God of NBA point guards

Chapter 261 New Season Lineup

On the 16th, WBC announced the professional boxing match between Zhou Quan and Polish bad boy Andrew Golota.

This time it’s still a padding match, and the main match is a sub-heavyweight World Boxing Championship. Zhou Quan and Golota’s status in the professional boxing world is not high enough. If they want to have a huge influence, give such a punch It is the best choice to play the back-up match of the Wang Challenge, which can take advantage of other people's enthusiasm.

Zhou Quan's appearance fee reached 200 million, and Golota's was 35 US dollars. This is a manifestation of the gap in the commercial value of the two, not the difference in boxing strength.

In addition, PPV income, excluding 50% of the TV station, 15% of WBC, and the remaining 35%, Zhou Quan accounted for 30% of it, and Polish Bad Boy accounted for 5%. This is a reflection of the popularity and influence of the two in the United States.

The fight is on October 10 at the Great Western Forum.

On the 20th, Zhou Quan picked up Zeng Huaqian at the airport, and then quickly pursued her.

The next day, the photos of the two holding hands appeared on the media in Los Angeles, and then a group of paparazzi from Xiangcheng heard the news, and the news of the two dating also spread back to Xiangcheng.

The news finally spread back to the mainland. By the time Lin Yufen found out, it was already the end of August.

"Why did Xiaoquan find another female celebrity who is older than him?" She couldn't laugh or cry.

Zhou Jianguo said thoughtfully: "I heard that the media in Xiangcheng said that this is the Yujie complex, but I just don't know what the Yujie complex is. Anyway, I don't think it will last long."

"What is it about Yujie and Yumei? Return Yudi? Do you think Xiaoquan is that Tang Sanzang?"

Lin Yufen scolded him angrily, and said, "Old Zhou, then you should pay attention, when Xiaoquan comes back next year, introduce him to someone of a suitable age?"

"That's why Xiaoquan should like it. Besides, it was introduced by a friend. Xiaoquan is not yet determined. I can't let him harm others." Zhou Jianguo said.

"That's true."

Lin Yufen said helplessly.

"Forget it, he's still young, we don't care about him, we'll talk about it in two years," Zhou Jianguo said.

……

Zeng Huaqian stayed in Los Angeles for half a month and returned to Xiangcheng, the relationship between Zhou Quan and her came to an end.

On September 9th, Zhou Quan was invited to Seattle and attended the media conference accompanied by his agent Philip.

Out of respect for him, all the Sonics management executives attended the press conference, and even the new owner Ballmer also found time to attend the press conference.

His jersey number is still No. 1, which is not used by anyone in the Sonics.

"Crack clap..."

At the press conference, he and Ballmer raised their jerseys, and the media snapped them up.

After the media took pictures, Ballmer left first. Before he left, he invited Zhou Quan to visit the Microsoft headquarters and signed an endorsement contract with Microsoft.

Entering the questioning session, a reporter from the New York Times asked: "Tekken, the media said that if the Sonics fail to make it to the finals in the new season, it means that your deal has failed. Do you agree?"

Zhou Quan smiled and said, "Could it be that I played against the Supersonics in the Finals last season, wasn't it the Suns?"

"You mean, if the new season fails to reach the Western Conference finals, the transaction means failure?" The reporter immediately asked.

He smiled and said, "Why are you so eager to hope that I will fail?"

"NO, that's not the case." The reporter quickly denied it.

He smiled again: "Then what do you think? Two for three, do you think the Supersonics are losing money in this deal?"

This reporter dare not say, because no matter how good Ricky Pierce and the other three are, Zhou Quan is Zhou Quan. This is the latest FMVP winner. The superstars, not to mention Rodman, even if he trades for three, in terms of the transaction itself, the Supersonics can't be said to be at a disadvantage.

Zhou Quan smiled again and said, "That's not true, that's not true, I just don't understand, what is the reason behind you asking such a question?"

The reporter had no choice but to change the question and asked again: "Then Iron Fist, do you think the Supersonics have a chance to reach the Finals next season?"

Zhou Quan shook his head and said, "I don't know, I just arrived in Seattle and I don't even know the lineup, so it's useless for you to ask this question.

But the team reached the Western Conference Finals last season, so our goal for the new season cannot be lower than the Western Conference Finals. Our goal is at least the Western Conference Finals, and the Finals must also be our goal. "

"Clap clap..."

Hearing this sentence, the local reporters applauded happily.

The next question was a reporter from the Seattle Post, who asked, "Iron Fist, do you want to bring in stars?"

Zhou Quan said with a smile: "Is Rodman considered? He is the main member of three championships, two All-Stars, and has a lot of personality. If he is, we already have it. If he is not, then starting today, He is."

"Ha ha……"

The reporters below laughed.

After the press conference, accompanied by the management, Zhou Quan visited the Supersonic headquarters.

Outside the headquarters, many fans await.

The Supersonics traded Sean Kemp and Ricky Pierce, which made some fans a little dissatisfied and regretful, but they still welcome his arrival. No one would be stupid enough to resist an FMVP. This is the guy who killed Jordan.

"Hello."

"Tekken, we came here to see you."

