One Thousand Nine Hundred and Fifty-Two. Paul Is so Miserable 1 Man

Sun Ce did not attend the core player meeting held by Coach Hollins, but this did not prevent these core players from knowing that it was Sun who proposed the suggestion.

At this time, he did not show up, hiding his merits and fame... Anyway, his teammates could guess that he was the one who made it happen.

The feasibility of this suggestion is obviously because they started to play in an extraordinary state in the Christmas game, otherwise it would be the best choice to just keep playing steadily.

When the coaching staff returned to Memphis yesterday, they were still saying that the current stability is great and should continue. Today, they suddenly changed their tone. Although they only discussed with these core players, they obviously had made a decision.

Suddenly changed the decision... Who else in the team can make this happen besides Sun Ce?

Anyway, when the team owner occasionally jumps out with a weird suggestion, he will be driven out by the coaching staff. In business, their coaches are not good, coaching, and the boss is not good. The division of labor in the team is clear.

Good condition is the foundation!

The recent condition is indeed good, probably because they have reached a good stage of running-in. When running in previous games, if it is a new player combination, the running position is often not tacit, but it rarely happens recently.

Among them, Brogdon and Jaylen Brown have made the most obvious progress. Their performance was far behind the excellent rookies in previous years. No one noticed when they "hit the wall". Perhaps the rookie wall was broken and they found a way to integrate themselves into the team.

For example, Brogdon has finally learned how to switch between his two styles of play. When Sun Ce is on the court, if Sun Ce does not actively ask, Brogdon can boldly ask Sun Ce to pick and roll for him and launch an offense; when Sun Ce is not there, Brogdon plays completely without the ball. Don't think too much. Carter, Paul George, and even Aldridge and Yi Jianlian are more experienced than him and can distribute the ball better.

Jaylen Brown's progress is reflected in his better choice of cutting time and less impetuous defense. After being scolded by Tony for 10,000 times, the probability of fouling has finally dropped. The main reason is that he is humble and willing to learn. Except for the silly look of a fanboy when he saw Sun Ce, he has a good way of dealing with people at other times. It can be seen from the interview that he can praise every one of the team's 13 teammates + 3 development players.

Gion is a one-shot deal, which is something the Grizzlies and he both understand. The Grizzlies are willing to use Nance, who has a potential rookie contract, to exchange for a first-class inside swingman who is in his prime to increase the probability of defending the title, even if they can only use him for more than half a season. If sending away a player can guarantee the championship, double 3D or inside twin towers are fine, as long as they can complete three consecutive championships.

This year is the last year of Gion's rookie contract. With the ability he has shown, after this season, there will definitely be a team that will offer an annual salary starting at 10 million. The Grizzlies can't afford that much money, and Gion will not give up that much money.

But Gion also wants to win the championship with the Grizzlies. This is a rare opportunity, especially after playing for more than three years in a team like the Timberwolves. He must be very active to play for a team that can win games and even have a chance to win the championship. As a player, he has played in the NBA for several years. He knows very well how difficult it is for a player to hold a thigh and win a championship in the early stage of his career. For 95% of players, if the opportunity to win a championship ring is missed, it is really missed, and there may be no chance in the entire career.

Gion is working hard to learn how to complete high and low post cooperation with Aldridge, how to build interior defense with David West, and how to run and play with Yi Jianlian... Some progress is good, and some are not so suitable. Now it is time to pick the most suitable style of play for him and strengthen it.

Luol Deng is... very enthusiastic, very energetic, and has excellent leadership in the locker room, which is much better than Randolph last year. Randolph organizes team activities on his own, while Luol Deng will plan in advance,

just like Battier back then, very good.

…

Several core teammates left, some practiced more, some went home. Today is the second day off. Tomorrow, which is the 6th, the Grizzlies will host the Wizards. There is no game on January 7th, which is his Sun’s birthday and also the Tennessee’s statutory holiday, Lord’s Day. Since 2015, the local union has been advocating to make this day a paid holiday. Many companies in Tennessee have chosen to support it, especially those that sell agricultural mechanized equipment.

The NBA also followed the "advocacy" of the Tennessee AFL and did not arrange a game for the Grizzlies on this day, which is considered a "day off" for NBA teams in Tennessee.

Coach Hollins got up from the conference room and returned to his office. Seeing Sun Ce practicing calligraphy, he joked, "Happy birthday, Noah."

