"First of all, one thing is for sure. If we choose to trade with the Rockets, then our reconstruction must be centered around this year's draft. As it stands, among this year's rookies, only Howard and Okafor are worthy of being used as the cornerstone of the reconstruction.
If he grows up quickly, it's barely possible, but this possibility is not very high. I think his best achievement is another big dog Robinson, an excellent inside composition, but it is definitely not that he cannot be the core of a championship team. Of course, now
The good news is that many people are optimistic about Okafor, which makes it relatively easy for us to get Howard. Even with the second pick, we are very likely to get him. Sorry to digress, but come back. If we trade with the Rockets, then our next season
The lineup should be center De Klerk, power forward Howard (don't question it, when Howard was drafted, many people thought his height was a power forward in the league), small forward Hill, backcourt Francis and Mobley."
"This lineup sounds pretty good." Old Pat commented while looking at Edison's analysis.
"It's good, but this lineup has no development potential. Do you think this lineup can defeat the Pistons and Pacers? Francis has never had a spark with an excellent inside player, whether it was the previous Big Dream or the current Yao Ming.
His character and playing style are destined. Every insider who cooperates with him is his human shield. They can only be blue-collar role players. Don't expect him to be able to link up with that insider inside and outside. His big dream when he first came to the league is still there now.
Yao Ming's offensive ability can be said to be the best, but he suppressed it. In Francis's eyes, the meaning of the inside line is to help him block his defender and open up a breakthrough line for him. He prefers the inside line to the inside line.
Cooperating with an outside line like Mobley. If this is the case, Howard will not have room to grow, and he will become a defensive inside line like Ben in the future. This is not what we want, nor is it acceptable to us."
Edison paused for a moment. Seeing that Old Pat was not very convinced, he decided to add another weight.
"And if we want to get an excellent backcourt this year, we don't have to trade our own aces. According to some of my intelligence, the Mavericks' Nash and the Clippers' Richardson are not planning to renew their contracts. They are
They will all be free agents this summer. Our current salary has not reached the salary cap, so we can at least sign one of them. Think about it, Nash cooperates with our draft this year. If we can get O'Neal again, we will directly become the best player in the Eastern Conference.
A top team. If we trade Francis, we will be among the top eight in the Eastern Conference."
After listening to Edison's analysis, Old Pat had a gloomy expression on his face. Edison was sensible and didn't say anything, letting Old Pat think about the pros and cons. In fact, if he said anything else at this time, Old Pat would not only not listen, but
It may make people bored. But now that I have said everything I should say, I have analyzed the pros and cons, and I can naturally draw conclusions based on Pat's years of experience in the league.
Just when Pat and Edison were silent, there was a knock on the door.
"Mr. Williams, Mr. Weisbrod invites you to the conference room. Mr. Allen Trim is already here." Old Pat's personal assistant came in to report.
"Okay, I'll go right away. Paul will be here today. We have a game against the Miami Heat tonight, so you go ahead and do your work."
So Edison left Old Pat's office and walked to the training ground.
Since there was a game against the Miami Heat in the evening, the players came to the training ground early, and they were doing various warm-ups under the direction of the coach.
"Paul, what's going on? You're late today. Are you still drunk?" Johnny Davis, the current head coach of the Magic, saw Edison coming and shouted loudly...
The surrounding players heard this and burst into laughter. The training ground was suddenly filled with a joyful and harmonious atmosphere.
"Hello, Johnny, and good morning to everyone. I was called to the office just now by Old Pat, so I'm late."
"Oh, that's right. What does old Pat want to do with you this time?" Everyone has the desire to gossip, so Yoni Davis asked subconsciously.
"Do you believe me when I say I want to raise my salary?" "Hahaha. I believe it."
Soon the warm-up was over, and Yoni organized an intra-team competition. Davis was selected by the Trail Blazers in the second round in 1976, but his hard-working playing style also made the coach
Davis was appointed as the head coach of the Magic on November 7, 2003, and he was also the sixth head coach in the team's history. As a player, Davis was selected in the second round by the Trail Blazers in 1976.
However, his hard-working playing style also made the coach admire him. In his 10-year career, he played for the Trail Blazers, Pacers, Hawks and Cavaliers respectively, averaging 12.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and his free throw percentage was as high as
82%. After retiring, he began coaching. In addition to serving as the head coach of the 76ers in the 1996-97 season, Davis served as an assistant coach for 12 years and worked for as many as 5 teams.
