Discuss the review | The Wolves Nuggets staged a Finals-style classic It was the same person who built the two teams

From a dozen to five

2024-05-05 09:29Posted in Shandong Sports Creators

Discuss the review | The Wolves Nuggets staged a Finals-style classic It was the same person who built the two teams

On May 5, Beijing time, in the Western Conference semifinals G1, the Nuggets lost to the Timberwolves 99-106 at home, falling behind 0-1. Although the score of this game is low, the quality is comparable to the finals level, and the scores are staggered throughout the whole process, and there are various fairy balls in the fourth quarter.

There can be such a wonderful matchup in the Western Conference semifinals, and the Nuggets and Timberwolves can be in the championship position at the same time, thanks to one person - former Nuggets president and current Timberwolves president Cornelly.

At the Nuggets, Cornelly was the chief architect of the team's build. At the Timberwolves, he used a series of operations to help the Timberwolves break through the bottleneck. The same executive has built two teams into championship contenders in 11 years, one of which has already won the championship, which is a rare thing in history.

Lol pattern

In 2013, Nuggets general manager Marseille Ujerry, who had just been named NBA Executive of the Year, chose to leave. The Raptors offered $3 million a year, which was well above the league average at the time, and the Nuggets didn't even bid to keep it.

The Nuggets hired Cornelly, assistant general manager of the New Orleans Pelicans, to replace Ujeri. From 2010 to 2013, Connelly was involved in the draft, trade negotiations, and player contract negotiations with the Pelicans. Moving back a few years, Connelly spent many years with the Wizards, working on scouting, player evaluations, and researching salary caps.

Cornelly has worked for many years, but how strong he is is questioned. In the 2014 offseason, the Nuggets agreed a five-year, $60 million contract extension with "Orc" Farid. Under the collective bargaining agreement at the time, the contract was against the rules, because Farid did not sign a maximum salary, but only for four years. When the Nuggets realized their mistake and changed the details of their contract with Farid, the two sides signed a four-year, $50 million extension.

Connelly became a laughing stock in the industry, with one executive saying, "I don't know if Connelly is up to the job." "Industry insiders are questioning Connelly not just because of Farid's contract extension farce, with the opposing team's general manager revealing that Connelly had made a deal proposal to him that was a clear breach of the collective bargaining agreement.

The god of the draft

In 2014, Connelly made a joke in the free market, but also in 2014, Connelly was a big success in the draft. Connelly scouted Jokic a lot before the draft and saw Jokic as his main target from the start. But even Connelly himself admitted that it was not his expectation that Jokic was selected with the 41st pick and Jokic later grew into a superstar, and he was lucky to be able to pick an epoch-making cornerstone of the team at such a low pick.

In any case, when Jokic rose, Connelly, who had been questioned for a long time, turned over. During this period, Connelly hired Michael Malone as the head coach, helped the Nuggets select Jamal Murray and Porter Jr. in the draft, and traded Aaron Gordon in the trade, which was also recognized for the player's outstanding performance and the team's improved record.

In fact, Malone has also been involved in a dismissal crisis with the Nuggets, Murray has suffered a serious knee injury, and Porter Jr.'s performance has been questioned. But Connelly chose patience.

Slap in the face

In 2022, a year before the Nuggets won the championship, Connelly was poached by the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves threw out a five-year, $40 million contract, and the annual salary of $8 million was double the $4 million given by the Nuggets. On top of that, in an effort to show the importance they place on Connelly, the Timberwolves also gave a stake, and only a handful of executives in the league are treated so well.

Interestingly, Connelly's career with the Nuggets and Timberwolves both started with the Gobert trade. At the Nuggets, Cornelius sent away Gobert's draft pick. When it came to the Timberwolves, Connelly traded for Gobert.

At the time, the Timberwolves were met with a lot of skepticism when they traded Connelly, and Connelly explained: "There are only a few top stars, and when you have the opportunity to trade for a star of the same caliber who can make a huge impact on the landscape, you have to take the opportunity." In the middle of the season, in order to help Gobert inspire more power, Connelly traded for Gobert's old partner Conley, as well as Nickeil Alexander Walker.

In the 2022-23 season, the Timberwolves did not advance but retreated, they won 42-40, barely entered the playoffs by the play-offs, and were eliminated by the Nuggets 1-4 in the first round. Looking at this result alone, Connelly's operation was clearly a failure, but Connelly refused to admit it, believing that the team lost due to injuries to Downs, McDaniels, Reed and a short run-in time. In the offseason, Connelly not only retained the core lineup, but also retained coach Finch, who was once involved in a sacking crisis.

The Timberwolves had the second-most wins in team history in the regular season with 56 wins this season, and they swept the Suns in the first round, with Connelly's Gobert, Conley and Alexander Walker all playing a major role. Gobert, in particular, has played the law of true fragrance and is on good chance of winning the Defensive Player of the Year award this season, tying the record of four times for Mutombo and Ben Wallace.

"When Cornelly was trading for Gobert, everybody laughed at him, but now you see, he's built a great team, and he deserves to be credited," Jokic said of Connelly, "and they're an extremely dangerous team right now, they can handle all kinds of strategies, they can play big or small." ”

Jokic really didn't underestimate the Timberwolves, G1, the Timberwolves burst out with amazing combat power. Gobert's defense caused Jokic huge problems, Towns and Reed seemed to be twins dominating the offensive end, and Edwards scored 43 points to make another masterpiece.

The Timberwolves have taken the initiative after the first game, and Connelly has a chance to take down the defending champion he assembled with another championship team he has formed.

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