I just play ball

Chapter 145 Pat Riley

With a preliminary intention, Li Yue Googled Korver's relevant information, intending to learn more.

In order to be comprehensive and detailed, he browsed all relevant analysis videos of Korver from the 76ers to the Eagles.

After about an hour, he came to a basic conclusion.

First of all, Korver is a master of off-the-ball movement, currently second only to Warriors Stephen Curry and Heat Ray Allen. He has a very sensitive sense of open space and can always stand in the right position at the right time. It's always easy to be ready to catch the ball and pass it to him.

Secondly, Korver's static physical fitness is relatively good, enough to serve as the fourth position on the offensive end, helping other members of the team take away the inside defenders, most of the fourth positions cannot keep up with his footsteps, and then create open shooting opportunities .

In the end, Korver is not only good at shooting himself, but also very good at instructing others. He is an excellent shooting coach who can help his teammates improve and recruit into the team without losing money.

Of course, Korver also has two more obvious shortcomings.

The most serious thing is the too slow lateral speed, which makes it basically equal to nothing when defending the ball holder from attacking.

There is also the need for fixed tactical cooperation, unlike Curry and Ray Allen who can adapt to changes.

Li Yue made a slight balance and felt that both shortcomings were acceptable.

After all, there is only LeBron in the league who can achieve above-standard small forwards in all aspects.

After making up his mind, he edited the text message to explain the reason and sent it directly to Kupchak.

For free agency, that's all he can do for now.

Because the time has not yet come to July 7, if you contact other team players in private, it is easy to be labeled as an illegal temptation.

Kupchak replied quickly, informing the management that he had received relevant news: Korver has a 99% probability of staying with the Hawks, because the Hawks have the potential to win the championship, and their tactical status is guaranteed, and they can avoid moving again.

Li Yue felt very sorry about this situation, but he still recorded the to-do list and asked after the free market opened.

In order to avoid doing too much useless work, Kupchak gave two names: Wesley Johnson and Nick Young.

Li Yue immediately searched to understand.

Wesley Johnson played for the Phoenix Suns last season, played 50 games and started 21 times, averaging 19 minutes per game, scoring 40.7 points on 8.0% shooting, including 32.3% three-pointers.

And Nick Young played for the Philadelphia 76ers last season, played 59 games and started 16 times, averaging 23.9 minutes per game, scoring 41.3 points with a 10.6% shooting rate, including 35.7% three-pointers.

He quickly figured out why it was these two.

Because the two will definitely not be too popular in the free market, the Lakers can wait until Howard is settled before contacting, and the performance of the two last season is worrisome. If they continue to have a chance to prove themselves, the salary must belong to the basic salary level, which is what the Lakers favor. Object, as for players like Korver, basically don't have extravagant expectations.

In addition, the two three-pointers are not bad, enough to replicate Howard's tactical form in the model period.

After sorting out these relationships, Li Yue suddenly felt dull, like entering the sage mode after rushing through.

Still looking for a fart free agent, the championship has already been won, but it still depends on Howard's face.

When Kupchak proposed the commission before, perhaps he just expressed his importance, but he was too serious.

But this is the rule of the game. The primary goal of the management is to consider for the team, and Howard has the advantage.

"Let's slowly build the Xialian lineup." Li Yue sighed in his heart, turned off the computer and went downstairs to exercise.

...

Back at the apartment again, it was already nine o'clock in the evening. After taking a shower, Li Yue sat in front of the computer and browsed Twitter.

Two days have passed since the finals, and the focus of the media and fans has shifted to the draft.

Li Yue browsed a few analysis programs casually, and many experts agreed that 13 will be a small year for the super draft.

ESPN and many other prediction websites gave the top pick as Alex Len, a Ukrainian center who started practicing gymnastics at a young age. When he was 10 years old, he found that he was too tall to continue, so he switched to basketball.

Ryan entered the University of Maryland in 11. By the time he publicly announced his participation in the draft, he had played a total of 60 games, averaging 24.5 minutes per game, scoring 9 points, 7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. He was selected to the best first team and best defensive team in the ACC league.

Such data is obviously not enough to become the No. [-] pick, and the experts must be looking at the potential.

Li Yue casually clicked on the video highlights, and after watching for 2 minutes, he figured out why Ryan was predicted to be the No. [-] pick.

Ryan has a real height of 216 cm, and may have practiced gymnastics since he was a child. His body is surprisingly flexible, and his shooting touch is much higher than other centers.

