NBA: Back to 97, to be the Jagged Bishop

Chapter 236 Journey to Kensington High Street

The Philadelphia 76ers got Reggie Miller through a trade. This news once again made many teams in the league express their dissatisfaction.

When Combe was in the Raptors before, he got Payton through a trade. At that time, many teams were dissatisfied, but at least the old Thomas expressed support. This time he could no longer support it.

"Can the league stop letting Combe get those superstars?"

"I admit that Reggie is getting old, but he still has good offensive firepower. God, let's just award the championship directly to the Philadelphia 76ers in the new season."

"You ask me who is stronger, Reed or Reggie? Of course Reggie's immediate combat power is stronger, at least his defense is not comparable to Reid's."

"Of course, Reed's trade value must be greater, he is still so young after all."

Thomas Sr. talked eloquently at the press conference.

The Zen master on the Lakers side, taking into account his demeanor, didn't say much, but from the meaning between the lines in his words, he could also hear his dissatisfaction with the deal.

They were so close to the championship last season, and even the outside world believed that it was the only chance for the Lakers to win the championship in the past three years, because this was only the first season of Comb coaching the 76ers. Get up, what will the Lakers do to beat Kumbu.

"what?"

"Are they unhappy with the deal? Why?"

"I am very satisfied, and the Pacers are also very satisfied, why are they not satisfied?"

"Is it just because they don't have enough cap space for Reggie Miller? Why did they go early, why don't they make some cap space?"

"Or is it because there is no bargaining chip in hand to trade Miller? Who can blame it?"

Kumbu said angrily, he is typical of standing and talking without back pain. The Knicks and the Lakers are crazy about spending money on reinforcements, so how could there be salary space.

Even if the Pacers sell Miller to them cheaply, it will be difficult for them to eat it.

A few days later, the preseason kicks off.

Combe let Adelman Jr. contact several teams and played five preseason games.

After five games, the 76ers' winning percentage is astonishing. It's not that they won too much, but they won too little. They only won one game and lost the other four games.

Although none of the 76ers' champion core members played, Kumbu has sent all of this year's rookies to the field, and they played for a long time, yet they still lost so much.

Kumbu sat on the sidelines during these five games, quietly watching the situation on the field, without even calling a timeout.

The more you look at it, the more you frown, and the more you look at it, the more uncomfortable you feel.

Among the five rookies this year, there is nothing wrong with Dalembert. He is a blue-collar after all. He can do his best in rebounding and interior defense. It is impossible for Kumbu to ask too much, such as expecting him to score [-] or [-] in a game. point.

Okur, Parker, and Gerrard are all fine, but they are not in good shape and feel bad, which leads to a bit low shooting rate.

There is no way to do this, and Kumbu is not the kind of coach who is too harsh. He knows very well that it is impossible for players to maintain an excellent touch every night.

The problem is Randolph, and the problem is not small. It can be said that almost [-]% of the team's losses have to be blamed on him.

On the offensive end, he is unwilling to engage in physical confrontation with the opponent. He obviously has such a solid and thick body, and he is unwilling to fight back at all. His style of play is just like that of Big Zhi, but he does not have the speed and flexibility of Big Zhi. .

Coupled with his short stature, his opponents tend to interfere when shooting, so after a few games, none of them has a decent shooting percentage.

This is not the most difficult to accept for Comb, what he cannot accept is Randolph's defensive attitude.

As if there was something dirty on the opponent's body, Fatty Lan was very reluctant to make contact with the opponent. On the defensive end, he was inconsistent, as if he was taking a walk.

He has played against second- and third-tier power forwards in these few games, and as a result, these power forwards can score [-] to [-] points on his head, which is set off like a superstar.

Apparently there was a problem with Fatty Lan's professional attitude.

The day before the start of the regular season, Comb sat in his office and asked Billy King to call Randolph over.

After Randolph entered the office, Combe took out his car keys and said to Fatty Lan, "Let's go, I'll take you shopping."

Fatty Lan looked overjoyed. He felt that Kumbu was going to train himself as the core of the team.

The other players were sweating profusely in training on the court. I was so lucky that I could make Combe look at him differently and lead him to go shopping.

