Wang Chong Seeks a New Target, Jimmy Butler

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With Curry and Billups starting as the two guards, the Bulls are now extremely weak at defending against fast-breaking guards on the perimeter, which is very reminiscent of the Lakers during their two consecutive championships. They had almost no chance against those fast guards in the playoffs. No resistance.

Regardless of Fisher, even though Kobe Bryant was still selected for the All-Defensive Team in the 2010-11 season, he still couldn't handle extremely fast guards like Rose, Westbrook, and Paul. At 32 years old, his speed and explosive power were far from what they had been when he was younger. Not to mention the defensive side, even on offense, his ball-handling and driving to the basket had decreased, with his mid-range shooting and backdoor cuts being his primary offensive options.

The biggest difference between the Bulls and the Lakers is the defensive capacity at the forward position.

Whether it's Artest or Gasol, the Lakers' frontline isn't weak in individual defense, but due to their lack of mobility, they are not as strong in helping defense.

The Bulls, on the other hand, are different. Both Wang Chong and Garnett are among the best in mobility for forwards and are also experts at helping with defense. Players who cannot be protected by the frontline can get help from the backline, and the situation becomes entirely different. This is a serious advantage.

Still, Wang Chong knows that after this season, the Bulls will likely need to optimize their roster.

By the 2011-12 season, Billups will basically no longer be able to play as a starting lineup guard. Even though his career trajectory may have changed since joining the Bulls, and he might not suffer serious injuries during the 2011-12 season, the reality is that when he turns 35, his athletic capacity will no longer be enough to sustain high-intensity matchups at the guard position.

Billups' contract will expire in the summer of 2012, and Wang Chong has no intention of trading him away to free up cap space. While he understands that the NBA is a trade-driven league, he doesn't want to part with Billups. This isn't because of a lack of camaraderie within the team.

At least in Wang Chong's view, as long as Billups is willing to accept the role of sixth man, he should remain on the roster. After his contract expires, he will continue with the team on a veteran minimum contract, allowing him to have a respectable end to his career. In the end, there won't be much loss for the Bulls.

With Billups relegated to the second unit, the Bulls can move Danny Green into the starting position.

Although Green is still quite young, after a full season of training, he will definitely be able to reach the level of one of the best 3-and-D players in the league. After all, he started to emerge with the Spurs and began establishing himself in the 2011-12 season as the starting shooting guard for the team, averaging 9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in the position.

The Bulls don't need a high-scoring guard. With Wang Chong and Curry, they already have plenty of offensive firepower. What they need is to strengthen their defense.

As long as Green's starting role can compensate for the current defensive shortcomings in the backcourt, and as a powerful spot-up shooter, he can help Wang Chong and Curry create space on the offensive end, this would be sufficient.

In short, while the Bulls cannot completely avoid the advancements of quick guards, it's not a fatal flaw for the team, and among the league's teams that currently possess fast guards, they are an absolute threat to the Bulls. The only exception is Parker from the Spurs and Wade from the Heat.

The regular season continues.

On December 8th, the Bulls defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-83 in an away game.

The matchup between the Bulls and the Cavaliers had been the focus of the league for the past few years. The main attraction was the showdown between Wang Chong and James.

With James leaving the Cavaliers, the team quickly returned to its original state. They now have the worst record in the league and are heading straight for the No. 1 pick in the draft.

Although James is full of blemishes, it's undeniable that without him, the Cavaliers are nothing. Even if they selected Irving with the first pick that season and landed the No. 1 pick three times in the next four years, the team still struggled to avoid the first overall pick every year. It wasn't until James decided to return to Cleveland that the Cavaliers regained the strength to compete for a championship.

When the Bulls and Cavaliers faced off, they didn't need to put in much effort. The key players left the court after less than 30 minutes of play because the game had already lost its suspense, so it was better to let the bench players take over.

