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The Raptors challenged the Eagles away and suffered a two-game losing streak, 81 to 95.

John Wallace left the team, and the Raptors lost a rotation player. McGrady, Billups, and O'Neal became blacksmiths. Only Carter performed well, scoring a double-double of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists.

Under the leadership of Dikembe Mutombo, the Hawks are extremely defensive. They only conceded 83 points per game in the new season. Today, he blocked O'Neal twice in a row, shaking his finger and humiliating the rookie.

Yang Rui loves and hates the rookies. When they feel good, they can play gorgeous and smooth offense. When they feel bad, they don't know how to adjust, and they keep shooting in waves.

Returning to Toronto, training on the morning of March 5, Yang Rui met Kevin Cato, this rookie can represent the Raptors.

"Hello, coach." Cato looked very simple and honest, and shook hands with Yang Rui with a smile.

"Hello, Kevin, nice to meet you." Yang Rui looked him up and down, much taller than expected.

He used to think that Cato was short because he watched too many Rockets games and Cato often stood beside Yao Ming.

As one of the 15 rookies in the first round in 1997, Cato certainly didn't want to be a marginal player all the time. When he met Yang Rui, he didn't know how to "sell" himself, so he could only smirk.

Yang Rui smiled and said: "Kevin, it's my idea to trade you to the Raptors. I need you to be the toughest person on the team, to play your strengths, to cut after the screen on the offensive end, to grab rebounds and get to the basket. Scoring is enough, and you're definitely going to get more minutes than you did with the Blazers."

Cato nodded. This is good news. He played only 13.6 minutes last season after two years of tragedy in the Trail Blazers.

During training, the coaching staff tested Cato and was pleasantly surprised.

Cato has excellent physical fitness, the strongest strength in the team, and slow movement speed, which is similar to veteran Willis and Miller. With a wingspan of 224cm, he has the conditions to become a super defensive player.

On the offensive end, Cato is useless. His mid-range shot is bad, his footsteps are rough, his left low post can show a hook, and he can cut and catch the ball after the pick-and-roll and dunk.

The player in Yang Rui's memory is more similar to Cato than the Celtics' "fat" Kendrick Perkins. He is good at resisting people and blocking shots. He basically doesn't need to practice shooting. This kind of "black and hard" touch is not soft, and he is not very accurate in free throws.

Miller is currently just an ordinary center. If he wants to become a supporting star during the Kings period, he needs to practice and learn from Detref. Cato is definitely useful and can improve the Raptors' inside defense.

After training, Yang Rui talked to Cato alone. "Kevin, what did you coach when you were in Blazers?"

"Low post defense, pick-and-roll cuts, help defense blocks."

"Here, you can add a support pass, like Dete, if you grab the offensive rebound, I hope you can get it out in time. If you receive a pass at a high position and can't make a mid-range shot, you must be accurate Pass the ball to a teammate."

"Okay, I can do it." Cato replied loudly.

Yang Rui nodded in satisfaction. This person is very obedient, don't attack the ball, and it is easy to renew the contract when the contract expires next year. At present, there is a market for meat shield big men in the league, and Cato is the cheapest player that can be exchanged.

Once he comes, O'Neal and Miller don't need to gain weight, they maintain their weight and mobility, and the offensive threat is even greater.

That night, the Raptors lost to the Magic at home and suffered a three-game losing streak.

Under the leadership of Chuck Daly, the Magic started with 12 wins and 4 losses. Under the premise of no strongman, the record is outstanding.

Rookie Matt Halperin faced off against O'Neal and unexpectedly gained the upper hand.

Harprin is only 201cm tall and weighs 105kg. He is very strong. He comes from a rugby family. He has a tough style of play and is good at confrontation. He has been close to the body so that it is difficult for O'Neal to turn around and face the frame. The turnaround jumper is too reluctant, and he made 5 of 15 shots in the game.

McGrady was guarded by "Penny" Hardaway,

The performance was even worse, only 2 of 12 shots, plus 6 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists with free throws.

The Raptors sleepwalked collectively outside. Except for Carter who scored 21 points, everyone else played in a mess. The best performance inside was Willis, who scored 20 points and 14 rebounds. The two failed to help the team win the game. The final score was 88 to 93. .

Cato played 11 minutes, only scored 2 points and 3 rebounds, and made 1 of 3 shots. The data was terrible.

The bad luck has just begun. The Raptors have an unfavorable schedule. They played strong teams back to back and lost to the Heat and Eagles one after another.

It is more embarrassing to suffer a 5-game losing streak. The Raptors have never won after the transaction. Cato didn't play much time and his statistics were poor. Although John Wallace, who joined the Trail Blazers, was also a substitute, he averaged 7 points per game, which is better than Cato in any way.

The media began to pick on the Raptors. Many people complained about Yang Rui and the management's stupid deal. Sending Wallace away is likely to make the Raptors miss the playoffs.

There are many teams that gloat, and the Blazers are one of them. The Portland media said: "Thanks to the Raptors for sending players, the Blazers are getting better and better."

The stronger the Blazers lineup, the greater the pressure on competitors. Los Angeles media expressed dissatisfaction. "It is suggested that the league investigate the Trail Blazers and the Raptors. The frequent unfair transactions between the two teams make people suspect that there is something inside."

Even some Canadian media have begun to look down on the Raptors, thinking that it is a bit difficult to make the playoffs. Recently, they have forgotten the feeling of winning.

Glenn talks to Yang Rui. "Jerry, you have to think of a solution quickly. Although our current record is not bad, if this continues, the team may not be able to enter the playoffs, right?"

"Definitely make it to the playoffs, don't be nervous, there are so many rookies, it will take some time to get used to it." Yang Rui sighed: "Now they have hit the rookie wall collectively, not just a few rookies, Jermaine and Tracy are also out problem."

The boss has a big appetite, and wants to fight for a high ranking in the regular season, not only to enter the playoffs, but also to the first round, so that he can make a lot of money. However, a rookie-led team is bound to encounter some difficulties, and the Thunder's third young masters are no exception.

The term "rookie wall" is used in the top European and American sports leagues to describe the decline in the status of athletes who encountered various maladaptations during the first two rookie seasons when they turned from amateurs to professionals.

Every year after the start of the season, the rookies are generally more active, jumping high, running fast, and youthful.

But the NBA is a marathon league, not a sprint, and the shortened season has a much tighter schedule, with many back-to-backs and endless days of flying, hotel and bus rides.

In this special season, experienced players can't bear it a bit. The rookies simply don't know how to distribute their physical strength reasonably. In the same time period, the games played in the NBA are multiplied by three college games. It just so happened that Yang Rui's main tactic was running and bombing, and these young people wanted to show too much. They never layup when they could dunk, and they didn't raise their hands to interfere when they could block shots. The price of playing beautifully was the rapid loss of physical strength.

When the physical and mental fatigue begins, the rookie wall comes.

After two days of rest, the Raptors beat the underdog Celtics 108-92 at home on the 13th, finally ending their losing streak.