Seven Hundred and Thirty-Seven: Young International Players

Chris Wallace and Robert Pera have had a very laid-back season because the Grizzlies are doing so well.

The worse the record, the busier the general manager and team owner are. Because they have to think about how to make the team strong, they have to think about summer drafts, transfers, signings. Even the changes in management itself have to be considered.

The worse the team, the more this mess. For example, the Lakers and Knicks this season, these two ancient teams are basically addicted to the management's own "palace fighting" this season, and have no intention to change the team at all.

Therefore, both the Lakers and the Knicks overturned this year. One has only experienced two consecutive championships and has become a Western belly within a few years, while the other has gone from being the second in the East last season to now struggling to be eighth.

The Grizzlies obviously don't have such troubles, because the team's performance is good, so everything is calm. They just need to stabilize the Grizzlies' current lineup to ensure that the Grizzlies remain the best team in the league.

So much so that Pera, the boss, was so bored some time ago that he had to make a bet with Jordan to pass the time. I just didn't expect that I went to the appointment with the determination to lose, but because of Link, I won a lot of money.

The only big thing for the Grizzlies this summer is to re-sign Link. For now, it's only a matter of time before the renewal is successful. Link didn't want to leave Memphis, and Pera was willing to offer Link the highest price possible.

At this point, the Grizzlies are much more worry-free than the Heat. Because the Heat don't even know if they can keep LeBron this summer.

So, the Grizzlies front office may be one of the most laid-back of the 30 teams this season.

However, no matter how free it is, it is not completely without things to do. The time is approaching April, and the ncaa game is coming to an end. Each team has also begun to look for targets in this year's draft.

It's a happy annoyance that the Grizzlies are as unlikely to get a high pick this year, but that doesn't mean the draft should just be dropped, especially if the Grizzlies find several interesting targets.

"Is there any gain?" Robert Pera asked bluntly when he saw Chris Wallace walk in.

The Grizzlies general manager is here today to report on several potential draft targets.

"There are quite a few, as Link said, there are indeed a lot of interesting players outside the ncaa." Wallace raised his report and sat opposite Pera.

"I read a lot of information on international players and found that we have a lot of good seedlings of international players available in recent years. And the most important thing is that most of them will not be selected by other teams in a higher order."

After listening, Pera nodded and motioned for Wallace to start reporting. If there's a team in the league that's least likely to underestimate low-level international players, it's the Memphis Grizzlies.

After all, last season's Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol was also selected in the second round. Facts have proved that low-ranked international players have strong plasticity after entering the NBA. And don't forget, Link, the current pillar of the Grizzlies, was an undrafted pick.

Therefore, for the Grizzlies, even low-level draft picks are very worthy of serious scrutiny.

Wallace then opened the file and began to report to Pera.

"Nemaria Bjelica, currently playing for Turkish club Fenerbahce Urko, is one of the most versatile players in Europe right now. He has the hope of winning the Europa League MVP this season.

At 2.08 meters tall, he has the technical characteristics of a small forward. He's an all-rounder with a great basketball IQ and a solid shooter you can run the pick-and-roll around him. On both ends of the floor, his understanding of the game has helped him a lot, grabbing most of the rebounds and turning them into teammates' points efficiently. With more training, God knows if he will become the European version of Kevin Durant. At present, Bjelica's signing rights are in the hands of the Timberwolves, but if a trade is sought, it will not be too difficult. "

"The other guy, Mario Hezonja, who is currently at Barcelona, ​​is a kid who is extremely athletic and fearless and has an inner arrogance that rivals American players. Of course, on the surface he is He didn't score too many points in the Euroleague, but his ball-handling and shooting ability is in everyone's eyes. You know what people call him? Croatian Kobe! But he won't be drafted until next year."

While Chris Wallace was talking, Robert Pera listened carefully. It stands to reason that the team owner does not need to worry about these things, and the general manager can complete these tasks alone. But Pera, as a young boss, is very willing to personally participate in the team building.

Wallace said several people, such as the bluffing names of Durant in Europe and Kobe in Croatia, which also made Pera stunned for a while.

"The last player, Nikola Jokic, is currently playing in the Italian league. As a big man, this guy has unparalleled passing talent, positional sense, and sense of the ball. For his age, it seems Especially important. But he looks...to be honest, similar to Marc Gasol back then. He doesn't look fat like a professional player. His athleticism may not be suitable for the NBA game. ."

Wallace didn't want to add Jokic to the watch list, because in this era when the rhythm is getting faster and faster, the center has to follow the small guys. "Large fortresses" like Jokic are really outdated.

However, with the principle of "not letting go of any possibility", Wallace finally decided to add Jokic.

However, after listening to Jokic's report, Robert Pera frowned, "Nikola Jokic? I seem to have heard Link mention that guy."

"Really? Link also watches the Italian league? I thought he was more concerned about the ncaa. Speaking of the ncaa, last night was a big upset. Kansas with Wiggins and Embiid actually lost to the 10th seed. Stanford University, this game probably made a lot of people lose money."

"Yeah, but that's the charm of March Madness." Pera smiled, and sure enough, ncaa was more likely to evoke common topics.

※※※

When Randolph came to the practice hall in the morning, it was like he was the one who lost last night.

He pulled his face together and wrote all his displeasure on his face. Although he wasn't the loser yesterday, he lost thousands of dollars because of it.

Except for Randolph, most of the Grizzlies also lost money. Link and Nick Young became the biggest winners of this gamble.

Link was also very speechless when he learned the result of the competition the next day. Inadvertently, Link earned tens of thousands of dollars overnight.

"Link, you must have secretly studied the game! Although you seem indifferent to this game, you must have studied it for a long time, right!? Otherwise, you wouldn't buy it so accurately!"

Link is fairly innocent in the face of Randolph's charges. There are only two teams in total, with a 50% chance, it's normal to guess right.

"Okay, is it that hard to admit that you're unlucky? Don't be discouraged, Kansas lost, not you. I'll let you win it back tonight." Link patted Randolph on the shoulder. Worse, if you drink cold water, you will get stuck in your teeth, this is life!

So that night, the Grizzlies easily defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves at home. Against a team with a 50 percent win rate, the Grizzlies won without a fight.

Link scored only 22 points in this game, but sent out 12 assists and scored a double-double for the seventh consecutive game. And most of them were given to Randolph.

Randolph had a good time today. In the face of Love, who was unintentionally defending, Randolph ate the cake and succumbed to it, scoring a team-high 26 points, letting Love who only scored 16 points and shot only 33%. Disgraced.

After the game, Randolph finally smiled again.

"Zach, what do you think of this game? Why did you suddenly explode without warning?" The reporters were very curious about Randolph's outbreak.

But Randolph knew that he was able to score so many points today because Link attracted defenses and always delivered the ball accurately to himself.

So, Randolph shrugged at the camera, "That's the great power of Link, really. Whether it's betting or playing, Link is top-notch."

With 64 wins and 6 losses, God knows how long the Grizzlies' winning streak will last this time around.