Marcus Thornton had a rare opportunity to face the depleted Cavaliers, and he took full advantage of it. He made 8 of 12 shots in 28 minutes, scoring 21 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, and dishing out 4 assists.

Seeing Thornton perform so efficiently against a weak team, Wang Chong couldn't help but feel moved.

Although the current Bulls have little need for players like Thornton, who has good offensive ability but poor defensive performance, that doesn't mean other teams in the league wouldn't be interested in him.

If Wang Chong increases Thornton's playing time in the next game and lets him put up strong stats, he would likely become a highly valuable trade asset.

Of course, Wang Chong also hopes that Thornton could be traded for some key players. If he can trade for a first-round pick, or even a relatively high second-round pick, it would be a huge win.

You must know that the 2011 draft was full of hidden gems. The 15th pick was Kawhi Leonard, the 30th pick was Jimmy Butler, the second-round picks included Bojan Veach and Chandler Parsons, and the 175th pick, Isaiah Thomas, was arguably the strongest player on the planet, all of them were great players.

Once again, the Bulls have a well-organized lineup and don't need too many more star players. However, this doesn't mean that Wang Chong can't take advantage of low picks. Even if the Mavericks select some potential players and don't develop them, as long as they aren't given to other teams, it won't hurt the Bulls' chances to grow and become a contender.

Moreover, if they manage to pick good players, it won't harm others. Just like Jimmy Butler, who is definitely the best candidate for the second or third star in Wang Chong's mind. He has a tough personality, plays without needing to dominate the ball, and is also excellent on defense.

Most importantly, compared to Klay Thompson (11th overall in the first round) and Kawhi Leonard (15th overall), Butler's greatest advantage is that he can be acquired with the 30th pick in the first round. Given that the Bulls could take Butler with the last pick of the first round, it's not impossible that Butler could fall to the second round in this draft.

In Wang Chong's future development plan, the Bulls would select Butler and train him for one or two seasons before Garnett retires. By then, Wang Chong's comprehensive assessment of his own abilities will be much clearer, and the small-ball era will be in full swing. It will be completely fine to transition into playing power forward.

At that point, the Bulls' starting lineup will consist of Curry, Danny Green, Jimmy Butler, Wang Chong, and Gasol. The defensive shortcomings on the perimeter will be fully compensated for. Meanwhile, Wang Chong and Gasol will form a combined interior line strong enough to face any opponent in the league in terms of height and defensive capability.

But that's a bit far off. These are considerations that can wait until next summer. For now, the Bulls just need to keep winning game after game, maintaining their current healthy lineup. When the time is right, it will be enough to give Marcus Thornton more opportunities to improve his stats and increase his trade value.

On December 10th, the Bulls faced off against their archrivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, at home.

Even though the Lakers didn't make any changes or optimizations to their lineup over the summer due to salary cap restrictions, their current roster is still considered a championship favorite and sits in second place in the league rankings.

The matchup between the Lakers and the Bulls is always a battle for the

ages. In this game, the Bulls rarely scored over 90 points. They only managed 88 points. However, the Lakers weren't much better, scoring only 85. The Lakers won by 3 points.

In this game, the Bulls made some minor adjustments to the starting lineup. Billups didn't start, and instead, Danny Green was used as the starting shooting guard, tasked with guarding Kobe throughout the game.

Although Green is still quite young, his advantage is his youth. A newborn calf doesn't fear tigers. His hard work on the court was remarkable. Even Kobe was frustrated by Green's defensive pressure. Kobe finished with just 23 points on 9-of-39 shooting.

After many games, the Lakers also found some ways to target Curry. In this game, Curry was limited to 4 of 11 shooting, scoring only 12 points.

But Curry has never been the primary offensive core for the Bulls. Limiting Curry's scoring won't help the Lakers win, because Wang Chong can still score.

