Can a dumpling before Christmas get the Spurs a decent New Year's present in return?

The Spurs' shooting percentage has finally dropped to 70%!

After five years, this déjà vu phrase once again from the mouth of the commentators, although five years ago the only parties left on the court were Mills Belinelli and off the court were Popovich and Duncan, but near the end of the year, just by the hand of the rebounding Clippers stormed the Spurs also want to eat plate dumplings. Not to mention that the Grizzlies are still one of the Spurs' eight-loss "Eight Nations Alliance", so to use a classic line to describe - I can't rule the Clippers, I can't rule you?

So the double German rolled up his sleeves to do, a first quarter 22 points all 40 points, an 11 shot 10 cut 26 + 10, the Grizzlies home from wailing to numb. When Ade finally threw a triple dip in the first quarter, the Grizzly's home crowd even sounded more enthusiastic cheers than the home team scored, however, when Ade came back in the second quarter 'bang bang' a few goals to the Grizzlies good to close the gap again, the home fans have no heart to lament.

In all fairness, the Spurs are truly a pre-Christmas dumpling, with Lyles shooting 7 of 9, Murray 7 of 10, the team shooting 62.5% from three, and Ade himself shooting three from beyond the three-point line. Even if the Grizzlies' defensive efficiency is only the sixth lowest in the league, in normal conditions it is not so bad as to be shot into a sieve by the Spurs whose offensive efficiency is only the 18th in the league.

Of course, life is all about happiness, not making the golden bottle empty to the moon. For the Spurs now, victory is always rare and valuable, DeRozan said after the game: "We just play hard, that's the way we played today, not thinking too much and not worrying about making mistakes, just playing the next round. We need to play like we did today every night and not wait until after we lose to respond."

He finally didn't have to take the blame on himself tonight, regretting his missed free throws and iron shots in key moments. Ade's hot hand to start the game revived the entire Spurs team, all the Spurs guards were looking for Ade to play block and burst points, and late in the game, when Ade caught the ball in the mid-range, the Grizzlies even had to send two men to clinch early:

Then Ade breaks down for a layup and gets two more points.

The game's Ade completely played a superstar level of defensive appeal, with such a sucker in, the Spurs' offense naturally had the pleasure of the mercury five years ago. The three-guard lineup, after being bullied for so many games, is finally playing as it should - running the eight from the outside, taking turns blocking and blitzing, and firing from long range. "I'm glad the whole team got into it.' Popovich said after the game.

But after life's pleasures, the Spurs will have to put this dumpling game behind them as they face the Mavericks, Nuggets, Warriors, Thunder, and two straight Bucks next.

The Maverick game, by the way, saw the comeback of Doncic.

And along with the Jazz and Cavaliers hitting the first gun of the season trade, the question of 'when will the Spurs trade who' is torturing people's souls more and more urgently.

This summer's Spurs did not renew DeRozan's contract early, which means DeRozan has a player option for next summer. If DeRozan announces he's a free agent and a team offers him a price that the Spurs can't match, that ......

That means there is a team interested in DeRozan, willing to send the Spurs can not match the top contract, indicating that DeRozan can also have some trade value in the middle of the season - if there is a team in the middle of the season determined to push back, trying to get a big contract that is about to expire; or the thinking is clear and treacherous, trying to carry the ball (but No three points).

The Spurs are so embarrassed to have an outside core without three points in this day and age that even if the Spurs are interested in trading, it's hard to find someone willing to pick up the pieces. Teams that aspire to be in the second round of the playoffs or higher don't need to make a big move, nor do they need a DeRozan without three points. The Spurs' trade targets are only those teams with records ≤ of their own. For example .....

The Pistons - Ismail Smith is far away from the Wizards, Reggie Jackson has not yet returned, and the Pistons' outside offense can only rely on Kennard, Rose, and Griffin, this outside configuration even in the East can be called weak, needs DeRozan who can carry the output of such people.

The Hawks - Trae Young is forced to carry the beam, Reddish will only rotate and jump closed eyes, there is no second reliable outside holding point, and Trae Young's three-point range is comparable to Curry, to a certain extent to make up for the shortcomings of DeRozan's long-range shooting.

Magic - Fournier trade rumors have been floating around for quite some time, but Magic already has Fultz as a ball-handling point for dragging space ......

Timberwolves - Jeff Teague is off the bench, and Wiggins is playing the number one spot, they have put up with this two lack of consistent long-range shooting for so long, replace one of them with DeRozan maybe a little better? At least DeRozan is willing to pass the ball to Towns.

But trading is too complicated, with tax avoidance, payroll space, trade exceptions, and other messy things to consider. And frankly, DeRozan's position is too awkward, he is suitable for a team with relatively few shooters and ball handlers, however, in this era, shooters are already a scarce resource (otherwise the Spurs would not be on Mills and Belinelli at critical moments), and other teams have an outside ball-handling core (and all have three points).

Even the Grizzlies, who were beaten by the Spurs today, have an outside core of Morant - shooting 40% from three.

So after shopping around... The Spurs are still the best fit for DeRozan right now. If the Spurs want to send DeRozan away for a ball-handling core with three points, they may also have to dump draft picks.

As for the other guards? White, Murray, Forbes, and Walker, may have some trade value, but the chips that can be exchanged are after all limited, do not rule out the possibility of a package deal for DeRozan, but the Spurs themselves to give up? This is difficult to say.

As for the front line, Carroll and Lyles are now close to trading negative assets - so the Spurs' front-line reinforcement this summer failed - you can hardly trade them for any valuable chips, so it's better to stay and wait for changes. The Spurs only have two reliable linemen in Ade and Bortles, so it's better to keep them for yourself rather than sell them.

The Spurs need more than just 1 for 1, 2 for 2. But the word "rebuild" is easy to say, but the future is uncertain. With no bright rookies next year, the Spur's management will have to face operational difficulties that may be beyond their current level.

Have there been any typical cases of negative assets turning into positive assets in recent years?

Either way, if the Spurs want to stay/improve their competitiveness, they will have to solve the problems of an overcrowded guard line, a still weak front line, and a lack of space and defense. Will they stay with the Spurs?

Years later, we tend to point to a single iconic event as a sign of the end of an era. But more often than not, the end of an era is not as crisp and powerful as we might expect, and due to various inertia, it is often a long and painful process, and then the seeds of a new era sprout amid the long pain. Few things can escape such a cyclical law, witnessed the peak of the era, will naturally witness the era of the trough, the end, and even new life.

Perhaps in a few years, we will still be able to hear that familiar and unfamiliar exclamation: "The Spurs' hitting percentage has finally dropped to 70%!"