Chapter 286 Calm Trading Market (6600 words chapter)

Before the 2013 All-Star Game, the managers of each team were very cautious. Compared to previous years when big deals were made, the entire market this year was all about small deals.

It wasn't until January 30th that the Grizzlies officially sent away their core player Rudy Gay, which caused a bit of trouble.

In a three-party trade, the Pistons sent Austin Daye and Tayshaun Prince to the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies traded Rudy Gay and Haddadi to the Raptors.

The Raptors traded Jose Calderon, Ed Davis, and a 2013 second-round pick to the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies traded Jose Calderon to the Pistons.

After this transaction occurred, America's football critics didn't know how to evaluate it for a while. Rudy Gay was very talented, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was not very suitable for the Grizzlies' style of play.

.

The core was replaced by Prince, who is good at defense. Some football commentators did not know whether the lineup was upgraded or downgraded. In short, most people were cautiously optimistic about this deal.

However, it is worthy of recognition that the decision to use Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol as the core of the tactics has been recognized by the Grizzlies coaching staff, and judging from the current record, this path is undoubtedly the right one.

.

Clippers general manager Gary Sachs originally thought he could feel the feeling of being in charge, stay safe until the end of the season, and then welcome the team's big contract.

As a result, there is currently a wave of injuries in the team, and head coach De Nagro also stated that the team's inside line and No. 3 position need to be supplemented.

And the Clippers' coaching staff very much hopes to add some more quality shooters.

The team has no salary pressure, and new owner Steve Ballmer is willing to spend money. It seems like a simple transaction, but it almost makes Gary Sacks, a cute new manager, cry.

“The market is empty!”

Compared with veteran managers of other teams, Gary Sacks does not have such a wide network of contacts. In addition, the Clippers' performance is not bad, which makes most teams not want to trade with him.

The new manager is currently in the same predicament as Presti of the Thunder.

At first, the Thunder lacked black and tough inside, so Presti struggled for a long time. Finally, he sent away Jeff Green and Krstic, and promised Perkins a big contract, so he got this player from the Celtics.

An insider who has suffered a serious injury.

In order to prepare for next year's big contract, the Clippers have naturally reserved enough salary space. This approach is quite satisfactory, but it is very difficult to make up for their shortcomings.

"Averaging 13.4 shots per game, hitting 7.2 goals, shooting 53.8% from the field, and 66% from the free throw line."

Seeing Blake Griffin's data, Gary Sachs was scratching his head.

"Averaging 12.2 shots per game, hitting 5.9 goals, shooting 48.1% from the field, 33.8% from three-point range, and 88.5% from free throws."

Chris Paul's data also dissatisfied Gary Sachs. Griffin averaged 19.1 points per game and Chris Paul averaged 17.2 points per game. The performance of the two did not meet the expectations of the big contract.

But the market situation is like this. If you don't pay, other teams will naturally pay for it.

Seeing that the team's current outside shooting percentage, except for Li Ze and Ray Allen, basically did not exceed 40%, Gary Sachs shook his head in his heart.

Jamal Crawford, who has the best shooting performance, currently shoots 36.6% from three-point range.

Gary Sachs has an idea of ​​how to strengthen the team, but unfortunately there are currently no suitable players. The most important thing is that the team has no suitable chips and the draft picks are gone.

"Gary! Maybe it will be difficult for us to strengthen the lineup. There are not very good players on the free market, let alone a 2-meter striker. No one has made any big moves this year."

"It is understandable that a large number of players entered the free market during last year's offseason, and each team had already replenished its lineup at that time."

When Gary Sachs heard what the staff said, he simply responded. He was naturally very aware of the team's predicament.

"The league has changed so fast. The Spurs actually began to pursue three-pointers. Only this season did I see Popovich's plan."

"The Heat, Knicks, and Warriors also rely heavily on outside firepower. At this point, the Lakers and Celtics are really lagging behind."

Hearing the Clippers staff discuss the recent style of play in the league, Gary Sachs also thought deeply. No matter what the result of this season is, he has to prepare for next season in advance, and three-pointers are indeed

is a good choice.

On February 1, the NBA announced its Player of the Month for January.

In the Eastern Conference, the Heat have 8 wins and 5 losses.

LeBron James played 39.5 minutes per game, scoring 27.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 2.8 turnovers. He shot 55.5% from the field, 37.8% from three-point range, and 75.0% from free throws.

In the Western Conference, the Spurs have 12 wins and 3 losses.

Tony Parker averaged 33.3 minutes per game, 21.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.3 turnovers, shooting 56.3% from the field, 35.3% from three-point range, and 77.9% from free throws.

Contrary to everyone's expectations, the Clippers fell behind in January, with 11 wins and 5 losses. Li Ze also lost the best game of the month. The Spurs were chasing after them very fiercely. The GDP combination has shown great strength this season.

of vitality.

As the Clippers entered February, their schedule became very unfriendly.

Before the All-Star Weekend on February 16, the Clippers have a total of 9 games to play, 8 of which are away games. Fortunately, the away game with the Lakers on the 14th can be counted as half a home game, which is a small consolation.

.

What makes the coaching staff even more depressed is that there are many back-to-back games. Before the All-Star Weekend, there are four games in five days. This kind of schedule makes people unable to complain.

Basically, the Clippers have returned all of their December welfare schedule.

In three games in early February, the Clippers lost to the Raptors, Celtics, and Wizards.

Even though there were back-to-back games, losing in the first place still shocked many sports reporters. Can a weakling lose?

