Jim Bass Ambition

Chapter 164 Kevin, stand inside
In the past 18 years, the Utah Jazz have not worried about the positions of point guard and power forward. The tough Shuangsha seems to have no idea what it means to be absent.But overnight, two big holes appeared in their lineup. Even the backup point guard Mark Jackson has announced that he will leave the team after the end of the season. Tag, Harpering and Kirilenko are considered to have the power to fight.

Although Karl Malone had some conflicts with the Jazz management on the issue of contract renewal, his relationship with Jerry Sloan has never deteriorated.

After the exchange between Malone and Sloan, the Lakers and the Jazz quickly completed a deal. The Lakers sent Derek Fisher, Gerald Wallace and Matt Barnes, who only had a one-year contract. Get Jazz center Greg Ostertag, who also has only one year left on his contract, and a 05 second-round pick.

This transaction is considered to be the Lakers' advance preparations to avoid being hammered by O'Neal in the finals last season. After all, Ostertag is one of the few centers in the league who can compete with O'Neal in size. In the playoffs, although Ostertag averaged only 97 points and 3 rebounds per game, O'Neal, who averaged 6 points per game in the previous series, averaged only 33 points and 22 rebounds per game under his top defense. Less than 11%.With only Eldon Campbell a veteran center in the team, Ostertag's arrival can be regarded as an insurance for the Lakers' inside line.

Jim, who finally controlled the roster to 15 people, breathed a sigh of relief. It is almost impossible to keep Fisher and Gerald Wallace next season. Apart from the contract factor, the bigger reason is that the new team The Charlotte Bobcats have been established and will join the league in the 04-05 season. According to the rules, they will pick someone outside the protection list of other teams. As for Barnes, the Lakers, whose wings are already heavily saturated, have no place for him , In the case of a more mature Raja Bell, the shooting ability of Joan Barry and Korver is more important to the team.

The Summer League ended soon, and the most eye-catching of the Lakers is undoubtedly Wade. He averaged 25 points, 15.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists in about 6.3 minutes of playing time, and showed a shot-blocking ability that does not meet his height. , In the game, he can often be seen chasing after the opponent's defender, and even helping the defense to block the opponent's center.

The players are looking forward to the arrival of the new season, and immediately put into training after the end of the Summer League. The Lakers' system is not so easy to understand, and many players even need to make changes to their playing style.

In Jim's office, physical coach Tim Grover, two team doctors Gary Vitti and Thomas Carter, and assistant coach Brian Shaw are all there.

"Except for Kobe last season, no one had serious injury problems. This is also an important reason why we were able to win the championship. I have to thank Gary and Thomas for their work. This season, our goal is also the championship, so we We must strictly pay attention to the health of the players. For example, Carl, although he has an enviable career, but his age is here, we cannot think that he is really a robot just because he has never missed a game due to injury; and Devi Well, he is missing a meniscus; Nene, um... In short, we have to be cautious about any signs of injury. Now we have enough lineup depth. Compared with the record in the regular season, I still value it more The championship trophy. Tim, for inside players, I hope they can strengthen their confrontation ability as much as possible on the basis of retaining flexibility. As for jumping... I think a long career is more important than a few slam dunks. Outside players , I hope their body fat is below 8%, otherwise it will be difficult to keep up with the rhythm of the team, especially the rookies. Bryan... Anyone who has conflicts with teammates, report to me in time, I am not in It's important to monitor them."

After the meeting was over, Jim could finally be the hands-off shopkeeper for a while, and finally gathered a group of elite soldiers under his command, so he no longer had to do everything himself.

Two months passed quickly, and the coaching staff strictly implemented Jim's guiding ideology. During the summer training camp, David West and Nene Hilario gained weight rapidly. Each weighed about 10 pounds, and when they took makeup photos, they were called Karl Malone second and third by teammates.

Of course, when the real Karl Malone appeared, West and Nene were still two sizes smaller.

Malone did not wear Magic Johnson's No. 32 jersey. He originally planned to choose No. 11, but under Jim's strong opposition, he finally wore No. 16 on the grounds that 16 is half of 32.

Artest changed his No. 91 jersey to No. 23. It is said that he has already paid tribute to Rodman, and it is time to pay tribute to Jordan.

Korver, a puffy rookie, also has some muscle lines.

Kobe also gained weight during the offseason. Jim once communicated with him that he will play as a small forward for some time in the new season. For this reason, he gained nearly 7 kilograms and basically spent the whole summer in In the weight room.

"Kevin, stand further in! You go to the middle and spread your hands, yes!" When the starting five took pictures, the tall and thin Garnett was placed in the middle, next to Malone and Artest Muscle sticks, Kobe and Billups sat and stood in the front row.

"Boss, I won't really play center next season." During the photo break, Garnett caught Jim and asked uneasily.Although the team signed Ostertag as a big meat shield, a star of Karl Malone's level should not play as a substitute, so how Garnett thinks, the starting fifth position has to be done by himself.And in joint training, he often teamed up with Malone against West and Nene, while the two authentic centers Campbell and Ostertag were just substitutes.

"In my vision, our team has only three positions, front, wing and backcourt. Chauncey is the backcourt, Kobe can be the backcourt or the wing, Ron can be the wing or the front, we don't have that clear. Different positions, creating dislocations at any time, so as to score easily, is the team's goal. Do you know why I didn't arrange for you to gain weight? I think with your flexibility and maintaining the current style of play, the team is in the fifth position The answer above," Jim explained.

Garnett breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed that he didn't need to dig inside, but he quickly realized that he still had to play center.

"When the season really starts, you'll like your new position. If you still don't feel well after ten games, you can come to me." Jim made a promise to Garnett with a sad face.

　Thanks for the reminder from the enthusiastic book friends, I will post the list of players in a public chapter later.

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(End of this chapter)