"Thank you, it's a pity that you don't have legal holidays. I've worked hard for so many years, but I haven't been able to get you a day off."

"Oh, the fans will be very grateful to you, especially the students in Memphis, who have an extra day off this winter vacation... Is this the calligraphy you mentioned? Practicing this can calm people down?"

"That's what the elders said, but the more I practice, the more irritated I get."

"Then I guess the elders are right, because you are different from ordinary people."

"..."

"Noah, we are ready to decide who the 15th player on the team is. We must get him before the All-Star weekend. Do you have any good candidates?"

"Deron Williams, Curry..."

"Curry?"

"His younger brother, Seth Curry, is from the Mavericks. I have his phone number. He is already applying to the Mavericks for a trade or a buyout. He wants to play on a team that can win."

"That's pretty powerful, I don't think it's necessary."

"Why?"

"We have Malcolm, and having a point guard as good as Deron Williams or Seth Curry will delay Malcolm's growth, and we are looking for a third point guard, Deron Williams. He is not the kind of player who can contribute when he is needed. He needs his teammates to cooperate with him. He is not suitable for Seth Curry. Letting him play the third point guard will affect his ability to win a contract. I have seen his Information, he hasn’t received a big contract yet, and we can’t give it to him.”

As a head coach who has been a player, when considering certain things, there will always be an extra layer of non-basketball reasons.

After explaining, Coach Hollins continued: "So our goal is a forward and defensive line player to solve the problem of weak independent scoring ability at the small forward and shooting guard positions."

Hearing this, Sun Ce became serious. This was really a problem.

Although Carter's statistics are similar to previous years, he is becoming more and more inclined to play without the ball. He is getting older and more proficient in playing without the ball. While maintaining good physical fitness, Carter has made very good adjustments and improved his condition. It has been maintained, but the decline in singles is a decline. This is inevitable. Carter will not turn 40 in 21 days and still ask him to fight in singles against opponents who are more than ten years younger than him. Occasionally, he can do it, but regular offense cannot. Therefore, the Grizzlies coaching staff was very happy when they selected a point guard like Brogdon with excellent isolation ability and strong combat ability.

But this only makes up for the loopholes in the point guard position after Mo Williams retired and Sessions went to get a big contract. The decline of forward Carter's singles performance shows that Paul George's independent scoring ability is not that impressive.

Paul George's development direction is to be a point forward, and he has developed very well in this direction. As a result, his independent scoring ability is not top-notch, and it is far inferior to the person he was in the original time and space. Of course, he is not as good as he is now. Organizing the offense is not in the same dimension either.

In fact, the Grizzlies' 13-man roster is already very strong. If they are looking for a third point guard, or a shooting guard and small forward to hold the ball and score points, it is just a spare tire. It will be used during the regular season rotation, not necessarily in the playoffs. There is a chance to play.

What is added is depth.

However, Sun Ce still has a question: "What if there is an injury at our point guard position? I am confident that he will stay healthy, but Malcolm is still a rookie and has just come out of college. I am worried that he will be at risk of injury due to too much intensity. ”

"We will pay attention to this, and we have already chosen the third point guard for the regular season. The undrafted rookie point guard you recommended is doing well in the Development League. He is like a smaller Malcolm, although he is athletic. His ability and height are not good, but his skills are excellent and he has adapted well to the adult basketball environment. We are going to try to give him a chance to see if he can grasp it. "

Hearing this, Sun Ce felt that gold really shines wherever he goes! Van Jordan played very well in the eyes of their affiliated Memphis Fighting Team and entered the sight of the parent team.

The main reason is that VanVleet, an undrafted man, is similar to Brogdon. He will be 23 years old in two months. He has played four seasons in NBAA and has solid basic skills. What he needs to do is to adapt to NBA competition. , able to adapt to NBA rules, adapt to the NBA three-point line...

Sun Ce has no hope that Brogdon and VanVleet can make much contribution to the championship in their rookie years. The two are technically mature, but at the age of 23 or 4, they have not yet reached their peak. , it will be about the same in two or three years. I just hope that they can do what a backup point guard and third point guard should do during the rotation stage. They don't ask for more excellence, but just ask for less mistakes.

That's true, but two point guards who have played in the NCAA for four years and have good basic skills have solved their point guard line problems this season very well.

Then you have to target the front line.

