On May 11, Beijing time, in the past night, there were 3 messages from the NBA, let's take a look.
Pelican supermarket opens
Today, according to Michael Scotto of the American media "Hoopshype", due to poor performance in recent seasons (2 playoffs in the past 4 seasons, both were eliminated in the first round, and this year was directly swept by the Thunder), the Pelicans realized that there are many problems with the team's roster and need to be changed, they will build the team around Zeon Williamson, and all other players may be put on the trade shelf to improve the lineup, including the team's other All-Star Brandon Ingram. Previously, according to Shams of the Athletic, Ingram had an argument and conflict with coach Green over the ownership of the ball after the first round of G2, which is one of the reasons why he will be sent away.
Although the Pelicans' move is a bit radical and risky, it is really unrealistic to want to make a difference in the strong West with this lineup, and it is more appropriate to change it as soon as possible. For teams looking to improve their competitiveness, all-around scorer Ingram, quality interior lineman Valanciunas, sharpshooter CJ and Murphy are all worthy of reinforcements. Predictably, this offseason, the Pelicans will be the busiest team on the trade market.
The Suns sign a new coach
Today, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, sources revealed that the Phoenix Suns signed Mike Budenholzer to a four-year, $5,000w contract. The 55-year-old Budenholzer started as an assistant coach next to Popovich in '96, started his career as a head coach with the Hawks in '13, and then served as a coach of the Bucks, leading the team to the first place in the East four times in '15, '19, '20, '23, and leading the Bucks to win the championship in '21. Budenholzer has a regular season coaching record of 484 wins and 317 losses, a winning rate of 60.4%, and the big honor is to win 7 Coach of the Month awards, 2 Coach of the Year awards, and a total of 1 championship.
It is undeniable that Budenholzer is a good coach, and the tactical arrangement and on-the-spot adaptability are remarkable, but I think the Suns must make changes to the existing roster if they want to improve next season. First of all, the problem of the coexistence of the Big Three needs to be solved, and it is better to send Bill away, if not, the Big Three must be sacrificed; secondly, find a reliable point guard to solve the problem that the team's positional battle is too chaotic and no one combs the offense; Finally, there is a need to increase the depth of the attack, and the traditional forward line of short defenders such as Allen and Gordon to top the opposition must not become the norm. If the Suns don't make lineup changes, it will be difficult to improve their record and competitiveness, and Budenholzer is likely to follow in the footsteps of Monty and Vogel and become the third coach of the Suns to leave in three years.
The Knicks added insult to injury
Not long ago, in the Knicks' 130-121 victory over the Pacers in G2, there was a heart-wrenching scene where Knicks forward Anunoby accidentally strained his left leg in a fast-break layup without confrontation, and then covered the injury with his hand, limped back to the locker room, and exited the game early. Today, ESPN talked about Anunoby's latest situation on a TV show, and Woj said that Anunoby suffered a first-degree left hamstring strain, and will be re-examined in a week, and it is confirmed that he will miss the G4 and G5 games, and the return time is unknown.
Anunoby played in eight playoff games this year, averaging 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1 steal and 1.1 blocks in 40 minutes per game, shooting 49.5%, 39.5% and 61.5% from three. Anunoby is not only an important part of the Knicks' offensive end, but also the core hub of the team's defensive end, if he can't play in this series, it will have a great impact on the Knicks, and even increase the possibility of being overturned by the Pacers. It is worth mentioning that the Knicks currently have three players on the roster who have been reimbursed for the season, namely Randle, Robinson and Bojan. I also hope that Anunoby's injury can attract the attention of Knicks coach Thibodeau, and don't the players anymore, otherwise there will be more injuries, which is really worth the loss.