Chapter 351 Wilkins as the sixth man

   At this time, Colangelo and several coaches were discussing lineup issues in the corridor outside the locker room.

Westphal believes that the main lineup needs to be adjusted. Although it started with six wins and one loss, and is still tied with Mosaic for the first place in the West, he already believes that this main lineup is not too suitable, and this main lineup suppresses the old K. Too powerful, must increase the ability to pull the outside line.

Little Colangelo is the general manager of the lineup, and he is quite clear about this. Although some are reluctant to put Wilkins on the bench, Westphal's opinion still needs to be respected. The champion coach who brought two championships to the Suns.

   After seeing little Colangelo agree, Lewis said: "I think Michael Finley can continue to start. Although the performance is a little unstable, the team needs to develop rookies."

Danny Ainge expressed his support for this suggestion, saying: "Finley is still good, we should give him a chance, presumably in a season or two, he will be very useful. Even if he has obvious weaknesses, we can't use it, we can also trade it. Well."

   Then he said: "But Horry and Wilkins, the former has no rebounds, the latter can't pull off, and the defense is too poor, I don't think they meet the teammate requirements that old K needs."

Westphal couldn't help but nodded and said: "Wilkins is really not suitable to stay by the old K's side, there is no accurate outside shooting, no defense, his winning value in the main lineup is too low, he can Consider him playing sixth man, shooting guard, scoring off the bench, where he can have the ball and a lot of shots."

  Lewis agreed immediately, saying: "You can talk to him. He is limited in the main lineup, but the bench lineup will not be limited, and his hands and feet will be released."

Danny Ainge also said: "In the main lineup, we have the high-efficiency offense of Old K, and the scoring requirements of the other four main players are actually 10+. Wilkins' scoring ability has been suppressed in the main lineup. Substitutes are more suitable."

   Westphal nodded and said to Danny Angie: "Danny, you are familiar with him, you should talk to him first."

   "OK." Danny Angie nodded.

  Lewis said: “Although we don’t have any stars on the bench, we’re actually not unreplaceable. The backup point guard Wes Lipperson, who played in the finals last season, is also good and has three-pointers to pull away.

   In his rookie season, his three-point shooting percentage reached 43.6%, which is very good. He is already a sophomore and should be given more opportunities. "

Westphal nodded. If Wilkins goes to the bench, the main shooting guard will either let Posen top it, or let Michael Finley play, Horry plays the 3rd position, and the 4th position is handed over to Ben Hua. Lace, the team is such a lineup, there is not much room for adjustment.

   However, he prefers to play the 198 cm Posen at the 2nd position, and the 201 cm Finley also plays the 3rd position.

   As for the only 4 position, Tisdale sprained his ankle. This veteran who has played steadily has to rest for two weeks. Except for Horry, there are no good players to replace.

  David Wood's strength is poor and he is old. He is positioned as a marginal person. He only has the opportunity to play in garbage time. This player does not need to be considered at all.

   Another Ben Wallace, who can replace the 4th position, is very hard in training games, but he is still too tender, needs time to grow, and has no offensive awareness.

   However, Ben Wallace still gave him some hope. This short inside line is very **** defense and rebounding. If he grows up, he is suitable for standing by the old K's side, more suitable than Horry.

   And Tisdale will retire after playing this contract. The team should give Ben Wallace a little more chance to see if he has the potential to cultivate.

   Horry's pull-up jumpers and breakthroughs in the face of the basket are not bad, but the rebounding is too bad. Although the defense is active, he is not good at low-post defense and can't stand people. He is only good at defending those players with a large attacking area.

   After thinking about it, he can only choose between Horry and Ben Wallace. Should Horry continue to start at No. 4, or should Ben Wallace be the top?

   In the end, he decided to take another look. If Ben Wallace were to take the top, there would be two rookies in the main lineup, and the instability factor was too great. But he will increase Big Ben's playing opportunities and give him more time to exercise.

   Several people called out Wilkins, who had just taken a shower, and Danny Ainge came forward to inform the coaching staff of the decision.

"why?"

   Wilkins didn't know how surprised he was when the coaching staff decided to let him play as the sixth man.

Although he is not valued and has no tactical status in the green team, he is still the number one scoring point and the absolute main point guard. I didn't expect that he could not even keep the main position in the sun team, which made him a veteran superstar somewhat unacceptable. .

   Westphal continued: "Dominic, I know this will make you feel a little uncomfortable, but this is for the sake of the team, I hope you can understand.

