(The original article was published on December 2. The content of the article is the analysis of sports pictorial experts Chris Mannix and Howard Beck, which does not represent the translator’s point of view)
Chris Mannix and Howard Beck, experts in Sports Illustrated, discussed the hottest topic in the league recently. As the trading season approaches, which teams in the league should press the restart button.
Chris Mannix: OK, Thanksgiving has passed, and there are still a few weeks before the unofficial trading season (December 15) starts, followed by Christmas. Apart from a few teams (walkers and Kings), other teams have a clearer understanding of their own situation, especially those competing for the championship. So, please help me analyze together, which team do you think needs to press the restart button?
Howard Beck: Obviously it’s time to break up basketable nets, as I have said before. Although they are getting better recently, I will not change my opinion. I can easily say six teams with worrying performance. But if I want to choose a team that needs to press the restart button, I will choose Timberwolves. They exchanged all the talent show assets for Gobel, but the current situation is not better than the same period last season. I know it’s too early for the combination of downs and Gobel to give up, but the chemistry of the Timberwolves is really too bad. This is not only the problem of the running-in between the two big players, but also shows that all the concerns raised about the deal this summer seem reasonable. The relationship between downs and Edwards has been problematic since the latter became better and better. There is also Russell, except for the short highlights in basketable nets, there are problems in adaptation to any other team. I believe the Timberwolves will give the existing lineup as many opportunities as possible to solve the problem, but I don’t know if they will get better in the end. Edwards is the future of the Timberwolves. Gobel must stay and become the defensive gate of the team, proving that it is worthwhile for the Timberwolves to give up so many draft tickets for him. In other words, it is time for the Timberwolves to evaluate the trading market of downs.
Chris Mannix: Come on, you said Forest Wolf? Will you restart after playing a quarter of the season? I must admit that it is really painful to see that the team in Gobel is only one step away from the top three in the league in terms of defensive efficiency. An interesting figure is that Gobel’s cap this season is only 3 more than Thunder’s Alexander. There is also a lot of discussion about Edwards on social media, but this season I think the Timberwolves still need time to break in. I don’t think 22 games will be finalized. As for trading downs? Before we were sure whether the Timberwolves needed to restart, you told us to trade downs I am?
Howard Beck: for NBA teams, although it is not so absolute, 20 games are a typical key point, which can be seen to be effective and not. I just don’t know how many of these problems of Timberwolves can be solved after playing more games over time. To be honest, it is not that 22 games are a key indicator, but that Timberwolves have played more than 500 games since they won Downs in 2015. Downs has an excellent offensive talent, but his defensive level is really not flattering. He didn’t lead the timberwolves to achieve any results unless you think the two first-round playoff shows are successful. It’s time to try something different. Timberwolves can exchange downs for good assets and build teams around Edwards and Gobel. This is not even a push-down reconstruction, just adjusting the team building route. If it’s not the Timberwolves, which team do you think it is?
Chris Mannix: Uh, have you seen the bull race? The bull with the third last attack, the middle game of the defensive league and the winning rate of less than half. I expressed sympathy for the bull’s dilemma. It started long before Bauer was injured last season. Since then, the bull’s condition has been unstable. A series of big moves after Carl nisovas took the post of vice president of bull operations buried hidden dangers. Bull became better under the leadership of Bauer, Vucevic and drozan, but the ceiling of this lineup was also obvious. Powell can’t fight now. Who knows when he will recover from this strange knee injury. If any team needs to break up the existing lineup, it is the bull, isn’t it?
