No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 1422 - 551: Will We Have to Stop Here Again?

The one replacing Perkins in the main rotation is Mullens, but the situation is similar to Earl Watson. Mullens has some points that Carlisle appreciates, but in terms of training, skill learning, and gameplay, he mostly plays in relatively unimportant minutes each game, just about 10 minutes. In practice, Millsap and Ibaka have more often moved to the center position.

Ibaka is doing okay at the center position. Three years, a full three years have passed, and the foundation is finally solid. This season, his defensive abilities have soared, showing signs of taking off. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Millsap playing center is sometimes truly disastrous.

Moreover, the dense schedule coupled with the brawling with the toughest players at the center position—there haven’t been major injuries, but minor injuries have increased.

But the advantage is that Okafor hasn’t experienced huge fluctuations in form due to an increase in playing time like Felton.

The most significant impact on the Bobcats is from the two injuries before and after the All-Star weekend.

In early February, Hill, the veteran, injured his knee, a position long feared for injury recurrence. It was serious, and team doctor Thomas Carter advised Hill not to continue playing, otherwise he’d end up in a wheelchair.

Originally planning to play until he was 40 and to make an appearance at next season’s opener, Hill chose to heed the advice and announced his retirement during the All-Star weekend. At the retirement press conference, he lavished his lifetime of praise on Zhang Yang.

This greatly impacted the Bobcats, as Hill averaged 7.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2 assists per game this season. His move to the power forward position allowed Carlisle to shift more playing time for Millsap and Ibaka to the center position.

This made staffing even tighter, and Marion had to play more at the power forward position, reducing Zhang Yang’s rest time.

Then, after the All-Star weekend, by late February, Perkins, who returned from a near month-long hiatus, played very aggressively but was out after the first match. He fell and twisted his knee while grabbing a rebound, tearing his cruciate ligament, and was out for the season.

This injury might not significantly impact Perkins’ post-return abilities since he didn’t rely on those—just low-post defense, boxing out for rebounds, standing firm and completing easy shots. But it had a significant effect on the Bobcats.

Millsap and Ibaka were finally relieved from playing center, only to enjoy it for less than one game.

Finally, in mid-March, the Bobcats received good news. With only half of their mid-level exception spent, they spent 3.3 million to bid for Lewis, who was amnestied by the Wizards!

Back in January, the Wizards and Magic teams caught attention by swapping the two worst contracts in the league. Arenas went to the Magic Team, and Lewis went to the Wizards.

Arenas was amnestied during the All-Star weekend, and no team bid for him. Lewis held on for a while longer.

According to reports, the Magic team chose this trade for a unique reason—to show the team’s empathy. They felt it was inappropriate to directly waive talent they had brought in with high salaries, so they swapped with the Wizards before amnestying.

The Wizards didn’t do it for that reason. They originally wanted to amnesty Arenas directly to avoid affecting the highly talented top pick Wall. The Magic team actively approached them first, and they didn’t refuse, thinking they might use Lewis since he still averaged 10 points with the Magic.

Later, after playing for two months, Lewis requested amnesty himself as he performed poorly beside Wall, unable to keep up with the pace. The Wizards didn’t insist on keeping him, preferring to tank for high draft picks, saving on salary. Eventually, the savings exceeded the Wizards’ management expectations, and offers from the Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, Bulls came in. The Bobcats offered the highest price, winning the competition.

Upon hearing a new inside player was coming, Millsap and Ibaka were thrilled. But when they realized it was Lewis... damn, they still had to keep playing center.

Despite the continual challenges, the regular season of 66 games finally came to an end.

Ultimately, the Bobcats ranked fourth in the East with a record of 40 wins and 26 losses.

The East’s first place went to the endlessly young Celtics, with 48 wins and 18 losses; Pacers took second with 46 wins and 20 losses, and the Knicks were third with 42 wins and 24 losses.

The Hawks team finished fifth with 36 wins and 30 losses, the Bulls were sixth with 35 wins and 31 losses, the 76ers were seventh with 34 wins and 32 losses, and the Brooklyn Nets ranked eighth with 32 wins and 34 losses.

The Bulls only grabbed sixth place since Wade’s knee injury led to missing half of the season, his playoff return status still uncertain.

Different teams operate differently—or more accurately, people differ. In the Miami Heat, if Wade were injured during the championship period, the management would insist on having him hold on, prioritizing the championship. In the Bulls, his knee injury led management to send him to Cleveland and Salt Lake City for long-term treatment.

Actually, the Bulls team shows immense patience toward capable players. For instance, despite Rose’s consecutive injury woes since 2012, they waited until 2016 to end it all. They traded Rose and Noah away and chose not to renew Luol Deng, ending the bright yet short Rose era within the Bulls team.

Compared to the strong-willed younger Rose from the original timeline, the now 30-year-old Wade accepted the most meticulous examinations and comprehensive treatments permitted by the team. He even started considering adjusting his gameplay following his friend Paul’s advice.

In the West, the Spurs team managed a record of 50 wins and 16 losses despite only 66 matches, once again securing first in the regular season.