Not only did Xie Kai gain weight, his backcourt partner Mike Conley also gained weight. In the new season, Conley gained 13 pounds (approximately 5.9 kilograms) compared to last season and became stronger.

Becoming a stronger point guard has always been one of Conley's wishes. Because he was criticized by many people before for being too thin and unable to guard strong point guards like Deron and Westbrook. Most of this summer

He trained with Grizzlies trainer Corey Lambert and became stronger.

After the first game of the preseason, Xie Kai is more confident about this season. After the departure of starter Gay, the distribution of ball rights has become clearer. Xie Kai undoubtedly has the first ball right from the outside, while the first ball right inside is

It's the Black Bear. Conley is responsible for holding the ball and organizing, and Xiaojia is responsible for interior defense, high-position support, and screening. As for the old prince, he is responsible for fixed-point shooting without the ball, occasionally transferring the ball and organizing, focusing on the defensive end.

In fact, the Grizzlies' current lineup is quite deep, with many people who can play. The team can arrange large and small lineups according to the opponent, and can even arrange the black and white bears, the old prince, Tony Allen and Xie Kai.

This is a high-intensity defensive lineup that combines height and hardness.

The Grizzlies seriously lacked outside shooting last season. Now after the summer trade, all five members of the starting lineup can shoot. Even the Black and White Bears can shoot 3-pointers, not to mention the mid-range; the old prince on the outside

, Xie Kai and Conley are both very stable shooting players. Ellington on the bench is a pure shooter, and Daye is a good space inside player.

The Grizzlies' overall shooting ability was upgraded instantly. In the regular season last season and the subsequent playoffs, when Xie Kai and the Black Bears were flanked, because other players were unable to punish each other in the open space, they

In some games that were completely winnable, we ended up losing.

It seems that it was Gay who caused the team to be swept. In fact, even if the Grizzlies had no internal strife, it would be very difficult to surpass the Spurs. Popovich is too thief.

In the latest odds of winning the new season, the defending champion Miami Heat are still the most favored. The Lakers, who formed F4 this summer, are closely behind. Ranking third is last season's overall runner-up Thunder.

The Grizzlies are not that optimistic. They left the quasi-All-Star small forward Rudy Gay this summer, and the old prince and others who came are role players. The team's core offensive team, the Black Bear, is already 31 years old.

I also suffered major injuries last season...

In the opinion of experts in the league, the Grizzlies are a second-tier championship team. With the current trend of superstars teaming up, it is almost impossible to compete for the championship with just one star.

Experts predict that the Grizzlies' record in the new season will be difficult to surpass last season (4th in the Western Conference). The reason is that there are too many strong teams in the Western Conference. They believe that the records of the Lakers, Spurs and Thunder will be ahead of the Grizzlies, while the Grizzlies will be ranked 4th in the Western Conference.

The Bears should compete with the Jazz and Clippers for the fourth spot in the Western Conference.

Xie Kai didn't care about this so-called prediction. He knew that these expert reporters only said such things based on the theoretical strength of the team. They ignored the team's chemical reaction and ignored the potential of a young team.

There is room and potential for growth, and there is absolutely no need for you to have your emotions affected by their low opinion.

Keep looking down on us, we will surprise the league!

The Grizzlies' games in October are all preseason games, and they will play a total of 8 preseason games. These 8 preseason games are very important for their team with many new players. This is good.

Opportunities for running-in.

In accordance with the team's arrangements at the beginning of the preseason, he played in 6 of the 8 games, and the average playing time per game did not exceed 25 minutes.

For the Grizzlies coaching staff, it is their obligation to protect the core players of the team. The injuries suffered by the Black Bears last season affected their regular season record to a certain extent and also affected their overall combat effectiveness in the playoffs.

On October 27, the Grizzlies finished their last preseason game and completed the preseason tour with a record of 4 wins and 4 losses. Their first game of the new season was an away game against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 1.

The Grizzlies adjust their lineup to prepare for the season opener.

On October 28, the Thunder officially confirmed that it had reached a 6-person deal with the Rockets. The Rockets sent Kevin Martin, rookie Lamb and 3 future draft picks to get James Harden, Cole Aldridge, and Lazar.

·Harward and Daquan Cook.

This trade shocked the league. You must know that the "Best Sixth Man" Harden is one of the "Three Young Players of the Thunder". He has both strength and potential and is the leader of the team's second lineup. The Thunder's loss of Harden is equivalent to saying that the "Three Young Players"

With two fewer players, the decline in strength is obvious.

Earlier today, it was revealed that the Thunder had offered Harden a four-year contract worth a total of US$52 million, but Harden refused. What Harden needs is a four-year contract.

A contract worth $60 million.

Harden averaged 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game last season, shooting 49.1% from the field and 39% from 3-point range. He is a very comprehensive outside player.

Obviously, the Thunder are unwilling to pay a high luxury tax. They are just a small-market team, and the owner needs to calculate the return on investment.

After receiving the news, Xie Kai also lamented the difficulty of the small ball market. He had heard rumors before that Harden and the team had differences on the issue of contract renewal and had been unable to reach an agreement. A team cannot be like that.

There are many top-paid players. Even a team like the Thunder must face this reality. Before, you could get the bonus of the rookie contract, but when the contract expires, the trouble will come. If you are not willing to pay the luxury tax

, then you can only give up or trade.

The Grizzlies actually face such a problem. They don't have three young players, but the annual salary of the five starting players is more than 10 million, which is well over the cap. The reason for trading Gay is not so much for the sake of harmony within the team. In fact, the team also has to increase the salary.

The reduction in the total amount means that the old prince + Ed Davis + Daye are just over 10 million, which is more than Gay's annual salary of nearly 20 million, which saves a lot of luxury tax.

After the Thunder trade occurred, Xie Kai took the initiative to contact Westbrook: "Brother, are you okay?"

Westbrook was obviously a little depressed because the team traded Harden: "I'm okay, I can understand the team. Losing James is a very regrettable thing, but this is business, I understand."
Chapter completed!