Chapter 375 Zhang Reasonably Recommends Rasheed Wallace

  Phoenix, American West Arena, 97:103, the Suns win at home, the game is over.

  Under Wang Tiejun's extremely powerful low-post attack, no matter whether it was a sudden shot, the meat shield Spencer couldn't keep up with his rhythm at all.

   But the postman is worthy of being a postman. He still has the same hard top and never takes a step back, which greatly affected Pharaoh's offense in the assist defense.

With such a large tonnage and volume, as long as he blocks his way to the basket one step ahead of time, he cannot attack again and again. Many attacks can only be ended by shooting, and the near-basket shooting rate is not as high as that of the basket shot.

   And the postman also protected himself, using two arms thicker than Pharaoh to protect his chest, and Pharaoh's collision could no longer hurt him.

However, the Jazz did not play an explosive game. Under the top defense of Big Ben and the help of Pharaoh, the Postman made 9 of 23 shots, and the shooting rate was only 39.1%, which was completely more efficient than that of Pharaoh, and there were not many free throws. , 5 of 7 penalties, got 23 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 fouls.

   Hornacek blew up Posen, but because Pharaoh was at the basket, he rarely rushed in to play, and his efficiency was not high enough. He shot 43.5% and scored 22 points even with penalties.

   Stockton made 5 of 8 shots, plus free throws and a 3-pointer, scored 11 points, and only sent 7 assists, his performance was not as good as before.

On the Suns side, five scored in double figures, Pharaoh, Kevin Johnson, Horry, and Wilkins.

Wilkins scored 19 points, the second scoring point for the team, shooting only 39%, which is not high enough, but his scoring is still very helpful, because the bench does not need to be so efficient, as long as it can grab points That's fine, resisting the opponent and giving the main force a chance to breathe is to contribute.

   Although the game was won, it was not easy to win. The difference was only 6 points. If Wang Tiejun's efficiency in the low post was not much higher than that of the postman, the outcome would have been reversed.

Wang Tiejun played 45 minutes, made 16 of 26 shots, 11 of 19 free throws, scored 43 points, shot 61.5% from the field, grabbed 16 rebounds, sent 6 assists and 5 blocks, showing all-round performance .

In the TNT live broadcast, Albert said: "The Postman did his best, he made Old K's offensive efficiency only over 60%, and when Old K played the Bulls in the finals last season, the efficiency even exceeded 80%, that's really what you want. "

Kevin Harlan said with the data sheet: "Old K's basket attack ratio is 41% today, which is lower than 58% in the regular season and 47% in the first-round series, which shows that he is more vulnerable in the low post. great resistance."

Albert analyzed: "Ben Wallace can't be pulled away at all, and almost every time he attacks, he has to face early double-teaming. There has to be more effort on the offensive end."

  Kevin Harlan nodded and said, "So it's really hard to say whether the existence of Ben Wallace will benefit the Suns or not.

  The current Suns is completely different from last season when AC Gran was playing the main power forward. At that time, Green and others pulled apart, and Old K could get the opportunity to play in the low post, which is impossible now. "

  Albert added: "But Ben Wallace can make a lot of contributions on the defensive end and rebounding control.

   Today, his contribution to defending the postman is not small. Under his top defense, he created a lot of opportunities for old K to help defend. The reason why the efficiency of the postman is so small has his contribution. "

   In the CCTV live broadcast, Zhang Lili said: "Although we won, like the regular season, Tiejun can stand alone.

If you are tired from the regular season, you can take a breath. Losing a game is fine, but the playoffs are not good. This is a series, and the same opponent has to top a series. This is very tiring. You have no chance to breathe. what! "

  Suqun nodded, but said: "But no matter what, the Suns still won. I think there is no problem in reaching the Western Conference finals."

Zhang Lili said: "This Suns team is indeed strong enough to meet ordinary players, but it is still difficult to meet the strongest teams. But Xiaosu, like you said, I also think the Western Conference finals should be Can."

   "I think there are only two teams that can win the Suns. The obstacles for the Suns to win the championship are the Mosaic and the Bulls, so they need to build a stronger perimeter." Su Qun said.

Zhang Lili said: "Playing the Bulls and playing Mosaic are different. Playing the Bulls, the opponent's inside line is not good, and breaking through the outside blockade is enough, but playing Mosaic, the opponent's three superstars are really troublesome, I don't know how to prevent it. live with the three of them."

   "Wait for them to grow old." Su Qun said something dejected.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Li nodded and said: "It's old, it depends on how long they can last. And after this season, the contracts of Big Dream and Barkley are over, and the contracts they are holding now are all the previous small contracts. Two-year league salary jumping up, don't they want a big contract?

  In my opinion, both Big Dream and Barkley may run away, especially if they win the championship this year, the lineup of the Big Three will definitely be scattered, and there is no material basis for them to be together again. "

"Adding that Jordan's contract is also over, and Mutombo will also become a free agent, Reggie Miller and Cobra Grant's contracts are also over, and O'Neal's contract is also over. This year's free agency should be very lively. "Su Qun laughed.

