NBA: I am the card dealer

In the following days, there were some small operations on the market, but the major big fish had basically found their homes, and the free market also came to an end to a certain extent.

Regardless of what people were saying outside, Xue Liancheng had already started training with Anunoby and Sabonis Jr.

That's right!

I just brought these two new recruits with me.

As for why bring it?

It was clear that the two were in his long-term plans.

If possible, he hopes to use this as a foundation to quickly lead the Nets back to the top and become a true championship team.

In addition to increasing the intensity of their training, the main purpose of having them around now is to make them familiar with their positions and know what they need to do in the new season.

At the same time, cultivate tacit understanding.

This is critical.

Don't wait until the new season starts and then just mess around with adjustments. All kinds of unthinkable operations will lead to unnecessary mistakes.

He needs the team to get back on track as soon as possible, only then can they truly make a push for the playoffs.

This was the most appropriate solution he could think of.

Time flies by.

soon.

October is here and preseason is about to begin.

The teams began to gather and officially prepare for the new season.

Xue Liancheng also made his official debut, and here he will wear the No. 0 jersey, which means starting from scratch.

At the same time, major media outlets have also made predictions for the new season.

The most successful one among them is ESPN. This time of year is a very eye-catching day, attracting the attention of a large number of teams.

First is the Eastern and Western Conference ranking predictions.

east.

15th: Atlanta Hawks.

It is not surprising that the Hawks are ranked at the bottom. With the departure of Howard and Millsap, the Hawks have officially entered a rebuilding period.

The remaining players, except Schroeder, are all little Kalami.

What's more, they did not make any reinforcements during the offseason, and their lineup can be said to be the worst in the league.

How tragic is it?

If we have to find a team with a similar lineup to theirs, it would undoubtedly be the Brooklyn Nets, because after removing Xue Liancheng, the Nets' lineup strength on paper can be said to be the last in the league.

Looking at the lineups of both teams, the Hawks at least still have strong players such as Bazemore, Belinelli, Prince, Dedmon, and Plumlee.

The Nets' top players are only Lopez Jr., Crabbe, Carroll, and David West.

Overall, they are really the same, and the eldest brother doesn't make fun of the second brother.

But the difference is that the Nets have Xue Liancheng!

The Hawks only have Schroder, so if the Atlanta Hawks are not at the bottom, who will be at the bottom?

14th place Detroit Pistons.

In the previous two years, they fought for the playoffs, but the combination of Jackson + Drummond was obviously not enough for them to survive in the cruel Eastern Conference.

Coupled with the departure of Marcus Morris and others, their forward line suffered a serious blow.

And they actually strengthened the backcourt during the offseason, which is incomprehensible.

Although Bradley and Galloway are good, they obviously cannot help the Pistons advance to the playoffs.

In fact, their strength has declined instead of improved.

That's why they can only rank 14th.

Thirteenth place: Chicago Bulls.

With Butler's departure, Thibodeau's iron-blooded genes that remained with the Bulls have basically disappeared.

The Bulls still have some capable players, such as Rose, the newly traded Zach LaVine, the high-post cannon Mirotic, and the tough forward Portis.

But the thing is, you only have so much left.

Markkanen was the seventh pick this year, Dunn averaged 3.8 points per game for the Timberwolves last season, Justin Holiday's inefficiency is well known to everyone, Grant has played for two years and his shooting percentage is still hovering in the early 40s, Cameron Payne is a sickly person, do you dare to expect last year's No. 35.4 pick Valentinette to have a % shooting percentage?

of course.

This is not the point.

The point is that Rose has completely fallen. Last season, she averaged 15.5 points and 4.1 assists per game with a shooting percentage of only 42%. The Bulls failed to make the playoffs, and Rose needs to take the main responsibility.

This also illustrates a problem from the side: the Bulls management lost the bet and then started to suffer backlash.

Can you make it to the playoffs relying on the inefficient Rose, the unproven Zach LaVine, and two high-post gunners Mirotic and Portis?

It's very difficult...

Butler failed to do it last season, can Zach LaVine do it?

The current ESPN ranking speaks for itself; they have very little confidence in the Bulls.

12th place: Charlotte Hornets.

Walker + Batum cannot lead the team to continuous improvement, so they grit their teeth and bring in Howard as a last attempt.

of course.