Sun Ce closed his eyes and reviewed in his mind the characteristics of all his teammates and what the team currently lacks... After thinking for a long time, Sun Ce thought of what the team would need if it wanted to strengthen.

"First, a player who can score independently at the small forward and shooting guard positions; second, a player who can move to the power forward position to cooperate with Yi Jianlian in running and bombing; third, a player who has enough speed and counterattack awareness, and can instigate fast breaks. Point guard..."

Sun Ce felt something was wrong when he thought of this. He felt as if he was talking about himself...

"Wait a minute, I have to think from another angle and include me, Sun. If I am here, it means there is someone who can organize scoring in multiple positions, and can serve as a scorer or initiator in running and gunning... ...Coupled with my teammates, then we need...a swingman who can play positions 1-3! He is fast and can shoot; or he is fast and can play in isolation; or he can shoot and play in isolation... Mainly It’s hard to find a player who can play multiple positions! Such a position-ambiguous player is so expensive! Hey, wait a minute... The modern Jordan seems to be good, he can keep up with the speed and shoot in the back. "

Thinking of this, Sun Ce said to coach Hollins: "Why didn't we recruit Joe Johnson last summer?"

"We recruited him, but he wanted a full mid-level salary, which we couldn't afford. He signed a two-year, 23 million contract with the Jazz."

"..." Sun Ce was silent for a moment, "Well, not every veteran has a soft spot for rings, and they can't be sold for 23 million."

After all, it is only to get closer to the championship, and everyone's pursuit is different at each stage. If Joe Johnson can get a two-year high pension contract at this age, he will definitely not be willing to give up.

Sun Ce doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with Joe Johnson’s choice.

In this regard, Sun Ce can only give up this almost perfect option. Joe Johnson's solid body can be used as a striker in the small ball era. Moreover, at worst, it will be a big deal if Sun Ce plays forward on the defensive end.

"I play forward on the defensive end. Wouldn't it be enough to have one more player who can keep up with the counterattack speed and can serve as a small forward and shooting guard in positional battles? Brogdon is tall enough, 196 centimeters, but his speed is a bit slow. Catching and shooting requires rhythm, so it is not suitable for counterattacks, sticking to the ball, or being a counterattack player..."

Thinking of this, a figure of a player appeared in Sun Ce's mind, but he did not say it immediately. Instead, he asked: "Coach, do you have any candidates for the team?"

Coach Hollins shook his head: "In the past few days since the new year, we have received 16 calls from player agents who have obtained permission from their teams to negotiate with other teams. They want to join us to compete for the championship, but otherwise The playing styles overlap, or the strength is not good enough. Each of our players must have their own role, even Rolle, his role is very important. We cannot make decisions casually. We originally planned to wait until the All-Star weekend for more updates. Many veterans need the permission of their team before making a decision, so I want to ask you. If you have a good overall view, see if you have any recommendations. We can discuss with his team whether we can talk to his agent. connect."

Having said that, Coach Hollins just wants a reference condition for Sun Ce. If it doesn’t work, he can lower his requirements. As long as he can play a certain role in more than 20 games after the All-Star Weekend, what does Sun Ce think? Such players are more suitable for the team and are worth reference. If Sun Ce has an idea, he can start taking action now. Maybe it will be effective in some games before the All-Star Weekend. Anyway, it cannot be delayed until after the All-Star Weekend. Otherwise, the significance will become smaller and smaller. In the playoffs, there will definitely be 10-11 people playing the main role.

Originally, coach Hollins planned to wait for Curry, Paul, Evans and others to trade, but the Evans trade has been delayed; Curry's hard-core exchange of players; the unexpected Irving The transaction, and the replacement of the center, the additions are all junk contracts that match the salary or marginal players to free up positions; Paul's side has always been noisy, and he is completely regarded as a tool to raise or lower the price...

Seeing that Sun Ce seemed to have no idea, Coach Hollins was ready to lower his demands.

At this time, Sun Ce said: "I have someone, wait, I'll call him first!"

…

In the early morning of January 6, 2017, Yahoo Sports reporter Shams Charatia broke the news that the Pacers had been trying to trade but no one was willing to take forward swingman Monta Ellis to the Pacers officials. Apply for a buyout and be willing to accept the terms of deferred payment of next season's salary into five years.

Deferred payment, it seems that the salary is the same, but considering the increasingly severe inflation, the quantitative easing policy of the new US president, and the tax cut policy, the dollar's depreciation trend is obvious. Now many players are unwilling to accept a deferred payment agreement, unless it is He really wants to leave the team, or he can retire after a friendly negotiation with the team to buy out.

