basketball hero

Chapter 835 Continue to Strengthen
The arrival of Ibaka is also a great benefit for Yingxiong, because in the past two seasons against the Warriors for 5 hours of death, in the final stage, Yingxiong was placed at the center and became the team's offensive and defensive hub.

Although in the end Ying Xiong played at an astonishing level and won two championships, but there are also hidden dangers.Standing in the center position is more likely to be injured, and it is easy to be troubled by fouls and consumes a lot.For the Raptors, Ying Xiong is the biggest reliance on their ability to compete for the championship. They are not willing to place him at the forefront of the battle unless they have to.

With Ibaka, the Raptors have the lineup to deal with different opponents.If the opponent sends a large lineup, they can send Valanciunas, Ibaka, DeRozan, Ying Xiong and Jeremy Lin; if the opponent plays a small lineup, they can use Ibaka, Patterson, DeRozan Luo Zan, Ying Xiong, and Jeremy Lin/Lowry; if the opponent plays a small lineup, they can also play Ibaka, Ying Xiong, DeRozan, Jeremy Lin, and Lowry.

But the departure of Terrence Ross is a loss to the Raptors' wing after all.But the good news is that they still have places in their lineup, and they also have enough bargaining chips to operate before the trade deadline to replace his 3D players.

The arrival of Ibaka is also a "sweet annoyance" for the Raptors coaching staff. If he is used to replace Patterson in the starting lineup, the good chemistry of the starting lineup may be slightly damaged, and the new run-in will start again , but this time is no longer the beginning of the season.

But if he starts instead of Valanciunas, it will be difficult emotionally and face-wise.He was selected with a high pick by the team and has been serving as the team's main center. He has performed well in the team and signed a long-term contract not long ago.You can't let him be a substitute just because there is an insider. This may make him emotional, and even affect the team's internal atmosphere and the relationship between the players.

However, the Raptors' management and coaching staff are very unified in one thing, that is, they hope to try the inside combination with Ibaka as the center and Patterson as the power forward.Because in today's league, fast offense and defense are the mainstream. Players who can defend, open up space, switch defenses, and play fast breaks are very popular, and they are also inside players that all teams in the league hope to get.As a traditional insider, Valanciunas can indeed exist in the low post as a tactical point in the half-court position, and can also bully the opponent's small lineup.But his problem is that on the offensive end, he is very unadapted to the modern fast basketball style of play, unable to keep up with the team's transition offense, unable to open up space, and even not so good at picking and rolling.On the defensive end, he can easily become the focus of pick-and-roll bullying by the opponent's ball-handler. He can't get back when he expands his defense.

In the regular season, Valanciunas is already a point that is often targeted by opponents. It is foreseeable that in the playoffs, he will be targeted even more severely.The TT of the Cavaliers can get a five-year $5 million contract by relying on offensive rebounds and the ability to switch defenses against small men, but many low-post killers can only get a middle class.The times are really different, and the changes in the rules have made the living space of traditional big men more and more narrow.The big man wants to survive and needs to change, but how easy is it?
On February 2, the Raptors easily defeated the Hornets in the last game before the All-Star break.After defeating the opponent, their record also came to 16 wins and 51 losses, ranking first in the league, and they are the only team in the league with 6+ wins.

Of course, for the Raptors who have already won 4 consecutive championships, their goal is not even the first record in the league, but the terrifying 5 consecutive championships.

For Xiong, the All-Star Game is a rare break in the middle of a season.Other than that, there isn't much difference.The honor of the All-Star Game, he is not so cold, and there is nothing worth pursuing for this moment.

While the Raptors' coaching staff was fretting over Ibaka's starting problems, Valanciunas sprained his left ankle during a team practice.After the filming, the doctor was firm and the injury was not serious, but conservatively, he needed to recuperate for at least 2 weeks.

For the Raptors, that's both bad news and good news.Valanciunas is injured, and there is no obstacle for Ibaka to enter the starting lineup.The team's current record allows them to try this lineup with unlimited space. Once the effect is good, it may be a nightmare for other opponents in the playoffs.

On February 2, the Raptors made another trade before the trade deadline.They traded Jared Sullinger, a 24 second-round pick, a 2017 second-round pick and some cash to get PJ Tucker from the Suns.

The Raptors previously traded away backup wing Terrence Ross in the Ibaka trade, so there is a vacancy at this position.And they have been looking for excellent 3D players. This time, they used a fringe inside line that the team can't hit the ball and two second-round picks with low value, in exchange for the Suns' wing defensive giant PJ Tucker , Naturally, it is a very suitable signing.

For the Raptors, in the worst case, even if Tucker is not acclimatized to the team after coming to the team and plays poorly, they are not considered a loss, because the price of sending it is not high.

In today's league, the value of first-round picks is getting higher and higher, but the value of second-round picks is far worse.If you want, you can even buy a second-round pick for the draft.The probability of the players selected in the second round of picks being played is still very small.There are not so many Dream Chasing Greens and Demon Swords, and most of the second-round picks can't even stay in this league.

— This is reality, naked reality.

Coincidentally, there is a story between Tucker and the Raptors...

In the 2006 NBA Draft, the Raptors selected PJ Tucker from the University of Texas with the 35th overall pick in the second round.

2007年3月24日，猛龙队宣布裁掉PJ塔克。2006-07赛季PJ塔克代表猛龙出战17场比赛，场均出场4.9分钟内，得到1.8分和1.4个篮板。

In the eyes of the major sports media in the United States, the Raptors traded PJ Tucker, one is to fill the vacancy of Terrence Ross, and the other is to deal with LeBron James and Draymond Green in the playoffs.

Ying Xiong is very satisfied with the team's frequent operations before the trade deadline. In his opinion, the team did not stop making progress because of complacency.On the contrary, the team knows where their shortcomings are, and they are very bold, and they will take the shot when it is time to take the shot.

(End of this chapter)