On the 26th, before the start of the regular season, Zhou Quan finally completed his credits, and then passed the final degree exam, and finally got the two degree certificates of architecture and urban planning and finance and accounting.

By the time he returned to Seattle on the 27th, the NBA's official training camp had already ended, but fortunately he was able to catch the SuperSonics New Season Media Day on the 28th.

At four o'clock in the afternoon of the 27th, he went to the headquarters to learn about the team.

After the meeting, Whithitt said: "Iron Fist, you should know, the league allowed joint defense, established the three-second rule of defense, and the rule of two free throws and one throw for fouls on people without the ball in the last two minutes of the game. ”

Zhou Quan nodded, indicating that he understood.

In the past two years, the league has successively formulated a lot of rules, such as the five-second rule of the back made last season, and the current joint defense, etc., which are all rules to encourage offense and make offense more attractive and attractive.

"Iron Fist King, I told you last time that Paul Westphale was poached by the Kings with a high salary, and I chose McMillan, what do you think of him?" Whithitt asked.

"It's a matter of you, I have no opinion."

What is Zhou Quanneng's opinion, McMillan has been an assistant coach for so many years, old teammates, old friends and old acquaintances, and he still has the ability, and he doesn't want to interfere in the affairs of the management.

Whithitter looked very happy, gave the new squad list to Zhou Quan, and said: "Iron Fist King, you know our current situation, if you defend the title again and it will be a triple championship, an absolute public enemy of the league, it is difficult to trade, you can only find someone from the free market."

Patrick Ewing is gone, McCoy is gone, the interior is poor, and I got two centers from free agency.

One is European center striker Drobiake, 26 years old, 211 cm, who now weighs 122 kilograms and is ready to let him gain weight to 130 kilograms.

The other is Jerome James, also 26 years old, 213 cm, and weighs 136 kg, which is enough as a meat shield.

Campbell is a little old, he will be 34 years old in the playoffs next year, and he has been injured many times, and he can't be a meat shield anymore, both of which are base salary meat shields, which are useless in general, and are specifically used against O'Neal. ”

"I'll see."

Zhou Quan nodded and took a look.

Centre-forwards: Ben Wallace, Jerome James, Drobiak

Power forwards: Rashad Lewis, Elden Campbell, Kevin Willis

Small forwards: Bowen, Desmond Mason,

Defenders: Zhou Quan, Cory Magetti, Shamond Williams, Arenas

It's still the same as last season, hoarding six interior players, five of whom can play center, counting the main center Ben Wallace, who has three meat shields.

The small forward position is not thin, if Bowen or Mason is injured, Cory Magetti can replace the third position, he is considered a small forward, if it is not for Bowen to steal the starting position of the third position, he should play the main small forward.

There are only four people on the back line, which is a little thin, but there is no way, the interior line must stock up on enough people to deal with O'Neal.

However, Zhou Quan is enduring, he has never missed a game due to injury, and the No. 1 position only needs a maximum of ten minutes of substitute time, and the number of defenders is enough.

But one thing, Williams and Arenas are both point guards, and Cory Magetti is actually a small forward, which means that there is no orthodox scoring guard in the current SuperSonics lineup.

"Bob, we have to have a real shooting guard, otherwise we're going to suffer a bit at the No. 2 position," he said. Corimageti doesn't even have a substitute, and in case he gets injured, who will play in the second position? ”

"The main thing is that I can't find the right person, I've been looking for it."

Whithitt explained, and then said: "On the issue of the No. 1 bench, I'm going to look at Arenas first, and there will be one between him and Shamond Williams for you to play as a substitute, and then find a point guard to come in."

Actually, Cory Magetti is not very satisfied, he is the best substitute for Bowen, playing the main force does not match you, playing the bench is a bit wasteful, I plan to trade him for a main point guard, you see? ”

"Yes." Zhou Quan nodded.

Whithitt said, "Iron Fist King, what do you think of Arenas?" I gave him a guaranteed two-year contract for a total of $1.28 million. ”

Zhou Quan asked with some curiosity: "Bob, did you just choose him at that time?" ”

Whithitt shook his head with a smile and said: "The first choice is a Turkish interior line named Oku, he is not my choice, my second choice is a forward swingman named Bobby Simmons."

