Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 262 262. Three people signed in a row in the free market!The list of 15 people for the new season is confirmed, pointing out the way for the old club!
"Luiz is an excellent player. His breakthrough speed is very fast. In the new season, the backcourt double guns formed by him and Michael are very in line with the team's tactical play."

"The depth of the team's current lineup can even build a separate offensive system for the bench."

"At first, I was still worried that the starting backcourt composed of Chris and Kevin would have problems on the defensive end. After all, one of them is too short and the other is too thin."

"In the end, I didn't expect that you directly signed Ron to the team, which perfectly solved the defensive problem of the starting backcourt."

"Ron's defense is better than Gerrard's. As early as when I was coaching the Suns, I suggested that the management sign Ron to the team. Unfortunately, I have never had a chance. Now I feel more and more that joining the Grizzlies is the best thing I have done. The right decision."

In the restaurant, assistant coach D'Antoni was full of radiance. While cutting the steak, he praised Luke's operation in the free market.

As soon as the free market opened, the Grizzlies signed two giants in a row, which not only improved the overall strength of the team, but also made up for the team's most fatal flaw.

D'Antoni sighed to Luke not long ago, "I have never fought such a rich battle in my coaching career!"

D'Antoni is pursuing a small-ball style of play, and the Grizzlies' current four main backcourt players are all in line with D'Antoni's tactical system, which makes D'Antoni feel that coaching the Grizzlies in the new season must be a very interesting thing.

Even though the head coach of the Grizzlies is Luke, he is only the chief assistant coach, but after so long contact, D'Antoni is very clear that Luke is very willing to delegate power in terms of tactics.

Unlike other head coaches, he firmly holds the team in his own hands.

Except that Luke has always been authoritarian in terms of team building, Luke has always been unwilling to take too much control in coaching the team. The Grizzlies coaching staff basically can get reused whoever has the ability.

This allowed D'Antoni to see the picture of himself leading the Grizzlies in the new season. Before the offseason reinforcements are over, D'Antoni can't wait to start the journey of the new season.

"Actually, the signing of Ron is not only about his excellent defensive ability, but the main reason is that the Grizzlies need a guy who can stand out for his teammates on the court."

"Last season, Gerrard was the only one on the team who was more wild, and the Spurs almost suffered a big loss in the playoffs."

"If it weren't for the prestige I had accumulated in the past few years, which made the Spurs dare not act rashly, it would definitely be very difficult to pass the Spurs last season."

"For other teams, Ron's bad temper is like a time bomb, which has become an obstacle to obtaining a maximum salary contract in his career."

"However, I appreciate Ron's temperament. The Grizzlies really need a player like Ron. Otherwise, the team will be full of gentlemen in the new season, and it will be easy to suffer big losses in the playoffs." He took out a napkin and wiped his mouth. Stain, Luke picked up a betel nut and put it in his mouth.

The Grizzlies only had Gerald Wallace as a heroic fighter last season. In the series against the Spurs, if Bruce Bowen hadn't been psychologically shadowed by Luke a few years ago, the Spurs would probably have played against the Spurs in that series.

Once the main player of the Grizzlies is injured, it may become unknown who can advance to the Western Conference Finals.

In the new season, Gerald Wallace was traded to the Hornets by the team, which made the entire Grizzlies lack of "court bodyguards" who are good at standing out. unacceptable thing.

In order to win the championship in the past two seasons, coupled with the private warnings of league president David Stern, Luke has restrained a lot in behavior.

This also caused many teams in the league to forget that Luke is a brutal guy by nature.

Seeing the teams getting more and more smug, Luke felt that he had to let the teams experience the fear again in the new season.

It's not the fear of the team being crushed in terms of record, but the fear of not being able to beat the ball on the court, and also the fear of being unable to fight.

In fact, during this offseason, many players can replace Artest on the defensive end. For example, Tony Allen, who became a free agent, has no defensive ability inferior to Artest, even better than Artest. ster is cheaper.

But the main reason why Luke brought Artest back to the team was to find a reliable "fighter" for the team.

