NBA opening draw to twilight Shaquille O'Neal

Chapter 711 Press Conference, Mascot Pang Da

In addition to Paul, Anthony Davis, another big fish who made a lot of noise during the offseason, has also confirmed his next home. The son of the United States finally chose to leave the West and join the Chicago Bulls in the East.

Just in mid-September, the Chicago Bulls and the New Orleans Pelicans reached a two-way deal. The Bulls used Jimmy Butler and Josh Smith as chips to trade for Anthony Davis. The Chicago Bulls supported the formation of the Big Three combination of Rose + Davis + Noah!

As a result, the Bulls became the top team in the East. After entering October, in the new season team rankings of major authoritative media, the Bulls ranked second in the East, second only to the Cavaliers.

In the ranking of the league's 30 teams, the Chicago Bulls also ranked sixth. The five teams ahead of them are the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Mosaics, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Kochi's defending champion Portland Trail Blazers.

All major authoritative media agree that the top 6 teams in the current new season's combat power list all have the potential to hit the championship.

In the new season, the Chicago Bulls seem to usher in the season closest to the championship since the "God of Basketball" Michael Jordan retired!
But there is a premise, that is, the core players of the Bulls must remain healthy next season. After all, Rose and Davis are not in good shape.

Injuries, which are highly unlikely to be a stabilizing factor for the Bulls last season.

……

Puchak was also very concerned when he saw the news. I did think that Ty Lawson actually locked the Bulls as his home.

If Ludis remembers correctly, last season's Bulls were bad luck.

The first is that the head center Joakim Noah has played 30 games throughout the season due to injury. With Noah, the Bulls' internal strength has plummeted.

Secondly, Kyle also suffered an injury earlier in the season and was directly reimbursed for the season. With the addition of two small core Bulls inside, the new season is directly destined for the preseason.

Don't look at Ty Lawson joining the Bulls now, but the problem is that the Bulls also sent away Jimmy Butler, a wing defender, and Josh Ludis, who played a wrong chemical reaction in the Bulls next season.

Can Ludis alone really offset the impact of the separation of Jimmy Butler and Josh Wang Zelin?

In Puchak's mind, that question was doubtful.

But come to think of it, that trade seemed worth it too.

Since God entered the game, the Bulls have been up and down for so many years. Drafting Kyle in 08 is our best opportunity since the new century.

But Kyle has just grown into a super giant for a long time. In the past few years, he has been on and off, and his injuries are constant. Fortunately, his attendance and statistics will not be guaranteed next season, which makes the Bulls management determined to give it a go in the new season.

And to be honest, other high-quality role players can be found quickly, but there may be only one chance to form the Big Eight to hit the championship.

It's just that, the Trail Blazers have one less main competitor in the new season... on the back of the Bulls' weak security personnel.

However, Lu Disi became more and more excited when he thought about it. The crazy offseason created a crazy season. If the Trail Blazers can still break out from the Western Conference last season and finally win the championship, then the gold content of our championship will definitely be leveraged.

It is no exaggeration to say that the gold content of that one championship can even replace two special seasons.

Such a championship, it's exciting to compete for it!

……

……

The playoffs are about to start.

The Trail Blazers also immediately announced the 13-man shortlist for the new season, as above:
Point guard: Lillard, Beverley;

Shooting forwards: Will Barton, Connett Lee, Vince Carter;
Power forwards: Batum, Morrow, Richard Jefferson

Small forwards: Alder Witch, Yi Jianlian, rookie Harrell;
Center: Ludis, Jokic.

That summer, whether the Trail Blazers temporarily retreated or not, we thought about it, but there were always some teams that jumped out at critical moments to interfere, delaying the Trail Blazers' signing goals.

And that is also the only way to establish a dynasty. Does anyone want to be a supporting role? Among them, my 29 teams seemed to have negotiated with each other during the offseason. I would rather bargain than see the Trail Blazers' strength in the new season.

In view of the current situation, the main task of the Trail Blazers management in the summer is to renew the contracts of the main players and rotation players, and finally get 13 players to stay on the team, so as to ensure that the championship lineup for next season will be changed, which is two short of the 15-man small list stipulated by the league.