  Only in this way, our main lineup will be more reasonable, and the substitute lineup will be stronger. And you are in the sixth man position, you control the ball and the shot, which is what you need, and you will be more comfortable in the sixth man position. "

At this time, Colangelo said: "Dominic, the sixth man is a very important position, you are a veteran, you know, for the championship, I hope you can take this important responsibility. When the main lineup When they don't play well, you even need you to fill the hole for them."

  Wilkins sighed in his heart. He didn't have no team to go to during the offseason, but no one agreed when he was frustrated. The reason why he came to the Suns was to fight for another two or three years to complete the dream of the championship.

"All right."

He nodded helplessly, but immediately said: "But you have to ensure my possession and shot in the bench, otherwise I'd rather retire now. Although I want a championship, it doesn't mean I have to lose everything. everything."

   "Of course."

   Little Colangelo smiled and nodded.

Then Westphal entered the locker room, signaled everyone to be quiet, and said: "Okay, everyone, something has happened. After careful consideration, we decided to adjust Dominic's position to the sixth man of the team. It will make our main lineup and substitute lineup more reasonable and powerful.

   Dominic showed us his quality and high profile, he complied with our request, and I am here to thank him on behalf of the team. "

"Oh!"

   All players exclaimed.

  Who is Wilkins, a flying man who competed with Jordan for a moment, a veteran superstar, still has strength, such a strongman, actually let him be a substitute?

   At this time, Pharaoh was still soaking in the medicine bucket. After hearing the news, he was also a little surprised. It seemed that the team's determination was still great.

   But he agrees with this decision very much. Posen's performance in the finals is also good. He is also willing to defend. It is more suitable for him. It is indeed more reasonable for Wilkins to go to the bench.

   "Who came up?" Kevin Johnson asked in a low voice next to him.

   "Apart from Person, who else do we have?" Pharaoh laughed.

   "Finley can do it too, but the other positions are just as short of people." Kevin Johnson nodded and said.

   Sure enough, Westphal then announced that Posen would be the main shooting guard for the next game, but he also said immediately that this was only temporary, and if there was a problem with his performance, Posen could be removed from the main position at any time.

But that's enough to get Posen excited, he also played shooting back for a while last season, but that was the team's injury cause, the situation is different now, it's adjusted according to his technical style, as long as he The performance is normal, and the main position will have the opportunity to stabilize.

   No. 17, the Suns challenged the Kings away.

   In terms of the main lineup, Wang Tiejun is still partnered with Robert Horry, Finley at No. 3, and Kevin Johnson and Wes Liposen at the back.

   In terms of positioning, put Posen on the wing with Wang Tiejun, and use his better three-point shooting ability than Finley to open the defense.

   In this way, after Pharaoh takes the ball, the double-teaming force on the strong side is weakened.

As for the double-teaming from the weak side, it depends on the ability of Horry who is pulled out. His three-point shot is currently not as good as Posen, but he can barely use it, and the defender dare not recklessly. Let him go to double-team the strong side.

   And Finley, his performance was unstable, his ability to pull off was not very good for the time being, and defenders sometimes let him go. However, it is better than Wilkins on the court. His breakthrough ability is not strong, which can reduce the chances of defenders from double-teaming the low post.

   This adjustment made the configuration of the Suns' main lineup more reasonable, and the result was also obvious. The number of double-teams Wang Tiejun received in the low post was significantly reduced, and the offensive efficiency was improved.

At the same time, Wilkins entered the bench and became the sixth man. He also controlled the ball and shots of the bench lineup. In this game, the second and third positions were replaced, and the score was no less than when he played the main force. He played 29 minutes, scored 22 points, increasing the scoring ability of the Suns' bench lineup.

   In this game, the Suns successfully won the Kings and achieved a record of seven wins and one loss.

   However, the rookie Finley made 2 of 9 shots in this game, and his performance was not good. He made 0 of three three-pointers and needed a lot of opportunities to hone.

  Horry's performance has stabilized, shooting 46.5% from the field and 37.8% on three-pointers, scoring 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.

   But as a power forward, he only has five rebounds, and his average rebounds per game are similar. This is his hard injury at this position.

   Big Ben came on as a substitute for Horry, played 13 minutes, also grabbed 3 rebounds and sent a block, but only scored two points.

   After the game, Ben Wallace got a call from Oakley.

Oakley really cares about Big Ben, he has been paying attention to Big Ben's game performance, and said on the phone: "Ben, work hard, learn more defense and rebounding skills around old K, Robert Horry has no rebounds, You can’t stand up to anyone in the low post, and that’s your chance.”

   "My chance?" Big Ben still hasn't figured it out.

   "You idiot, main force!"