After Monta Ellis' contract with the Mavericks expired last summer, he accepted a two-year offer of US$21.16 million from the Pacers. This season's salary is US$10.154 million and next season's US$11 million.

But the Pacers later traded Teague. Veteran C.J. Miles played very well this season. Big Dog's son Glenn Robinson III also showed potential this season. In addition, the Pacers' star player Hayward...Ellis's journey with the Pacers can be described as dire, and the Pacers as a whole also have problems. A group of outsiders are fighting for the ball, and the relationship between the outside players is very cold...

This cannot be blamed on Ellis alone, because he has an annual salary of tens of millions. With his character, he naturally wants to perform to match his salary. Last season, he averaged 18.3 points and 5.5 assists per game, so he has the strength. Otherwise, he would not be able to get a tens of millions of annual salary contract even though his playing style is criticized.

A team with never-ending chaos, everyone is fighting for the ball... Everyone has to bear the blame. Ellis did not listen to the coaching staff, and the blame will definitely be heavier. But after Larry Bird resigned, the Pacers became stronger. Chaos is the key.

The Pacers have been selling Ellis to relieve the pressure on the team, but the more they put the blame on Ellis, the less likely they are to trade him, so they are ready to try a buyout in an attempt to change the atmosphere of the team.

But they just signed Ellis last summer, and they planned to buy out less than a year later. They really couldn't save their dignity, and Ellis certainly couldn't save his dignity and seek a buyout if it was not necessary.

This soap opera has been going on for more than a month this season. Neither side wants to tear each other apart, so it has been dragging on like this. It is also one of the hot topics among fans this season. Finally, Ellis bowed his head first.

It is hard to say which side is the winner. At present, Ellis and the Pacers can be regarded as a lose-lose situation.

Perhaps, Ellis, who received the buyout fee, made a small profit, but his career is basically over. His reputation, which was not good to begin with, is now completely ruined.

The Grizzlies played against the Wizards tonight, relying on Sun Ce's 36 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, Paul George's 22 points and 8 assists, plus Gobert's 15 points and 12 rebounds... With Yi Jianlian, Aldridge, and Klay Thompson taking turns to rest, they still beat the Wizards 122 to 111 and won 7 consecutive victories.

This momentum is so stable! It perfectly shows the current chemistry and offensive state of the Grizzlies.

This can be seen from the ease with which Sun Ce scored 36 points in 35 minutes of playing time. He made 13 of 23 shots, 4 of 7 three-pointers, and 6 of 8 free throws. The media described this shooting efficiency and true hit rate as terrible after the game!

After the game, the fans on the scene celebrated Sun Ce's birthday one day in advance. Originally, Sun Ce's fan forum had discussed singing a birthday song for Sun Ce before the game started. More than half of the fans who bought tickets knew about singing a birthday song for Sun Ce on the spot through fan forums, fan WeChat public platforms, fan Twitter group chat groups, etc., but his fans were so confident that they decided to sing after the game!

As for the small number of fans who didn't know the situation, they were led to sing the birthday song.

Sun Ce was about to accept a post-match interview after the game. He heard that the fans on the scene were a little chaotic at first, but after singing, they were obviously organized and disciplined. Even the DJ on the scene was bribed to play the accompaniment softly... Birthday song blessings, putting aside how much money he made, Sun Ce felt that as a player, he had worked hard for so many years, and this moment was worth it!

Without interrupting the fans' blessings, after the fans finished singing twice and stopped in an organized manner, Sun Ce waved to the fans without saying anything. At this time, the most important thing is to be cool.

The reporter asked in a surprised tone: "Oh, Lord, your fans are so outstanding, this scene is so touching, do you have anything to say to the fans?"

Sun Ce eased his excitement and exhaled heavily through his mouth and nose, so that no one would notice that he had taken a deep breath just now to hold back his tears. It was too uncool.

Looking up, Sun Ce got an idea and said, "They are great and outstanding. If I forget that they kicked me out of the fan group, they and I are brothers."

The reporter's attention was immediately diverted, and he asked, "Were you kicked out of the fan group by them?"

"Yeh, you heard it right. I once again joined a relatively large fan group of mine out of curiosity. There were 2,000 people. I seemed to have scored more than 90 points that time. Seeing them talking about how great I was, I was very happy to admit that I was me, and then I was kicked out."

