"Good afternoon, gentlemen, I would like to thank Pat Williams and everyone here for giving me this opportunity. Now I will explain my plan for rebuilding the team. Everyone has a detailed description of this plan on their desks. I
Now I will explain them one by one in detail.”
"First of all, everyone must know that our current ace core McGrady has made up his mind to leave the team. Even if we don't trade him away, next season he will choose to exercise the player option in his current contract.
Break out of the contract and sign with another team. Naturally, we don’t need salary space, so in order to maximize the team’s interests, it is imperative to trade Tracy McGrady. I have summarized the specific trading plan into three situations. I think we should
Make a choice among them for future development. But I don’t think trading Tracy McGrady is the focus of our work in the summer. I think our focus is this player.” As he said, Edison’s slide showed a player’s profile picture.
"Steve Nash, now the main point guard of the Dallas Mavericks, played 82 games for the Mavericks in the 2002-2003 season, averaging 17.7 points, 7.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. So far this season, he has 14.5 points and 8.8 rebounds.
Assists and 3.0 rebounds were recorded. It can be said that he is one of the best point guards in the league now. In terms of organizing offense, I even think he is the best, better than Jason Kidd. Although he has fatal flaws on defense.
, But it doesn’t matter, what we need is his ability to organize offense. According to the news I got, Mavericks owner Cuban originally planned to trade Nash for O’Neal of the Lakers, but the Lakers did not agree. And this year Nash’s contract expired, Cuban
There is no plan to renew Nash's contract, because Nash plans to ask for a long-term contract with an annual salary of around 10 million, and the Mavericks also need to renew the German tank Dirk Nowitzki, so they cannot meet Nash's requirements. We now have salary space, which is completely
If you can win Nash, I recommend signing him for 65 million to 68 million in 6 years." At this time, Edison looked up at the senior officials in the conference room and found that some people were holding their chins, looking at the information provided by Edison in advance.
Some people just shook their heads and circled the information with a pen; only Old Pat looked at him in surprise, because in the previous conversation, Edison did not talk about Nash so much.
Seriously, Edison's current thinking is completely beyond Pat's expectations.
"Paul, regarding Nash's strength, I think everyone here thinks it's not a big problem. Steve is indeed an excellent player, and there is a certain Canadian market behind him. But is the contract amount you gave us too high?
It's too high, and I think the six-year period is also questionable. Nash will be 30 years old next season. I'm worried that he will be fine in the first two years, but in the end he will be able to maintain this competitive state." Team director Van de Velde said.
He said, and others also agreed.
"No, in fact, I think the contract amount is not only not much, but actually less."
"Oh? Would you like to hear the details?"
"First of all, the reason why I proposed this price is because there are several teams in the market that are also interested in Steve. Among them, our biggest competitor is the Phoenix Suns, and the news I have now is that the contract offered by the Suns
That’s about 65 million in 6 years. When Nash participated in the NBA draft in 1996, NBA scouts were generally not optimistic about Nash because of his poor physical fitness. However, the Suns were unmoved and picked the 15th pick in the first round.
Nash was selected and then traded to Dallas after playing 2 seasons with the Suns. Therefore, the Suns could play the emotional card and use the cooperation that year to attract Nash. Compared with the Suns, we have no advantage at all. We have been with the Suns before.
Nash has nothing to do with each other. Comparing the records, now our two teams have the same bad records this season. The Suns' results are even better than ours. And don't forget that they are in the West. Now the league is obviously stronger in the west and weaker in the east.
If they were in the Eastern Conference, they should be among the top eight in terms of strength and potential. The Suns sent away Marbury and have begun rebuilding this season. Moreover, they have last year's best rookie Stoudemire and strong players Marion. Although this year's results
Not good, but there is Joe Johnson again. As for us, it is already known to everyone that Tracy McGrady is leaving Orlando. What about the rest? Hill, the former successor to Jordan? God knows how many games he can play next season.
So if we want to defeat the Suns and sign Nash, we can only rely on money. The reason why Nash left Dallas is essentially because he and Cuban failed to reach an agreement on money. The contract amount exceeding other teams can be said to be our only bargaining chip.
Furthermore, the offer I made was only 3 million higher than the Suns' offer. In fact, Nash's current data is not his limit. In the Mavericks, he is not the main attacker. Nowitzki and Michael Finn
Leigh's shots have always been higher than his. Last year there was Van Exel and this year there are Jamison and Walker. Nash's shots were sometimes even lower than them. Besides assists, most of the Mavericks' offense was not initiated at that time.
Yes, whether Finley, Nowitzki or those mentioned just now have the ability to attack with the ball, this limits Nash's assist data to a great extent. And we are a team in the process of rebuilding. In my plan
Nash is the engine of our offense. I conservatively estimate that under my tactics, Nash's scoring should at least maintain the status quo, while assists should have a significant improvement. It should be no problem to reach 10. A 15+10 point guard
The annual salary of 10,000 yuan should be a certainty. When the time comes, no one will think that we signed a stupid contract, but will think that we took a big advantage." (In fact, when Nash arrived with the Suns, in the first contract period, except for his scoring, he was 15.
