"Who do you think makes sense?" Yu Xiaochun asked Yang Yiming.

"Chris Paul asked me that question too." Yang Yiming showed Yu Xiaochun the side of the mobile phone screen, "He directly @ me and several people in the comment area of the discussion program on NBA TV. ”

"Oh, show me."

Here. Yu Xiaochun took the mobile phone handed by Yang Yiming, and saw that this issue was called "Thunder Dilemma: What Will You Do?" Chris Paul wrote on a CP3 account, "Barkley Hill Miller makes a lot of sense, but...@詹姆斯-Harden @Eric Gordon @ Yang Yiming @D'Antoni @Houston Rockets, what do you think? ”

"Why does Paul want to @ you?"

Yang Yiming also spread his hands puzzled: "Maybe you think I will have some unique angle?" But the situation of the Thunder team and this round of discussions, I really didn't pay attention to anything, why don't you tell me about it, Xiaochun. ”

Good.

Oklahoma City Thunder, where do they start?

1/

According to Charles Barkley, the only way out of the Thunder's predicament is to change coaches.

Billy Donovan, before coming to the Thunder in 2015, was the head coach of the NCAA University of Florida Short-Billed Gators, with 19 years of coaching experience and two national championships, but look at the biggest college player Coach Donovan has coached - George Noah? You might understand why he's not a good fit for the Big Three.

If you can't control the team's top name Russell Westbrook - the best tactic that the single-giant Thunder team can come up with last season is to get Wei Shao to get an epic triple-double - super high utilization rate, complete "tactical freedom", has created a rather deformed team. So now with the addition of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, who is a headache for both Zen masters, can coach Donovan be expected to put on a more authoritative performance?

He may be a good college coach, with a suit and tie meticulously tied, gentle and elegant, a life mentor for young people, but...

He's not an NBA-level coach.

Especially against superstars, he doesn't have the courage to convince them to play for himself. "Let Wei Shao not hold the ball, block and dismantle the melon, and then let George be a pure shooter outside the three-point line, ready to take their passes and shoot?" It's not that Coach Donovan can't come up with such a simple tactic, but how can he sell such an idea?

In Charles Barkley's words on the show: "Four words, whimsical." ”

That's why after losing 108-121 to the Orlando Magic, who had lost nine in a row, Coach Billy Donovan spoke to the camera: "I'm going to help players find their imagination." ”

Imagination?!

Even in this situation, he didn't dare to shout, he didn't dare to speak out! Imagination? Isn't it just running, passing, assisting, and running the ball, the elements that the Thunder lack the most?

In the second half of the game against the Magic, the Thunder only dished out three assists as a team. 3 assists!

The team averaged only 21 assists per game, ranking 25th in the league, and Westbrook's 9.7 was almost half!

Why? The Big Three have so far had no decent tactical coordination, the most common tactic for the whole team? A forced shot of one-on-one singles! This data is the best in the league!

Westbrook singles.

Carmelo Anthony singles.

Paul George singles.

And the continuous sound of striking iron!

2/

"I think Ross Barkley is a bit mean in his criticism of the manager, but there is some truth in it." Yu Xiaochun judged.

Yang Yiming nodded and agreed: "Also, if you can win singles like this, isn't it... What is the name of that word you often say? Anyone can be a coach. ”

"Leash the dog's crown." The two are getting closer and better.

"That's right, it's a leash." Yang Yiming slapped his thigh, but then changed his words and said, "But I think Reggie Miller's idea also makes some sense, maybe it works." ”

Reggie Miller's suggestion to the Thunder is to put Carmelo Anthony in the rotation as the team's sixth man.

"Of course it would be a bold suggestion."

"It's bold, it's radical! Revolutionary. On the show, Charles Barkley, who is known for his bold remarks, was also shocked by Reggie Miller's remarks. However, perhaps since Miller's playing career, he has always been a man who has always put on incredible performances.

Putting an All-Star like Carmelo Anthony, perhaps the most versatile scorer in NBA history, on the bench is no longer a question of the courage and ability of a coach like Donovan, but a question of how many coaches across the league have ambitions that match this proposition.

Handful.

But...

Even the 33-year-old, who has been in the league for 14 years, has set career lows in scoring and shooting percentage (19.2 and 42.2 percent), and it seems that he is the most reluctant of the Big Three to change and share. In many games, you can see Melon lead the team alone in the second and early fourth quarters, and after a dazzling combination of offensive moves, Melon suddenly found that he could no longer defend himself with his body as easily as before, or jump higher and lighter than his younger players, so he chose to end the offense with more difficult shots - mostly accompanied by disappointing irons.

Maybe...

It's just a matter of removing Anthony from the starting lineup and replacing him in the scorching moments, sharing the pressure of his leadership, and letting Melon be a simple scorer. Run, catch-and-shoot, open three-pointer. Save those super difficult shots for the younger Westbrook and Paul.

Sounds cruel perhaps?

But for the sake of victory, someone must die.

Look at Wade in the Heat era, Curry with the Warriors after Durant - not to mention, doesn't it sound cool to have the sixth man who scares the whole league?

3/

"Do you think there's hope? Let Anthony play the sixth man? After reading Reggie Miller's comments, Yu Xiaochun asked Yang Yiming again for advice.

"I think... Even if Anthony can play the sixth man, it will only temporarily solve the superficial problem of 'the star roster is too bloated'. Yang Yiming pondered for a few seconds before answering him, "But the deep-seated problem of the Thunder team may not be here..."

"So you agree with Grant Hill?"

"A little. But actually... His proposal is the most difficult. ”

"You think so?" Yu Xiaochun curiously pushed down the glasses on the bridge of his nose, wanting to listen carefully to the opinion of the professional player next to him.

"Changing coaches and lineups is a change from the outside in, and it's not difficult to achieve. But Hill's proposals, from the inside out, are often the hardest. Yang Yiming looked a little worried.

Grant Hill's suggestion doesn't sound complicated: Russell Westbrook, the regular season MVP and the second-in-most in the season's triple-double, needs some changes!

On December 2, 2017, Beijing time, the Oklahoma City Thunder narrowly defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, a Western upstart and also a "small three", 111-107 at home. Wei Shao scored 15 points, 9 rebounds and 14 assists, Paul George scored 36 points, and inside gate Adams made 11 of 11 shots and 5 of 5 free throws to score 27 points, two punches and four hands, and the Thunder finally ended a three-game losing streak!

"But you don't think that's enough?" Yu Xiaochun asked.

"Not enough." The Rockets have no games or training tasks, and Yang Yiming, who just watched the game with him at home, shook his head and said, "If I am to understand, I think it is still far from the change that Grant Hill envisions." They were just lucky tonight, and it just so happened that someone from one of their teammates stepped up and played at a super level..."

"—but Westbrook, after all, it's the same Westbrook from last season."

Wei Shao's change, where to start?