Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 310 310. Win over Duncan!The Seduction of Marcus Thornton!Knicks on the set!

The time has entered July, and after the draft is over, the offseason reinforcement of the league's teams has just begun.

In July, the League Summer League and the trading market will open simultaneously.

On the first day after the trading market opened, the Grizzlies officially released a news announcing that the team had officially reached a deal with the Detroit Pistons.

In this transaction, the Grizzlies exchanged Louis Williams + second-round pick + $400 million trade exception for Afflalo + first-round pick in the hands of the Pistons.

As soon as the news came out, the alliance immediately fell into an uproar.

Who is Efflalo The league management is very unfamiliar with this name, but the conclusion of this deal also means that Juho Ledi, who was selected with the 15th overall pick in the first round of this year's draft, was not from the Pistons, but from the Pistons. It's the Grizzlies' pick.

Luke's draft vision is unique in history, and no one will question Luke's ability to build a team.

Holiday can be selected by Luke with the 15th overall pick in the first round, which means that Holiday has great potential.

Overnight, Juholedi, who was still unknown, became popular throughout the league.

All teams immediately notified scouts to investigate Holiday's performance in college, wanting to see what kind of charm Holiday has on him that can impress the highly discerning "hand of God".

The completion of this deal has made Zhu Huo Ledi's reputation soaring, and his attention has even vaguely overshadowed this year's No. [-] pick Blake Griffin, becoming one of the most anticipated players in this year's draft.

With the start of the summer league, each team has also sent scouts, planning to go to the scene to watch Juholidi's performance.

Originally, the one who received the most attention this year should be Marcus Thornton, who was picked by the Grizzlies at the end of the first round. However, Ju Holiday, who was picked by the Pistons with the 15th pick in the first round, was picked by the Grizzlies. The eyes shifted collectively, temporarily shifting from Marcus Thornton to Holiday.

After all, Holiday's draft pick is fifteen places higher than Marcus Thornton's.

Although Marcus Thornton was labeled as a future star in advance by the outside world from the moment he was selected by Luke himself, Juho Ledi can be selected by the Grizzlies at such a high position, and his potential must be greater than that of the Grizzlies. Marcus Thornton is even better.

In addition, when the Grizzlies announced that the team's new aid Afflalo will also participate in this summer league, many teams began to secretly observe Afflalo's performance.

Even if Afflalo's positioning in this deal looks more like a salary-balancing addition, there are still people who believe that Luke will not make a loss-making business.

Maybe Afflalo has potential that people haven't discovered yet. Compared with Juho Ledi and Marcus Thornton, who were personally selected by the Grizzlies in the draft, Afflalo undoubtedly has a better chance of being selected by other teams. get.

Of course, as of now, everything about Afflalo is just the speculation of each team. It is really that the first two seasons of Afflalo's career are too ordinary, and he is a standard unknown in the Pistons.

This kind of player is not without the possibility that the pearl will be dusted, but the chance is extremely small. If it weren't for the deal from Luke, no one would pay attention to a player like Afflalo.

Fortunately, the league's summer league is about to start in July, and it's easy to know whether Afflalo is a mule or a horse.

Even if the outside world is more looking forward to the performance of Zhu Holiday and Marcus Thornton.

.........

With the opening of the trading market, the second deal that broke out in the league is about the powerful San Antonio Spurs in the West.

The owner of the Spurs is notoriously stingy, and it is undoubtedly a bit of a dream to want him to spend a lot of money to strengthen.

Almost every year during the offseason, the Spurs just play around and make some weak reinforcements in the corners.

However, during the offseason this year, the Spurs spent a lot of money and got Richard Jefferson, one of the former "Net Tridents" from the Bucks.

Richard Jefferson is 106 meters tall and weighs 18 kilograms. He serves as a small forward on the court. He has not had too many honors in his career, but he has averaged more than [-] points per game in five seasons.

Last season, during his time with the Bucks, Jefferson played 82 games for the team and maintained full attendance, averaging 19.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

Among them, he made a career-high 39.7% of his three-pointers, making him one of the most efficient strikers in the league.

In this transaction, the players paid by the Spurs are "defensive experts" Bruce Bowen, Cotto Thomas and center Oberto.

Bruce Bowen's departure from the team was something that the outside world did not expect. Most fans thought that Bruce Bowen would retire in the Spurs, but he was traded to the Bucks by the team this summer.

However, Bruce Bowen is 38 years old. Even if he has excellent defensive ability, his foot movement speed can no longer keep up with young players.

If nothing else, Bowen, who was traded to the Bucks, is likely to choose to retire in situ, slapping the self-righteous Bucks management hard.

Accompanied by this deal, there is also a gossip. According to the local media in San Antonio, the rift between Tim Duncan and the team management has become bigger and bigger.

