warrior godfather

Chapter 176 Is there a general manager worse than me...

At eleven o'clock in the evening, in the Oracle Arena, the Suns are playing back-to-back games against the Warriors.

Due to the time difference with Washington, the home games on the West Coast are held at ten or eleven o'clock in the evening, but it happens to be the local prime time.

boom!
Zhang Yu frowned watching Stoudemire dunk after receiving a ground pass.

The Suns played this ball was not complicated, others opened up the space, Nash and Stoudemire picked and rolled in the middle, and then Stoudemire went down, Nash seized the momentary space and smashed his right hand to lead the ball Man, the pass was just right. After receiving the ball, the bully took three steps and successfully bombed the Warriors' basket.

Biedrins did not lose his position and followed closely beside Stoudemire, but his confrontation was not as good as Stoudemire's. He was carried away by the bully with explosive power and successfully dunked.

Zhang Yu looked up and glanced at the big screen in mid-air. It was 5 minutes into the second quarter, and the score was 4844, with the Suns leading by 4 points.

Looking back, the Warriors attacked, and Curry and Biedrins also played a pick-and-roll at the top of the arc. Curry passed the ball to Biedrins, who used his athletic ability to get rid of Stoudemire. Return the color with a dunk.

But then the Suns quickly sent the bottom line ball and played a fast break. Stoudemire followed up in the middle and pointed to the sky. Nash threw the ball. into the basket.

Zhang Yu sighed and sat down.

Biedrins reminded him of two controversial players in his previous life-Gobert and Capela.

Capela is a very useful finishing center. He has a strong finishing ability in the three-second zone and is very good at eating cakes. When paired with top defenders, he can exert a strong impact.

He is also a very good shot blocker and frame protector, and he also has a set of big and small defenses. He has played well in both the Rockets and the Eagles.

But he can only show off in the regular season and the first round of the playoffs. When the game goes deeper and reaches the real high-end game, Capela can't do it.

His ability to eat cakes is easy to be restricted. His big defense and small skills are so clumsy against super guards, and he becomes a cash machine when facing top insiders, and he can't limit the opponent at all.

Gobert is even more extreme than his situation. He is the best defensive player for three consecutive times. He supported the Jazz's defensive system with his own strength. Although the offensive end is out of the three-second zone, there is no threat. , He can't put the ball into the basket through people, but he has won a five-year $5 million maximum salary contract with his top defense, and he can be called the god of blue-collars.

And the defensive pillar of the Jazz, in the deep rounds of the playoffs, has become a defensive weakness targeted by the opponent. He has been hammered by super guards in turn, and the ability to protect the frame that he is proud of in the regular season can't be used at all. .

Biedrins' situation is similar to them. In the regular season, he can rely on eating cakes, protecting the frame, switching defenses, and rebounding to perform well, but when it comes to high-end games, he is embarrassed.

Before the Warriors played the Cavaliers, Spurs, and Lakers, he was very weak in the face of the twin towers of James, Duncan, and the Lakers. These are the next main competitors of the Warriors, especially the two teams in the same area as the Spurs and the Lakers. .

And Biedrins didn't have the upper hand when facing Stoudemire. He is very suitable for the era five years later, but he is not suitable for this era.

This may also be the reason why Zhang Yu's previous life, Biedrins, quickly sank after he averaged a double-double in a season.

In this game, Biedrins was suppressed by Stoudemire, but his teammates stood up. The other players of the Warriors were in excellent condition after spending a wonderful holiday, while the Suns were back-to-back first. In the second game, I was exhausted physically and mentally.

They maintained the lead until the third quarter, but Curry turned on the day-to-day mode in the third quarter, scored 4 three-pointers in just 4 minutes, and overtook the score in a wave, and pulled it to 10 points!
After Curry made the shot, the morale of the Warriors team was boosted, and the entire Oracle Arena fell into madness. The Suns players were not only facing a team, but also a purgatory away game full of malice!

They were flustered by the loud noises and boos, and the Warriors players on the opposite side seemed to be on a stimulant, desperately defending every round, desperately grabbing every rebound, as if they had just come out of hell The evil ghost that climbed up from the depths was extremely greedy and wanted to win the game.

