At the end of September, Wang Jun participated in the Bulls Media Day.On the core makeup photos, the Bulls four are Wang Jun, Chandler, Hinrich and newcomer Rashad Lewis.Lore Deng's absence from the core is an explicit indication.As long as Lewis stays, it will be difficult for Lore Deng to get a high-salary contract extension in the future, let alone an early contract extension.Until the four-year rookie contract expires in 2008, other teams interested in him can consider initiating negotiations, and the Bulls won't mind sending him away as long as the chips are right.Paxson wants to get a rookie who doesn't take up salary space and keeps salary space.Lore Deng is not depressed about this, as long as he is still in the Bulls, he will play hard, if he can't play beautiful statistics this season, he will have to leave in the last year, and where to go depends on the agent.David Lee is also not regarded as the core, and the coaching staff is still in the training stage for him.If he wants to be a good second or third leader, he has to do more on the defensive end.This time to play the preseason on behalf of the Bulls, there are as many as 7 players without contracts, among which Wang Jun saw several familiar faces.Swingman Matt Barnes played summer league with Jun Wang for the Heat in his rookie season, a blue-collar perimeter defense.He looks handsome among black people, but with earrings and a tattoo he looks like a gangster, giving people an uneasy feeling.At that time, the two did not communicate much, and they did not speak since.Barnes has changed teams four times in three seasons and played 50 games for the 76ers last season, scoring 3 points and 19 rebounds, and is an absolute marginal man.Maurice Taylor, a big forward who was cut by the Knicks and signed a super bad contract with the Rockets.This Wang Jun was impressed, because he basically didn't defend, and playing against him was like playing match-fixing.Now I have eaten the bull mixed rice, and I want to hold my legs to win the championship.If he can improve his defensive aggressiveness, his body and shooting are still good.Adrian Griffin, who was responsible for defending Wang Jun in the Mavericks in the finals last season, had poor offensive ability, and the Mavericks did not renew his contract.Adrian played for the Bulls in the 20042005 season.He averaged 97 minutes per game, 22 points and 21 rebounds.The management appreciates his defensive ability, playing a few minutes as a fringe man and fighting hard when he plays.At least not to be a defensive hole.This time, he has a good chance of staying and being a substitute for Wang Jun.There are undrafted rookies and marginalized people from other teams.Louis Armondsson, Scott Maritt, Eric Chinowitz and many more.There aren't many great veterans in the free market this time, and Payton has signed with the Bulls, even if he can play a big name.Only three of these people were left in the end.Wang Jun does not play.Good news for role players, more time and opportunities to perform.Wang Jun was interviewed and mentioned the matter of "injury"."
I've played too many games this summer to stay fit for the regular season, so I'm going to rest for the preseason.I promise I won't miss the opener, so rest assured. ”The reporter asked: "Who do you think the biggest opponent on the road to defending the Bulls this season" "I don't think about it, anyway, no matter who you meet in the end, you have to beat them."
If you don't defend your title, it's a defeat for the Bulls. ”Wang Jun replied.The reporter asked Wang Jun to comment on the new players who played in the preseason, and Wang Jun said a few perfunctory words.I don't know how to evaluate nonsense and offend people.He plans to watch the preseason at home and finally see who stays before it's too late.Wang Jun did not participate in the training camp, went home to rest, and was allowed not to watch the game at the scene.Both the coaching staff and the manager agree that getting him back to strength is the most important thing.On October 11, the pre-season officially began.On the 12th, the Bulls made their debut, and Hinrich was also tired, and the coaching staff finally decided not to let him play.Dujon played well as a starting point guard and organized the offense in an orderly manner.The veteran Payton is also experienced, and the Bulls have strengthened the No. 1 position this season.With two fewer big men, the Bulls still beat the Grizzlies 93-85.There is no Pau Gasol.Grizzlies are the underdogs.Gasol has undergone surgery and will miss about 68 weeks of the regular season, and they have little hope of making the playoffs this season, mainly to develop Rudy Gay, a swingman who was traded from the Rockets.Then.The Bulls lost two games in a row to the Celtics.The Bulls suffered on the inside, Perkins defended Chandler, and Al Jefferson on the offensive end was also impressive.He's very strong, with excellent low-post footwork and mid-range shooting ability, and David Lee, Chandler, and Sangeira can't defend one-on-one.After the arrival of Ray Allen, the Celtics' outside line has increased significantly.The same fight is booming.Ordinary players can't stop him, his fame is not big, and his strength can be regarded as a first-class star.In three more games, the Bulls beat the Bucks, Grizzlies, and Timberwolves.The first two teams did not play the strongest lineup, the Timberwolves played seriously, but the players had little energy.Playing the game, looking at Garnett's expression, you can tell that he is in a terrible mood.In the summer, Garnett has been clamoring to leave, but no team has offered the right chips.He wants to go to a strong team that can compete for the championship, but if he trades a player like him who is among the top three in the league in terms of salary, he has to exchange multiple players, and it is difficult to compete for the championship after the exchange.For the Timberwolves, Garnett is no longer for sale.He will be 32 years old when his contract expires, with three years left on his current contract, with a player option for the third year to become a free agent at the end of the 200708 season.How big will the Timberwolves sign the next contract, give him another 100 million, and then see Garnett lead the team out of the regular season or the bloody impact of the playoffs in the second round, if you don't give a big contract, Garnett will be poached, the Timberwolves will get nothing, and it is imperative to trade in advance.In the final game, the Bulls lost to the Raptors, with a 4-3 record in the preseason, but no one will underestimate them because of this, the core players are all playing casually, and there are two who don't.Only Barnes stands out as a fringe player, who is aggressive defensively, is 201 tall and weighs 102 kilograms, and has a good fight.On the offensive end, Barnes can also shoot open balls, and he has not been idle during the holidays, training hard, and his shooting has improved dramatically.Paxson immediately signed a two-year, $3.8 million contract with Barnes, fully guaranteed for the first year and a team option for the second year.Paxson's shrewdness lies in taking the big picture.He knows the difficulty of the team's salary in the next few years, I am afraid that he will have to pay the luxury tax, and it will definitely be useful to find someone who can be cheap and can defend, and Barnes can be substituted in the second, third and fourth positions.The Bulls 13-man roster was determined.Centre-forwards: Tyson Chandler, Malik Allen, Darius Sangueira.Power forwards: David Lee, Rashad Lewis, Luis Armondson.Small forwards: Rohr Deng, Matt Barnes.Shooting guards: Wang Jun, Adrian Griffin.Point guards: Hinrich, Dujon, Payton.The other two are on non-guaranteed contracts with a base salary, which can be laid off at any time in the medium term.Amonderson's characteristics are similar to Hayes, he can defend, and his offensive ability is about zero.If there are strong veterans in the middle of the season, Paxson can be recruited into the team and cut Amondsen and Adrian at any time.If there is no suitable free agent in the middle of the game, these two blue-collar workers can also play hard in garbage time, at least not allowing the opponent to play a wave of attacks.Paxson believes that the Bulls are not inferior to other teams in all positions, and the chances of success in defending the title are very good.s: