Healing Basketball

Chapter 314 314. The warden changed my position for me?

The Trail Blazers exchanged a high-quality defensive spot-up shooter who was in his prime in exchange for a former superstar who has collapsed. The media generally did not think highly of this deal.

It is not a big problem for Ruben Patterson to continue his peak period for 3-4 years, and he is very healthy, with more than 70 appearances in each season.

Payton has reached the end of his career, and there is a precedent for a top star who started last season with a serious decline in his state at the end of the season.

After the deal happened, Trail Blazers fans felt the public opinion environment they were used to again.

Regardless of the actual situation, the direction of media reports will be stepped on first.

The media has been waiting for a long time. Liu Xiu put on a few kilograms and they can be speculated. The Trail Blazers have won six games in a row, and they have 6 wins and 1 loss in the preseason.

Also, the Blazers have enough point guards.

Liu Xiu and Lynch-Hunter are two steady types, and Little Flying Squirrel is a wave-ratio type.

More people think that Paul Allen is unhappy again, and let the team expel Ruben Patterson quickly.

In addition, Payton is also a player who has a bad relationship with the media, and he is still old. His performance in the Lakers last season was also lackluster. Who broke out...

There are more and more voices of public opinion stepping on the Trail Blazers deal.

Payton himself, who was traded to the Trail Blazers, didn't feel that the Trail Blazers really wanted him.

但他早已不是去年夏天那个多队争抢的场均20分4板8助攻1.7抢断的老牌巨星，湖人队在夏天为了把他送走，甚至选择了和死对头凯尔特人队做交易，让科比愿意在那份创NBA历史纪录的7年总额1.36亿美刀的合同上签字。

At the end of his career, he was abandoned by the Sonics and the Lakers successively. Payton has already accepted the fact that he was traded again. He didn't buy a house in Boston at all, and he didn't even rent a house. He has been living in a hotel. After being traded, He didn't even say goodbye to his Celtics teammates. He packed a suitcase and flew directly to Portland. The rest of the hotel room was sent to his home in Seattle by his agent. Well, get ready to be traded again.

However, at noon on November 11, as soon as he arrived at the Rose Garden Arena, Payton felt something was wrong.

The Trail Blazers car parked outside the arena instead of driving into the parking lot and got out wondering, startled by the beauty in front of him.

Winter, it's winter now!
Portland is not as cold as Boston in the Northeast, but it is also a place where you have to wear a coat before you dare to go out.

But there are roses outside the gate of the Rose Garden Arena!

Even if this city is a city of roses, in winter, it is very difficult to see roses in the streets and alleys. You can only buy flowers at a high price at a flower shop.

Just when Peyton was surprised, a middle-aged man with a scribbled appearance and a black suit came to him and said, "How about it, Gary, it's very beautiful. This is what the warden originally planned to use to pick up girls. I heard You want to come, he has all moved here."

Maurice Cheeks, one of the top point guards in NBA history, a retired jersey-level boss, and the current head coach of the Trail Blazers, Payton must know.

Putting the greeting aside, Peyton asked, "The warden? Why?"

The coach responded: "Let you see the beautiful scenery of our city at first sight when you join our team. He hopes that we can see such beautiful scenery again in June"

Peyton was stunned when he heard this.

His impression of Liu Xiu - genius, arrogance, violence, pride...

The picture of Liu Xiu that came to mind was the sidelines of the Staples Center, chatting with Hollywood actresses with a foolish look, and looked like a bad boy when he smiled, but those actresses were still willing to talk to him , When he won, some female celebrities offered to help him celebrate, and when he lost, there were also female celebrities who took the initiative to comfort him.

And although the relationship between Payton and Liu Xiu is not bad, it is not good. Payton has spammed trash, but he has never been able to... It can be regarded as unfamiliar.

Payton's emotions are very complicated now, but no matter what, the resistance, dissatisfaction, and helpless acceptance of fate at the beginning are no longer the main emotions.

