The Lakers made a good trade! Last week, the Lakers completed a trade with the Nets, trading Russell, Lewis, and three second-round picks to the Nets in exchange for Finney-Smith and Milton. The Lakers' goal is clear; they aim to enhance their wing height, defensive intensity, and shooting accuracy. With all three aspects in place, the Lakers can achieve a significant upgrade. Russell is indeed a decent ball-handler who can provide some playmaking ability. However, playing alongside James, being able to shoot and defend is crucial. The "one-star four-shooters" system has been practiced for years for a reason. Forcing Russell to stay would not benefit his personal statistics or contract, nor would it help the Lakers much. Indeed, after Finney-Smith and Milton joined the team, they quickly made an impact. Although their basic stats are not particularly impressive, their performances are genuinely commendable, with both defense and shooting capabilities fully present. Including today's close loss of 115 to 119, the Lakers have lost to the Cavaliers and Rockets - it's not shameful to lose to the league-leading Cavaliers, and the same goes for narrowly losing to the second-ranked Rockets in the West - but they have easily defeated the Trail Blazers and Hawks in succession, completely dominating on the court and winning steadily through defense. Reeves has become a solid ball-handler, while Christie and Knickert have become quality shooters. However, if the Lakers want to take another step forward and become contenders for the Western Conference championship, they may need to continue to strengthen their frontcourt. Davis alone is not…

NBA's top-paid players are really hard to understand. They start to perform poorly and their stats keep dropping. The key is that they are making so much money but still playing so badly. It makes fans afraid to watch games, for fear that their favorite stars will collapse again. George this season is really unbearable to watch, averaging only 16.5 points, which can't even beat a rookie. He is supposed to be an All-Star level small forward, but his shooting percentage has dropped to 41.5%, and his three-point shooting is only 32.8%. These stats are worlds apart from last season. The most outrageous thing is that in 21 games, he had 12 games with a shooting percentage below 40%. This level of performance is just that of a substitute player, yet he is paid the top salary in the league. This money is really not worth it. Williams, the rookie, averages 21 points and has a higher shooting efficiency than George. The key is that his salary is only one-ninth of George's. This comparison is really painful to see. VanVleet on the Rockets also has a lot to say about his performance, averaging 15 points and 6 assists, which looks pretty average. His shooting percentage has dropped to 37.5%, and his three-point shooting has set a new career low. In 31 games, he had 10 games with a shooting percentage below 30%, and another 8 games with a shooting percentage below 40%. This level of performance really doesn't match his top salary contract. What's most frustrating is that he also…

The Warriors suffered a crushing defeat at home to the Cavaliers, with a score of 95-113, causing their record to drop to 16 wins and 16 losses, slipping to 10th place in the rankings. The Cavaliers extended their winning streak to seven games and remain at the top of the Eastern Conference. Stephen Curry had a disappointing game with only 11 points, while Schroder also struggled, scoring 12 points. Trez contributed 16 points and 16 rebounds. For the Cavaliers, Mitchell scored 23 points, Garland had 25 points, and Allen added 12 points and 9 rebounds. The Cavaliers have been incredibly strong this season. Although there is still a long way to go in the season, I dare say that they have basically secured the Eastern Conference championship. So far, they have only lost four games and are likely to break the Warriors' previous record of 73 wins. In this game, the Warriors' overall performance was average. The game started with a close battle between both sides, but in the second quarter, the Cavaliers pulled away. By the third quarter, the Cavaliers had expanded their lead to double digits, and by the fourth quarter, the game entered garbage time as the Cavaliers easily secured the victory. In another match, the Nuggets defeated the Jazz 132-121 on the road, securing their second consecutive win. Jokic had an outstanding performance with 36 points, 22 rebounds, and 11 assists. "Weizhen Tian" returned to his peak form, going 7-for-7 from the field to score 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Porter contributed 21 points,…

On January 3rd, Lakers team reporter Dave Mcmenamin reported that the Jazz may want the Lakers to cancel the top 4 protections of the first round in 2027 and add another first-round pick to trade for Kessler. Kessler is currently 23 years old, with an annual salary of only $2.97 million, a height of 213cm + a wingspan of 229cm, possessing strong rim protection capabilities and agile mobility, making him one of the most popular frontcourt players in the league at present. This season, Kessler has started 26 games for the Jazz, averaging 29.8 minutes per game, contributing 10.2 points + 10.9 rebounds + 2.7 blocks, with a shooting percentage as high as 70.6%, ranking second in the league in blocks. If the trade is completed, his combination with Anthony Davis (averaging 2 blocks per game, ranked fourth) will surely form a new "Los Angeles No-Fly Zone." Article by Yuan Jiajun Edited by Yuan Jiajun What do you think about the Lakers' lineup and the potential Kessler trade? Do you think the Lakers can acquire Kessler to form a new frontcourt duo with Anthony Davis? Welcome to leave your active comments in the comment section!

