Rebirth of Hayes Cyclone

Chapter 306 [The alliance is surging! 】

Chapter 306 [The alliance is surging! 】

During the Bobcats winning streak, the Lakers lost three games.They first lost to the Celtics in an upset, then lost to the Cavaliers led by LeBron James at home, and then lost to the Timberwolves on the road, with a total record of 23 wins and 4 losses.The league's overall record ranks second.

Artest played poorly after his comeback, and the Hayes incident seemed to have left a shadow in his heart.After playing, he played in a muddle, with less confrontation, but more risky steals, so he was often troubled by fouls, and his playing time was reduced a lot.Moreover, there are many people attacking Artest on the Internet. David Stern told the referees that he should be strict with Artest. In the game, Artest has become the focus of the referees.

At this time, the Timberwolves, one of the Lakers' main competitors in the West, had completed a blockbuster deal with the Pistons.

The Pistons Hamilton and Hibbert were packaged and sent to the Timberwolves, and the Timberwolves sent Allen Iverson, who won the championship last season.

Iverson was traded is actually hidden.

After successfully winning the championship, the Timberwolves executives felt that Iverson's mentality had changed.For a player like Iverson who plays desperately, mentality is more important than technology.As soon as his mentality is relaxed, his ability will drop drastically.

Apolis, Minnesota, where the Timberwolves are located, is a small city with average economic conditions. It does not have the influence of big cities like New York and Los Angeles. Many rookies are unwilling to play here after being selected by the Timberwolves, let alone big-name players.

Iverson was quite happy when he first arrived in the Timberwolves, because he hoped to hit the championship with Garnett.It took them two seasons and they managed to reach their goal.When a person's long-term goals are achieved, there is often a sense of emptiness in his heart, which is exactly the case with Iverson.In the Timberwolves, he has no higher pursuit.

Defending champion?At that time, the championship MVP may still be awarded to Garnett.Because there is only one king here, and the name of the king is not "Answer".Originally, Iverson and Garnett had equal status, but Garnett played well in the playoffs and won the finals MVP, and the evaluation of the two changed.

Already having a championship ring, Iverson hopes to move forward to a higher pursuit.He wants to win the championship as the only core of the team, but does he still have time?His contract is about to expire. If he re-signs with the Timberwolves, then he is likely to die in the Timberwolves and become Garnett's "deputy".It's not a good feeling for a proud person.

Iverson didn't want to die with the Timberwolves, so he refused to cut his salary.Such a move caused dissatisfaction with the head coach McHale and the club's top management.They have already guessed that Iverson will not renew his contract next season. Instead of letting him go for nothing, it is better to send Iverson out of the team as soon as possible while he has trade value.

And so the transaction happened.Iverson's statistics this season are not very good, but his reputation and influence are definitely not comparable to Hamilton.Looking at the commercial value, you can see that his sales of sneakers and jerseys are twice that of Hamilton.

The Pistons also thought a lot about introducing Iverson.From the perspective of strengthening the lineup, sending the team's head star Hamilton and potential rookie Hibbert in exchange for Iverson, who has reached the end of his career, may be a loss.But in terms of economic value and long-term interests, this is a win-win deal.

As long as Iverson is still playing, he can become a starter in the All-Star Game.Even if Iverson's data drops, it will not affect the love of millions of fans for him.The Pistons need Iverson to appeal to Detroit's lackluster box office.Moreover, Iverson's contract will expire next year. If the state is not good, the Pistons will not renew his contract and can free up 2000 million salary.Coupled with the fact that Rasheed Wallace's contract is about to expire, the Pistons can do a lot in 2010.

In the summer of 2010, a group of big-name stars such as James, Wade, Bosh, and Stoudemire will become free agents. As long as one of them is attracted, the team can rise again.Detroit is a city in recession, and it is not easy to attract big-name players.If you can't hit the championship, then you can only rely on the maximum salary and money to attract stars!

After the Timberwolves had Roy Hibbert, a young center, they injected vitality into the aging inside.In the second game after the transaction was completed, the Timberwolves defeated the Lakers at home.Both Hibbert and Hamilton made their debut and played well.Cooperating with Garnett, Hamilton can also exert its power.The Timberwolves have won 6 consecutive victories and returned to the ranks of strong teams.

The only flaw of the Timberwolves now is the point guard position. Once Iverson leaves, they can only use Jaric as the starting point guard. Jaric's breakthrough ability and passing awareness are not very qualified.So the Timberwolves still want to seek a deal, they want to change to a better guard.How to do it, there is no plan yet, before the trade deadline, the Timberwolves executives will make up their minds.

After the Timberwolves completed the big deal, the top management of the Lakers also felt the pressure. Owner Buss held a high-level meeting with the intention of making another deal!

The Lakers club originally planned to play this season with the current lineup, but Artest did not reach the height they expected.He didn't come to assist Kobe, but he seemed to come to snatch the boss.