Under the sudden increase in the intensity of the game, the physically and mentally exhausted Suns players were defeated and became lifeless. Both offensive and defensive ends showed a trend of defeat. Only Nash stood up and turned on the attack mode. Playing against the Warriors team stabilized the team's situation.

But this is obviously not his field of expertise. The Warriors are like a replica of the Suns. They are all soldiers. They are even more proficient in starting and running than the Suns. They bloom more and make the opponent hard to defend.

In the end, the Warriors beat the Suns 124:110. Curry scored a double-double with 35 points and 10 assists, including 19 points in the third quarter, turning the situation around in one fell swoop.

Six Warriors scored in double figures, Azubuike 6 points, Butler 16 points, Biedrins 13 points and 15 rebounds in a stable double-double, Big Z 11 points, Reggie Williams 14 points.

On the Suns side, Nash was the best, shooting 22 of 14 shots, scoring 36 points and 9 assists. He was on par with Curry, but his teammates collectively pulled their hips.

Except for Stoudemire who beat Biedrins in the matchup and scored a double-double of 24 points and 13 rebounds, only Channing Frye scored 11 points. Other than that, no one scored in double figures. The second game of this back-to-back.

But Zhang Yu knew that the state of the Suns in this game was very bad, which could not explain anything. It was not that the Warriors really had the strength to win the Suns.

He praised Nash in an interview:

"There is no doubt that he is the number one point guard in the league. He broke through our defense alone. He is still at his peak. As long as he has Nash, the Suns are a super team in the league... What? Stephen and Nash's data is similar? He just took advantage of the schedule, and there is still a huge gap between him and Nash."

The reporters were a little surprised, Coach Z is so humble, this is not common...

What they didn't know was that Coach Z's mind was not on the victory. After a big victory, Zhang Yu immediately came to the office, opened the freshly released game replay, and watched it.

His focus was naturally on Biedrins. He carefully studied every round of Biedrins's game until two o'clock in the morning before driving back home to rest.

……

At nine o'clock the next morning, Zhang Yu got up and came to the Oracle Arena.

Due to the game last night, the training time of the players was also postponed. When Zhang Yu came to the arena, they had just started training.

He didn't stay too long, he just walked around the training hall and then went to the office.

Curry looked at the back of Zhang Yu leaving in a hurry, and said to himself with some doubts:

"What happened in the first two days? He used to come early..."

Biedrins happened to be standing next to Curry, and he smiled:

"The coach may be too tired, we can just train hard."

After Biedrins finished speaking, he took the ball and walked to the other side, and with the help of the trainer, he practiced rebounding.

On the other side, when Zhang Yu came to the office, Larry Riley was already waiting for him.

"Larry, sit down." Seeing Larry Riley standing up to greet him, Zhang Yu waved his hand to signal him to sit down.

On the way to the arena, he told Larry Riley to come to his office to wait for him and discuss things with him.

Both of them sat down, and Zhang Yu spoke first:
"Do you have any thoughts on the deal?"

After talking about this with Larry Riley yesterday, the two haven't had any further communication, so Zhang Yu wants to ask him what he thinks.

Larry Riley thought for a while, and then said cautiously:
"Boss, why did you trade Andris? His performance is very good, the team's development trend is getting better and better, and he is very young, and he still has a lot of potential to tap, suitable for the team's tactics..."

Zhang Yu sighed softly:
"You are right. I also like Andris very much. He plays hard and completes the tasks I assign very well. He fits my tactical system very well...but his limitations are too great to be a real player. If we want to compete for the championship, the center position must be upgraded."

"Fighting for the championship?!" Larry Riley said in astonishment.

"What? Can't we compete for the championship?" Zhang Yu glanced at him with a half-smile.

Larry Riley quickly waved his hands to explain:

"Of course not. We have a potential new star like Stephen, and we will definitely have something to do in the future... But it's a bit early to talk about the championship now. I think it's better to train young players..."

Zhang Yu shook his head:

"It is because of Stephen's presence that we have to build a championship lineup quickly. Otherwise, after the rookie contract between him and Jimmy expires, we will definitely have to renew the contract with a high salary, and the team will not have much salary space."

