The Godfather of Basketball

101 to 106, the Nets worked hard and played very well. At the end of the third quarter, they still led by 2 points, but their physical strength was obviously weak in the second half of the fourth quarter, and they finally lost.

But after losing Lopez, their performance is enough to excite the home fans.

Deron continued to play efficiently in the face of Paul, scoring 28 points and 8 assists.

The most gratifying fans are naturally Jokic. He played a season-high 38 minutes tonight, 8 of 15 shots, 2 of 4 three-pointers, 3 of 4 free throws, 21 points, 12 rebounds and 6 rebounds. With the luxurious data of assists, he played the best game of the season.

"Losing the game wins the future."

This is the evaluation of the game by the New York media after the game.

This time, the fans rarely agreed.

For a rookie with such stats, Griffin is the only one they can think of these days. For a center, they really have to go back to ancient history.

On the second day after the game against the Clippers, Tang Tian welcomed the team's two new aids, Marcus Thornton and Miles Pralim, in the arena.

Thornton is Tang Tian's old club, and he didn't play much time in the Celtics and Suns before. Now he is back under Tang Tian's command, and he looks very excited.

Tang Tian also greeted his old subordinates with a smile.

Thornton's ability to grab points is excellent. Compared with the previous Moore, his ability to score independently is also stronger, which can greatly increase the firepower of the Nets' bench.

"You came too late. If you were here in the last game, we would not have lost." After greeting Thornton, Tang Tian said to Pralim with a smile.

In the last game, if there is a qualified center substitute inside, Jokic will take more rest, and the Nets really have a chance to win.

Pralim didn't know this, and when he saw Tang Tian's attitude, he was flattered and his face was full of excitement.

After Tang Tian greeted the newcomers, he called Frank back to the office.

Both Thornton and Pralim are capable of playing in the rotation, especially Thornton, who has to compete with Barton and Joe Johnson for playing time at shooting guard, and how to deal with his playing time is not easy.

"We have a bit too many shooting guards." Frank couldn't help but say.

Bogdan and Button are now the team's rotation at shooting guard, and Joe Johnson can also swing over to play, which is why Moore was traded away, but even so, it is really difficult for Thornton to get playing time.

"The buyout deadline is approaching, right?" Tang Tian looked at Frank.

Frank nodded.

"We'll see the situation at that time. If Marcus has an idea, we can buy it out with him." Tang Tian said directly.

Although Thornton is his old team, the two greeted each other very warmly before, but the principle of competition within the team will not change. If Thornton has an idea, buying him out is good for both parties.

The addition of Miles Pralim is obviously helpful to the Nets. Although his talents are limited, he has solid basic skills and wide defensive coverage, which can buy Jokic a lot of competition time.

Time flies, and a week has passed in a blink of an eye. Counting the Clippers, the Nets have a record of 2 wins and 1 loss, continuing to consolidate the eighth position in the Eastern Conference.

Thornton failed to compete with Bogdan and Button, and did not get much playing time.

Judging from Frank's feedback, he was still rather disappointed. After chatting with Tang Tian alone for a while, he finally hoped that the team could buy him out and give him the opportunity to go to another team.

This year is Thornton's contract year, and the last year of the contract is 8.58 million US dollars. The buyout price after negotiation between the two parties is 5 million, which is quite reasonable for both parties.

Also during the clarification period of the buyout, Thornton was identified by the Rockets, and the Rockets will pay the price difference in his contract buyout.

This result is already the best result for Thornton.

Thornton's buyout was just the tip of the iceberg on the buyout deadline, and some veteran players from other teams were bought out one after another.

At this time, the Suns' buyout agreement attracted a lot of attention.

Not for anything else, just because the player who was bought out was the former MVP Tracy McGrady.

McGrady's old injury recurred almost a year after Tang Tian left. He was on and off, and was later traded to the Suns by Cole. He originally thought that the sun doctor would help him return to the top, and dominate the West with James and Nash. Unfortunately, in the end Also unsatisfactory.

After James and Nash left one after another, the Suns began to rebuild. McGrady rarely played due to limited injuries in the past two or three years. The reason why he is still on the list is because of the maximum salary contract he signed with the Rockets.

Because the last year of the 6-year contract is a team option, this means that the 35-year-old McGrady has actually reached the contract year.

It is also embarrassing that the former double MVP has been reduced to this point.

But such news only makes fans feel emotional.

But sympathy or emotion cannot be eaten. After McGrady was bought out, no one claimed it during the clarification period and became a completely free agent.

This is also reasonable. After all, McGrady's current problem is not just injuries. It is a big problem not to play for two or three years, although it seems that his figure is still pretty good.

Not long after the clarification period passed, Tang Tian came to his door.

The state of the game, for an All-Star player like McGrady, recovery is only a matter of time, but he clearly remembers that if he returns to the host, McGrady's injury will not be an injury.

Although it is impossible to kill the Quartet as much as before when he is older, it is more than enough to be a substitute.

"You want to sign me?" McGrady seemed surprised and confused by Tang Tian's visit.

At the beginning, he regarded Tang Tian as a "deserter", but he did not expect that it was Tang Tian who found him when he was in the most difficult time.

"I think you should still belong to this league." Tang Tian didn't talk about the past, he was looking for McGrady for the team, and McGrady needed him too.

"Thank you, coach." McGrady finally said gratefully.

As Tang Tian said, he was indeed unwilling, and he wanted to prove himself again.

The Nets and McGrady signed a 2-year 5 million contract with team options for the second year.

Considering that there are not many games left in the season, if McGrady can't recover, the Nets will only pay a few hundred thousand dollars.

But at least, Tang Tian gave McGrady the only chance.

After signing McGrady, the Nets' 15-man roster for the playoffs was also finalized.

Point guards: Deron, Livingston, Tyler Johnson

Shooting guard: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Will Barton, McGrady

Small forwards: Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Johnson, Jonathan Simmons

Power forwards: Yi Jianlian, Lavoy Allen, Mike Scott

Centers: Jokic, Miles Pralim, Oden

This lineup has a core, high-quality young players, and veterans. Although it is difficult to compete for the championship, it will definitely become a major spoiler in the Eastern Conference.