Avoid the embarrassment that when the two sides clash, no one from the Grizzlies dares to charge forward.

In particular, the Grizzlies' lineup has reached a very terrifying level in the new season. In this situation, Luke has to beware of other teams' tricks on the field.

Whether it is being stepped on or criminalized, someone must stand up and let the other party taste the taste of fists.

Considering that the Grizzlies have a great career, Artest alone is not enough to be a "villain". Once Artest is suspended, the Grizzlies will enter a situation where no one dares to fight.

Except for Artest, no one in the Grizzlies is good at fighting.

Among them, Grant Hill, Martin, Kapono and others are truly gentlemen. It is more difficult for them to fight with their fists than to let them score 50 points in a single game.

So in addition to Artest, Luke also contacted another player in the free market, who is also a well-known tough guy in the league.

Luke has given full power to Chris Wallace to handle this matter. If there is no accident, the Grizzlies will soon announce the news of signing new players.

"By the way, Lu, I have something to tell you. Steve Francisto found me. He hopes to join the team with a veteran's basic salary. He wants to ask if you are willing to sign with him." As if suddenly Thinking of something, Chris Wallace on the side opened his mouth and said.

At present, the Grizzlies have only 12 players in their new season lineup, and the three vacancies can be said to have caused many veteran players in the league to fight for their heads and blood, and they all want to join the Grizzlies.

You know, after the Grizzlies signed Artest and Louis Williams, the team has no salary space and can only offer a basic salary contract to make up for the last three positions.

The paper lineup that the Grizzlies have assembled so far is too terrifying. The prospect of winning the new season is unanimously optimistic by the outside world, and this kind of team is the favorite choice for veteran players to join.

The basic salary contract is not important to these people at all.

All they want is a championship ring, or use the championship to win a longer-term pension contract for themselves.

Francis went around last season and was finally traded back to the Rockets by the Knicks, but the state of Francis who returned to the Rockets has experienced a very large decline.

Coupled with the fact that his body has been plagued by injuries, Francis has already raised his intention to retire in situ.

Francis, who returned to the Rockets last season, averaged only 5.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3 assists per game. This data seems to be pretty good as a substitute player.

But you know, Francis' average playing time can be as high as 19.9 minutes, and the conversion of this efficiency to 36 minutes is really bad.

Fans of later generations once called Francis the 1.0 version of Westbrook. From this evaluation, it is not difficult to see what kind of playing style Francis is on the court.

Players like Francis are destined to need the ball to play their own threats, and the Grizzlies don't have much room for Francis to play when they have the double guns in the backcourt of Louis Williams and Michael Reed.

After all, even Francis' offensive efficiency at his peak was not high, and his shooting ability has been poor since entering the league.

From the perspective of reinforcement and tactical rhythm, Francis is obviously not suitable for this Grizzlies.

As for the reason why Francis was unable to reap the contract during the offseason, it is precisely because he is a player who needs the ball to show his strength.

Although Francis is still in the golden age of 30 years old, Francis' physical condition has already fallen off a cliff.

No team is willing to build tactics with Francis as the core. For a bad team, he is a former All-Star player who was eliminated by the league. For a team that wants to compete for the championship, there is no Give him room to play freely.

This is the embarrassment that Francis is currently encountering. The attractiveness in the free market is not even as good as a shooter who can only shoot three-pointers.

The only advantage of signing Francis is that he can dedicate his experience to young defenders.

But the Grizzlies have Chris Paul, a young and mature monster, and Michael Reed, who has been a star in the Bucks for many years, Luke really doesn't like Francis' role.

However, Francis was able to ask someone to find Chris Wallace. Obviously, he still has something to do with it in the league. In addition, Francis did take care of Yao Ming when he was the boss of the Rockets in the early days of his career. He often helped Yao Ming, who was not talkative. He directly refused.

Now the Grizzlies have only 15 players on their 12-man roster. If they can't make up the roster in the end, Luke doesn't mind accepting Francis into the team so that he can comfortably lay down a championship ring.

Even if the Grizzlies had to give up Francis in order to strengthen themselves in the end, Luke was willing to help Francis to pay back the favor that year for Yao Ming.

