One Thousand and Sixteen: Do You Want to Fight Again?

Link has already begun to prepare for the Grizzlies' revival.

If you want to avenge the past, making some changes in the lineup is indispensable.

In fact, as the Grizzlies' four "bear cubs" gradually grow up, the Grizzlies actually don't have much shortcomings in the lineup.

There are three reasons why the Grizzlies' golden era was ended by the Warriors last season.

First, Conley and Gasol were reimbursed for the season, which was a huge blow to the Grizzlies.

If there is no Link in this history, then Conley and Gasol are the pillars and facade of the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies lost two of their leading stars last season, which is equivalent to the Thunder losing Westbrook and Durant at the same time.

Their absence has an impact on the Grizzlies' strength.

Secondly, it is the problem of the aging lineup. Randolph, Carter, Tony Allen and Iguodala are still good players, but they can no longer carry such a heavy burden. They can do their job well in the rotation, but they have to have the right starters to step up for them.

Third, the four "bear cubs" have not fully grown up.

Last season, Harrell was still a young man who averaged only 3.6 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.

Dinwiddie, averaging 7.3 points per game and shooting 18.5% from three-point range...

Josh Richardson and Jokic played well, but they only scored 10.2 and 10.0 points respectively.

It can be said that no one except the Grizzlies themselves regards them as a treasure. These guys are just a bunch of second-round picks and late first-round picks, and no one cares about them.

But in the new season, Link believes that these four young people can burst out with greater power.

Link knew their potential. With playing time, the right "instructions" and a summer of special training, Link believes they will improve faster than in the original history.

As long as they can grow, the Grizzlies' lineup is actually not bad.

Therefore, the Grizzlies' lineup only needs minor repairs. To be more specific, they need a second position who can start, has experience, and still has some gas left in the tank.

The Grizzlies have many second positions, but none suitable for starting.

Dinwiddie needs to fill the vacancy at the No. 1 position and be eliminated.

With the current strength of Tony Allen and Carter, it is very difficult to serve as the starting two position of the championship team. To be honest, they are excluded.

Josh Richardson is too young and inexperienced, and is not suitable to serve as the starting No. 2 position for a championship team.

In this year's free agent market, there are not many players that meet the needs of the Grizzlies, and Dwyane Wade is one of them!

Therefore, Link took the lead in launching an offensive against Wade.

Sometimes, team reinforcements cannot be left to management alone. After all, it is the players themselves who ultimately play together.

Wade needs experience and strength as well as strength.

And like most aging stars, Wade still has the "hidden attribute" of being able to explode at critical moments in major games, which is of great help to the Grizzlies.

Think about it, how the aging Ray Allen saved the Heat in the playoffs time and again a few years ago. This kind of veteran who can exert force at critical moments is a treasure for any championship team.

Moreover, Wade and Link have a good personal relationship, which is a good thing for the chemistry in the locker room.

Wade, who has considerable leadership, can also give better guidance to Dinwiddie, Richardson and others, making their progress more rapid and connecting the Grizzlies players more closely.

On the surface, Wade is no longer considered a giant player, but Link has never believed in the idea of ​​giants teaming up to win championships.

He believes that as long as the lineup is properly matched and the players are strong. Even if you are not a multi-giant team, you still have a chance to win the championship.

Sign a bunch of superstars to form a team? That's what losers do!

If James hadn't lost badly in Cleveland, would he have teamed up?

If Durant hadn't been so oppressed by Link that he couldn't stand it, would he have gone to the Warriors?

With Wade, Link had done everything he could. But for the whole summer, Link still has a lot of work.

After returning from Los Angeles, Link and Rachel went to take wedding photos. At the same time, the NBA draft has begun again.

This year, though, the Grizzlies are unlucky. Siakam and Brogdon, who they were interested in, were both intercepted in advance. The key point is that the Grizzlies don't have any chips to exchange.

Therefore, they had no choice but to reluctantly give up, which cast a shadow over the Grizzlies' signings.