"Tiequan, don't worry, we will definitely support you."

Zhou Quan found that there were many Chinese fans among the fans, so he went up to say hello to them.

He has known about Seattle. There are about 6 Chinese here, not referring to the urban area, but the entire Seattle metropolitan area.

The urban population of Seattle is more than 50, which is not as good as that of Detroit, but the population of the metropolitan area is more than 300 million.

The area is further expanded, with a population of nearly 600 million. The economy is also good, the environment is also very good, and the water surface area is very large. It is the most suitable place to live in the United States and the city with the highest quality of life.

A large number of well-known companies have their headquarters here. In addition to Microsoft, the headquarters of Starbucks, Nintendo, Boeing and other large companies are also here, especially the aviation industry is very developed.

Coming to the office of general manager Bob Whithit, Zhou Quan discussed the lineup with head coach George Karl.

George Karl is called Crazy Karl, but that refers to his tactical style. He is a good person off the field and knows how to respect players, so he has a good relationship with the players in the team.

It's just that Zhou Quan has some scruples about George Karl, because this head coach is a person who doesn't rely on superstars and plays team basketball. not much.

Even Gary Payton, a rising star among point guards, can't really control the ball. The Sonics are very particular about passing and ball transfer.

And he, last season, played with a big core with the ball, which doesn't fit the Sonics, nor does it fit George Karl's style.

What if George Karl asked him to change his game?
Of course, he is not without the ability to change. His off-ball style is also good. Jordan has a headache, but his off-ball style cannot reflect his threat with the ball.

He is not Jordan. Jordan holds the ball in his hands and is mainly an offensive threat. He is not. His offense and passing are both threatening. If Jordan can only kill opponents with personal offense, then his offense and passing can be both. kill the opponent.

Whithit took him a lineup list and said, "Iron Fist, this is a roster of 12 players, all of whom are under contract. If you think there is still room for improvement, just tell me and I will do my best."

"Let me take a look first," Zhou Quan said.

Whithit nodded: "Last season's five starters, except for Pierce and the three of them, the main center Derek McKay was traded to the Pacers in exchange for Schramf, leaving only the main center and power forward in rotation. Michael Cage, Cage is also an important rotation inside this season.

In addition, last season's sixth man, Eddie Johnson, our third scoring point, was traded to the Hornets for Kendall Gill.

Our top five scorers last season, Ricky Pierce, Sean Kemp, Eddie Johnson, Gary Payton, Derek McKay, are gone. "

Zhou Quan nodded. These words were telling him that only one of the five main players was left last season, and he was not an absolute main force. All the top five scoring points were traded away. Now the Supersonics are rebuilding, and the next step depends on his ability. .

From the general manager's words, he felt the pressure from the management.

Of course, because the transaction was ordered by the new boss Ballmer, the pressure on the management comes more from the fans and more from the media.

Then he took a closer look at the lineup list.

Centers: Sam Perkins (4, 5), Elvin Johnson (5)

锋线：罗德曼（3、4、5），德特雷夫·施拉姆夫（3、4），迈克尔凯奇（3、4、5），克里斯金（3、4），史蒂夫谢夫勒（4、5）

后卫：周权（1、2），肯达尔吉尔（1、2、3），文森特·艾斯秋（2、3），内特·麦克米兰（1、2、3），阿尔冯索福特（1）

George Karl introduced: "The main lineup for the new season is you and Kendall Gill at the back. Gill is good in offense and defense. Although it is not as good as the combination of you and Joe Dumars, it should still be good.

The center forward is Sam Perkins. He was seriously injured last season and only played 30 games. His current state should be okay.

He and Michael Cage rotate at the fifth position, Rodman is the power forward, and Schramf is the small forward.In fact, Iron Fist, Rodman should also be able to play small forward, right? "

He said the last sentence in a questioning tone, which was asking for Zhou Quan's suggestion.

Zhou Quan nodded and said, "Dennis used to play small forward, but he is more suitable for power forward because he doesn't have much shooting range on the outside. On the offensive end, he can grab offensive rebounds inside and strengthen our second offense.

But on the defensive end, he can guard five positions, which is his strongest defensive point, which is very important when switching defenses.

So he and several other inside positions, coach Carl, can follow your original tactical style and not fix their positions.Anyway, these people..."

He pointed to the names of Rodman, Michael Cage, Perkins, Schramf and others, and said: "They can all play at least two positions."

George Karl nodded and smiled: "Okay, let's talk about tactics later."

When the three of them said this, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Quan had just arrived at the team and had some scruples, but George Karl and Whithit had even bigger scruples.

From their point of view, Zhou Quan won the championship by defeating Jordan's Bulls, Ewing's Knicks, and Barkley's Suns. Now the popularity is very high, so this championship and FMVP winner must be proud.

At the same time, Zhou Quan is also a very grumpy guy, and full of violence. Lambiel, Oakley, Karl Malone, super center Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, these villains and superstars have suffered a lot under his hands.

This is their scruples about Zhou Quan.

But now after this contact, they feel that it's not bad. Zhou Quan is not a difficult person to talk to, and he is indeed quite a gentleman, which makes them breathe a sigh of relief.

