Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 261 261. The free market opens, two consecutive blockbuster signings!Angie is driven crazy!
As of mid-July, the most shocking news from the league was that the Grizzlies acquired Bucks star Michael Reed through a trade.

Now that the Grizzlies lineup has become so strong that it is suffocating, no one knows which team can snipe the defending champion in the new season.

Even the commentator Charles Barkley, who has always been unhappy with Luke, made a sarcasm, "Because of the existence of some people, the league has once again entered the group reporting stage. This is obviously an extremely bad thing."

However, while the outside world was deeply discussing the deal between the Grizzlies and the Bucks, the Celtics, the leader of the East, also broke a shocking news.

According to Boston local media reports, the Celtics are currently in-depth discussions with the Timberwolves on the Kevin Garnett deal.

Last season, the Timberwolves only had the ninth record in the Eastern Conference with Iverson, Garnett, Artest and Ben Wallace as many league stars.

In the new season, both Iverson and Artest have become free agents, and the chances of the Timberwolves keeping them are very low, which makes the Timberwolves have to consider the issue of reconstruction.

In addition, since Kevin Garnett tore his ligament, his personal status has been declining all the way. Last season, he has dropped from No. 1 in the league at the time to the level of a second-rate star.

Although the data of 16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks per game is not bad, compared with the previous two seasons, Garnett's state can be said to have plummeted all the way.

Coupled with the age of 32, what fans have to admit is that Kevin Garnett has not only stepped down from the No.1 position in the league, but it is even more difficult for the Timberwolves to be used as the core of the team for reinforcement.

Trading Garnett is also a last resort for the Timberwolves management.

In any case, Garnett is the hero for the Timberwolves to achieve the Triple Crown Dynasty.

But right now, Garnett and the Timberwolves have gradually drifted away. Although Minnesota fans don't say anything about Garnett's decline, they also have opinions in their hearts.

After all, Garnett is burdened with a contract of more than [-] million yuan. While it cannot give the Timberwolves a future, this contract also locks the Timberwolves' reinforcement space.

This is a disservice to both Garnett and the Timberwolves.

The Celtics are currently in contact with the Timberwolves. It is still unknown whether the Kevin Garnett deal can be reached, but the Celtics have shown a firm attitude to the outside world. The new season will be with the defending champion Grizzlies. Compete and resolutely never give up the impact on the championship.

In fact, it is also a last resort for the Celtics to rack their brains to strengthen during the offseason.

In order to win the championship, the Celtics traded "Shark" O'Neal from the Heat last season, and were forced to swallow O'Neal's huge contract for the next few years.

The big three salaries of O'Neal, Pierce and Ray Allen have completely locked the Celtics' salary space in the next few years.

In the case that the management does not want to trade the two stars Pierce and Ray Allen, "Shark" O'Neal's annual salary of nearly 2000 million is also not easy to trade.

If they want to trade O'Neal to leave the team, the Celtics will definitely get the first-round pick in the next few years. Otherwise, with O'Neal's current competitive state, no team in the league is willing to take this contract.

Although general manager Angie does not have enough confidence in the Celtics' impact on the championship next season, the Celtics are now completely stuck, so they can only bite the bullet and continue to strengthen.

Although Garnett is no longer at his peak after his decline, his defensive ability is still among the top strikers in the league.

Once the Celtics can facilitate this deal with the Timberwolves, the Celtics' starting lineup for the new season will have Ray Allen, Pierce, Garnett and O'Neal at the same time.

As for the issue of the luxury tax, the Celtics management has long forgotten about it. After all, the sense of oppression brought by the Grizzlies is too strong. If the Celtics don't bite the bullet and strengthen, they are doomed to win the championship in the new season.

In addition, according to New York media, the Knicks are negotiating a buyout with Marbury, the "lone wolf".

Marbury's salary in the last year will be as high as about 1700 million U.S. dollars. Marbury's current competitive state does not meet the value of this contract at all.

And Marbury himself knows very well that instead of choosing to jump out of the contract to test the free market, it is better to stay in the Knicks and finish the last year of the contract.