After staying at the entrance of the arena for a long time, the coach called Payton, boarded the car again, and went to the restaurant for lunch together.

I didn't stay for too long because of these roses. If you look closely, they are actually shriveling...

The coach feels that the warden's farming ability needs to be improved.

He seriously suspected that the warden contributed these flowers to the team because he felt it was too embarrassing to use them to pick up girls.

……

Lunch with Payton, Maurice Cheeks, and the rest of the coaching staff.

Outside the arena just now, Payton felt the attitude of the boss of the new team towards him.

During lunch, he felt the team's attitude, which surprised him.

Said it was lunch, and more importantly, it was the first communication between the coaching staff and Payton.

Payton was stunned when Maurice Cheeks said he would continue to guarantee his starting job like the Lakers and Celtics did.

"I'm starting, Warden?" Peyton's voice was raised in surprise.

"He's going to play shooting guard next, transforming like Dwyane Wade, and with you taking him at point guard, I believe he's doing a good job at shooting guard." Kevin Pooley Tcha agreed.

Compared with the coach, the chief assistant coach of the Trail Blazers is the face of the team's management, coaching staff, and trainer team. His appearance, temperament, and dressing are all easier to make people like him, and he doesn't talk as much as the coach. It seems very rigorous to pull the topic away.

Peyton was really touched!
Known as the strongest talent in the super draft years comparable to the 84th and 96th, he changed his position for him!

The previous two games between Liu Xiu and Lynch Hunter with double point guards, coincidentally, when they played against the Clippers, the Clippers started with the double point guards of Marko Jaric and Rick Bronson; When playing against the Bucks, the opponent was Francis and Reed, a pair of double guns in the backcourt. From the point of view of the matchup, the double point guards of Liu Xiu and Lynch-Hunter are better than Liu Xiuhe in defending the backcourt combination of these two teams. Ruben Patterson was the better guard of the two.

And it gave the impression to the outside world that it was Lynch Hunter who took Ruben Patterson's starting position, not Liu Xiu.

In the previous double point guard combination of Liu Xiu and Flying Squirrel, Flying Squirrel was more like a shooting guard. Liu Xiu and Lynch-Hunter started at the same time, and Lynch-Hunter was the one who was regarded as a shooting guard...

Even if he has accepted the reality, Payton still has the pride and self-confidence of being a superstar.

After the chief assistant finished speaking, he realized that his statement was a bit wrong. He wanted to say something more, but was kicked by his friend and superior who knew him very well, and chose to shut up.

The coaching staff found that Payton seemed to have misunderstood something, but this misunderstanding was a good thing for them.

……

……

Under the dual effects of deliberate "calculation" and "unintentional insertion", Payton's acceptance of the new team has undergone earth-shaking changes compared to when he first arrived in Portland.

Maurice Cheeks, who knew what Peyton had misunderstood, found the boss's secretary, who said that the task was given to him.

The rumor of "The Warden Changed to Playing a Shooting Guard for a Glove" started!

In the afternoon, after Payton had a health check and physical test, he came to the training ground to meet his new teammates.

Payton, a veteran superstar who has been in the NBA for more than ten years, the 9th first defense, 2 double firsts, the best defensive player, came to the new team, his attitude is not bad, and his teammates naturally give face.

However, young players and old players really don't have many topics to talk about. Liu Xiu, Randolph, Kwame Brown, Outlaw Fanatics and others met Payton as teammates, so they didn't talk much.

Both parties knew that they should not be in a hurry, they would get familiar with each other after playing a lot of games.

If the two sides cooperate fully with each other on the court but find that it is not suitable, there is no need to contact more, and there may be another transaction later...

And there are no veterans.

Lynch Hunter, Dale Davis, McDyess, Joan Barry, Little Flying Squirrel, Raheem... and other players who entered the NBA in the early and mid-90s have more to talk with Payton.

Lynch Hunter joked: "OH, NO! Gary, I just played two games and I will be taken away by you."

Payton responded: "Really? That's really embarrassing. I'll go to the coach and ask him to continue to let you start."