He clearly remembered how much the Warriors in his previous life had paid to retain the core lineup after five years and three championships. He didn't want to fall into the same predicament and had to plan early.

Seeing that Zhang Yu had made up his mind, Larry Riley didn't say anything more. He had a very deep understanding of his position as a tool man, and he was very convinced of Zhang Yu's judgment, so he replied immediately:
"Boss, I haven't had time to contact other teams, do you have any players you want?"

He didn't think Zhang Yu would tell him to make a deal without preparation.

Thinking carefully about his young boss's way of doing things, he always makes a decision before making a move. Since he proposed this idea, he must have a mature idea.

Sure enough, as soon as Larry Riley finished speaking, Zhang Yu said:
"What do you think of Tyson Chandler?"

"Tyson Chandler? Is he still recovering from his injuries? With all due respect, he has not performed well in the past two years, and he has been plagued by injuries. The situation is not very good, and he has a tendency to become a glass man..." Larry Riley After thinking for a while, he shook his head and said.

As the general manager of the team, the information of most players in the league is printed in his mind. Zhang Yu just said a name, and he expressed different opinions.

Tyson Chandler is a pity player. He was selected by the Clippers with the second overall pick in the first round in 2001, and was then traded to the Bulls in exchange for power forward Elton Brand.

The Bulls attach great importance to Tyson Chandler, who has excellent talent and explosive athletic ability, and focuses on training him. However, under the Bulls' rough stocking mode, Tyson Chandler did not develop his own offensive ability, but went further to the defensive blue-collar insider. The direction of development, but also suffered a serious injury in the second year, which slowed down the speed of progress.

After two years in the Bulls, Tyson Chandler was traded to the Hornets. With Paul, he finally began to realize his talent. His scoring and rebounding data skyrocketed. Became the backbone of the Hornets' inside defense, helped the Hornets reach the Western Conference semifinals, and fought seven games with the Spurs before losing.

However, he suffered from a back injury last season, and he performed poorly after his comeback in the playoffs. He averaged only 3.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and he played poorly on the defensive end. He was given up by the Hornets as a bargaining chip for Okafor , was traded to the Bobcats, and is still recuperating and has not yet returned.

Larry Riley didn't expect that the "top defensive center" Zhang Yu wanted was such a glass man, and he disagreed very much in his heart.

In his opinion, Biedrins has unlimited potential, and Tyson Chandler has great potential for injuries. He doesn't think this is a good choice.

"I know your concerns, but he hasn't reached his peak yet. He has both height, wingspan and mobility. He is one of the few big centers who can support a defensive system. There are too many teams in the West with strong interiors. If the Warriors want to go further in the playoffs, they want such an insider." Zhang Yu said slowly.

"Tyson Chandler's talent is indeed attractive, but he is 28 years old, and for this kind of center who relies on his body to play, he may decline seriously after a major injury. We put our hopes on him, don't we Some are too risky?" Larry Riley still insisted on his opinion.

Although he is a tool man, as the general manager of the Warriors, Larry Riley can't just watch Zhang Yu lose money.

Zhang Yu knew Larry Riley's concerns, but he knew that Tyson Chandler hadn't suffered too many injuries in the next few years, otherwise he wouldn't have helped the Mavericks win the championship and won the Best Defensive Player award. He has been selected to the defensive team for several years in a row.

It's just that he couldn't explain it to Larry Riley in this way, he could only say with a firm attitude:

"I think this is a good deal. Tyson Chandler only has one year left on his contract. Even if he really doesn't fit the team, we can stop the loss in time...you go and contact the Bobcats, try it out Take a look at their tone, see if they can complete the deal before Tyson Chandler comes back, talk about the terms, if Andris can be kept, that would be great."

"But... well, I know, I'll do it now."

Larry Riley wanted to say something more, but after seeing Zhang Yu's firm gaze, he knew that he would not change his mind, so he complied and left Zhang Yu's office.

Is there a general manager worse than me...

The feeling that I haven't felt for a long time resurfaced in Larry Riley's heart.

(End of this chapter)