Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 222 222. Multiple consecutive signings in the free market!The 15-person list that is about to be full (5.6K words for subscription)

As for the third news released by the Grizzlies after the opening of the free market, it reached a contract with former Magic center Milicic.

The two parties also signed a two-year contract with a total contract value of about 800 million US dollars.

As the No. 2003 pick in the [-] draft after LeBron James, Milicic was favored by many teams before entering the league.

Milicic is a gifted teenager from the former Yugoslavia. His father participated in the Bosnian War. When he was a child, he was almost raised by his mother doing hard work.

At the age of 14, he was recruited into the local team. His mother sold her property to buy back a cow in order to give him milk.

When he was training in the dilapidated arena, NATO bombers were dropping bombs in the sky.

After seeing too much poverty, backwardness and war, Milicic wanted to emulate Divac and Stojakovic to earn a lot of money for the family, so as to help his mother get rid of poverty completely.

Let the mother no longer feel extravagant and happy even watching him drink a glass of milk, and let the mother no longer shine her eyes on other people's leftovers.

It's a pity that the head coach Milicic encountered after entering the league was that stubborn old man Larry Brown.

Larry Brown is a coach who doesn't trust rookies very much. Few rookies under Larry Brown can get a chance.

And the Pistons back then were known for being iron-blooded and dirty in the league, and Larry Brown's requirements for players were also very tricky.

For Milicic, a rookie who has just entered the league, Larry Brown is simply the destroyer of his career.

In the past three years with the Pistons, what Larry Brown has delayed is not only the potential hidden in Milicic, but also the confidence of the Serbian genius.

You know, due to the war, Milicic has already started to live independently at the age of 14, and has broken out his own sky in the European professional league.

Milicic has never been a weak-willed guy, but in the past three years under Larry Brown, Milicic has lived in a muddle.

In the first three years of his career, without suffering any injuries, Milicic only played 96 games for the Pistons, with an average of only 32 games per season, and his average playing time was only a pitiful 5.4 minutes.

Such a short playing time gave Milicic no chance to prove himself, and the Pistons were a championship team that reached the finals consecutively.

Under all kinds of conflicts, three years not only wiped out Milicic's confidence in his future career, but also delayed Milicic's most precious time.

It wasn't until he was traded to the Orlando Magic by the Pistons that Milicic finally ushered in his true NBA career.

虽然在魔术只能作为“魔兽”霍华德的替补出场，但上个赛季米利西奇在场均登场24分钟的情况下可以交出8分5.5篮板1.1助攻以及1.8次封盖。

Although Milicic, who was second in the [-] list, still cannot compare with LeBron James and other favorites in terms of personal performance, Milicic has successfully demonstrated the potential to become an excellent frame protector.

According to the league's efficiency standard converted into 36 minutes, Milicic can average up to 2.7 blocks per game, and his strong body also allows Milicic to serve as a qualified blue-collar center.

Luke is very clear that Milicic still has potential that has not been squeezed out. In the case of a devastating blow to his career confidence, Milicic's performance still makes Luke satisfied.

Right now the Grizzlies inside only the Gasol brothers can sit in the restricted area, Luke urgently needs several inside players into the rotation, and Milicic is a member of Luke's plan.

Luke doesn't expect Milicic to have a second career under his own hands. As long as Milicic can be himself on the court, the Grizzlies' signing is definitely very valuable.

After all, even the "basketball maniac" old Nelson couldn't help but praise Milicic after watching Milicic's game: "His figure, physique, speed, dexterity and strength are all amazing."

"If you want a center or a power forward, then Darko is the one."

.........

As the Grizzlies released three consecutive signing news on the first day of the free market, the outside world still pays close attention to the Grizzlies' dynamics.

It's just that everyone didn't expect that the first three players signed by the Grizzlies were not on the fan's previous discussion list.

These three signings are quite satisfactory. Although the personal abilities of the three players are not bad, they are far from reaching the point of helping the Grizzlies to turn around.

According to local media reports in Memphis, Luke has been actively pursuing free agent Gerald Wallace, and the current progress with Wallace has achieved further success.

