I’m Really Playing Basketball

In early October, Chen Xiao returned to the United States after finishing his basketball promotion activities in China.

The NBA preseason for the 2021-2022 season has begun.

Because Chen Xiao has been busy all summer, considering his age of 39, the Warriors gave him half a month's leave. Chen Xiao can not return to the team until the Lakers' opening game at the beginning of the season.

Of course, Chen Xiao did not ask for such a vacation. Instead, he trained with the team after returning to the United States.

This season will be Luo Ge and Wade's last season.

To be precise, Wade and Luo Ge will only play one and two games respectively this season.

Wade plays this game in the opening game against the Lakers. At that time, he will face the Lakers team of his son, Wade Jr., on the court.

In addition to playing for the Lakers to see off Wade, Luo will also play in the Warriors' second game of the season, the Warriors' away game against the Spurs.

I have to say that Boss Qiao is indeed a very good person.

The Warriors will play the Lakers in their opening game, allowing Wade and his son to face off from the start, bidding farewell to Wade, one of the top ten legends in NBA history, leaving the NBA.

As for Luo Ge, let Luo Ge return to the Holy City to play the last game of his career, and let the entire Holy City bid farewell to one of the greatest legends in their team history. I have to say that the cards are indeed full.

Of course, Wade and Luo Ge's contributions to the NBA in the past 19 years are worthy of such preferential treatment from the NBA and Joe.

Moreover, Wade and Luo Ge will definitely compare themselves to Ronaldo. By then, all the top ten players in NBA history, as long as they are still alive, will definitely attend the last game of their careers.

In short, it is a big deal for the NBA to bid farewell to two of the ten greatest legends in the entire league in the first two games of next season.

Similarly, for Chen Xiao, bidding farewell to Wade and Luo Ge is also a very big event.

Although for Wade and Luo Ge, the outcome of the farewell game of their careers is actually not important. They do not need the victory or defeat of a game to prove anything, but Chen Xiao definitely hopes to give them the most perfect bid farewell.

Therefore, Chen Xiao needs to come back early to maintain his condition.

For Chen Xiao's current age and athletic ability that has degraded to almost the lowest level, playing in the NBA and playing in FIBA ​​are really two different games.

The NBA arena is bigger, players move faster, and the game style is faster. This is actually very unfriendly to Chen Xiao.

In FIBA, Chen Xiao can even play shooting guard.

In the NBA, Chen Xiao plays center and is already struggling to assist in defense.

Although Chen Xiao is still very dominant on the offensive end, and he even won the NBA scoring title last season, there is no doubt that on the defensive end, Chen Xiao is indeed incomparable to his peak.

In the NBA, if you want to be dominant in the playoffs, defense is very important.

Therefore, in the past few seasons, the Warriors have been stuck in the Western Conference Finals and cannot go further. It is because the team's defensive problems are not stable enough and they are always a little short of the finals.

Of course, this is also true that the Lakers are really strong. The Warriors have indeed suffered various injuries due to various reasons. Because of the uncertainty of the epidemic, the problem of players leaving the team due to salary explosion has arisen.

However, in general, the return of Klay Thompson, who was out for a season last season, and the return of Marvin Bagley will still increase the strength of the Warriors.

Of course, in expert forecasts, the rise is limited.

After all, Klay Thompson is seriously injured. His athletic ability is now in doubt, and his game status is also in doubt. He may fall off a cliff.

Therefore, in the predictions of major media before the start of the season, the three favorites for the championship next season are still the Bucks, Heat and Lakers.

For example, there are basically not many experts who are optimistic about the Warriors and Cavaliers.

After the Cavaliers won the championship in 2020, the team's goal was achieved, and this veteran team was completely rebuilt.

After Conley, Danny Green, Matthews and other players repaid James for his kindness, they left the Cavaliers to look for higher salaries and higher development.

Cleveland really isn't a very attractive city.

But Oden stayed.

So now the Cavaliers, who only have James and Oden, are still very strong, but they are not that strong anymore. At the very least, they are no longer the top team in the Eastern Conference.