The two had a good personal relationship. After teasing each other, Payton called Lynch Hunter aside to get to know the new teammates.

The one I most want to know more about is naturally Liu Xiu.

Lynch-Hunter talked about his understanding of Liu Xiu after working together for more than a month.

What Payton heard the most was that Lynch Hunter praised Liu Xiu for his talent, love to learn new things, and love to heal people.

Lynch Hunter also told Payton to be prepared for Liu Xiu's talent.

Payton, who has fought against Liu Xiu several times, thinks it makes sense for Lynch Hunter to prepare for Liu Xiu's angry mouth.

But do you have to be mentally prepared for Liu Xiu's talent?Peyton only found it funny!

His glove is also a rare super genius in history, okay?
……

……

On November 11, after a three-day break, the Trail Blazers ushered in their third opponent in five consecutive games-the Grizzlies.

In the morning, the Blazers' preparation training was all tactical movement training.

The tactical adjustment is quite large. After Payton was traded, the coaching staff of the Trail Blazers is now thinking about the tactics they want to play first, and then continue to adjust later.

When playing against the Clippers and Bucks, Liu Xiu was only allowed to play shooting guard. The tactical adjustment has not yet begun, but Liu Xiu was only allowed to adapt to the new role. There was a problem at that stage-the current Lynch-Hunter strength Not enough to start.

At that time, the coaching staff still had a headache who to play the starting point guard.

Letting Little Flying Squirrel play the starting lineup is a bottom-up choice, which will weaken the strength of the rotation lineup.

Ruben Patterson's refusal to accept a new role became an opportunity for the Blazers to add a playmaking point guard.

Normally, I really wouldn't think about touching Ruben Patterson, but this player didn't know what he was thinking, and directly offended the boss to death...

In exchange for Payton, the Trail Blazers risked losing money, but for the first team training, the Trail Blazers coaching staff let down most of their hearts.

Payton is too good at partnering with all-around guards. When he entered the NBA, he partnered with Ricky Pierce, at his peak with Kendall Gill and Jose Hawkins, and at his peak with Brent Barry and Michael Reed.

The coaching staff of the Trail Blazers studied it. At the beginning of last season, when Kobe, Malone, and O'Neal were all healthy, the Big Four were really the Big Four, with good teamwork, reasonable distribution of ball rights, and incomparable strength...OK combination injury The problem is not big when there is a lot of illness. The stage when the problem occurs is the period when Malone starts to have constant injuries. The combination of OK + Malone + Payton is very strong, but the combination of OK + Payton is not as good as the combination of OK + Fisher you.

Zen Master created tactics for OK + Malone + Payton, but did not create the core tactics of Payton + Kobe + O'Neal.

Who would have thought that Malone had the most injuries among the Big Four?
Malone couldn't play, and Payton's tactical role was marginalized. At that age, he was a marginal player for two or three weeks in a row. After a few more times, Payton really degenerated. At the end of the regular season, he averaged 10+4+4 per game. The playoffs averaged 7+3+5 per game.

But when it comes to the avalanche of Payton's state, it is compared with the state of the first-class star at the beginning of last season.

For the Trail Blazers, it is enough to have a point guard who averages 10+4+4 per game!

The coaching staff of the Trail Blazers was very satisfied with the health check and physical test yesterday afternoon.

Shuangsha's health has always been commendable, but not many people have said how well Payton's health is maintained-the cumulative number of injuries + suspensions in the first 14 years of his career is only 7 games.

Payton's physical condition is also better than the Trail Blazers coaching staff expected. They are willing to believe that Payton's agent said that Payton just can't accept being sold to the Celtics, and his mentality has not yet adjusted.

As for the mentality problem, during the tactical training this morning, the Trail Blazers coaching staff was not worried.

Peyton was exceptionally positive!

And he showed the attitude of a veteran, actively communicating with his teammates and trying to integrate.

And this, I have to mention that the media broke the news last night that the warden changed to play shooting guard in order to join the glove...