Zhou Quan looked at the lineup again and felt good.

It turned out that that lineup could make it to the Western Conference Finals. After the four main players were traded away, the main lineup changed drastically. He and Rodman, the main center Schrempf, the main shooting guard Kendall Gill, and the center Parkinson, can be said to be five. The main players are all rookies, and none of the main lineup from last season is gone, but the lineup is not bad.

Whithit said at this time: "Twelve people, the important rotation is nine people, rookie Irvin Johnson remains to be seen, Steve Scheffler, Chris King, Alvon Soft, these three belong to the fringe, It's a good shot. Tekken, you are the absolute core and leader of the team, what do you think of this lineup?"

While talking, he handed a piece of data to Zhou Quan, explaining: "This is the last season's data of nine important rotation players, and yours is also on it."

Zhou Quan laughed, because the general manager's words made him very happy. This shows that the management should have communicated with George Karl, and the new season will form new tactics around his style of play, instead of copying last season. tactics.

He looked at the statistics table, nodded and said: "This lineup, the offense is okay, except Rodman's offense is not good, everyone else has their own offensive methods.

Schramff, Kendall Gill, and Perkins all averaged 10+ per game. Perkins can also shoot three-pointers. Our main lineup has a strong ability to stretch and has enough space for breakthroughs. "

Whithit laughed: "This is because you need to break through the space. Schramf can actually shoot three-pointers, but generally he doesn't shoot very much, mainly mid-range shots. Gil's three-pointers are not very good, but we have already made three-pointers. Inform him and hope that he will practice more three-pointers."

Zhou Quan smiled, this important rotation lineup is not bad on the offensive end.

Sam Perkins and Michael Cage were the No. 84 and No. 4 picks in the first round of 14, respectively, and the big dream Jordan Barkley was the same year.

Perkins' pick is one rank higher than Barkley's, but he is not well-known. From the perspective of strength, he is only a qualified starter, not a star player, and not worthy of his pick.

In addition, Perkins and Jordan have a good relationship. They were roommates in North Carolina University, the North Carolina Twin Stars, and the relationship is very close.

But as an insider, both of them are short, plus Rodman is also short, the Supersonics will suffer from the height of the inside line, and suffer on the defensive end, and the inside line has no low-post offensive ability.

In addition, the offense of these two men is only average. Perkins' offense is slightly stronger. Last season, he averaged 25 minutes per game with the Sonics, 12 points and 4.8 rebounds, and his shooting percentage was 47%.

But he is only good at open shots, and his shots under confrontation are not very good. His movements are too slow and his turns are slow. As a center, he is very stable in open three-pointers. He rarely takes shots in the paint, and most of them are mid-range shots.

Michael Cage is worse, but rebounding is stronger. Last season, he averaged 27 minutes per game, 6 points and 8 rebounds, and his offensive efficiency was higher, 52.6%, but his scoring ability was very limited.

After playing for the Pistons for two years, he also pays great attention to defense. The defense of these two is destined to have great weaknesses, and the height is not enough.

But because they are short, both of them have good defensive abilities on the move, so the Supersonics can attack the ball holder fiercely in a fast round of defense.

This is similar to Rodman. Rodman's single defense ability is average, his strength is in assisting defense, he is strong in being able to defend five positions, and he is strong in his fast defense speed.

Others, Schramf averaged 38 minutes per game for the Pacers last season, this year's All-Star substitute, 19 points, 9.5 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal, 47.6% shooting, three-pointers, good offensive and defensive abilities and organization.

Kendall Gill was in the Hornets last season, with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.5 turnovers. The offense and defense are not bad, but there are many turnovers and unstable passing. He must not be able to control the ball.

But in general, the abilities of these people are still acceptable, plus he has three All-Stars, and the rest are qualified starters.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "The media is actually right. The team reached the Western Conference Finals last season. If they fail to reach the Western Conference Finals in the new season, it will be a failure for the team."

Whithit and George Karl couldn't help but look at each other when they heard this, feeling a great pressure.

It is said to be the Western Conference Finals, but Zhou Quan is a superstar who has just won the FMVP. How could he only see the Western Conference Finals?In other words, the real focus of Zhou Quan's sight is in the finals.

And the media didn't just talk about the Western Conference finals, but said that failing to make it to the finals meant that the deal failed and it was the finals.

They understood that Zhou Quan only talked about the Western Conference finals, because he didn't want to put too much pressure on the team.

"finals?"

When they thought of this, the pressure couldn't help but increase.

The two of them have repeatedly studied this lineup. If there is no height inside, there will be no fulcrum. If the low post is not aggressive, it will not be able to attract defense and compress the opponent's defense, and the outside line will have no space.

Such a lineup will suffer when they encounter a team with a strong offensive center. In the West, there are two super centers. If they want to win the championship with this lineup, they have no hope at all.

Last season, the Pistons also had Ronnie Secali, who has height, low-post offense, mid-range shooting, and rebounds, but now the SuperSonics don't have such a center.

Moreover, there is no one with a strong ability to protect the basket inside. Rodman does not belong to such a defensive player, which is also a weakness of the Sonics.

(End of this chapter)