And for the Warriors.

This season, the Warriors' focus is to say goodbye to Wade and Luo Ge.

And many experts say that next season, the Warriors' focus will be to bid farewell to Chen Xiao.

Yes, the whole world is now predicting that the reason why Chen Xiao still stays in the NBA is mainly for Xiao Chen.

It can’t be data.

In the past 19 years of his career, Chen Xiao was the second player after Kobe Bryant in the NBA to reach the 40,000-point mark.

Now Chen Xiao's career statistics have completed 411 achievements, scoring more than 40,000 points, rebounding more than 10,000, and assisting more than 10,000.

Chen Xiao's current total statistics are 47,555 points, 14,200 rebounds, 13,251 assists, 3,119 steals, and 3,056 blocks.

To be honest, as far as Chen Xiao's total statistics are concerned, there is actually nothing to pursue. What kind of level are these total statistics in the history of the NBA?

Kobe Bryant, who ranks first in total points and second in history, has scored 40,000 points, but there is a huge gap between him and Chen Xiao. It will be almost impossible to break Chen Xiao's total scoring record in the future, unless there is another epoch-making event in the NBA. The change.

Ranked fifteenth in total rebounds. After this season, as long as he averages 10 rebounds per game, Chen Xiao's total rebounds ranking will be in the top ten, or even the top five.

In the ranking of total assists, Chen Xiao ranks second in history behind Stockton. There is a gap of more than 2,000 from Stockton. It is difficult to chase, but there is no need to chase.

In terms of total steal rankings, Chen Xiao still ranks behind Stockton, second in history, but the gap is much smaller, just 100 or so. After next season, Chen Xiao will definitely surpass Stockton and become the number one stealer in history.

In the ranking of total blocks, Chen Xiao ranks third in history, not far behind Mutombo, who is second. If Chen Xiao can reach it after playing two seasons, he is still far away from Olajuwon's first place in history. Basically, he is not far behind. Maybe he chased her, but of course, there was no need for Chen Xiao to chase him either.

In other words, as long as this season of waiting for Xiao Chen is completed, Chen Xiao's five total statistics in the NBA are likely to be ranked in the top five.

With such career data, there is no need for Chen Xiao to continue to pile up, because he is already strong enough, and there is no need to become more terrifying and powerful.

As for honors such as the scoring leader, assist leader, rebound leader, steal leader or block leader in a single season, it is even more unworthy of Chen Xiao to pursue.

Then you tell me, why is the 39-year-old Chen Xiao still in the NBA?

It can’t be for the championship, right?

After practicing what he once said, after being perfect, he still wants to win a championship?

No way?

For all the experts, fans and celebrities, they don't think so.

So, this is what NBA experts, fans, and media are expecting from the Warriors now.

The NBA championship has nothing to do with this team. This team actually only has historical significance in the NBA now.

However, for the Warriors themselves, this is definitely not what they think.

During the Olympics, Jerry West still worked very hard to select role players for the team who were outstanding enough to help the team win the championship.

Jerry West traded Mitchell Robinson, Allen and John Collins for draft picks in June for Xiao Chen in next year's draft.

Coupled with the retirements of Wade and Luo Ge, this leaves the Warriors with only 10 players under contract next season.

Chen Xiao, Klay, Alexander, Michael Porter, Morant, Isaiah Thomas, Jordan Poole, Wiggins, Marvin Bagley, Herbert Jones.

There are 10 players in total.

And Klein has suffered serious knee injuries and Achilles tendon injuries in the past two years. Although he is sure to return this season, he does not know when. It may take until March at the earliest, and the playoffs at the latest, or something like this. Like Leonard of the Lakers before, he couldn't come back until the Western Conference Finals.

As for Marvin Bagley, the Warriors sent him to Cleveland for a season to recuperate, and he recovered from his minor physical problems, but this season, the Warriors did not dare to use him hard.

In addition, this year's first-round pick Herbert Jones is not sure whether he has enough fighting ability.