"Hahahaha... Lord, you are suitable for talk shows."

"I can't tell jokes. I said I am a people's artist."

...

The day after the game with the Wizards was Sun Ce's 27th birthday.

Many people sent him birthday wishes through Twitter, Facebook, WeChat, media interviews, etc.

This is the seventh year in the NBA. This is the first time that Sun Ce has no game on his birthday and no game on the road. It is rare.

And the next game is also a home game. Although the 8th and 9th are back-to-back, it is also rare. If the schedule is randomly arranged after determining the game density and opponent strength at a certain stage, the probability of such an arrangement is very low. It may be rare to have such an arrangement in the entire career. It must be specially arranged like the Christmas game, the opening game, the closing game... and other popular time points.

Sun Ce really felt the harvest of years of hard work, the psychological harvest.

No relatives and friends were invited. The blessings of teammates were sent after the game last night. No one disturbed Sun Ce today. Sun Ce spent a relaxing day at home with his family. Even the team did not arrange training. The home back-to-back tomorrow and the day after tomorrow will directly arrange tactics and play on the same day.

...

Happy times always end quickly. On January 8, the Grizzlies will face the Timberwolves at home.

Back-to-back, of course, rest must continue. Aldridge and Paul George rested in the first game, but it was not a big problem. The strength of the Timberwolves... is just like that. The only strong point is Karl Towns.

Without the guidance of the Mamba, Towns has been very strong since entering the NBA. In his second year, he averaged 26 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. He is indeed the well-deserved No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft. His defense is a little poor. In terms of offensive skills, in today's league, even Cousins ​​and Embiid may not have better offensive skills than Towns.

But the Grizzlies relied on the Splash Brothers and Yi Jianlian to score 13 three-pointers, Sun Ce scored 5, Klay Thompson and Yi Jianlian each scored 4, and the team scored a total of 19 three-pointers, directly shooting through the Timberwolves.

Sun Ce made 16 of 27 shots, 5 of 7 three-pointers, and 6 of 6 free throws, easily scoring 43 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists, 5 steals, and 1 block. The Grizzlies slaughtered the Timberwolves 131-107 and won 8 consecutive victories, improving their record to 32 wins and 9 losses!

Sun Ce scored his fifth 40+ and sixth triple-double of the season. After the game, fans were discussing Sun Ce's 28th regular season 40+ triple-double in his career. Highlights' comments teased that Sun Ce had no intention and conditions to compete with Westbrook for the historical triple-double king, so he worked hard on the 40+ times. This season, there were only 6 triple-doubles, 5 40+, and 3 40+ triple-doubles. He wanted to create a record for Westbrook that could never be broken in terms of the number of 40+ triple-doubles.

Westbrook has had 112 triple-doubles so far, and Sun Ce has a total of 128 triple-doubles, including this one. Considering Westbrook has had 20 triple-doubles in half a season, Sun Ce may be surpassed this season.

But in terms of 40+ triple-doubles, except for Sun Ce, since detailed statistics have been available, all other players in NBA history, including Westbrook, have had a total of 26 40+ triple-doubles, and Sun Ce alone has 28... One person is really playing against a group of people!

Then on January 9, the Grizzlies played back-to-back games against the Utah Jazz at home.

Resting will continue, of course, this time it is Klay Thompson and Yi Jianlian who are resting.

Among the six players on the poster above the gate of the stadium, only Sun Ce is in amazing health and Gobert only plays for more than 20 minutes in a game. The two of them do not need to rest, and the other four are at the point where they need to rest. They all have some injuries, but they will not show it on the court, but they have to prevent small injuries from accumulating into big injuries.

Rest is one of the best ways to avoid injuries. As for unexpected situations... God knows which will come first, the accident or tomorrow.

Klay Thompson and Yi Jianlian took turns to rest, which had a huge impact on the Grizzlies. It was equivalent to the most stable three-point shooters on the inside and outside lines were gone. After the game started, they were basically fighting on defense.

The Jazz, who have outside players such as Conley, Jimmy Butler, Joe Johnson, Rodney Hood, Exum, Ingles, etc., are not inferior to the Grizzlies in outside strength, but the inside is far behind the Grizzlies. The Jazz's inside can even be compared with the Lakers last season. For the Jazz, blocking the outside line, shrinking the basket, and using mobile defense are the best defensive options. If Yi Jianlian and Klay Thompson can play, then the Jazz's shrinking defense will be greatly restricted and will be beaten by the players who cut in.

