Bishop of the Devil

In this game, Daben has completely awakened...

Unlike Kobe, Ben is almost 23 years old now. This age is actually close to his prime period of 25-28 years old. It can be said that there is no difference between Ben's current physical fitness and his peak period!

The difference before was the aura on the body.

After awakening now, Da Ben's momentum is no different from the peak Da Ben in Richard's impression!

…

As for Kobe, who had a great start to the game, Richard originally thought that Kobe was about to wake up...

But Kobe's performance later made Richard feel that he was overthinking.

In this game, Kobe scored 6 points in the first two shots, but only scored 9 points in the next ten shots.

But overall, 12 shots were exchanged for 15 points. Kobe's efficiency in this game is still quite good!

In terms of assists, Kobe had 9 assists in this game, almost reaching double figures!

…

Before the game was over, the Cavaliers' home team fans were already starting to leave the stadium in disinterest.

They are really disappointed with the Cavaliers' performance this season.

Fratello's face was ashen, he had lost so miserably in this game...

It was so bad that the Cavaliers' only fig leaf couldn't cover it up. They only won two of the first six games. It could be said that they were looking for excuses that the players were not in good condition at the beginning of the game, or that the average strength of the opponents was too strong.

But after losing to the Trail Blazers and finishing last in the Eastern Conference with 2 wins and 5 losses, they no longer have any excuses.

I can’t explain it to the fans!

The Blazers returned to the locker room happily.

Old Sabonis cleared his throat and clapped his hands to the coaching staff and players to remind him that he had something to say.

"In today's game, I realized that I am really old, haha!"

"Here, I apply to transfer my position as captain of the team to Ben Wallace!"

"He is more suitable for the position of captain than me!"

"I believe that if we can play with this momentum in every game, even if the opponent is the Bulls, we will not be afraid at all!"

Richard nodded. He actually had the idea of ​​making Ben the team captain.

But now the captain of the team is the old Sabonis. If Sabonis is removed as the captain and handed over to Big Ben, this matter will undoubtedly have some bad effects in the locker room.

But now that Sabonis actively wants to hand over the captaincy to Ben, there are two sides to the matter.

Not to mention that Sabonis has a high consciousness and sentiment, players who have received the influence of socialism are different...

"Ben, then I will hand over the captaincy to you on behalf of the team!"

"I believe you, you won't let me down!" Richard said solemnly, looking at Ben.

"Coach, brothers, thank you for your trust!"

"From now on, I, Ben Wallace, vow to be the strongest barrier on the field and your strongest shield wall!"

"From now on, you have me behind you!"

Big Ben's expression is even more solemn. He knows the importance of the team captain's position to a team, especially a young team!

…

Speaking of which, in fact, if Sabonis is not the captain, there is no doubt that the veteran Robinson is the best candidate to take over as captain!

However, Robinson is the kind of player who is extremely Buddhist...

He was the team's leading scorer last season, and this season, under normal circumstances, he would even be squeezed into the third and fourth position, but he had no objection at all...

Such a personality is undoubtedly not very suitable for being the captain of a team.

The captain represents the spirit of the team, and it is difficult to inspire the players' fighting spirit if they do not compete or grab.

…

In the Cavaliers' away locker room, the Trail Blazers decided on their team captain for the next few years!

When you decide on the captain, you also decide on the style of this team!

Ben's style is the team's style!

We don’t want to be the strongest offensive team, but we must be the strongest defensive team!

Offense wins the regular season, defense wins the finals!

NBA history has proven more than once that a team that relies solely on offense to achieve an excellent regular season winning rate can only become a foil to the championship even if it reaches the finals!

There is no doubt that the Portland Trail Blazers are on the right path.

…

After four consecutive away games, Richard led the team back to the Trail Blazers.

Olshey has already negotiated Bruce Bowen's contract with Bowen and has given him a guaranteed contract worth $1.7 million over three years!

It seems that this contract is pitifully small, but considering Bowen's status as an undrafted player and his lack of experience in an NBA game, plus he is a 25-year-old rookie, this guaranteed contract is actually quite generous.

In fact, this is Olshey's way of giving Richard face. If Richard hadn't insisted on asking Bowen, I'm afraid he wouldn't have even raised an eyebrow at a player like Bowen...

There are really too many players like Bowen. Think about how many professional basketball players there are in the world. Not counting those in college leagues, just talking about adult professional leagues, there are estimated to be tens of thousands of people...