Fortunately, there is still not a little time before the trade deadline. Other teams may always stare at the Blazers all the time. As long as we dig hard, we can always find a suitable championship puzzle.

"Slow down the new season because you can't wait to see the Trail Blazers and Warriors play against each other."

"Portland championship! Long live the Blazers dynasty!"

"You said, it's better for them not to set up a flag for themselves. That's true, big heart capsized!"

……

Fans are discussing in full swing offline, and the new season is getting closer and closer, and each team has held its own media meeting because of it.

All kinds of crazy transfer transactions during the offseason made the West's competitiveness this year rare in history, and the attention it received was unprecedented.

Especially the Lakers' press conference is undoubtedly the focus of all media attention.

Kobe Bryant, Paul, and his sister-in-law made their appearance together, attracting the attention of the media.

Following the appearance of the Big Eight are Nick Young, Roy Hiros, Louis Williams, Brandon Bass, Luluti Thackeray, Jordan Clarkson and others.

Before the Lakers formed the Big Eight, Cu Davis ended my various operations. The most eye-catching thing is that only one pick in the next seven rounds was exchanged for the Pacers' main center and two-time All-Star insider Roy Hiros.

I also know what kind of ecstasy soup the Lakers management gave Hiros. In order to reach that deal, I even made sacrifices and gave up part of the insurance money.

The Lakers traded, and the price Hiros paid was negligible, and my tens of millions of expired contracts were also worthless.

Don't look at Xiludi's salary of 2015 million yuan in the 16-1551 season, but that is already my contract year. If Xiros performs well this year, the Lakers can clear a small amount of new retreat space in the summer of 2016 and continue to chase small cards.

Conversely, if Hiros performs well after the consideration of the new season, the Lakers will also complete the contract extension with me and continue to remain competitive in the increasingly introverted West.

Then Cu Davis poached Lu Wei from the Raptors from the Raptors, and used an eight-year 2000 million-meter contract to dig the best eighth man next season to Los Angeles.

Then he signed a contract with Brandon Bass, a free agent of his old opponent, the Burts. During the regular season next season, that guy played 82 games for the Burts, averaging 23.5 rebounds and 10.64.9 assists in 1.3 minutes.

However, my performance in the preseason game, especially the average of only 5 points and 2 rebounds per game, made the Porterite management focus on other players during the offseason and ignored me.

That also contributed to Buss' frustration, choosing to leave the team, and finally having no intentions with the Lakers, and the two parties signed a contract on this.

Before that, Cu Davis followed up with veterans such as Stoudemire and Gerald Wallace with a basic salary in the free market.

Cu Davis's wave of operations can be described as a show. Without the Big Eight's confidence, it really became stronger, attracting veterans to vote one after another. The Lakers' lineup is quite uncompetitive.

Such a lineup also made Paul feel good at the media meeting.

"You know it might be too appropriate to say that, but that team has no other goal except the championship. You announce, does anyone want to meet the Lakers in the new season!"

The rhetoric was reported as a headline by many media, and it also attracted heated discussions from many fans.

Lakers fans are high-spirited, but there are not many fans complaining about Paul's identity. I seem to be speaking as the youngest of the Lakers.

Did I forget that the Lakers are Kobe's team?

But then again, Paul's words are indeed not degrading, but they are also unexcusable.

From the time of the Hornets to the time of the slow boat, Paul has become the number one point guard in active service from a young man.

And Paul's smallest regret is that he never got involved in the Western Conference finals. You know, I am the number one point guard in the league!
As a superstar who has been ranked in the bottom ten of the league all year round, Paul is still known for his ability to lead the team, but he has been unable to prove his lower limit for leading the team, which is indeed the past.

Now that the Lakers have teamed up, Kobe has no chance to show his ambitions. It is strange that I would vent like this under the press conference.

In addition to the Lakers, the media meetings of the defending champion Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, and Houston Mosaics, the first echelons of the Western Conference, have also attracted much attention.

