The 2004-2005 season was a year of great lineup change for the Rockets.
Maddy's addition in the summer was certainly enough to cause an earthquake in the league, but in the days that followed, Carol Dawson had endless work. Since the Yao Mai double core was formed to launch a sprint to the championship, it was necessary to supplement them with role players of sufficient level.
So Dawson busied himself with the following things:
In August 2004, free agent guards Bob Sula and Charlie Ward were signed;
In September 2004, the Bulls were traded from center Deakimbe Mutombo;
In September 2004, he signed free agent forward Ryan Bowen;
In October 2004, he was transferred from the Eagles to shooter Joan Barry;
In October 2004, he was replaced by guard David Wesley from the Hornets.
David Wesley
If you can't spot at a glance what these new additions have in common, then check out the additional information: Sula is 32, Ward is 34, Mutombo is 38, Bowen is 30, Barry is 35... There's also 32-year-old big forward Juwan Howard, who joined in the summer; In January 2005, they even signed nearly 39-year-old defender Rod Strickland.
Alongside Yao Ming and Maddy, Dawson recruited a horde of veterans.
Dawson's logic is very understandable, although Yao Ming Maddy is extraordinary, but after all, he is young and lacks playoff experience, and finding some veterans to assist them can help the Rockets take fewer detours.
But what is interesting is that these veterans, old and old, have not fought too many times in the bloody and fire battlefield of the playoffs.
Mutombo, who played Yao Ming's bench, reached the Finals with Iverson in 2001, which is already the most story-telling of these veterans, while others have basically never even experienced the division finals, and there is not much experience to pass on to Yao Ming and Maddy - and compared to the resume problem, what has buried the Rockets with uneasiness is the personality of this group of old guys.
Mutombo's classic finger shaking motion
The veterans' own personalities are not too flawed, but around Yao Ming and Maddy, they are too quiet.
A year ago, in the Rockets locker room, because of the presence of Francis and Mobley, there was laughter almost all the time, And Boss Fur was like a child without worries, who would not be bothered by anything, and often took the initiative to tease his teammates, such as knowing what Yao Ming's answer was, and liked to say to this little brother: "Hey, Yao, after changing clothes in a while, we will go to the nightclub?" Frightened, Yao Ming was stunned and repeatedly waved his hand.
But after Maddy's arrival, everything is different, Maddy is never a warm person, the Rockets gave the original Francis locker to Maddy, left and right, equivalent to a person enjoying the largest area.
Maddy Rockets photo
Sitting directly opposite Maddy was Yao Ming. In Yao Ming's memory, the person opposite is lively to the point of even some ADHD; Now, the flow of breath in the locker room seems to have slowed down a lot.
Of course, Yao Ming will not say too much, although his English level has improved by leaps and bounds, but because of the difference in bones with black players, Yao Ming cannot become an overly lively person.
Yao
He is willing to communicate, but the communication he is accustomed to is listening first. The person he talks to the most now has become Mutombo, who has an infinitely low voice.
Chinese fans nicknamed Mutombo a nickname, "Uncle Mu", because he was too old, although his registration age in the 2004-2005 season was 38 years old, but when asked about his real age, Mutombo himself could not say a standard answer.
He would only repeat the past of the old sesame seeds and rotten grains again and again: "In the place where I was born, in our Congo, I used to remember the age by cutting down trees, cutting one at the age of one, at the beginning I could still remember please, and then the trees cut down more, who remembers to live?" Over time, Uncle Mu's age in the NBA has become a mystery.
Mutombo is willing to talk to everyone, but he is more like an elder, passing on his life wisdom to the young people around him;
Coming from the African continent, he is not an American, and he cannot be a pistachio in the dressing room or a response to the whole team. So many times these veterans are also curious, in such a dull locker room, who is the real boss?
Is it Yao Ming? He has good ability, a diligent attitude and has been with the team for the longest time.
Is it Maddy? He is a top star in the league, proficient in scoring and passing, and is the darling of fans.
The first season of Yao Ming and Maddy's cooperation slowly sailed to the final station in such suspense.
Yao Mai combination
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