"The current team does not have a suitable position for him, but you don't have to rush to refuse Francis. If a team is willing to sign with him, you can ask him to seriously consider other teams."

"If no one is interested in the free market in the end, I don't mind helping him." Luke said after a moment of pondering as he tapped his fingers on the table rhythmically.

…………

In mid-August, just as the news of the signings of various teams continued, the Grizzlies, which had been silent for nearly half a month, broke out two more news.

The first news is that the Grizzlies officially announced that the team has officially reached a contract with free agent Ratliff, and the two parties signed a veteran's basic salary.

In the new season, the "capped maniac" Ratliff will wear the Grizzlies jersey and become a member of the defending champion.

Ratliff is a veteran who has played in the league for 13 seasons. In the new season, Ratliff will be 35 years old. For inside players, he has reached the standard of retirement.

However, Ratliff still played a good personal performance in the Pistons last season. At first glance, the average of 3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game is a bit underwhelming.

But in the case of only playing 12 minutes per game, Ratliff can still send up to 1.1 blocks, which can be called a real "block maniac".

If there is a media list of the most shot-blocking players in the NBA, the name Ratliff will definitely appear on the list.

In his peak season, Ratliff averaged 4.4 blocks per game. When Ratliff stands under the basket, this area is a real no-fly zone.

Even so far, Ratliff has sent 2.7 blocks in his career, and he is a player worthy of the coach's ease of use.

Even if Ratliff's offensive ability is somewhat weakened, the offensive end can only score through dunks and second offenses.

But the reason why Luke signed Ratliff was because of Ratliff's excellent defensive ability.

The Grizzlies have Novak and Pau Gasol and many other inside players with excellent offensive capabilities, and Ratliff will serve as the team's backup inside in case the inside suffers injuries in the new season.

In addition, the 35-year-old Ratliff can also teach Marc Gasol and Hibbert defensive experience and help them complete their growth as soon as possible.

For Marc Gasol and Hibbert, whose defensive ability has yet to be developed, this will be a very valuable asset.

After all, Ratliff's blocked shots are all data obtained through tough physical confrontation, which is fundamentally different from Marcus Camby's seemingly sharp blocking shots, but in fact he defends his hips.

The most important thing is that Ratliff, who played for the Detroit Pistons back then, is a well-known tough guy in the league.

This signing Luke not only solves the backup center for the new season, but also finds a second bodyguard for the team.

In the new season, Ratliff will team up with Artest to jointly defend the dignity of the Grizzlies on the "court".

Although Ratliff is not as grumpy as Artest, he often clashes with the opponent for no reason on the court.

But Ratliff, who has fought many outstanding centers such as the peak O'Neal, is definitely a master who is not afraid of things. Whoever dares to shake his fist in front of Ratliff will definitely let the other side see what it means A real "tough guy".

In addition, the second news announced by the Grizzlies is to reach a contract with the free agent "Reaper" Smush Parker.

"Reaper" Parker played for the Los Angeles Clippers last season, averaging 6.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1 steal per game.

However, due to poor defensive ability and worse and worse offense, Parker has never been interested in this year's free market.

If it weren't for the Grizzlies throwing an olive branch, Smush Parker has already planned to play in overseas leagues and wave goodbye to the NBA league.

As an undrafted pick, Smush Parker had a chance to prove himself in the Los Angeles Lakers. With the Lakers' severe lack of point guard players in those two years, Parker successfully brought the name of "Reaper" to the NBA.

However, after leaving the Lakers, Parker's low offensive efficiency and poor defensive ability were infinitely magnified, and it took only two short seasons to play without the ball.

After all, Parker was born in the street court. On the street court, Parker is a frightening "Grim Reaper", but in the NBA, Parker is indeed not good enough.

And when the backup guard line already has both Louis Williams and Michael Reed, the reason why Luke signed Smush Parker with a basic salary contract is to make up for the vacancy in the guard line.

After all, apart from Michael Reid and Kevin Martin who can occasionally play point guards, the only players who can really play point guards are Chris Paul and Louis Williams.