Otherwise, once entering the free market, Marbury can only get a contract of 700-800 million US dollars at most, which is a complete blood loss.

For this kind of mutual harm, the Knicks are negotiating a buyout with Marbury, hoping to use the least amount of money to resolve Marbury's poison contract.

Quite interestingly, the New York media captured that Marbury's agent, Damai Smith, had been in close contact with the Celtics management recently.

Although there is no news from the league that the Celtics are chasing Marbury, judging from Damai Smith's recent action trajectory, once Marbury and the Knicks successfully reach a buyout, Marbury has a high probability. Join the Celtics with a basic salary contract.

In the new season, Ray Allen, Pierce, O'Neal, and Garnett, who is likely to join the Celtics, form an epic starting five.

The series of actions the Celtics made in July caused headaches for many teams in the East.

The fear of being dominated by the defending champion Grizzlies has not faded away, and the Celtics in the east are about to form a luxurious battleship. This has caused many teams to call out their sins, and the league has officially entered the era of grouping.

No matter how strong the Grizzlies are, they are still a Western team. Before the finals, the Eastern teams don't have to think about the Grizzlies at all.

But the Celtics are really a big mountain in front of other teams in the East. Now the league structure has the Grizzlies in the west and the Celtics in the east. The other 28 teams in the league are likely to accompany them throughout the season.

Unless they can complete an upset like the Orlando Magic last season, once the Celtics reach these two signings, it will be a huge wave of fear for the entire league.

…………

Throughout July, several deals were reported one after another in the league, but the shock they brought was far less than that of the Grizzlies.

Fortunately, as of the end of July, the Grizzlies have not heard any other news since the Michael Reid deal, otherwise many teams in the league will definitely feel collapsed.

Now many teams are full of fear of the Grizzlies, for fear that the Grizzlies' official announcement will suddenly disturb half of the league.

In late July, league players have already begun to arrange their own vacations to enjoy the unknown happiness of this summer, while the management of each team is still busy in order to reinforce.

However, Luke sneaked in and arranged a hard-won vacation for himself before the league's free market opened.

With the completion of the two deals of Chris Paul and Michael Reed, the Grizzlies currently have no bargaining chips available to facilitate the deal.

Next, you only need to focus on the free market that is about to start in August, and make up the 15-man roster before the start of the new season.

For the Grizzlies who are interested in the free market, Luke has already contacted in private, and the two sides have reached a verbal agreement, and they can only sign when the free market opens in August.

At the same time, Luke also ordered Chris Wallace to wait and see the movement of the free market to avoid being pigeonholed.

There are still many free agents who want to join the Grizzlies during the offseason. There are even a few popular players in the league who are willing to lower their salaries, hoping to become a member of the Grizzlies in the new season.

The Grizzlies are so attractive to free agents, apart from the title of the defending champion, it is mainly the dominance that head coach Luke has played in recent years.

In the four years since he entered the league, Luke led two teams to win the championship trophy and built the Timberwolves into the fourth dynasty team in history.

It is not too much to say that Luke is the God of the coaching world. Even the "Nine Champions" Phil Jackson can only back away from Luke, and has no advantage at all.

And the two deals of Chris Paul and Michael Reed were too shocking, making many players firmly believe that the Grizzlies have already booked the championship trophy for next season in advance.

In the case that it is difficult to obtain a maximum salary contract during the offseason, joining the Grizzlies is obviously a very good decision.

It's just that the Grizzlies are destined to speed up next season. For some veteran players who volunteered, Luke had to wave his hand and refuse.

Although these old guys still have gas in their gas tanks, they can no longer keep up with the fast-paced style of play of the Grizzlies.

Especially the joining of assistant coach D'Antoni will make the Grizzlies destined to become crazy next season.

Youth is not capital, but it is easier to adapt to fast-paced games. While not prone to fatigue, Luke does not have to worry about injuries all the time.

…………

Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, in August, the league's free market officially opens.

And as soon as the free market opened, many teams revealed signing information, which made the entire league lively in an instant.

