against the front

Chapter 144 The King's Reinforcement Plan

"Yeah, it's a pity that we didn't go further in the playoffs, but for us, for the whole club, what we have achieved this season has far exceeded our expectations at the beginning of the season. , so in that respect, we have not failed.”

On May 2009, 5, the Kings, who lost to the Dallas Mavericks in an away game and were eliminated with a total score of 14 to 1, disbanded on the spot after returning to Sacramento by special plane, but Yan Hua, who was the core of the team , but was retained by general manager Geoff Petrie in the name of making plans for the new season.

In the meeting room of the Kings Club, the general manager Geoff Petrie first comforted Yan Hua who was a little depressed because of losing the game, and then spoke to the Kings' performance this season, or last season. , sat for a while to summarize.

Although it is a miracle and something to be proud of to be able to reach the conference semifinals based on the king's staffing and record in the regular season, but the series against the Mavericks hit Yan Hua hard. Fan, originally Yan Hua thought that even without the system, he could still become the best player, but after going through the division semifinals with the Mavericks and a battle with Dirk Nowitzki, Only then did Yan Hua realize that he was just on the road, outstanding?Still early!Although he was still worried about losing the series against the Mavericks, Yan Hua forced a smile after hearing the general manager Geoff Petrie's summary of the season.

"Yan, whether it is the regular season or the playoffs, your performance is very good, and we can achieve the current results, thanks to your outstanding performance, so after discussing with Reggie, I decided that regardless of the next season Kevin Whether you can come back or not, the team will build tactics and a new style of play around you. From now on, you are the only core of our team."

After the opening remarks, Geoff Petrie stated the purpose of finding Yan Hua. Although Kevin Martin also performed very well this season, he averaged 25 points, 4 rebounds and 2.5 times per game in the regular season. The statistics of assists and average points per game rank seventh in the league scoring list, but compared with Yan Hua, Kevin Martin is now basically finalized, and there will be no room for improvement, while Yan Hua is a rookie He was selected to the best team in the season, and he almost averaged 30+15+5 per game in the playoffs. In time, he will definitely be the top superstar in the league, so between Kevin Martin and Yan Hua In the meantime, the King's management and coaching staff chose Yan Hua without hesitation.

"Thank you, thank you Mr. Geoff for your praise and respect, but I think our team needs to keep Kevin if we want to achieve better results. Not only that, we also need to strengthen the team's lineup , otherwise, we will not be able to pass the Mavericks next season."

Although Yan Hua has just entered the NBA, through being around Kwame Brown, Stephen Adams, and Alonzo Mourning, Yan Hua's understanding of the NBA is no worse than those veterans who have been around for more than ten years. Yan Hua He is very clear about what will happen to Kevin Martin after he takes over. In the NBA, there are very few amicable bosses to alternate, especially when the former boss is at his peak, he will not give up until he fights to the death.

The king was exhausted in the infighting between Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic, thus falling apart, and has been sinking until now. Kwame Brown's former boss in the real world, Steven Adams' boss in the real world, Alonzo Mourning himself, is a typical example of fighting to the death.

So Yan Hua is very clear that after he was established as the core of the team, the former boss of the Kings, Kevin Martin, will either accept the position of the second master or even the third master, or he will leave directly. According to the understanding, Kevin Martin is likely to accept the reality that he is in the top position, and then play with peace of mind as usual, quietly being a handsome man, but has been defeated by Chris Webber and Peja Stoyakovich. Oddly, Geoff Petrie, who got it once, will never allow the Kings to have this happen again, and the only way to avoid this is to send Kevin Martin away this summer.

After Yan Hua came to the Kings, Kevin Martin, the boss of the team, never made things difficult for Yan Hua, and even took good care of Yan Hua. As a Chinese with traditional virtues, Yan Hua did it to make trouble, Stabbing a knife in the back is such a lowly thing, so even if Yan Hua wants to be the core of the king and the boss of the team, Yan Hua doesn't want Kevin Martin to leave because of himself.

"Kevin's matter, let's put it aside for a while, and do you have any suggestions or ideas about reinforcement?" Yan Hua asked to keep Kevin Martin, which is undoubtedly the most important thing for Geoff Petrie. An incomprehensible thing, but Geoff Petrie did not give Yan Hua a clear answer, but was going to find an opportunity to talk to Kevin Martin first to see his attitude. If Kevin Martin Just like Peja back then, it is definitely going to be sent away.