Since the team's former head coach Popovich left the team, Duncan has not had any affection for the new head coach Eddie Jordan.

The loss of last season made Tim Duncan even more exhausted. Duncan hopes to have the opportunity to join a new championship team so that he will not have to work too hard in the twilight of his career.

Some Holy City media broke the news that Grizzlies coach Luke was suspected of illegal recruitment and contacted Tim Duncan in private without the permission of the Spurs.

The current specific progress of the two parties is unknown for the time being, but it is hoped that the alliance can intervene in the investigation to prevent Luke from poaching the Spurs at this juncture.

Luke didn't expect to be targeted by the paparazzi despite being so careful. Fortunately, he and Tim Duncan only communicated online and did not meet in private.

Otherwise, once the photos are released, it would be a trivial matter for the team and himself to be fined by the league, but Duncan's plan to join the Grizzlies would be announced in advance as aborted.

After the draft, the first thing Luke did was to negotiate with Duncan.

Luke, as the person involved, is very clear about Duncan's dissatisfaction last season and the willingness of the palace management to leave the Spurs.

If it weren't for his personal experience, Luke would never have thought that Duncan, who has always been taciturn, would be angry, and the idea of ​​leaving the Spurs also arose in his heart.

This summer, the Grizzlies lost two giants in a row, and Zach Randolph's departure was something Luke had long expected.

Randolph just won the Finals MVP in the finals, and there are eight out of ten teams in the league who want to give Zach Randolph a huge contract.

It is absolutely impossible for the Grizzlies to keep Zach Randolph.

It's just that Pau Gasol's departure caught Luke by surprise.

While winning the championship for two consecutive years, Paul Gasol, whose contract has expired, hopes to sign a maximum salary contract and increase his position in the team's tactical system.

However, if the Grizzlies want to hit the championship next season, it is impossible to give Pau Gasol a huge maximum salary. The best win-win situation is that Pau Gasol is willing to sign a 1+1 contract to create a dynasty together.

However, Pau Gasol doesn't like this approach. He hopes that he can directly get a huge five-year maximum salary instead of signing a 1+1 contract at the risk of a decline in injury status.

This is also the reason why the two sides had to part ways in the end.

Fortunately, Pau Gasol is grateful to Luke. Although he has already planned to accept contract offers from other teams, he is not dissatisfied with Luke at all.

To paraphrase Pau Gasol's own words: "I have gained a lot in the two seasons of the Grizzlies, but I hope that I can become a leader, not the third or even the fourth leader."

With Randolph and Pau Gasol leaving the team at the same time, only Marc Gasol is left as the core insider for the Grizzlies to win the championship next season, plus at most Roy Hibbert, who performed well on the bench.

This configuration is far from supporting a quasi-dynastic team that wants to hit three consecutive championships.

Although Tim Duncan is 33 years old, Duncan's steady style of play makes it impossible to see the marks that the years have carved on Duncan.

上个赛季，蒂姆邓肯在为队出战75场比赛的情况下，依然能够轰出场均20.1分11.2篮板3.5助攻以及1.8次封盖，并且还有超过50%的投篮命中率。

It's hard to imagine that this data is the personal data of an insider who is over [-] years old.

If you can take the opportunity to get Tim Duncan, the chances of the Grizzlies hitting three consecutive championships next season will undoubtedly be greatly improved.

After all, in addition to his personal ability, Duncan also has excellent experience in the playoffs. He can definitely remain calm in the big scene and continue to provide stable output like an old dog like a robot.

In terms of personal ability alone, Tim Duncan's overall level is still higher than that of Paul Gasol. Gasol can have the upper hand in the matchup with Duncan, but he has an advantage in age.

If you really want to put the two on the same starting line, it is not difficult for Duncan to beat Pau Gasol.

In any case, Dungan was selected to the NBA All-NBA Team 12 times in his career, and was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team 12 times, maintaining his personal competitiveness for 12 consecutive years.

These two honors alone are enough to beat any player in the current league.

The good news is that the private contact between Luke and Tim Duncan is progressing smoothly. Although Duncan has not indicated that he will definitely join the Grizzlies, Duncan is obviously interested in Luke's recruitment.

The next thing Luke wants to fight for is to keep his salary as low as possible while providing Duncan with a short-term huge contract.

In this way, the Grizzlies can leave more salary space to sign other players in the free market.

And Tim Duncan can also give it a go at the age of 33, and strive to sign the last maximum salary of his career in the free market next year.

…………

The time came to mid-July. During this time, many large and small transactions broke out in the league.

It's just that the Memphis Grizzlies, who are the focus of media attention, have been in a calm state for the next period of time except after the trading market just opened and it was reported that they had reached a deal with the Detroit Pistons.

The surface calm of the Grizzlies makes the teams in the league seem worried, for fear that the Grizzlies are holding back some big moves secretly, and dominate the league like they got Chris Paul through a trade last season.