, on June 11, 1999, he was hired as an assistant coach by the Magic, and his previous coaching record was 42 wins and 111 losses. Because of the team's poor record, Davis' head coach's seat is like a crater. Once next season
If the team's performance is unsatisfactory, he will most likely be fired immediately, and in fact he was fired.
Edison took some time off and carefully watched the Magic's internal matchup, only to discover that this was actually an exhibition match for McGrady alone.
Both Hunter and Garrity who were facing him were completely blown away. Even if Gooden came to help defend the double team, McGrady could easily get rid of it, and then make a pull-up jumper or pass the ball to the receiving Juwan Howard and Tyronn.
Lu et al. In 10 minutes, the team led by Tracy McGrady was already leading by 20 points. Paul Edison was also bored and decided to see if he could find anything interesting elsewhere, such as to see if the cheerleaders were here. The cheerleaders
Are the team members changing clothes? Are the cheerleaders warming up during training?
At this time, Davis also felt that there was no point in confrontation at all if this continued, and made a change. He asked McGrady to come off the court to be the referee, and the others regrouped for confrontation. On one side was the current assistant guard Bogans.
Led by Tyronn Lue, the other team is composed of Juwan Howard and Gooden's assistant inside team. In order to distinguish Juwan Howard, they put on yellow vests. The scene immediately became lively. Both sides chased each other and voted for each other.
Damn, it’s so lively.
Edison also returned his attention to the court.
Juwan Howard got the ball and stood near the free throw line to support him. Britton Johnson followed up with the defense, but Howard turned half a circle with his right foot and passed the ball inside. Gooden, who followed him, immediately
A basket lick was successful.
Of course, the other side was not to be outdone. After the halftime transition, Tyronn Lue accelerated past the defending Stevenson from three points outside, went directly to the inside, and then avoided Gooden's block for a layup. Edison
When I saw it, I not only applauded, "It's so fast. It seems that there are so many experts in the NBA. I originally thought that only Iverson could have this kind of speed, but I didn't expect that someone on the Magic team could do it."
Stevenson felt that he had lost face. He also made a beautiful breakthrough in the offense, and then passed the ball to Juwan Howard, and then Uncle Huo scored in the mid-range shot. The whole coordination was also smooth.
After a few rounds, Edison discovered that the Magic still had a few capable players.
Juwan Howard later went to the Rockets and became Yao Ming's partner, known as Uncle Huo. Howard was one of the Five Tigers of Michigan back then. It can be said that he had a lot of success during his time in the NCAA. He was famous even before he entered the league.
Number one. After entering the league, Howard's performance was also remarkable. He was selected to the league's third team in the 1995-96 season, and Howard's contract expired that year. A free agent who topped the third team and
Still so young, it was natural that the market was bullish and he could sign a big contract. However, the special circumstances at the time made the contract he finally got many times bigger than he had dreamed of. Howard's outstanding performance in his rookie contract attracted the attention of other players in the league.
The team's attention, especially some teams with weak internal strength, often ogle him. First of all, the timing of his contract renewal is good. At that time, due to Jordan's comeback, the NBA entered a period of unprecedented prosperity, and the ratings were high.
The rates have reached unprecedented heights, and the bosses are making a lot of money. Looking at the bulging pockets, they are a little confused. They all think that there will be decades of good life ahead, so naturally they open their pockets to grab players. For a while,
Wages have skyrocketed, especially for young players with potential who can easily get contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Most of the most famous big contracts in the league in the past two years were signed in those years, such as those with high salary but low ability and high salary but not low ability.
Mourning O'Neal, Camp Baker, etc. At that time, a 24-year-old star who had just established his worth was naturally a hot commodity. It can be said that entering the transfer market at the right time was the key to him getting a big contract later.
This kid was lucky enough to get such a salary not only because of the timing, but also because of the position he played and the people who wanted him. He was spotted by Riley, the famous coach who coached the Heat at the time. At that time, Riley had already
After getting center Mourning and point guard T Hardaway, he just needed a player who could cover the 345th position, and he believed that Howard was the person he needed, and Riley has always been known for being willing to spend money on players. Now Howard revealed
Well! The matter did not end there. At that time, the Bullets had just lost a battle with the Bulls. Although they shaved their heads, the process was not ugly. They were also praised by Jordan afterwards. Several teams rushed to grab it, and the contract price soared.