Points and above, assists are all above 10 except for the last season.)….
"As for the length of the contract, I don't think it's a problem. Everyone is worried about this problem in two aspects. 1. Injuries tend to increase as you get older; 2. Your body's functions cannot keep up. I think these two problems are not Nash's.
The question, let’s talk about injuries first. I know that everyone may have been scared by player injuries, but according to my analysis, Nash is not an easily injured player. Why do I say that, because of Nash’s playing style. Nash’s playing style is biased
Soft, he is not a player who relies on his body to fight hard. Although he is very fast, his scoring method is more of a jump shot rather than a sudden stop and change of direction. These two points are very important. The former makes him rarely fouled. Of course,
This is also the crux of Nash's defensive inadequacies, but whether in offense or defense, this feature makes him less likely to be injured by others; the latter reduces the burden on his knees and feet, which keeps his lower limbs away
Injuries. And we see that Nash has never had major injuries before, which is very telling." In order to explain more vividly, Edison did a few common basketball moves to affect the lower limbs, and everyone in the audience nodded.
Agree.
"As for the second question, Nash does not rely on his body to play basketball. From the moment he entered the league, he relied not on his body, but on his extremely high golf IQ. He can maintain a calm psychological quality no matter what the situation. His perfect
Court insight, wide field of vision, passing that can reach the enemy's heart, and excellent shooting skills. Although his physical functions will definitely decline as he ages, these advantages of his will not change due to
It weakens with age. The simplest example is the alien Cassel, who is 34 years old this year. His physical condition is very similar to that of Nash. His physical fitness is probably only average or even below the level in the NBA, but his organizational skills are top-notch and he can shoot.
It is guaranteed that Nash has played well in the Timberwolves in the past two seasons and was selected as an All-Star. So I am confident that even at the age of 35, Nash can still ensure the league's first-class organizational level and be the best point guard in the league. In addition, Nash
He is a very self-disciplined player. Even in the offseason, he can keep exercising to maintain his physical condition, which will also greatly delay his physical deterioration." After speaking, Edison paused, looked at everyone's reactions, and then continued, "
If everyone has no doubts, I will continue with my plan. I think it is also the issue that everyone is most concerned about, the transaction of Tracy McGrady."
Edison really wanted to hear something like, "Excellent, Paul. I can see that you are very attentive. I think what you said makes sense. Nash is indeed a good choice." But in fact, the people here are all veterans, and they will not take it easy.
To express their thoughts, especially at such a significant moment, everyone remained silent, either flipping through the information, or lowering their heads in deep thought.
"Then I will continue my topic, about McGrady's trade. I simply divide McGrady's trade into three situations, 1. Trading for a superstar of the same level; 2. Trading for Howard; 3. Trading for excellent team members."
"It is easy to understand to trade superstars of the same level. I have talked with Mr. Pat before. I think the most suitable person in the league right now is Shaquille O'Neal... and we cannot make a deal with Houston according to McGrady's wishes because... (
I’ve written it before so I won’t go into details again)”
"The second plan and the third plan are actually of the same origin. The premise is to get this year's high school rookie DeWalt Howard. If we get the No. 1 pick, then we will implement the third plan. If we don't get the No. 1 pick,
My plan is to trade Tracy McGrady for the No. 1 pick and choose DeWalt Howard. As for why I chose Howard, I think everyone should have noticed that there are fewer and fewer good centers in the league now, but Howard asked me to look at
Arrived at the center of hope."
The history of the league was a history of center hegemony, starting from the emergence of George Mikan, the league's first true superstar, to Russell, Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Olajuwon, O'Neal, every
A great center determines the league championship. But starting from the black-and-white battle between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, the center is no longer the only guarantee for the championship. Players in other positions can also become the final say.
During the Bulls dynasty, Jordan attracted all the flashlights, clearly telling the world that guards can do anything, and big men can no longer decide everything on the court. In fact, I think the decline of the center's status began from that moment on.
, but whether you understand it as a return to glory or a decline in prosperity, in short, in the 1990s, Olajuwon, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O'Neal, and even Mourning and Mutombo teamed up to open up the world.
The most magnificent center feast in NBA history. The first four here can be said to be firmly in the top 50. Mutombo is also one of the best and greatest defensive players in the history of the league, and Mourning has also been selected many times.
All-Star. But after 2000, everyone was still immersed in the performances of these great centers in the past few years. No one noticed that in fact, there has been no new outstanding center blood in the league for a long time. Wait until Olajuwon, David
Robinson and Ewing retired one after another in 2002, Mourning was diagnosed with kidney disease, and Timberlake was no longer famous and frequently played among many teams. Only then did everyone discover that a group of legendary big men that everyone was familiar with before had changed in three seconds.