   Cursed, Oakley quickly explained: "As a power forward around Old K, you must have the ability to rebound, help defend, top people, and even defend.

Old K's scoring efficiency is too high. The Suns don't really need a 4-position offense at all. Instead, they need a 4-position who can do tiring and dirty work to share the old K's defensive pressure and rebounding responsibilities, and reduce the old K's physical consumption. , so that the old K can concentrate on the attack.

   So these are your chances, do them well and you have a chance to rise. Ben, be active. As long as you are on the court, you must defend and rebound with all your might, and don't miss a single board. "

   "I see, Charles, I listen to you." Big Ben said in a deep voice.

   That night, the Suns returned to Phoenix and lost back-to-backs to the Trail Blazers the next day, 7-2 and second in the Western Conference behind the 8-1 Mosaic.

   But the Suns are not exclusively second, and the Sonics are second in the West with the same record.

   Payton is in his sixth season. Last season, he posted All-Star statistics of 20.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 2.5 steals. He was a top offense and defense and began to enter his peak period.

This season, together with Rain Man Kemp, as well as Schramf, Jose Hawkins, and Sam Perkins, he played very strong in the Western Conference under the leadership of coach Crazy Karl. Released the slogan of hitting the championship.

  Because of the decline in his record, Wang Tiejun lost the first position in this week's MVP rankings, allowing Jordan to overtake the past.

   On the 22nd and 25th, the Suns won two consecutive victories at home, with a record of 9 wins and 2 losses, threw off the Supersonics, caught up with the Mosaic team, and returned to the tie for the first position in the Western Conference.

   On the night of the 26th, the Bulls lost again.

Last time, it was a road loss to Magic without a big shark. This time, it was on the road again. It lost to the supersonic SuperSonics, which was in full swing, and won the second loss of the season. With 10 wins and 2 losses, it is still the first in the Eastern Conference and the first in the league. the throne.

  27th, the Suns ushered in the challenge of the old enemy Jazz at home.

  Postman Karl Malone fell **** mildew in the first two seasons of Pharaoh, and was severely injured one after another. He learned smartness last season and did not provoke Pharaoh off the court, so he played safely for one season.

   However, he and Pharaoh did clash. When they met in the playoffs last season, Pharaoh broke three ribs again, causing the Jazz to be swept away, which was quite a psychological blow to him.

   Meeting this season, he doesn’t even plan to provoke Pharaoh. When he arrived in Phoenix, he didn’t say anything outrageous at the hotel’s press conference.

   At 7:30 in the evening, the two sides announced the starting lineup.

  Sir: Greg Foster, Karl Malone, Chris Morris, Brian Russell, John Stockton

  Suns: Wang Tiejun, Robert Horry, Wes Liposen, SB Michael Finley, Kevin Johnson.

The Jazz's main center Spencer, the main small forward David Benoit, and one of the iron triangles, Jeff Hornacek, were all injured and entered the bench. victory of the game.

  10 wins and 2 losses, still in the same position as Mosaic in the first place in the West.

   At the same time, the Suns and the Mosaic team, like the Bulls, are tied for the first place in the league at the same time.

  On the 29th, the Suns defeated the Lakers on the road and won the last victory in November, completing this month’s schedule.

  11 wins and 2 losses, still tied for the first position in the league with the Mosaic and the Bulls.

  On the morning of the 30th, around 9 o'clock, Pharaoh was still lying in bed, ready to come in early Yu Feihong to turn on the TV in the bedroom and tune to the ABC sports channel.

   Lao Wang also woke up, and Yu Feihong asked, "Are you here to eat or go out to eat?"

   "Go out to eat," he said, staring at the TV screen.

   At this time, the host began to announce the MVP rankings of this month.

Although his data was the best last week, the team's record fell, lost the first place, and was overtaken by Jordan, but now the record has caught up, and he thinks it should help him get back to the first place in the MVP ranking. .

   In November, his averages were 35.6 points, 16.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 3.5 blocks, 1.8 turnovers and 2.9 fouls, with a shooting percentage of 63.5%.

   Rebounds, points, blocks and other data have increased significantly compared to last season, as are offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency.

   He ranks first in the league in offensive efficiency and is now ninth in defensive efficiency.

   Sure enough, with the announcement of the host, he became the official MVP of the week ranking first, followed by Jordan.

   On December 1st, the Suns played against the Timberwolves at home.

  The Timberwolves selected high school student Kevin Garnett fifth in the first round this year, which is a risk, because high school students have not experienced the tempering of the NCAA, so there is a lot of uncertainty.