……

At 7:40 p.m., the Rose Garden Arena, the Grizzlies and Trail Blazers entered the game successively.

When the home team came out, it was still led by the warden and the butchers, running out in a row.

This person, the mood is different, and the views on the same thing will be very different. When Payton was first traded to the Trail Blazers, he felt that he could not accept this way of playing. Resisting it, but right now, he felt that this appearance was special.

After the players of the two teams entered the arena, DJ specially introduced Payton, and the spotlight and big screen were also given to Payton.

But the cheers of the fans at the scene were not so enthusiastic.

If Payton joins after the 02-03 season, the Rose Garden Arena will fall into a carnival, but if Payton joins after the 03-04 season, the expectations of Trail Blazers fans are not high.

He even worried that Peyton would lead the criminals in their prison team.

Tonight's game is broadcast live by Time Warner Cable Sports and Fox Sports. The TV commentator is also counting Payton once causing a fight in the locker room, offending Kemp for showing off to Kemp that he can buy a sports car with a maximum salary, and parting ways. The evil deed of clashing with an opponent... for the first time.

But the view of the TV commentator is different from that of the Trail Blazers fans-Payton's fit with the prison team is no worse than that of Ruben Patterson who was sent away. Not down but up!
In addition to this, Trail Blazers fans have a bad feeling about Payton-the warden changed his style of play because of Payton's joining.

Payton himself felt that the fans on the scene did not recognize him very much. At this time, the mentality determines everything-he wants to use his performance to conquer the fans in this arena!
After the debut, Payton actively called the four starting teammates together to make the final preparations before the game.

Liu Xiu has due respect for his seniors, especially the opponent's game experience, which he attaches great importance to.

However, when listening to Peyton's instructions, Liu Xiu always felt hairy, and after a while, he found the source of his sight-Pau Gasol!

'What's wrong with sister-in-law? '

The warden was perplexed, but he didn't think much about it. The position adjustment, which was supposed to be done slowly, now directly entered the stage of being under the scrutiny of people. The pressure was much greater. It could be said that there was no pressure before, but now the situation is completely different.

After a wave of discussion, Payton continued to move his body with technical moves, and Liu Xiu turned on the system.

"Gary Payton, 36 years old, 193 centimeters, 82 kilograms, PG/SG, ability rating 74 (to be updated), 2004-2005 Celtics season, played 6 games, averaged 9.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game ..."

As far as the feeling during training, Liu Xiu thinks that Payton is better than Derek Anderson with a 79 rating, so let's wait and see after playing a few games.

Opponent side...

"Memphis Grizzlies, 3 wins and 4 losses, averaging 90.6 points per game, conceding 92.3 points per game..."

The Grizzlies' new season looks like it's about to collapse.

But in fact, it was because of the relapse of Hubie Brown's old injury during the preseason. He was not coaching the first 4 games, and he went to recuperate after two games in the preseason. Only after returning to the coaching bench, he led the team to a record of 4 wins and 1 loss in the first 3 games with 2 win and 1 losses.

Rumor has it that Hubie Brown is resigning.

Liu Xiu reckoned that the man with the logo was about to vomit blood.

The famous general manager tried to start from hell, and had passed the most difficult stage. As a result, the coach was gone!
On the other side, Gasol became more and more angry - the warden didn't even look at me!The greeting just now was just a casual high five!

Moreover, the Grizzlies had arrived in Portland yesterday, but the warden didn't look for him!

He heard that every time the warden fights with King Silver Horn, even if it is back to back, he will make an appointment in private!
Ask him for help when you have something to do, and be so indifferent when there is nothing to do... Gasol thinks it is understandable. When he saw Payton, he thought that the warden must be too busy because of problems in the team.

In the past two years, the Grizzlies have traded a lot, and every time there is a trade in the team, he is also very busy.

Turning his attention back to the game, Gasol felt something was wrong—why did he and his team come together when the Blazers were in trouble?
(End of this chapter)