I'm a ball devil

Chapter 97

Generally speaking, the summer league is mainly an occasion for rookies to show their faces and undrafted players to fight for a cheap contract. When it comes to the preseason, it is an occasion for teams to try to find the regular season starting lineup and main replacement players.

In the preseason, the head coach of the team will try different lineups to see the effect.

Specific to the Sonics, after the big trade and the draft, the entire team is almost a new face, Carlesimo's main task is to determine the team's regular season starting lineup as soon as possible.

What he doesn't need to think about is the small forward position, and the starting lineup must belong to Durant.

The tentative point guard position is the team's main backup point guard Earl Watson last season.

The center position is given to Nick Collison. Collison's style of play is strong enough, so there is no problem.

There are only two positions left at shooting guard and power forward, and Carlesimo is still undecided.

Both positions are options between rookies and veterans.

Whether to use Jeff Green or the brutalist power forward Chris Wilcox as a power forward, Carlesimo is a little inclined to use Wilcox in his heart, first be sure, and use Jeff Green as this position main substitute.

After previous inspections, Green, as a rookie in the league, still feels a little frizzy on the court, and needs more polishing.

However, Carlesimo still wants to see more. After all, Green is a high-ranking rookie, and he still needs to be cautious in handling these matters.

I only watched a few summer league games, and the preseason games have just started. If Jeff Green plays well in the future, it is not impossible to adjust.

At the shooting guard position, what makes Carlesimo entangled is whether to use rookie Ye Hao, or use Damien Wilkins who was a substitute for Ray Allen last season, or just traded to the team. Delonte West.

It is more difficult to decide when there are multiple options.

In fact, in this position, Carlesimo still wants to be more stable, and is more inclined to be a veteran.

Because there is already a rookie like Durant in the starting lineup, and it is more reassuring to fly with several other experienced veterans to assist the flight.

To add another rookie and remove a veteran, it always makes people feel unsafe.

However, looking at the few games in the preseason and the joint training in the team, it seems that Ye Hao played very steadily, with a solid foundation, and his style of play on the court is stable enough, and elegant, and he is partnered with Durant The effect is better than Wilkins and West.

This made him hesitate, whether to let Ye Hao start?
To be honest, he knew that his old friend Presti had snatched Ye Hao after a lot of effort.

Now the outside world is saying that the Sonics are more optimistic about Jeff Green in the draft than Ye Hao.

But the real situation is that if the Celtics were willing to defend the No. [-] pick earlier and let the deal be reached earlier, the Sonics would definitely use the No. [-] pick to select Ye Hao, and there would be nothing wrong with Jeff Green.

It's just that Carlesimo is not as optimistic about Ye Hao as Presti.

He is somewhat skeptical that an Asian player can occupy such a high pick.

So let's take another look. The performance in the preseason and training is not accurate. You still have to watch a few more games. Only in the real game can you see the specific situation of a player.

The Sonics' second preseason game was against the New York Knicks.

Ye Hao did not continue to start this game, he was put on the bench.

Similarly, this game is another game of pecking at each other, and they are all weak teams.

Last season, the Knicks were also the bottom team in the Eastern Conference.

However, for the Knicks, it seems that it is not the Knicks if they are not at the bottom.

It's just that they don't have to worry about it at all. Even if they are at the bottom every year, they still firmly occupy the top position in the valuation list of league teams.

It's really amazing.

It has to be amazing.

In fact, in this game, looking at the paper lineup of the New York team, it is still quite strong. Their starting lineup is:
Point guard Stephen Marbury, shooting guard Quentin Richardson, small forward Jamal Crawford, power forward Zach Randolph, center Eddie Curry.

Also sitting on the bench are David Lee, Nate Robinson and others.

To be honest, if 1+1 is equal to 2, and the strength of the team is the sum of its strength on paper, then if these players play together, can they make the playoffs?
But in New York, in the Knicks, the strength of the team really can't be seen that way.

Many times they are 1+1 less than 2.

The starting lineup for the Sonics is:

Point guard Earl Watson, shooting guard Damien Wilkins, small forward Durant, power forward Chris Wilcox, center Nick Collison.

At first glance, this lineup, except for Durant, is really mediocre, and the stars are dim, compared to the Knicks' lineup.

So as soon as the game started, the Knicks continued to soar forward. It was Marbury, Richardson, then Crawford, and then Randolph with his ass... Although there is not much cooperation, but It is ruthless, and it is able to score.

The Sonics only heard Durant's banging on the iron.

Halfway through the first quarter, the Sonics trailed the Knicks by 9 points.

Carlesimo pinched his chin with his hands on the sidelines, as if he was thinking about something, but he didn't seem to think about anything.

The team's assistant coach, Tang En Turner, reminded him softly next to him, should he try to substitute Ye Hao or Jeff Green?
Carlesimo shook his head, did not make substitutions, and continued to keep the lineup unchanged~
Stay on the field and be abused.

After the first quarter, the Sonics were 18 to 33, 15 points behind the Knicks.

It proved that this lineup on the field is really not very good at playing.

He couldn't even beat the Knicks, which took turns to single out.

In the second quarter, Carlesimo made a substitution, replacing Ye Hao and Jeff Green with Wilkins and Wilcox.

The Sonics attacked, Earl Watson advanced with the ball, and Ye Hao settled on the right flank.

Watson wanted to give the basketball to Durant near the left corner, but Crawford went around in front of Durant, which made it difficult for him to pass the ball.

After all, in the first quarter, Durant's strike made the opponent know without even thinking about it that the Sonics must give Durant the ball first.

Unable to pass to Durant, Watson could only cross the ball to Ye Hao.

Ye Hao had the ball in his hand, hey, Big Q Richardson didn't defend him closely, leaving him room to shoot from the outside.

In this case, Ye Hao could only accept it with a smile.

Take off, bounce your legs, lift the ball, shoot.

The three-point shooting is so elegant and elegant.

Of course basketball is in.

Big Q, really, you're not the only one who shoots three-pointers.

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(End of this chapter)