The Rest, Only Noise

The Knicks have a surprising streak on the Devil's schedule.

Initially, some people thought they would lose at least half of their games on this schedule.

Because there are super teams like the Celtics and the Lakers in it.

As a result, in addition to losing to the Blazers, the Knicks went all the way, especially with a big win over the Lakers and Celtics.

At the end of this round of the schedule, it is an away game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the bottom of the league.

This is a team that has lost all hope.

When they were still paying off the debt for the defiant Ted Steppi, they made a deal with the Knicks that left the management and coaching staff with no survivors because of their eagerness for quick success.

The Cavaliers traded the eighth pick in the 1985 first-round pick and first-round picks for the next two years in exchange for Cartwright.

If you look at it from the current point of view, their approach is simply unreasonable, how can someone send so much for an insider who has suffered a fracture and has only quasi-All-Star strength?

This is a typical hindsight.

After all, Cartwright suffered a fracture at the beginning. Although it was a season-reimbursable injury, as long as he took good care of it, it would be no problem for him to come back full of blood.

The Cavaliers' current predicament makes it easy to forget that they acquired the rights to swap first-round picks for the next two years from the New Yorkers.

Now it seems that the Cavaliers have given away their future, but when this trade happened, I was optimistic about the Clevelands, and there were not a few people who made a lot of money in this trade.

Because the Knicks were the fourth-worst in the league at the time of the trade, and Louie had traded almost all of the players who were ready to fight.

The players he left behind were almost all rookies.

Even if Ewing's talent is rare in ancient times, it is impossible to lead that group of people to achieve good results.

And Cartwright is a mature big man who has proven himself.

It's a real deal for the team.

Both parties in the transaction think they will be better off than the other.

The results are out now.

The Knicks got the second No. 1 pick through the No. 1 pick sent by the Cavaliers. Inside Ewing and outside Wilson, the basic framework of the team has been formed.

In this battle, the Clevelands played with the mentality of dying with the New Yorkers.

Louie has rarely seen a team with such obvious malice.

The Cavaliers have completely substituted themselves into their imaginary situation.

How could we be deceived by the Yankees in New York if we hadn't been too honest and honest? Damn Knicks, we can't stand it!

That's about it.

They played the Knicks with hatred.

As between the Lakers and the Celtics. Ironically, the feud between Los Angeles and Boston has a history. From on and off the court, championship battles to race battles to skin color battles to East and West coasts. This extends to the struggle between hardworking blue-collar workers and luxurious Hollywood.

The Cavaliers don't have so many twists and turns. They want to take advantage but find that the other party thinks too easily. They want to get out but have fallen into the mud pit.

Ewing was in a foul crisis, and Wilson didn't feel good under the terrible confrontation intensity.

The Cavs have a really good chance of winning in this situation.

However, Louis McHale and Manute Ball were pivotal in the fourth quarter, with the former ruling the offense and the latter ruling the defense.

114 to 108

The Knicks won by 6 points, securing a nightmarish schedule with only one loss.

Ball's performance was astounding.

4 points, 7 rebounds and 11 blocks in the game.

You know, this statistic of his was played in 26 minutes. If Ewing hadn't had a foul crisis, he wouldn't have gotten as much playing time.

With Ewing gone, the Clevelands smashed to the rim as if they were overwhelmed.

Bol, get one cap and one.

According to Knicks statistics, the Cavaliers only scored 24 percent of the time in the restricted area when Bol defended the rim.

"Patrick Ewing is probably the Knicks' most balanced big man. He's the foundation of the Knicks play system, but without him, the Knicks are still strong inside. Manute Bol proved to the league tonight that he Mark Eaton's type of player who is scary on the court."

Additionally, Richfield Coliseum announcer Joe Tate criticized Louie.

"Lu grew up in Cleveland, but if you look at what he did to the city, he grew up there and didn't love it."

Louis has heard enough of this.

That night, he took Ball to a press conference.

The Stern era had a line in black and white, but no rules that teams would enforce.

The league requires all players on each team to have at least 20 interviews per season.

There are many players who do interviews in private, but those interviews are not counted. The big press only likes the stars and the players who played well on the night, so role players who aren't being talked about rarely get interviews.

Tonight was Bol's first media interview this season.

He's the least human-looking Knicks player.