Since the new season, Kevin Garnett has been on the bench and has not yet had a chance to start. Tonight is the same. He played 18 minutes off the bench, made 1 of 4 shots, plus 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Data, although data is omnipotent, there is no particularly eye-catching moment.

   won the Timberwolves, and the Suns rushed to San Antonio overnight to challenge the Spurs back-to-back.

  At 8 pm on the 2nd, the two sides announced the starter.

   Spurs: David Robinson, Chuck Parson, Sean Elliott, Vinnie Gnut, Avery Johnson

  Sun: Wang Tiejun, Robert Horry, Michael Finley, Wes Lipperson, Kevin Johnson.

  Today is Saturday, ESPN will broadcast live in the United States, and CCTV will also broadcast the game in real time.

   Zhang Lilii analyzed after getting the roster: "The Spurs traded Rodman, and now they don't have a suitable power forward. In the November game, several forwards were rotated to start, and the main lineup was not stable.

   Now I see the same situation with the Suns. Horry is unsatisfactory at the 4th position. He contributes too little in the low post, and his scoring efficiency is not up to the standard of an inside player. His position is actually more suitable for the 3rd position. "

  Suqun said: "Horry plays the 3rd position, Finley plays the 2nd position, let Posen return to the bench to play the 2nd position, and Wilkins plays the bench 3 position, which is not bad!"

   Zhang Lili said with a smile: "Tisdale will be back in the next two days and has left the injured list, but I actually don't think he should be placed in the main position, after all, he is a veteran who is about to retire.

  Since the team chooses to rebuild, it should take the initiative to train new players, and let Tisdale play the main power forward. He is also very difficult to play, and it will definitely be unbearable for a long time, and he is also prone to injury. "

  Suqun nodded, but said: "But the Suns can play at No. 4, and the age is suitable, only Ben Wallace, who has squeezed out Ma Jian, is an undrafted rookie who can play the main power forward. Is it possible?"

   "I don't know."

   Zhang Lili shook his head and said, and when he said this, he couldn't help but say: "Anyway, I think that even if it is a reconstruction, it is correct to cultivate new talents, and the veterans who are about to retire can only play off the bench.

  If there is no suitable rookie at the 4th position, then you need to find another one, or choose a potential forward in next year's rookie.

   In fact, the Iron Army only needs a coolie-type power forward, and does not need a very strong star. The former Green is also suitable. The Suns traded a little earlier, and it may be better to stay for another year, and the chance of winning the championship is higher. And the Suns reportedly still have room to accommodate Green's contract.

However, if he stays for another year, Green will become a free agent. At that time, he can only be released, and the Suns will use him to trade him for next year's draft. future. "

  Suqun reluctantly said: "This season, we can only rush for one rush. If we can't kill the west, we can only accumulate strength in the bottom valley and wait for the future outbreak as old K said."

   "Yes, the sun will always rise, and the light of the sun is destined to shine on the earth." Zhang Lili said in high spirits.

   "The Sun King's light is also destined to shine on the NBA." Su Qun then shouted.

   In the player tunnel, the ten starters of the two teams met, greeted each other when they met, and had a familiar conversation.

   "Hey, old K."

David Robinson, the proud son of heaven, is humble on the outside, but he has a pride in his heart. When he first met Wang Tiejun, he disdained it. Even if Pharaoh provokes him, he ignored it, but now , When he saw Lao Wang, he also took the initiative to say hello.

"Admiral, how can you let the big bug run away? Look at the current Bulls, they are the first in the league again. Even if your Spurs are out of the West, they can't beat the Bulls. If it's me, he's not obedient, press on There was a mad meal in the bathroom, do you think he is obedient? Do you dare to go to nightclubs every day and miss training every day?" Lao Wang said.

  David Robinson twitched in the corners of his eyes, thinking of the thorns of the big worm, he felt uncomfortable, didn't he want to keep the big worm?

   That **** often doesn't participate in training, and there are constant lace news. The atmosphere of the team has almost been ruined by him. If he doesn't trade out, his team will be finished.

   As for the big bug in the bathroom, that is something that a rude guy like Old K does. It doesn't fit his temperament at all, and he doesn't even have to think about it, and he may not be able to fight.

  The Suns played first. Wang Tiejun took a look. The market was okay. The attendance rate was at least 80%. Although it was not as good as the Suns, it was not bad.

   He ignored that, today's attendance rate is 80%, that's because the Spurs' opponent is his Suns, otherwise it's at most 50%.

   And the Spurs' regular-season tickets are as low as $5, and that's not going to sell.

   (end of this chapter)