But if the two can't play, the Jazz will be much easier to defend.

At this time, Sun Ce and Aldridge's mid-range shots looked like they were playing another game. Sun Ce made 7 of 13 mid-range shots and Aldridge made 6 of 11 mid-range shots, which broke the Jazz's extreme defensive strategy of blocking the basket and preventing three-pointers!

With Sun Ce's 14 of 28 shots, 14 points from mid-range shots, 2 of 6 three-pointers, and 10 of 12 free throws, he scored 40 points back to back; Aldridge scored 26 points. The Grizzlies relied on defense and prevented Conley's key three-pointer, and narrowly defeated the Jazz 96-93, winning 9 consecutive victories! Breaking the Lakers' highest winning streak of 8 consecutive victories this season!

40 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks... Sun Ce's performance, the only regret of the fans is that he failed to get a triple-double.

After winning the home back-to-back games, the Grizzlies' schedule became relatively easier. The opponents are strong, so there is nothing we can do. The opponents in the first 31 games of the season are relatively weaker, and the opponents in the later games are of course stronger, because there are always more teams that can make the playoffs than those that cannot.

But the schedule is easier, yes. There is only one back-to-back in the remaining 10 games this month.

On January 11, the Grizzlies ushered in the last opponent of the 4-game home run, the New Orleans Pelicans.

Originally, the two No. 1 picks played well, and they could not go further because the Pelicans management sent away some important players whose contracts expired and needed salary increases every year in order to save money, which offset the improvement of the two No. 1 picks' personal abilities, but still maintained the strength to impact the playoffs. However, I don't know what's wrong with the Pelicans management, and they went to build twin towers. Now the Pelicans have dropped directly to 11th in the West! They have fallen out of the ranks of playoff contenders! The record has dropped to 18 wins and 24 losses, and there is no way to do it.

Yi Jianlian and Tony Allen did not play in this game. The Grizzlies' outside shooters were arranged and the defense closed the basket, which directly collapsed the Pelicans.

115 to 97, the Grizzlies won the first 10 consecutive victories in the league this season!

After the Lakers lost the 8th game of the season, the Grizzlies, who had 34 wins and 9 losses, were only 1.5 wins away from the Lakers, who had 36 wins and 8 losses!

...

The Grizzlies are here again!

With this wave of winning streak, the Grizzlies once again returned to the ranks of competing for the regular season championship. Sun Ce and the Grizzlies, who were at the peak of their careers, were praised by the media and experts again.

Sun Ce and the fans of the Grizzlies naturally followed suit. The black fans still had to blacken them, and the angles were tricky and hard to defend. Anyway, letting the fans and them spray each other has achieved the goal that the black fans wanted.

The Grizzlies have long been accustomed to such a situation, and those who praise them always have the upper hand, because they have been the biggest winners for more than two seasons. As long as they have not lost the championship this year, they are still the winners.

Most of the games this month will be home games, and most of the games in February will be away games... but that's not important! What's important is that home games are very beneficial for them to hit the first place in the West or even the first place in the league before the All-Star Weekend!

The Grizzlies' regular season journey is still going on, and the buyout contract with Ellis is still under negotiation.

Ellis has nearly half of the schedule left this season, which means that he still has nearly 5 million US dollars in salary this season and 11 million US dollars in salary next season. Buyouts are not buyouts, and the Pacers will of course have to discuss slowly. After communicating with Ellis, the Pacers learned about Ellis' ideal next home.

Now the Pacers' management is no longer the Celtics, and they don't care whether the Grizzlies want to establish a dynasty. They don't have any grudges, and they are not competitors, so they are already discussing the claim with the Grizzlies.

According to the latest NBA claim rules, if the claiming team's salary does not exceed the luxury tax threshold after the claim is completed, the maximum contract that can be used to claim the buyout player is 3% of the salary cap, which is 3.13 million US dollars.

The Grizzlies meet the conditions, but the Grizzlies must negotiate this. The difference between the minimum claim price and the maximum claim price is more than one million, close to two million US dollars. They must negotiate it carefully, because of the difference in the salary of a veteran minimum-salary player.

In comparison, the Grizzlies are more anxious, and the Pacers are slowly negotiating with the Grizzlies.

