Chapter 778: Chapter 778
The time comes to February 9th, the trade deadline day of the season has arrived.
The Pacers were the first to take action, reaching a three-way deal with the Pelicans and Magic.
The Pacers traded the injury-plagued Little Thomas to get Elfrid Payton;
The Magic Team traded Elfrid Payton and received Nelson and a future lottery-protected first-round pick;
The Pelicans traded Nelson and a lottery-protected first-round pick to get Little Thomas;
Elfrid Payton is the point guard the Magic have focused on developing over the years, this season he has averaged 13 points, 4 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.5 steals.
He has excellent defensive skills and good organizational ability, but his problem is a lack of shooting ability, very similar to McCallum.
The reason the Magic traded him is that this type of guard isn’t favored in the small-ball era, and it’s also the last year of his rookie contract.
The Pelicans’ motive is easier to understand, they lack a hard scorer in crucial moments.
As for the Pacers, they need someone to share the organizational pressure with George, who is currently more suited as a wing player without the ball.
The highly watched Warriors also made moves afterward, trading Ben McLemore, who they signed last summer with a mid-level contract, to acquire Ersan Ilyasova from the Hawks.
At 30, Ilyasova stands 2.08 meters tall, and this season he has appeared in 46 games for the Hawks, starting 40, averaging 10.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1 steal, with 3.7 three-point attempts per game and a 36% shooting percentage.
The Cavaliers made no moves at this trade deadline, as Ross returned from injury in early January, showing a decline in form compared to the start of the season. During his absence, Murray got some playing time, giving the Cavaliers ample depth at the point guard position.
More importantly, JR gradually found his form again, returning to the starting lineup in January.
Now the Cavaliers’ entire rotation is relatively stable, and although Wade’s form isn’t as good as last season, the overall depth has returned.
The gap between them and the Celtics in terms of wins has narrowed to 2 games.
Time flies to February 17th, the 67th NBA All-Star Game kicks off in Cleveland.
This is Cleveland’s first time hosting an All-Star Game for one of the four major sports, and the city is more bustling than ever.
Thanks to Hansen’s presence, Cleveland’s sports career has flourished over the years, and there are now many commercial streets around Quicken Loans Arena, fully capable of accommodating a large number of visitors.
This day marks one of Cleveland’s most prosperous days.
As the host, Hansen made appearances at various event venues.
Besides him, Jokic’s presence was also quite high.
Hansen will leave Cleveland in the summer, a fact known to only a few, but the Cavaliers are clearly preparing for Hansen’s departure.
Jokic will take over Hansen’s torch to become Cleveland’s new iconic figure.
Of course, these are things that a "very happy" Jokic is unaware of.
He feels these are his most tiring days of the season, wishing only for them to end soon so he can go back and rest.
This All-Star Game, Hansen participated as a player only in the main game, but he was also invited to join this year’s dunk contest as a judge.
In theory, active players don’t serve as judges for the dunk contest, but the Cavaliers’ history has a limited number of dunkers worth mentioning.
Especially since Little Nance is participating, Old Nance couldn’t be a judge.
However, as the strongest dunk contest champion of his year, no one questions Hansen’s competence.
The most important thing is that since the peak showdown of the dunk contest that year, the contest’s attention, like the All-Star Game, has gradually declined.
Hansen had no reason to compete as a player again, but as a judge, he’s still a major draw. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖•𝗇𝗲𝘁
In fact, the effect was better than expected.
On the second day of All-Star Weekend, as the game reached the dunk contest and Hansen was introduced as a judge, the crowd went wild.
Hansen waved, feeling quite good.
As a contestant, your fate is in the hands of the judges; as a judge, you hold the fate of the contestants.
In fact, the contestants for this year’s dunk contest aren’t weak at all.
With Derrick Jones Jr. as the hometown representative, Donovan Mitchell leading the Kings to their best record in recent years and making a playoff push, Larry Nance Jr., the son of the NBA’s first Dunk King, and Aaron Gordon, who previously showcased excellent dunking skills but regrettably did not make the finals against Hansen and Raven.
It’s no exaggeration to say this should be the highest quality showdown of contestants in years.
The competition heated up as soon as it started.
Mitchell went first, setting up a new hoop behind the basket right away.
Such an operation was only seen before when McGee participated and dunked two balls at once.
However, Mitchell’s final choice was to bank off the other hoop and then do a windmill dunk.
The creativity and difficulty were high, but the overall spectacle lacked a bit.
Hansen gave his first score as a judge: 9 points.
Mitchell scored 48 points, a pretty good start.