As time goes by, the big fish in the free market are signed one by one, and the media feel that the Nets' future is dim.

In the opinion of experts, the Nets' inside line is really bad. It would be fine if Jason Williams had not retired, but now he has retired, and Van Horn has been traded, the Nets only have rookies and veterans who lack experience, and there is no strong point at all. They can be called the team with the weakest inside line.

However, with the efforts of Nets general manager Stefansky, Michael Cage was finally convinced to join the Nets with a veteran's minimum salary.

Michael Cage joined the NBA through the draft in 1984, and this era is also known as the strongest draft year for the NBA, with superstars such as Jordan, Olajuwon, Barkley, and Stockton.

For many fans, Michael Cage is a strange name, but in the late 1980s, Cage was also a well-known role in the league. As a rebounding champion, in the 1987-88 season, Cage averaged 13 rebounds per game, and also made 14.5 points, winning the NBA rebounding champion.

Unfortunately, Cage is already 37 years old and has already fallen to the peak, but compared with other inside players of the Nets, it still has an advantage.

This is why Cage is willing to join the Nets because he has the ball to play and may even become a starter.

After signing Cage, Stefansky was under great pressure. Even if Cage could still play his remaining energy, he was a 37-year-old veteran and his playing time must be limited.

After signing Cage, the Nets have a total of five inside players, namely Michael Cage, Jamil Faik, Jim McIlvain, George Murraysan and second-round rookie Evan Eschmeyer.

In addition to Cage, there are two players who are useful, namely Jamil Faik and George Murraysan.

Among them, Jamil Faik has excellent frame protection ability, but his scoring ability is poor and he can only rely on second attacks.

As for George Murraysan, he was once considered a brilliant player, with a total of 231 cm and is known as the highest player in NBA history together with Manut Pohl.

In 1996, George Murraysan was the fastest-progress player in the NBA, ranking first in the NBA in shooting percentage in a single season for two consecutive years from 1996 to 97, and averaged 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in the peak season.

Unfortunately, George Murraysan's height is a double-edged sword. From a positive perspective, no opponent can pose an effective air threat to him. But his running speed is extremely slow, and it is almost a myth to expect him to quickly retreat and defend fast attack. Even in the steady and steady position offense, the disadvantages of supplementary defense and rotation speed often hinder the team's rotation system rather than improve. His speed is so slow that he can be regarded as a single-stage tool by his opponent, which is also a unique NBA history.

Therefore, Stefansky could only continue to seek high-quality insiders in the free market, but unfortunately the Nets' attractiveness was limited. Until the team's training day, they still did not sign high-quality insiders.

Chi Liang was helpless in this regard. He had contacted the Fliggy Barkley. Even Barkley, who had fallen to the peak, could still exert his strong strength and undoubtedly greatly strengthen the Nets' strength.

Unfortunately, Chi Liang played too late, and the Rockets had already signed Barkley for a high price of $9 million a year.

Chi Liang was also helpless. After all, he was a rookie who joined the NBA last year. He had limited connections and only had a few people he could talk to, so he naturally couldn't help.

On September 15, due to reconstruction, the Nets gathered in advance and held the annual media day. While accepting interviews, they also had to take core makeup photos.

Before entering the stadium, Chi Liang met someone. He was half a shorter than himself, with a big nose and mouth. It was the new head coach Doug Rivers!

If it weren't for Chi Liang's sake, Rivers should have coached the Magic and won the honor of best coaching in the first year.

Now, everything has changed, and I don’t know if he can win the best coach this year.

From later generations, Rivers has a great reputation, and his age is easier to get closer to the players.

Knowing people and being kind is a major skill of Rivers. The team is like an army in his hands. No matter the strength of the team, he can coax the players very well and work hard for him. He is also a very sincere and good person, so he has many friends in the league.

To put it simply, Rivers is the best among the 'nanny coach' and is very good at combining the team.

However, no one is perfect. When it comes to hiring people, he trusts veterans and standing lineups more, and rarely brings too many surprises to fans. To a certain extent, Rivers is a bit too stubborn.

In short, Rivers is a coach with a strong personality and undoubtedly an excellent head coach.

"Oh, I finally saw you, Chi Liang!" After seeing Chi Liang, Rivers immediately smiled and said hello first.

He remembered it very clearly that if Chi Liang had not recommended him on his own initiative, the Nets would not have invited him.

Although the Nets' inside line is weak, their lineup is obviously stronger than the Magic and is obviously more promising.

To a certain extent, Chi Liang is kind to recommend Rivers, needless to say, the two belong to the same camp.

Chi Liang reacted very quickly and immediately grabbed Rivers' hand and said, "Doug, I'm very happy to see you. I believe that with your coaching ability, you can definitely become an excellent coach!"

"Where are there!" Coach Rivers showed a embarrassed expression and began to walk into the stadium side by side with Chi Liang.

In the stadium, there are already several players waiting, they are either rookies or fringe people on the team.

Among them, the one who attracted the most attention from Chi Liang is undoubtedly Corey Mageti. This guy is quite strong and has a considerable strength at first glance.

Mageti has obvious characteristics, with excellent jump shot skills, and the scoring method of rushing into the inside to cause fouls and sending himself to the free throw line, making him the best player in the league's free throw count and free throw hit number.

"Good morning, Coach Rivers!"

"Hello, Chi Liang!"

At the first moment, these players quickly lowered their posture and took the initiative to say hello to Chi Liang and Rivers. The former is the core of the team and the latter is the head coach, and they have the ability to get more opportunities to play.

"Hello!" Coach Rivers had no extra words. For him, these were marginal players. In addition, his personality, he would not have much chance of using them in the future.

On the other side, Chi Liang nodded politely. Although he valued Mageti, he also knew the occasion and continued to chat with Coach Rivers.

These players are also very self-aware. They may have ideas in their hearts, but they never dare to disturb them.

Time passed slowly, and his teammates came to the stadium one after another. Except for some teammates, Chi Liang felt familiar at most, especially black players. Many of them were similar in length and took some time to get along.

At this time, Chi Liang gathered around him, Billups, Eric Williams and Armstrong. The first two traded with him, while the latter was a newcomer and had no familiar teammates, so he naturally stood on Chi Liang's side.
Chapter completed!