Naturally, there is a reason for the loss. Griffin, the surface brother, suffered a recurrence of his left knee injury in the game against the Timberwolves at the end of January, and has been sidelined in the last three games due to injury.

Coupled with the fact that Chris Paul felt uncomfortable during training and failed to return from injury, the Clippers' starting lineup became:

Bledsoe, Liz, Matt Barnes, Turiaf, DeAndre Jordan

Hollins benefited from this and gained a lot of playing time.

Jamal Crawford, who was on the bench, only played in one of the three games, so Li Ze has been carrying a heavy burden recently.

The good news is that veteran Ray Allen's ankle is recovering well and he should be able to compete against the Heat on February 8. Griffin will also return in the next game.

The price of a 27-game winning streak is injuries. Head coach De Nagro feels that he has suffered a big loss. Fortunately, Li Ze is still in good health and is getting better and better.

The coaching staff was speechless looking at Golden Thigh, who had scored 40 points in almost every game recently. Let the kid win a game!

On February 6th, the Clippers will continue their road trip, and tonight they will challenge the Magic away from home.

In urgent need of a soft persimmon, the Magic successfully provided warmth and helped the Clippers end their losing streak.

102:76, although the Clippers did not score much, the Magic pulled their own weight!

After this game, the Clippers' record reached 42 wins and 9 losses, still leading the league.

If such wins are transferred to the Eastern Conference, the playoffs may have been locked in advance. After all, it is possible to enter the playoffs in the Eastern Conference with less than 40 wins.

On February 8th, the Clippers will continue their road trip in the Eastern Conference, and tonight they will challenge the Heat away from home.

The Heat currently have a record of 32 wins and 14 losses, ranking first in the Eastern Conference.

Although they lost to the Pacers 89:102 on February 1st, the team has recently won three games in a row and seems to be starting a winning streak!

Of course, the Heat did not all play tonight. Chris Bosh was injured again and is still under observation.

This game can be considered evenly matched between the two teams, and the Clippers are also missing Chris Paul.

As the focus of the game in early February, the broadcaster TNT has long been warming up for this game.

Miami fans also came to the American Airlines Arena early. The fans are confident that they can win against the Clippers, who are in poor condition!

In the TNT commentary box, commentator Kevin Harlan was introducing the Heat's starting lineup:

"Coach Spoelstra once again boldly employed people. Facing the Clippers' inside line, he actually put up a five-small lineup. Chalmers and Wade were still on the back, Battier and James were on the forward line, and Harbin was the center.

Slem!”

"On the Clippers' side, veterans Billups and Kayce partner in the backcourt, PJ Tucker and Griffin are on the forward line, and Andrew Jordan is at center. What do you think of the starting lineups of both sides?"

Steve Kerr saw the Heat's lineup without big men and said with certainty:

"The Heat's lineup does not seem to have enough height inside, but on the offensive end, it can open up the space very well. Obviously coach Spoelstra intends to use outside shooting to solve the problem!"

Reggie Miller was still optimistic about the Clippers, thought for a while and simply said:

"In this lineup, if LeBron James plays the 4th position, maybe Griffin can get a certain matchup advantage, and in terms of rebounding, I believe the Clippers will also have the upper hand!"

Soon, the home DJ began to roar and introduce the Heat players. After LeBron James came on the stage, the atmosphere quickly reached a climax.

Everyone on the Clippers team wore red away jerseys and watched the Heat's appearance ceremony calmly.

If it was last season, everyone might still be a little envious of the Heat, but after such an excellent record this season, the mentality of the Clippers has also changed a lot.

After the Clippers came out, there was a faint burst of boos from the American Airlines Arena.

Soon the players from both sides entered the final warm-up stage, and the atmosphere became more and more noisy.

Li Ze is very serious about constantly shooting from outside the three-point line. After so many games, he has now fully adapted to the changes brought about by the purple badge [Hot Zone Hunter]. Combining it with any shooting badge at will, the purple badge can burst out.

Expose huge power.

Trainer Tony also discovered that Li Ze has become more casual in his shooting choices in recent games. Although he does not completely get rid of the defense in many cases, from the data point of view, Li Ze's shooting percentage has not dropped, and difficult shots do not seem to bring any improvement.

There are too many influences.

Paul wore another gray casual suit tonight. At this time, he was fishing with the coaching staff.

He originally planned to play directly in tonight's game, but in the end coach Denager refused. There is no pressure on the record. He can pick a soft persimmon and then pay. There is no need to go head-to-head with the Heat.

The Heat fans at the scene saw the referee motioning for the players from both sides to stand in the center of the field, and immediately followed the DJ at the scene and shouted loudly:

"Let's go Heat! Let's go Heat! Let's go Heat!"

With a smile, Li Ze gave a simple fist bump to everyone on the Heat team. Amid the cheers of Heat fans, Jordan finally jumped to the ball easily.

Billups received the ball and then immediately dribbled it across the half court. In the first offensive round, Li Ze received the pass from the left wing outside the three-point line, and Griffin immediately raised the screen.

Different from previous games, Griffin's screen hung up for a moment, and then immediately passed down, taking away James' defense, while Wade always stayed close to Li Ze, not giving him a chance to easily accelerate and break through.

The screen only hung up for a moment, so it naturally didn't cause much interference to Wade. Just when Griffin passed down, Li Ze, who was holding the ball in his left hand, suddenly accelerated and broke through Wade's defense.
To be continued...