Chapter 267 [Mixed Blessings, Major Hidden Dangers]
After the media reported Guo Xu's remarks, most people felt that he was too arrogant, and that winning two championships in the Lakers does not mean that he can succeed in the Suns. The Lakers had already won a championship before he joined, while the Suns didn't make the playoffs last season.
In Guo Xu's previous life, Marbury had similar remarks, which were unanimously criticized by public opinion.
In the 2004-05 season, Marbury played the pinnacle of his career with the Knicks, playing 40 minutes and scoring 21.7 points, 3 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.5 steals, shooting 46.2% from the field, 35.4% from three-point range and 83.4% from the free throw line. Even though the Knicks finished 11th in the East, Marbury also felt great, claiming to be the world's No. 1 point guard.
Guo Xu said, "I believe I am the best point guard in the league, there is no one", and he also received a lot of criticism online, even though the season has not yet started. The reason why the fans sprayed him is very simple, he is only 21 years old this year, if he is the best now, where will the face of other star point guards go?
Many fans cursed that the Suns couldn't enter the playoffs in the new season, hoping that their idol could give Guo Xu some color to see, let him know that leaving the Lakers was not so easy to mix, and let him understand that he was just a rookie who played for two seasons and was lucky enough to get two championship rings.
President David Stern still has a good impression of Guo Xu, and he is ready to continue to praise him this year, Guo Xu said that attacking and winning is the king, which is very encouraging.
Stern feels that Guo Xu is really very smart, and it is always beneficial for himself and the team to say different things in different places.
When he was with the Lakers, Guo Xu admitted that he was the younger brother as soon as he went, and no matter how much the media praised him, he praised O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. In 2001, he had the opportunity to compete for FMVP, but in the last game, he took the initiative to create opportunities for O'Neal and gave up the honor.
He's got a reputation for selflessness with one less trophy, and if he doesn't, the Lakers will have a hard time breaking the record the following year, and the locker room will probably have problems.
Now joining the Suns Guo Xu is not so polite, showing that he is the core and wants to become the best point guard. He has already won two championships and entered the second team of the best team, if he faces the media to praise Iverson, Kidd and others who have not won the championship, it is not modest, but a little stupid.
If Guo Xu praises his opponent, he can't even thank him, and the opposing fans will take the opportunity to step on him, which is direct evidence of the idol's strength.
The next day, the Suns had an open training session and the gym was packed with fans, the first time in years, and Kidd was not that appealing. Probably because Kidd looks like a bandit, Guo Xu's appearance is much higher.
Guo Xu joined with the highest salary, but for the Suns, this is still a sure-fire deal. Now his commercial value is beginning to show, with The Phoenix Times revealing that the team is currently third in the league in season ticket sales for next season, behind the Lakers and Kings.
The media commented that Guo Xu's arrival meant "a new huge market has opened" for the Suns, and his popularity last season was so high that all the Suns could not match it combined.
The finale of the open training session was the group match, and Guo Xu did not disappoint the Suns fans who supported him.
He was on the white team with Kathy Jacobsen, Marion, Gugliotta and Haslem, and played against the opposite blue team. And the blue team has two starters from last season,
Haslem did not become a weakness for the white team, but rather a bright spot. He has the benefits of being fat, and his covering effect is prominent, and he basically can't stop people when he is 110 kilograms. After blocking and dismantling, he didn't cut empty, stood tall and waited for Guo Xu to pass the ball, and then shot after receiving the ball. Being overweight didn't affect his feel, and he hit a good jump shot in the open space.
After blocking and dismantling, Guo Xu easily got rid of Alstom, and it was not difficult to pass the two slow inside lines of Chakalidis and Gugliotta. On the periphery, he can also shoot directly.
Defensively, Haslem put Jake Chacalidis, the Suns' starting center, from outside the box and left him without scoring a point for eight minutes.
Manager Brian was dumbfounded, this fat man is really good? It's short, but it's useful.
In fact, if you change to a guard who is good at shooting to block and dismantle the offense, Haslem will definitely not be able to change the defense, and the speed is too slow to be played. His performance was good because of the tactics arranged by the coach, so he let Jack, who is 218cm tall and weighs 130 kilograms, stay in the low position.
Jack doesn't have explosiveness, and only relies on height and weight to be in the same position under the basket as O'Neal, what's the use?
However, last season, the Suns coaching staff always wanted to develop Jack's low-post offensive ability, allowing him to start 47 games, averaging 7.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1 block in 23.6 minutes per game, which was very inefficient.
Guo Xu's fast attack and positional battle score are very easy, and he can also attract teammates who can assist in defense, which is the best in the game.
Marion countered with a blistering speed and the second-best rebounding ability, followed by Haslem, who surprised fans who came to watch the training with season tickets, scoring four mid-range shots.
Jacobson, a white rookie swingman selected by the Suns in the first round of 22 this year, also performed, hitting a three-pointer and a mid-range shot.
HEIGHT 198CM AND WEIGHING 98 KG, JACOBSON WAS A STAR PLAYER IN COLLEGE, WITH A CERTAIN OFFENSIVE ABILITY WITH THE BALL AND ACCURATE SHOOTING. After joining the Suns, he was the focus of the team's training, and he was also very confident and boldly chose the No. 23 jersey.
The only one who didn't play was Gugliotta, he was not as good as a fat man in cover, not as good as a swing man in the air, and the slow singles action gave Guo Xu a headache, so he passed the ball once.
The highlights for the BLU were Joe Johnson's singles and Stadamire's block cut, which were responsible for the BLU's score.
Alstomb dribbled steadily, shot poorly, made two small throws after the break, hit all the iron with a pull-up jumper, and the dry pull of Guo Xu outside the three-point line also missed the basket.
The "Street Ball King" plays too wildly, and his shooting options are poor, as long as he chooses to divide the ball instead of shooting after breaking through, he is an excellent backup point guard.
As for the swingmen invited by Chacalidis and Bryan to play in the preseason, the strength is not worth mentioning.
After a while, the two teams made substitutions, and Nene was the best player, and the draft report showed that he was a rough guy with excellent defense, but he showed talent on the offensive end, blocking and receiving the ball in the air, using flexible footwork several times, and shooting in the box after shaking, shooting 70%.
"Snake Man" Mickey Moore performed very badly, he couldn't stay at a glance, his defensive end was soft and heartbreaking, much worse than Guo Xu imagined, the Suns' 34-year-old veteran Scott Williams singled him out to play casually, this blue-collar has never been known for his offense, averaging 7.6 points per game in his peak season.
Veteran Randy Brown plays soy sauce on both offensive and defensive ends, and his only role is to dribble over half the court, and perimeter opponents can still empty him, and he has not practiced shooting well when he is about to retire. He is too slow to play the No. 1 position, and he is too short to play the No. 2 position at 188CM, so he can only be a mascot.
For the first joint practice, the Suns team had mixed blessings, the good news was that Guo Xu was very strong, and the two high-pick interior rookies this year also performed well. The worry is that the depth of the Suns' outside lineup is too poor, and if you want to make a result, it is best to find two more powerful substitutes.
It is not enough to rely on Marion, Joe Johnson, and Jacobson to rotate alone, and if someone is injured during the season, the Suns' No. 2 and No. 3 positions will be unavailable, which is a major hidden danger.