Versatile Point Forward

Chapter 201
Ye Feng didn't know, McMillan didn't know, and the Blazers didn't know. The injuries of Mills and Batum were just the beginning.If it is God's favor that they entered the playoffs with the fourth record in the Western Conference last season, then this time, God probably sneezed when looking at the Trail Blazers roster...

In an away game against the Warriors on November 11, Outlaw accidentally collided with the opponent's backup small forward Azubuike, and then limped off the court with the help of the team doctor.After the game, it was diagnosed that Outlaw fractured his left ankle and needed immediate surgery.After hearing the news, everyone in the Blazers who had just lost was stunned. It is no exaggeration to say that Outlaw is the most important player on the bench, not even one of them. The most needed weapon in the Blazers' rotation, and he can swing to the fourth position. It can be said that he is a general who can be inside and outside. His injury has brought immeasurable losses to the Blazers, which also means that either Mike Milan uses new players, or Ye Feng must play longer in each game.

Unfortunately, McMillan has no other small forwards at his disposal. Except for Ye Feng, the two third positions have been injured successively, so he has to find a way for the substitute lineup. After thinking about it, the only solution It's two point guards.At the same time, he also had to adjust Ye Feng's playing time. Fortunately, Ye Feng was still young and could stand the toss. After Outlaw was injured, Ye Feng's average playing time increased from 32.3 minutes to 37.5 minutes, that is, He also practiced extra physical fitness during the offseason, otherwise it would be too much.A week later, Outlaw announced that he had undergone surgery and is expected to be out for three to five months. Basically, he cannot be counted on for most of the regular season.In addition, in the same game that Outlaw was injured, Roy also strained his left shoulder. Fortunately, he returned immediately after a truce without any impact.

However, before entering December, the Trail Blazers reported injuries again. Although they were not players, their influence was much greater than that of players. Team owner Paul Allen was diagnosed with a malignant tumor and began to receive chemotherapy.This is not the first time Allen has suffered from cancer. As early as 12, he resigned from Microsoft because of Hodgkin's disease, and only retained his shareholder status in Microsoft.The so-called Hodgkin's disease, or Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a unique type of lymphoma and is one of the most common malignant tumors in young people.The disease initially occurs in a group of lymph nodes, usually cervical lymph nodes and supraclavicular lymph nodes, and then spreads to other lymph nodes, and may invade blood vessels in the late stage, involving the spleen, liver, bone marrow, and digestive tract.

This time, Allen was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is a general term for a group of independent diseases with strong heterogeneity, ranking within the top 10 common malignant tumors. NHL lesions are malignant tumors of the lymphoid hematopoietic system that mainly occur in lymph nodes, spleen, thymus and other lymphoid organs, and can also occur in lymphoid tissues and organs outside the lymph nodes.Although the team owner has no say in the record and is basically only responsible for spending money, when he appeared on the sidelines with a sick face, he still touched the players a lot.

With the invasion of injuries, the Blazers' winning streak quickly fell back, basically not exceeding the length of five consecutive victories, but everyone still gritted their teeth and continued to play, trying their best to keep the team in the top four positions in the West .But soon the next person who suffered an injury appeared, and this time the management couldn't help being indifferent, because the one who was injured was the team's starting center Oden! In the game against the Rockets at home on December 12, Oden was hit by the Rockets' small point guard Brooks on his knee, resulting in a fracture of his left kneecap. After the game, he announced that he would undergo surgery and be reimbursed for the season.

In fact, this is not the first time Oden has been injured.As early as when he did not enter the league, Oden began to be attacked by injuries.In June 2006, Oden had surgery on his right wrist in Indianapolis to recover from a torn ligament from his senior year playing.As the No. 6 pick in his rookie season, Oden had high hopes, but in September 2007, when the doctor performed surgery on Oden's right knee, he found signs of cartilage damage in his knee, and then performed surgery, which also led to his absence. rookie season.Last season, Oden's average of 9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game may not seem very impressive, but he is an indispensable frame-protecting center for the Blazers. His partner with Aldridge is getting better, but this injury made him The momentum of continued growth came to an abrupt halt.

In that game, Oden just watched Roy kill the Rockets before going to the hospital accompanied by the team doctor.Before getting into the car, he turned around with difficulty, looked at all his teammates who followed him to the entrance of the arena without even returning to the locker room, and stood in the cold wind, and whispered: "I'm sorry, my I can't play with you all this season, but I hope you continue to bring the team into the playoffs. After surgery, I will sit on the sidelines every game." No one answered him, but everyone silently reached out His right hands were put together one by one, and Oden put his hand on top.

This is a silent promise between men!
However, many times on the basketball court, it doesn't mean that you can do it with all your strength. For example, the main center is reimbursed for the season.The team doesn't think Przybilla can take on the heavy responsibility of starting center, but there are no good options in the free agent market, and there is no opportunity to trade.But someone must fill the vacancy in the inside line. As a last resort, the Blazers recruited veteran Juwan Howard with a one-year contract.As one of the Michigan Five Tigers that year, Howard is already 36 years old, but his rich experience can still help the team to a certain extent.

After Oden was reimbursed, although McMillan didn't say it clearly, it was clear that the Blazers' offense continued to lean towards the outside, and Roy and Ye Feng's responsibilities were even greater.However, the two of them still performed stably as before, maintaining the competitiveness of the Blazers.Ye Feng hadn't suffered any major injuries before, and it was also the first time he encountered a teammate being reimbursed for the season. He visited Oden many times during the rest time, and Oden always talked about what he had suffered before. Only after suffering from injuries did he vaguely understand what is the worst enemy of a professional player.

Now the team is in trouble, but it needs him to contribute more. No matter how much it can do, as long as the promise is fulfilled.

(End of this chapter)