Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 257 257. Changes in the league's coaching staff, recruit D'Antoni, join forces!Hea

Chapter 257 257. Changes in the league's coaching staff, recruit D'Antoni, join forces!Heavy offseason reinforcements!

Chris Paul is definitely one of the best point guards in league history.

In his career, he was selected to the NBA All-Star Team 11 times, the All-NBA Team ten times, the All-Defensive Team nine times, and the four-time NBA assists leader and the six-time NBA steals leader.

In addition to not having a championship, Paul can be said to have the same ceiling as a point guard player.

Especially with the advent of the small ball era in later generations, various positions have begun to become blurred. The point guard no longer focuses on the overall situation of the organization, and it is very likely that he will become the god of death outside the three-point line like Curry.

The fuzzy boundaries, coupled with the emergence of the magic ball theory, have caused mid-range shooting to be resisted by many coaches in the league, all of which make Paul, a traditional point guard, even more great.

Since entering the league's third season, Paul has never missed a playoff occasion, and his stable playing style like an old dog also makes Paul a magic weapon for locking up the playoffs.

At the end of his career, Chris Paul, who was accused by the outside world of carrying a poison contract, even led the Phoenix Suns, which ranked last in the West, to the league's first record in one fell swoop.

And when the playoffs were generally looked down upon by the outside world, Paul abruptly led the Suns all the way to the finals.

Although he passed away with the championship trophy in the end, Chris Paul, at the end of his career, once again proved himself to the outside world, proving that he will always be the king of point guards standing at the top of history.

保罗职业生涯场均可以轰出18.6分4.5篮板9.4助攻以及2.1次抢断,其中投篮命中率高达47.6%,三分球命中率同样有37.8%。

You know, how difficult it is for a defender to keep his shooting percentage at 47% when he is the core of the team.

Even Steve Nash, who has better shooting ability than most shooters, will only hit 49% of his career field goals.

And Paul's ability to play such a high efficiency with a height of only 1.8 meters is enough to prove Paul's stability on the offensive end.

What's more, while Paul has scored close to 20 points per game in his career, he can also send up to 9.4 assists. It is absolutely not an exaggeration to say that Paul is the best offensive engine in the active league.

Right now, the young Paul has surpassed Steve Nash and has completely secured the position of the league's number one point guard.

Last season, he even crushed the former league's No. [-] point guard Steve Nash in the four competitions of personal data, team record, best team and MVP list, standing at the top of the league worthy of the name.

The Grizzlies can get Chris Paul from the Hornets through a trade, and the Grizzlies in the new season will definitely become a terrifying existence.

Originally, Kevin Martin has gradually grown into a new generation of cards in the league. Now with the help of Chris Paul, the Grizzlies' backcourt configuration can be called luxurious even if you look at the entire history.

Even in this transaction, the Grizzlies also paid a very painful price. In addition to two valuable first-round picks, they also sent Gerald Wallace, the best defensive player, and Kay, who played his personal value last season. Lowry.

Coupled with Milicic, who is gradually recovering, these assets simply make Grizzlies fans feel pain.

But when the fans looked at Chris Paul, who had just joined the team, the pessimism that was painful in the last second was thrown away in an instant, and the only thing left in their eyes was the longing for the Grizzlies next season.

Last season, Paul averaged 21.1 points, 4 rebounds, 11.7 assists and 2.7 steals per game. While winning the league's assists and steals titles, he also surrendered a shooting percentage of 49%, leading the Hornets to become the Western Conference leader. third existence.

Playing in the playoffs for the first time in his career, Paul not only did not stall in the playoffs, but his personal performance rose to an average of 24.1 points, 5 rebounds, 11.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

The shooting percentage of more than 50% in the playoffs is Paul's answer to the outside world.

It's a pity that although Chris Paul's personal performance exploded, other players can provide too little help for Paul.

Even in the regular season, Peja, the superb "sharp shooter" many times, turned into a blacksmith in the playoffs, making Chris Paul's mentality explode, and was once dissatisfied with the configuration of his teammates around him, which strengthened Paul's determination to leave the Hornets.

