At this time, Colangelo Jr. and several coaches were discussing lineup issues in the corridor outside the locker room.
Westphal believes that the main lineup needs to be adjusted. Although he started with six wins and one loss, he is still tied for first place in the Western Conference with Mosaic, but he already thinks that this main lineup is not very suitable. This main lineup suppresses the old K.
It's so awesome, I need to increase my ability to stretch outside.
Colangelo Jr. is the general manager who builds the lineup. He is actually quite clear about this. Although he is reluctant to put Wilkins in the substitute lineup, Westphal's opinion still needs to be respected. This is
A championship coach who brought two championships to the Suns.
After seeing Colangelo Jr. agree, Lewis said: "I think Michael Finley can continue to start. Although his performance is a bit unstable, the team needs to cultivate rookies."
Danny Ainge expressed his support for this suggestion and said: "Finley is still good. We should give him a chance. He will probably be useful in one or two seasons. Even if he has obvious weaknesses that we can't use, we can still trade him."
Well."
Then he said: "But Horry and Wilkins, the former has no rebounds, the latter cannot stretch, and the defense is too poor. I think they do not meet the requirements of teammates that Old K needs."
Westphal couldn't help but nodded and said: "Wilkins is really not suitable to stay with Old K. He has no accurate outside shooting and no defense. His win-loss value in the main lineup is too low. It can be
Consider letting him play as a sixth man, shooting guard, and score points on the bench, where he can have the ball and take a lot of shots."
Lewis immediately agreed and said: "You can talk to him. He will be limited in the main lineup, but the substitute lineup will not be limited, and his hands and feet will be released."
Danny Ainge also said: "In the main lineup, we have Old K's high-efficiency offense. The other four main players' scoring requirements are actually only 10. Wilkins's scoring ability was suppressed in the main lineup, so he went to the bench.
The lineup is more suitable.”
Westphal nodded and said to Danny Ainge: "Danny, you are familiar with him. It's up to you to talk to him first."
"OK." Danny Ainge nodded.
Lewis said: "Although we don't have a star on the bench, we are not without a replacement. The backup shooting guard Wes Riperson, who played in the Finals last season, is also good and has three-pointers to open up the game.
In his rookie season, his three-point shooting percentage reached 43.6%, which is very good. He is already in his second year and should be given more opportunities."
Westphal nodded. If Wilkins goes to the substitute lineup, the main shooting guard will either have Person or Michael Finley play, Horry will play the third position, and the fourth position will be given to Ben Hua.
Lai Shi, the team has such a lineup, there is not much room for adjustment.
However, he prefers to let the 198cm Posen play the second position, and the 201cm Finley also plays the third position.
As for the only No. 4 position, Tisdale sprained his ankle. This veteran who has performed stably has to rest for two weeks. Apart from Horry, there are no good players who can replace him.
David Wood is inferior in strength and age, and is positioned as a marginal player. He only has the opportunity to play in garbage time. This player does not need to be considered at all.
Ben Wallace, another player who can replace the fourth position, works hard in training and games, but is still too young and needs time to grow, and has no offensive awareness.
However, Ben Wallace still gave him some hope. This short inside man is particularly dedicated to defense and rebounding. If he grows up, he will be suitable to stand next to Old K, more suitable than Horry.
Moreover, Tisdale will retire after completing this contract. The team should give Ben Wallace more opportunities to see if he has the potential to be developed.
Horry is a guy who is good at pulling up jump shots and breakthroughs in front of the basket, but his rebounding is too bad. Although he is active in defense, he is not good at low-post defense and cannot stand up to others. He is only good at guarding players with large offensive areas.
After much deliberation, he could only choose between Horry and Ben Wallace. Should Horry continue to start at the fourth position, or should Ben Wallace take over?
In the end, he decided to take another look. If Ben Wallace was allowed to take over, there would be two rookies in the main lineup, which would be too unstable. But he would increase Ben's playing opportunities and give him more training.
time.
Several people called Wilkins out who had just taken a shower, and Danny Ainge first came forward to inform the coaching staff of the decision.
"Why?"
When he heard that the coaching staff decided to let him play the team's sixth man, Wilkins didn't know how surprised he was.
Although he was not taken seriously in the Green Team and had no tactical status, he was still the number one scoring point and the absolute main shooting guard. Unexpectedly, he could not even keep his main position in the Suns. This was unacceptable to him as a veteran superstar.
.
Westphal continued: "Dominic, I know this makes you feel a little uncomfortable, but this is for the sake of the team and I hope you can understand.
Only in this way will our main lineup be more reasonable, and at the same time, the substitute lineup will be stronger. And when you are in the sixth man position, you control the ball and shots. These are what you need.
