The Godfather of Basketball

After resting in the hospital for two weeks, Tang Tian was discharged.

Except that the body is a little weaker than before, everything else has basically recovered.

On this day, some deals involving rookies were officially concluded.

Garnett went to Boston to report, and Billups also officially settled in Houston.

During Tang Tian's hospitalization, Morey also performed a series of operations.

Bunch Wells gave up his player option because he didn't get much chance with the Rockets last season and went to test the free market.

Chuck Hayes got a four-year 7.3 million offer contract from the Grizzlies. The Rockets eventually gave up the match because of the crowded frontcourt.

Steve Blake got a 4-year 30 million contract from the Trail Blazers, and the Rockets finally gave up on renewing his contract.

The second-year team drafts of Paul Millsap and Steve Novak were executed.

Sun Yue got the same contract as Millsap and Novak last season, a 1+1 standard second-round pick contract.

The team signed a two-year 6 million contract with Yao Ming's former "boss" Steve Francis, and the second year is a player option.

John Lucas III signed a one-year non-guaranteed contract with the team.

Mike Harris signed a one-year non-guaranteed contract with the team.

Jackie Butler signed a one-year non-guaranteed contract with the team.

With these signings in progress, the Rockets' preseason roster for the new season has basically been released.

Centers: Yao Ming, Dikembe Mutombo, Marc Gasol, Jackie Butler.

Power Forward: Millsap, Scola, Landry.

Small forwards: Battier, Pietrus, Novak.

Shooting guard: McGrady, Hyde, Sun Yue, Mike Harris.

Point guard: Billups, Barea, Francis, Lucas III.

The guaranteed contracts add up to around 64 million, which is basically at the same level as this year's extravagant sharp 63.47 million.

The shrewd Morey spent all his money wisely, which of course means that the Rockets' lineup has changed very little.

Tang Tian is still very satisfied with this lineup. There are rookies, veterans, top defenders, and of course the most important thing is the Big Three.

In other words, with this lineup, defending the title is the only goal of the team.

Not only did Tang Tian think so, even the members of the Rockets seemed impatient.

Just as Tang Tian expected, even though they won the championship, the media still blamed them for the crap of "the weakest year winning the championship".

The players are eager to prove themselves again.

It was only late August, and the Big Three of the Rockets had already started training in the arena ahead of schedule.

The bosses of the team all had this attitude, and the players below naturally responded positively. By the beginning of September, almost all the Rockets players had arrived, and the training hall at the Toyota Center had never been idle.

Seeing the enthusiasm of the team members, Tang Tian felt some pressure while being excited.

This is different from the situation last season. Last season, the team's lineup was not good, and their performance was generally normal. It was a surprise to play well.

But this season's lineup doesn't have to play badly, it just plays averagely. It is estimated that the fans' saliva can drown him several times.

So after all the players were basically there, in mid-September, Tang Tian also led the entire coaching staff to start training ahead of schedule.

The tactics of last season have proven to be successful and they will definitely be used in the new season.

But after experiencing last season, some experience has also been summed up.

Yao Ming became a playmaker during the regular season and allowed him to conserve a lot of physical strength, but in the playoffs, after he inevitably entered the low post fight, physical exertion became a problem again.

McGrady's effect as a substitute was not as good as expected.

...

In addition to experience, the new lineup also has some new problems.

Billups is very good at organizing, but after all, there is only one organization point for a team. Who will organize him or Yao Ming, and how to integrate with the original system is a big problem.

In the last season's bench, Huo Ershu and Alstom were traded, and the new rotation lineup also needs tactics suitable for them.

...

While arranging the team's training, Tang Tian and his coaching staff have been discussing these problems of the team.

The NBA game is not simply a competition of strength on paper. How to make the team run to the greatest immediate combat effectiveness is the real test of the strength of the head coach.

Time flies like an arrow, and time comes to October in a blink of an eye.

After more than half a month of training, the Rockets ushered in their first game of the preseason on October 10th, US time.

What's more interesting is that their first opponent in the preseason was the opponent of the Western Conference Finals in the playoffs last season, the Spurs.

This is definitely not a coincidence. The NBA is a business league, and naturally it focuses on making money. The shaping of this kind of feud is the league's favorite thing to do.

Sure enough, even if it was just a preseason game, it also attracted the attention of many fans. The number of fans who came to the Toyota Center Arena that night reached more than 7,000, almost setting a record for the number of spectators in the preseason game.

ESPN also sent an authentic commentator like Reggie Miller to the scene to cooperate with the home commentator Bill Worrell of the Toyota Center to explain.

"Reggie, the Rockets defeated the Spurs in the tie-breaker of the Western Conference Finals last season. This season, the team introduced strong support Chauncey Billups. Do you think the Spurs will still be a problem for the Rockets in the new season?" Rael has commented at the Rockets' home court for 20 years and has a very strong tendency towards the home team.

"It's hard to say. The Spurs give people the feeling that they are dying every year, but after the start of each season, people find that it is still a strong contender for the championship." Miller said with a smile, his commentary style is still consistent with the Same as last season, more cautious and conservative.

"Reggie, I know, this is your style, but I believe that the Rockets this season will bring surprises to the league. The Spurs are the hurdle that the Rockets must cross this season, and the Celtics are The real opponent of the team." Worrell is quite confident.

"Then let's wait and see." Miller didn't refute, but he could hear his disapproval from his tone. The basketball game is not just about playing strength on paper. The Rockets seem to have a stronger lineup, but the Big Three The running-in is a big problem. If the running-in is not good, Billups may not be as effective as Blake before.

There is no pre-match introduction in the pre-season game. After the players of both sides have completed their warm-ups, the starting players will appear one after another.

For the Rockets, Tang Tian directly put out the starters during training.

The point guard is Billups, the shooting guard is McGrady, the small forward is Battier, and the inside is Millsap and Yao Ming.

Except for the newly added Billups, the other four positions are exactly the same as last season.

But soon, there was a commotion at the scene, and even Miller in the commentary seat was stunned.

The three cores of the Spurs, Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili, are all wearing training clothes!

Look at the Spurs' starting lineup.

Amy Uduka, Matt Bonner, Darius Washington, Ian Mahinmi, Michael Finley!

Except for Finley, there are all substitutes, and there is even an undrafted pick!