Everyone is very clear that many Grizzlies will leave the team this summer. If the Grizzlies want to win the championship next season, they will inevitably make more than five signings this summer.

So far, the Grizzlies have only acquired Afflalo through trading, except for Juho Ledi and Marcus Thornton in the draft. These players are far from making up for Michael Reed, The vacancies after Gasol and Randolph and others left the team.

It stands to reason that the Grizzlies should be extremely active in this year's trading market, actively contacting other teams for transactions, and even selling newcomers just selected in the draft, in exchange for powerful stars and achieving three consecutive championships.

It's a pity that the calmness of the Grizzlies is like a lake without a ripple, and the calmness has caused the entire league to panic.

In addition to the non-stop gossip that the Grizzlies have privately contacted a certain free agent, the recent news about the Grizzlies has all focused on the summer league.

At present, the Grizzlies have played four summer league games. Under the leadership of the three brothers Ju Holiday, Afflalo and Marcus Thornton, the Grizzlies started with four wins and zero losses. The advantage swept the league.

The No. [-] pick, Blake Griffin, was unable to participate in the summer league due to injuries. The No. [-] Thabeet failed to score and rebound in double figures in four consecutive games. Appears to be the center of attention.

Especially Afflalo, who averaged only three and five points per game in the first two seasons of his career, and Marcus Thornton, who was selected by the Grizzlies with the No. 30 pick in the first round.

These two simply killed the Quartet in the summer league and played a very explosive performance.

In the four games, Afflalo averaged 18 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game, and his three-point shooting percentage was as high as 41.2%.

首轮30号秀马库斯索顿更是天神下凡，四场比赛场均能够砍下26分6篮板2助攻以及2次抢断。

Although the shooting percentage of 44.7% is not stable enough, Marcus Thornton's self-confidence and skills on the field make everyone's eyes shine.

No one thought that this short shooting guard who was only projected to be picked in the middle of the second round could burst out with so much energy on the court.

Almost all the players who faced Thornton were blown up. There was no way. Marcus Thornton was too strong. Marcus Thornton was nicknamed "Barrel" in college, and Thornton was placed in the same class as a rookie guard. Here, Thornton is simply a Thanos-like existence.

Even DeRozan, the No. [-] pick in the first round, fell into a disadvantage in the matchup with Marcus Thornton, and Luke was complained by McHale because of this, saying that Luke was not interesting enough, and the players selected for the Timberwolves were not as good as Marcus Thornton at the end of the first round can play.

In this regard, Luke just smiled lightly, and briefly explained to McHale.

Luke knows that Marcus Thornton's potential is very limited, but he is a typical rookie with combat power.

When he first entered the league, Marcus Thornton had the ability to crush most of the rookies of the same class, but over time, Marcus Thornton's weaknesses will be exposed.

The reason why Luke chose Marcus Thornton was because of Thornton's immediate combat power attributes. Whether the Grizzlies choose to keep Thornton in the team in the new season or arrange for Thornton to produce a good statistic for a trade, the It is much wiser than choosing a training rookie whose growth cycle is too long.

DeRozan's potential has yet to be developed. Today's DeRozan is naturally no match for Marcus Thornton, but two years later, DeRozan can completely hang up Marcus Thornton.

In contrast, Zhu Holiday, a high-ranking rookie selected by the Grizzlies with the 15th overall pick in the first round, performed relatively mediocrely.

Personal performance is not as eye-catching as Afflalo and Marcus Thornton. Although the average of 13 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals per game is not bad, the limelight is all taken by Marcus Thornton. .

Seeing that Ju Holiday has been underestimated by the outside media, Luke did not feel anxious at all. Only professionals who watched the game can see through it. Holiday put more than half of his focus on the defensive end. The scene where Marcus Thornton kills the Quartet on the offensive end.

Thornton wouldn't have played so easily on the court without Ju Holiday's excellent defense and selflessness.

Holiday's style of play has always been selfless, and he has never been a player who takes the ball and attacks endlessly. In many cases, Zhu Holiday's contribution cannot be reflected by statistics.

With the fifth summer league game, Marcus Thornton scored 36 points against the Kings. Thornton's name has been thoroughly spread throughout the league, becoming the most dazzling existence among the rookies this year.

According to general manager Chris Wallace, the team has received trade offers from many teams, and more than 80% of them are from Marcus Thornton.

The New York Knicks, the worst team in the league for thousands of years, even let out rumors. As long as they can get Marcus Thornton, the Knicks are willing to let the Grizzlies choose everyone except David Lee. No matter which player the Grizzlies want, The Knicks are willing to give in.

Luke was a little surprised by the attitudes shown by the teams in the league, but besides the surprise, Luke showed a profiteering smile.

"Since this is the case, let's let this fire burn more vigorously!"

(End of this chapter)