In the end, Riley forcibly took away Howard for $105 million over seven years. The reluctant Bullets sued Riley to the league headquarters on the grounds that the Heat had exceeded the salary cap. The result of the arbitration was that the Bullets regained Howard.
Howard. After signing that sky-high contract, Howard's personal performance did not improve, but declined slightly, and the team's record became worse and worse. As a result, the media and the team criticized and ridiculed Howard.
Then it came overwhelmingly. Since then, Howard has become a representative figure of "high salary and low ability". He will inevitably be ridiculed before, during and after the season. Of course Howard feels uncomfortable. "To be honest.
, of course I was hurt." Speaking of those unbearable days, traces of pain can still be found on Howard's face. "These statements cover up my performance. No one talks about what I did on the court, or what I did.
How to help the team I play for, and no one talks about how I am a consistent and stable player in the NBA." "Why is this? It's all because of that contract. It was also because the Wizards thought I was worth it.
Give me such a large contract, and of course I have to sign it. I won’t refuse the money. I think it’s what I deserve.” Yes, someone is offering you a contract worth over 100 million, idiot.
He didn't sign it! Howard obviously wasn't. Therefore, the fault may not be Howard, let alone the media and fans, but the big boss of the Wizards! It can be said that that sky-high contract changed Juwan Howard's career, turning him from a
An excellent player and an important part of the team became a salary burden, which affected his subsequent progress...
Although that sky-high contract made Howard the laughing stock of many people, Juwan Howard's own strength is still beyond doubt. His offensive skills are very comprehensive and he has various scoring methods. When he first entered the league, he played the position of small forward, and also
He was able to hit the center when the team was short of players. His shooting posture was a bit weird in the early stages of his career (his shooting percentage was not high). Later on, he practiced hard and greatly improved his mid-range shooting ability. His shooting range covers the entire 3 zones, his touch is soft, and his shooting arc is flat, especially
He is a very accurate mid-range shooter about five meters away from the backboard, and he almost always hits the target when he is left open. He is also very good at scoring with his back to the basket. He is good at post-up singles, turning hooks and rebounding near the small penalty area. Although
He doesn't have 3-point ability, but he can also use mid-range shots to help the team at critical moments. Compared with offense, Howard's defense is much worse. Unlike McGrady or Carter, Uncle Huo is not willing to participate in defense and does not actively defend.
. His defense is very active, his defensive intelligence is sufficient, and he grasps the timing of assisting defense well. But the problem is that his physical fitness is too poor. When attacking, he can make up for his poor physical fitness by testing skills. Many white insiders rely on
His accurate shooting and flexible low-post footwork make him a world-beater on the offensive end, but physical fitness is a hard indicator when defending, and it cannot be made up for by technical intelligence. Uncle Huo's lack of confrontation ability is his flaw, and his lighter weight makes him stronger
He can't resist the strength of the inside line, and his foot speed is not fast enough. When assisting in defense, he can often react immediately, but by the time he runs over, he has either already passed or the defense is blocking him. Overall, Uncle Huo is still in the league.
Qualified main insider.
In addition, Bogans and Tyronn Lue also left a deep impression on Edison. Tyronn Lue is not tall but has speed. When he was with the Lakers in 2001, he defended Allen Iverson as a surprise opponent in the Finals. Although
His three-point ability is not outstanding, but he has a good feel for the ball, and his jump shot percentage after getting out of the way of defensive players is quite good. Unfortunately, his passing awareness is not good, and he is not very good at defense because he is not tall enough. Overall, he is
A poor version of Allen Iverson. Bogans and Tyronn Lue are just the opposite. They are not good at attacking with the ball. Although their speed is good, their breakthroughs are not sharp. Their offense mainly relies on open three-pointers or pick-and-roll layups.
.But Bogans defends very well, has a fierce style of play and is not afraid of confrontation. His body always sticks to the opponent, causing the opponent to lose his shooting rhythm. He also has a good overall view, is active in passing, and has passing skills. Bogans and Tailen
Lue can be said to be the polar opposite of the Magic's backcourt.
The performance of other players was mediocre. Gooden was still young and not as comprehensive as he was later; Stevenson could score and defend, but was not stable enough in both offense and defense, and was prone to impulsiveness. Other players showed no performance at all.
After the morning training, Yoni Davis announced that he would rest in the afternoon and play against the Miami Heat at home in the evening.
