106 to 91, the Eagles easily defeated the Jazz, and they did not torture them too badly. They left some mercy in it. When Jason Terry came on the field with the bench lineup, the Eagles had no defense.

The players on the Jazz team brushed up their statistics.

After playing against the Jazz, Liu Mang once again drove to the airport the next morning with two big boxes that made Iguodala want to cry.

A wave of four consecutive visitors that is not difficult is about to begin.

The Timberwolves, Mavericks, Bulls, and Pacers were four consecutive visitors, all playoff teams. Originally this schedule was the most difficult schedule for the Hawks in December, and it was also specially arranged by the league for the Hawks to have a wave in mid-December.

Concentrated strong opponents. In addition to the Bulls, the other three strong teams are all predicted to be championship contenders before the season. In mid-December, let the Eagles stimulate the fans who are somewhat exhausted at this stage.

Who knows, no need to get excited, the Eagles caused trouble at the beginning of the month, which attracted a lot of attention.

But what was even more unexpected was that the schedule that was originally planned to excite fans was reduced to only the Mavericks being a strong team...

The Timberwolves themselves collapsed, and the Pacers collapsed in a fight. Now I find that, apart from the Mavericks, the most interesting thing about the Hawks' six consecutive visits is the game against the Bulls...

The fans are not very interested in the Mavericks. Instead, they want to see how the Eagles will perform next time they meet the Bulls.

…

I came to Minneapolis, this shitty place, it’s so cold!

And the humidity is even worse than in Atlanta, not far from the south coast, which is the City of Ten Thousand Lakes.

After entering winter in Minneapolis, it is really hard to stop the cold wind even if you are wrapped in a coat...

When Liu Mang arrived at the hotel, he didn't want to leave the room. He just wanted to rest for one night and the game would start tomorrow night.

The coaching staff did not arrange any training. On the morning of the game against the Timberwolves the next day, there was no training. There was a team meeting after lunch. At 3:30 in the afternoon, we took the bus directly to the Target Center and practiced during the warm-up.

Let’s talk about the tactics and the preparation for the game against the Timberwolves is over.

It's not that the Hawks don't despise the Timberwolves... well, they just don't.

The mentality of winning teams is generally relatively relaxed. For example, the difference between the rest of the Hawks and Tracy McGrady is that everyone else, Liu Mang, follows Liu Mang's temper no matter how they play. The rookies have no say. Only McGrady has been silently giving advice.

Liu Mang wiped his butt.

Using the three generals of Raheem, Ratliff, and Barnes in exchange for Tracy McGrady, in addition to having a superstar, there is also an additional superstar who is hungry for victory and has not won a championship. It is very good for the Eagles.

Is necessary.

Of course, it's not that the Eagles have no desire to win the championship. On the contrary, Liu Mang, Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and Jason Terry are all the kind of people who become "addicted" to the championship after winning it once.

Player, Kwame Brown also wants to win the championship after becoming the main player, more eager than the championship he won as a substitute.

It's just that the Eagles players are very confident in their own abilities, and they don't take their opponents seriously anymore.

This kind of mentality is inevitable. With the legendary feeling of playing the erhu with full blood, the remaining blood is everywhere...

Like now, the Hawks are ranked first in the Eastern Conference with a record of 16 wins and 4 losses, second only to the Suns with 17 wins and 4 losses, and the Timberwolves are ranked tenth in the Western Conference with 8 wins and 12 losses...

Therefore, the Eagles' coaching staff and management approached Liu Mang to discuss players to be traded, not only to strengthen the inside line, but also to have strength secondly. They mainly needed a player with a greater desire for the championship, and preferably someone with prestige.

Players, come and supervise these young people, just like Kevin Willis and Stockton did last season.

And after Liu Mang thought about it for two days, he really thought of someone...

…

At six o'clock in the afternoon, Liu Mang finished his pre-match warm-up, and the game was about to start at six-thirty. The Eagles players were waiting to enter the stadium near the end of the previous live game.

The game against the Timberwolves will be broadcast live across the United States, and it was confirmed before the season. However, whether the next game against the Timberwolves will be broadcast live is yet to be determined. If the Timberwolves do not improve by the time they play against the Timberwolves next time, it probably will not be added.

.

The Hawks' game will not begin until after the previous game between the Rockets and the Heat in the battle for the No. 1 center in the East and West ends.

Coach Kruger is discussing with Mike Woodson which players among the rookies or veterans to use as bargaining chips and who can be exchanged. This issue is the biggest headache for the Eagles coaching staff now.

It's what you want. It won't be replaced without heavy bleeding, but it can be replaced. It doesn't make much difference whether it is replaced or not.

And who to replace it with is also a question.

Calderon and Korver are still in the growth stage, have no physical talent, and rely on touch to make a living. Other teams look down on them, so the only ones who need to use them are Iguodala and Tony Allen.

Ariza, Josh Smith, and Varejao are the five rookies.

But these five rookies are very talented, and the coaching staff is reluctant to let them go.

I have to choose, and I really don’t know how to choose.

So I'm trying it now to see which players can integrate into the team faster. Strong teams will not give potential players a chance to develop slowly. Just like Jermaine O'Neal, the Trail Blazers can also see his talent.

, but still did not give him any time to practice. The four-year rookie contract played less than 2,000 minutes in total, which was not as much as Iverson played in one season in his rookie year.

Relatively speaking, Iguodala is the most satisfied with the Eagles coaching staff. Others are in the inspection period, so today the Eagles brought Tony Allen and Ariza, and Varejao also brought

, Calderon and Korver went to play in the Development League.