Also an interesting person.

Every time he would tell in front of others that he hunted lions and sold animal skins when he was a child. Today, he also used his performance to call on Americans to pay more attention to their motherland in front of the media.

Sudan is at war, and Bol is seen as an extremist by both factions at war in the country.

"If Manute can gain 30 pounds, he will be the best inside player in the league, and even Ralph Sampson is no match for him."

Louie exaggerated.

If you think about it, you know that this is impossible. Even if Bol has gained 30 pounds, he is not a match for Sampson. There is a huge gap in technology.

However, it is normal to brag about yourself.

After the press conference, Louie and Ball chatted in the hallway.

Louie knew Ball was struggling because he sent most of his earnings from playing to his family.

If he could make more money, he would also help poor families in Sudan.

He was an exceptionally respectable man.

"Manu, you can call me if you have any difficulties." Louis finally told him.

Bol joked: "Coach, the only difficulty I have is sitting on the court for too long every game. My agent said it will affect my making a lot of money."

Jokes are one way to convey the truth.

Louie understands Bol's woes and knows he can start on many teams.

Louie's idea is to make Bol an ultimate rim protector + spacer. He's been practicing 3-pointers for a while, but he just hasn't had a chance to shoot.

Even if his 3-pointer doesn't work out, as long as he can play 15-20 minutes per game, the Knicks will still be intimidating to other teams in the paint after Ewing goes off the court.

Ewing + Bol, two top-five rim protectors in the league.

But there is always a discrepancy between ideal and reality.

Bol is reluctant to only play so little time per game.

"I'll find a way to solve your problem," Louie said.

The only solution to Bol's troubles is a trade.

But who is going to trade him?

Bol's transaction value is very high, and he hit 11 caps in a single game tonight. I'm afraid that few clubs can give Louis a bargaining chip.

Back at the hotel, Louie called Baylor in New York.

"Tonight's game is really thrilling. I wanted to turn off the live broadcast several times. It's so exciting!" This old boy, Baylor, has enough time to watch their live broadcast.

Louis smiled: "I want to talk to you about something serious."

"What's the matter."

"From tomorrow, you can give the outside world a little bit of wind and say, we intend to trade Manute."

"what!!?"

Baylor did not expect Louie to trade Bol.

If he doesn't perform well, it's okay to trade him.

He just played a dominant defense after Ewing fouled too many times, with 11 caps in a single game!

"I know Manute is very important, but he wants more playing time. I don't think we can give it. Instead of waiting for other people to get angry, it's better to get the wind out now and let other teams make offers."

"You really want to trade him?"

"I'm just trying to find out," Louie said. "I don't want to wait until his agent applies for a trade and then scrambling to ask the teams for prices."

"But... can we find a replacement for Manute?"

"As far as protecting the rim, there's no substitute. Except for Mark Eaton, there's no better player in the league to protect the rim. But the value is replaceable, don't worry, I'm not trying to trade him right now."

Baylor's reaction was quite big, and he wished all the good players were in his hands.

In fact, Bol has always been a functional player in the Knicks, but if you want to play the Celtics or the Lakers or the Blazers and the Pistons, his role will not be very big.

He's an extreme single-purpose player.

To play him is to protect the basket.

And the defensive system that Louis wants to build is pressure, suffocation, strength, and explosion.

None of this is Ball's strong suit.

Therefore, trading Bol is what Louie has been planning for a long time. He played so well tonight and showed his heart to Louie (want more time), and the matter of trading him can be officially put on the agenda.

He doesn't like being passive.

Sometimes, even if you think about all the potential risks, something unexpected will happen and give you a headache.

That night, Louie was in the hotel room reviewing the game against the Cavaliers tonight when the phone rang at about 2:30 in the morning.

"Coach, Dale was taken away by the police!"

"Which Dale?"

"Ellis! Dale Ellis!"

Louis was stunned.

"You are?"

"I'm Dennis, coach!"

Louie hung up immediately.

Dale Ellis has repeatedly confirmed the old Chinese saying that a dog that bites doesn't bark. Seeing a person who is quite calm, he can cause troubles one after another.

Louie went to the police station overnight to inquire about the situation, then was told that Ellis was in a bar fight and allegedly broke the head of a rude Cavaliers fan with a bottle of wine.