Chapter 67 Transaction Rumors

Friday's issue of Memphis Sports broke the news that Mike Dunleavy, the CEO and head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, flew to Memphis to meet with Memphis Grizzlies owner Haisley at Memphis' largest pizza joint, and according to intern reporter Villa, the two appeared to have a good conversation.

"The miser wants to snatch our big bear?"

"Donald Sterling wants to tempt Feng to fall?"

"Big swords and spears slash at the L.E. angeles!"

Driven by some people, the Knicks and the Grizzlies have no connection in the media, but the Clippers want the super interior combination of Li Feng + Griffin to become Sima Zhao's heart.

Regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, at least Memphis officials have not announced any news that Li Feng will leave Memphis.

And Li Feng himself also declined all interviews, training silently in the FedEx Center Arena, and the boiling transfer rumors did not seem to have any effect on him.

On December 18, the Grizzlies will once again sit at home to face a potential playoff opponent, the Denver Nuggets, who are currently seventh in the West.

The Denver Nuggets made a huge breakthrough last season, with their best 54-28 regular season record in franchise history in 21 years, finally breaking the first-round playoff curse and making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, where they might make it to the Finals with a bit of luck.

So the Nuggets haven't made significant roster changes this summer, and they hope to build on the 2009-10 season as their players gain experience and chemistry.

George Karl has been the head coach of the Nuggets for nearly five years since coming to Denver in 2004-05, and under his tutelage the Denver Nuggets have gone from being a fish-belly team to becoming a powerhouse in the West, reaching the Western Conference Finals last season.

Carl's offensive basketball when he arrived with the Nuggets was pleasing to watch, but he was criticized for being too poor defensively to handle the real test, and never made it past the first round of the playoffs before the 2008-09 season. But last season with the arrival of Billups, Carl showed his ability to adjust the defense, so the team's defense was not good before, and it was difficult for the old Carl to cook without rice.

The Nuggets have traditionally been a team that is strong in offense and weak in defense, and now even after the Golden and Iverson left for Detroit, Anthony, J.R. Smith and other offensive players can still provide enough firepower, and they averaged 104.3 points per game last season, ranking sixth in the league.

With 45 points in 28 minutes in China, Anthony is well positioned to compete for the scoring title in the new season, and with the help of J.R. Smith and Billups from the outside, the Nuggets have the best offensive perimeter in the league.

Martin, Nene and Anderson have a certain ability to score on the inside, but in addition to inside and outside, other interior offensive skills are single, and all three are less than 7 feet tall, making it difficult to create sustained and stable lethality on the inside.

The most important reason why the Nuggets were able to reach the Western Conference Finals was the balance of offense and defense. After the arrival of Billups, the whole team was more organized offensively and defensively, and the awareness and hierarchy of defense have been greatly improved, and Anthony completed a gorgeous transformation and suddenly became one of the best defenders in the league.

Inside, "Birdman" Anderson injected defensive passion, and Nene rarely stayed fit all season, making the team's paint zone a no-fly zone for opponents. In the 2009-10 season, whether the Nuggets can replicate or even surpass last season will largely depend on how well they can defend themselves.

After the game against the Mavericks, Hollins gave Li Feng more opportunities, and Li Feng performed better and better every game.

Due to Li Feng's recent sudden rise or being stimulated by the combination of Li Feng + Griffin, the media showed unusual enthusiasm for the game before the game, and countless reporters lined up to come to Memphis to report on the game, including reporters from high-level media such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. …,

Although Haysley's intentions have been speculated from Chris Wallace's mouth, Hollins has never been more confident in his team than he is now.

Although Zach Randolph has a large contract, his excellent skills and rich experience make him the most stable attacker in the team, and even Guy is not as stable as Randolph, otherwise Li Feng would have started a long time ago.

Marc Gasol has both offense and defense, a tough style, and although his skills are not as good as his older brother, Roy Hibbert, who will definitely not lose to Indiana, if there is a large amount of money injected, or Memphis is a big city like New York and Los Angeles, it is not a dream for the Grizzlies to win the championship.

"But the key is to keep that kid."

Hollins' eyes shifted to Li Feng, who was warming up on the court.

Hasley has clearly told Hollins that Li Feng's playing time cannot be less, and if he can, he can even sacrifice his record to give Li Feng a chance.

He has to thank Chris Wallace, who has always been scolded, if he hadn't brought Li Feng, the Grizzlies would only get Thabit that waste, the current Thabit, in the Pistons, played more than 35 minutes per game, and only had 2.2 points and 4.5 rebounds, which was in strong contrast with Li Feng's 11.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks with only 24 minutes of playing time, and in the last ten games, Li Feng's data was 14.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks.

"I have to thank his mother, it's so tiring to give birth to such a great big man."

Hollins said to himself.

At 10 o'clock, the FedEx Center arena was already crowded, and countless fans in blue Memphis jerseys set off a wave of people, rolling up a blue whirlwind in the stands, as if spreading into the air.

Before the game, Hollins made up his mind to win in front of the media, he said in an interview with reporters that although the Denver Nuggets have a better record than the Grizzlies now, the Grizzlies are not bad, and the Denver people want to win in Memphis is wishful thinking, and Denver Nuggets head coach George Carr said that it is not very difficult to win in Memphis.

Regardless of the rhetoric of the two sides, this game is a crucial game for the Memphis team, because they are only half a win away from the New Orleans Hornets in eighth place in the West, and the Hornets play one more game than the Grizzlies, and the Grizzlies win this game, and they will surpass the Hornets and enter the top eight in the West.

It can be seen from the street tabloids before the game that many media regard the matchup between Li Feng and the Nuggets as a big gimmick.

In fact, Li Feng and Martin, Nene is not a type of player at all, Martin's days in New Jersey with Kidd keep bombing the basket, such days are very comfortable, but it is this comfort that makes him accustomed to relying on others to pass the ball and his own initiative offensive ability is getting worse and worse, and now Martin is only a defensive player in the Nuggets, and Nene is completely an inside player, and Li Feng's style of play is also very different, however, the collision between them will definitely spark inspiration!