Coach Kruger was discussing with Mike Woodson when he suddenly saw a hooligan approaching.

Coach Kruger quickly grabbed his tactical board. The game was about to start. What was this guy doing?

Coach Kruger asked: "Ace, the warm-up is over?"

Liu Mang watched Coach Kruger grasp the tactical board so tightly. It was strange. Could it be that he had Parkinson's disease? He couldn't hold it firmly if he didn't hold it tightly.

Liu Mang realized that his thoughts were straying too far, so he regained his attention and said, "Coach, didn't you ask me to think about who to trade? I have thought of it!"

If you don't want a tactical board, that's fine. Coach Kruger saw the Timberwolves logo in this arena. Could it be that this kid... Coach Kruger said to Liu Mang: "Don't say you want to trade Garnett, do you want to use it?"

Are you a bargaining chip? This is a good choice."

Hey hey! I am your most lovely and obedient apprentice! Are you willing to use your best apprentice as a bargaining chip?

Liu Mang felt like he was panicking and said: "No, let's forget about partnering with that guy. We have Rashid, and I have a candidate. I don't know if I should talk about it..."

"Say something quickly!" Coach Kruger said impatiently. This kid has learned how to tell the truth!

Liu Mang felt that Coach Kruger disliked him more and more, and felt very sad. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Mike Woodson next to him. Liu Mang saw that Mike Woodson's hair was getting less and less: You deserve to be bald.

!

After adjusting his sad mood, Liu Mang said: "That is a former superstar, and his strength is still there now. It will be no problem to be a substitute. He just came back a few days ago. He is in good condition and his defense is very tough.

The champion is full of hunger and probably won’t care about the issue of playing time. He can play both power forward and center positions, and he also has a certain ability to independently attack inside..."

Liu Mang stated the characteristics of the candidate he had in mind, which were almost exactly the same as the characteristics of the person the coaching staff asked Liu Mang to find.

When Coach Kruger stated his request before, Liu Mang had only Duncan and Malone in mind after 39 years old. Otherwise, who else could be so good and willing to come off the bench, and be full of desire for the championship.

The key player, Malone, is no longer willing to play. Malone works as a trainer for the team. If he could convince him to come back, he would have come back long ago. After the team learned about Malone's thoughts, they also respected Malone and forced him to come back. It was a disservice to Malone.

of disrespect.

This afternoon Liu Mang watched the news after warming up, and a candidate suddenly came into his sight.

When Liu Mang mentioned the characteristics of that player, Coach Kruger's eyes lit up. Before Liu Mang finished speaking, Coach Kruger interrupted: "Ace, who are you talking about?"

Hey, are you in such a hurry? Liu Mang felt that Coach Kruger had never been so enthusiastic towards him. It was really too much!

But the characteristic is that he said it. Liu Mang felt that this person would definitely make the team management and coaching staff worry a lot. Liu Mang hesitated and said: "Alonzo Mourning."

Yes, it's Mourning. Liu Mang saw the game report of the Raptors and Wizards game in the afternoon. In the second game after his comeback, Mourning scored 9 points and 7 rebounds in 21 minutes against the Wizards.

4 blocks. His performance is much higher than the 6 points and 6 rebounds in the previous game. It can be described as very strong. Obviously, the last game was a process of re-adapting to the game. As a veteran, Mourning had an average performance in the first game.

, adjusted quickly.

This guy can't be snatched away by the Heat!

We must get Mourning back before he takes the initiative to negotiate a buyout with the Raptors and join the Heat!

But Mourning was basically reimbursed for two consecutive seasons. One season he was diagnosed with kidney disease, the other season he had a kidney transplant surgery, and he has just come back. Otherwise, with Mourning's strength, even if he is 35 years old and only has a middle-class contract, he will still have a lot of money.

If the team wants it, the Raptors can't give Mourning too many opportunities to perform. They have to train Milicic and let Mourning play just to let other teams see Mourning's value and trade Mourning.

go out.

But even if Mourning plays well in the two games after his return, other teams will still have doubts.

Just as Liu Mang thought, Coach Kruger calmed down when he heard the name.

It's exactly what Liu Mang said. If Mourning can recover, the 35-year-old Mourning really doesn't care about playing time. His salary is cheap now and he is only in the middle class. Maybe he can reach a buyout agreement with the Raptors.

, the Eagles only need to pay compensatory players and buyout cash. As long as Mourning nods and agrees to join the Eagles after the buyout, everything is operable. Under the current rules, this is allowed.

But Mourning had a kidney transplant! This is undoubtedly a devastating blow to a professional athlete.

Moreover, everyone knows that Mourning wants to return to the Heat. If he spends money and player compensation to trade with the Raptors, the Raptors buy out Mourning, and Mourning regrets and does not come to the Hawks, then

It would be a big loss.

Of course, the chance of Mourning not coming is not high. It seems that the Hawks are still more championship-worthy than the Heat.

Therefore, what Coach Kruger is most worried about is Mourning's physical condition. He and Mike Woodson looked at each other, and Mike Woodson also had the same concern.

"Ace, I want to discuss this issue with the boss and other coaches. Please pay attention to other candidates..." Coach Kruger did not continue the discussion on this issue and asked Liu Mang to prepare for the game.

Liu Mang knew that after Mourning had a kidney transplant, he was very healthy in the following 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, and averaged at least 2.5 blocks per game with about 20 minutes of playing time in both years. Before retiring, he was among the top five in blocks.

Awesome character.
To be continued...