Howard Beck: Actually, I think there are four teams that need to be restarted, and we have already mentioned three of them. Yes, the Bulls are very likely to disintegrate. I agree with the reasons you mentioned. I have never supported the Bull’s current deals in order to win, but I understand their motives. Bull is eager to be the focus again, and the strategy of trading to Vucevic and drozan has indeed worked in this regard. Last season was very interesting. You can never underestimate the value of reigniting the enthusiasm of fans. But the bull method can only be a short-term solution forever, and the price paid is long-term, such as the pick right and Wendell Carter, who was sent to magic in the transaction of vucevich. By the way, Magic also has the first round of the Bull next year, although it is the first four consecutive protection. So now the decision to press the restart button is actually very risky. If the bull’s record is bad enough and the lottery is lucky enough, the bull can finally get the first four consecutive signatures of the talent show meeting, which is very fierce for the next rookie. But if the luck is not good enough, this sign will easily fall in 5-10 order and will have to be given to magic. Is it really a good time for the bull to give up?
Chris Mannix: if the bull plans to disband, then the magic has to celebrate with champagne, but I don’t know what other options are. If you are optimistic enough, you will expect the bull to survive the dangerous period in the next few months. When Bauer comes back, the bull will return to the previous 22-13 negative state. If the situation is more ideal, Patrick Williams can stand up and help the bull break the deadlock and become a stable member of the rotation lineup. But this plot is impossible for me. Think about how many teams are waiting to dig the corner of the bull? Will the Lakers, who have coveted drozan for many years, seize this opportunity to launch a deal? Maybe the bull can get one or two precious first-round signatures from the Lakers. Lavin is very valuable, and it is also good to go to the right team Vucevic. The sooner the Bulls give up, the better they will be able to occupy a better position and compete for the talented newcomers who can change the future of the team, Wen Banya Ma and Henderson. Besides, don’t you feel that the bull’s current lineup is at most the extent of the playoff round?
Howard Beck: I agree with your last point. Even if the bull can make the playoffs, there is no chance to make the first round. They could not defeat the Celts or the stag, and they were not as strong as the Knights. Facing the healthy Raptors and 76 people, I have no confidence that the bull can win the next round of series (please don’t ask me about the match between the bull and the basketable nets playoffs, I have a headache). I also agree with you that selling Ravin, drozan or Vucevic in theory will make the bull more promising in the future. But the bad news is, can the bull really beat the Rockets, the piston and magic to get the regular season record of the top three in the league? Even if the bull really ranks in the top three, they still have a 48 percent probability of falling out of the top four ranks, and the first round of signing next year will be magic. Of course, if the bull is only the fourth from the bottom, or ranks higher, then the probability of losing the first round of signing is higher. I just think giving up now is an irresponsible choice for the bull. By the way, there is also a heat……
Chris Mannix: Yes, try to persuade the heat to destroy their lineup and instill Pat Riley with the benefits of trading Butler and Lowry. In fact, it is impossible for the Heat to restart. They never think it is good to put it down. Even if the heat really abandoned some senior generals with big contracts, they are still very talented and will still fight hard. The tactical literacy is so high that they cannot be ranked at the end of upper layer, this is not worth doing. The situation of the heat is very special. The team that won 53 last season has won only in December this season? Last season’s Eastern first is now competing for a playoff play-off seat? Obviously, the injury made the Heat show a decline early, but do you think the strength of the heat is really all left?
Howard Beck: Listen, I like what the Heat did in this little ball era after getting Butler. They play very hard. They share the ball on the court. They will do all the trivial things to win. The problem is that they have to show the highest level of competition in every match because they do not have the firepower of top teams. If you don’t have one or two elite scorers, how many games can you ensure victory? How many rounds of series can you win? There is no heat. There is no scorer in their team that can be compared with brother alphabet, Tatum, enbide, Durant and even Mitchell. With the rise of Knights this year and the potential Raptors, I don’t think the heat can reach the top four in the East with the existing core lineup. Butler is 33 years old and Lowry is 36 years old. The final tour in 2020 is inspiring and unforgettable, but it was their peak. I don’t think the heat can find the elite scorer that the team needs before these old ones can’t do their best.
Chris Mannix: I’m sure one thing, the Heat absolutely absolutely disagrees with your point of view.
Original: Chris Mannix & Howard Beck
Compile: Li Taibai
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