640: 225: Unruly Child (Asking for Monthly Votes!)_3 640: 225: Unruly Child (Asking for Monthly Votes!)_3 After a month of integration, Glenn Rice had completely found his competitive form and merged with the team.
Having completed important signings, the Lakers had already set their sights on the championship.
The Lakers’ slogan for the year was “It’s time!”
Thus, the Hawks had the misfortune of facing the strongest Lakers at this time.
On April 1st, the day before the battle between the Hawks and the Lakers, Roger arrived in Los Angeles with the whole team.
Pierce did not dine with the team that evening, he went to spend time with his family.
Roger was drinking coffee in the hotel lobby’s café, casually discussing the 1999 draft with head coach Lenny Wilkens.
Indeed, the Los Angeles Clippers were predictably stable.
Although the presence of Stevie Smith improved the Clippers’ record somewhat, they were still likely to secure a top-six draft pick.
Lenny Wilkens and Roger’s goal was consistent, they needed a power forward with mobility, defensive abilities, shooting talent, and rebounding capabilities.
This year, with the departure of Alan Henderson, the Hawks’ interior offense was dead in the water.
Big Ben’s offense was nonexistent, and Kurt Thomas’s occasional mid-range shots were not satisfying.
Clifford Robinson’s offense and defense were great, but his rebounding was too weak.
Once he was on the court, the Hawks were easily dominated on the boards.
Last season, Alan Henderson had just met all these requirements, which was why he could play as a starter for a long time.
This season, after his departure, no matter how the forward rotations were arranged, there were always shortcomings.
Currently, Lenny Wilkens and Roger had set their sights firmly on Shawn Marion from UNLV.
Compared to Odom, Marion’s advantage was that he was more of a functional forward.
He didn’t need the ball, his defense and fighting for the ball were very active, his wingspan was impressive, he had top-notch athletic ability, and a reasonable shooting ability.
Although he was only 201 centimeters tall,…
The Hawks were already using Big Ben as a center, so why would they hesitate to use Marion as a power forward?
Moreover, Marion had a short neck, so his effective height was more than just 201 centimeters.
While the two were discussing, they saw Paul Pierce returning to the hotel.
Pierce seemed down, despite having returned to California and met with his family.
His family would all come to watch his game the next night, and he would also be facing his childhood favorite team, so he should have been excited.
But he was incredibly downhearted.
“What’s wrong, you want to give yourself another day off?” Roger yelled out, and upon seeing Roger, Pierce also walked towards the café.
After entering the café, Pierce sat down next to Roger, “Roger, can I drink tonight?”
“No, you can’t drink the night before a game, no one can break this rule.
You’ll be defending Glenn Rice tomorrow, no problem, right?”
“No problem, for every three-pointer Glenn Rice makes, I’ll give you 1,000 US Dollars, I promise!”
Pierce had never been this forthright when discussing defense.
After speaking, he ordered a glass of water from the bar, drank it down in one gulp, then stood up to leave: “See you on the court tomorrow; you don’t have to worry about Glenn Rice.”
Lenny Wilkens and Roger looked at each other.
All along, they had both been annoyed by Pierce’s attitude towards defense.
But Pierce was tough and would not listen, no matter what you did or said.
He wouldn’t get angry with you, but he just wouldn’t obey, leaving you hopeless.
And today, Pierce’s attitude towards defense was so determined?
The firm look in his eyes was definitely not his usual way of shirking responsibility.
Logically, Pierce had no personal feud with Glenn Rice either.
“Lenny, if you had a kid , what would you do?” Roger joked.
“Thank God, I don’t have such a disobedient child.”
“Forget it, let’s not consider such complicated issues, let’s think about something simple.”
“How to expose that idiot Shaquille O’Neal for what he really is.”
The next day, as the Hawks’ bus arrived at the Staples Center, Roger had barely gotten off the bus when a camera was shoved in his face.
“Roger, do you have anything you want to say to Shaq?”
“The time isn’t right, maybe it will never come,” Roger modified the Lakers’ slogan for the season, as a well-intentioned reminder.