And Ryan has an excellent passing vision, and his low-post skills are also very comprehensive.

All in all, pundits see Ryan as a more athletic version of Yao Ming.

Li Yue agrees with the opinions of the experts, but feels that Ryan is not suitable for the future of the NBA.

Coincidentally, he saw a comment with a similar idea in ESPN's introduction tweet.

[Many experts believe that Ryan can become a phenomenal inside player in the future. I agree that he has super potential, but I also think that he is only suitable for the rhythm of European basketball games. The future NBA will be the era of strikers.

This year's finals against the Lakers is the best proof. The two teams scored more than [-] points in almost every game. The pace of the game will only be faster in the future. Traditional centers will be eliminated by the times. Choosing Ryan as the No. [-] pick will definitely suffer.

You can take a look at the 4 games the Lakers won. What contributions did Howard, the current number one center, have?Pick and roll screens, catch the ball down the line, play back to attract double-teams and then distribute the ball, these tasks can be done by another big man in his early 200 cm.

Looking at the Lakers loss, the whole team tried to play for Howard, but in the end they were counterattacked by the Heat.

Just imagine that even the league's No. [-] center can't adapt, how can you expect rookies to support the sky?

To sum up, I think Alex Len is not enough to be the No. [-] pick. The teams in the league should focus on forward players this year, such as Otto Porter, Anthony Bennett and others. 】

After reading the entire comment, Li Yue instantly thought: Is it really necessary for the Lakers to spend such a high price to keep Howard?
Howard currently has the strongest frame protection in the league, and also has a certain low-post singles ability, but if you think about it carefully, you will feel that this is a pity that it is tasteless to eat and discard. Of course, you must keep it, but it is best not to delay it for too long, so as not to affect the overall situation. plan.

Don't wait until mid-July for Howard. As a result, Howard chose to leave Los Angeles, and there was no one to sign in the free market at that time, so he could only use a bunch of shrimp soldiers and crab generals to fill the poor line.

Li Yue had planned to wait for Howard to have a good talk with the management, but the remarks on Twitter made him suddenly wake up. His previous attitude was too gentle, and he should be as tough as he was with Jenny's Bonnie. Be tough when you should be tough, and you must not be controlled by others. , Anyway, the original intention is for the future of the team, not personal grievances or hobbies.

He immediately sent a message to Kupchak, outspoken, and offered to take another year's minimum salary.

Taking the basic salary is not a temporary idea. He mentioned it at the press conference after the finals. If he does that, the Lakers don't need to offer a five-year maximum salary qualification, and can get at least two middle-level salary spaces.

If these spaces are operated well, they can be transformed into players like Korver, which is self-evident for the Lakers' reinforcement.

Kupchak did not reply immediately, and it took a long time before he expressed the need for detailed analysis with the team.

Li Yue was not in a hurry, and was very clear that such an important decision would inevitably take time and various arguments.

Putting down his phone, he continued to browse the draft predictions released by ESPN.

It's a pity that I saw No. 14 along the way. Except for Oladipo's claim to have a professional R&B singing level, I didn't find any interesting players again. They are all ordinary characters, which are very in line with the evaluation of the young draft.

Just as he was about to turn off his computer and catch up on the HBO porn series, Kupchak texted again.

[We decided to start the second plan. We didn’t have much preparation before. If you are interested, you can take the time to observe some high-ranking rookies, and pay attention to the strong combat power of those teams. We will make an evaluation based on the plan you provided . 】

Seeing this, Li Yue felt elated in his heart.

This not only means that the management recognizes the suggestions he provided, but also builds a team around him. FMVP is not for nothing. It is right to choose a tough attitude. You cannot sit back and watch the Lakers advance with the bomb.

The second option is to sign first and then trade. The target should be transferred to weak teams with high draft picks, or teams that want to go further and urgently need a strong center.

Li Yue opened the NBA official website and searched according to the draft pick.

The first player to open the data of the Suns, but the most powerful player is Dragic, obviously unable to form a match.

The second is to open the player profile of the Magic team, but close it immediately. There is no reason for the Magic to accept Howard again.

The third one is to open the Wizards player profile. Both Wall and Bill are in the ball-up period, and there is probably no need.

The fourth one opened the player profile of the Hornets, but no suitable player was found, and Boss Joe didn't look like he was going to compete for the championship.