You will be more comfortable playing in human position."
At this time, Colangelo Jr. said: "Dominique, the sixth man is a very important position. You are a veteran. You know this. For the sake of the championship, I hope you can take on this important responsibility. Be the main lineup
When they don't perform well, you may even need to fill in the gaps for them."
Wilkins sighed in his heart. It was not like he had no team to go to during the offseason, but he was frustrated and no one agreed. The reason why he came to the Suns was to work hard for another two or three years and complete his dream of a championship.
"All right."
He nodded helplessly, but immediately added: "But you have to ensure that I have the ball and shots in the substitute lineup, otherwise I would rather retire now. Although I want a championship, it does not mean that I have to lose everything."
everything."
"Of course."
Colangelo Jr. smiled and nodded.
Then Westphal entered the locker room, signaled everyone to be quiet and said: "Okay, everyone, something happened. After careful consideration, we decided to adjust Dominic's position to the sixth man of the team. This
It will make our main lineup and substitute lineup more reasonable and powerful.
Dominic showed us his high quality and high attitude, he agreed to our request, and I would like to express my gratitude to him on behalf of the team here."
"oh!"
All the players exclaimed.
Who is Wilkins? He is a flying man who competes with Jordan for a moment. He is a veteran superstar and still has strength. Such a strong man actually lets him play as a substitute?
At this time, Lao Wang was still soaking in the medicine bucket. After hearing the news, he was a little surprised. It seemed that the team was still very determined.
However, he agreed with this decision. Person's performance in the finals was also good. He was good at three-pointers and was willing to defend. It was more suitable for him. It was indeed more reasonable for Wilkins to go to the substitute lineup.
"Who's coming up?" Kevin Johnson asked in a low voice next to him.
"Who else do we have besides Person?" Lao Wang said with a smile.
"Finley can do it, but then there will be a shortage of players in other positions." Kevin Johnson nodded and said.
Sure enough, Westphal later announced that Person would be the main shooting guard in the next game, but he immediately said that this was only temporary. If there was a temporary performance problem, Person could be removed from the main position at any time.
But this is enough to excite Person. He also played as a shooting guard for a period of time last season, but that was due to the team's injuries. The situation is different now. This is adjusted according to his technical style. As long as he
If the performance is normal, the main position will have a chance to be stabilized.
On the 17th, the Suns challenged the Kings away from home.
In terms of the main lineup, Wang Tiejun still partners with Robert Horry, Finley at the third position, and Kevin Johnson and Wes Riperson at the back.
In terms of positioning, put Person on the wing with Wang Tiejun, and use his better three-point shooting ability than Finley to open up the defense.
In this way, after Lao Wang got the ball, his strength was weakened when he was double-teamed on the strong side.
As for the defensive double team from the weak side, it depends on the ability of Horry who is pulled out. His three-point shooting is currently not as good as Person's, but he can barely use it. The defender does not dare to use it unscrupulously.
Let him go to double-team the strong side.
As for Finley, his performance is unstable and his ability to stretch is not very good for the time being. Defenders sometimes let him go. But he is still better than Wilkins on the court. His breakthrough ability is not strong, which can just reduce the number of defenders.
Opportunity to catch the low post.
This adjustment made the Suns' main lineup more rational, and the results were obvious. Wang Tiejun was double-teamed in the low post significantly less often, and his offensive efficiency was improved.
At the same time, Wilkins entered the bench and became the sixth man. He also controlled the ball and shots of the substitute lineup. In this game, he substituted for the second and third positions and scored as much as when he played as the main force, playing 29 games.
Minutes, he scored 22 points, increasing the scoring ability of the Suns' bench.
In this game, the Suns successfully defeated the Kings and achieved a record of seven wins and one loss.
However, rookie Finley made 2 of 9 shots in this game and performed poorly. He made 0 of 3 three-pointers and needs a lot of opportunities to practice.
Horry's performance became stable, shooting 46.5% from the field and 37.8% from three-point range. He scored 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.
But as a power forward, he only has five rebounds and averages about the same number of rebounds per game. This is his flaw in this position.
Big Ben came on as a substitute for Horry and played 13 minutes. He also grabbed 3 rebounds and blocked a shot, but only scored two points.
After the game, Ben Wallace received a call from Oakley.
Oakley really cares about Ben. He has been paying attention to Ben's game performance and said on the phone: "Ben, work harder and learn more defense and rebounding skills from Old K. Robert Horry has no rebounds.
You can't beat people in the low post, this is your chance."
"My chance?" Daben hasn't figured it out yet.
"You idiot, the main force!"
