The Sonics got another two days of rest, and the management quickly made signings.
Don't even think about getting a good inside player through trade. The Trail Blazers have so many big men that they don't want to trade with the SuperSonics. They would rather let Jermaine O'Neal sit on the bench and only play a few minutes per game.
All teams in the league have been abused by the SuperSonics. At this time, no matter whether they are playoff teams or bad teams, they are not willing to "assist" the Sonics at critical moments.
If the Sonics want to strengthen, they can only find players in the free market. For example, Antoine Kyle, who wanted to join the SuperSonics in the summer but was rejected, has not yet found a job.
But such signings are meaningless at all. Kyle joining will not be able to help the team. He will only be a hindrance when playing.
Another option is to find young players in the free market who have good body and athletic ability and are undrafted. Such inside players lack game experience, and the advantage is that they can keep up with the rhythm of the game. Signing such new players can only play one game in the regular season.
Playing in the playoffs will definitely have no effect.
After the scouts conducted an inspection, they submitted a list of signings, and manager Wally Walker invited two people to come to the team for trial training.
One is Mark Blount, the last pick of the second round in 1997. He is a lanky center who is 213cm tall and weighs 104kg. The SuperSonics have the right to sign him, but they cannot trade him without signing him. The pick is too low and no one cares about him.
interest.
The other is this year's undrafted player Mickey Moore, an inside player who is 211cm tall and weighs 102kg.
These two people have common characteristics. They have a certain mid-range shooting ability on the offensive end, but they can't handle the opponent on the defensive end. In college, they both played centers, and they were not too tall to play power forwards.
Originally there was a 206cm tall power forward named Aaron Williams who would have been more suitable. The Sonics did not want to sign him before, but now he has joined the Nets.
Yang Jian watched the trial training and felt it was inappropriate. Although the two men had made a name for themselves in the parallel world, that was the result of training in other leagues. Moreover, the two big men mainly played centers and No. 4.
Lack of mobility.
Manager Wally Walker also felt that it was not possible. The team did not need such a big man. Brad Miller, a white center who could shoot, was more accurate than those two.
Yang Jian suggested: "Choose a forward who is more than two meters tall and similar to Booutlo, one with strong mobility. This kind of player will not suffer a lot at the 4th position on the defensive end. On the offensive end,
If we can play fast break, we can win the game by attacking hard."
Wally Walker asked: "Do you have anyone in mind?"
"Yes, Stephen Jackson is 203cm tall and weighs 100kg. He was selected by the Suns." Yang Jian saw the name "Martial Saint" in the information given by the scout.
Stephen Jackson was the 43rd overall pick in the second round of 1997. He was not offered a contract by the Suns because he was a pick, and was abandoned after the preseason.
Then he played in the Continental Basketball Association. Although his physical fitness was good, no NBA team was interested in him. Because his playing style was too rough, his shooting percentage was low and he made many mistakes.
He was born in a slum, has a low IQ and low EQ, and was abandoned by his father as a burden since he was a child... This is not the point.
The point is that he has great potential. In the parallel world, he won the championship with the Spurs in the 2002-03 season and was an important wing defensive player for the team. In the 2006-07 season, he helped the Warriors create a miracle of black eight and eliminated the Mavericks, limiting the number of opponents.
Nowitzki is taller than himself.
In his peak season of 2008-09, he averaged 39.6 minutes per game with the Warriors, scoring 20.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.5 steals. The only drawback was that he shot only 41.4% from the field and had 3.9 turnovers.
When he first debuted, he mainly played shooting guard, and then successively played the 3rd and 4th positions, and occasionally guest-starred at the 1st position. His positional ambiguity made him a natural fit in alternative teams like the Warriors. He is said to be "faster than him".
Those who are taller than him are not as fast as him." The SuperSonics also happen to be a team with an ambiguous position, and their play style is advanced.