Among them, Louis Williams is still a combo guard, but due to his weak physical confrontation, he had to play the game as a point guard.

For a team aspiring to defend the title, this depth is obviously not enough.

The new season's "Reaper" Parker is difficult to enter the rotation, but once the Grizzlies guard suffers from injuries, Parker, who is extremely confident in offense, is definitely a very competent firefighter.

With the Grizzlies signing Smash Parker and Ratliff with two basic salary contracts, the Grizzlies new season roster has reached 14 people.

And they have found good backup candidates in the guard, striker and inside line. Even if they suffer injuries in the new season, the Grizzlies will not fall into the dilemma of no one available.

As for which player the Grizzlies will sign with the last precious spot, the outside world is also looking forward to it.

Fortunately, the joining of Chris Paul and Michael Reed made the Grizzlies a little nervous about the salary space.

Otherwise, with the strength shown by the Grizzlies and the title of the defending champion, there may be a large number of players in the league who are willing to cut their salaries to join.

Thinking of this, the outside world no longer knows whether the joining of Paul and Michael Reid is a good thing or a bad thing, but no matter what, the Grizzlies' lineup on the surface is enough to make all teams tremble.

If we talk about last season, the Big Three composed of Kevin Martin, Gerald Wallace and Pau Gasol is a bit reluctant to say.

Then the combination of Chris Paul + Kevin Martin + Paul Gasol in the new season is definitely the league's most high-end giant configuration.

Leaving aside Chris Paul, who has surpassed Nash to become the league's No. [-] point guard, just say that Kevin Martin and Gasol have already proved themselves last season.

One of these two is the MVP of the regular season and the other is the MVP of the finals. giant configuration.

.........

In late August, when the outside world was still discussing the prospect of the Grizzlies winning the new season, a shocking news broke out from the Celtics, the leader of the Eastern Conference.

After discussion, the Celtics have officially reached an agreement with the Timberwolves. "Wolf King" Garnett will wear the Celtics jersey in the new season and form the Big Four with Ray Allen, Pierce and O'Neal.

At present, this transaction has not yet happened, but according to the Boston media, the specific details of the transaction between the two parties are coming to an end. If there is no accident, the Celtics will officially announce Garnett's joining at the end of August.

In addition, Stephen Marbury's discussion with the Knicks on a buyout has also progressed.

Coupled with the fact that Marbury's agent has recently been in close contact with the Celtics management, this makes the outside world always remain suspicious of the combination of Celtic and Marbury.

The fear on the Grizzlies side has not receded, and the Celtics will follow closely and will not give other teams in the league a way out.

The news that broke out between the two teams during the offseason was more shocking than the other. Even Heat star Dwyane Wade tweeted, "I have liked basketball for so many years, and I have never seen this kind of thing happen. The league is gradually moving towards decay."

Wade's post is obviously fearful of the Grizzlies and Celtics' reinforcements during the offseason. He hopes that the league can come forward to stop this wanton grouping behavior, which will cause the game to lose suspense early.

However, due to the entanglement with the Timberwolves in the past two years, the fans have long stopped buying Wade's account, and even the Green Army fans are still saying sarcastically, "However, your question is only because the player who reported the team is not you, otherwise you will definitely raise Both hands agree.”

At present, Wade's popularity in the league has been basically wiped out. When facing the Timberwolves, Wade's small belly and crazy face slaps have long made fans regard Wade as a clown.

Although time has passed for many years, Wade has still suffered a lot in terms of popularity.

However, before the fans can digest the news from the Celtics, the Grizzlies immediately released a news announcing that the team signed free agent James with the last spot!
That's right, James...Jones.

In the new season, the Grizzlies have added a sharpshooter from the perimeter, plus Kapono and Novak, who have infinitely close to [-]% of their three-pointers.

James Jones played for the Portland Trail Blazers last season, averaging 8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He is a shooting machine that basically knows nothing but shooting.

But the Grizzlies' tactical system needs this kind of player. The offensive end does not occupy the ball, which will always be the standard for the Grizzlies to choose role players.