After scolding, Oakley quickly explained: "As a power forward next to Old K, you must have the ability to rebound, help defend, cover people, and even defend out.
Old K's scoring efficiency is too high. The Suns don't need the fourth position offensively at all. Instead, they need a fourth position who can do the hard work to share Old K's defensive pressure and rebounding responsibilities and reduce Old K's physical consumption.
, so that Lao K can concentrate on attacking.
So these are your opportunities. If you do these well, you will have a chance to advance. Ben, be more active. As long as you are on the court, you must defend and rebound as hard as you can, and don't miss a single board."
"I understand, Charles, I listen to you." Ben said in a deep voice.
That night, the Suns returned to Phoenix and lost back-to-back games to the Trail Blazers the next day. With seven wins and two losses, they were second in the Western Conference, behind the Mosaic with eight wins and one loss.
But the Suns are not alone in second place. The SuperSonics are second in the Western Conference with the same record.
This is Payton's sixth season. Last season he had All-Star statistics of 20.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 2.5 steals. He is a top-notch offensive and defensive player and has begun to enter his peak period.
This season, he and Rainman Kemp, as well as Schrempf, Jose Hawkins, and Sam Perkins, have several capable assistants. Under the leadership of coach Crazy Karl, they are playing very strongly in the Western Conference, and even
He released the slogan of fighting for the championship.
Because of his declining record, Wang Tiejun lost his first place in this week's MVP rankings, allowing Jordan to surpass him.
On the 22nd and 25th, the Suns won two consecutive games at home, achieving a record of 9 wins and 2 losses, leaving behind the SuperSonics, catching up with the Mosaics, and regaining the tie for first place in the Western Conference.
On the night of the 26th, the Bulls lost again.
The last time they lost to the Magic without the Sharks in an away game, this time they lost to the booming SuperSonics in an away game. They suffered their second defeat of the season, with 10 wins and 2 losses. They are still first in the Eastern Conference and first in the league.
's throne.
On the 27th, the Suns faced a challenge from their old enemy, the Jazz, at home.
Postman Karl Malone was unlucky in Pharaoh's first two seasons and was seriously injured one after another. Last season he learned wisely and stopped provoking Pharaoh off the court, so he played a peaceful season.
However, he and Lao Wang did collide. When they met in the playoffs last season, Lao Wang broke three ribs. As a result, the Jazz were swept, which was a huge psychological blow to him.
When we meet this season, he has no intention of provoking Lao Wang. When he arrived in Phoenix, he didn't make any outrageous remarks at the hotel press conference.
At 7:30 p.m., both sides announced their starting lineups.
Jazz: Greg Foster, Karl Malone, Chris Morris, Brian Russell, John Stockton
Suns: Wang Tiejun, Robert Horry, Wes Riperson, shooting guard Michael Finley, Kevin Johnson.
The Jazz's main center Spencer, main small forward David Benoit, and one of the iron triangle's Jeff Hornacek were all injured and entered the substitute lineup. The Jazz lineup was not complete, so in the end the Suns won
won the game.
With 10 wins and 2 losses, they are still ranked first in the Western Conference with Mosaic.
At the same time, the Suns and Mosaics, like the Bulls, are tied with each other and are ranked first in the league.
On the 29th, the Suns defeated the Lakers on the road, winning their last victory in November and completing this month's schedule.
With 11 wins and 2 losses, still tied with Mosaic, the Bulls are tied for first place in the league among the three teams.
On the morning of the 30th, when it was almost 9 o'clock, Lao Wang was still lying in bed. Yu Feihong, who was ready for breakfast, came in and turned on the TV in the bedroom and tuned to the ABC sports channel.
Lao Wang also woke up, and Yu Feihong asked: "Are you eating here or going out to eat?"
"Go out to eat," he said, staring at the TV screen.
At this time, the host began to announce this month's mvp ranking list.
Although his data were the best last week, the team's record declined, losing first place and being surpassed by Jordan. But now that the record has caught up, he feels that it should help him return to the first place in the mvp rankings.
.
In November, his game averages were 35.6 points, 16.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 3.5 blocks, 1.8 turnovers and 2.9 fouls, with a shooting percentage of 63.5%.
Data such as rebounds, points, and blocks have all increased significantly compared to last season, as has offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency.
His offensive efficiency ranks first in the league, and his defensive efficiency is now ninth in the league.
Sure enough, with the host's announcement, he became the first in this week's official mvp rankings, followed by Jordan.
On December 1st, the Suns faced the Timberwolves, a bad team, at home.
The Timberwolves selected high school student Kevin Garnett with the fifth pick in the first round this year, which was considered a risk, because the high school students have not experienced the training of the NCAA and there is great uncertainty.
