Eight Hundred and Sixteen: The Summer Twelve Years Ago

The latest website: Paul Pierce, who shot 37.3% from three-pointers last season, is a reliable long-range shooter. But Pierce's asking price was too high to fit the Grizzlies' cap space structure. Moreover, Pierce estimates that it will be difficult for him to adapt to the three-point gun.

Caron Butler, who won the championship with the Mavericks a few years ago and played against Link more than once, also shot 39% of his three-pointers last season, averaging 10 points per game. And, there's an aggressive defense that looks like a good fit for the Grizzlies. But he was used by the Pistons for 2 years and 9 million and took the lead.

3-and-D forward P.J. Tucker, who shot 38.7 percent from 3-point range last season, is also a great option. But the sun's 3-year offer of 16.5 million is estimated by no second team in the league, including the Grizzlies.

Lewis? Too old and too slow. Severosa? Too expensive. Ariza? Even more expensive!

After thinking about it, Wallace really couldn't find a suitable candidate for the Grizzlies.

Don't underestimate the role players. The quality of a championship contender-level team depends largely on the role players.

The stars determine the upper limit, and the role players determine the lower limit.

If the role players are not strong enough and the depth of the bench is not enough, then in the playoffs, when it comes to fighting for the foundation and the limit, it will only be destroyed.

The NBA championship is not so easy to win, not to mention that the Grizzlies are heading for a three-peat, and all teams will try their best to stop it. In the playoffs this year, the Grizzlies may have more trouble than they did in the previous two years.

Therefore, Wallace must carefully consider the candidates for reinforcement. Waiting until mid-season to seek a trade would only make it harder.

Seeing that more and more free agents belonged, Chris Wallace became more and more anxious.

Even if Dinwiddie is called back to the main lineup, his three-point ability won't work. Dinwiddie's three-pointer is precisely his current shortcoming.

At this time, Link sent a text message to Wallace, "Have you ever been in contact with Vince Carter?"

"Vince Carter?" Seeing the name, Wallace's first reaction was, "What kind of three-point shooter is Carter?"

But think about it carefully, Carter's three-point shooting rate seems to be good! The season just ended, the Mavericks just played the Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs.

During the game,

Carter's three-pointers frequently penetrate the Grizzlies' defense, and the hit rate is very stable.

Wallace opened the data to check, and was shocked!

In the playoffs last season, Carter made 45.8% of his three-pointers while averaging more than four three-pointers per game!

Although the sample of 4 games is too small to tell the story. But last season's regular season, Carter played 81 games with a 39.4% three-point shooting rate, which is also very high! The sample of 81 games is also large enough.

Push forward another season, and Carter is shooting 40.6 percent from three-point range!

Indeed, Carter has been labelled a "deduction general" until now. But in reality, he's always been a deadly 3-pointer.

Carter, who has been in the league for 16 seasons, has had a three-point shooting rate of more than 40% in 5 years and 35% in 10 years!

Aside from his rookie season, he also had the lowest three-point percentage of his career at 32.2 percent. Carter is also currently the fifth-ranked player in NBA history by making three-pointers. Above him are historic shooters like Ray Allen and Reggie Miller!

Vince Carter is completely an "invisible" marksman.

The only problem is that Carter is approaching 40 and no one knows if he can keep it up. The decline of a player's physical fitness in all aspects will not only affect the ability to bounce and break through, but also directly affect the shooting ability.

Therefore, Chris Wallace returned Link very cautiously, "Carter's uncertainty is too great."

However, Link was not worried about this. Because just an hour ago, Carter made an appointment with Link and said that he would go to Link's training camp to train together in the summer.

This is what Carter had agreed with Link at the end of the first round of the playoffs.

Link thought at first that Carter was just talking casually, but he didn't expect it to come true. It was precisely because Carter contacted him that Link remembered that maybe the Grizzlies could try to contact Carter.

Old Carter has lived his whole life, but he has never been associated with the championship. Therefore, his desire to win the championship should also be very strong, and it is unlikely that he will refuse the invitation of the championship team.

At the end of the first round of the playoffs last season, Link also regretted that Carter could not show his strength in a better environment. If he can join a championship-level team, such as the Grizzlies, he will definitely be able to play the biggest role and reflect more value.

Unexpectedly, the opportunity to let Carter join the Grizzlies really came!

If Carter really trains with Link in the summer, Link promises that Carter's state will definitely be stable!

And a veteran like Carter can play a bigger role in the playoffs. His experience, his perseverance, his work ethic, are outstanding.

After talking with Wallace for a while, the Grizzlies decided to give it a try. But it was not Wallace who took the lead in contacting Carter, but Link contacting Carter.

Wallace believes that Link is more likely to be successful in recruiting himself. After all, it could be seen that Carter admired Link very much.

So Link called Carter that afternoon.

"Has the training camp been decided so soon? When I called you in the morning, didn't you say it was still planned?" Old Carter was very surprised when he received Link's call.

When he contacted Link to train together in the morning, Link also said that the training time might not be arranged in a few days. But unexpectedly, only a few hours later, Link called back.

"I'm not calling you about training camp, Vince."

"Oh? Could it be that you still want to ask me to play golf?" Carter smiled.

"It's not golf either. I'm calling to make sure that after your contract with the Mavericks expires, you haven't reached an agreement with any team this summer, right?"

Hearing Link ask this question, Carter instantly became serious. As an old Jianghu, of course he knew what Link meant.

"Am I right? The Defensive Player of the Year, the MVP, the Finals MVP, and the double-team Grand Slam winner are actually recruiting a 40-year-old man?" Carter asked self-deprecatingly.

"Hey, didn't you say you wanted to train with me? If you come to Memphis, we'll be able to train together every day from now on. Also, no matter how old you are, as long as you have that desire, you can perform. I'm sure you still have that The desire, the desire for a championship, huh?"

Hearing what Carter said, Carter suddenly fell silent.

For some reason, he suddenly remembered the summer of 2002, 12 years ago. Maybe it was because it was the first time Carter had spoken to a Chinese for so long since that summer.

In the summer of 2002, Carter came to China for the first time and accepted an exclusive interview with a Chinese reporter for the first time.

At that time, a reporter from Xinlang asked him a question that was also about championships, "Does the Raptors still have any hope of winning the NBA championship?"

At that time, Carter replied very confidently, "Of course it is possible, if the Raptors' lineup can be adjusted well, on this basis, a relatively stable lineup can be maintained for one to two years, or even longer. Then on the basis of the core players, the potential of these players can be brought into play, I think it is entirely possible to get at least one NBA championship ring in the end.”

In the summer of 2002, the world still didn't know who Yao Ming was, and the "OK group" had just established a dynasty. Vince Carter is still in high spirits and youthful invincible. He firmly believes that he can at least win a championship.

and then?

12 years later, he still has not tasted the taste of the championship...

Accidentally, the years took away the original blood and energy. And the word champion, Carter has not fantasized about it for a long time.

Until now, the Chinese player who called had awakened something in his heart again...

"Vince?" Seeing that Carter didn't speak for a long time, Link thought his cell phone had no signal.

"Link, I... When are you going to talk to me?"

The UFO, which has not taken off for a long time, decided to plug the last remaining fuel in the fuel tank and fight again!