The 2022-23 regular season is about to start, and players who have not yet been contracted will most likely find it difficult to get another contract, unless some players have a large injury during the season, then there may be some opportunities for short-term work.
Cousins has been in this state for several years, and can only take chances to work short-term jobs everywhere.
This year's list of short-term workers should add a few more names that we are familiar with...
Yesterday we took stock of the players on the Lakers' roster at the end of last season who were not yet on contract, counting Ariza with a total of 10 men: Anthony, DJ Augustine, Bazemore, Avery Bradley, Ellington, Howard, Stanley Johnson, Mason Jones, Mark McErron and Ariza.
If you go a little further, Rondo and Thomas are now unemployed.
Howard said on a show today: "I want to play basketball, but no team wants me to play." ”
That said... How sad.
Suddenly, I thought of Mitsui Shou's classic line, __
Howard said: "This is how I feel now after going through the Lakers last season. I feel like I've done enough to try to help them fight for the championship. I really deserved a place in the squad and deserved to get a lot of playing time, but that didn't happen. ”
Last summer, Howard chose to return to the Lakers among many of his favorite teams. Probably I miss the season I won...
At the beginning of the season, the Lakers really attached great importance to him and gave him a starting position. But as the season progressed, Howard was gradually abandoned, sometimes sitting on the bench for the entire game.
Without major injuries, Howard played just 60 games last season, starting 27 games, averaging 16.2 minutes per game, getting 6.2 points, 5.9 boards and 0.6 assists, all of which were down from his season with the 75ers.
In fact, in the summer of 2021, the 75ers also retained Howard, but in the end, Howard chose the Lakers.
Howard said: "After a season like that, I was like, 'I don't want to work hard all summer, practice three times a day, keep a tight grip on my diet, do all the crazy things, and then go to a team and sit on the bench or can't help the team win.'" So I've been thinking about whether I want to give up basketball and do something else, or if I want to go back and prove to people that I still have the ability to win. ”
It seems that last season, the Lakers really gave Howard a psychological shadow, and they began to consider whether to give up basketball and retire.
Howard's words are somewhat sad, how much effort does a player who still wants to play need to do in the off-season, we can see by looking at the players who have been blessed for 1 year.
Not to mention retired players, Harden most indulged himself in the summer, the new season began as fat as two.
Three exercises a day and strict control of diet are just routine, but while strictly controlling yourself, you don't know whether it makes sense to persist in the end, and whether you can continue to play, this feeling of no decline is really torturous.
The "last genius high school student" of the year, the champion of the year, the best defensive player of the year, the All-Star ticket king of the year...
The years can really take away a lot of things.
In fact, Howard is also 36 years old, played 18 seasons in the NBA, in fact, retirement is not impossible, but probably he himself still has a lot of unwillingness. After all, in the last few seasons of his career, he survived the "75 major", so how can he retire so willingly?