner (Azubuike) are making out with him, I don't believe he's not tempted!" Van Gundy frowned.Last year, Wells was traded for David Lee, and this time they are going to do it again.Use the "chicken rib" star of the Bobcats to get David Lee over.

D'Antoni didn't interrupt, his mouth was open. He now understands how the Rockets' championship lineup last season was put together.These two guys are really good at playing tricks and poaching corners.It is very clear how to trade for the most suitable players for the team.

If David Lee can come to the Bobcats, their inside offensive problem can also be solved!But will things go so smoothly?

(End of this chapter)