Chapter 772: Chapter 14 Talent Reduction_3
"It’s all ’I haven’t even tried hard, how come you’ve already fallen?’ By the fourth quarter, there is basically no suspense about the outcome, only the game against the Knight made us break a sweat,"
Initially, the Trail Blazers were all tensed up, but to their surprise, they breezily made it through the first Eastern away trip of December.
However, during the post-game summary, Shalov rated the team’s performance and shook his head in the locker room, saying: "Actually, our play wasn’t good, we had more turnovers than in November, shooting percentage was lower than in November, assists, rebounds and other stats all clearly declined. Average points scored and shooting percentage have dropped significantly, and the games weren’t played out that well either."
John Wetzell said: "But we won, and quite easily at that."
Shalov replied: "Yes, we did win easily, but that’s because our opponents were too weak. If our performance was average, then theirs can only be described as terrible, just... too miserable to be playing in the NBA."
Shalov’s summary is correct; the Trail Blazers’ easy wins during their four-game road trip was not because they played well, but because the opponents were indeed very poor.
This season, the number of teams in the League has increased from 23 in the 1980s to 27.
In addition to suddenly adding four weak new teams to the League, these new teams also diluted the combat effectiveness of other teams.
Like with the Detroit Pistons, they were forced to choose between Vinnie Johnson and Rick Mahorn.
If they had kept Vinnie, last year’s Finals would have posed a greater challenge for the Trail Blazers.
Other teams in the League were also affected by the expansion draft, as they were forced to let go of some players who were ready to play or had potential.
Although it doesn’t seem to have a big impact on the strength of the teams now, as every team’s core 8 players are still present,
Yet in the long run, after two or three seasons, these teams’ rebuilding plans and the supply of follow-up strength will be affected.
At the same time, with four weak teams entering the League, they have gotten quite a few high-pick rookies over the years, leading to some teams not receiving the addition of talented new players.
The number of players being drafted in the first and second rounds has increased, but the number of talented players remains the same, and 27 teams are starting to fall short to share them.
If talented rookies like Glen Rice, Anderson, and Kendall Gill could be selected by mid-level teams, it would definitely be a significant boost.
Not to mention, in the future, there will surely be more talented geniuses who will be picked by these consistently underperforming weak teams, diluting the entire League’s talent.
Actions like the Miami Heat snatching away Drexler also represent a dilution and leveling of talent.
With the increasing frequency of free agent movement, with a more refined salary cap, and draft systems, the situation of talented players clustering on a few teams will become less common.
The 1980s with the Lakers having multiple first picks, champions getting top draft picks, and the Philadelphia 76ers, Celtics having four Hall of Famers in the starting lineup will become history.
The Trail Blazers and Bulls both have strong lineups, but upon closer analysis, in terms of true All-Star caliber, the Trail Blazers have one, and the Bulls have two.
Mainly because Gan Guoyang and Jordan are very strong, one is worth two.
Other teams, some don’t even have a single All-Star, resulting in a serious contraction of the League’s average strength.
This season with another batch of old players retiring, and new ones not being replenished, the situation of lacking replacements is particularly evident.
Causing teams of ordinary strength to stand no chance against the Trail Blazers.
To change this situation, time is needed, as well as the need for those weaker teams to slowly grow and establish themselves.
Of course, if one day the stars suddenly come to a realization and decide to band together, it would also change the League’s landscape.
But for now, it seems they have not yet entertained such thoughts.
The Trail Blazers conclude their away games and return to Portland to face the visiting Phoenix Suns.
Charles Barkley is the man who aims to defeat Jordan and Gan Guoyang squarely and fairly.
