Since that day and Link went head-to-head, Dellavedova has become the second Jimmy. Butler.

He became the first Grizzlies to come to the gym every day, but they didn't leave until the last. Talent is not enough to work hard, this sentence has been deeply imprinted in the hearts of Australians.

Seeing Dellavedova on the right track, Link was also a lot more relieved. It seems that the Australian is not stupid, he knows what he meant by those words that day.

Hurting people on purpose is really, really annoying, to be honest. But as team leaders, they also have a responsibility to hold their teammates accountable. Watching your teammates hurt others and not paying attention to them is actually not noble.

When an avalanche occurs, no snowflake is innocent.

Link doesn't care what the others do, in short, he will never allow this kind of dirty thing to happen to the Grizzlies.

Indeed, the Grizzlies are the villains, and the people gathered here are all third-rate players. Their style is not flashy, they have made a lot of high-profile balloon stars hit a wall, and they are hated by many fans.

But there is one thing, all the honors of the Grizzlies so far have been won by hard power, not by those crooked ways.

Indeed, in competitive sports, victory is paramount. But at least in Link's three views, some victories don't deserve to be called victories.

In the next few preseason games, the Grizzlies won and lost, and did not show the dominance that the defending champions should have.

But Link's performance has been very solid, and every time in a limited time, he has been able to perform well enough.

Dellavedova has also gradually become known for his desperate ball style and marmot-like looks. At least now most commentators can call him by name when they see this road option for the Grizzlies.

Finally, a week before the start of the regular season, the Grizzlies ended their preseason journey with a 4-4 record, which is far from impressive.

And so the local media eager to see the Grizzlies lose began to play tricks.

"The Memphis Grizzlies could be the next Dallas Mavericks, and they could be one of the worst defending champions."

"The Grizzlies have barely made up for it this summer, and standing still is a step backwards in itself. This season, both the Rockets and Clippers have the potential to step into the first echelon of the West. In such a situation, it will be even more difficult for the Grizzlies to complete the title defense. ”

"Link may be very strong, but the Grizzlies are not necessarily able to keep their position. The Grizzlies have only one superstar on their lineup, Link, which is an inevitable embarrassment for the small ball market. If Robert. Pera is willing to treat money like the Nets owner, and the Grizzlies won't have that much difficulty. ”

"The 4-4 loss in the preseason is because Link didn't play a few games, and a few games that didn't last long, so the results were not good. IMHO, that's the self-consolation of Grizzlies fans. The Grizzlies' roster is lackluster than water, and that's not a championship-winning configuration. ”

The world is commenting on the Grizzlies, and of course, most of them are not listening. In fact, there are actually quite a few media outlets that are optimistic about the Grizzly Bears, but their voices are quickly muffled.

Fans don't like to hear praise for the Grizzlies, they love to hear how the Grizzlies can't. After all, if this happens, it means that their team has a better chance of winning the championship.

In the midst of this denigration of the grizzly bear, ESPN joins the fray.

Of course, they didn't come to spray the Grizzlies, but to make a list of the top 50 stars of the 1314 season, as is customary every year.

This ranking will be based on a player's performance last season and their prediction of a player's future, and the ranking will only apply to this season, judging only a player's strength this season, and has nothing to do with past glory and glory.

For example, Kobe Bryant is definitely a top 10 or even top 5 star in league history. But in the ranking of the top 50 stars in the 1314 season, Kobe Bryant's ranking will definitely not be so high. Because no one knows to what extent Kobe Bryant will recover after a ruptured Achilles tendon.

The ranking is published over 5 days, with 10 people per day. And from the third day after the publication of the rankings, controversy arose.

Because the Grizzlies, who are called "mediocre by other media", have players selected as one of the top 50 superstars in their rookie season!

The 37th of the top 50 stars in the new season is the Grizzlies' starting point guard Mike. Conley. ESPN's assessment of him was straightforward, "Whether people like it or not, Conley is one of the top five point guards in the league." ”

No. 34 is Zach, who seems to be harmless to humans and animals. Randolph, ESPN believes that Randolph is actually the Grizzlies' most reliable single player besides Link, and is the second player of the Grizzlies who can really reach the first-class offensive level.