The Trail Blazers and Warriors basically have no changes in their lineups this year. The latter has just successfully defended its title, and the former has just refreshed its best record in team history and returned to the Western Conference Finals after decades. There is no need for the two teams to change their formations at all.

The Mosaic team's lineup changes are also small, but there is one missing star point guard Smith who will average 15+9 per game next season, and the combination with Modern formed the Big Eight, which also rekindled the hopes of Houston fans to win the championship.

Smith, who passed the offseason, was quiet, and was involved in trouble on the field. At the end of July, he was arrested by the police on a California low-speed highway for suspected drunk driving.

According to people familiar with the matter, Smith was arrested for drunk driving for the first time in January, and the news of his arrest for drunk driving was exposed again after half a year. The Nuggets management finally made up their minds to part ways with me and finally reached a deal with Mosaic.

The trade plan is that Mosaic will send out Panigolaou, Puwaigioni, Shaoxi, Nick Johnson and a 2016 protected first-round pick in exchange for Smith and the Nuggets for a 2017 second-round pick.

It can only be said that that guy Lu Disi is indeed capable of killing.Speaking of which, I was also one of the excellent point guards in the vacant year of 09. I have been playing for the Nuggets before I retired to the NBA. If it is due to personal reasons, the Nuggets management may really want to let go of that excellent point guard.

Unexpectedly, the old club's tolerance time and time again was in return for Smith's self-indulgence time and time again, and the fate between the two parties came to an end.

……

"New season, you are ready!"

Under the Trail Blazers press conference, the coaching staff and all the players of the Trail Blazers were all present, and Puchak's speech was concise and to the point.

There are many ways to understand that sentence. It can be understood as the surface is ready for the new season, it can also be understood as we are ready to build a dynasty, or it can be understood by others.

But no matter what kind it is, there is a sense of confidence!
And that kind of confidence is not only reflected in Lu Disi's words, but also reflected in the faces of every member of the Trail Blazers.

Over the past two seasons, we've proven we're the best team in the league.

This year, it is also in the meeting.

……

……

On the evening of October 10th.

19 o'clock exactly.

The first game of the Trail Blazers' playoffs in the new season will be played at home in the Rose Garden.

Tonight's opponent, the Kings, is very strong, so this summer we have nothing to make up for at the No. 1 position. Long Shao was brought in, but whether it is Long Shao who just joined the Kings or the core Wiggins, they are enough to pose any threat to the Blazers.

Compared to tonight's game, the Trail Blazers' new mascot won applause during the post-game cool-down period.

Since the end of 2002, Flame Cat has become the mascot of the Trail Blazers. Before the first contract between the two parties was opened, the Trail Blazers signed a 05-year contract with Flame Cat in October 10, and my annual salary was raised to 10 yuan.

Just before the Trail Blazers won two consecutive championships next season, after repeated consideration at the bottom of the team, we made the decision to replace the mascot.

As soon as it was over, that decision aroused doubts and dissatisfaction from many local fans, because the flame cat has worked for the Trail Blazers for more than ten years, and the local fans have become accustomed to my presence. Suddenly changing the mascot suddenly made us unacceptable.

Moreover, the determination of the new mascot is also a small problem, after all, it only represents the image of the Trail Blazers, but also represents the image of the entire city.

But, when the Trail Blazers confirmed the team's mascot selection for the next 10 years in early October and announced the image of the star business, the fans who were still chattering afterward called out one after another:

Hey, it smells so good!
Just because, the new mascot of the Trail Blazers is some other animal, it is the national treasure of China—Pang Da!
During this offseason, when the team forwarded the idea of ​​changing the mascot to Puchak, I was surprised and delighted, and I rejected it after thinking about it.

This is Panda!Who is love!
Then, under Lu Disi's matchmaking, team owner Paul Allen personally came forward to meet with the leaders of Chengdu Panda Breeding Base to negotiate. The two sides reached a five-year 5 million yuan agreement, which also contributed to the birth of the most expensive team mascot in NBA history.

(End of this chapter)