   "That's right, the pond is full of big fish." Zhang Lili laughed.

Su Qun curiously added: "Jordan heard that his agent offered an annual salary of 20 million yuan last year. If he wins the championship this year and has four rings in hand, maybe his agent will ask for a higher price. One thousand five, or three thousand?"

Zhang Lili exclaimed excitedly: "Once the season is over, he will definitely trigger a robbery, and the price is likely to be raised. Let me analyze it this way. Last time the Lakers robbed O'Neal, the Sharks went to the Knicks, and last year's robbing the Iron Army. It didn't work either, and now the Lakers were eliminated in the first round, will they step in and grab Jordan this time?"

   "Oh, it's really possible. The Lakers want money and money, as long as the contract is big enough, Jordan and his agent shouldn't refuse." Su Qun said excitedly.

Zhang Lili added: "And Shaquille O'Neal, who played for the Magic for three years and has the bird rights, is now traded for the fourth year, that is to say, his bird rights have also been traded to the Knicks, then the Knicks can use Bird rights to re-sign Shaquille O'Neal and then clear space to sign Jordan, that's the plan they made last year, so it's likely to continue that plan this year."

  Suqun slapped his thigh and said excitedly: "Then the trading market this year will look good, everyone will break their heads.

   There is also the draft, which is said to be a big year. I don’t know which one the Suns will choose? "

   Zhang Lili said with a smile: "I think it's best to trade an older rookie, a rookie who is a junior or senior in the draft, so that coming in is instant combat power.

  This year, the Suns are like this. No matter whether they can win the championship or not, they will definitely strive for the championship next year. Then the rookies selected this year may not have as many training opportunities next year as Finley and Ben Wallace. "

  Suqun nodded and said: "Finley has been trained for most of the season this year. He will play the main force when he comes up, and then he will enter the bench when he hits the rookie wall. Not to mention Daben, he will play the main force in the playoffs."

Zhang Lili smiled and said: "The Tiejun is so strong, in fact, the Suns don't need that kind of first-class star with an average of 20+10 per game. What he needs more is a reasonably configured lineup. As long as the lineup is reasonable, with his ability, he can completely drag it. Fourth, the team's salary will be more reasonable, and reasonableness is the most important."

Su Qun suddenly asked, "Guide Zhang, do you think Big Ben is a reasonable allocation? I think it's a bit difficult to win today's game, Big Ben can't pull it out, and Old K was assisted by the postman throughout the game, and he was terrified. .

   And the Jazz only need the postman to assist in defense, and the perimeter does not participate in low-post assist defense, which makes it impossible for Old K to create an open position for the perimeter, so today the Suns did not get many opportunities to shoot from an open position on the perimeter, and the offensive efficiency was not enough. "

Zhang Lili nodded and said: "In terms of configuration, AC Green is a good helper who can pull off, can help defend well, can defend to the three-point line, and can also grab rebounds. Not a championship.

  For an insider like Ben Wallace, when I interviewed him, he said that he was a center, haha, don’t laugh, Xiaosu, he really is the most suitable position to be the 5th position.

  How to say, he can't be pulled out, so the basket is the most suitable position for him, and then assigning him an AC Green, neither side will take the other's space, it is the most reasonable configuration.

   Now, although his contribution is not small, it does have a certain negative impact on the Tiejun, robbing the space of the Tiejun, he and the Tiejun are not the most reasonable internal configuration. "

  Suqun nodded and smiled: "So the best fit for Old K is a power forward like AC Green."

Zhang Lili thought about it and said, "Rasheed Wallace, the No. 4 pick in the first round last year, entered the rookie second team this time. He participated in this year's All-Star Rookie Game and scored 12 points, which caught my attention that time. he.

He is similar to AC Green, his talent is better, his shoes are 211 cm high, his wingspan is excellent, his mobility is very strong, he can run and jump, and his shooting feel is very good. He was born in North Carolina, and his offensive skills have been polished. Defends a straight-back jumper and is also very active on the defensive end.

His offensive area can cover the three-point line, and his mid-range shooting percentage, whether it is nearly two points or two mid-range points, is more than 40%, which is very good. Yes, Jordan's mid-range shooting skills are just the same, but his three-point shot is almost a little bit, and 30% is just in his early days, and he can also use it.

   He can pull off the offense, and the defense is also good. He can defend both inside and outside. Like the offense, he can actually cover the three-point line and move very fast.

He is now in the Washington Bullets. The Bullets have too many insiders. There are Juwan Howard, Rasheed Wallace, and Chris Webber was traded. All three are very good players, and they are in the same position. Rasheed Wallace doesn't get a lot of opportunities. I think the Suns can be traded. He is more suitable for the Iron Army than Ben Wallace, a perfect fit. "

   "You can mention it to Old K." Su Qun nodded.

   "We'll see you later." Zhang Lili also nodded.