And James Jones made 44.4% of his three-pointers last season. Among the players who averaged more than 1.8 three-pointers per game, his shooting percentage was second only to Kapono and Novak, ranking third in the league.

However, the three players with the highest three-point shooting percentage in the league in the new season are all in the Grizzlies, which is really incredible.

In fact, James Jones in his peak season could only contribute 9.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists.

But with his precise three-point shooting skills, coupled with the worldly sophistication that even Doc Rivers is ashamed of, Jones is simply a sober person in the NBA circle.

As the saying goes, whoever is strong will go with him. James Jones' career can be said to have run through this truth to the extreme.

As a player with very ordinary personal strength, James Jones can play in the NBA for as long as 14 years.

The reason is because James Jones knows how to hold his thighs. Under normal circumstances, since James Jones met LeBron James in the Heat, he has followed James' footsteps in the latter part of his career and has become the most loyal younger brother around James.

Relying on the ability to cling to his thighs, James Jones not only extended his career to 14 years, but also won three championship rings, which can be called the winner of life among grassroots players.

Right now, James Jones has not been able to meet LeBron James, but James Jones has kept in mind the principle of hugging his thighs.

Joining the Grizzlies in the new season, James Jones' salary is about $100 million less than the extension contract offered by the Trail Blazers.

But James Jones still firmly chose the Grizzlies, just as Jones made the promise to Luke on the phone, "No one would dislike money, but when I learned that the Grizzlies were interested in me, the money was gone. Not that important."

"Coach Lu, I will follow you in the future."

"........."

With the joining of James Jones, the Grizzlies' 15-man roster for the new season is full.

Guard:

Chris Paul, Louis Williams, Smush Parker.

Swingman:
Kevin Martin, Michael Reid, Grant Hill, "Three-Point King" Kapono, James Jones, and Rathall Butler.

Up front:

Artest, Novak,

Inside:

Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, Hibbert, and "Shot Blocker" Ratliff.

These 15 players will become the Grizzlies' players for the new season. Although it is not known whether the Grizzlies will make adjustments in the middle of the season, the Grizzlies in the early season will work hard to run this lineup.

When the outside world saw the Grizzlies lineup for the new season, many teams fell silent.

Especially after reading the Grizzlies' roster for the new season, and then looking at the rotten fish and rotten shrimps in their hands, I suddenly feel that the position of general manager is a bit dull.

The Grizzlies not only have league stars such as Chris Paul, Kevin Martin, Paul Gasol and Michael Reid in the new season, but also have the league's best players such as Kapono, James Jones, Novak and Rathall Butler. three-point shooter.

Coupled with the "running master" D'Antoni and the "Quadruple Champion" Luke joining forces, the outside world can't imagine how fierce the Grizzlies' offense will be in the new season.

At least from the current point of view, the Grizzlies have pre-booked the position of the strongest "offensive team" in history!

In addition, the Timberwolves also issued a document announcing that the team signed Francis with a veteran's basic salary.

After trading away Kevin Garnett, the Timberwolves officially entered the reconstruction.

In the case that most of the team are young players, Francis will become a life mentor in the new season, imparting experience to rookie players.

At the same time, Francis' character is also an excellent locker room leader. After Artest left, the Timberwolves always needed someone who could stand up for his teammates and bring the whole team together. Play the courage that an NBA team should have.

Francis is not a player that the Timberwolves must sign, but since Luke recommends it, McHale and owner Glen Taylor naturally have no objections.

Although Luke is no longer the coach of the Timberwolves, in the hearts of Minnesota fans, Luke is the "Godfather in Black" with a high status, and no one can replace him.

As a thank you, Luke pointed out a clear path for his old club Timberwolves. If the transaction goes well, the Timberwolves will at least have a cornerstone for team building, and they will not be confused in the next few years.

In just one season, from the Triple Crown Dynasty to the poor plan, the shabby Timberwolves made Luke not mind helping. After all, Minnesota is where Luke's dream started.

Glen Taylor is an excellent team owner.

There are not only fights and kills in the competitive league, but also sophistication of the world.

(End of this chapter)