But I saw that you felt good about him, and there really wasn't any good quarterbacks in the back, so I chose him, and that Oku was picked by the Pistons, and he was the 8th pick in the second round. ”

Zhou Quan was stunned, I had a fart feeling about him, you really had a bad brain at the time, we want to split the guard, you choose a point guard.

In desperation, he smiled and said: "From the first impression, Arenas is a bit like Kobe, and he has the strength to not admit defeat." ”

"This young man has some personality problems, he's very emotional, he doesn't have a lot of self-control, and he needs to be sharpened," Whithitt said. ”

"You can do it." Zhou Quan doesn't care about authenticity.

Whithitt looked at the roster in his hand and said, "Iron Fist King, now I have another question, whether to trade Rashad Lewis. ”

"Defense?"

Zhou Quan didn't have to think about it to know why Whithitt wanted to trade Lewis.

"Not bad."

Nodding, Whithitt said: "In the first two seasons, he played okay in the regular season and was better last season, but every time he entered the playoffs, he was far worse than the regular season and was not trusted by the coaching staff.

In addition, our main opponents in the West are still the Lakers and Spurs, as well as the Kings and the Mavericks, in addition to the Lakers' main power forward, the Spurs have Duncan, the Kings have Chris Webber, and the Mavericks have Nowitzki. ”

Zhou Quan smiled and said, "Bob, you shouldn't have found a good trading opportunity, right?" Or you would have traded him. ”

Whithitt laughed and said, "That's true, I want to find a main power forward who can deal with Duncan, Webb, Nowitzki, unless you get Garnett."

Luckily, we have Ben Wallace, so Rashad Lewis can only use it for the time being, and I'll talk about it later. ”

"Bob, are there any additions to the Spurs' roster this season?" Changing the subject, Zhou Quan asked.

"Iron Fist, you value Spurs?" Whithitt asked.

Zhou Quan said: "I haven't played Tim Duncan in the playoffs in the past two seasons since his comeback, and this guy and I have one thing in common, which is stability. ”

Whitsey nodded and said, "Yes, on both ends of the floor, you are as stable as machines." But you're stronger, and he's never going to be like you, averaging 50+ per game in a series, and not averaging a triple-double in steals per game in a series.

In next year's playoffs, David Robinson is almost 36 years old, getting older and older, and he will definitely give Duncan less and less help, and he will definitely not be able to beat you without a few strong helpers. ”

Speaking of which, he found a roster for the Spurs and said, "This is a roster based on the Spurs' draft and trades, and they got All-Star guard Steve Smith from the Trail Blazers.

Smith had 13.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists last season, shooting 45.6% from the field, and the efficiency was okay, but he was not too threatening, and Cory Magetti was no worse than him.

In addition, they used the No. 28 pick in the first round this time, and selected a French point guard in front of us, named Tony Parker, and the little general Johnson went to the Nuggets, this Frenchman played in France, and he could use it, and he could be the starting point guard, Popovich was very daring to use people.

Also, the main small forward Elliott has retired, he has too many injuries, and Mr. Popovich got a young man named Stephen Jackson from the Nets.

This young man was a second-round pick in '97, drafted by the Suns, who didn't give him a guaranteed contract, and then was abandoned, and then went abroad to play, only joined the Nets last season, played 77 games, started 44 games, and performed averagely. ”

Zhou Quan took the list and looked at it, and said: "This lineup is average, and it shouldn't be much of a threat to us, they are not as good as the Lakers." ”

Speaking of the Lakers, Whithitter immediately said: "Cobra Grant went to the Magic again, the Lakers got forward Samaki Walker from the Spurs, Rock Mitch Ridgemond joined the Lakers as a free agent base salary, nothing else has changed."

Actually, Richmond's agent contacted me first, but Ewing and Chris Mullin didn't do much last season, and there were consecutive injuries when playing the Lakers, so I turned down these championship-winning veterans. Richmond will be 37 years old next year, and there is no gas in the tank, the same as Mullin. ”

Zhou Quan nodded and asked, "Mr. Jerry West is still with the Lakers?" ”

"It's still there, but it's probably coming to an end, and Jim Buss and Jeanie Buss now have more and more power in Lakers management." Whithitt said.

"The Lakers don't have anything to strengthen, only one point stronger than O'Neal, they don't have any advantage in other positions, Kobe Bryant is not a problem, we can still win." Zhou Quan said lightly.

"That's great!"