After a while, the two came to the parking lot.

"Coach, is this the only car you want to drive?" Fatty Lan stared dumbfounded at a broken hatchback Chevrolet in front of him.

"I seldom drive a car, so let's make do with it."

"Go, get in the car."

Kong Bu got into the car, and Lan Pang's huge body managed to get into the narrow compartment.

"Coach, after I sign a big contract, I have to buy you a decent car."

Fatty Lan immediately began to show courteousness after getting into the car.

Kong Bu shook his head with a smile and didn't answer his words.

After driving for about half an hour, Combe drove the car into the world-famous Kensington Avenue in Philadelphia.

This street is also known as the street of doomsday. The streets are full of poisonous insects who have just finished taking drugs like walking corpses. The streets and alleys are densely covered with garbage. Every few meters you can see homeless people defecating everywhere. Robbery QJ is even more important here. Just like eating and drinking water.

Driving less than 500 meters, this scene is extremely explosive even for an American like Randolph.

Combe parked the car on the side of the road.

"Coach, don't tell me that you have to get off the bus."

"God, I don't want the police to collect our bodies, they will definitely eat us alive."

"These people don't need makeup to play zombies!"

"Let's go, they have noticed us. Fortunately, we are driving a broken car. If it is a Lamborghini, it may be surrounded by now."

Randolph was also born in the low-level black community, and he was with the gangsters when he was young, but the hellish scene in front of him made him flustered.

"Son, take a good look at this street."

"Just now you said that after signing the big contract, you would buy me a good car. Do you know why I didn't say anything?"

"Because I think with your current performance, there is almost no possibility of signing a big contract."

"Even you may not finish a season and you will be eliminated."

"I heard that you took Parker and Okur to a nightclub a few days ago, and spent six to seventy thousand dollars?"

"Fine, after you've blown your poor rookie salary and can't make it in the NBA, you're going to be a bum on the street."

"When you sleep, you always have to protect your butt to prevent being violated. This may be your future life."

Combe pointed at the homeless man on the street and said to Randolph.

Randolph trembled all over. Combe's words were too scary. As long as he was a normal person, he would definitely shudder at the thought of wandering in such a place in the future.

Before setting off, Randolph had a lot of fantasies. He thought that Combe brought him out because he was optimistic about him, and he might buy a Rolex for himself while shopping.

It's a pity that he now understands that Kong Bu brought him out to warn him.

"Son, I use the highest pick in my hand to select you. In fact, I am very optimistic about you."

"But your performance has made me extremely disappointed. I have never been so disappointed in any newcomer."

"Originally, I planned to let you play the fourth position in the starting lineup, partnering with Yao Ming, but now it seems that you are far from reaching the level of a starting lineup."

"You should be clear about your problem. When your performance satisfies me, I will let you enter the team's rotation."

Kong Bu said to Fatty Lan with a serious face.

Fatty Lan's face was ashen. Of course he knew where his problem was. He kept thinking about collecting statistics on the field and was unwilling to allocate his physical energy to defense.

……

In the evening of the second day, the opening game of the new season will start in three hours.

Kumbu convened the generals and announced the regular starting lineup for the new season.

Center Yao Ming and point guard Iverson, these two points certainly have not changed.

In the starting lineup at position [-], Kumbu wondered whether to choose Okur or Kirilenko.

Considering that Okur has only participated in the training camp for a short time and his strength has not yet entered the peak period, and that Kirilenko sacrificed a lot for the team last season, Kumbu finally decided to let Kirilenko play the starting power forward.

There is no room for consideration in the selection of small forwards, and it is only possible to let Gerrard play.

Now that Reggie Miller is here at the second position, he must be the starter.

Such a starting lineup, at least Kumbu is extremely satisfied, it seems indescribably harmonious and perfect.

The opening game of this season is not the same as in previous years.

Kumbu has been in the league for so many years, and almost every year in the opening game, the opponents are the Knicks, and they are also the Knicks' home court.

There is no other reason, the Knicks have strong profitability.

But this year Comb led the 76ers against the Indiana Pacers, who are also home to Philadelphia.