In this game, Wang Chong scored 29 points, the highest of the game. Even when the Bulls faced off against the Lakers and all the team's players were struggling, Wang Chong still managed to maintain his efficient scoring and led the team to a smooth victory.

How to stop Wang Chong from scoring has become a focus of research for teams around the league in recent seasons. However, after several seasons, Wang Chong remains the player with the highest scoring ability and most efficient scoring in the league. This includes teams like the Lakers, Cavaliers, and Magic, who have tried multiple methods but still can't limit Wang Chong's scoring.

This type of dominance is reminiscent of O'Neal in his prime or Michael Jordan, who was the 10th-leading scorer in NBA history.

After defeating the Lakers, the Bulls now have an easy schedule ahead. The Timberwolves, Pacers, Raptors, Clippers, 76ers, and Wizards are mostly at the bottom of the league, with some teams like the Pacers and 76ers barely making the playoffs, but they don't represent much of a threat to the powerful Bulls.

In this relatively easy schedule, two veterans, Billups and Garnett, felt a bit "off" physically and opted to take turns resting against the weaker teams.

Despite missing key players, the Bulls still crushed these teams one after another, extending their record to an astonishing 26-1.

Of course, a 26-1 record is the best in the Eastern Conference, leaving teams like the Magic and Celtics far behind. However, compared to the three teams in the Western Conference, the gap isn't as wide.

By December 24th, the San Antonio Spurs had a record of 25-3, while the Lakers and Mavericks had 22 wins, not far behind the Bulls.

It's worth noting that the Miami Heat quickly adjusted their form after a slow start, going from 9-8 to winning 13 straight games. Their current record stands at 22-8, surpassing the Magic and tying with the Celtics, who also have a 22-10 record. Since the Celtics have a lower winning percentage, the Heat are now in second place in the Eastern Conference, just behind the Bulls.

The Big Three are proving their worth. Even though their level of integration isn't perfect and the tactical system is chaotic, they can still win games relying on their individual brilliance.

After entering December, Wade and James are averaging 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game, and 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists per game, respectively.

Wade's average shot attempts are slightly higher than James's, indicating that the Heat has begun to establish basic roles within their Big Three.

Wade remains the team's core. While James has equal rights to the ball and shots, his status in the team is still somewhat lower than Wade's. In critical moments of games, the ball handling duties belong to Wade.

As for Bosh, the weakest among the Big Three, he's the most unfortunate. He can't get the ball and has to do the dirty work on the court. The Heat's interior lacks the strength to do the heavy lifting with players like Big Z and Joel Anthony.

In any case, the Heat, having secured 13 straight victories, have finally found their stride and are starting to move towards the championship.

Their opponent in Game 14 is the Chicago Bulls, and the game will take place on Christmas Day, December 25.

The league is buzzing with excitement.

This matchup is incredibly dramatic.

The Christmas Day game has already generated a lot of buzz. Now, the Heat, who are on a 13-game win streak, will face the Bulls, who have won 18 straight. The two teams with the longest win streaks in the league are meeting for the second time. Will this game be as one-sided as their earlier season matchup?

The return of the Heat's Big Three faces off against Wang Chong.

The anticipation surrounding this game is clearly greater than the opening game of the season.

On Christmas Day, December 25th, the Chicago Bulls fans gathered early outside the United Center, filling the arena as soon as it opened.

Almost every TV station in the U.S. is broadcasting this highly anticipated Christmas Day showdown live.

For this game, Wang Chong naturally plans to give his all. Although, strictly speaking, this is just a regular-season game, the Christmas Day game is heavily packaged by the league, and the attention and competition are so high that whether the team wins or loses, it will count as just one win or loss.

Still, Wang Chong has no intention of letting the Heat's Big Three win this game. After all, with so many fans watching, he must win and prove who the real king of the league is.

After an easier schedule over the past period, the Bulls' key players have had enough rest. Currently, all team members are in great competitive form and fully prepared for the Christmas Day game.

End of this chapter

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