The scene of hand-to-hand fighting in the area disappeared, leaving only O'Neal dominating the basket. Although later with Yao Ming entering the league, the hype of the Yao-Shark War began again, but Yao Ming is really a whole lot worse than the previous ones.
, because Yao Ming has a fatal flaw - his physical fitness is not enough to support his outstanding performance in the fourth quarter, and what people value most in the NBA is the performance of the ace in the fourth quarter. Later, there was finally a player that people expected to be able to
Oden revived the glory of the center, but he was unfortunately selected by the Trail Blazers who had a center grave, and then there were endless injuries. Of course, the biggest beneficiary here is actually the Orlando Magic. Because of the above reasons, Howard became
The only top center in the league, but in fact Howard is just a super blue-collar guy...
"Although his current height has not reached 210cm (because of custom, his height is not measured in feet and inches), but he is only a high school student, and centers in the league are generally shorter in height, so I think he will reach 20
He can grow to more than 210cm when he is 20 years old. I won’t say more about his physical fitness. It is already very popular in the media. In fact, the reason why I am optimistic about him is his character. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus
It has been said that 'character determines destiny'. Many No. 1 picks in the league have superhuman physical fitness, but have character flaws, are crushed by pressure, and eventually disappear from the crowd. But Howard's character is very good, and Olawokandi, praise
May Brown is completely different. Howard is sunny and humorous, and he is an innocent big boy. You can always see his smile, while Olawokandi and Kwame Brown always frown, giving people a bitter and hateful look.
Feeling. His optimistic attitude makes me full of confidence in his future. His future is destined to be bright. At worst, he can fully display his physical fitness next to Nash and become the next Martin. Another draft pick.
The popular Okafor is not good. There is a problem with his mentality. Last year, the gap between Anthony and Bosh was obvious to him, which left a shadow in his heart. So sometimes I can clearly feel that he is not confident enough, and he
His potential is not much anymore. He has played in the NCAA for three years but his offensive ability is still not mature, although he is very defensive. The most important thing is his back injury.
That's it. In order to strengthen the Magic board's determination to choose Howard, Edison analyzed various things, but all the previous words were not as lethal as the last sentence. The Magic are now suffering from injuries, and everyone present was stunned when he said this sentence.
My heart trembled.
In fact, there is a saying in basketball, "It takes a year to select a guard, and it takes a look to select a forward." The most important thing for a post player is his body. Skills and other things can be honed the day after tomorrow, but there is no use honing height. In fact, it is useless to hone height.
Before this draft, everyone knew that Okafor's talent was just that, but he was still the biggest favorite. Why? Because there is no better choice. Although Howard has first-class physical fitness and great potential, in the end, these potentials can
Whether it can be converted into strength is still unknown. Since Duncan, the NBA has had several parallel No. 1 picks. Even Brand and Martin have not become superstars. So everyone is afraid. Okafor has limited potential, but he is not bad.
It's not much different. A good starting big man is a sure thing. If he's good, he might be an All-Star. But Howard is different. Needless to say, if Kwame Brown comes out again, it will be a shame.
Big.
"When we get Howard, we need to bring out his full potential. I suggest finding an excellent center coach to guide Howard. Of course, the premise is that we get Howard."
"If we don't get the No. 1 pick, we can either directly trade the No. 1 pick or trade with the team that gets Howard. In short, we have to try our best to get him, and Tracy McGrady is a bargaining chip that neither a person nor the team can refuse. In this way, we
If we can get Howard through Tracy McGrady, he will be a good role player for the opponent. In this way, we can form a team with Howard guarding the inside, Nash organizing the offense, and supplemented by one or two role players. Then we will see the recovery status of Hill and others. If it is good,
I think we will be fourth in the Eastern Conference next year behind the Pistons, Pacers and Nets. If the recovery is not ideal, we can still enter the playoffs steadily."
"The most perfect situation is that we can get the No. 1 pick, then we can wait for the price and maximize McGrady's trading value." Edison said, spreading his hands with a funny expression.
"So my idea of building the team is that Howard and Nash are the core. One of them can guarantee the results of the past two years, and the other can help us win the future. As for McGrady's trade, we cannot let him go to Houston, or trade O'Neal.
Or make a deal around building a team with Howard. That's all I have to say, thank you all again for giving me this opportunity."
After Edison finished speaking, he walked off the stage. He couldn't calm down for a long time. The top team leaders around him were talking a lot. He also wanted to know if everyone agreed with his views, but the excitement in his heart made him completely unable to listen to what others said. He just felt
There was a "buzzing" noise all around. So Edison naturally looked at Old Pat, trying to find the answer. Old Pat smiled at him and clapped, and Edison suddenly felt much more at ease.
It is impossible for everyone to make up their minds about such a major matter as team reconstruction in one meeting. After the meeting, everyone was still busy with other things as usual. No one mentioned this meeting to Edison again. Edison was also uneasy and didn't know.
What is the result?
But soon he was assigned a new job by the team, a tiring job. But this job changed Edison's life.
