On January 4, 2007, Adrian officially signed a new contract in Kupchak's office, which also meant that this four-year mid-level contract officially came into effect.
At the same time, it is said that in order to appease Kobe, the Lakers have begun to prepare a trade and are actively contacting the Magic. The specific target of the trade is not yet clear. The only thing that is certain is that it will definitely not be Dwight Howard. Although
It is said that the Lakers definitely want it, but they can't provide any bargaining chips. Moreover, it is still unclear whether Howard, who is the boss in Orlando, is willing to come to Los Angeles to be the second or third child. As for the Lakers,
In this regard, it is unclear who will be used as the trading chip, but Adrian estimates that Smash Parker will definitely be one of the trading chips, because according to Adrian, Smash Parker, the Lakers in the second half of last season
The main point guard's playing time has dropped sharply, especially since Adrian has been in good condition, has sufficient physical strength and no injuries, and Parker's playing time has become even less.
Parker is obviously not willing to hang out on the bench. He wants to be traded to a team with more playing opportunities. This is already an open secret in the Lakers. Fortunately, with the performance in the second half of last season,
Parker still has some trade value, so no one wants to worry about it. While preparing for the next game, another major event in the NBA has begun to brew.
Another thing, from today to January 18, the fourteen-day All-Star voting has begun all over the world. By then, NBA fans around the world can log on to the official voting website to vote for their favorite All-Star starters.
The lineup casts its vote. At the same time, head coaches across the league will also vote on the candidates for the All-Star reserves.
For fans, the All-Stars are a feast. They can see so many leading stars of each team competing on the same field. This is a festival that only happens once a year. For NBA players,
, being selected into the All-Stars, whether they are the main player or the substitute, is a kind of proof for themselves. It proves that in the eyes of the public, they are already NBA stars, and they are the best performing group in NBA.
Adrian doesn't have many thoughts about the All-Stars. Unless he is injured, Adrian really doesn't know who can compete with him for the starting point guard position of the first-year rookie team. For two consecutive months, Adrian
The Western Conference Rookie of the Month initially established his position. As for other purely performance-oriented programs such as the three-point contest, dunk contest, skills challenge, etc., he has no interest at all, although Phil Jackson once encouraged Adrian to participate in the skills challenge.
, but Adrian’s family knows his own business, and his skills are completely practical. Of course, they are very good and effective on the court, but in the skills challenge, it is best for him not to expose his shortcomings.
Three point shot?
Adrian's three-point shot has not been developed yet. If he is open, he can shoot it on the court, but don't expect his three-point shooting percentage to be very good.
Slam dunk contest... come on, no offense.
Compared with these performances, Adrian has more ideas about the All-Star Game. But they are just ideas. He knows that it is unlikely that he will be included in the All-Star Game list. After all, this is his first game.
One year, as a guard in the Western Conference, he had to face two-time MVP Steve Nash, triple-double king Jason Kidd, French sports car Tony Parker, 'Fighter' Allen Iverson,
The 'gentleman's sword' Ray Allen and his boss Kobe Bryant's encirclement and suppression.
Adrian felt a lot of pressure to get an All-Star spot from above these people. However, Adrian thought it would be better to give it a try. The opportunity to play in the All-Stars was a way for him to improve his business skills.
Important qualifications.
He wondered if he should find a suitable opportunity to talk to Kobe and Phil Titi and ask them to support him. Even if he couldn't make the starting lineup, he could still be a substitute.
Adrian told Kobe and Phil Jackson about his idea during training, but he was surprised to find that both Kobe and Phil Jackson expressed support.
"Ed, your performance is no worse than theirs. I think you are very competitive." Kobe thought about it for a moment and smiled: "Think about it, entering the All-Star lineup as a non-draft player in his rookie year.
It seems like no one has ever done it.”
When Adrian thought about it, he realized that this was completely unprecedented. It's not like there are no non-draft players in the NBA who have become All-Stars. For example, 'Big Ben' Ben Wallace entered the All-Star lineup in his first year as a rookie.
No, for example, big bird Larry Bird not only entered the NBA in his first year as a rookie, but also won the All-Star Game MVP.
But for an undrafted player to become an All-Star in his first year, this is really an unprecedented event.
Adrian couldn't help but feel excited.
If he really makes the All-Star team, he will be making history. This unprecedented record will forever write Adrian's name.
"I will build momentum for you. Anyway, the upcoming schedule is not severe. You can take more shots. Lamar and I can give you some space." Kobe also seems to feel that if this thing comes true, then
It was really interesting, and he immediately said: "Although it is unlikely that you will enter the All-Star lineup as a starter, you can still compete with the substitute lineup. Coach Phil, what do you think?"
"I have no objection." Phil Jackson shook his shoulders slightly and said with a smile: "I can also arrange some suitable singles tactics for Ed. It would also be good to use his low post power more. Let Ed
I am more used to being in the low post, and in the playoffs, we will also need to rely on Ed's low post power."
Immediately, Kwame Brown stated righteously that after grabbing the offensive rebound, he would pass it to Adrian as soon as possible. Lamar said that he would screen and roll for Adrian more. Radmanovic said that as long as Adrian
If Ann passes the ball to him, he will definitely hit it.
It can also be seen from here that Adrian Pingri's popularity with the Lakers is really good. This is inseparable from Adrian Pingri's personality, even if Farmar or Cook compete with Adrian for position.
Although they are jealous of Adrian's performance, their relationship with each other is not bad.
Only Andrew Bynum said rather resentfully: "That's great, I want to play in the All-Star game too."
No one messed with Adrian. They proved this in the next day's away game against the Kings. Kobe gave up most of the ball and the entire team completely followed Adrian's dispatch.
As for Qiwu, even on the offensive end, they often opened up to allow Adrian to have singles opportunities. On the defensive end, both Turiaf and Kwame Brown were committed to "blocking rebounds" for Adrian, and even
Even Andrew Bynum, who previously spoke with a hint of resentment, is not immune to this.
Under this situation, Adrian broke out into his best form this season. The Lakers won 132:100 at the home court of the Kings. The Kings fans cheered for the Lakers. Adrian even scored 33 points and 13 points.
The best statistics of the season were rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks. Not only did he set his own personal records in scoring and rebounds, but he also got the first triple-double of his career, winning the game in one fell swoop.
MVP, his performance eclipsed Kobe, who scored 47 points in the game.
After the game, Kobe even praised Adrian's performance in front of the media, saying that he was optimistic about the cooperation between him and Adrian in the All-Star Game.
The media with a keen sense of smell immediately smelled the news.
"Excuse me, Kobe, what you are saying is, do you think Adrian should be included in the All-Star team?"
"Of course." Kobe nodded matter-of-factly: "At the point guard position, Adrian is no worse than anyone else. Not only do I think he should be in the All-Star lineup, I also think he should be a starter. He has the strength.