However, after the buyout negotiations began, the style of both Ellis and the Pacers changed. Ellis began to thank the Pacers for recruiting him last summer, and began to praise the strength of his teammates and how good the management was... The Pacers management also praised Ellis for his hard training, hard playing, and competitive spirit... When the two sides were about to separate, both sides felt that the other side was pleasing to the eye and began to praise each other in business.

On January 13, after the Grizzlies beat the Denver Nuggets 97-93 away, the Grizzlies and the Pacers finally reached a commitment to claim Ellis after the buyout that night. If no other team bids, the Grizzlies will claim Ellis for $2.39 million, and finally decided to complete the buyout agreement with Ellis.

If other teams claim him at a higher price, it is not the Pacers' fault. The Pacers certainly hope that a team will claim him at a higher price, but the probability is not high. For most teams, compared with Ellis's strength, the uncertainty of Ellis in the locker room is the most troublesome thing.

That night, the Pacers and Ellis's agent jointly submitted a buyout agreement to the league, and the salary for the 17-18 season was deferred for 5 years at 2.2 million per year. The Grizzlies immediately submitted an application to the league to claim Ellis for $2.39 million.

Originally, this matter should have attracted widespread attention and heated discussions, and it might have attracted the attention of other championship teams, such as the Celtics, and competed with the Grizzlies for players.

But at this time, other teams sent out great assists! For the first time, Sun Ce felt that it was great that others stole his limelight!

However, at this time, Sun Ce felt sorry for Paul again...

Real-tool man plus!

...

On the evening of January 13, 2017, the 76ers, Nets, and Pelicans reached a three-way deal!

The Nets sent Brandon Jennings, Jeremy Lin, Bojan Bogdanovic, Spencer Dinwiddie, 2020 unprotected first-round draft picks, and 2022 first-round draft pick swap conditions, and got Tyreke Evans from the 76ers!

The 76ers sent Tyreke Evans and got Valanciunas from the Pelicans, Dinwiddie and Bogdanovic from the Nets, and the right to swap the Nets' first-round draft picks in 2022.

The Pelicans sent Valanciunas and got Jeremy Lin, Jennings, and the Nets' 2020 unprotected first-round draft pick.

Evans and Love have successfully formed a team! There is also Porzingis, a young star with superstar potential in the interior, Larry Sanders as a substitute in the interior, Eric Gordon as a substitute in the outside, Livingston and Wayne Ellington as substitute guards, and only Rondae Jefferson and Joe Harris, two second- and third-year players at the small forward position, are still a little tender. The other positions are already extremely strong!

Jeremy Lin and Jennings were signed last summer. The chips for the Nets' comeback are two first-round picks, Dinwiddie and Peja Bojan Bogdanovic, who are beginning to realize their talents. They traded Evans back, and the Nets' operation this time can be called perfect!

If helping the Warriors to form a lineup that won 72 wins and helping the Lakers to form the OK combination were not enough to make the logo man a god in terms of operation, then this time he spent two years in the Nets to help the Nets rise strongly and form a super lineup that is slightly stronger than the Bulls on paper. The logo man's operation this time is really a god!

For a while, the logo man was surrounded by a sea of ​​praise.

Especially last summer, the logo man suggested snatching Jennings from the Pistons first, and then renewing the contract with Bojan Bogdanovic, the 11th-round pick who entered the NBA in 2013 and had bird rights after his $3.3 million contract expired last season, with a salary of 10 million per year. It seemed stupid at the time, because they had already signed Jeremy Lin, Dinwiddie also showed potential last season, and Wayne Ellington and Livingston, the point guards were all playing mahjong, and they were still spending 20 million on Jennings.

But now, it has shown its effect! Without Jennings, the Nets will not be able to make enough space to take on Evans' $27 million contract if they directly renew Bojan Bogdanovic, and they will have to send more high-quality role players to match it!

This vision, this pattern... There are few people in NBA history who can match the logo man.

At this time, the Pacers' buyout of Ellis and the Grizzlies' claim of $2.39 million did not attract much attention, and people's attention was on the Nets.

Before, the Nets had been pursuing fiercely, but when the Heat were tempted to propose the desired return, the Nets hesitated again. The protagonist of the trade rumor Chris Paul also became a hot search.

Sun Ce opened a small account and sent a tweet, but he didn't expect it to go viral!

"Chris Paul, what a poor man!"