The reason why the Pacers will be a member of the opening game is that the Pacers appear to be a bit strong this year, and the lineup is extremely luxurious.

Center Brad Miller, a player who was selected by Comb before, was later bought by the Mavericks, and the Mavericks had a change. The old Nelson resigned, and Brad Miller did not renew his contract. Joined the Pacers this season.

The power forward is Jermaine Jr., who joined the Pacers last season.

The small forward is Artest, who also left from the Clippers and became a member of the Pacers.

The backcourt duo is Jaylen Rose plus the newly arrived Arenas, with outstanding offensive firepower.

Jaylen Rose was the Pacers' scoring leader last season. The offensive firepower is nothing to say. On the defensive end, don't look at Kobe scoring 81 points under his defense, but his defense is not that bad. Among the swingers, it can be regarded as an above-average existence.

In addition, there are quite a lot of generals on the bench. Al Harrington can only play as a substitute in the Pacers now.

The reason why Larry Bird was willing to sell Reggie Miller to Comb was mainly to free up part of the salary space to strengthen the lineup. As for allowing Miller to win the championship, it was more of an excuse for businessmen.

This Pacers team is really strong and strong, and even Kumbu is full of praise for this lineup.

It's a pity that facing the wolves of the Philadelphia 76ers at the moment, Comb doesn't think the Pacers have the slightest hope of winning unless they can explode and feel overwhelming.

At the home court of the 76ers, at 07:30 in the evening, Combe followed the players and began to enter the field.

The appearance of Yao and Ai caused screams at the scene.

Three veteran players, Barkley, Oakley and Rodman, also came to the scene tonight.

There will be a championship ring presentation ceremony before the game, so all three veterans are invited.

Among them, Barkley is not only participating in the ceremony tonight, he also has another layer of identity, that is, TNT's live commentary. Yes, after Barkley retired, he immediately became a commentator.

"Kenny, do you understand the excitement in my heart right now?"

"The championship ring! I also have a championship ring!"

Barkley hugged his commentator partner Kenny Smith and laughed up to the sky. He waited for this ring for more than ten years, and finally got his wish tonight.

Kenny Smith shook his head directly, "I don't understand, are you really that excited?"

"When I won the championship, I didn't seem as excited as you. It may also be the reason why I won more championships than you."

He has won two championships in his career, both with the Rockets. At least in this regard, he is much better than Barkley.

"What do you know? I am a core player to win the championship, of course I am excited."

"Can you count as the core?" Barkley said holding his mouth.

"I don't know if I count as the core, but I was the team's starter at the time, and you seemed to be just a substitute." Kenny Smith sparred with Barkley.

The commentary effect of these two people was top-notch. Before the game even started, the two were talking in full swing.

Rodman didn't know when he got close to Kongbu, "Kong, are you really not going to renew my contract for another year?"

"Dennis, enjoy your retirement."

"You are a great player, but no matter how great a player is, there will be a day when the curtain ends."

Combe looked at Rodman beside him and smiled.

He has a good impression of Rodman, and he always feels that the world has always misunderstood Rodman.

Although he acted a bit maverick, there is nothing wrong with his professional attitude, and he is extremely affectionate and righteous.

It's just fate, if it wasn't for his ex-wife cheating on his teammates, Rodman's behavior style would not be so extreme.

"Well, Kong, you're right." Rodman nodded and said in a lonely tone.

Iverson and others have already stepped onto the court, waving at Kumbu.

Comb patted Rodman on the shoulder and pulled his arm onto the court.

Since he entered the league, Kongbu had to participate in the ring award ceremony every year. He was used to it, so there was no excitement.

After getting this ring, he already has four championship rings.

A group of players cheered on the field, took the rings one by one from Dr. J Irving, the famous 76ers, and put them on their fingers.

"Kong, you're going to retire my 76ers jersey, right?" Barkley muttered next to Kongbu after receiving the ring.

Kumbu nodded, "Of course, who else is more qualified to retire the jersey than you?"

This made Barkley laugh in relief.

In fact, even if Barkley didn't come to the 76ers to help win the championship, his jersey was retired by the 76ers.

(End of this chapter)