Aaron Gordon's growth may bring about changes, but the competition in the Eastern Conference is too fierce. The mainstream media does not have much confidence in the Hornets. Even if they try their best to strengthen their team, it will still be very difficult for them to break out of the Eastern Conference.

However, their lineup is really good.

In addition to the core lineup of Kemba Walker, Batum, Howard, and Gordon, they also have Mirije Lamb, Kaminsky, Gilchrist, McCaw, Graham, and this year's No. 11 pick Monk.

The entire lineup on paper still has great potential.

But the teams ahead are stronger on paper, so they have to settle for this position.

11th place Orlando Magic.

The Magic have been rebuilding for so many years, but they have never been able to rebuild. They can get some good potential every year, but they are all sent away.

And now, their overall lineup is still beautiful.

Vucevic, Fournier, Tobias Harris, Elfrid Payton, and this year's No. 2 pick Ball, they are full of talent at first glance!

But no one is still optimistic about them. Even ESPN bluntly stated: They have no real cornerstone for building a team, they don't have priorities, they can't even see clearly what they want. Even if they bring in Jonathan Simmons and Biyombo in the offseason, they still won't achieve anything in the new season.

The only thing worth looking forward to is whether Lonzo Ball can demonstrate his top-notch passing and organizational abilities. If so, the Magic will gain a great court commander, and they will quickly complete the reconstruction. Perhaps hope is just around the corner.

Is this paper strength strong enough?

But it can only be at the eleventh position.

Tenth place: Brooklyn Nets.

That's right!

The Nets, who have three-time champion Xue Liancheng, can only be ranked in this position. Under normal circumstances, Xue Liancheng's fans would have yelled and cursed ESPN for being an idiot, but this time they were unusually silent.

why?

Apart from Xue Liancheng, how many players are worth mentioning?

Lopez Jr.?

Blue collar pancake eater.

Carol?

The Raptors wanted to kick the burden away.

Crabbe?

The Nets' pure receiver, a three-point shooter with an annual salary of nearly 10.7 million, only averages points per game. Can you believe it?

Powell?

When playing with the Raptors, Kalami was nothing special.

Dinwiddie?

There is a reason why he was reduced to a second-round pick, his shooting is extremely unstable.

Joe Harris and Ronho Jefferson?

One can only shoot three-pointers, and the other can't make three-pointers.

Sabonis Jr. and David West?

A green scratch-off, a veteran with not much gas left in the tank.

of course.

Sabonis Jr. still has potential. After all, he was the 11th pick last year. When the Heat is rebuilding, many teams are eyeing him. Big men who can assist in the high post are still in high demand, but besides assisting in the high post, what else does Sabonis Jr. have?

It's gone!

David West sat completely on the bench for the Knicks last season, averaging 3.7 points per game. What can you expect from him?

In addition, there is this year's No. 23 pick Anunoby.

He was picked last in the first round. If you say he can become successful, his face would probably crack.

That's all the Nets have right now.

If you look at it from the perspective of the future, it is truly an eye-opener.

But looking at it from the perspective of the 17-18 season about to begin, it was a bunch of garbage.

It's that intuitive.

If there is a team with a worse lineup than the Nets, it can only be the Atlanta Hawks.

Even the Pistons have Reggie Jackson and Drummond, but the Nets are supported by only Xue Liancheng. You can imagine how difficult it is for Xue Liancheng.

From this, we can see that ESPN has given Xue Liancheng enough face, which is why it ranked the Magic and Hornets, who are much stronger than them on paper, behind the Nets.

It is also an affirmation of Xue Liancheng's strength.

If it was another All-Star with such a bunch of stuff, he would have to play with the Atlanta Hawks.

In terms of paper strength, the Nets are really too bad.

There is no second-in-command, let alone a third scoring point, or even another stable scoring point.

They are all a bunch of role players.

And these role players all have problems of one kind or another.

In addition, most of them are defensive black holes, such as Crabbe, Joe Harris, Ronho Jefferson, and Sabonis Jr. You can't expect too much from their contributions on the defensive end.

They are in the tenth position purely because of Xue Liancheng's superb personal abilities.

Look at the previous...

It's really an honor for the Nets to be in tenth place.

No. 9 Miami Heat.

The Big Three have disbanded, but their foundation is still there!

