Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 4 4. Lineup list: player positioning;
At the end of October, the NBA regular season is about to hit, and all the teams are getting ready for the upcoming 04-05 season.

In the five preseason games in October, head coach Luke led the Timberwolves to a record of four wins and one loss.

Even if the teams will not go all out in the preseason, this also confirms the competitive state of the Timberwolves in the new season.

在这五场季前赛里，“狼王”加内特场均登场18.3分钟，个人可以贡献出13.6分7.4篮板3.2助攻1.6抢断以及2.1次封盖。

It is not difficult to see from the data how comprehensive Garnett is at both ends of the offense and defense, and what kind of personal dominance he has on the field.

The Timberwolves' lineup for the new season is not full of 15 people, and currently only 13 players are available.

Guard:

"Alien" Cassell, "Madman" Sprewell, Troy Hudson, Trenton Hassel, and "Three-Point King" Hoiberg.

Up front:

Garnett, "Handsome" Szczerbiak, John Thomas, and Mark Madsen.

Inside:

Eddie Griffin, Divac, "Sugar Man" Olowokandi, and "Big Man" Elvin Johnson.

The Minnesota's guard line configuration in the new season can be described as luxurious. In addition to Madman and Cassell, Hudson, Hassel and Hoiberg also have their own strengths.

Among them, Hudson is a well-known convulsion master in the league. When he starts to convulse, even Kobe has to consider retreating. This is somewhat similar to the famous "nervous knife" JR Smith and Crawford.

Hudson is a typical X-FACTOR, that is, a spoiler and a touch guard.

When the hand is smooth, the coach will enjoy it, and when the hand is not smooth, the opponent will be addicted.

When attacking, he mainly uses screen jumpers and has a certain singles ability, but he mainly relies on his touch.

Hudson never relents at critical moments and is a reliable key killer.

But at the same time, Hudson's flaws are also obvious. His defense is like clouds, not tall enough, not strong enough, not conscious enough and not working hard enough.

It can be said that Hudson is a typical player who relies on his touch to survive in the NBA.

In addition, Trenton Hassel, who is 1.9 meters tall, is a standard defensive champion.

Hassel often let the opponent make turnovers with a candy-like defense.

Although his steal data is not very eye-catching, he is still an indispensable defensive champion for the team.

However, Hassell doesn't have many methods on the offensive end, and the number of shots per game is very small, so in some specific games, Hassell is very suitable for being arranged by Luke to defend the opponent's offensive sharp knife.

As for Hoiberg, needless to say, a typical pure shooter guard, with a career three-point shooting rate of more than 40%, is absolutely trustworthy.

Even though the defensive ability is average, it is Luke's favorite three-pointer.

It is worth mentioning that Hoiberg briefly served as the head coach of the Bulls in later generations. I am afraid that most people know Hoiberg from this time.

On the front line, "Wolf King" Garnett naturally needless to say, while "Handsome" Szczerbiak is a seriously underestimated scorer and one of the best scorers in NBA history.

Note, the scorer, not the shooter.

Yes, most people like to classify Szczerbiak as a shooter, but Szczerbiak is the standard shooting guard template.

Not only can he kill from outside the three-point line, but his excellent physical fitness can also allow Szczerbiak to score in more ways, although he has been underestimated due to injuries.

By the way, Szczerbiak has also made more than 40% of his three-pointers in his career.

This also makes Szczerbiak the most reliable helper around Garnett.

The other two, John Thomas and Mark Madsen, have relatively average personal abilities. If there is no accident, it will be difficult to get too many opportunities to play under Luke.

For the inside, Eddie Griffin and Divac will compete for the starting center position in the new season.

Among them, Eddie Griffin's advantage lies in its strong mobility, and its ability to finish empty cuts to the basket is really top-notch, and it can even help the Timberwolves speed up in the new season.

Divac's words lie in his excellent field experience and the high position support that is rare in the league's center position. This is also what coach Luke needs most.

In the end, the "sugar men" Olowokandi and Elvin Johnson also have their own strengths.

Although Olowokandi is known as the worst parallel import champion in NBA history, if he plays as a substitute, then the "sugar man" can still make a lot of contributions.

As for the veteran Irvin Johnson, he is famous. As a strong man who has played against all four major centers and the peak Mourning, his 12-year career does not need Irvin Johnson to prove anything.

Johnson, who is two meters tall and weighs 250 pounds, is currently more of a locker room leader to help rookie Eddie Griffin and others grow.

If necessary, Irvin Johnson can also go into battle again to fight hand-to-hand with a standing center like O'Neal.

Because this is his strength and the foundation for him to stay in the NBA.

The only thing that makes people feel helpless is that Elvin Johnson has the same name and surname as the famous NBA star "Magic" Johnson.

This also makes everyone who mentions this name immediately think of "magician".

I have to say that it is indeed a kind of sadness to play basketball and live under the shadow of other people's names.

In the new season, these thirteen people will be the main rotation of the Timberwolves.

Although I don't know whether the Timberwolves will continue to strengthen in the future, but from the current point of view, this lineup of the Timberwolves has a competitive background from the inside to the outside, and even both offense and defense.

The most important thing is that the Timberwolves' lineup has not changed much in the new season, and even the core lineup has not changed at all.

Therefore, the Timberwolves will not have any problems in the running-in of the new season. The only thing to worry about is whether the head coach Luke's style of play after taking office can be compatible with the players.

During the offseason, due to Luke's appointment, this also prevented the Timberwolves from achieving all the signings that should have occurred.

At the same time, it also relieves the pressure on the Timberwolves' salary space and reserves places in advance for future reinforcements.

Under normal circumstances, after the salary negotiations in 2011, the league stipulates that a team must have a roster of at least 14 people, otherwise it will face a huge fine from the league.

However, the new salary agreement has not yet been reached. The league does not have a lower limit for the number of people required for the new season, as long as the activation list can reach 12 people.

It's just that most teams will prepare a 15-man roster. After all, no team will think that there are too many players, and some people even feel that the 15-man roster can no longer satisfy the appetite of some teams.

It's just that Luke has his own plan. Instead of wasting this spot on a drinking fountain player, it's better to wait for the season to start and prepare to miss it.

Anyway, after the start of the regular season every year, each team will conduct frequent transactions and layoffs. This is simply a magic weapon for Luke, who has the eyes of God.

All in all, Luke can't help but flex his muscles in the new season, and as the No. [-] in the Western Conference last season, the Timberwolves were fortunate to be arranged by the league for a first-round opener against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The date of the opening match between the two sides will be set on October 10, local time in the United States.

At that time, the NBA04-05 season will be completely kicked off!

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(End of this chapter)