This Forward is Not Serious

After coming out of the medical center, Oden's face was obviously different from when he first entered.

It felt like an old man who had gone through many vicissitudes of life suddenly transformed into a young man full of longing for the future.

"I have to go shave!"

And this can be completely felt from his words after coming out.

Speaking of beards, many basketball players grow beards to make themselves look more powerful.

The most well-known are Pau Gasol and Steve Adams.

Both of them were young boys before they had beards, but after growing beards they instantly turned into mature men.

As for Auden, he was already growing a beard when he was in college.

Now when I say I need to shave my beard, it kind of means "sharpening my hair".

When Lin Ying saw Oden after shaving, Lin Ying felt that he had instantly become ten years younger.

Well, from 50 years old to 40 years old.

After the training session began, Oden did not practice with the team, but received Nelson's adaptive training alone on the sidelines.

Although the Suns are in a bad situation recently, the coaching staff is as patient as ever in dealing with the players.

While Oden was training, the coaching staff was also discussing Oden's use.

In fact, they had previously proposed trading Frye for Oden, but the Blazers had no interest at all.

It's not because Frye is a veteran of the Trail Blazers. It's not uncommon for him to enter the NBA for the second time and the third time.

The main reason is that Frye's performance improved a lot compared to last season after receiving a big contract.

But Frye's space attributes cannot be replaced by others, so Frye will still be the starter most of the time.

And there is Lopez Jr. at the backup center position, and his performance this season is also outstanding.

Although from a management perspective, trading Oden is a reinforcement, the competition Oden faces is also visible.

Therefore, after discussion, the coaching staff decided not to let Oden play until he reaches his best physical condition.

This is also a responsibility for Oden, because if he cannot compete with Lopez, Oden will most likely be treated as a junk contract later.

Marley went over to chat with Auden.

…

At the end of the training, Lin Ying saw that Oden's expression returned to the same state as before.

Even though I shaved off my beard, I seemed to have aged 5 years again.

This age fluctuation is too big!

After chatting with him for a while, I found out that it was Marley who told him that the coaching staff was not ready to let him play for the time being.

"Let's go, I'll take you to try Chinese food."

Lin Ying suggested.

Auden was stunned for a moment and finally nodded.

What Lin Ying didn't expect was that Oden was also bold.

When Lin Ying asked him to order his own dishes, he dared to try dishes like pig heart and pig ears.

After ordering, Lin Ying chatted with Oden about some of the latter's affairs in Portland.

Judging from Oden's mood swings, Lin Ying can feel that his mentality is not in the state that an NBA player should have.

Even from a certain perspective, it is not as good as the NCAA period.

Oden already had a personal relationship with Lin Ying, and he had no reservations about what Lin Ying had done to help him integrate into the Suns.

It was during this process that Lin Ying learned that Oden had a long history of alcoholism when he was with the Trail Blazers.

Yes, alcoholism.

When people are unhappy, alcohol is undoubtedly a powerful tool to numb their nerves.

The so-called "one drunkenness can solve a thousand worries"!

At that time, the media praised Oden as a combination of Chamberlain and Russell, and even pressured Durant to become the No. 1 pick in the draft.

As a result, Durant is now among the top ten in the league, and even if he met Tang Tian, ​​he could only barely gain a foothold in the NBA.

Even Lin Ying, who was in the same class, has become FMVP.

This contrast is only one aspect. The other aspect is that his injuries have come and gone.

To put it in a very cruel way: Even if he is a parallel importer, he has no chance to prove that he is.

So he shouldn't drink, but in a sense he can't.

It's also self-paralysis. Drinking is better than taking drugs.

There are definitely not a few people who smoke marijuana in the NBA.

"I can probably guess what the coaching staff is thinking."

Lin Ying said that it would be difficult for him to change Oden's mind. After all, "Don't persuade others to be good without others' suffering." He was more trying to help Oden to clear up his current psychology so that he could treat the current situation positively.

In addition to personal relationships, what he did was more at the team level.

After all, it is difficult for the Suns to defend their title in their current state, and Oden is a big weight to increase this possibility.

"You know the Thunder traded for Perkins, right?"

