Build a Dream Dynasty

Although the Nets and Butler have reached a verbal agreement, but with Boozer breaking the contract three years ago, Jiang Mingliang entrusted West and Will Craig to keep an eye on this matter to ensure that the team Can successfully introduce this veteran.

After the player buys out the contract with his old club, there will be a three-day claim period for the contract. During this period, if a team is willing, they can sign the player while bearing the player's remaining salary for the season, but at the same time, the player Salaries for the rest of the season will be counted in the team's total salary. In other words, Butler's remaining 4.5 million salary for the season will be counted on the new team.

Caron Butler, who holds a veteran's basic salary, is very fragrant, but if Butler is really worth 8 million, the Bucks really don't need to negotiate with him to buy out the contract. The Thunder's middle-level exception this season is useless. In theory, they can introduce Butler by claiming it, but this will make their total salary exceed the threshold of the luxury tax. Team owner Bennett vetoed it. The possibility of direct claim is hoped that the veteran will be signed by exchanging the basic salary. Also interested in Butler include the Heat, Spurs, Mavericks and other strong teams. But without exception, they were unwilling to claim directly.

As for other teams that do not have the strength to compete for the championship, if the players have no such thoughts, they will often not destroy the players' own wishes at this time. After all, everyone is in the same circle, and there is no need to be extreme about some things.

Soon WOJ of yahoo sports took the lead in breaking the news that Butler preferred the Nets. , can provide Butler with the most playing time, and, at present, the Nets are the top seed of the championship this season.

From the claim period to the completion of the signing procedures, it seems that Butler's joining will not end until at least January 3, and before that, the Nets still have two games to play.

On December 31, the Nets at home ushered in the Hornets under Joe Gang. Although Zeller, who was selected by the team, is no surprise, he is only at the level of an inside rotation, but the record of the Hornets, which was a mess last season, has rebounded significantly this season. The reason is that the team's most important summer signing Al Jefferson has made great contributions. His super singles ability in the interior helped the team gain a stable scoring point, and the young players in the team have made progress. Walker contributed 17+8 data this season, and his mid-range shooting Development has made his shot easier. After a season of tempering, McGee has also grown into a very good defender. On the offensive end, he will also use his off-ball running position to cover up his shooting disadvantages. And the three-no insider Biyombo has also grown into a qualified inside substitute. How should I put it, although it is rotten, many young people have more or less grown up, and the Hornets are not nothing. The growth of newcomers and the core effect of joining with immediate combat power are obvious. The Hornets may even hope to get a playoff spot, especially after the Bulls, who are currently ranked ninth in the playoffs, lost their personnel due to group fights with the Nets instead of combat. It has a certain advantage.

Facing the Nets, the Hornets also hope to use the big AJ inside to open up the situation, but the two insiders of the Nets have good lower body strength and are more able to stand in the penalty area. Although the big AJ can still rely on delicate Score in singles with a good touch, but compared to other opponents, Lopez and West can obviously consume each other more. Conversely, on the defensive end, Al Jefferson is more pitiful. Whether it's the defense after the pick-and-roll or assisting the defense frame, he is a burden in the team's defensive system. Al Jefferson may not be a brush, but if he can have half the deterrence of the offensive end on the defensive end, he will not become "the strongest non-All-Star player."

Fortunately, the Hornets also have a Walker who makes the Nets very uncomfortable. Walker may not be considered a first-line point guard player in the league, but his breakthrough is really strong, and objectively speaking, in Fernandez, Leonard and Dreaming Green, the three best defenders of the team In the absence of them, the Nets are really a bit jealous of this kind of brainless player. In the first quarter of the game, with a good offensive touch, the Nets did not take advantage of the Hornets. They only scored 28 points. :27 lead by 1 point.

However, in the second quarter of the game, the Nets gradually began to gain the dominance of the game. The inside wrestling with Lopez is not a small burden for AJ's physical strength, and it also affects the opponent's feel. Once his touch fell, the Hornets' offense immediately came to a standstill. This is also a natural disadvantage of building a team with the traditional low-post singles insider as the core. Moreover, Walker itself is not fully mature. To put it bluntly, it is still a question of the cards in the hand.

In the second half of the second quarter, the Nets successfully widened the point difference to double digits. Seeing that the game has entered a familiar track, the play among the players on the bench of the Nets was also captured by the media cameras. However, at this time, an accident happened suddenly. During an offensive and defensive change, Lopez ran two steps forward and suddenly stopped in the second half. He reached out to the referee and called a timeout, with a very painful expression on his face.

Stevens is a little worried, after all, injuries in this non-confrontation situation are more prone to major problems, especially Lopez is still a "glass man". The team doctor at the scene stepped forward to check Brook Lopez. Fortunately, it was just a muscle strain. Although it was painful, it only needed to rest for a while.

Lopez's injury left the Nets with only three insiders in this game, and Yi Jianlian immediately appeared on the court to replace Lopez's center position. However, it is a little unlucky for the United Arab Emirates, because the opponent in front of him, AJ, is really perfect for him. And Al Jefferson is the kind of insider who can kill people.

Ray Allen came on to replace McCollum, and Stevens arranged a lineup with the widest offensive space to meet the Hornets. The Hornets also immediately replaced Biyombo, who can't do anything on the offensive end, but is very mobile and can switch defenses. The wing defensive combination formed by him and McGeeji is very effective against the restrictions of the Nets. As for the offense, whether it is Walker's strong breakthrough or Al Jefferson's unsolvable singles, it is enough to make the Nets overwhelmed.

To be honest, the team's main rotation lineup dropped four, no matter how good the foundation is, it can't be enough. What's more, the team is now caught seven inches by the Hornets, so they use big AJ to hit you inside, and bully you inside, no one can match.

At the end of halftime, the Hornets have narrowed the point difference to 6 points.

At halftime, Stevens needs to figure out a way to deal with it.