The brutality of the NBA

Chapter 61, Huskies.

The Timberwolves last season continued to struggle in the quagmire of the "post-KG era".

Their 24-58 record in the Northwest Division is only marginally better than the younger Thunder, an "improvement" from just two wins the previous year.

In short, the Timberwolves have never turned over in the throes of "reconstruction".

However, the actual situation of the Timberwolves should be slightly better than the data can show.

Especially after McHale took over the coaching position midway, they started the 5 journey with 2009 consecutive victories.

从2009年1月开始，到2月艾尔-杰弗森意外受伤赛季报销为止，他们在18场比赛中获得了11场胜利，胜率超过了60%。

Of course, there are also reasons for weaker opponents, but for a team with an average record of less than 30% throughout the year, how surprising this period of time has been for them can't help but make people wonder.

Timberwolves fans this season are imagining that if Jefferson hadn't been injured last season, they would have far more than 24 wins.

However, the reality does not believe in the "if", and McHale, who had brought great changes to the Timberwolves, also left Minnesota after the end of the season, making this "if" untenable in the next season, and he will be replaced by Lakers assistant coach Kurt - Rambis, who is said to be a rookie coach who is good at playing the triangle offense.

In fact, the Timberwolves were very dismal last season. It is really difficult to get worse than that, but in fact, their current lineup still really makes the wolf honey panic.

First of all, the Timberwolves' new general manager Kahn's first move after taking office was to trade Mike Miller and Foye for the fifth pick + Songkela + Thomas + Pecherov. This is Kahn's biggest move , Then he selected Rubio with the fifth pick.

But with Rubio staying in Spain and Songguela and Thomas being sent away as extras in the deal, the deal effectively became Mike Millergarfoye in exchange for the right to sign Rubio two years later. And Pecherov, in addition to the future that needs to be patiently waited for, more meaning is reflected in saving money.

Randy Foye has been proven to be unable to bring the Timberwolves the help fans expected, but the departure of Mike Miller is an out-and-out blow. The departure of these two main players is the Timberwolves The biggest change in the lineup, followed by filling is likely to be Sessions + Flynn's dual point guard combination.

Sessions had an eye-catching performance in the Bucks last season, especially after Ridnor was injured. His starting performance averaged 15.1 points and 7.6 assists per game, which is very reasonable for a four-year, 4 million contract.

Flynn, another rookie selected this summer, is a recognized leader and organization master among rookies. His breakthrough pass and personality charm can attract many people, but he is only a rookie after all, and his height is less than 6 feet. , considering that Sessions is only 6-foot-3, their backcourt combination will encounter a lot of trouble on the defensive end of the game.

From the inside, the combination of Jefferson and Love has grown in experience compared to last year, but Jefferson's injury recovery is a key point.

If he can't stay healthy, or return to his pre-injury form last season, it's all talk.

Fortunately, they played with a full lineup for this game.

After the appearance ceremony, Xue Ding really felt the pressure!
Compared with the beginning of the season, there are 5 fewer starters on the field.

Because of injuries, even Cunningham and Mills, who have been neglected all the time, were informed by McMillan that they will play tonight!

These two rookies are not as easy to use as Xue Ding, but they are not useless.

The game was not broadcast live across the United States, not even on CCTV.

It's not that the Blazers are not strong enough, but that the public opinion before the game believes that the Blazers should easily win this game.

Of course, it is not too difficult for the media and authoritative organizations to make such predictions with the full lineup of the Blazers.

The temporary truce between Batum and Oden was just an accident!
When Timberwolves head coach Rambis saw the Blazers starting five, his eyes lit up.

Because the Timberwolves are now experiencing a wave of 5-game losing streak, they urgently need a victory to restore the decline.

Before the game, Rambis didn't have much hope for this game. He knew that it would be difficult for the Timberwolves to beat the mighty Trail Blazers. However, the absence of the two generals of the Trail Blazers gave Rambis a chance!

The Timberwolves have the advantage of Jefferson and Love in the interior, and the absence of the Blazers Oden is bound to give the Timberwolves more opportunities in the interior.

The game is about to start, and the Rose Garden Arena has reached nearly [-]% of the attendance.

This data is much better than last season, according to the conclusion of the Blazers' market research department.

The main reason for this phenomenon is because of Xue Ding.

The arrival of Xue Ding has increased the desire of the Chinese to enter the field to watch the game, and his explosive style of play is also the reason why fans are willing to come to the scene to watch the game.

Xue Ding's jersey sales have surpassed Roy's in Portland.

This is not to say that Xue Ding has surpassed Roy to become the core of the Blazers.

Roy's low profile and Xue Ding's publicity complement each other perfectly.

Coupled with the objective number of Chinese, such a comparison itself is unfair.

Xue Ding's fans are not all Blazers fans.

Then, according to authoritative surveys, Xue Ding's good looks make him the favorite of whites and Asian women. As far as the female market is concerned, his market appeal has even surpassed Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

After all, this is still a face-to-face society.

The number of female fans wearing Xue Ding's jerseys in the Rose Garden Arena also accounted for more than 70% of the total number of female fans in the arena.

In short, seeing the situation in the Rose Garden Arena, the president of the Blazers, Larry Miller, and the general manager, Pritchard, smiled happily in the VIP box.

Larry Miller said: "I have to say that our choice this summer is perfect."

Pritchard pushed his small glasses and said with a smile: "That's natural, Sherby is better than the Westbrook of the Thunder, and we can enjoy the Chinese market like Houston, thanks to Morey, he spent 7 It took us two years to figure out how we should develop the Chinese market.”

Larry Miller said: "Haha, with Yao's injury, Morey must be in a hurry to find a new solution. After all, the well-developed market has benefited me for nothing."

Pritchard said: "Yeah, he still wants to trade Xue with me, but how is this possible."

Larry Miller stood up and walked to the big window. The court was ready to jump the ball, watching the fans holding up the poster of Xue Ding's head.

Miller continued with a smile: "It is impossible to change. Xue's importance is second only to Roy. This year our ticket sales will increase by 20% compared to last year. There are also various Chinese sponsors, and more There are more and more Chinese tourists, and the city government of Portland is turning Xue into a business card of the rose garden. These all show the value of Xue!! We have a good opportunity."

Pritchard nodded in agreement, and continued: "But business may only become his embellishment, and everything on the basketball court is what makes us feel profitable."

"In his rookie season, he averaged a triple-double per game. Tsk tsk, LeBron James is no more than that!"

"Yeah, with him assisting Roy, we have greater confidence in winning the championship."

"But we seem to be close to the championship!" Miller knocked on the window and said seriously.

"Well, a new trading plan is being made, and I'll show you when the time comes." Pritchard knew what the leader meant!
"OK! There is also the team medical team, Falk, we have injured three more starters!" Miller also frowned.

"It's hard to find a new medical team, so we have to cooperate with them first." Pritchard felt embarrassed.

"As soon as possible, we can't wait." Miller sighed.

…… Portland veterinarians have become the laughingstock of the league, so why don't they want to change this situation.

(End of this chapter)