The joining of Chris Paul will allow the Grizzlies, the defending champion, to complete the upgrade again.

No one knows what kind of overall performance the Grizzlies will play next season, but it is foreseeable that the Grizzlies overdraft future transactions have already shown their desire for the second championship in team history next season.

No team can resist the temptation to win back-to-back championships, not even Luke's Grizzlies.

As for the other player that the Grizzlies got in the trade, Rasol Butler is more like an addition.

At least from the perspective of the outside world, Rathall Butler, who averaged only 5 points and 2 rebounds per game last season, was forced to add extras to balance his salary.

But I am afraid that only Luke knows that Butler still has a lot of potential worth developing.

Rathall Butler is the player that Luke named. At first, the Hornets planned to use Pargo as a bargaining chip in order to balance the salary. Even though the management felt a little bit reluctant, the team did not attract the Grizzlies more than Pargo. players.

You know, as Paul's backup point guard, Pargo averaged 8 points and 3 assists per game last season. As a backup point guard, Pargo is definitely qualified.

As a result, Luke used the reason that the team already had backup point guard Mike Bibby in the transaction, and chose another Rasol Butler that the Hornets did not expect.

Luke's approach has won the favor of the Hornets management, regardless of whether it is because the Grizzlies have backup point guard Mike Bibby or not, the Hornets have won benefits in this deal.

It's not that the Hornets management has not thought about whether Rathall Butler can constitute a player with potential.

But no matter how you look at it, Rathall Butler, who is nearly 30 years old and suffered injuries and played less than 60 games last season, does not look like a player with potential to develop.

So instead of taking out Pargo, the Hornets management was happy for a long time.

But only Luke knows what an excellent 3D player Rathul Butler is. If it is used as the starter and the core of the team, then Rathul Butler is not qualified at all.

But if it's just to improve the team's overall strength, then Rathall Butler is definitely one of the best bench gangsters in the league.

And the 3D style of play not only does not occupy the ball, but is also very compatible with this Grizzlies. As long as you join the team, you can contribute at any time, and you don't need to consider the running-in problem at all.

Under normal circumstances, Rathall Butler, who was reused by Scott next season, averaged 11 points and 4 rebounds per game, and his three-point shooting percentage was as high as 40%, showing the potential to become a top shooter in the league.

Although the defensive ability is only average among 3D players, Rathall Butler has a progressive heart, and his activeness on the field makes it difficult for the coach to hate such a player.

In the 10-11 season, Rathul Butler shot 57.1% of his three-pointers when he was efficient for the Bulls.

As an outside shooter, Butler is definitely more suitable for the Grizzlies' tactical system than Pargo.

For a player like Butler, once he is allowed to find the touch on the outside, what the opponent needs to endure next is endless bombing.

In this deal with the Hornets, the Grizzlies seem to have paid a lot of precious chips, but only Luke knows in his heart that the Hornets may make a small profit, but the Grizzlies will never lose money!

…………

At the end of June, before the draft, there were several news from the league. Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson and Suns head coach D'Antoni announced their dismissal.

Among them, the head coach of the Green Army, Rivers, was dismissed by general manager Angie entirely because of his poor coaching ability.

Rivers' dismissal did not surprise the outside world, and even most fans took it for granted.

With the Big Four lineup in hand, Rivers didn't even make it to the finals in the end. This is indeed not what a good coach should bring out.

It is said that after being dismissed by the Celtics, Rivers actively recommended himself to other teams and wanted to fight for a head coach contract in the new season.

But it seems that the interest of all teams in hiring Rivers is very poor. If nothing else, it will be difficult for Rivers to get another head coaching position.

Unless Rivers is willing to leave the NBA and seek a living in other leagues, the most ideal ending for Rivers is to return to the assistant coach, strive to shine in the position of assistant coach, and regain the trust of other teams.

As for the dismissal of "Zen Master" Jackson, although there were some rumors after the Lakers were eliminated by the Grizzlies, when the Lakers management announced this decision, it still caused a lot of controversy in the league.