Iguodala is ranked 29th, and ESPN rated him as one size younger James, a similar to Scott. A great helper like Pippen. He can do everything, but nothing is top-notch. However, this kind of ability is just right as a second-in-command.

Two days later, last season's Double Second Team + Best Defensive Player winner Mark Brown. Gasol showed up, and he was 12th!

It is worth mentioning that the legendary power forward Tim. Duncan, just behind Gasol, is only 13th! In addition, Gasol has inside stars such as Love, Griffin, Aldridge, Nowitzki, Noah, Lopez and others behind him.

Arguably, Gasol's ranking is by far the most questionable. Even if it is not compared to the past honors, only compared to the current strength, people think that Gasol's ranking is too high.

Gasol Jr. ranked 8th in points and 12th in rebounds last season, and even worse at 13.1 in rebounds and 40th among centers! People often laugh at Brooke. Lopez won't grab rebounds, but he also has a higher rebounding rate than Gasol Jr. No one in the top 12 has as unremarkable stats as Gasol Jr.

ESPN is certainly aware of the stats, but they still rank Gasol at No. 12. Their judgment of Gasol is basically detached from the data.

"Defensive ability isn't something you can tell by the numbers, and the ability to change the direction of an opponent's shot doesn't count towards blocks. Not only is he excellent in solo defense, but he also has a strong sense of co-defense. Last season, when he was on the floor, the Grizzlies conceded 6.5 fewer points per 100 possessions, and the center efficiency value opposite him was only Gasol's scoring ability at best, because he was a bit bulky, not flexible enough, and didn't shoot consistently. But Gasol's ability to play in the high post is the reason why the Grizzlies can play well on the offensive end. If you need good personal data, Gasol is a scumbag. But if you need a player to make the team better, then it's Gasol. ”

As for ESPN's evaluation, many media said that it was nonsense. Only ESPN can make the data difference so fresh and refined.

However, the next day, when people look at the end of this leaderboard and see the top 10 people, they instantly forget about Gasol's 12th place. Because in the top ten, there is a more subversive ranking!

In ESPN's list of the 50 best players of the 1314 season, Kevin . Durant is only third, and even though ESPN considers him the "best scorer of the 21st century," he's only ranked third.

In second place is now recognized as the league's No. 1 LeBron Brown . James.

Starting from the 0708 season, James ranked first in player efficiency value for 6 consecutive years. James averaged rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game last season. The shooting rate was 56.5%, the three-point shooting rate exceeded 40% for the first time, and the true shooting rate was as high as 64%. James has also developed low-post techniques that have made him even more unstoppable in the restricted area, with him shooting an incredible 78.3% from the field.

James has the league's highest win contribution, he regularly moves from the No. 1 to the No. 5 position, he is the most passable wing, and he has more assists than multiple defenders. He is like a warrior from the future, refreshing people's understanding of the word "omnipotent".

When it comes to James, ESPN is running out of praise. But even so, James is still second.

And the person who ranked first in the top 50 stars of the 1314 season made the media stunned.

ESPN pushed Link, who won the championship last season, to the throne! Link's No. 1 ranking instantly made Gasol Jr. No. 12 no longer so exaggerated.

ESPN wrote a lengthy article for Link explaining why he was number one. And in the first sentence of this article, ESPN made their point clear.

"LeBron is already so great, but last season, Link beat LeBron! And we all know that he's still improving! ”

Link, Gasol, Iguodala, Randolph and Conley, five people from a team were selected as the top 50 stars of the new season, and the Grizzlies created the most in the league!

You know, even if it is the Miami Heat, which has a luxurious lineup, only 3 players have been selected! The Grizzlies' lineup is lacklustre? ESPN doesn't see it that way.

Looking at the complete top 50 list, Link pouted. Come on, in the next few days, the controversy about himself will be discussed non-stop.

But then again, from day one in the league, Link seems to have been living in controversy.

Regarding ESPN's ranking, Link expressed his gratitude. At least now, these mainstream sports media will no longer look at him with contempt. Most of those who do things are small local media.

But Link is also well aware that after this ranking is announced, his every move in the new season will be studied under a magnifying glass.

No. 1 among the top 50 stars in a single season, it's not so easy to be.

Against the Spurs in two days' time, Link will experience what it's like to play under a magnifying glass.

The greater the ability, the greater the pressure.