Since the deal with the Brooklyn Nets was exchanged for James Harden, the Philadelphia 76ers have taken it to a higher level, both in terms of attention and strength. It's just that no team is perfect, take the Philadelphia 76ers, the "big" Joel Embiid is fierce, but in addition to him, the other interior players on the team seem to be less interesting. In the bayonet-red playoffs, once Embiid is resting, suffering from fouls or encountering the opponent's strict defense, he needs the support of his helpers.
All this 76ers management naturally saw in their eyes, so they used a 10-day short contract to successfully sign the former No. 6 show Willie Cowley Stein. The operation was still targeted because Embiid lacked reliable substitutes behind him, George Niang was a high-altitude battery that could open up space on the court and provide projection threats, but the defensive and rebounding protection really did not help; Millsap, who came with Harden, was also an All-Star, but after all, he was old, and his height was on top of the center position, which was really difficult. In this case, a center like Cauley Stein, who is in the middle of the game, will naturally be a better choice, and the 76ers obviously have a back move, they only give Cauley Stein a short 10-day contract, if the latter is not good enough, or can not integrate with the team, can directly cut him, will not cause any follow-up impact.
Cauley-Stein, a basketball school from the University of Kentucky, was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the 6th pick in the first round in 2015 with excellent physical fitness and athleticism. However, due to the presence of DeMarcus Cousins at that time, he could only play as a substitute at first, until cousins was sent to pelicans by the Kings before the 16-17 season deadline, and the whole team ushered in a series of butterfly effects, and Cowley Stein became the team's starting center. In the late days of the Kings, Cauley-Stein also brought some surprises, he averaged double-digit points per game, and he was able to grab about 7 rebounds per game.
However, the role of players on the court can not only look at the basic data, after the expiration of Cauley Stein's rookie contract, the Kings did not leave him, Cauley Stein joined the Golden State Warriors as a free agent. Due to Durant's departure, coupled with the "splash brothers" Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are injured, the Warriors are much less competitive than before, and the problem of Cauley Stein is gradually exposed. If you only look at the regular data, Cauley-Stein can also average 7.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game during the Warriors' playing, but his sense of position on the court is extremely poor, and the phenomenon of butter hands and defensive leaks after receiving the ball is not uncommon, in other words, the data sometimes does not reflect how bad Cauley-Stein really is.
So after only half a season with the Warriors, Cauley-Stein was abandoned, and the vast majority of fans even cheered because of his departure, which shows how unpopular Cauley-Stein is. Until the Lone Rangers were reimbursed because of the original starting center Dwight Powell's torn tendons, they chose to sign Cauley Stein, who is supposed to be far more talented than Powell, but Cauley Stein's ball quotient and enthusiasm are very problematic, and in the second half of the Lone Rangers, he can only get 5.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, which is indeed embarrassing.
For the past two seasons, Cauley-Stein has remained with the Lone Ranger, but the overall performance has not risen but declined. This season, Cauley-Stein only played 18 games for the Lone Ranger, 2 of which were as a starter, and don't blame the Lone Ranger coaching staff for not giving him a chance, because Cowley-Stein only averaged 1.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, and he couldn't attack when he played, it was useless, and the Lone Ranger later cut Cowley Stan.
Joining the Philadelphia 76ers this time, if the team still has to retreat, for Cauley Stein, it may be the last chance. On the one hand, the 76ers have James Harden, many unknown or low-profile players, after partnering with Harden, only need to do a good job of blocking, eating under the basket and defending, etc., they will take this opportunity to gain a foothold in the league, and even seek a more generous contract. So if there is a super giant like Harden to attract the other side's containment, Cowley Stan can not play too good data, then he really will not be saved.
Cowley-Stein, on the other hand, is now 28 years old, not too young. Judging from the overall trend of the league now, the status of the traditional interior line is much worse than before, and even dwight Howard and Andre Drummond, who used to be All-Star centers, can only get a basic salary contract, not to mention marginal people like Cauley Stein. So he really needs to recognize the status quo and put his attitude right, otherwise this may be the last contract that Cowley-Stein got in the NBA, after which he can really change his career as a painter and immerse himself in his art.