Long before the opening of the free market, Gerald Wallace became the target of many teams in the league.

There are as many as ten teams that want to sign Wallace this summer.

Even though Luke and Gerrard have some more delicate relationships, and the personal relationship between the two is better than other teams, the Grizzlies still face many threats in this battle.

There are not a few players that Luke wants to sign this summer, and what kind of contract should be used to sign Gerrard within the team's limited salary cap is the most important issue that the Grizzlies should consider.

So far, Gerrard has not publicly announced that he will join any team, which means that all teams pursuing Gerrard have the opportunity to win this favorite player this summer.

However, it is said that Luke had met with Gerrard in private not long ago, and the conversation between the two sides has made very good progress.

It seems that Luke made a concession in signing the contract and gave his former disciple more contract guarantees.

While the annual salary of each team is almost the same, Gerrard's first choice will definitely be Luke.

After all, Luke knows how to use Gerald Wallace on the court, and Wallace doesn't have to worry about development when playing under Luke.

As long as the individual does not suffer serious injuries that can destroy his career, the running-in between Luke and Wallace will naturally not be a problem.

While all the teams in the league were waiting to see which team Gerrard would choose to join in the end, on August 8, US time, news about Gerald Wallace's signing finally came out.

According to double revelations from the Memphis Grizzlies and Wallace's agent, the Grizzlies have officially signed the next three-year contract with Wallace, of which the third year is a player option, giving Gerald Wallace enough room to choose.

The total amount of this contract will be as high as more than 4000 million U.S. dollars, and the average annual salary can reach about 1350 million U.S. dollars.

With Gerald Wallace making a choice, the teams in the league regretted one after another, and at the same time, they became more optimistic about the prospects of the Grizzlies in the new season.

Although Wallace's joining further compressed the Grizzlies' next reinforcement space, the Grizzlies could only offer the middle class plus a few basic salaries at most.

But now the Grizzlies lineup on paper already has McGrady, Mike Miller, Grant Hill, Gerald Wallace and Pau Gasol.

The outside world generally believes that these players will become the hope of the Grizzlies in the new season, but only Luke knows that the background of the Grizzlies is far more than what the outside world sees.

In addition to these bright players, the Grizzlies also have a series of lethal players who can play a huge threat in the system, such as future stars Kyle Lowry, Gasol Jr., and Kapono.

The Grizzlies in the new season will definitely make everyone's eyes shine. At the same time, as the head coach, Luke will also take this opportunity to attack the second best coach in his career!
…………

For the next period of time, the teams in the league are still looking for the players they need for the new season in the free market to sign.

Although several big fish in the free market have basically been caught, there are still many players waiting to be contacted.

Luke also has not been idle during this time, and has made contact with the players that the Grizzlies need for the new season.

In this regard, Lambiel also joked that this is the first time that Luke has been so busy during the offseason.

Before the Timberwolves period, because the Timberwolves were wearing a layer of defending champion status, Luke often didn't need to run around in the free market. He only needed to let the wind out, and naturally a large number of players took the initiative to apply to join.

However, as a team that ranked last in the league last season, the Grizzlies naturally do not have much appeal in the free market.

If it weren't for Luke's golden signboard, it would be absolutely idiotic to believe that the Grizzlies want to sign so many signings in the free market.

On August 8, local time in the United States, after nearly a week, the Grizzlies officially released two more signing news.

The first of which is that the team has signed Chris Webber with the veteran's basic salary. In the new season, Weber will continue to play in the league wearing a Grizzlies jersey.

As early as when Luke was coaching the Timberwolves, Chris Webber recommended himself more than once, wanting to follow the Timberwolves for a championship ring.

But at that time, the Timberwolves really didn't need a veteran like Chris Webber. In desperation, Webber had to join another favorite, the Miami Heat.

But last season, the Timberwolves defeated the Heat 4:1 in the finals, won the championship trophy for three consecutive years, and also shattered Chris Webber's championship dream.

Webber will be 35 years old in the new season, and his athletic ability has already been greatly reduced due to injuries.

Some people have speculated about when Chris Webber will announce his retirement, but Webber played a very good season last season.

