Legend of Tomorrow

After the preseason, the first NBA official strength rankings were released, with the Suns ranking third in the league. Experts all admit that they have a chance to win the championship because most of the Suns' newcomers performed better than last season.

Stoudemire can not only perform air-cut dunks, but also develop a stable mid-range shot. Nene also showed off his mid-range shot from the high post, and his style of cutting after the screen is similar to Stoudemire. The Suns' starting and bench lineups can combine both inside and outside.

New aid Laga Bell and third-year Joe Johnson also performed very well, with accurate three-pointers, and Joe Johnson can also hold the ball in singles.

Guo Xu mainly passed the ball in the preseason and did not take many shots. He organized the team's offense in an orderly manner, averaging 16 points and 13 assists per game.

The top two are the Lakers and Timberwolves. Even if the Lakers performed poorly in the preseason, experts are unanimously optimistic. After all, they have four players who have been selected to the All-NBA First Team and can hold the ball in multiple positions.

Ranked fourth and fifth are the Nets and Pistons, both teams' lineups have been strengthened.

Experts are particularly optimistic about the Pistons' performance in the new season. They have super newcomer Darko Milicic and signed famous coach Larry Brown. They hope to defeat the Nets and advance to the finals.

The defending champion Spurs only ranked sixth. Their preseason performance was not ideal, and the new players have not yet been able to integrate into the team well.

The Pacers, who performed well in the preseason, are only ranked eighth. In front of them is the Mavericks. No matter how unreasonable the lineup is, everyone feels that the Mavericks with five All-Stars are not much weaker.

The Suns' final 14-man roster was determined. After the preseason, white power forward Chris Crawford was traded to the SuperSonics in exchange for a second-round pick and cash.

In the preseason, Crawford got an opportunity to perform for an average of 20 minutes per game. He unexpectedly played well, scoring 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks. He shot 47.2% from the field and 40% from three-point range. Scored 1 three-pointer.

Crawford's ability to sign a mid-level player with the Hawks is naturally exceptional. After two years of rest, his athletic ability has declined a lot and he is not as brave as he used to be, but he has improved his shooting as a result.

When his contract expires next year, Crawford still hopes to stay in the NBA, so he performs very hard when he plays.

Manager Brian has talked with Crawford's agent and will give him a chance in the preseason to see if any team is interested in him. If so, he will trade him. The expiring contract of 3 million is very attractive to some teams. force.

The Suns don't want players, and it would be more in their interest to exchange for a second-round pick. Keeping Crawford has little opportunity to perform.

Supersonic is a little different from Guo Xu’s previous life.

Wen Baker was never able to send it out, and a super bad contract was left in his hands.

At present, the SuperSonics do not want to be bad. After trading Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis to partner, their outside strength is not bad, but the team only has Vin Baker, Reggie Evans, and Calvin Booth inside. It can be said to be the weakest in the entire league.

It is impossible for them to send a second-round pick in exchange for an outstanding power forward. They can only gamble on Crawford's health. As long as he is not injured, he can get stable playing time, a win-win situation. If Crawford is injured again, the Sonics can accept it, since the contract is only for one year.

Freeing up a spot also gives the Suns lineup flexibility. If they are troubled by injuries, they can find someone in the free market to fill the defective position in the mid-term.

On October 25, Guo Xu invited the players and coaching staff to have dinner together. He chose the best Italian restaurant in Phoenix, which is well-known in the United States and provides fresh seafood and classic pasta.

Eating is just an introduction. The key is that Guo Xu gives everyone a gift before the meal. It is the Audemars Piguet watch he endorses, worth 10,000 US dollars, and even Diop, Howard and others who have recently joined the team have it.

The newcomers had never seen such a generous team boss, and they were all shocked, especially James Jones and Steve Blake. They were both second-round picks and signed with a two-year minimum salary. They absolutely could not afford such a generous team boss. Expensive watch.

Guo Xu explained: To give you gifts, firstly, I want to thank my teammates for their hard work in coming back last season. Without you, I would not have been able to win the regular season MVP. My new friends are also welcome. Perform well on the court this season. This year we will strive to win the championship trophy together!”

Everyone applauded together, and the new assistant coach Larry Drew was infected and very excited.

Drew thinks Guo Xu is very good, with a core temperament both on and off the court.

He spent his own money to make the team more united, and his core position will become more stable, killing two birds with one stone.

No matter how outstanding these players are in the future, they will not be embarrassed to compete with Guo Xu for the top spot, and the hidden danger of grabbing the ball is completely avoided.

Drew couldn't help but compare Guo Xu to Michael Jordan, whom he had just worked with on the Wizards for two years. During this period, Jordan did not give any gifts to his teammates. What he often did was play cards and gamble on the plane, and compete with his teammates in shooting and gambling to win money from his teammates.

Betting on basketball seems to be a natural thing for the God of Basketball. Hamilton, who once played for the Wizards, revealed that Jordan was so gambling that he would gamble after every practice. They bet on shooting accuracy. As for the size of the bet, Hamilton did not disclose it, but with Jordan's income and the unwillingness of many people to participate in speculation, the bet must be not small.

In fact, Wizards players are not the only victims. As early as when he was with the Bulls, Jordan had a habit of gambling with his teammates after training. Moreover, Jordan, who has a strong desire to win, must win the bet. Once Jordan lost money when he was with the Wizards, he would always force his teammates to continue gambling with him.

Hamilton said: We usually play until Jordan wins. He is the greatest player in history and the top management of the team. No one dares to leave until he wins money.

Because of this, some players with low incomes avoid Jordan like the god of plague.

In addition, despite the fact that Jordan is always portrayed by the media as the God of Basketball or Mr. Nice when facing the public fans, in fact, his popularity in the league is extremely poor, and he has a bad temper and is arrogant. relation.

When he was the president of the Wizards, it was revealed that because he was dissatisfied with the performance of his players, he was watching the live broadcast of the game and smashed everything he could on the TV in front of him, including remote controls, drink cans, and pens, which scared the ball. All the team officials fled.

After Jordan came back, his relationship with the newcomers got even worse. Whenever he lost, he would scold his teammates in various ways.

Many newcomers thought they had found a backer, and Jordan would teach them through words and deeds and take them along with them. But Jordan of the Wizards is an old gangster who only does three things: spray you, spray you, change his posture and continue to spray you...

Everyone chatted while eating, and Drew found that Guo Xu and Jordan were two extreme leaders. He expressed satisfaction with all his teammates.

Kukoc's condition declined and he didn't work hard in training. Guo Xu was not angry at all. He said: It's okay. You are the big brother of the team. You can just guide the new players occasionally.

Howard wanted to perform well in the preseason, but it backfired. His shooting rate was less than 40% and he still missed shots. Guo Xu encouraged him anyway.

Josh, you have great potential. Don't be anxious on the court. Focus on the defensive end first. When there are mismatches or open opportunities, you can shoot or break through with the ball. Practice more three-pointers during training. I guarantee you will have a chance to perform. .”

Guo Xu respects everyone in the team, and everyone naturally respects him. Who wouldn't want to work in this kind of environment?