However, after the opening of the free market, the most eye-catching thing is the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies currently have only ten players on their roster. According to regulations, the Grizzlies can sign up to five players in the free market, and at least three players to start the new season.

As the defending champion, the Grizzlies are definitely very attractive in the free market. For players who want to win the championship, no one can refuse the temptation to join the Grizzlies.

Especially when the Grizzlies still have salary space and hold a valuable full middle class, this makes all teams look at the Grizzlies one after another, wanting to see which players the Grizzlies will sign with in the free market.

Under the gaze of many outsiders, the defending champion Grizzlies did not disappoint.

On the second day after the start of the free market, the Grizzlies officially broke the news, announcing that the team had officially completed the contract with free agent Artest.

The two parties signed a full middle class salary with a salary of about 600 million US dollars.

The outside world is not too surprised that Artest will choose to join the Grizzlies. After all, Artest played under Luke as early as the Timberwolves, and the two sides have a certain friendship in private.

In the case that the salary of each team is almost the same, the Grizzlies will definitely be Artest's first choice. In addition to being able to play under Luke again, they also have the opportunity to attack the championship again.

The experience of the Timberwolves made Artest once the hottest striker in the league. However, due to personality problems and frequent troubles off the court, all teams that wanted to offer Artest a maximum salary were unable to do so. Very hesitant.

Just looking at personal data and honors, Artest is not too much to get a contract with an annual salary of 1500 million US dollars.

But as of now, Artest's highest season salary is only 750 million US dollars, which is not a small distance from the annual salary of tens of millions.

The reason why Artest has never been able to get a big contract is because of his extremely irritable personality, which often causes troubles off the court.

Either it was suspended, or it made the locker room atmosphere smoky, which made the team that wanted to sign Artest have to be cautious.

During the offseason this year, Artest, a free agent, received offers from multiple teams. The most lucrative offer came from the Bulls' two-year $1500 million contract.

The average annual salary is about $750 million, which is $150 million higher than the full middle class offered by the Grizzlies.

But the mere $150 million obviously couldn't impress Artest's determination to join the Grizzlies. Although Artest has a bad temper, he has no problem with his IQ.

Artest is very clear about the benefits that joining the Grizzlies will bring him. Once he can follow the Grizzlies to win the championship trophy in the new season, Artest, who will try the free market again, is likely to get the first ten million contract in his career. Even Artest couldn't resist the temptation.

上个赛季阿泰斯特场均能够交出17.6分5.8篮板3.4助攻以及2.3次抢断，同时还有38%的三分球命中率，依然是联盟最出色的锋线球员之一。

The arrival of Artest can make up for the vacancy after Gerald Wallace left. At the same time, his excellent defensive ability can also make Kevin Martin more comfortable on the defensive end.

The starting five consisting of Chris Paul, Kevin Martin, Artest, Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol are also excellent in offense and defense, whether it is inside defense or outside defense, they are all at the average level of the league. above.

The most important thing is that the strength of the Grizzlies on the offensive end is far greater than that on the defensive end, which is what scares all teams.

Although Artest's joining is not surprising, when the Grizzlies announced the news, it still made the teams sweat.

Seeing that the Grizzlies lineup has become more and more complete and luxurious, this feeling of being unable to change is really chilling.

However, before the outside world could recover from Artest's signing, the Grizzlies broke another news that afternoon.

According to the Grizzlies official announcement, the team officially reached a contract with free agent Louis Williams. This contract used the Grizzlies' last mini-middle class. The specific details of the contract have not been disclosed to the outside world.

However, according to news from Carroll, a well-known media person in Memphis, the contract value signed by the Grizzlies and Louis Williams is about 350 million US dollars.

Louis Williams played for the Philadelphia 76ers last season and played all 80 games as a substitute player. He is a standard scorer.

07—08赛季，路易斯威廉姆斯场均能够贡献12.4分2.6篮板3.4助攻以及1次抢断，虽然投篮命中率只有42.4%，但极具自信心的打法却让路威成为联盟最出色的板凳匪徒之一。

During the offseason, the 76ers wanted to keep Lu Wei, a young guy, but considering Lu Wei's thin body and poor defensive ability, the 76ers were only willing to provide Lu Wei with a contract worth $450 million at most. .

