At the post-game press conference, the Washington Post reporter who first asked the question asked: "Michael, do you think the Wizards' 2001 draft was a success or a failure? I was referring to the use of the No. 1 pick."
Jordan said firmly: "I know what you are referring to, but Kwame has only played one game, and in this game he showed excellent blocking ability. I believe he will continue to show his ability in future games." talent.”
There was indeed only one game, and the media did not raise any further doubts.
…
On November 1st, Seattle faced the Spurs' challenge at home.
Zhou Quan is very cautious when playing against the Spurs because he has not yet played against Tim Duncan in the playoffs.
As expected, the Spurs sent Tony Parker as their starting point guard.
After playing, Zhou Quan and others received last season's championship rings.
This is his sixth championship ring and fifth with the Seattle SuperSonics.
This is the first home game. Everyone in the family is here. Little Zhou Yuan is already one and a half years old. Everyone is sitting on the sidelines, not in the private room.
Zhou Quan put on his championship ring, held his son and took photos with his family as a souvenir.
Before going on the court, Popovich pulled Tony Parker and said: "Young man, you have only one task, hold on under the attack and defense of the Iron Fist King, and don't be defeated by him. Remember, don't let yourself be like a bunch of dogs." It looks like shit."
Tony Parker turned around and glanced at Zhou Quan, who was not far away. He swallowed involuntarily and nodded absentmindedly.
Popovich couldn't help but sigh secretly when he saw Parker like this.
The Spurs have two most powerful enemies in the West, one is the Lakers and the other is the SuperSonics.
The Lakers have an unsolvable shark, and the Spurs can still compete with them with their twin towers, but the SuperSonics have an even more unsolvable Iron Fist. Rising stars like Iverson and Kobe have been beaten as ugly as shit, and the Spurs can't even win. There is no defender that can be fought.
He is optimistic about Tony Parker, who is fast, has the same potential as a sports car, but if anyone tells him that this little sports car can deal with the Iron Fist King, he will spit in that guy's face.
If he wants to win against the SuperSonics, he still lacks people at the second position. He still lacks a first-class shooting guard. If he can combine a first-class back line on both ends of the offense and defense, he will be able to compete with the SuperSonics and the Iron Fist King. confidence in Taiwan.
"Beep!"
A whistle blows and the game begins.
There was no suspense about the jump ball. Duncan pushed the ball away over Ben Wallace's head and the Spurs attacked.
After receiving the ball, Parker took a step back and distanced himself from Zhou Quan.
He is under great pressure, because this is the Iron Fist King, the first player in the basketball world who is very likely to complete the second three-consecutive championship dynasty.
Just the incredible stealing ability of one hand is enough to make all ball handlers nervous and even lose confidence in holding the ball.
The Iron Fist King trained Kobe and Iverson in the Western Conference Finals. He can't escape being trained by the military today, right?
As soon as he thought about it, his throat felt dry.
"How dare this rookie get distracted in front of me?"
Zhou Quan was very keenly aware of Tony Parker's psychological fluctuations, so he immediately started to steal the ball without any courtesy.
"squeak!"
Amidst the sharp friction of sneakers, he took a step forward with his right foot and reached out to poke the ball with his right hand.
His stabbing action is not a risky steal, because if he misses it, he will immediately retract his right foot and re-establish a defensive position.
With his precise hitting, when he pokes the ball, the ball holder usually has to protect the ball, and there is a high probability that he will not get a chance to break through.
"Snapped!"
When his hand reached the ball, he poked the ball and immediately took a step forward with his left foot. With a powerful burst of explosive power, he pushed Tony Parker to the side. After grabbing the ball, he immediately started to play quickly.
"It's over!"
Tony Parker turned around and looked at the Iron Fist King who was about to fall, his mind went blank, and he didn't make any movement to defend himself at the first moment.
"Catch up, damn rookie!" Popovich cursed unceremoniously.
"Oh ho ho..."
With a one-handed chop that rotated 360 degrees in the air, and with a loud explosion of the basket, Zhou Quan detonated the Seattle Center Arena.
"Parker, you idiot..." Popovich continued to curse.
"Rookie, welcome to the NBA." Zhou Quan once again stood next to Tony Parker and said to him with a smile.
"Thank you, thank you!" Tony Parker laughed dryly.
"What are you thanking him for, thanking him for stealing you? You should be trash-talking him." Popovich snarled.
"I……"
Tony Parker was a little overwhelmed by the scolding.
"Mr. Popovich, you are just welcoming the newcomers, you are really rude." Zhou Quan said to Popovich.
Although he was smiling, his tone was not good.
Popovich's face turned black at Zhou Quan's words, but he had no choice but to turn away depressedly.
Tony Parker was dumbfounded when he saw Popovich being sprayed by the Iron Fist King.
This steal was a start. In this game, Zhou Quan really trained Tony Parker. He stole the ball 8 times in a single game, blocked Parker 3 times, and prevented Parker from making 0 of 10 shots. While not blocking Parker, he also hit Parker on his head. Scored 35 points and 18 assists.
In the end, the SuperSonics defeated the Spurs at home, 100:113.
Rashard Lewis scored 24 points in 35 minutes, Corey Maggette scored 15 points in 25 minutes, Campbell had 11 points in 22 minutes, and Mason had 14 points in 23 minutes. With Zhou Quan, 5 people on the team scored in double figures.
Arenas replaced Corey Maggette in the 10th minute of the first quarter and played intermittently for a total of 22 minutes. His playing time was not a small amount. He made 3 of 9 shots, 1 of 3 three-pointers, 2 of 3 free throws, and scored 9 points. Points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls, with a shooting percentage of 33.3%.
