"Ten-day contract."

Dempsey said.

In the middle of the NBA season, players like Whiteside who aren't well-known have to start with a ten-day contract if they want to land in the NBA.

Tang Tian nodded. He wouldn't interfere with the team's normal procedures.

"If he ends up staying, it's best to sign him for a few more years, just an unguaranteed deal."

But he added that anyway.

Whiteside has potential, and he's exactly what the Pelicans need.

In a couple of years, his big contract will kick in, and Davis will also need to renew, so they might not be able to keep Whiteside. Signing him for a few more years would be beneficial to the Pelicans.

Dempsey nodded.

An unguaranteed contract and a ten-day contract don't have a big difference in salary, just the way it's settled.

Of course, the length of the contract needs to be discussed between both parties.

Just like when Tang Tian signed with the Spurs, besides the team's thoughts, they also have to consider the player's wishes.

The next day, the Pelicans announced that they had waived Lance Thomas, who had an unguaranteed contract, and signed Hassan Whiteside to a ten-day contract.

Signing Whiteside, a seemingly very small reinforcement, didn't attract much attention from fans.

And among the few Pelicans fans who paid attention, most were questioning it.

The Pelicans' centers may be bad, but they have Jason Smith, Stiemsma, Ajinca, and Jeff Withey.

Four centers are enough to play mahjong, and now they've waived a forward and signed another center. Are they trying to get seven to summon the dragon?

Moreover, Whiteside has a bad reputation in the league. He doesn't have the ability and he's a troublemaker.

Because Dempsey hasn't made any substantial reinforcements in the free market, fans have been questioning him a lot.

Now they've signed such a troublemaker, which is a bit unbearable for them.

But these voices are only a small part.

Pelicans fans, or fans on Twitter, are now talking most about the upcoming Thunder-Pelicans game!

This isn't the first time the two sides have faced each other. Last time, Durant had a triple-double and led the Thunder to an easy victory over the Pelicans.

But Tang Tian didn't play last time!

Now, Tang Tian has returned, leading the team to a four-game winning streak before the All-Star break, and has just won the All-Star Game MVP!

This game is completely different!

And Durant had previously boasted when Tang Tian was injured, saying that Tang Tian couldn't defend him even if he was there, and that he could easily lead the team to victory.

Now it depends on whether Durant can deliver on his boast!

Because of the feud between Tang Tian and Durant, this is definitely a focus battle, and even the gambling companies have opened odds.

In addition to betting on the victory or defeat of the two teams, even the score difference between Tang Tian and Durant is being bet on.

They're taking advantage of the popularity to find ways to play!

But the fans are also enjoying it.

There are many regular season games, but there are very few with such a hot topic!

Even the TNT Big Three made a wave of predictions in the pre-game show before the commentary.

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

Only O'Neal continued to support Tang Tian, choosing to support the Pelicans.

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

O'Neal's words made Barkley and Smith laugh on the spot.

O'Neal's identity as a Tang-booster has been completely confirmed after so many times.

On the evening of February 21st, three days after the end of the All-Star Game, the Pelicans-Thunder game kicked off in Oklahoma City.

This game has been hyped up by the media, with the TNT Big Three providing live commentary, and the Chesapeake Energy Arena was packed.

Just like the betting websites have opened, in addition to winning or losing, who between Tang Tian and Durant can score more points in this game is also a major concern.

It should be noted that the average score of the two is very close, and it is possible that one game will determine the ranking of the two.

During the opening ceremony on the scene, Durant's eyes couldn't hide his murderous aura, it can be seen that before the game started, he had already turned on the Grim Reaper mode in advance.

While Durant was full of murderous aura, Metta World Peace was also pulling the players to boost morale.

He has now created a set of pre-game encouragement methods specifically for the Pelicans.

Pull the players to beat their chests one by one, and then ask them loudly if they want to win the game.

The Pelicans players are young, and this method has a very obvious motivating effect.

And at the end, he also imitated Michael Jordan's way of motivating his teammates back in the day with the Bulls.

"Whose era is this?"

"Pelicans!"

A sentence that others might find funny, but it has a very big motivating effect on the Pelicans players.

No one starts out dominating an era. They are now shouting as a kind of motivation. When that day really comes, it will be a classic!

The help that Metta World Peace brings to this team really far exceeds his small salary.

The two armies are facing each other, and each beats their drums before the game to build momentum.

But in this tense atmosphere, the few chats between Tang Tian and Westbrook at halftime seemed very refreshing.

The two chatted enthusiastically during the All-Star Game. They chatted a few words at this time, and Westbrook even said that he would treat Tang Tian to dinner!

Durant's eyes on the bench turned into a Gatling gun spitting fire.

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

However, winning the game is enough.

Fulfill his promise, and then rub Tang Tian hard on the ground.

For those broken Apple phones, to slap those fans who sprayed him in the face, and even more for his Scarlett, and to win back his brother's heart.

He must win tonight!

The final warm-up before the game ended, and the coaches on both sides pulled the players to make the final tactical arrangements.

"Tang, you don't need to worry about Durant on the defensive end. The Thunder have too many scoring points, we need offense more."

Williams emphasized the tactical deployment he had made in the locker room before.

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

So attacking is the best choice.

Tang Tian nodded, Williams' choice was correct.

Although Whiteside has signed with the Pelicans, it is not known what kind of performance he can produce.

Relying on the current inside line, the Pelicans can't stop the Thunder's Big Three.

Just go for it!

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, the game was about to begin, and the starting players from both sides took the stage one after another.

The Thunder's side is the regular starting lineup, the outside line is Westbrook and Sefolosha, the forwards are Durant and Ibaka, and the center is Perkins.

The Pelicans' lineup has been adjusted. Tang Tian is playing the shooting guard in this game, and Aminu replaced Morrow in the starting lineup.