Pat Riley breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the deal come to fruition.
Finally, he was chosen!
That’s right, Dwyane Wade is the “next Jordan” as Michael Jordan’s trainer Grover calls him!
Pat Riley found him quite lucky.
Because he was more interested in Chris Kaman in the training camp at that time.
As a result, during the trial training session, he unexpectedly discovered that Wade's physical fitness was superb, and his combat ability had already reached the NBA's quasi-first-tier level.
This kind of immediate combat ability is enough for Pat Riley to ignore his 21-year-old age.
It happened that both of them had trained at Grover's place, so he called the latter, and the latter's answer was: "Chris will become a very good All-Star, but Dwyane is the next Jordan!"
But Woody is also the target of his heart.
In order to have his cake and eat it too, he went to trick his old teammate, Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor.
The two of them had been teammates in the Lakers for two years. When Pat Riley mentioned the superstars of his generation in the media, he would also praise Baylor in various ways and make Baylor very comfortable. Therefore, the relationship between the two people
It's always been good.
In addition to this reason, there is another reason...
The Clippers have made big changes.
In 2001, "Baylor" used the fourth pick of the first round to acquire Elton Brand from the Bulls, and established a tactical system with the "captain" as the core.
As a result, the tactical status of Lamar Odom, the original outside core of the team, plummeted. In the third season of his career, his average data per game increased from 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists last season to 13.1.
He scored 5.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists, so there were constant complaints.
This was beyond "Baylor's" expectation.
Originally, he brought Brand here because he and Odom had been teammates in high school. They were brothers and had a very good relationship with each other. He originally wanted to play "brother basketball", but one of the brothers didn't want to at all.
sacrifice.
Odom continued to have bad relations with management.
After last season, Odom's four-year "child labor contract" expired, and this summer is the final date to renew. If the Clippers do not provide a qualifying offer, then Odom will become a completely free agent.
"Baylor" would definitely not be willing to let such a player go for nothing.
This is the entry point of Pat Riley's call.
In fact, he was planning to do it for nothing. According to the inside information he received, the relationship between Odom and the Clippers management was very tense, and the Clippers did not even dare to match the contract at will.
This has to talk about Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
In the season that just ended, Odom also suffered injuries and had constant off-court issues.
People like this need to leave...
This extremely stingy "Iron Rooster" will never allow "Baylor" to match Odom's contract under such circumstances.
He was afraid that he had spent his money in vain and let these "niggers" enjoy it!
It was such a rigid situation. Even if Pat Riley just said, "I can provide you with several expiring contracts, plus a second-round pick," Elgin Baylor was moved to tears: "
Good brother, you are really my good brother!"
The expiring contract may seem worthless, but it has to be divided over time. If a star suddenly breaks up with the team, the expiring contract can become a good bargaining chip to match the salary!
Pat Riley and "Baylor" were both born in "Purple Gold", and they both have the blood of "robbery superstars" in their bones, so Pat Riley believes that the bargaining chip of the expiring contract is still very important in "Baylor's heart"
It’s substantial!
What's more, there's an extra second-round pick!
Judging from Baylor's reaction, this bargaining chip is more important to him than Pat Riley thought.
However, after negotiating a deal to acquire Odom with his expiring contract, Pat Riley found a time to call Baylor again and said in an urgent tone: "Man, it's my turn now.
Sorry, can you do me a favor?"
As soon as he heard that his good brother who had just helped him was in trouble, he was very enthusiastic about "Baylor" and asked what was wrong. He learned that Pat Riley wanted to use next year's first-round pick to exchange for the first-round pick in his hand.
, Baylor hesitated for a moment, and then looked through the Heat's lineup very professionally.
Um……
Eddie Jones!
Brian Grant!
Except for these two veterans, the others are all rookies, and with Lamar Odom as a "thorn" who only needs data but not record, the Heat's first-round pick next year will definitely not be lower...
And next year...
Howard, Okafor, Ben Gordon, Devin Harris, Luol Deng, Iguodala...
It’s also a draft year!
"Brother, to be honest with you, if you give me the first-round draft pick next year in exchange, if you don't add a pick, I really won't agree to this, but give me next year's draft pick.
Regarding the transaction, I can only say one thing... I didn’t lie to my brother!”
This deal...
"Done!"
This wave!
This wave is really "some brains, but not much"!
So this deal became the Clippers sending Lamar Odom and this year's first-round No. 6 pick, getting several expiring contracts from the Heat, next year's first-round pick, and the second pick the year after that.
Round lottery.
Pat Riley got the sixth pick in the first round of this year, and he could win his favorite Dwyane Wade. Even if Odom, who could have used it for free, wasted a second-round pick the year after next, he still felt very good.
value!
Next, let’s see if Wade’s diamond can be gambled away!
He felt that he was not at a loss, while "Baylor" felt that he had made a lot of money. What Pat Riley "unknown" was that Odom's agent had informed their management that they would not accept any renewal offer and only wanted to
Leaving the Clippers, that is to say, he was determined to leave. Odom, who could only have been let go for nothing, got several expiring contracts and a second-round pick.