"Zen Master" Jackson's opinion is very clear: "If you can, trade Artest. When Kobe is on the court, he still knows how to pass the ball; but when Kobe is on the court, he will take up a lot of shots. I think he is not convinced. Paul (Gasol), thinks he is the No. [-] of the Lakers. Because he does not pass the ball to Paul inside, he always chooses to play hard. He makes the team unable to play the triangle offense. His shooting percentage is still very low , I've talked to him too many times, and nothing works."

Bruce, the Lakers' consultant, also agreed with Jackson's statement. The purpose of the Lakers' introduction of Artest was to allow him to defend Hayes, but it turned out that Artest couldn't defend Hayes at all, and he was messed up in the first game. Angry.On the offensive end, Artest did not adapt to the triangle offensive system, and his help to the Lakers was limited. Summer's signings have failed.

If Hayes knows the inside story of the Lakers, he will be very surprised why Artest arrived in the Lakers a year earlier, and his state is not as good as his previous life.

It's a matter of timing.Artest played for the Rockets for one season in the 2008-2009 season. Because McGrady was injured, Artest became the number one offensive option for the Rockets outside, so he did not conflict with his teammates.After a not-so-successful season, Artest's spirit has also worn down a little.Joining the Lakers who have already won a championship is to hug their thighs to get the ring.So relatively low-key.Today's Lakers have not won a championship, and they were eliminated by the Timberwolves last season and did not show invincible strength.And Artest's data last season just reached the peak of his career.The combination of these conditions makes Artest feel that he is the savior of the Lakers, not a "thigh hug".So he was unwilling to be a blue-collar coolie.

The Lakers held a meeting to discuss, and someone proposed to use Artest to trade the Thunder's Rashard Lewis, or let Caron Butler, who played for the Lakers for a year, come back.

Lewis hasn't played very well with the Thunder this season.With an annual salary of 1000 million, he will become a free agent next year. Lewis jumped out of his contract last season in order to seek a high salary, but no one cared about it. This season, he also entered the free market as a restricted free agent. Still, no team is willing to pay him a high salary.This made Lewis disheartened.Executed the final year of the contract with the Thunder.Next year, he will become a completely free agent, if the Lakers trade him.If you don't renew your contract next year, you can free up your salary and avoid the luxury tax.

Lewis himself has no intention of renewing his contract with the Thunder.The Thunder executives are now focusing on training Jeff Green, and continue to use Lewis as the starter just to let him improve his statistics and use his last year's trade value to exchange for other players.Lewis was publicly put on the shelves by the Thunder, and the league knows it.

卡隆-巴特勒本赛季的数据也有明显下降。上场34分钟，场均只有15.4分5.2篮板1.6助攻，这和他上赛季的20.3分6.7篮板5助攻2.2抢断的数据大相径庭。他的数据下降的这么厉害，不是能力上的问题，而是队友的不配合。奇才队现在内讧严重。扎克-兰多夫已经把奇才更衣室气氛变的像监狱一样沉闷。

Randolph and Butler divided the team into two factions vying for the top spot.Randolph scored 20.6 points and 11.4 rebounds last season.After Hayes' success, the Wizards executives preferred a fat man like Randolph who could be inside and outside, with a soft touch.And Hayes publicly said in an interview that the people he is least willing to defend are Randolph and Nowitzki.What Hayes said actually didn't have any special meaning, but when others heard it, they added points to Randolph's level.It seems that Hayes has recognized that Randolph and Nowitzki are at the same level.

Therefore, this season Butler has reduced his playing time, and the club hopes to trade Butler out of the team, with Randolph as the core of the team.It was quite a risk, but the Wizards decided to give it a try.

Lakers general manager Kupchak first contacted the Thunder.The Lakers are more interested in Lewis.But the Thunder don't want Artest.Their intentions are clear.The purpose of replacing Lewis is to put Jeff Green in the position. If Artest comes, Green's position will become very awkward again.

Then Kupchak contacted the Wizards again.Ask Caron Butler.Back then when the Lakers traded Butler for Kwame Brown, many experts believed that this was a deal that failed to the extreme.

actually not.At that time, the Lakers had a surplus of outside personnel, and Kobe took up a lot of shots, making it difficult for others to play.Butler's position is also in conflict with Odom, so it's not very useful.In addition, the Lakers' inside line is full of holes, a permanent substitute Mihm, a Grant, (there is no him from the edge to the stool, he has to sit on the floor...) and Divac who can't play and gets paid.At that time, the Lakers urgently needed a player with vitality and height.They took a fancy to Kwame Brown, who is the No. [-] pick. Now it seems that if there is no Brown, the Lakers may not be able to trade for Gasol, so there is no gain or loss.

Coincidentally, Brown was traded by the Wizards because of conflicts with Arenas.Now the Lakers may get Butler back again because of the Wizards' conflict.

After Kupchak proposed the trade plan, Wizards general manager Glenn Feld immediately showed great interest.What would happen if Artest transferred to the Wizards? "Drug dealer" Randolph and "violent man" Artest, this combination is very interesting...

(End of this chapter)