The NBA Western Conference Finals three years ago can be described as dark. That year was a powerful clash between the Warriors and the Rockets, and every offensive round, every defensive round was the ultimate test of personal ability and awareness. The two sides have a variety of singles, and the three-point long-range shooting is dizzying.
Three years later, both teams had a major change of lineup. The Warriors' side of Durant left the team, and many veterans of the team chose to leave. The Rockets' lineup changed even more, and several of the main players of the year basically left the team. Harden, Paul, Ariza, and Capela are all far away from Houston. The only remaining veteran, Eric Gordon, is also about to face being traded.
Recently, a reporter revealed that it is only a matter of time before rocket trade veteran Eric Gordon. Gordon's performance in the regular season this year is actually quite good, in the case of little playing time, he has close to 18 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists per game, and the number of three-point shots per game is close to 3, and the output is very prominent.
However, with the rise of the team's young players. The Rockets realized that Gordon had no need to stay on the team anymore. It's definitely a matter of time before Gordon leaves the Rockets, and he doesn't want to stay with the Rockets to train with young people. Traveling to a strong team to impact the championship is undoubtedly a better option.
Compared with Gordon, the future of our protagonist Wall is even more confusing. Three years ago, Wall was at least a second-tier star in the league, the league's top 5 point guard. The offense is sharp, the organization is steady, and the defense is even more amazing. He was named to the NBA's All-Defensive Team and was once one of the top three in the NBA's assist-assists-per-game list. At its peak, the score was close to 24 points, and there were no dead ends in the middle of the shooting, three-point shooting, and breakthrough.
However, with age and the effects of injuries, Wall has fallen from heaven to mortality. No longer the superstar who slashed points at will. Looking at Wall's stats in this year's regular season, fans will still have the illusion that he is playing well, but this is not the case.
Wall has averaged 21 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists in the regular season this year. But his shooting percentage is not even 41 percent, well below the league point guard average. His three-point shooting percentage is less than 32%, and his best interior breakthrough has also experienced a sharp decline. He's shooting less than 51 percent in the interior. A player like Wall, who makes a living from breakthroughs, is undoubtedly very inefficient if the inside shooting rate is just over 50%.
The more troublesome point is Wall's contract. Wall will make more than $40 million a year next season, and the current NBA players will earn more than $40 million a year, surpassing only superstars. Wall now has nothing to do with the term superstar, the worst of the 40 million players with an annual salary. Is there a team willing to be Wall's receiver? Most likely not, because Wall's current capabilities are not up to par. With an annual salary of 40 million, he is no longer a superstar.
So the Rockets have two choices. One of them is trading Wall, but the chips brought back may be very limited and not even much help to the team. Second, Wall continues to be used, but the Rockets have chosen two talented guard players, Porter Jr. and Green. Their playing time with Wall directly overlapped, and Wall wasn't so bad he had no ball to play. If snow hiding is a disrespect to him. If you use Wall, it will squeeze the growth space of Little Porter and Green. Wall staying in the team is a bad choice for himself and the young people of the team.
Wall's current trade prospects are surprisingly consistent with Philadelphia's 76ers star Simmons, with both sides having some strength and talent. But the value of the transaction is not high, and it is an undoubted negative asset. The only way to trade is to wait for a buyer to sell.
Wall's trading prospects are bleaker than those of the youthful Simmons. Not only because of his contract and age, but also because of his style of play. Wall's style of play is somewhat out of place with the current league, and how can he gain a foothold in the league if he is not very good at shooting?
This year at the Rockets Wall can get such good data, is to rely on the ball accumulation, a large number of shots to help him improve the data. If the ball is reduced to other teams, Wall may not be able to play such a good performance.
The Rockets should understand their purpose. The rocket's goal in the coming years is to rebuild. As a result, gordon and Wall, two players who could hinder the Rockets' rebuilding, are likely to be traded. There's no way to do that, because the NBA is a business ground, and players who don't align with the team's interests can only be victimized. However, when we witnessed the performance of Gordon and Wall three years ago and look back at the current transaction, we will only lament how impermanent life is. Dear readers, when do you think Wall and Gordon will be traded by the Rockets? I hope you will leave a comment in the comment area of the article.