Chapter 363 [New Lineup! If Someone Stands in the Way of a Person, He Will Kill Someone; if Someone Stands in the Way of a Buddha, He Will Kill the Buddha! 】

Compared with other teams, the Suns' reinforcements are like throwing a pebble into the sea, not even a small splash.

They just signed Raja Bell in the free market, traded Diop from the Cavaliers, and traded Scott Williams for second-round rookie point guard Steve Blake.

At this time, the Suns had assembled a new lineup of 15 people.

Center: Nene, Diop, Stoudemire.

Power forward: Gugliotta, Kukoc, Haslem, Chris Crawford.

Small forward: Marion, James Jones, Kirisek.

Shooting guards: Joe Johnson, Laga Bell, Josh Howard.

Point guard: Guo Xu, Steve Blake.

No media or basketball experts are optimistic about the Suns winning the championship in the new season. Most people predict that the Lakers will reach the top again.

ESPN expert Nicholas said: "If the Suns want to win the championship, it is best to trade a rookie who played at a high level last season, pack up the role players in the team, and exchange for a peak player or veteran who has the ability to start, otherwise they are likely to Like last year, the regular season relied on talent to perform well, and the playoffs ended badly."

On the Internet, fans also left messages saying that they are not optimistic about the Suns' championship. They believe that their lineup has not changed much from last season and their defense will definitely not be good.

Manager Brian was unsure and called Guo Xu to discuss whether to make a big deal.

"Jason, do we want to trade for a capable veteran? The Nuggets manager called me and asked me if I was willing to sign and then trade. They are willing to first renew Juwan Howard with a five-year mid-level contract, and then trade Nene. Add Chris Crawford."

Guo Xu rolled his eyes, turned around, blew a breath, and said to the phone: "What kind of strength does Howard have? He is obviously a data brush and a defensive colander. He is reasonable in terms of mid-range shooting. His strength is not as good as Haslem. If Nene is replaced, Aren't you kidding?"

Just looking at the data, Howard is indeed very good. He averaged 18.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3 assists for the Nuggets last season. His career technical statistics also reached 17.9 points and 7.5 rebounds.

However, the Nuggets only won 17 games last season. Howard averaged 35.5 minutes per game, took 16.6 shots, and shot only 45% from the field. This mid-level pick will definitely be cheated. For the same role, Howard's defense is not as good as Horry's, who is much cheaper than him.

"Then do you have any second-rate star candidates? We have newcomers making the decision just like last season.

How to compete with the Lakers, Timberwolves, Mavericks, and Kings for the championship? "

Guo Xu said sternly: "No more trading, let's just fight like this. How can we trade for outstanding insider stars when Nesterovich can sign a full mid-level contract? There are many people who are famous but have no strength, so it's not as good as Train more new players in the regular season. Don't buy out Crawford and sign him as a free agent. Keep him."

Guo Xu has studied the lineups of each team in detail before. The only inside star who may be traded is Rasheed Wallace. The salary is too high. If the Suns want to trade, they must give away Marion. It is impossible for the Blazers to pay attention to other high-paid players. .

He also considered trading forward Gerald Wallace from the Kings. It seemed that he was missing out. He didn't have to pay a lot of money. He could almost exchange for Kirisek.

In fact, this is not the case. Gerrard is very brave and has super physical fitness, but his shooting is not good and requires long-term training. The style of play and role he is good at completely overlap with Marion. The Suns have too many swingmen at positions 3 and 4. His situation would be the same as it was with the Kings, and there would be no way to train him.

D'Antoni is not a coach who likes to play games with 12 players in rotation, so he probably only gave Gerrard 5 minutes of playing time.

In Guo Xu's view, the Suns will encounter "beautiful troubles" in the new season, and several talented players will have to work hard.

He is full of confidence in the Suns' lineup and believes that as long as they work well together, next season will be like "killing people when blocking, killing Buddha when blocking"!

Last season, the Suns had deficiencies in both internal and external defense. They had poor frame protection inside and average rebounding ability. Guo Xu on the outside couldn't switch to guard big men when encountering pick-and-rolls. They were poor at interfering with shots. Joe Johnson and Kirisek were easily passed and their speed was poor. generally.

The new season is different. Marion, Haslem, Bell, and Howard can defend pick-and-rolls and protect Guo Xu. Against the fast inside players, use Stoudemire and inside defense, and against the inside players who are good at attacking the penalty area, use Diop. The Suns have no obvious deficiencies on the defensive end, and Guo Xu can focus more on the offensive end.

With Guo Xu and Stoudemire here, the Suns don't need to bloom more to ensure offensive firepower. Strengthening defense is the most critical. Although young players are still not as experienced as a team with veterans calling the shots, the Suns' lineup can cope with various tactics.

After several new players joined, Guo Xu, who was filming in Los Angeles, did not attend the press conference to express his welcome, but he asked for his mobile phone number and called everyone to chat for a while.

He suggested that Stoudemire, Nene, Haslem, and Diop train together in the summer, practicing both shooting and one-on-ones. Four people with different styles get together to train and get twice the result with half the effort.

As long as Stoudemire makes progress like he did in his previous life, practices mid-range shooting in the summer, and only looks at the depth of the inside lineup, the Suns will be firmly in the top ten, or even the top five, in the league. Most teams lack inside stars. Those with rich experience and already playing at a high level are hard to come by. The Suns are very lucky.

Guo Xu also told Bell: "I asked the manager to sign you. Your defense in the playoffs impressed me very much. I am optimistic about your potential. In the summer, you take time to practice three-point shooting. As long as your shooting improves, you will be better in the new season." I would offer you the starting spot."

Bell was flattered and immediately promised: "I will definitely practice three-pointers well. Don't worry, I will definitely be able to help the team."

"Well, don't practice in Phoenix. The weather will kill you. Just find a place and we'll see you in September." Guo Xu said with a smile.

As for Howard, Jones, and Blake, Guo Xu encouraged them to work harder in training and learn from their teammates. They definitely won't have many opportunities to perform in the first year. They have to start from the fringe players. There are too many people in the rotation.

Even a man of Howard's caliber can only be a marginal person. How powerful are the Suns? How could it not be a championship contending team in the new season? They are not favored because their players are not well-known, just like the Pistons where Milicic is a marginal player in the second place.

Guo Xu chatted with Brian for ten minutes and explained his views to him in detail, asking him to wait and see the team's performance in the new season with peace of mind and stop thinking about the transaction.

Brian felt much happier and asked, "What do you think are our chances of winning the championship next season?"

"I can't predict this. It will definitely be difficult if there is a chance. In short, I think the current lineup is in the most ideal state. The players are well matched and have complementary styles. I can guarantee that we will win against the Mavericks and Kings. It’s us, we have to fight against the Timberwolves and Lakers.”

"Jason, my lifelong happiness depends entirely on you. I must win the championship." Brian sighed.

"It's not that exaggerated, is it?"

Brian smiled and said: "Yes, the old man said that as long as the team wins the championship, he will retire next year and let me be the boss. As long as I become the boss, you and Mike (D'Antoni) will have the final say on how to build the lineup. Wait for you. When the contract expires, you will definitely sign a maximum salary in the next contract, and you have the right to veto the transaction."

Brian's pie painting was very good, and Guo Xu was completely interested.