Mountain Peak System: a Path to NBA-Chapter 631 - 215: The Madness Before the Trade Deadline, the Warriors’ Top Rival! (Second Update, Please Vote!)

After the All-Star Weekend ended, Qin Yue's consecutive "40+" triple-double performances didn't even make the headlines.

Because leading up to the trade deadline, every powerhouse in the Eastern Conference wanting to make it to the Finals this year had been riled up to an extreme level.

By the end of February, the Knicks took the lead by using "double-double machine" David Lee to trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, who, following the gun scandal, decided to tank completely and traded everyone except Wall, in exchange for Andre Iguodala.

At this time, the somewhat sentimental 76ers management didn't want to hinder Iguodala's bright future for the sake of tanking.

The Knicks' general manager Walsh seized the opportunity. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

And with a fair and just offer, he brought this top-notch swingman known for both offense and defense to the Knicks.

Currently, Iguodala is at the peak of his career.

Not only can he attack and defend, but he also has a knack for organizing and assisting.

This made Walsh consider him a lubricant between James and the Knicks' young trio, and a brake for Westbrook, who can often get carried away in games.

But...

Even though Iguodala isn't a player who takes many shots, as a point forward, his presence is bound to further reduce James's ball-handling time on the court.

Last summer, choosing to bring his talent to the Knicks, James couldn't have imagined that the price he needed to pay for winning would be his personal stats.

This season, James's average stats have dropped to 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.

This means...

If James's status on the Knicks doesn't improve, he would have to wait several more years to achieve the "411 Project" like in Qin Yue's memory.

Of course...

Compared to the defensively lacking Lee, Iguodala's joining indeed significantly improved the Knicks' recent defensive quality.

The only downside is...

After losing their starting power forward, D'Antoni unhesitatingly made the same choice as Pat Riley did historically—putting James at the power forward position.

For James, the benefit of playing power forward is that he can openly grab more defensive rebounds under Mozgov's blocking.

But the downside is...

Aside from continuing to serve as the workhorse for the Knicks' young trio, the defensive tasks he needs to take on have noticeably increased following this trade.

After all, the reason why the power forward position is either mediocre or legendary...

Partly lies in the fact that it's inherently a hard-working position.

Helping the center complete rim protection, assisting teammates in defending pick-and-rolls, and constantly providing help defense for wing players are all responsibilities that power forwards need to undertake in defense.

Although currently, in this stage of his career where he's most willing to defend, James is still far from his goal of leading the Knicks as a mentor, which was his intention before joining.

What does James want?

He wants to lead the Knicks' young trio as a mentor style, ideally with Harden and Westbrook handing over the damned ball control to him, allowing him to continue acting as the core playmaker for the Knicks.

Once his stamina declines, then the young trio can take charge of the offensive drives, and after setting the stage, he can claim the victory for the Knicks as a king.

Unfortunately, in the short term, James is destined not to achieve any of this.

Furthermore, after the Christmas Day game, James also needs time to win back the trust of the fans.

So, regarding D'Antoni's recent tactical decision of "putting himself through more hardship," what other choice does James have?

Just endure!

Besides, the Knicks made another minor deal before the trade deadline.

They signed big Z, who was waived by the Cavaliers and was eager to follow James, in the free-agent market.

Qin Yue didn't expect big Z to be so loyal to James, willing to forgo ending his career at the Cavaliers in a one-team-one-city fashion just to follow him.

Meanwhile, as the Knicks' main rival in the East this season, the Heat were not idle either.

Before the trade deadline, they first signed Mike Miller who was waived by the Wizards and then signed Eric Dampier, who was cut by the Hawks.

The thrifty Riley put the Heat's future reinforcement hopes on Anthony, who still has a lot of potentials to be tapped, after completing these two minor transactions.

Under Riley's supervision, Anthony, who had to hit the treadmill daily, was stripped of the privilege of eating fries before games every night, and whenever he tried to play defense with just a stare on the court, he would inevitably face Riley's furious scolding the next second.

"I can't take it anymore, he's like a plantation owner!"

Over the phone, Anthony complained to Qin Yue: "Whenever he picks up the leather whip, I have to follow his instructions."

On this day, in Anthony's description, Qin Yue immediately imagined a scene in a vast cotton field where Riley was holding a leather whip and shouting "Go-Work" at Anthony.

In response, Qin Yue didn't know how to comfort Anthony.

But on the bright side...

Riley's choice to "put Anthony through hardship" indeed unleashed Anthony's potential.

This season, Anthony is averaging 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists per game.