Among these tens of thousands of people, only about 400 have a chance to enter the NBA, and more than 90% of the remaining people want to get into the NBA.

In Olshey's view, Bowen really has no bright spots. Even if he performs at the MVP level in the French League, it is actually not a big deal...

However, this is the person Richard likes, and Orsi can only give him a relatively generous contract within his own capabilities!

"Coach, thank you!"

"Thank you for giving me the opportunity!"

The first time Bowen saw Richard, he thanked him excitedly.

He still pinches himself from time to time because he feels like he has been dreaming...

He was playing in Europe and thinking about how to return to the United States. Suddenly, the Blazers assistant coach called and said that he was willing to provide him with a guaranteed contract...

Bowen felt at that time that he had met a liar!

However, due to his desire for the NBA, he still tried to contact the Blazers management number provided by Carlisle.

Then, there is a series of negotiations and signings...

In fact, there was no negotiation. What Olshey offered at the time was a three-year, $1.7 million guaranteed contract. Bowen agreed without even thinking about it...

That's a three-year guaranteed contract. For a player like him, it's definitely a temptation that's hard to refuse!

Not to mention 1.7 million US dollars in three years, 1 million in three years, 800,000 in three years, Bowen signed without saying a word!

…

Facing Bowen's thanks, Richard waved his hand directly.

"There is no need to thank me. The purpose of giving you this contract is to strengthen our team's backcourt defense!"

"This is a win-win deal!"

"I don't ask too much from you. Just defend well and make open three-pointers from the outside. That's enough!"

"I believe you can do it!"

Richard said to Bowen with a smile.

Richard, who has a God's perspective, naturally knows which growth path is most suitable for the players he recruits.

Bowen is undoubtedly the most suitable 3D route.

If it were another coach, he might still need to adjust and slowly position the players, but Richard doesn't need to, he can directly position the players and let them work hard in this direction!

In fact, none of the players who can make it to the NBA are weak.

Even the most inferior fringe players may still exist every day in other professional leagues...

But some NBA players just can't play well, which may not necessarily mean they can't find the right career positioning!

For example, Dirk Nowitzki was lucky enough to meet the mad scientist Old Nelson. Otherwise, if a mentally retarded head coach had positioned him as a traditional inside man and saw that his footwork under the basket was not good enough, he would have been asked to practice his footwork under the basket. Even if he is an old driver, he must be abolished.

Bowen himself is currently in his prime age. He has been training in Europe for several years and his defensive strength is quite good.

Some fans think that Bowen's defense was trained by Popovich. In fact, this view is wrong, and some impressions...

The season before Bowen went to the Spurs, that is, the 2000-01 season, he had the second-best defensive efficiency season in his career, with a defensive efficiency value of 100. It was precisely because of this defensive performance that attracted Pop. Vic's attention gave him the opportunity to join the Spurs next season.

A player at the small forward position has a defensive efficiency value of 100. It is no exaggeration to say that he is qualified to compete for DOPY. Bowen was also selected to the All-Defensive Second Team this season with his excellent defense.

If Bowen couldn't defend well before, there is no doubt that Popovich will never want Bowen.

As for Bowen right now, Richard is very clear about his defensive strength. He cannot be said to be at the top of the league, but he is still at a first-rate level.

Under the normal historical trajectory, Bowen played one game for the Heat in 1996. This is not obvious. However, in 1997, he got the opportunity to join the Greencaps and played the best defensive season in his career. Averaged 1.4 steals in 21 minutes per game...

Of course, more steals does not mean good defense, but Bowen's defensive efficiency value of 104 this season is enough to prove that Bowen's defensive strength has been quite good in the past two years.

Among all forwards who played more than 50 games in the same year, including power forwards such as Garnett and Webber, Bowen's steals data ranked eighth. Not counting power forwards, but only counting small forwards, Bowen's steals data ranked eighth. He can be ranked in the top five, but this is because his playing time is far less than others...

In terms of defensive efficiency, it is even better. Robert Horry is definitely a role player with excellent defense, but his defensive efficiency in the same year was only 107, which is far behind Bowen.

Therefore, the argument that Bowen did not defend when he entered the league is untenable.

(The last few hundred words are mainly based on the chapter where Bowen appeared. Some people said that Bowen was not defensive at this time. Let me explain briefly. As for why he was defensive but still failed in the NBA draft, there are too many possible reasons. It may be Bowen. Poor defense when he entered the draft, or poor performance during trials, were enough to make him lose the draft.)