On the Rockets' side, Garnett was also selected as an All-Star bench in the end, and three players on the team were selected as All-Stars, and the cards looked better.

In fact, Garnett's data this season is slightly worse than before, and the average data of 12+8 per game does not look like a star player, but those who know the ball can see that he has improved the defensive ability of the Rockets, and he has contributed to the Rockets' current record.

Compared to the All-Star Game, the Rockets have more than one player in the Rookie Challenge.

Leonard, Butler, Thomas Jr., Chandler. Parsons all four competed in the Rookie Challenge, with Butler making the cut solely on the basis of his stellar performances this season.

Last season, Butler was the worst of the four rookies, being overwhelmed by his teammates at both shooting guard and small forward, leaving him with no chance of getting out of the picture.

When the Rockets arranged Butler's starters in the new season, it really surprised many people, because most people thought that the Rockets in the new season would let Wang Chao play small forward, Butler would play point guard, and the starting point guard would be handed over to the experienced veteran Kidd, or Thomas Jr., who proved himself in the playoffs against the Lakers last season.

No one would have imagined that Wang Chao would actually serve as the team's starting point guard and let Butler, last season's bench substitute, serve as the team's starting point guard.

However, Butler did an unexpectedly good job at the starting point guard, although the three-point shot was not very stable, but Butler was very active on the court, fighting fiercely on the defensive end, and the defense was not inferior to Courtney, the main quarterback last season. Lee, and on the offensive end, Butler, who mainly plays without the ball, will frequently cut the basket in the air, and his mid-range shooting is also very good, when Wang Chao holds the ball and breaks fast, many times Butler gets off the fast break faster than Leonard, and it is easier to form a fast break with Wang Chao.

Butler is currently the No. 5 player in points per game on the Rockets, behind Wang Chao, Da Yao, Garnett and Leonard, averaging 11.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

Butler's defense is much more important than offense, and the Rockets are not short of scoring points at all, and even have the problem of scoring too many.

Thomas Jr. and Chandler. Parsons are currently facing this problem, and the level of both men is steadily improving, but both playing time and possession are still limited.

In fact, their playing time is not less, and the reason why the personal data of the two veterans Da Yao and Garnett has declined slightly compared with before, is that the adjustment of tactics is on the one hand, and the limitation of playing time is on the other.

After entering 2013, Da Yao and Garnett are 33 years old and a bit of a glass man, and the other is 37 years old, so it is wrong to continue to let them play a lot of roles and take responsibility.

Da Yao and Garnett both play an average of about 28 minutes per game, and when the team encounters back-to-back away games, they will also selectively rotate according to their fatigue level.

When Da Yao rested, Garnett made a cameo appearance as a center, Wang Chao returned to the power forward position, and Garnett did the same when he rested.

Whenever this time comes, Thomas Jr. and Chandler. Parsons will be able to get more playing time.

Both played an average of about 25 minutes per game, averaging 8.6 and 8.1 points per game, respectively.

Fortunately, both of them are still second-year rookies, and their status as second-round picks makes them more satisfied with their current roles and positioning, but this is limited to this season.

Because of the league's rules, in order for a player to become a restricted free agent and get the right to first refrain from contract extensions and match offers from other teams, teams can only offer second-round picks 2-3 years to contracts, and first-round picks can have 4-year rookie contracts.

So the Rockets teamed up with Thomas Jr. and Chandler. Parsons signed both 2+1 contracts.

At the end of this season, the Rockets will have to choose to exercise the team option to keep the two, who will also become restricted free agents after next season, and will also have the right of first refusal to renew their contracts when they are renewed.

Wang Chao didn't think about it, directly provide the two with four-year rookie contracts, ignore the conditions of restricted free agents, and can prostitute for a season at a low price, and wait until the four-year contract expires, and it is not a loss for the player to become a complete free agent.

But after thinking about it, there is not much difference.

Just like Chandler. Parsons, at his peak, was the first two or three years of his rookie season, and a 2+1 rookie contract could maximize his on-court value, and even if his contract expired, the Rockets could use his restricted free agent status as a trade chip to get some benefits such as players and draft picks from teams that wanted to get him.

Thomas Jr. is the same, even because of his height, he averaged 20 points and 6 assists per game in the contract year, but he was still given up by the Kings and was traded to the Phoenix Suns in a sign-and-trade manner, with a contract of only 4 years and 24 million.

Contemporaneous Chandler. Parsons averaged 16.6 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game, and the contract with the Mavericks was 3 years and 45 million, and the gap was so big.

Whether it's Thomas Jr. or Chandler. Parsons, in Wang Chao's view, is a short-term cheap labor, and it doesn't hurt to send them away in a way that maximizes the benefits after the rookie contract expires, or even directly let them sign with other teams.

This is not the oppressive behavior of the evil capitalists, but a win-win situation for mutual benefit.