In any case, Jackson is also a famous coach who has led his team to win championships nine times in his career. Although he has been at a disadvantage in the contest with Luke all year round, he was fired by the Lakers management this season.

But as long as Jackson does not plan to retire, it is not difficult to find a job as a head coach in the league again.

It's no secret in the league that Jackson is a coach who doesn't like to coach in small cities.

Therefore, the next home that Jackson can choose is relatively limited. Except for the Lakers, the most promising ones are the Knicks, Clippers and his old club, the Bulls.

It is said that the Knicks are actively recruiting Zen Master in private, and want Jackson to be the team's coach for the new season.

As for Insaiah Thomas, who served as the team's head coach and general manager last season, he has been fired by owner Dolan.

Poor coaching ability, coupled with not bringing any essential operations to the team, Thomas has exhausted the Knicks' patience with him.

In addition, during his tenure, Thomas offended several well-known coaches in a row, and now Thomas has been blacklisted by many teams.

Whether it is the position of general manager or the position of head coach, it is difficult for Thomas to continue to mix in the league.

However, due to his great reputation as a player, coupled with some contacts accumulated in the past two years, it is not difficult for Thomas to continue his career in basketball.

It is rumored that a famous NCAA basketball school is actively recruiting Thomas as the head coach of the college team. Compared with the NBA, coaching the college league will undoubtedly be easier. At least there is no need to worry about serious conflicts with players and management.

If the development goes well, Thomas is likely to bid farewell to the NBA league temporarily and become another coach who jumped to the NCAA.

The probability of "Zen Master" Jackson joining the Knicks is also huge. New York is not only the market center of the NBA league, but owner Dolan is willing to spend money on player operations.

In addition to the poor external evaluation, it is difficult for the Knicks to recruit real superstars, and the city of New York is completely in line with Jackson's plan for the future.

As for the dismissal of the Suns coach D'Antoni, it is more like a peaceful breakup with the team. During D'Antoni's tenure, he led the Suns to the playoffs for many years, and the team's record has always been able to maintain the top few in the Western Conference.

Judging from the coaching record alone, D'Antoni should not appear in this year's dismissal list.

However, it has been in the playoffs for many years but has not been able to go further. This makes the Suns management plan to re-hire a coach and start again with a proper environment.

D'Antoni's coaching ability is not bad, but his coaching style is too extreme. Although the coaching method of completely abandoning defense has kept the Suns in the top three in scoring for many years, the bombardment team led by Steve Nash has attracted countless fans.

However, the Suns, which have not changed in the past two seasons, are getting farther and farther away from the championship. The team management can't see the future direction at all through the current configuration.

The peaceful breakup with head coach D'Antoni is undoubtedly to seek change. Compared with Rivers and Jackson, who were dismissed together, D'Antoni seems much luckier.

At least as soon as he regained his freedom, D'Antoni received recruitment requests from many teams, including the New York Knicks who had a close relationship with "Zen Master" Jackson in private.

Looking at the Knicks, they intend to use D'Antoni as a backup tire. Once there is a problem with Jackson's contact, D'Antoni can take office directly as the team's second choice.

After all, in this period, the Knicks don't have the ambitions of the Western Suns at all. Compared with the Suns who want to win the championship by trying to change the method, the Knicks' goal is simple and clear, as long as the team can re-enter the playoffs.

As the most economically developed city in the United States, the Knicks have been ranked at the bottom of the league for many years in a row. Even President David Stern could not save it in private. This is really ironic and helpless. .

It is worth mentioning that the Grizzlies also invited D'Antoni, but the position he invited D'Antoni was the chief assistant coach.

Judging from D'Antoni's current coaching ability, D'Antoni has no worries about finding a head coach job in the new season.

Whether it is the Detroit Pistons who just quit the old Sanders, or the Philadelphia 76ers, these teams all have great interest in D'Antoni.

However, joining the Grizzlies can bring D'Antoni many benefits other than salary, which will fundamentally change D'Antoni's future coaching direction.