Since the new season, Kevin Garnett has been on the bench and has not had a chance to start. It was the same tonight. He played 18 minutes as a substitute and made 1 of 4 shots, plus 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks.
Data, although data is all-powerful, does not have any particularly eye-catching moments.
After defeating the Timberwolves, the Suns rushed to San Antonio overnight to challenge the Spurs back to back.
At 8pm on the 2nd, both sides announced their first lineup.
Spurs: David Robinson, Chuck Parsons, Sean Elliott, Vinnie Gnutt, Avery Johnson
Suns: Wang Tiejun, Robert Horry, Michael Finley, Wes Riperson, Kevin Johnson.
Today is Saturday, which will be broadcast live across the United States by ESPN, and CCTV will also broadcast the game live in real time.
After getting the list, Zhang Lili analyzed: "The Spurs traded Rodman, and now they don't have a suitable power forward. In the November game, several forwards took turns to start, and the main lineup was not stable.
I see the same situation with the Suns now. Horry is not satisfactory at the fourth position. He contributes too little in the low post and his scoring efficiency cannot meet the standards of an inside player. His position is actually more suitable for the third position."
Su Qun said: "Horry plays the third position, Finley plays the second position, let Person return to the substitute lineup to play the second position, and Wilkins plays the substitute third position. This is not bad!"
Zhang Lili said with a smile: "Tisdale will be back in the next two days and has left the injured list, but in fact, I don't think he should be placed in the main position. After all, he is a veteran who is about to retire.
Since the team chooses to rebuild, it should take the initiative to train new players, and let Tisdale play the main power forward. He also has to play very hard, and it will definitely be too much for him over time, and he will be easily injured."
Su Qun nodded, but said: "But the Suns can play the fourth position, and the only one who is of the right age is Ben Wallace, who has squeezed out Ma Jian. An undrafted rookie can play the main power forward. Is that okay?"
"I don't know."
Zhang Lijia shook his head and said. At this point, he couldn't help but said: "Anyway, I think that even if it is a reconstruction, it is right to cultivate new talents. The veterans who are about to retire can only serve as substitutes.
If there is no suitable newcomer at the fourth position, then we need to find a new one, or choose a potential forward from next year's rookies.
In fact, the Tiejun only need a hardworking power forward, not a very strong star. The former Green is also suitable. The Suns traded a little early. It may be better to stay for another year and have a greater chance of winning. And the Suns are said to still have
There is room to accommodate Green's contract.
But if he stays for another year, Green will become a free agent. At that time, he can only release him, and the Suns will trade him for next year's draft pick.
future."
Su Qun said helplessly: "We can only rush forward this season. If we can't make it out of the Western Conference, we can only accumulate strength at the bottom and wait for the future explosion like Lao K said."
"Yes, the sun will always rise, and the sun's rays are destined to shine on the earth." Zhang Lili said in high spirits.
"The light of the Sun King is destined to shine on the NBA League." Su Qun continued.
In the player tunnel, the ten starting players from the two teams met. When they met, they greeted each other and chatted with each other in a familiar manner.
"Hey, old K."
David Robinson, the proud man of heaven, is humble on the outside, but he has a pride from the bottom of his heart. When he first met Wang Tiejun, he didn't bother to pay attention to it. Even if Lao Wang provoked him, he didn't bother to pay attention. But now
, when he saw Lao Wang, he also took the initiative to say hello.
"General, how could you let the big bug escape? Look at the Bulls now. They are No. 1 in the league again. Even if your Spurs break out of the Western Conference, they still can't beat the Bulls. If it were me, he wouldn't obey me, press on
After a violent beating in the bathroom, do you think he is obedient? Do you dare to go to nightclubs every day and miss training every day?" Lao Wang said.
The corners of David Robinson's eyes twitched. Thinking of the stinging head of the big bug, he felt uncomfortable. Didn't he want to keep the big bug?
That bastard often doesn't participate in training, keeps gossiping, and the team's atmosphere has been ruined by him. If he doesn't trade him out, his team will be doomed.
As for killing big bugs in the bathroom, that is something done by a rough guy like Lao K. It is completely inconsistent with his temperament, so it is a no-brainer, and he may not be able to fight it.
The Suns played first. Wang Tiejun took a look and found that the market was not bad. The attendance rate was at least 80%. Although it was not as good as the Suns, it was already good.
He ignored that the attendance rate today was 80% because the Spurs' opponent was his Suns, otherwise it would have been 50% at most.
Moreover, the lowest regular season ticket for the Spurs is only five dollars, and they still cannot be sold.