Jackson is not only good at playing ball, but also good at fighting. In the battle at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Artest, who was still not a "charity for world peace", rushed into the stands and beat the fans and was surrounded. Jackson made seven in and seven outs to save Artest and became famous in one battle.
The hot-tempered Jackson punched his teammates like a child, which not only caused him to be suspended for 30 games by the league, but was also nicknamed "Martial Saint" by the fans. It must be said that if it were not for the incident at the Palace of Auburn Hills, everyone would
I didn’t know that Jackson was so good at fighting.
No one wants Jackson now because he has a problem with his character. Before he officially entered the NBA, he had conflicts with his teammates in the summer league and had a temperament like a gangster.
He did not receive a good education since he was a child, and his academic performance has always been poor. After graduating from Oak Hill High School, he was too poor to represent a university, so he directly participated in the draft as a high school player. He went to school
Late, I was 19 years old when I was drafted, and I will be 21 years old in April this year.
The strong Jackson has no problem adapting to NBA-level confrontations, and he still has advantages in confrontations at the 2 and 3 positions.
Wally Walker knew that Yang Jian preferred small ball tactics and fast breaks, and had a soft spot for players about two meters tall. He immediately contacted Stephen Jackson's agent and asked him to come for a trial tomorrow.
It's not a problem that young players are thorny. Yang Jian can suppress him. No matter how stupid a thorn is, he can't challenge the league's mvp after getting a minimum salary contract, unless he doesn't want to mess around anymore.
Jackson came to Seattle for trial training on time, and his physical fitness is much better than the two previous big men. His excellent athletic ability can defend multiple positions and play fast breaks. His shooting ability is not up to standard, it is best to take fewer shots and be more stable.
Very bad.
After the trial, Wally Walker decided to sign Jackson.
He is similar in stature to Bo Outero and is faster. Jackson also has some shooting range and can make some open shots from mid- to long-range. Bo Outero cannot score outside the penalty area, and his dribbling skills are not comparable to Jackson's.
Compare.
Because the SuperSonics are currently severely short of personnel, it is impossible to lay off Jackson quickly, so he received a guaranteed minimum salary contract. He will have the opportunity to prove himself during the rest of this season.
Playing the 4th position is not a problem for Jackson. In high school, he was known for his versatility and could play any position. His height and weight were enough to compete with the opponent's center in high school, but his disadvantage was that he was not good at anything.
George Karl clearly told Jackson to prepare him. He needs to defend the power forward and break up at the 4th position. He will not play a lot of time. He is the third choice at the 4th position and comes as a substitute.
Jackson is very happy when he has the ball and is willing to accept the substitute position. He has no ambitions at the moment. If he can average 10 minutes per game, he will win, and then he will work hard for the next basic salary.
After Jackson joined, the Sonics' number of players who can play has reached 13 again. When entering the playoffs, everyone can be selected for the roster.
The Sonics still lacked a point guard, and Wally Walker did not sign anyone in the free market after considering it because there was no suitable one.
Anyone with a bit of ability has been signed away, and even a 160cm defensive black hole like "Bug" Bogues has joined the Warriors as a substitute. Damon Jones is a relatively reliable defender, at least he won't
He's so short that he can shoot jump shots in front of him, and he can shoot better than most point guards.
Yang Jian took the lead in welcoming Jackson to the locker room, which made him feel respected and relieved his nervousness.
Yang Jian feels very happy because he likes to tear down his competitors' lineups. As long as other teams don't offer much higher contracts, he will let the management keep Jackson.
He felt that it didn't matter that Jackson almost shot. His wing defense and fast break ability were worth 2 million in annual salary. If Jackson hadn't been blacklisted by the league due to the incident at the Palace of Auburn Hills, he might have been selected as an All-Star.
Major sports media reported that Jackson signed with the SuperSonics and were not optimistic about this signing.
Fans also have a similar view. The Sonics have too many new players without NBA experience, as many as five. This means that they will have very few players to rotate in the playoffs.