Spent their rookie season with the Rockets, the two will not only get more opportunities and exposure, but more importantly, they can enjoy the training bonus effect of Wang Chao's sparring potion, and the speed of progress is far faster and stronger than in their original experiences.

Even if you leave the Rockets a year later, if you have one or two championships, you will inevitably get a bigger and more lucrative contract offer.

——

The Rockets can still maintain a high winning percentage in the second half of January and before the start of the All-Star Weekend in February, but it is obviously a little worse than at the beginning of the season, and the main difference is in the rotation and stability of the roster.

As the season deepened, the number of consecutive back-to-back games increased, and the number of times the team encountered strong opponents began to increase, Wang Chao has been determined to give Da Yao and Garnett enough rest time, so that the two veterans will not have injury risks due to fatigue.

This also led to the Rockets losing to the Pacers, Clippers, Nuggets and other teams one after another during this time.

Even so, the Rockets still have the best win percentage in the league and are far behind their rivals.

On February 6, the Rockets lost to the Miami Heat away, much to the delight of Heat fans, and the two teams tied 1-1 in the regular season.

However, the day before, on February 5, the Rockets had just faced the Portland Trail Blazers at home, so the Rockets chose to let Da Yao rotate, resulting in the team's ability to protect the rim under the basket weakened, so that James and Wade's lethality with the ball was maximized.

And even in the absence of Da Yao, the Rockets still fought with the Heat until the last moment, with a score of 104:101 between the two teams, and the difference in strength was very small.

It is conceivable that if Da Yao can participate in the war, I am afraid that the Heat will have no chance at all.

On February 12, the Rockets defeated the Thunder 112-105 at home, completing the third defeat of the season against the Thunder, and the two teams will have one more game after the All-Star Weekend.

On February 14, the Rockets defeated the Los Angeles Clippers on the road, and all the games before the NBA All-Star Weekend were over.

Before the All-Star Weekend, the Rockets had played 55 games and had a 46-9 record, with a winning rate of 83.6%, which is the most in the league.

Under the Rockets, they are the Miami Heat with 37 wins and 12 losses and the Oklahoma City Thunder with 36 wins and 14 losses.

As a first-tier team that is expected to win 60+ games in the regular season, the Rockets are far behind the Heat and Thunder, with obvious advantages.

With less than 30 regular-season games remaining, it is almost certain that the Rockets will finish the season with the best record in the league, although it is not certain that something will happen in the final schedule.

This year's All-Star is obviously very different for the Rockets, because the host of the 2013 All-Star is the Houston Rockets, which is one of the reasons why Wang Chao can lead James and Kobe Bryant so much in the vote.

Houston began to prepare for the All-Star early on, and Wang Chao and Da Yao were promoted as the Rockets' signature stars.

Wang Chao had no interest in the All-Star Weekend, and he had already won various honors, neither the three-point contest nor the AMVP trophy of the All-Star Game.

But he didn't expect that before the start of the All-Star Weekend, the system actually released All-Star related tasks for the first time in a long time.

"Ding - All-Star Random Mission Starts, Mission Goal: Help Da Yao get the first AMVP trophy of his career in Houston, complete the mission will get a special mission reward, season protection knee pads, wear them to ensure that players will not be plagued by serious injuries in the current season, and the effect period is limited to the current season."

Shelter knee pads? What the heck?

Wang Superman is stupid, the system still has this kind of equipment? It's amazing to look at, but what's the use of it? Can only be applied to the current season, and only does not suffer from serious injuries.

For Wang Chao, who has an upgraded version of steel and iron talent, not to mention a serious injury, even a small injury is basically rare.

…… Wait a minute.

Shelter knee pads? Is this thing on your legs? What if you bring it to someone else?

Wang Chao kind of figured out why the condition of this mission was to help Da Yao win the All-Star AMVP trophy.

The reward for the task of affection is not for him, but for Da Yao!

If Da Yao can wear this so-called protective knee brace and then avoid serious injuries this season, then the championship will be 100% won by the Rockets, after all, the Heat may still be able to figure out some ways to deal with Garnett, but there is really no way to face Da Yao.

"All-Star AMVP ......"

Wang Chao pondered for a moment.

Interior players have never been welcomed on the All-Star stage, Da Yao is still an overseas interior player, the buff has been stacked, and it is also a loss that this is Houston, Da Yao is playing at home, and the head coach of the Western All-Stars during this All-Star weekend is the coach of the Rockets McHale.

The prerequisites are that they can be prepared, but the most important thing is that Wang Chao must first let Da Yao have the idea of competing for All-Star MVP, which is very important.

Like him, Da Yao doesn't care about All-Star MVP, because this is an entertainment award in itself, and it doesn't really mean anything other than adding more fans.

The most important thing for Da Yao is the fans, and there are hundreds of millions of Chinese fans on the other side of the ocean who are silently supporting him.

This is still very important, if Da Yao has the intention of competing for the All-Star MVP, then with a series of prerequisites, there is a chance to complete the system task!

(End of chapter)