"In the game against the New York Knicks, Milicic scored a game-high 39 points and all-around statistics of 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks. Although he failed to save the game without Pierce, it was still a good thing for a player.
At 18 years old, what more can we ask for?"
——Famous commentator Gorman
"Thank you Darko for everything, and I hope he can lead the team to more wins before I come back."
——Pierce, who has a sprained ankle and needs to be sidelined for two weeks
"As you can see, Darko is a talented young man. I don't know why he had so many bad reviews before, but I am sure those evaluations are unfair. Darko can be very good.
With the support of Paul, the Celtics have become a consistent championship team again."
——Celtics head coach Doc Rivers
"Although Milicic played a good set of statistics, he did not lead the team to victory, and his defensive mistakes at critical moments forced the team into a desperate situation. This is why I did not dare to send him on the field before.
s reason."
——Larry Brown said this when reporters asked him if he made any mistakes in using Milicic.
"To put a big man who can score 39 points off the court just because he missed an attack by a blue-collar player, I think the Browns may need someone more who can completely guard Muhammad to death. I think even now
Put Boykins in front of Muhammad, and Muhammad couldn't score 10 points in a game. All I can say about Brown's remarks is that he made me no longer in awe."
——TNT famous commentator Buckley
After this game, Larry Brown once again fell into verbal criticism. Many experts held different opinions from him on the use of Milicic. Even the 76ers star Allen Iverson came out and said: "
Whether Darko should play or not, I don’t know, but at least I hope to have such a teammate.”
LeBron James, the star of the Cavaliers and the No. 1 pick of Milicic's class, also came out to defend Milicic: "I don't think we have to keep talking about Muhammad's dunk. Muhammad scored a total of 5 in this game.
points, and Milicic scored 39 points. If according to Brown, is Muhammad better than Milicic? In that case, I will give up Muhammad and defend Marbury. I hope the league can introduce new regulations
, to protect those talented rookies, I also feel lucky for Darko that he can leave the Pistons team in time."
The media in Detroit tried their best to ridicule the Pistons for giving up Milicic, and Boston was not idle either. Rivers had an in-depth communication with Angie at the end of the game against the Knicks.
I think that Ricky Davis staying in this team will destroy the unity of the team and hinder the growth of young players. Moreover, Ricky Davis and Pierce also need to attack with the ball, and the two of them have some overlap.
, his arrival also inhibits the performance of the team boss to a certain extent.
The next day, Angie and Rivers met with team owner Grosbeck to discuss whether Ricky Davis should go or stay. Grosbeck was less than forty years old and was determined to make progress.
At that time, after he took over in 2002, he made a lot of big moves. First, he kicked out Walker, who was shooting three-pointers, and established Pierce as the core. In his opinion, Pierce has the strength to become the core of the championship team. As long as this team does not use Pierce.
You can trade it to anyone. Moreover, Ricky Davis's annual salary is not low, and his average performance has shrunk a lot compared to the Cavaliers period. Just like this, in less than an hour
The team owner, general manager, and head coach all agreed that the benefits of trading Ricky Davis outweighed the disadvantages, so Angie began to hurriedly contact the managers of various teams to sell Ricky Davis.
It unfolded like this with great excitement.
Anji's work efficiency is very fast. After the management's weighing and salary matching, and mutual analysis of each other's player needs, Anji contacted several interested teams one by one, and finally targeted the Miami Heat.
Magic fortune teller Pat Riley introduced O'Neal this year, but Riley was not very satisfied with other positions. After all, it took him almost half the team to get O'Neal. Other positions were seriously damaged, and O'Neal was lost.
Dom and Caron Butler have stretched Miami's forward line, and the presence of Eddie Jones will affect Wade's growth to a certain extent, so Pat Riley's response to the Celtics' Ricky David
Davis is very interested. Davis only has an annual salary of more than 4 million, but he has an average of close to 20+ per game. He can fill the position of the Heat's small forward very well. Although he has some personality, but under the giant O'Neal
In front of him, his weight was too light, and he had no chance to compete for the right to speak.
Even so, the Miami Heat did not have suitable trading chips, so the cunning Angie once again came up with a plan, using 4 million Ricky Davis plus 9 million LaFrentz in exchange for the 33-year-old Miami Heat
Veteran Eddie Jones and rookie Dorell Wright. Eddie Jones’s annual salary is 13 million, which exactly matches the salary of Davis and LaFrentz. Wright is an addition. Angie also wants to join the team.
After losing Davis, we can have a forward player with better physical fitness.
The 26-year-old Ricky David and the 28-year-old LaFrentz are both in their prime. Although the 33-year-old Eddie Jones is in good condition, he is obviously past his prime. The Heat
At the power forward position, Haslem is too short and lacks experience and ability. Laettner is even more difficult to reproduce the ability he had in college. LaFrentz is good offensively and has good shot-blocking ability. With the two of them,
It is equivalent to completing the final piece of the championship puzzle. Although it will involve LaFrentz's long contract, Riley thinks it is worth it.
So, two days after the game against the New York Knicks, the Celtics completed a lightning trade with the Miami Heat. The Celtics traded Ricky Davis plus Reef LaFrentz to the Heat.
Eddie Jones and Dorell Wright.
The Miami Heat have gained something, and the Celtics have made a lot of money here. Although Eddie Jones's contract is high, it will expire next year, leaving about 13 million in salary space, even if Eddie Jones performs well.
If so, he only needs a mid-level player to renew his contract. The seven-year, $60 million contract LaFrentz signed with the Mavericks that year still has five years left. Getting rid of this contract will be more conducive to the team's reconstruction.
, and now LaFrentz is more like a poor version of Milicic. Angie and Rivers didn't feel bad at all about sending LaFrenz away.
The Celtics activated insider Michael Stillwater who was on the injured list, with the 7-year veteran and Blount serving as inside substitutes. Since then, the Celtics' main lineup has been:
Point guard Gary Payton, shooting guard Eddie Jones, small forward Paul Pierce, power forward Al Jefferson, center Darko Milicic
The substitute lineup is:
Point guard Marcus Banks/Delonte West, shooting guard Tony Allen, small forward Justin Reid/Darrell Wright, power forward Michael Stillwater, center
Mark Blount
The injured list is: Keery Wilsko and Dana Burrows
The arrival of Jones and Wright enriched the Celtics' tactics, especially Jones' three-pointers and steals, which were exactly what the Celtics needed. Rivers looked at this lineup and began to think that maybe in the playoffs