After taking the wedding photos, Link rushed to Canada without stopping.

Of course, this time he was not taking Rachel to travel to Canada, but had another very important thing to do.

※※※

"I didn't expect you to come here. Actually, there's no need. I should be able to handle it myself."

Sitting in the special car, Robert Pera looked at Link with admiration in his eyes.

"Don't we all now have to pay attention to the stars coming forward to recruit helpers? Even retired team stars will join the negotiation team. I think we should also learn from it."

Link smiled and then looked at the photo of Rachel in a wedding dress on the screen saver of her phone.

Preparing for a wedding while busy with team affairs, this double life is far less cool than imagined.

After a while, Link and Pella arrived at their destination.

At this time, they were standing at the door of the Canadian Basketball Association headquarters.

A white-collar woman with short blond hair had been waiting outside for a long time. She smiled at Link and Pella and made a "please" gesture.

"Welcome, gentlemen!"

Link and Pella followed the female white-collar worker. Along the way, she introduced the facilities and history here.

The female white-collar worker gave the introduction very fluently, and she seemed to have spent a lot of time preparing for it. She must have memorized the long introduction and cursed countless times.

Link and Pella just smiled and nodded in agreement, pretending to be interested, but in fact they didn't listen to anything.

Their purpose today is not here. They are not here to visit the Canadian Basketball Association headquarters.

But I came to meet someone.

Finally, the female white-collar worker brought Link and Pella to the door of an office.

Next to the door, there is a small sign with the words "General Manager's Office" written on it.

Link knew that the destination had been reached.

"Mr. General Manager is inside, please come in."

"Thank you, ma'am." Link nodded politely to the female white-collar worker, and then walked into the general manager's office.

Inside, a thin man stood up enthusiastically and asked Link and Pella to sit down.

Standing in front of them was Steve Nash, the general manager of the Canadian Basketball Association, a former NBA superstar, a two-time MVP winner, and the "Son of the Wind" who announced his retirement a year ago.

"Welcome, I'm very sorry to let you come so far. You know, we are busy with the next Olympics, which really makes me unable to get away. Regarding your proposal..."

Nash looked at Link and Pera and nodded slightly, "To be honest, I am very interested. I would like to return to the NBA as a member of the coaching staff, and I also know that the Memphis Grizzlies are a very special team."

Hearing this, Link and Pella became excited. They came this time to convince Nash to serve as the Grizzlies' player development consultant.

His mission is simple, provide dedicated one-on-one coaching to the Grizzlies players!

The Grizzlies may not have needed such a role in the past, but now, with mostly young people, the Grizzlies must equip them with a good teacher.

Link knows that getting the Grizzlies back into the championship ranks is not something that can be accomplished by signing just a few players. Sometimes, some small details have a huge impact on the team.

"But... I also received an invitation from Steve Kerr a few days ago, and he also wants me to join the Warriors' coaching staff. So, I may need to reconsider your invitation. "

After Nash finished saying the content behind the "but", Link and Pella's moods hit rock bottom again.

Steve Kerr was the general manager of the Suns and had a good personal relationship with Nash. Besides, as of now, the Warriors have better prospects of winning the championship than the Grizzlies.

Both emotionally and rationally, Nash is more likely to choose the Warriors.

The two sides were silent for a few seconds, and finally, Link broke the awkward silence.

"We understand, Steve. No matter what, we respect your choice. By the way, Steve, can I ask you a question?"

"Ask, Link." Nash smiled friendly.

"Until now, you are still eager to fight for the NBA championship. Even if you give up most of the enjoyment in the world, give up vacations, food, sugar - to fight for it all, just like you did in Phoenix."

"Of course," Nash nodded slightly, clenching his hands into fists under the table, "Of course I'm eager."

"But before you went, the Golden State Warriors were already the championship. Is there any point in fighting in a team that is already the championship? With all due respect, trying to win a championship is not what you want. It’s the true yearning in your heart.”

Link stared into Nash's eyes, hoping to draw out the last flame in the middle-aged man's heart.