During his time with the Heat, veteran Chris Webber averaged 11.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Although his shooting ability from outside the three-point line was still weak, the overall shooting percentage recovered to 48.1%.

Webber's personal data looks pretty good, but Weber is a problem on the defensive end, which is why the Heat hid Webber in the finals and dared not let him stay on the court for a long time.

However, the Grizzlies are a slightly younger team in the new season, and the inside rotation is still insufficient. Signing Webber with a veteran's basic salary can solve many problems.

Even if the injury takes away Webber's movement speed, Webber's accomplishments in supporting the interior can still create more shooting opportunities for shooters.

As for whether Chris Webber can follow the Grizzlies to win the first championship ring in his career, I believe that even Webber himself did not have much expectation for this matter.

Joining the Grizzlies is more about prolonging the few remaining careers, and seeing if there is a chance to rejuvenate his career under Luke.

As for the second news, it signed the striker Steve Novak who was cut by the Rockets not long ago.

As a white striker who is [-] meters tall but can only stand outside and shoot three-pointers, Novak's role on the court can be described as single to the extreme.

And Novak's defense is also famous for his hip pull in the NBA. Except for D'Antoni and other head coaches who pursue the ultimate offense, Novak basically doesn't have much playing time on the court.

The Rockets originally selected Novak in the draft because they hoped to have an outside turret to open up space for Yao Ming.

But as the Rockets traded Chinese player Wang Zhizhi from the Timberwolves last season, Novak had no chance at all in the Rockets until he was cut by the Rockets management during this offseason.

However, although Novak's role on the court is single and his defensive ability is extremely weak, his excellent three-point shooting is very in line with the Grizzlies' team building ideas for next season.

In addition, Luke has already made plans to put up a zone defense on the defensive end in the new season, so he doesn't care about one more defensive loophole. After all, what Luke likes with Novak is still what he can do outside the three-point line contribution.

Novak is 102 meters tall and weighs [-] kilograms. This figure can only serve as a power forward.

Playing as a center is too thin and unable to protect the rebounds, and as a small forward moves too slowly, so only the position of power forward can make Novak survive on the court.

In fact, there is not much difference in which position Novak plays. The offensive three-pointer is the only contribution he can make on the court.

No matter which position you play on the defensive end, you can't defend anyway. If there is no help from your teammates, Novak is a standard "mobile cash machine".

And in the case of such a defensive ability that people can't bear to look directly at, Novak was able to play in the league for 11 seasons in his career, precisely because of his excellent three-point shooting.

As a big pitcher, Novak has made 43 percent of his career [-]-pointers.

And in the 11-12 season, he also ranked first with a 47.2% three-point shooting percentage, won the NBA season three-point leader, and also ranked fifth in the league's historical record.

Simply put, Novak is a catch-and-shoot machine, but he is slightly taller than normal shooters in terms of height.

Similar to Kapono, the player signed by the Grizzlies before, both of them are good at catching and shooting outside the three-point line, but defense has become the biggest obstacle to gaining a foothold in the NBA.

Fortunately, Luke has a very deep understanding of zone defense, and in the new season, there will be a defensive expert like Gerald Wallace to share the pressure for the two.

After playing, Novak only needs to use his three-pointer expertise on the offensive end, and Luke will not explain other things to him.

Luke has decided to start the new season with a three-pointer. The joining of Novak and Kapono will become an important means of killing the Grizzlies outside.

Although it is difficult to stay on the court at the same time with the defensive ability of the two at critical moments, hoarding a large number of shooters during the offseason is an important part of the Grizzlies' bloodbath in the league in the new season.

As for what the team can do in the new season, it depends on the running-in of the Grizzlies and Luke's adjustments in the new season.

.........

After signing Novak, the Grizzlies' 15-man roster has reached 13, and then the Grizzlies can sign up to two free agents to make up the roster for the new season.

At present, there are still many players in the free market who are not interested, including several players who averaged good data per game last season. For some reason, no team has contacted them.