After watching the four teams in a row, Li Yue's mind was swollen and his eyes were sore, so he immediately turned off the computer and took a rest.

Lying on the bed, he began to think about how to persuade Howard to cooperate if he wanted to achieve a sign-first-trade.

After all, it is a completely free agent, and the Lakers do not have any restrictions. Are they going to play the emotional card?

After much deliberation and unable to find a suitable solution, Li Yue decided to sleep first before talking.

...

On the morning of the 13th, Li Yue drove straight to the UCLA Sports Center, where NBA officials held an informal joint training for the players who were about to participate in the draft. Compared with the previous one in Orange, this time there were more first-round predictions rookie.

Of course, those who have been promised high-ranking players will still not be there to participate.

After a night of rest, Li Yue had already figured it out, instead of looking for candidates to replace Howard from the team, it is better to start from the players.

At that time, which player is fancy, and then find a way to trade with the team with the expected pick, saving time and effort.

09:30, officially arrived, the training camp is about to start.

UCLA is a holy place for basketball, and it is located in the center of Los Angeles. The transportation is very convenient. There are a lot of people here this time.

Looking around, I saw the Rockets scout Gerrard in the first year, and its general manager Morey stood beside him.

Nuggets general manager Connery, Pelicans general manager Price, Hawks general manager Wilcox and others were also onlookers.

What's more surprising is that Heat President Pat Riley was also present. They don't have any draft picks this year.

Li Yue was thinking deeply in wonder, when he suddenly heard someone calling his name.

Looking up, Fatty Morey was standing in front of him with a professional smirk and raised his hand.

"Congratulations on getting FMVP!"

"Thank you." Li Yue shook hands politely, wondering what the other party was going to do.

"I heard from Gerald that you are also interested in that player from Tennessee State University? What's his name?" Morey scratched his head, showing a look of inability to remember, and his sly eyes flashed past.

"It's called Robert Covington." Li Yue nodded, guessing that Morey was trying to say something, to find out if he was interested.

"Your memory is amazing!" Morey admired very naturally, as if he was really praising.

"No way, he disappointed me." Li Yue sighed slightly, "I thought he was capable of serving as my substitute."

"Why, don't you think he's not good?" Morey looked puzzled, and there was a trace of worry, as if he was worried about buying a fake.

"No, he has potential, but his combat power is a little bit weak." Li Yue pursed his lips, his tone full of regret.

"Oh, I see." Morey relaxed, as if he had lifted a heavy burden, "Are you going to continue the investigation?"

"Just take a look." Li Yue waved his hand, "We only have a 48th overall pick, and it would be best if we can meet gold wrapped in sand, don't you think so too?"

"Of course." Morey nodded, "You go ahead, I'll go over there and have a look."

"I'll see you later." Li Yue sent him off with a smile, and he didn't completely relax until Morey walked away. He sighed in his heart that it was the old fox. too much.

...

In a blink of an eye, the time came to ten o'clock in the morning, all the main personnel arrived, and the trial training officially started.

Since the Chicago joint trial training has already counted the static and dynamic physical data of most of the players, this time the trial training held at UCLA went straight to the point. The 30 players were divided into six teams of red, white, blue, yellow, black and purple on average, and 5V5 confrontation was performed in pairs. 20 minutes per game, mainly to show personal technical characteristics.

The first thing to do was the red-white confrontation. Li Yue took out his mobile phone and compared the players on the field one by one. He wanted to match the scout report he had seen before, and then analyzed whether it met the evaluation, and then deduced whether it could be used by the Lakers.

Just finished the match, Pat Riley suddenly stood beside her, arms crossed.

"I can tell you which players are worthy of attention, saving you screening time."

"Then what do you want?" Li Yue asked back, knowing very well that the other party would not give it in vain.

"I don't need to get anything. If I have to have it, it's your favor." Pat Riley was expressionless, quite cold, showing the style of a domineering president.

In line with the principle of not taking advantage of the advantage, Li Yue immediately asked: "That's okay, tell me."

"You just need to pay attention to Rudy Gobert and Giannis Antokounmpo. These two people can solve the troubles you are currently encountering." Riley left after speaking, so fast that it seemed that he was just passing by. , otherwise would not have noticed that he had spoken.

Li Yue immediately recalled searching the information on Rudy Gobert and Giannis Antokounmpo, and was surprised when he remembered it.

One of these two is a center and the other is a small forward. Does Riley know the predicament the Lakers are currently encountering?
(End of this chapter)