As for the No. 6 pick in this year’s first round.
After LeBron James, Anthony, Bosh and Milicic were all drafted, the Clippers really don't have a favorite target. There is no problem in replacing him with next year's first-round draft pick.
In this way, they will have two high picks next year, and the probability of betting on "potential stocks" will be greater!
What does a "genius general manager" mean?
After completing the deal, Baylor felt that he was awesome. No, he had to cross his arms for a while!
The Clippers are really lucky to have me!
At the scene, the draft was still going on. The media looked at Wade, who had put on a Heat cap, and pulled him next to Woody. The Heat's "Wei Wu" combination of the new season left their first name in front of the camera.
A group photo.
Woody signaled to him and returned to his seat.
I took out my mobile phone and took a look. It was full of congratulatory messages.
Congratulations, man. It's a pity that I couldn't become a teammate, but welcome to the NBA, the fifth pick in the first round, Woody. You have reached a height that I could not even imagine. - Ben Wallace;
Wow, Wu, you are really great! I entered the NBA with the fifth pick in the first round as a high school student. I really don’t know when I will enter the NBA! - Stephen Curry;
Man, I didn’t expect you to be drafted until the fifth pick, but Miami is a big city, congratulations! - Dell Curry;
Congratulations, brother, we are going to meet in the NBA. Let’s cheer together. I look forward to meeting you on the NBA stage. - LeBron James;
…
Among so many text messages, Dell Curry's words made Woody feel the most comfortable.
exactly!
This team with the top four picks is really blind!
But think about it carefully, a high school student, a Chinese, has only played football for one year... The latter reason can be seen as Woody's high talent and his rapid progress in one year, but it also represents an unknown risk.
It's not like the NBA doesn't have such examples.
Let’s take Michael Olowokandi, the “No. 1 pick” in 1998. He is truly known as the “Second Generation Olajuwon”. Like Woody, he only started playing basketball at the age of 17. He has made rapid progress and is astonishing.
, but after entering the NBA, before Kwame Brown, he was the biggest "parallel import number one" in the NBA.
In addition, Woody's style of play is more defensive...
In short, there are many reasons to choose Woody with the top four picks, and there are actually many reasons not to choose Woody.
Who told this to be the 2003 draft?
It’s not an exaggeration to describe it as “a gathering of geniuses”!
Perkins also sent a congratulatory text message to Woody, his tone full of envy.
Woody could have left long ago, but he wanted to know Perkins' final result, so he kept paying attention.
finally……
"With the 27th overall pick in the first round of the NBA in 2003, the Memphis Grizzlies selected Kendrick Perkins from Clifton J. Ozen High School!"
Amid David Stern's announcement, Perkins panted through the aisle in front of the stage. When he passed by Woody, he hugged him. Looking at his awkward look, Woody said,
Di straightened his bloated suit for him.
"Thanks, man!"
Taking photos on stage, Perkins eventually entered the NBA as a high school student.
But he also experienced the same embarrassment as Wade:
When I first entered the NBA, I was "changed".
The big screen at the scene showed the details of the transaction: The Boston Celtics sent Dengtae Jones, their 20th pick in the first round, in exchange for Perkins, the 27th pick in the first round of the Grizzlies.
"Man, your pick is quite high!" Woody was happy for Perkins.
Perkins also laughed "hehe".
In this kind of transaction between rookies of the same class, whoever is drafted higher is really embarrassed!
Therefore, the look Dengtai Jones casts towards him can almost kill someone.
After the draft, Woody and the others couldn't leave, and all the lottery picks had to take a group photo together.
As the "No. 1 pick", LeBron James very enthusiastically helped the photographer direct the position, and finally stood in the C position with great satisfaction.
Woody held Wade with his left hand and Perkins with his right hand, standing in the third row of the team.
Then Wade discovered that he had been fooled.
He is only 1.93 meters tall and has to stand on tiptoe to appear in the picture...
Isn’t this bullying an honest person?
His impression of Woody, his new teammate, was one more word:
Crumbs!
Woody then accepted the interview until 12 o'clock in the middle of the night, when Su Qun's interview ended, and he dragged his tired body back to the hotel. Wu's parents had already gone back to the hotel to sleep. Originally, he planned to wash up and sleep, but
When he finally lay in bed, he couldn't fall asleep again.
Waves of excitement surged through his cerebral cortex, causing him to think about things unconsciously.
nba…
Ever since he decided to play basketball, this word has been popping up all over his life.
Now he has finally become an NBA player, much faster than he thought!
It’s just about how to take the next road, and whether it can go so smoothly...
Woody felt nervous for no reason.
This burst of nervousness made him subconsciously turn on the system.
Looking at his potential, Woody regained his composure.
This adjustment speed...
Woody announced that the system panel is his biggest plug-in!