Especially being able to learn from the side of Grizzlies coach Luke, this is definitely the dream of many coaches.

The entire league is very clear that Luke has a historical sense of smell in building teams and cultivating players. Whether it is the draft or the free market, Luke can always take out a player from an unexpected angle that makes the entire league famous. A shocking depth charge.

People like to classify many things into two categories, one is talent and the other is hard work, and Luke has already been labeled as a talent explosion by the outside world, and there is still a "son of God" in the fan circle. call.

Recruiting D'Antoni was a suggestion given by Luke. Although D'Antoni's coaching style is a bit extreme, his offensive accomplishments are definitely at a historical level.

The Grizzlies' current playing style has infinitely begun to move closer to the small ball era, with a large number of three-point shooting, which coincides with D'Antoni's coaching theory.

If he can get D'Antoni's help, Luke's burden will obviously be much lighter, and it is very likely that he will gain something from D'Antoni.

Luke knows that his biggest advantage is building a team and having a tactical theory that has been ahead of the league for more than ten years.

These theories are the essence summed up through a lot of time precipitation, and many ideas are now thought-provoking proposals.

However, in terms of tactical literacy alone, there are not a few coaches in the league who are better than themselves. Among them, D'Antoni's offensive attainments must definitely be higher than his own.

Even though he has led the team to win the next four championship trophies and the best coach twice, Luke has always remained humble in coaching.

Otherwise, he would not expand his assistant team every year during the offseason and constantly improve the tactical system.

In a sense, Luke is also making continuous progress on the road of crushing. Compared with the period when he first entered the league, Luke has become more mature.

But no one would dislike that their knowledge reserves are too sufficient. Luke has never forgotten his original intention. While imparting to others, he is also constantly absorbing and summarizing.

Whether D'Antoni is willing to join the Grizzlies as the chief assistant coach, Luke doesn't have much confidence in his heart.

In any case, D'Antoni is an offensive coach with a considerable status in the league.

Giving up rights, giving up more salary to choose to return to the position of assistant coach to continue learning, this kind of thing is relatively simple to say, but it is a very difficult decision to make people make up their minds.

Fortunately, no matter whether D'Antoni joins or not, it will not affect the strength of the Grizzlies next season. At most, it is a pity that he missed the opportunity to communicate with "running master" D'Antoni in depth.

The Grizzlies have the league's No. [-] point guard Chris Paul in the new season, and D'Antoni happens to be a coach who is good at training point guards.

Nash in the Suns period, Harden in the Rockets period, Jeremy Lin in the Knicks period, including Marshall who briefly reached the peak during the Lakers period, Luke is still very interested in D'Antoni's training methods.

And what the Grizzlies can give D'Antoni is also very attractive. Whether it is the experience of the championship or the in-depth communication with Luke, the four-time champion, these are enough to attract D'Antoni to join.

If there is a chance to recruit D'Antoni, Luke will not hesitate to let D'Antoni get a salary comparable to that of the head coach and become the most expensive assistant coach in league history.

After all, D'Antoni's strength is worthy of Luke's personal recruitment. In order for the Grizzlies to break through the bottleneck on the offensive end, Luke is still very willing to join forces with D'Antoni in the new season.

Once D'Antoni agrees to the Grizzlies' recruitment, by then, the Grizzlies will definitely become a historic offensive team.

After all, in addition to Chris Paul, who is already the number one point guard in the league, the Grizzlies also have "a generation of Harden" Kevin Martin. The attraction of these two to D'Antoni is far greater than the Grizzlies' willingness. Salary offered.

It's just that during the recruitment of D'Antoni, Luke always felt a little strange.

"Paul, "Generation Harden" Martin, D'Antoni, why does this combination always feel that things are not going well?"

…………

On June 6, local time in the United States, there were many coaching changes in the league.

Gentry and Casey, who served as assistant coaches next to Luke last season, received recruitment invitations from other teams.

Among them, Gentry officially reached a contract with the Suns, and will restart his coaching career as the head coach of the Suns in the new season.