Whithitt excitedly said, "If we defend our title again this season, it's another triple crown." ”

The two chatted for a long time, and Whithit suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, Ruben Patterson went to the Trail Blazers." ”

"Can he still get a job in the league?"

Zhou Quan was really surprised, the management of the pioneers is really strong, anyone dares to sign, can they really manage it well?

He thought of Da Yao and asked, "Bob, didn't you say the Bulls would trade Brand?" Traded? ”

Whithitt shook his head and said, "No, the Bulls should want Yao Min and Brand to partner up and try another season." But their core in the new season may be ......"

Zhou Quan shook his head and said: "It shouldn't be clear who is the core, Yao Min's personality is not very suitable for being the boss, and he is a rookie, so it is impossible to be the core." ”

"That's what I meant." Whitsea nodded.

"In this way, the Bulls' lineup is actually very good, it depends on whether they can play chemistry." Zhou Quan said.

Whithitt said: "Brand has two seasons with the Bulls, and his stats are good, but his ability to lead the team is very poor, and if he can't play again this season, he will definitely be traded." ”

Coming out of Whithitt's office, Zhou Quan went to find McMillan again.

McMillan used Paul Westfale's office, and he was very happy to see Zhou Quan, pouring coffee while smiling: "Iron Fist King, you have to support me, I can't do it without your support." ”

"Nate, you do a good job, don't mess around, we're very important this season." Zhou Quan sat down and said bluntly.

"Of course, I know, three times in a row, I won't mess around, the team still plays the original tactics, you can decide everything on the field." McMillan said very smartly.

He's not stupid, George Carr and Paul Westphal both hugged the thighs of the Iron Fist King and became famous, both of them are famous championship coaches in the league, and now they have both got high-paying contracts, he also wants to!

……

On the 28th, when it was almost nine o'clock, Zhou Quan drove to the headquarters.

Of the twelve contract players, only three have been added, namely rookie Arenas, and role players, that is, two meat shield centers, and there are no major changes to the lineup.

Zhou Quan greeted his teammates and called Big Ben and Campbell, who had played preseason with the team, aside to ask about the current situation of the team.

"I'm in okay shape."

Campbell first talked about his situation, and said with a smile: "It's no problem for me to play the main team, within thirty minutes." ”

"Yes, Eldon, stay in shape, at least rotate the number four to start." Zhou Quan encouraged.

Big Ben erected two arms that could run horses, and said in a muffled voice: "Boss, I've been practicing strength for a few months, and I heard that O'Neill has been losing weight, and I think I can withstand him now." ”

In the last Western Finals, he really couldn't withstand the big shark with a tonnage of up to 170 kilograms, and he suffered enough, and was knocked over more than a dozen times in one game, so he has been playing iron throughout the offseason.

Zhou Quan nodded and smiled: "I've seen O'Neill, he has lost a lot of weight, and now the tonnage should be 150 kilograms, with your strength and center of gravity, you can indeed withstand him."

But he is more flexible than last season, not easier to deal with than last season, just being able to withstand him is not enough, it is impossible to prevent him. ”

Big Ben scratched his head and said with some embarrassment: "Then you still need the weak side to help defend." ”

"Don't worry, I'll get back the points O'Neal scored on your head, I will get it back on Kobe, you just need to consume his physical strength." Zhou Quan said.

He then asked Arenas about his performance in the locker room and preseason, and Campbell said: "That kid chose the number 0 shirt, he was a little bit angry, he was a little bit lively in the locker room, he was a little bit witty and prankstered, I think he had a talent for comedy. ”

"Really?" Zhou Quan was a little surprised.

Big Ben glanced at Arenas, who was more than twenty meters away, and suddenly said, "Mr. 0 still likes to take a shower in his jersey." ”

"What?" Zhou Quan was stunned.

"He's probably afraid of being seen bare, right?" Campbell said.

"Haha......" Zhou Quan and Big Ben laughed.

Campbell added: "He is more domineering on the court, dares to shoot, has a good offensive ability with the ball, and his accuracy is okay, and he also has three points. I just don't like defense, and I don't say anything after being eaten alone. ”

Zhou Quan nodded and ended this round of communication.

The next step is to take promotional photos for various promotions of the team and league officials.

After the photo was taken, there was the media session, and after the opening of the press conference hall, hundreds of reporters and videographers flocked in, and as Zhou Quan and others entered the hall, all the shots began to shine.

(End of chapter)