He has a strong desire to attack. This style of play is more suitable for the second position who mainly focuses on scoring. Although he is not tall enough for the second position, he can also play as a substitute for the second position.
Moreover, Zhou Quan found that there was a problem with Arenas' defense. It wasn't that he didn't work hard, but that his defense was very risky. Moreover, he didn't react much after being singled out, as if he didn't care much.
If this were put on Jordan or Kobe, after they were singled out, their defense would definitely be more intense next time.
As the season continued, Whitsitt contacted the team everywhere, trying to trade Shamond Williams and bring in a backup shooting guard.
Between Arenas and Shamond Williams, he chose the former. Arenas has potential that can be cultivated, while Williams is just a role player who is almost 27 years old and is dispensable.
But Williams hasn't been traded yet, but there is news about Cory Maggette's deal. The Cavaliers proactively contacted him, hoping to trade Cory Maggette + Des Mond Mason.
Whitsitt checked Murray's information. He was the second scoring point of the Cavaliers last season. He was the main rotation player at the third position last season. He started 47 games and averaged 12.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. However, his offensive efficiency was not enough and his shooting percentage was only 42.3%.
He feels that the reason why the Cavaliers are interested in Corey Maggette is that Maggette's shooting percentage is close to 50%, and he is younger and has more potential than Murray.
He looked up the Cavaliers' current lineup and saw a name, shooting guard Wesley Parsons.
Parson was also a rookie in 1994, the 23rd pick in the first round. However, he was seriously injured last year and only played 44 games. He started 22 games, averaging 22 minutes per game, 7 points, 3 rebounds, assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 43.8%.
This player's three-point shooting is very good. It has remained above 40% for many seasons, and his offensive efficiency is not bad. A guy like Corey Maggette, who has average shooting, has a shooting percentage of close to 50% next to King of Iron Fist. If he is in King of Iron Fist, If you play next to him, your shooting percentage will definitely increase.
But Wesley's injury doesn't seem to be worth replacing with Corey Maggette, and with an annual salary of six million, the team needs to free up several more million in space to trade, which will affect the thickness of the lineup.
He thought about it for ten minutes and then rejected the knight.
Looking through the lineups of each team, when he saw the Bucks, he noticed the name of a player, Michael Reid, the No. 14 pick in the second round selected by the Bucks in 2000.
As a second-round pick, shooting guard Michael Reid was not taken seriously by the Bucks. He was Ray Allen's second substitute, not even the second substitute. He only played in six games last season, averaging 5.8 minutes per game. Averaged 2.2 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.2 assists, with a shooting percentage of just over 20%, and no three-pointers.
The Bucks have played four games this season and only played two games. They played 4 minutes in the first game and scored 2 points on 1-of-1 shooting. They played 18 minutes against the Nuggets and made 1-of-5 shooting. This season His performance also seems to be average, with not many opportunities to play.
He thought about it, and it seemed that he could give it a try by trading for Shamond Williams and bringing in Michael Reed as a substitute at the second position.
The reason why he noticed Michael Reed is because as the general manager, he noticed Reed during the draft last year, and the SuperSonics also have Michael Reed's draft file.
He wanted to draft a shooting guard last year and wanted to select Reid with the last pick in the second round, but the first-to-last pick was too late and was taken by the Bucks.
This young man is 198 centimeters tall, has good ball control and speed, and can break through, but his long-range shooting ability is not good. Due to various reasons, he fell to the middle of the second round in last year's draft.
He checked Reid's contract again. The rookie contract was $790,000 for two years. This year is a contract year, and there is a possibility of a trade.
As soon as he thought of it, he asked his assistant to send a trade offer to the Bucks, trading Shamond Williams for Michael Reid. Williams' contract this year is $1.5 million, and the Bucks will add $500,000 in cash matching. trade.
The Bucks were reluctant after receiving the contract. Michael Reid worked hard in team training and has begun to show his potential. The coaching staff is preparing to let him serve as the No. 1 substitute for Ray Allen this season.
Shammond Williams is just a role player, of little value, and of little help to the team. Although Reid is only a second-round pick, his age has advantages.
"Whitshit, they refused," the assistant reported back.
"Did they say why?" Whitsitt asked.
"No," the assistant said.
Whitchet thought for a while, forget it, if not, let Arenas take the substitute position at No. 2 first. Anyway, that kid likes to take action.
On the 5th, the league announced the best player of the first week and the first MVP ranking.
This season the league has changed a rule. The Best of the Week and Best of the Month are divided into one for the entire league and one for the Eastern and Western Conferences. The gold content has been greatly reduced.
The Best of the Week in the first week went to Kobe Bryant and Ray Allen. Zhou Quan doesn't care about this shrunken Best of the Week, nor did he care before it was shrunk. The Best of the Month is pretty much the same. But the monthly awards have also shrunk, and he doesn't care much anymore.
In the first three games, the Sonics won three out of three games, and he ranked first in MVP. This is what he cares about.
As the schedule continued, Whitsitt didn't seem to bring any changes to the lineup. He only signed a fringe shooting guard with little strength, just to make up for the loss.
Arenas was asked by the coaching staff to increase his off-ball play, and his position was biased toward the first substitute at the second position, which was Cory Maggette's substitute.
The Sonics' second position is also considered by the media to be the weakest link in the team. Neither the main shooting guard nor the backup shooting guard are authentic shooting guards.
Arenas began to practice three-pointers crazily. Because he is not tall enough, he must increase his long-range shooting ability at the second position, otherwise he will waste many open opportunities created by Zhou Quan.
(End of chapter)