The chief assistant coach, Casey, received an invitation from the Lakers. It is said that the two parties are negotiating a contract in private.

Casey and Gentry also posted news on the Internet successively, thanking Luke for his support and help during the Grizzlies period.

He said that he learned a lot from Luke's side. Although they have left Luke's asylum, the two are grateful for the experience of the Grizzlies.

The departure of Casey and Gentry also won the respect and blessings of Memphis fans. Many fans replied in private, hoping that the two can become better in the new team and don't lose their "mentor" Lu. K's face.

As for the former Lakers head coach "Zen Master" Jackson, he formally reached an agreement with the Knicks. The two parties signed a huge two-year contract worth 1800 million US dollars.

The salary is slightly higher than that of Luke, who has just set a coaching record. "Zen Master" Jackson's huge joining has been ridiculed by many fans.

"Everywhere I want to suppress Coach Luke, but in the end I am suppressed by Luke every year. I really don't know what the Knicks management is thinking."

"As evidenced by this post, Phil will definitely not be able to achieve results in the Knicks, and this contract will also become Phil Jackson's retirement contract."

"Even Luke just signed a three-year $2600 million contract with the Grizzlies, how can He De, a defeated Phil, sign a contract with an annual salary of up to 900 million?"

"When did a coach who was kicked out deserve to sign the highest contract in history? It's ridiculous!"

"The era that belonged to Phil has passed. Unfortunately, neither Phil nor the Knicks can see the situation clearly. It seems that the Lakers management is smart enough."

"There is no doubt that the Knicks are stupid and have a lot of money. Apart from the Knicks, there will never be a second team in the league that is so stupid!"

The huge contract signed by "Zen Master" Jackson and the Knicks has caused an uproar in the outside world. Many fans believe that Jackson's dismissal is entirely because he was swept out by the Grizzlies led by Luke in the playoffs.

As a result, the Knicks turned around and signed the most expensive coaching contract in history with Jackson, who was kicked out. This is really an extremely stupid thing.

The outside world generally believes that the Knicks rank at the bottom of the league all the year round, which makes the management gradually become less clear-headed, eager to return to the playoffs, and put all the hope of the team's revival on "Zen Master" Jackson. This salary is enough to be called a poison contract.

However, the Knicks owner Dolan is worth a lot after all, and Jackson and the two are willing to fight and suffer. No matter how much the outside world doubts, it will not change the fact that Jackson will become the Knicks coach in the new season.

In addition, the former Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell, who once won the best coach, was named by the Celtics as the 17th head coach candidate in team history.

This decision has aroused many discussions. Although Mitchell won the next best coach when he was coaching the Raptors, this best coach was questioned because Mitchell took advantage of it.

Judging from the coaching record alone, although Mitchell can't be called a mess, he definitely has nothing to do with excellence.

The Celtics' choice is a bit confusing to the outside world, and even Boston fans are puzzled by it.

However, according to gossip, Celtics general manager Angie values ​​​​Sam Mitchell very much.

It is believed that Mitchell has an excellent blending ability and can blend the Celtics' new season lineup together to become a favorite to compete with the Grizzlies.

Regarding what Angie said, the outside world really doesn't have much to refute.

During the Raptors period, Mitchell was able to reasonably allocate players with overlapping positions in various positions. In terms of lineup planning alone, Mitchell does have his own set of means.

However, some aspects are outstanding, but the outside world still has doubts about Sam Mitchell's coaching ability.

At least until Mitchell really leads the team to prove himself, it may be difficult for the outside world to stop doubting Mitchell.

The most pitiful thing is the former head coach Doc Rivers, who was just laid off by the Celtics this summer.

Sam Mitchell's appointment will inevitably be compared with Rivers by fans. In contrast, Rivers is almost depressed by fans.

Although Sam Mitchell's coaching career did not have many bright spots, he has also won the best coach in any case.

In contrast, Rivers really doesn't look good enough. In addition, Rivers was upset in the Eastern Conference Finals and was eliminated by the Magic led by Stan Van Gundy. Now Rivers' reputation in the league has fallen to the bottom.