On December 31st, Beijing time, the NBA 2024-25 season regular season welcomes a focus match in the Western Conference, with the Utah Jazz continuing to host the Denver Nuggets. This is the third matchup between the two teams this season, and the Nuggets have won both previous encounters. In fact, although the Nuggets currently rank seventh in the West with a record of 17 wins and 13 losses, their team form is not stable. Especially the second-in-command Murray, who has averaged only 19.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists this season, with a three-point shooting percentage as low as 35%, a career low. However, with the deepening of the season, Murray's form is recovering. Throughout December, Murray has been averaging 22.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.6 steals, with his three-point shooting percentage rising to 43.4%. According to data from American media B/R, when Murray takes at least 17 shots this season, the Nuggets have a record of 9 wins and 2 losses; when he takes fewer than 17 shots, their record is only 3 wins and 10 losses. Obviously, Jokic needs Murray to perform at his best for the Nuggets to go further. Regarding Murray's recent return to form, Jokic also has no shortage of praise, saying: "I think since Murray returned from injury, he has been slowly regaining the feeling of winning. He has performed very well recently, always full of energy. I think this is the performance he should be delivering!" Before the game, American media ESPN also provided the latest win probability prediction for today's…

Which NBA team has been the most surprising this season? If I had to choose, it would definitely be the Knicks. So far, the Knicks have achieved a record of 24 wins and 10 losses, ranking third in the Eastern Conference. After defeating the Jazz on January 2nd, they secured their ninth consecutive win, showing great momentum. Given the Knicks' impressive lineup, featuring Brunson, Towns, Bridges, Anunoby, and Hart as starters, along with rotation players like McBride, Payne, Achiuwa, and Shamet, one might expect them to perform at this level. What's so surprising about that? At the beginning of the season, you didn't think so. At the start of the season, the Knicks were almost in shambles. They struggled to find chemistry, playing awkwardly, with Towns and Brunson seemingly fighting their own battles. In the first 18 games of the season, they only managed to secure a record of 10 wins and 8 losses. But in the last 16 games, they've won 14 and lost 2. This transformation is centered around Towns. The "disliked" Towns was suddenly "informed" of a trade to the Knicks before the new season began. The Timberwolves had two reasons for doing this: to save money and to believe in Edwards' talent and potential. With no choice, Towns bid farewell to Minnesota, where he was drafted, and headed to New York. Towns has a classic meme that emphasizes his softness: Cousins' expression seems to say, "Put some effort into it, little brother." But now, Cousins can no longer play in the NBA and has resorted to…

The Warriors suffered a crushing defeat at home to the Cavaliers, with a score of 95-113, causing their record to drop to 16 wins and 16 losses, slipping to 10th place in the standings. The Cavaliers extended their winning streak to seven games and remain atop the Eastern Conference. Stephen Curry struggled, scoring only 11 points, while Schroder also underperformed with 12 points. Trez contributed 16 points and 16 rebounds. For the Cavaliers, Mitchell scored 23 points, Garland had 25 points, and Allen added 12 points and 9 rebounds. The Cavaliers have been incredibly strong this season. Although there is still a long way to go in the season, I dare say they have virtually secured the Eastern Conference championship. To date, they have only lost four games and are likely to break the Warriors' previous record of 73 wins. In this game, the Warriors played averagely overall. The first half was closely contested, but in the second quarter, the Cavaliers pulled away. By the third quarter, they had extended their lead into double digits, and by the fourth quarter, the game entered garbage time as the Cavaliers easily secured the victory. The Nuggets defeated the Jazz 132-121 on the road, securing their second consecutive win. Jokic had an explosive performance with 36 points, 22 rebounds, and 11 assists. Wiz returned to his peak form, going 7-for-7 from the field to finish with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Porter scored 21 points, and Murray added 20 points and 10 assists. For the Jazz, Sexton had 22 points, Clarkson…

