Preface
In the summer two years ago, the Los Angeles Lakers once again reached the highest podium in the league, achieving the great feat of 17 championships in team history. However, who would have thought that in the following season, they would experience the embarrassment of being eliminated in the first round of in the playoffs, ending the season ahead of schedule. In order to revive the glory of the Zijin Dynasty, the Lakers made a decision that shocked the entire league during last year's offseason: introducing the third giant Westbrook. But it was this crazy move that plunged them into a quagmire from which they could not extricate themselves.
Westbrook has lost his value as the historical three-point champion. He has never been able to produce the statistical performance that a superstar player should have, and has become a representative figure in the league with high salary and low ability. In the season that just ended, the Lakers, who were chanting the slogan of winning the championship, ended their season ahead of schedule without even touching the playoff floor. This offseason, the Lakers' situation is even worse. Westbrook, who has lost his trade value, once became a burden for the team to recruit reinforcements. In contrast, guard Pop , who was originally sent away by the Lakers, is thriving in other teams.
Renewed his contract in advance, worth 44 million US dollars in three years
Yes, according to the latest news, Pope, who will play for the Denver Nuggets next season, has reached an early extension with the team for 2 years and 30 million US dollars. contract. Counting next season's annual salary worth $14 million, Pope will also receive $44 million in the next three years. In fact, it is not accidental that Pope can get the high attention of Denver Nuggets . He has rich championship experience and can also pose a shooting threat from the outside. He is the most reliable recruitment target for the Denver Nuggets at this stage. The most important thing is that Pope's defensive attitude is impeccable and can show the attributes of a 3D player.
It is foreseeable that if the Nuggets can stay healthy next season and use Jokic, Murray , Pope, Porter Jr. and Gordon as the starting lineup, their results will be inevitable. Remarkable. Jokic has won the honor of regular season MVP for two consecutive years and is a representative figure of inside players in the current small ball era. He won the highest honor in the regular season, and it's time to show off his talents in the playoffs.
The guard whom the Lakers disliked is now prospering
It must be admitted that Pope did have the title of "Wolong and Phoenix" in the Lakers and Tielin, but that cannot be the decisive factor for the Lakers to give up on him. The role he played on the field is definitely not comparable to that of ordinary winning puzzle pieces. When he stayed with Zhan Mei, he never caused trouble. Not only could he unite his teammates off the court, he could also try his best on the court and maintain a stable defense. Compared to when he was treated as a trading chip in exchange for Westbrook, who was like a hot potato, Pope is undoubtedly a hot potato.
But there is no regret in the world. The Lakers' current embarrassing situation was all caused by themselves. Perhaps forming the so-called sunset red lineup to win the championship was itself a huge mistake. On the other hand, Pope, after completing the short transition period of wizard , got the opportunity to assist Jokic and got a good contract. He can be called a winner in life.
