Chapter 391 The Preseason Begins (Additional Update From the Pianoover Boss)

It can be said that history has proven that the 2000 draft can be said to be the least effective draft since the 1980s.

Because if the draft is rearranged, Crawford and Reid, who are ranked first and second, are really not enough...

Although Ke 6 is strong, in the final analysis, he has never even made an All-Star game, and has only won the Best Sixth Man Award three times.

As for the golden left-hand Reid, he doesn't have any great honors at hand. He has been selected to the All-Star once and was only a substitute. He was selected to the All-NBA third team once in his career.

…

As for Martin, the top pick, he is worse than Reid. He was once an All-Star substitute and was not even selected to the best team.

…

In this draft, firstly, the number of stars produced is low, and secondly, the quality of the stars is not high.

So Richard has no interest in this draft at all. He just needs to ensure that he gets Mike Reed...

Now that the Raptors want draft picks, Richard can give them to him casually, and there is no use keeping them anyway.

The Magic's second-round pick was enough for Richard to take Reed.

…

Of course, although Richard has decided to trade with the Raptors, he still needs to be at least "reserved"...

In the afternoon, Richard received a call from Larry Bird.

You don't need to think about it to know that he came to plead for Butch Carter.

Let Richard simply broker this deal. Butch Carter's life will not be easy. If he is not careful, he may lose his coaching position. If the deal is completed, he can gain Butch Carter's friendship, etc.

Larry Bird and Butch Carter were very close teammates in the 1980s.

Otherwise, these two teams would not have engaged in any PY transactions a few days ago...

"Okay, Larry, you are my old buddy, then tell Butch Carter that I agree with their third plan..."

"Thank you, Li, you are such a good person. Let me thank you first for Butch Carter!"

…

That night, the Raptors held a press conference directly at 8 o'clock in the evening.

An upcoming trade with the Trail Blazers was announced, and even the contents of the trade were revealed...

The reason why they did this must also be because they were afraid that Richard would change his mind.

They felt that they really took advantage of this deal. A rookie who had not played in a game, plus a second-year rookie who averaged 9 points per game last season, were exchanged for an All-Star prospect like Wu Sheng Jackson. , with two draft picks on the side.

No matter how you look at it, you still make money...

And Richard also feels that he has made a profit. A martial artist is exchanged for the beast Artest and Tracy McGrady. Even if two draft picks are added, it is definitely not a loss.

…

Early the next morning, the Trail Blazers also issued an official announcement announcing a trade with the Raptors.

Such a deal did not cause much ripples within the league.

After all, the Trail Blazers already had Kobe and Rasheed leaving the team before. This news is obviously more shocking than this deal...

In fact, every team in the league is somewhat unclear about the situation of the Trail Blazers.

The current Trail Blazers, after Rasheed, Kobe and Bowen left, how much strength do they have left? !

Now that another Martial Saint Jackson has gone, two newcomers have been replaced. What on earth is Richard thinking...

Although Warriors Jackson and Tracy McGrady entered the NBA in the same year, their weight in the league is completely different.

McGrady only scored 9 points in the garbage Raptors team. There are really not many teams that can take a fancy to such a player.

But that is not the case with Wu Sheng Jackson. He was the chief substitute for the Blazers who won all last season, and was Kobe's chief substitute!

And the data is much better than Tracy McGrady...

Once Wu Sheng Jackson left, the Blazers' lineup became incomprehensible.

What kind of lineup will Richard use in the new season? !

It’s really exciting...

…

To say that the Blazers can maintain the strength of last season, no one, not even Richard and the Blazers assistant coaches, believe it.

Even if the lineup is replenished this season, the players available will definitely not be as useful as Rasheed, Kobe and Bowen.

After all, most of them are newbies, and the only experienced one is Tracy McGrady, who has played for two years and started less than ten games...

…

Sitting in his office, looking at the new season lineup in his hand.

Richard was completely relieved!

In the next two years, the Trail Blazers' lineup is completely fixed, and there won't be many changes...

The only one who has changed is Tracy McGrady.

After he finishes playing the next season, his rookie contract will also end, and he may leave the team by then.

Of course, I might stay...