Translation of the article content into English: When it comes to the most controversial active players, Westbrook is definitely part of the discussion. In his prime, Westbrook was a superstar who could fly and dodge, and he was also the totem of the Thunder. He led the Thunder to the finals and personally won numerous prestigious honors such as the regular season MVP trophy, scoring champion, assists leader, and the first team All-NBA. However, after leaving the Thunder, Westbrook's performance was not good, moving from team to team including the Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, and Clippers, with mediocre play and average team results. Many fans say that Westbrook declined too quickly at the age of 36. But after joining the Nuggets, Westbrook has set a record that is unprecedented in the 77-year history of the NBA, making his minimum salary an excellent value. During his time with the Lakers, Westbrook earned over $40 million per year, but he was not compatible with the James-Brow combination, resulting in poor team performance. After Westbrook left, the Lakers advanced all the way to the Western Conference Finals. After joining the Clippers and having a super lineup with Leonard, George, Harden, and Westbrook, they still failed to achieve good results. Ultimately, the Clippers gave up on Westbrook and traded him to the Jazz. The Jazz then cut Westbrook, and he made the decision to join the Nuggets on a minimum salary. At the time, the outside world said that Westbrook was the fastest declining player. But this year with the Nuggets, Westbrook has become a…

On December 31st, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued with a total of 7 matchups scheduled. The specific results are as follows: Knicks defeated the Wizards 126-106, Bulls overcame the Hornets 115-108, Clippers narrowly won against the Pelicans 116-113, Nuggets beat the Jazz 132-121, Cavaliers triumphed over the Warriors 113-95, Mavericks lost to the Kings 100-110, and the 76ers crushed the Trail Blazers 125-103. Stars such as Towns, Hart, Kobe White, Kobe Bryant, Jokic, Garland, Mitchell, Fox, and the Emperor all had impressive performances. So, who will be awarded the title of today's best player? Let's take a look together. In the game between the 76ers and the Trail Blazers, five players from the Trail Blazers scored in double figures, with Simmons, Ayton, and Avdija combining for 54 points, 17 rebounds, and 9 assists. However, they still suffered a crushing defeat, trailing by as many as 27 points, and the game quickly lost its suspense, all because the Emperor was too unreasonable! The Emperor played for 35 minutes, shooting 12 of 21 (1 of 1 from three-point range), making 12 of 13 free throws, and exploded for 37 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists with an on-court plus-minus value of +26. Especially in the first half, the Emperor struck hard, scoring 20 points and grabbing 8 rebounds to set the tone for the normal game. We are familiar with the Emperor's return, it has been a long time! In the game between the Mavericks and the Kings, Doncic, Irving, and Thompson were absent. Washington scored 28 points, grabbed rebounds,…

On December 31st, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued with the Denver Nuggets visiting the Utah Jazz. The Jazz were in the midst of a three-game losing streak, with tanking as their main strategy, but the Nuggets had previously shown a tendency to support weaker teams in the league, so they could not afford to underestimate or be careless. In this game, both teams engaged in high-scoring play, with the Nuggets struggling to widen the point difference. However, the Jazz made a strong comeback at the end of the second quarter with a 15-2 run to take the lead. After halftime, the Jazz's shooting accuracy dropped, allowing the Nuggets to make a strong counterattack, winning the third quarter by 11 points and regaining control of the game. In the final quarter, the Jazz made a desperate attempt to catch up, but the Nuggets, led by Jokic and Westbrook, extended their lead to double digits, effectively sealing the game. Ultimately, the Nuggets defeated the Jazz 132-121. The Jazz are known for their ability to excel in chaotic situations, with Clarkson and Sexton leading the backcourt. However, the Nuggets, driven by the trio of Jokic, Westbrook, and Murray, played their most perfect game together since forming their partnership, completely dominating the Jazz on both offense and defense! Throughout the game, the Nuggets outrebounded the Jazz 51-37, including a 17-7 advantage in offensive rebounds, and outscored them 76-60 in the paint and 34-15 in fast-break points. The Nuggets' fierce defense forced the Jazz into 16 turnovers, converting those into 21 points; in…