"I think both the [-]th and [-]st positions of our team need to be strengthened." Although Yan Hua knew very well that Geoff Petrie asked for his own opinion, it was just a polite remark. Reinforcement, the general manager must have planned a long time ago, but Yan Hua still expressed his thoughts, and even prepared to recommend a few suitable candidates to Geoff Petrie. Yan Hua is definitely not as good as Geoff Petrie, who has been the general manager for more than ten years, but Yan Hua has a system in his body. In terms of foresight, there are few people in the entire NBA who are better than Yan Hua.

"Well, do you have any specific candidates?" The [-]st and [-]th positions are the biggest shortcomings of the Kings now, and Geoff Petrie's reinforcement plan in the summer mainly revolves around a The No. [-] and No. [-] positions are deployed, so when Geoff Petrie heard Yan Hua say that he wanted to strengthen the No. [-] and No. [-] positions, Geoff Petrie subconsciously asked Yan Hua.

The Kings now have a lot of players who can play power forwards. Drew Gooden, Mickey Moore, and Dante Green are all power forwards. Spencer Hawes also often plays power forwards. There are two power forwards, old and small, and either they can't shoot or they can't defend. In this era of more and more versatility, none of the four positions in the Kings can keep up with the times. .

Compared with the fourth position, the king's shortcomings in the first position are even more obvious. As the main point guard, Benno Udry was abandoned by the head coach in the playoffs. Isning can use veterans Bobby Jackson and Tony Allen, but they are unwilling to start with Benno Udrih. From this, we can see the level of Benno Udrih.

"At the No. 16 position, I think the Rockets' backup guard is good. He can attack, defend, and organize. There are also many good No. [-] positions among the rookies this year. We can use the No. [-] pick in our hands to select one."

"At the [-]th position, I think we need a [-]th position that is similar to Dante's style, but better than his defense, and can be pulled out to defend the pick-and-roll. As for the specific candidate, I know one, but he has been selected by the Thunder. Yes, but not yet signed.”

Although Yan Hua already had several very suitable candidates in his heart, Yan Hua did not speak out all of them. Although Yan Hua is now the core of the king, Yan Hua is not the kind who can influence the decision-making of the management. Superstar, it’s okay to make a suggestion on the sidelines. If the management must get me XX by name, I’m afraid Yan Hua should leave.

"The rocket's backup guard? Is it Kyle Lowry? We have indeed observed this player, but his talent is very average, and he may not be much better than Benno, and it is not easy to trade him from the Rockets. Rael is too shrewd. As for this year's rookies, there are indeed a few very good No. [-] players, Jue Holiday and Darren Collison from the University of California, and Ty Lawson from North Carolina. They are players with great potential. We have already sent invitations to them for trial training. When the time comes, you should also take a look. We will choose whichever suits you best.”

"As for the No. 24 position, is the player you are talking about Serge Ibaka who is still playing in the Spanish League and was selected by the Thunder with the No. [-] pick last season?" Petrie can name a lot of names, and Geoff Petrie has really done a lot of work.

"Yes, that's him. When I watched the European League before, I watched his games. He has great physical fitness, fast movement, very good defense, and can shoot three-pointers." For Yan Hua This kind of high center forward, Serge Ibaka is a perfect match for a team that uses a combination of internal and external tactics. The speed is very fast, the defense range is large, and it can be pulled out to defend against pick-and-rolls. It can be said that with Ibaka, Yan Hua can save half of his strength and energy on the defensive end.

"This candidate is fine. I will try to offer an offer to the Thunder and try to trade him." After Yan Hua finished talking about Ibaka's characteristics, Geoff Petrie thought about it with his chin in his hand, and then offered The exact answer, this year's rookie also has several good 23th positions, so Geoff Petrie originally planned to use the [-]rd pick he got from the Rockets to select a [-]th position, but after listening to Yan Hua's After the introduction, Geoff Petrie became interested in Ibaka in an instant, because Geoff Petrie knew that if what Yan Hua said was true, then this Ibaka was absolutely suitable for the King's system, and also suitable for Yan Hua played next to him.

(End of this chapter)