Unable to sleep, Woody searched the Internet for information about this Heat.
Pat Riley came to the Heat in the 1995-96 season. Starting from the second year, the team became one of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference in regular season record. However, they never made a breakthrough in the playoffs.
In the 1998-99 season, when they had the best record, they encountered the "Black Eight". The Knicks, who were eighth in the Eastern Conference, defeated them. In the year when they had the best playoff record, they also fell in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Later, Mourning suffered kidney failure, and the Heat lost this "team spirit" and were completely forced to rebuild.
The summary is:
I can be tough at ordinary times, but when I need to be tough at the critical moment, I can't be tough!
The current leader of the team is Eddie Jones, who previously had Kobe on the bench for the Lakers.
Inside is Brian Grant, the 8th pick in the first round of 1994.
Both of them are over 33 years old and have begun to decline from their peak years. Neither of them will be the cornerstone of the Heat in the next few years.
In other words, Woody will most likely receive core treatment as soon as he enters the league, which makes him feel comfortable.
The Cavaliers have Ricky Davis and Big Z, and the Pistons, not to mention the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, have rigorous tactics. Even if he joins this team, he is the one who cooperates with this team, not this one.
Only teams cooperate with him, including the Raptors, and there is also Vince Carter. Even if he is an easy person to get along with, the offensive and defensive tactics must focus on him first...
No matter who it is, even if they have the support of management, facing these situations, it will definitely take some time to gain their core position.
From this perspective, Woody is very lucky that he was selected with the fifth overall pick in the first round.
Waiting for the performance...
You can attract more business contracts!
After making announcements these days, Woody is very clear that if he relies on such a small "dead salary" in the contract, he will not make much money in a year. It also has to be a commercial endorsement contract, how fast the money comes in! - It's really not the case.
Woody has expanded, but the speed of making money has increased, and his horizons have naturally increased!
This is normal!
Just like if you meet the school beauty, do you still think that meeting the class beauty is something worth being happy about?
This makes him eager to perform well...
When Woody thought about those endorsement contracts worth tens of millions per year, the more he thought about it, the more excited he became. But in the end, he could not resist the fatigue of his body, his eyelids kept fighting, and finally he fell into a drowsy sleep.
Early the next morning, there were overwhelming reports about this draft.
Joe Dumas said in an interview: "The choice of Darko Milicic was Larry Brown's decision. We believe in his experience and vision. He can lead this team to greater heights. We have to do
What I want is to do everything possible to cooperate with him and ensure that he gets the person he wants!"
When Cavaliers general manager Jimmy Paxson was asked about the topic of LeBron James, he suddenly said: "We believe that Woody and LeBron are both rare talents, but from our scouting reports
Judging from this, we believe that LeBron James can become a charismatic player like Johnson, and Woody will definitely be a very good player, but my scout told me that he is more likely to become the best player on the defensive end.
!”
Raptors general manager Babcock said: "Choosing Chris Bosh is the best expression of our respect for Vince Carter. We believe in his choice and believe that this team can make a difference between him and Chris Bosh.
With Bosh’s efforts, we will become a better team!”
…
If you observe carefully, you will find that maybe because this is a big year for the draft, everyone is afraid of a repeat of the "84 tragedy". As soon as the draft ends, the general managers of their respective teams can't help themselves and dump "
pot".
Especially among the top five picks, the general managers of the three teams specifically explained the reasons why they did not choose Woody.
There's no way, the unknowns in Woody are too high!
What if the damn thing breaks out!
Then they still have to be beaten to death by their own fans?
However, the reactions of those who took the blame to these three people were also different.
Larry Brown said disdainfully: "I believe in my judgment. Darko will become a very good player in my hands. Time will tell everything!"
Although the Cavaliers scouts did not have a media channel to specifically defend themselves, that afternoon, there were more detailed scouting reports about Woody from Cavaliers scouts in the media.
At this time, the media discovered that the templates given by several Cavaliers scouts were actually quite offensive, such as a rebound-enhanced version of Scottie Pippen!
So this pot of choice...
Or does it have to be the fault of the Cavaliers general manager?
After Vince Carter learned about this, he snorted angrily: "I went to bed long ago last night!"
If you throw it away, I will throw it away too!
At the same time, Woody sent Wu's parents and Wu's mother to the airport, and then he followed Johnson and Wu Erzhuang and officially set off for Miami...
There will be another update in the evening.
Then let me talk about it, Odom was directly let go by the Clippers back then, without getting any chips, and Pat Riley took out the white wolf with nothing.
Of course, it also has something to do with Odom's inability to stop whoring. Many media think he is useless, including the Clippers.
In this context, looking at this transaction, it is equivalent to saying that Pat Riley used his expiring contract and a first-round pick plus a second-round pick to exchange for Baylor's No. 6 first-round pick.
Is this deal really outrageous?
Many trading writers only dare to write after they have specifically researched and found out if it is feasible. It really is not something that can be decided directly with a slap on the forehead.