The Grizzlies' series of reinforcements during the offseason seem more opportunistic to the outside world. Except for the coveted signing of Gerald Wallace, the rest of the signings are all veterans troubled by injuries, and some Unknown guy in the league.

No one thinks that the Grizzlies will become a strong contender for the championship in the new season. Perhaps with the combination of McGrady, Gerald Wallace and Paul Gaso, the Grizzlies can return to the playoffs.

But if you want to launch an impact on the championship, I believe you will be laughed out of your teeth.

Even the Memphis fans themselves don't believe that the team can complete the transformation from the bottom one in the league to the favorite to win the championship in the new season.

But in any case, Luke's series of operations during the offseason have satisfied Grizzlies fans. The joining of McGrady and Gerald Wallace has given Grizzlies fans hope of returning to the playoffs.

For a team that has never reached the second round of the playoffs, or even won a game in the first round of the playoffs, Grizzlies fans are very easy to satisfy, which made Luke see the love of Memphis fans. enthusiasm.

In the next few days, Luke also contacted around in the free market to strengthen the guard line for the new season.

The only point guards the Grizzlies can use today are Kyle Lowry and "Little Flying Squirrel" Stoudemire.

Although McGrady and Grant Hill's ability can also be used as the No. [-] position, but when facing a short point guard, the two are very disadvantaged in terms of lateral movement speed, so in recent days Luke has been looking for a suitable position in the free market. The point guard candidate.

It wasn't until August 8 that the Grizzlies signed Earl Boykins with a minimum salary contract.

Boykins is 31 years old this year and has played in the league for nearly ten years. He is definitely a veteran in terms of qualifications.

Although Boykins has not played many famous names in the past ten years, Boykins has received a lot of attention in the NBA.

The reason why he has received a lot of attention from the outside world is not because of Boykins' beautiful style of play, but because Boykins' height of only 1.6 meters [-] makes him the shortest player in the active league.

At the same time, Boykins, who is only 1.6 meters tall, is also the second shortest player in NBA history except Boggs.

But as early as a few years ago, no one questioned whether Boykins' height of 1.6 meters [-] could survive in the NBA full of giants.

Boykins, who played for the Nuggets and Bucks last season, averaged 14.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.

And the three-point shooting rate is as high as 39.7%, which can be regarded as a comprehensive point guard who can shoot and shoot.

It stands to reason that excellent personal data should not prevent Boykins from getting a desirable contract.

But the fact is so cruel. Boykins, who averaged 14+2+4 per game last season, tested the free market and no one cares.

Except for a few teams such as the Bobcats who are willing to provide him with a basic salary contract, no team wants to sign this 31-year-old little man who is only 1.6 meters five.

Although the 1.6-meter-five height did not prevent Boykins from flourishing in the NBA, the 1.6-meter-five height has become a fatal flaw that will definitely be targeted by the opponent on the defensive end.

Under normal circumstances, Boykins only signed a one-year, $53 low-priced contract with the Bobcats this summer.

Knowing this, Luke intercepted Boykins from the Bobcats in advance. Even though Boykins' height is indeed a problem, for the Grizzlies who lack a third point guard, Boykins' contract is absolutely value for money.

In addition to being easily targeted on the defensive end, Boykins' offensive ability is not bad, and his short height makes Boykins very flexible.

Especially the pick-and-roll cooperation with big players can make Boykins feel like a fish in water, and he can intersperse the court at will like an elf.

From traveler to dependable player, Boykins is already enjoying his time.

There is no longer any doubt whether he can establish a foothold in the NBA.

Although Boykins' draft template is Boggs and "Potato" Webber, Boykins' playing style is more like Isiah Thomas, and he will rush into the paint if he is not careful.

The joining of Boykins can be regarded as an added guarantee for the Grizzlies' guard line. As a substitute for Kyle Lowry and "Little Flying Squirrel" Stoudemire in the new season, Boykins' playing time is unlikely to be too high. high.

But once there is an injury on the back line, Boykins will become the firefighting pioneer
Luke is not worried about Boykins' status at all. After all, he can make a name for himself in the NBA with a height of 1.6 meters [-]. Boykins' efforts in private are far greater than other NBA players.

(End of this chapter)