As for everyone else, they have contracts with the Trail Blazers for the next two years and don't have to worry about contract renewals.

Two years later, only the contracts of Robinson and Curry will be renewed. The contracts of Nowitzki, Harrington, Lewis and Mobley are all for four years, and they can last for one more year. …

In almost the next three years, the Blazers' lineup can stabilize.

This is enough for Richard to breathe a sigh of relief. At least he no longer has to worry about player contract renewals in the next few years.

…

In the summer league, Richard did not let the players on the team's roster go this time. He just asked Zhang Weiping to recruit some random players and take them with him to play.

The summer league cannot train people, but it carries the risk of injury. There is no need for the Blazers to participate in such a game at the moment.

If you really want to train new players, there is nothing more suitable than preseason and regular season games...

Last season, Richard led the team to a winning record!

From the regular season to the finals, they never lost a game. This kind of record is absolutely impossible for anyone to surpass.

So this season, Richard can give new players more playing time.

Both Ben and O'O are considered veterans of the team. They have already received their maximum-salary contracts. There is no need for them to work hard in the regular season. They can take a few games off every other day to free up some playing time for the newcomers. .

…

In early October, the NBA preseason officially started.

Originally, the Blazers had only twelve players on the roster, which was less than the mandatory requirement of 13. However, Zhang Weiping got a summer league player from nowhere and made up the number.

This season, the Trail Blazers have only 13 players participating in the game. At least for now, Richard has no plans to continue recruiting.

There are definitely enough people. If there are more people, it will be of no use...

…

Rose Garden Arena.

The Trail Blazers' first preseason game was at their home court. What the Trail Blazers fans didn't expect was that none of the Trail Blazers veterans appeared at the game...

The only four players in the Trail Blazers who can be called veterans are Ben, O'Brien, Robinson and Curry.

As a result, these four people did not appear at the scene today...

As for the players Zhang Weiping tinkered with, they have long been sent to the Development League. Anyway, a team can only activate a 12-man roster, so there is really no room.

…

The game was about to start, and Richard called the eight players present today to his side.

"Now I announce the starting lineup, Andrei Kirilenko, Driver, Artest, Ginobili and Tracy!"

"Al, Rashad, Lao Mao, you three are substitutes!"

…

The five people who were named on the starting list nodded.

Artest, in particular, felt secretly happy that he still had acquaintances to work with, and he had already found his way into the starting lineup when he first arrived...

McGrady was even more delighted because he discovered a problem.

After Wu Sheng left, he was the only organizer in the entire Trail Blazers team. He has a high possibility of taking the starting point guard position of the Trail Blazers in the next season!

Richard had a chat with McGrady once when he joined the team, and it was pointed out that he would be the team's point guard in the new season...

…

Mad Dog's lingering, this prop, Richard has already been bound to Ginobili.

Mobley can also be used, but because this thing can only change the bound player once a season, Richard thought about it and finally gave it to Ginobili.

…

In this preseason game, the Trail Blazers' opponent is the Chicago Bulls.

Now the Bulls can actually be regarded as the brother team of the Trail Blazers, because both their coach and the team's boss have a close relationship with the Trail Blazers.

After the two parties came on stage, they hugged each other.

Especially Rasheed, who is quite familiar to the Trail Blazers players. Now the first game of the new season is against the Trail Blazers, which makes him sigh.

"Coach, I feel like our game is on the line..." Stevens said with a grimace.

"Let's just hang on. It's just a pre-season game. Let these guys practice first..." Richard said with a smile.

…

"Beep!" The referee blew the whistle to start the game.

The starting players from both sides began to appear.

"Kill them! If the Blazers give up three starters and we lose the game, you should know how I, Laimbeer, will deal with you!"

"Be careful!"

Before coming on the court, Laimbeer "threatened" the Bulls' starting lineup again.

In fact, speaking of the Bulls' lineup this season, it is quite impressive!

Even in Richard's view, this Bulls have the strength to break out of the Eastern Conference, but the premise is that they can have a good chemical reaction and can run together. Otherwise, no matter how good the lineup is, it will be in vain.

The center is naturally the new top pick Elton Brand, and the two forwards are Rashid and Kukoc.