Although Wade is old, he can still fight.

With Gasol's departure, Porzingis is sure to explode on the offensive end.

Whiteside's arrival has solidified their no-fly zone in the restricted area.

The Heat also added Olynyk and this year's No. 14 pick Adebayo to the interior, who are enough to support the Heat's interior.

In addition, they also have Richardson and Winslow, and signed veteran Wayne Ellington.

Their most important reinforcement during the offseason was the high salary they paid to recruit the wandering Dragic, which was a great addition to their backcourt.

What's more.

They also have George, who is lying down, and Marvin Williams, who was traded for George.

With this lineup on paper, is there any problem with being ranked ahead of the Nets?

There is no problem at all.

If Wade's impact had not declined seriously, they could even have made a splash in the playoffs.

of course.

If George recovers well, they will immediately transform themselves into a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference.

Their strength should not be underestimated, and they are a strong contender for a playoff spot.

No. 8 Philadelphia Numbers Man.

With the double No. 1 pick combination of Ben Simmons and Fultz, plus Embiid who showed first-class level last season, the digital man has finally gone through the process and officially entered the stage of reaping the results.

During the offseason, they were equipped with top shooter JJ Redick and the thick and dark Amir Johnson. In addition, they added the three big players of Covington, Saric and Bayless, who averaged 10+ points per game last season. Their lineup is definitely worth looking forward to.

In the new season, they will officially launch an attack on the playoffs. Everyone is looking forward to the performance of the talented team, especially Embiid and Ben Simmons, these two proud children. They are known as the foundation of digital people for the next ten years. Now is the time to test them.

Isn't this lineup more worthy of a playoff spot than the Nets?

The answer is undoubtedly yes.

Seventh place: Indiana Pacers.

This ranking is indeed unexpected, but considering Oladipo's fierce performance in the finals, it is actually understandable.

After all, he's a player who averages 25+ points per game! I'm not kidding you.

Now that Oladipo has officially become the team leader, there is a great possibility that he will transform into the league's top scorer, even over 30 points, so their foundation is actually not weak.

Just like Harden's explosion when he first joined the Rockets, Oladipo is more worth looking forward to than Harden.

After all, Oladipo has already won the championship as the second-in-command, and he also showed the potential of a top scorer on the road to defending the title. This is the main reason why the Pacers are here.

of course.

If the Pacers are as bad as the Nets, there will naturally be no follow-up.

But the Pacers' overall lineup is two or three levels higher than the Nets.

Myles Turner, Thaddeus Young, Bogranovic and Joseph who joined during the offseason, plus the two No. 2 picks Russell and Ingram, Oladipo will lead such a team to the playoffs. Their strength on paper is not necessarily worse than that of the digital guys.

Especially with the addition of a top-notch scorer like Oladipo, who has suddenly entered the public eye, a playoff spot should not be a problem.

Sixth place: Cleveland Cavaliers.

No matter what, Irving + Love are a guarantee for the playoffs.

Although they did not do anything during the offseason, there was not much personnel loss, and they should be able to secure a playoff spot.

Fifth place: Milwaukee Bucks.

Last season's Bucks made it to the playoffs, and Antetokounmpo officially entered the All-Star Game, and his strength was recognized by the public.

Their overall lineup is still very strong, with Middleton who has grown into a promising player, Brogdon, last season's best rookie, Jabari Parker, the second pick, inside stalwart Greg Monroe, mad dog Dellavedova, veteran Terry, Jennings, the son of the wind at that time, as well as Hansen and Snell.

Antetokounmpo will continue to grow fiercely, Middleton, who has returned from injury, will definitely become Antetokounmpo's right-hand man, and No. 2 pick Jabari Parker will also get out of the shadow of injury. There is no major objection to them occupying a playoff spot.

The biggest change is that the Bucks have frequently been reported to be interested in the Suns' top-notch guard Bledsoe. If they can get Bledsoe, their strength will take a qualitative leap.

After all, the averages of 21.1 points, 6.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game are no joke.

The combination of Bledsoe and Antetokounmpo, coupled with the assistance of Middleton and Jabari Parker, you can't imagine whether the sky is their limit.

Playoffs?

That may be more than that.

The Bucks' goal may be to break out of the Eastern Conference, which is quite ambitious.