Even if the contract is gradually increased in the next few years, it can only reach 500 million US dollars at most.

After considering and discussing with his agent, Lu Wei finally decided to accept the mini middle class offered by the Grizzlies and become a member of the defending champion in the new season.

With the paper strength shown by the Grizzlies, the probability of competing for the championship in the new season is as high as 70%. If they can win the championship, Lu Wei can completely test the free market again and get a higher salary contract.

For this signing, the Grizzlies and Louis Williams can be regarded as a win-win situation. Both parties get what they need and will get the benefits visible to the naked eye.

Luke is very clear that the young Louis Williams still has a lot of potential to be developed.

After trading away Mike Bibby, the Grizzlies are extremely short at the point guard position. Lu Wei's joining can not only improve the Grizzlies' bench strength, but also fill in the vacancy of the Grizzlies' guard line.

You know, Lu Wei has won the best sixth man award three times in his career, and he is the player who has won the best sixth man award the most times in NBA history.

And in his peak season, Louis Williams averaged 22.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and he also led the classic battle between the civilian Clippers and the Five-Star Warriors in six games before losing unfortunately.

The Grizzlies can use a mini middle class to sign Louis Williams in the offseason, which is definitely a very cost-effective reinforcement.

That is to say, Lu Wei has not reached the peak yet, and the league is still in the era of big centers, and the number of defenders is relatively large, so Lu Wei's thin body makes many teams hesitate.

Otherwise, it will be difficult for the Grizzlies to use a mini-middle class to acquire Louis Williams. After all, Lu Wei is definitely an excellent player and can take on the responsibility of the best sixth man on any team.

With the Grizzlies signing two giants in the free market, the depth of the Grizzlies' lineup has been filled at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In addition to the starting lineup suffocating the teams in the league, even the bench lineup has gradually become the only one in the league.

Not to mention other players, just one Michael Reid is enough for other teams to have a headache.

In any case, Michael Reid was the head star of the Bucks last season and was able to rank tenth in the league's scoring list.

As a result, such a player will appear in the game as the best sixth man in the new season. This is really something that people can't express in words.

Right now, the Grizzlies bench can make up a pair of terrifying backcourt double guns like Louis Williams and Michael Reid.

With the addition of Kapono, Novak, Hibbert and Grant Hill, the Grizzlies in the new season can no longer be described as luxury warships. Looking at the entire history, there is no team as capricious as the Grizzlies.

Fans seriously doubt that the Grizzlies' current bench strength can even compete with the starters of some weak teams. If Michael Reed plays well, it is not impossible to gain the upper hand.

After all, the starting lineup of the Bucks last season is not much different from the Grizzlies' bench lineup in the new season. The pair of backcourt double guns of Louis Williams and Michael Reed is not inferior to the combination of Xiao Mo and Reed.

Thinking of this, the Western Conference team, which is still planning to hit the championship in the new season, feels completely depressed, and even the Boston Celtics who got the news started to get angry.

It is said that while the Grizzlies announced two consecutive signings, Celtics general manager Angie smashed a lot of things in the office, obviously driven crazy by the Grizzlies' reinforcement speed.

For the championship trophy, the Celtics have spent a lot of money in the past two seasons, and have successively traded for Ray Allen, O'Neal and Garnett who is likely to join the team.

With such a lineup, the Celtics' luxury tax for the new season will be as high as more than 1000 million US dollars.

As a result, before the Green Army was happy for too long, the Grizzlies poured two basins of cold water on Angie's head in a row, which simply did not give people a way to survive, making the Celtics gradually drift away on the road of riding a tiger, and it was impossible to turn back. No chance.

"This guy is a lunatic! A lunatic!" In the office of the Green Army, Angie overturned his desk angrily. Looking at the news that Grizzly had just released, the veins on his forehead exploded, and even his body was so angry. trembling constantly.

(End of this chapter)