There is no distinction between power forward and small forward between these two players. They are both considered combo forwards.

In the backcourt are Kidders and Randy Brown.

Shooting guard Kidders must be quite good, but he is not as good as Ron Harper in terms of experience. Otherwise, the Lakers would really be reluctant to trade Kidders for Harper.

As for Randy Brown, he is a shortcoming of the Bulls' starting lineup and is somewhat weak.

But this is harmless, because the Bulls' organizational point has always been not on the defenders, but on the forwards.

With Pippen gone, Kukoc has taken on the role of point forward.

…

At the beginning of the game, Kirilenko and Rashid stood on the midfield line, preparing to execute a jump ball.

"Young man, I heard that you are going to take my place?" Rashid looked at Kirilenko and asked with a smile.

Kirilenko nodded.

"I feel like Richard made a mistake this time. I really can't see that you have the ability to replace me. Young man, you have to play this game well and don't embarrass Richard!"

Kirilenko said nothing, and Rashid's tone was obviously mocking him. It was useless for him to talk more, so he might as well prove himself with his strength.

…

The referee blew the whistle and the basketball in his hand was thrown high. Rasheed jumped up and directly got the ball for the Bulls.

After Randy Brown controlled the ball in the frontcourt, he passed it directly to Kukoc, who easily lobbed the ball to Brand under the basket.

Naturally, Kirilenko played the center position in this game, and he would not let Nowitzki play the center position...

As a result, he faced Brand, a stocky inside player, and was easily pushed away by Brand. The latter dunked right at the beginning!

…

Richard sat in the audience, shook his head and smiled.

Kirilenko is so skinny, he has a really slim body...

If faced with a center like Schmitz who is technical but not very powerful, Kirilenko can still play a big role, but facing a short and strong meat shield like Brand? !

He really can't bear it...

Kirilenko himself is a flexible defender, and he is not very good at one-on-one combat with the opponent's inside players.

At this point, Kirilenko's defensive style is somewhat similar to Marcus Camby.

…

Brand, who was directly matched up in the opening game, dunked, and Kirilenko's face turned red.

Looking at Richard on the sidelines, he found that Richard's face was expressionless, which made Kirilenko a little worried.

He knew that Richard valued him very much, otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to Moscow to recruit him...

But can he really meet Richard's requirements? !

He is also familiar with the situation in the NBA and knows how strong Portland was last season. He asks himself whether his own strength is not outstanding at all among the Trail Blazers...

He is now afraid that Richard will give up on him because of his performance!

…

The ball possession changed and it was the Blazers' turn to attack.

Richard immediately cheered up. What he wanted to see was the performance on the offensive end...

As for the defensive end? ! If Big Ben, O'Neill and Robinson are put on the court, all problems can be solved.

McGrady took control of the ball and reached the frontcourt. He just reached the three-point line and made a direct three-pointer.

"Duang!" This three-pointer hit the neck of the basket and went far away. In the end, Rashid grabbed the rebound.

The Bulls took the opportunity to counterattack again. Brand, who was under the basket, carried Kirilenko's defense and successfully scored a two-pointer.

…

In the next few offensive rounds, what made Richard a little unhappy was that Tracy McGrady controlled the ball to the frontcourt and took a direct shot.

The posture is incredibly beautiful, but the hit rate is too bad...

After four pull-ups, he only hit one shot, and it wasn't a three-pointer, just a long two-pointer.

"Dududu!" Richard called a timeout while the ball was dead.

"Old Cat, get ready to appear!" Richard pointed at the old cat and said.

"Coach, should I play point guard?" Lao Mao asked curiously...

"No, you play the shooting guard position that you are good at, and let Manu play the point guard!" Richard shook his head and said.

McGrady looked a little ugly, and Richard was obviously planning to put him on the bench...

…

The timeout ends and the game continues on the field.

Ginobili was quite stable. He exchanged the ball with Nowitzki on the outside to set up a pick-and-roll for himself, and then broke through with the ball. After encountering Rasheed's defense midway, he quickly distributed the ball to the waiting old cat Mobu on the outside. inside.

Mobley raised the knife with his hand and shot a three-pointer directly, hitting it steadily!