It is no exaggeration to say that any cat or dog would dare to stand up, step on Rivers' head, point at Rivers and curse, "You are a useless piece of shit!"

However, the most striking thing in comparison is an official statement issued by the Grizzlies.

Just as the Suns, Lakers and Celtics released news one after another, the Grizzlies, the focus of the league, were also unwilling to show weakness. After the Chris Paul trade, they announced another major decision.

The Grizzlies officially announced that the team has officially hired Mike D'Antoni as the team's chief assistant coach.

In the new season, "Running Master" D'Antoni will join forces with "Quadruple Champion" Luke to assist the Grizzlies to attack the two consecutive championships.

As one of the best offensive coaches in NBA history, D'Antoni is very good at small balls. He can use the width of the court to transfer the ball in a variety of large areas, and the fluidity of the field is very good.

The style of play that advocates fast breaks and counterattacks is not only not messy at all, but the team has a clear mind and a smooth rhythm on the court. Except for its own shots, the team rarely stagnates on the offensive end.

Due to the above two characteristics, D'Antoni's players are usually good at and willing to share the ball. This coincides with Luke's coaching ideas, which is why Lu Ke is willing to personally recruit D'Antoni this summer.

Even if D'Antoni's too solid offensive thinking leads to insufficient on-court adaptability, this is the key to his failure to lead the team to win the championship.

But coaching next to Luke, the best coach in the league who is good at change, D'Antoni only needs to do a good job in the deployment of the offensive end, and Luke will naturally solve the rest for him.

In a sense, the existence of Luke can make up for D'Antoni's shortcomings in coaching, and the existence of D'Antoni can also make up for Luke's shortcomings in thinking.

The combination of the two in the new season, the Grizzlies with the most luxurious backcourt configuration in the league, will definitely become a historically powerful offensive team.

It's just that Gerald Wallace, the best defensive player, and Outlaw, the magic boy, have left the team one after another. How to adjust the Grizzlies' defensive end is indeed a headache.

Since D'Antoni expressed his willingness to join the Grizzlies as the chief assistant coach, Luke's concerns about the defensive end have never been erased.

As if with a premonition, the Grizzlies will become an enhanced offensive version of the Houston Rockets, and Luke can't judge whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.

But the most important thing Luke needs to solve right now is to try to recruit excellent defensive players in this year's free market, integrate into the team lineup to make up for shortcomings, and avoid being too extreme on both offensive and defensive ends.

During the Timberwolves period, Luke once coached a lineup with the top defensive ability in history. After the team won the championship, Luke once said to the outside world, "Offense is the best weapon to kill the game, but only defense can win the championship. .”

Now 30 years in Hedong and 30 years in Hexi, Luke pays more attention to offense in the Grizzlies.

Luke always feels that if the team wins the championship again next season, his words of winning the championship are likely to slap him severely, "Defense is the key to contain the game, but only offense can win the championship!"

"???"

In order to avoid this kind of thing from happening, Luke feels that he may be too busy to die suddenly during this offseason, especially the reinforcement of the front line and inside line, which is absolutely the most important thing for the Grizzlies today.

Many players such as Gerald Wallace, Outlaw and Mike Miller left the team, causing the Grizzlies' striker configuration to fall directly to the bottom.

The insider trading away Milicic and the expiration of Chris Webber's basic salary contract have left the Grizzlies with only the Gasol brothers available on the inside.

Now the Grizzlies lineup looks luxurious enough to the outside world, but it has actually encountered a rotation crisis.

The emptiness of the striker and interior configuration is Luke's first problem to be solved during the offseason. Now D'Antoni's arrival also needs to add a defensive champion who can play small forward to assist Chris Paul to share the defensive pressure of Kevin Martin. .

Thinking of this, Luke only felt a little headache.

"Thanks to Marc Gasol on the inside, I only need to add some ready-to-play centers during the offseason, and focus on the front line, otherwise I will really be forced to jump off the building and commit suicide every minute!"

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(End of this chapter)

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