Chapter 468: The Pelican Fights the Thunder! (Fourth Update!)

"Ten-day short contract."

Dempsey said.

In the middle of the NBA season, if an unknown player like Whiteside wants to land in the NBA, he has to start with a ten-day job.

Tang Tian nodded. He would not interfere with the team's normal procedures.

"If he stays in the end, it's better to sign for a few more years, as long as there is no guarantee."

But he still added one more sentence.

Whiteside's potential is there, and it's exactly what the Pelicans need.

His big contract will start in two years, and Davis will also renew his contract. It may not be possible to keep Whiteside, so signing a few more years is beneficial to the Pelicans.

Dempsey nodded.

There is not much difference between the wages of non-guaranteed contracts and ten-day short-term workers, but the settlement method is different.

Of course, how long the contract will be signed requires both parties to sit down and negotiate.

Just like when Tang Tian signed the contract with the Spurs, in addition to the team's ideas, it also depends on the player's wishes.

The next day, the Pelicans announced that they had waived Lance Thomas, who had a non-guaranteed contract, and signed Hassan Whiteside with a 10-day short contract.

Signing Whiteside, this seemingly very small reinforcement, did not attract too much attention from fans.

Among the few Pelicans fans who paid attention, more were also questioning.

Although the center of the Pelicans is not good, there are Jason Smith, Steensma, Akinsa and Jeff Vichy.

Four centers are enough to play a table of mahjong. Now that one striker is cut and another center is signed, is this necessary to gather 7 summoning dragons?

Moreover, Whiteside's reputation in the league is very poor, and his lack of strength is still a thorn.

Because Demps has no substantial reinforcement in the free market, fans have a lot of doubts.

Now that they signed such a thorn again, it really made them a little intolerable.

But these voices are only a small part.

Pelicans fans, or fans on Twitter, the hottest topic of conversation right now is not this, but the upcoming game between the Thunder and the Pelicans!

This is not the first time the two sides have played against each other. In the last time Durant scored a triple-double and led the Thunder to take the Pelicans lightly.

But last time Tang Tian didn't fight!

Now, Tang Tian is back, led the team to a wave of four consecutive victories before the All-Star Game, and just won the All-Star Game MVP!

This game is completely different!

Moreover, before Tang Tian was injured, Durant made bold remarks, saying that Tang Tian could not prevent him, and he could easily lead the team to victory.

Now let's see if Durant can fulfill his rhetoric!

Because of the grievances between Tang Tian and Durant, this is the absolute focus of the battle, and even the gambling companies have opened their handicap.

In addition to betting on the outcome of the two teams, even the point difference between Tang Tian and Durant was closed.

This is a way to play while taking advantage of the heat!

But the fans are also happy.

There are many regular seasons, but there are very few games full of topics like this!

Even TNT's Big Three made a wave of predictions in the pre-match program before the commentary.

Both Barkley and Smith chose to support the Thunder this time, because the Thunder are much stronger than the Pelicans.

Only O'Neal continued to stand with Tang Tian and chose to support the Pelicans.

"The Pelicans had a four-game winning streak before the All-Star break, they're in shape, and I believe in that man."

O'Neill's words made Barkley and Smith burst into laughter.

After so many times, O'Neill's identity as Tang Chui has been completely confirmed.

On the night of February 21, three days after the All-Star Game ended, the game between the Pelicans and the Thunder kicked off in Oklahoma City.

The game was shaped by the media to be full of highlights. The Big Three of TNT commented on the spot, and the Pisacek Energy Arena was also full of seats.

Just like what the betting website said, besides the outcome, whoever can score more points in this game, Tang Tian or Durant, is also attracting attention.

You must know that the average points per game of the two are very close now, and it is very likely that one game will determine the scoring ranking of the two.

During the opening ceremony, Durant couldn't hide the murderous look in his eyes. It could be seen that he had already turned on the death mode before the game started.

Here Durant is full of murderous looks, and on the other hand, Ci Shiping is also pulling the players to boost morale.

He's now created a pregame pep talk for the Pelicans.

He pulled the players to beat their chests one by one, and then asked them loudly if they wanted to win the game.

The players of the Pelicans are all young, and the incentive effect of this method is very obvious.

And in the end, he emulated the way Jordan of the Bulls inspired his teammates.

"Whose era is this?"

"Pelicans!"

A sentence that may be funny to others, but it is very motivating to the players of the Pelicans.

No one dominates the era from the very beginning, and they start shouting now as an inspiration, and when that day really comes, it will be a classic!

The help that Ci Shiping brought to this team really far exceeded his annual salary.

The two armies faced each other, and each played drums before the game to boost their momentum.

But in this tense atmosphere, the small talk between Tang Tian and Westbrook at halftime seemed very small and fresh.

The two had a heated chat during the All-Star Game, and now they were chatting for a while, and Westbrook even said that he was going to treat Tang Tian to dinner!

Durant's eyes turned into a fiery Gatlin on the bench.

He really couldn't understand his brother more and more!

Still, just win the game.

Fulfilling his promise, he pressed Tang Tian hard and rubbed against the ground.

For the iPhones he smashed, for the fans who slapped him in the face, for his Scarlett, and to win back the hearts of his brothers.

He has to win tonight!

The final warm-up before the game is over, and the coaches of both sides are pulling the players to make the final tactical deployment.

"Don, you don't need to worry about Durant on the defensive end. The Thunder score too many points, and we need to attack more."

Williams emphasized his previous tactical deployment in the locker room.

The overall strength of the Pelicans is much weaker than that of the Thunder. If they play one by one, the Pelicans have little chance.

So attacking is the best option.

Tang Tian nodded, Williams made the right choice.

Although Whiteside signed with the Pelicans, it is not known what he can play.

Relying on the current inside line alone, the Pelicans can't stop the Thunder's third youngster.

Just do your best to attack!

The Thunder didn't know what the Pelicans were thinking. Brooks was still pulling Durant, telling him how to deal with Tang Tian's defense.

A long whistle came from the sidelines, and the game began immediately, with the starting players of both sides appearing one after another.

The Thunder are regular starters, with Westbrook and Sefolosha on the outside, Durant and Ibaka on the front, and Perkins at center.

The lineup of the Pelicans has been adjusted. Tang Tian is playing at the second position, and Aminu has replaced Morrow in the starting lineup.