Under Oden's curious eyes, Lin Ying walked step by step.

"To beat New York, we have to have someone who can guard the penalty area and protect the basket. You are the answer the coaching staff wants."

Lin Ying first gave Oden confidence.

And that's really what the Suns should be thinking.

This is consistent with the example he gave.

In fact, the Suns wouldn't want Oden if they could trade for Perkins.

But, I also want Diliroba!

Wanting something and being able to have it are two different things.

Oden is already the best candidate the Suns can get.

And there's nothing wrong with Lin Ying saying that. After all, the Suns also paid a lot to get Oden.

"You should have felt this before in the medical center. The team attaches great importance to you, so you can interpret that as caution."

The "that" Lin Ying said was naturally referring to the reason why Aoden was not allowed to board for the time being.

"I see."

After hearing this, Auden nodded in agreement.

The authorities confuse the onlookers, but a word awakens the dreamer.

Auden was very sensitive to these things because of his experience, and it was really easy for him to become blocked again if no one could help him.

At this point, Lin Ying did not continue talking, but instead started talking about such light topics as Chinese food.

In fact, it is no longer realistic for Oden to become the great emperor that fans expect. Four years after his rookie period, the player has basically been finalized.

He is a late bloomer, mostly because his talent is not appreciated.

Oden is not. In addition to injuries, his foul problems and rough NBA-level skills cannot be easily solved.

But these are not things Lin Ying needs to worry about.

Since the Suns are willing to trade for him and have shown patience in all aspects, they must have plans for those.

As long as Oden can correct his mentality and grow into a qualified starting-level blue-collar player, then the Suns' deal will actually be worthwhile, and the team's hope of defending the title this year will be much greater.

then……

A week later.

The Suns host the New Orleans Hornets.

Oden entered the team's 12-man activated roster.

During the pre-game warm-up, several of his dunks aroused the imagination of Suns fans.

After Oden was traded, he has been sitting on the bench in a suit and tie, which made fans think that the Suns were lonely after the trade.

Coupled with the fact that the Suns' record this season is not as good as expected, Cole has become the target of many radical fans.

But the fans are looking forward to it. Now that Oden is finally going to make his debut with the Suns, fans are looking forward to it.

During the warm-up, the scene also gave a close-up of "Queen Bee" Chris Paul.

The current situation of the Hornets is very delicate.

Paul and several members of the 2003 generation have a close relationship because of the BJ Olympics.

The current prosperity of the Knicks has also opened his desire box and is ready to move.

Although he has always denied external trade rumors in front of the media, the actual situation is that he did not sign an early contract extension as before.

In addition, owner Sheen sold the team to the league last year, and West also revealed in interviews that he would opt out of his contract in the summer.

A team that was contending for a championship just a few years ago looks like it's about to disband.

But the strange thing is that they had a seven-game winning streak before the All-Star break and suddenly rushed to the fourth position in the Western Conference, pushing the Suns back one spot.

As a result, the Hornets management, which was originally prepared to send West away at the trade deadline, had no choice but to sit still.

And the Suns' championship last season gave many teams fantasy.

Although it seems unrealistic, if the Hornets can maintain this momentum and win the championship with one final push, everything will change.

This is the case in the NBA. Many people were saying a few days ago that they would never leave the team, but they might apply for a trade a few days later.

In the same way, after achieving results, who would really want to leave?

This game is also important for the Suns.

Because of the team's poor state and the extremely fierce competition in the West, it is unlikely that they will be able to recuperate like last season.

Moreover, the opponents this season are obviously stronger than last season, and it is more important for them to strive for a higher playoff spot.

Different seasons require different strategies.

Especially against direct competitors like the Hornets, they must go all out to win.

After the warm-up, the scene entered the opening ceremony, and the starting lineups of both sides were announced one after another.

Hornets: Paul, Belinelli, James Posey, David West, Okafor

Suns: Nash, Allen, Lin Ying, Frye, Stoudemire

At the beginning of the game, the Hornets showed an extremely good competitive state, and Paul and West's pick-and-roll also showed considerable lethality.

However, the Suns are not to be outdone, and Lin Ying's performance is still eye-catching.