   "Ben, you played well today, I'll reward you with a chance to take a medicinal bath." On the sidelines, Pharaoh patted Ben Wallace on the head before accepting the live interview.

"awesome!"

   Daben smiled honestly and asked, "Boss, can I replace it with a medicated meal?"

   "Go away, you idiot, the medicine bath is better for you." Old Wang scolded with a smile, waving his hand to chase away.

   "But I want to eat chicken more." Big Ben muttered and walked to the bench.

  Today he defended against the postman and suffered a lot, with elbow marks all over his chest and a few blows on his face.

   After the on-site interview, Pharaoh returned to the locker room with a group of teammates and fans who had not finished waving goodbye.

   "Danny, is there any news from the Bulls?"

   After entering the locker room, he looked at the time, the Eastern Conference should be over, he asked Danny Ainge.

   "Just received the news that the Bulls won." Angie said with a smile.

  Pharaoh nodded and didn't ask again. It was normal for the Bulls to win the Pacers.

  While he was doing the medicated bath, Westphal made a summary of the game, and then several coaches and Colangelo Jr came outside and started to discuss today's game.

There was only one issue they discussed. The Postman’s weak-side assist defense had a great impact on Old K’s offense. At the same time, it made the perimeter not available. The Suns’ overall offense was seriously affected. How to solve this problem? Come up with a way, otherwise the team is likely to lose.

   In fact, the problem lies there. Ben Wallace can't open it, so that the old K is double-teamed in advance, which affects the entire team's offense.

It's just that there is no one in the Suns who can replace Big Ben. Horry's low defense is not good, he has no rebounds, Tisdale is too old, he can play at most ten minutes per game, and the quality of offense, defense and rebounds this season. They are all downhill, and they will retire after the next season, and the other two marginal players can't stand up at all.

   This problem didn't just appear today. It has been there since Ben Wallace played the main power forward. Of course, the coaching staff is very clear about this.

But in the regular season, the opponent's defensive intensity didn't come up, and not all of them were postmen. Old K's low-post offense was not greatly affected. This problem was not so obvious. When I ran into the hard bone of the postman, this problem immediately came to the fore.

  Westphal, Lewis, Danny Ainge, and little Nelson, who joined the coaching staff, couldn't do anything after thinking about it for a long time.

Little Colangelo can't do anything either. It's not easy to trade for the right people. Other teams don't want to see the Suns strengthen in the offseason. Now almost all teams are putting pressure on the league to introduce them. The rules that limit the old K, the team is very difficult, and the old K will face a more difficult season next season.

   At this time, some reporters who were going to interview in the locker room came over, and Zhang Lili and Su Qun were also crowded among them.

  The two are going to attend the post-match press conference. Now that they have time, they plan to chat with Wang Tiejun first.

   It was almost time for the post-match press conference. Westphal went in and called Wang Tiejun and Kevin Johnson, as well as Wilkins, plus Colangelo Jr., and five people left the locker room.

   Zhang Lili and Su Qun followed, pulling to the back of Pharaoh and chatting.

   "Rashid Wallace?"

Hearing Zhang Lili recommend a rookie to himself, Pharaoh thought for a while, but he didn't have any impression, so he quickly stepped forward to catch up with Little Colangelo and Westphal in front, and asked, "Brian, coach, you guys Do you know this rookie?"

   Westphal shook his head, he couldn't possibly notice a rookie, and asked, "Old K, what do you ask a rookie for?"

   As the general manager, Colangelo Jr. is very clear. He took over the position of general manager last year and studied these rookies, but Rasheed Wallace's predicted draft position was too high and he did not study this rookie carefully.

  Pharaoh explained it, little Colangelo and Westphal were a little interested when they heard it.

Not because of anything else, not because they believed Zhang's reasonable recommendation, but because Rasheed Wallace was the No. 4 pick in the first round last year. This pick shows that Rasheed is a talented young man, if true. If it is suitable, it can solve the configuration problem of the fourth position.

  Little Colangelo turned around to express his gratitude to Zhang Lili, and said with a smile, "Zhang, I think you are very suitable for scouting."

   "Bryan, Brother Zhang, he is not only a commentator, but also the coach of our national team. He will participate in this year's Atlanta Olympics." Wang said.

"Really?"

   Little Colangelo and Westphal expressed surprise.

   "Old K, it's not easy for the Suns to win tonight, do you have any concerns about this series?" A reporter asked during the Q&A session of the press conference.

   "Our lineup is definitely not worse than the Jazz. The Jazz is not something I should worry about." Pharaoh replied.

He really thinks so, instead of talking big, the Jazz only have two stable scoring points, one postman and one Hornacek. Offset, combined with the Lightning and Posen, if he can't beat the Postman and Hornacek, he deserves to lose, and it's definitely not the reason for the lineup.

Little Colangelo's thoughts were not at the press conference. He was thinking about Rasheed Wallace, who was recommended by Zhang Lili just now. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this rookie was a good fit for the team, and he was more suitable for staying in old K than Ben Wallace. around.

   (end of this chapter)