Van Exel's addition gives the Las Vegas Radiance Team's bench a strong ball-handling threat.
Although this threat is unstable, having it is better than not.
At 30, Van Exel is at the peak of his career. Not considering off-court factors, this trade is a definite gain for the Radiance.
Though Eddie House is a good young player too, his development has a long way to go.
The Radiance Team already has many young players who need growth, and House's growth priority might be the lowest.
Leaving the Radiance for the rebuilding Nuggets isn't necessarily a bad move for him.
As for the off-court concerns about Van Exel, they're unlikely to be an issue with Ah Gan.
Speaking of troublemakers, Van Exel can't compare to Riddle.
This guy, aside from playing ball, is just a criminal—even doing stuff like unlawfully charging phone fees to others' phones. It shows how low his moral compass is.
You're a strong, tall Black guy; you might as well use a gun for highway robbery, right?
Yet with the Trail Blazers, he played solidly for two seasons, won two championships, and became part of the 77 victories team.
After leaving the Trail Blazers, he fell rapidly, and even in Los Angeles, Phil Jackson couldn't handle him.
Actually, from Riddle's case, it's evident that Phil Jackson's so-called ability to manage Rodman was somewhat exaggerated, because Rodman isn't as difficult as people think. He's an emotionally rich person, just a bit unruly due to his upbringing. If you hit his soft spot, he's not bad.
But Riddle is different; this guy is a complete criminal with no sentiment—a bad seed.
One thing he often did was play porn in front of flight attendants on planes and feel proud seeing them embarrassed.
Faced with someone more beast than human, Phil Jackson's mystic antics were useless.
Only Gan Guoyang, pointing a gun at his head, telling him to follow him for a good life or face dire consequences, could make him behave and restrain himself.
After joining the Radiance Team, as a bench player, Riddle still fulfilled his role and justified his salary.
He wasn't late for training, didn't play porn in front of flight attendants on planes, and did whatever the coach instructed.
He could still contribute 9.3 points and 4 rebounds each game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 39%, performing much better than he did with the Lakers.
Given this, what more could you ask for—it's more than enough for the eighth or ninth man on the bench.
As for Van Exel, upon joining the Radiance, the team's expectation for him was to be the sixth man who could genuinely carry the offensive transition.
Porter is old and doesn't have this capability, and Cole lacks it regardless of age.
The lack of transitional offensive power has been the Radiance's biggest issue this season.
When Gan Guoyang is off the court, the offense loses its backbone.
The young players' tenacity has been well-trained, but they still lose games that should be lost.
Van Exel's arrival brought more possibilities to the second lineup.
But the effects weren't immediate. On February 24th, in an away game against the Timberwolves, in his first substitute appearance, Van Exel missed all three of his initial shots.
He hadn't participated in team training or games for over two weeks, and his game sense was just average.
The Timberwolves have been in great shape this season, with Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury's combination showing their power.
Although it's said the two don't get along privately, the good record temporarily covers up the conflict.
The Timberwolves currently rank fifth in the Western Conference, with above-average league strength.
Although they're some distance from top teams like the Kings, Trail Blazers, and Lakers, their overall strength is quite good, and their lineup is well-rounded with decent talent in each position.
After years of experience, Kevin Garnett has grown into one of the best power forwards in the league.
Along with Nowitzki, Duncan, and Weber, he's one of the four great power forwards, heralding a new era for power forwards.
They're called Ah Gan's successors, possessing versatile offensive and defensive skills, no longer limited to doing grunt work under the basket or being shadow warriors beside the center.
Of course, among the four, their total championships remain zero for now.
It's unclear if, by the end of their careers, their total championships will reach even half of Ah Gan's.
Garnett has matured a lot; he no longer acts arrogantly like when he first entered the league.
In games, he can play more aggressively and calmly against Ah Gan, rather than being overly scared and performing poorly.
Still, facing Gan Guoyang is a challenge. He's learned to rely more on his teammates and the overall team, rather than thinking he can single-handedly defeat the opponent.
In the icy lands of Minnesota, the Radiance's sun did not rise.
In his debut, Van Exel shot 2-of-10, performed poorly, scored only 5 points, and didn't fulfill his sixth man duties.
After the game, back in the locker room, Gan Guoyang just patted his shoulder and said, "Practice more if you're not good."
Training, high-intensity recovery training, upon arriving in Vegas, Van Exel didn't immerse himself in gambling but instead in the training gym, practicing three-point shots daily.
After each day's training ended, the last ones in the gym were either Van Exel or Arenas.
The two engaged in a frenzy of shooting practice, with huge volumes and loads of repetitions, embedding muscle memory deep into their nerve cells—this is the only way to progress.