Chapter 128: Countdown to Anthony's departure
Whiteside and Green partnered better than Noll and Green played together, which surprised the rest of the coaching staff, and the Lakers didn't have the expected decline, unaffected by Knoll's truce, and have been on a winning streak.
In the period that followed, Chu Xuan chose to give Steve Nash, a 39-year-old veteran, more rest, and then left more time for Jackson and Jeremy Lin.
That's a kind of sharing, after all, Nash is not the same Nash he was 10 years ago, and for a veteran who is full of injuries and has entered the countdown to his career, you can't expect him to contribute too much in the regular season.
Nash entered the rotation, which can be regarded as a relief and relaxation for him.
And Jeremy Lin and Jackson are both performing quite well, and the growth of the two of them can be regarded as being able to meet Chu Xuan's expectations.
Especially Jeremy Lin, under Chu Xuan's key training, his shooting options are countless times better than before he came to the Lakers, which allows him to always maintain a very high offensive efficiency when he is on the court. In this way, without wasting too many shots, Jeremy Lin's passing level has also improved a lot.
In this regard, Nash also spoke highly of Jeremy Lin in front of Chu Xuan, Nash said that in today's league, Jeremy Lin is most likely to become a player similar to him, which makes him full of expectations and a little excited.
In fact, for Chu Xuan, the Lakers can have Jeremy Lin and Jackson this season, which can be regarded as a successful change of blood for the No. 1 position, at least this will not make the Lakers passive in the No. 1 position when playing against other teams.
In the days after beating the Cavaliers, the Lakers' opponents were relatively weak, and the threat to the Lakers' winning streak was not very great.
So under Chu Xuan's reminder and admonition, the Lakers players stayed focused, and they were able to maintain the winning streak.
Seeing that the winning streak is getting longer and longer, the Lakers are getting more and more concerned, and the voices that want to end the Lakers' winning streak are gradually becoming denser.
Because in the eyes of many, this season's Lakers should be a strong contender for the lottery draft, rather than the current top spot in the West, which makes them unbelievable and have the feeling of a salted fish turning over.
However, after one game has passed, disappointment after disappointment has lingered in the hearts of those who are not optimistic about the Lakers, because the Lakers still maintain a winning streak, and no team has been able to beat them.
When the time comes to the end of the month, after entering the 20th, the Lakers have reached a peak of attention, and they will welcome one of the most important opponents in recent times, the Miami Heat.
This is the biggest threat to the Lakers' winning streak, and all eyes are on this game, including players, coaches, fans, media, etc.
Will the Lakers continue their winning streak, or will they be ended by the Heat?
It's something everyone is thinking about, though, obviously, whatever the outcome, this game is undoubtedly a good game, there's no doubt about it.
In the NBA, there are only two meetings between East and West teams in a season, one home and one away. And the Lakers defeated the Heat at home on the 25th of last month, that is, in the Christmas game. And now this upcoming game is the last meeting between the two teams in the regular season this season.
If the Lakers win the game, it will be a double win against the Heat this season.
For the Heat, though, the Big Three clearly don't want that to happen.
Therefore, two days before the start of the game, James, Wade, and Bosh released news that they would definitely win the game with the Lakers.
Although the game has not yet started, the focus is already very large.
And in this way, the ratings boom caused by the game between the Lakers and the Heat must be very large. In this regard, it can be seen from the ticket sales for the game between the Heat and the Lakers.
As a result, everyone was looking forward to the game, and for a while, the entire NBA league seemed to be the biggest focus.
However, at this time, a news that was enough to cause an earthquake in the league appeared, covering up the heat of the strong conversation between the Lakers and the Heat.
"Melo is leaving before the All-Star break, thank you for his contribution to this team, I would love to keep him, but his heart is no longer here, he doesn't want to play here, which is very regrettable. After much deliberation and engagement, the team chose to respect Mero and send him to the team he wanted to go to, and the New York Knicks were about to start a rebuild. ”
This is a news released by Knicks general manager Grunwald, and subsequently, the Knicks official also updated the news to determine the truth of the news.
Suddenly, the entire American basketball world was shaken, and everyone said that the news was so sudden that it felt like a bolt from the blue.
Because, although there have been rumors that Anthony has not been happy in New York this season, the team has a bad record, and it is difficult to even make the playoffs. But there's no sign that Anthony wants to leave, just rumors that the Knicks need to choose a new head coach and a system that suits Anthony, and then add stars to the top of the East, and then go to the top of the East, and then go to compete with the Heat.
Therefore, it can be said that no one thought that Anthony would leave the team. So, when this news appeared, everyone was stunned and a little incredible. I can't even figure it out.
However, the boat was settled, and immediately the expert media began to discuss the team that Anthony might be going to, as well as to inquire about the Knicks management through various channels.
However, the answer seems to be a very big mystery, and no one knows the answer until the moment it is revealed.
However, what is certain is that the countdown to Anthony's departure from the Knicks has begun.
In the wake of this crazy seismic news, as many as 18 teams in the league have been involved in trade rumors. And then under the multiple deletions, Anthony is most likely to go to the team still has 8.
They are the San Antonio Spurs, the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Denver Nuggets, and the Boston Celtics.
Chu Xuan is also very concerned about the Lakers' involvement in Anthony's trade rumors.
Before this news appeared, Chu Xuan hadn't heard anything about Anthony in the Lakers. However, in order to understand the ins and outs of the matter, he eventually talked to Kupchak as well.
It turns out that the Lakers do have plans to get Anthony, and Kupchak wants to create a trio of "Kobe + Anthony + Noor". However, Glenwald's asking price is too high, and he wants to get Jeremy Lin, Whiteside, Green, and Andertokounmpo, so he is willing to accept some veterans to keep the trade balance.
One Anthony swapped for half of the Lakers' team, and there were plenty of young people with unlimited potential. Kupchak, of course, was very entangled, he had a hard time agreeing and couldn't make a decision.
According to Chu Xuan's understanding, Kupchak is still waiting and seeing, and he hopes to get a first-round pick from the Knicks in 14 or 15, in which case, he may be able to accept the asking price.
However, the Knicks' willingness to send Anthony away is undoubtedly thoroughly prepared for a rebuild. Then the Lakers want to get a draft pick from the Knicks, and the possibility is obviously slim.
As a result, the Lakers and Knicks negotiated a trade to get Anthony.
This is inside information, and it is obviously impossible for the outside media to know about it. Therefore, in their opinion, the Lakers are almost the most likely to get Anthony.
Because, Kobe and Anthony are very good friends, and he has said more than once that he wants to partner with Anthony the most.
Now the countdown to Anthony's departure is getting bigger and bigger, and the Lakers seem to be unable to escape the fate of becoming the "protagonist".
And for all those who are concerned about this, which team will Anthony go to?
This is an answer that has no answer for the time being.