Now that the Warriors have retired Luo Ge and Wade, they actually only have seven and a half useful players left. Seven of them are Chen Xiao, plus the other half of Marvin Bagley.

Therefore, while Chen Xiao is playing in the Olympics, Jerry West is still doing a lot of operations in the free market this year.

Jerry West used the mid-level exception to sign PJ Tucker for 10 million in two years this summer.

Then they signed Jeff Green and Carmelo Anthony with a minimum salary.

Signing Tucker and Jeff Green is okay, but signing Anthony is very interesting.

After all, Anthony was kicked out by Westbrook in the New York Knicks.

Although Anthony has been very tolerant in the Knicks over the years, Westbrook's statistics are so good, but the team's record has never improved. The team is always looking for a scapegoat, right?

Then the team focused on Anthony.

Anthony really has no defense now and has a big defensive problem on the court. However, he has long been no longer the core of the Knicks' tactics.

Since the 17-18 season, he has been almost a role player next to Westbrook, and his scoring average has dropped below 20 points per game.

Last season, he only averaged a little over 13 points per game. For such a player, if you let him take the blame, it will always be extremely sympathetic.

But there's no way, we can't let Westbrook take the blame, right?

In this way, Anthony was kicked out by the Knicks. After being kicked out by the Knicks, many teams in the NBA sympathized with Anthony, but faced Anthony's situation.

Naturally, the fat team does not need a veteran who does not seem to have much positive and positive significance in the NBA and has never succeeded (winning a championship).

And strong teams competing for the championship naturally don't need a player with Anthony's style.

Then, Anthony was very embarrassed to find out that he was unemployed.

In fact, Anthony is not completely unemployed. In fact, some teams are still interested in him.

But these teams are all teams from small cities.

Let's put it this way, it is impossible for Anthony and his wife to go to small cities to play ball.

Even if you want to prove yourself, you have to be comfortable in a big city.

In fact, his good friend Xiao Zhan had invited him, but Anthony still rejected it.

Then another good friend of his, Xiao Pao, rejected him. Although the Clippers met Anthony's requirements, Anthony did not meet the Clippers' requirements.

However, after understanding Anthony's needs, Xiao Pao and Xiao Zhan almost simultaneously recommended Chen Xiao and the Warriors.

Because Wade and Luo Ge will retire next season, Anthony will have the opportunity to develop when he joins the Warriors next season.

Moreover, the Bay Area where the Warriors are located is one of the largest urban agglomerations in the United States. In addition, the Warriors are also very good. Although it may be difficult to win the championship, it is still quite tempting to play beside Chen Xiao.

Therefore, without any consideration, Anthony proactively recommended himself to the Warriors and Jerry West.

Faced with a player like Anthony taking the initiative to accept a minimum salary request, the Warriors and Jerry West, who are short of players, will definitely not refuse.

Let's just say that the free market in 2021 is actually not that big. There are good players, but the Warriors' salary space is locked, so they still can't afford it.

And those who want to be able to fight effectively must either be an older 3D like Tucker, or a veteran with potential physical injuries like Danny Green.

There are actually very few players like Anthony who can be the main attacker next to Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao's team has actually been lacking a main attacker.

There is also always a need for a main attacker.

Although now we have Morant, Alexander, and Isaiah Thomas Jr.

But one more Anthony would be nice too.

After all, Anthony can play the fourth position.

And to be honest, Jerry West likes this kind of veteran player who has quality and needs to prove himself.

In order to prove themselves, they will show an attitude that they may have never shown in their careers.

This is definitely positive for the team.

And this is the Warriors in the new season.

With no thick eyebrows and Klay still lying down, this Warriors team seems to be continuing to decline.

But after returning to the team, Chen Xiao discovered something interesting about this team.

This team is still not favored by the outside world.

But whether it's his old teammates or new teammates...

Alexander, Michael Porter Jr., Isaiah Thomas Jr., Morant, Jordan Poole, Wiggins, Marvin Barkley, Herbert Jones, Tucker, Jeff Green, Anthony...

Although they each have their own problems, really, they are also all talented!

Next season, it seems that there is no chance!