Because of Nash's continued slump and Stoudemire's adjustment to his playing style, Lin Ying has actually become the core of the Suns.

Moreover, Stoudemire's transformation state has gradually improved for most of the season.

The only problem is that the Suns' current inside combination defense is really not very good, especially when faced with a point guard like Paul who is very good at pressing the rhythm.

And Paul is really good at guarding against Nash's speed.

At this stage, Paul is already the number one point guard in the league in terms of strength.

It's a bit similar to Howard's position in the NBA. Although he is still at a disadvantage every time he meets Deron/Yao Ming, he can carry them at other times.

Gentry was also forced to replace Frye with Lopez in advance.

Both sides entered the position.

But doing so allowed the Suns to slowly regain their momentum.

This is actually reasonable, because Nash is not in good condition and the Suns are not running well.

But falling into position is what Lin Ying is good at, and he is now the true core of the sun.

Nine minutes into the first quarter, the Suns led the Hornets 27-24.

Both sides began to rotate.

At this moment, the cheers of Suns fans came to mind.

Oden was finally replaced!

At this time, the lineups on both sides are:

Hornets: Jarrett Jack, Marcus Thornton, Willie Green, West, Jason Smith

Suns: Barbosa, Tracy McGrady, Lin Ying, Landry, Oden

Up comes the Hornets offense.

Jack used West's pick-and-roll to drive towards the basket. Oden saw it and quickly helped to block the shot.

The judgment of this ball was correct, but Jack was very smart and leaned on Oden to take the shot.

"beep!"

The courtside whistle sounded, Oden's defensive foul!

This foul speed, confirmed by the eyes, is Oden himself!

Gentry reached up and rubbed his forehead.

Just as Lin Ying thought, the coaching staff did a lot of work to get Oden away from his previous foul problems.

The most important thing is the defensive scale. In terms of defensive awareness alone, Oden was first-rate when he was in NCAA, but the scale was not good.

Now it seems that the effect is still not ideal.

Jack's two free throw opportunities.

"Relax."

Lin Ying walked over and patted Oden's butt and said with a smile.

People's habits are not easy to change, especially since Oden has not played in a game for more than a week, so it will take time to adapt.

Auden nodded.

This past week, he felt more useful than he had in four years with the Trail Blazers.

Although there are many things that he needs to digest and absorb, he is sure that he is developing in a good direction.

Jack made two free throws, and the Hornets narrowed the point difference to 1 point.

During the Suns' offense, Lin Ying caught the ball in the high post on the right and directly stretched out his hand to signal Oden to pull out for a pick-and-roll.

With increased flexibility, he is now also very effective in mismatching singles against big men.

However, he also relies on people to choose his dishes, and Smith, who is barely considered a second-rate insider, is his favorite dish.

The quality of Oden's pick-and-roll was not very good, but he still blocked Green solidly!

This body is really too wide!

And thanks to his partnership with Conley when he was a student, he has a very strong awareness of cutting to the basket.

Basically, it's ready to go as soon as you take it apart.

Lin Ying threw the ball directly into the sky.

Oden was led by the ball into the air, and his huge body directly made Green lose the urge to block shots.

"Bang!"

With a huge muffled sound, Oden fell from the sky like Tarzan and smashed the ball directly into the basket.

The basket was knocked down several centimeters!

Just this dunk made the Suns fans at the scene climax on the spot.

Who can see who is pregnant with this physical talent?

After dunking, Oden's legs landed firmly on the ground.

Nelson on the bench nodded with satisfaction after seeing it.

Although not everything has met the expectations of the coaching staff, Oden's changes can still be seen.

Moreover, Oden was very calm, his expression basically showed no change after dunking, and he quickly returned to half court after high-fiving Lin Ying.

West picked up Jack's back pass in the frontcourt and missed the ball.

The battle for rebounds under the basket.

"Snapped!"

Oden rose from the ground and grabbed the defensive rebound hard.

Obviously he was just grabbing a defensive rebound, but that sense of power was reflected in every detail.

Many Suns fans are already in high spirits.

This is a center worth 7 million!

Big center!