The Legend of the Hungry Wolf in Basketball

Chapter 386 [Trade and draft before the lockout! 】

The 2011 NBA Draft has been moved to Newark, New Jersey, where the Nets are due to undergo renovations at New York's Madison Square Garden.

The haze of the suspension of the new season has not yet dissipated, but as one of the highlights of the NBA every summer, there are still many suspense or questions worth looking forward to in this year's draft: who will be the No.And the Clippers, which fans are most concerned about, will use their picks.

In recent years, the league has been flooded with swingers, and there are fewer and fewer pure insiders. The insiders in this draft are a highlight. In addition, it is a European army with a large number of foreign players participating.

Before the draft, the Bucks, Bobcats, and Kings reached a three-way deal.The Bobcats got the Kings' No. 7 pick and the Bucks' Corey Maggette in this deal; the Bucks got Stephen Jackson, Benno Udry, Sean Livingston and the No. 19 pick.The Kings got the 10th pick with John Salmons.The Bobcats ushered in Maggette and got the No. 7 pick, plus there was a No. 9 pick for rebuilding. Jordan seemed to have made a wise choice.However, Tristan Thompson, who they valued, could not fall to the 7th position.

The Cavaliers also want to choose Tristan Thompson. If unfortunately they fail, they will choose Lithuania's Valenciunas, who is also a promising star. The Clippers will select them for them and then make a trade.

McGee will also have some competitive pressure in the Cavaliers next season. In other words, the pressure will be great for these rookies. I am afraid it will be difficult to get a starting opportunity. The Cavaliers must choose Irving in the first round, so the No. 5 pick will be an insider. This will not change. .After the draft, the Cavaliers' lineup is not too bad.

The general meeting is about to start, and many rookies seem to have no energy. This draft conference is not the same as before.It is said that the most injured in the NBA lockout are the fans, which is true.What about the most distressed victims?I'm afraid it can only be the rookies.Because of the lockout, they couldn't get a contract, and they couldn't even communicate with the team. Before they started their NBA dream, they got a slap in the face.

In fact, the agents of the rookies have already prepared for this. They know that their new clients will face the threat of unemployment after the draft, so some agents are already looking for overseas players for the rookies. Chance.Before the contract is finalized, the biggest headache for the rookies is how to survive. The current labor negotiations are particularly important to them, which will determine their future development direction.

For rookies, playing overseas is not a perfect solution. They lack the fame and cannot get big contracts.In addition, for those first-round rookies, although they can get guaranteed contracts after the lockout, going overseas is more risky for them.Because once injured, NBA owners have every reason to abandon them.This is a dilemma, which means that there is nothing to do. Going overseas or not going overseas, the disadvantages are equally obvious.In this case, who is happy?
It was the president David Stern who came out to give a speech first. Because of the collective bargaining agreement, he stood on the cusp of the storm. Fortunately, no one threw rotten eggs at him.

The Cavaliers chose Kyrie Irving with the first pick, and he became the third No. 4 point guard in 3 years!In recent years, teams seem to like to choose point guards. Before 2008, there were only three point guard champions in the NBA.John Lucas, "Magic" Johnson, Allen Iverson.Before that, inside players were popular, and even Deron Williams and Chris Paul were ranked 3rd and 4th, and the champion was center Bogut.

The Cavaliers ushered in a new savior, and they still hold the No. 5 pick, and they can complete the reconstruction by selecting another insider.

The situation of the Timberwolves is rather embarrassing. It is said that they are selling the second pick. Derek Williams' draft template is Michael Beasley.Beasley is now in the Timberwolves. Isn't it a waste to choose Williams at this time?It's a pity that the No. [-] pick was not traded. They can only choose Williams who has attracted much attention. I don't know if they will trade in the future.

The Timberwolves' lineup this year is also worth looking forward to.Beasley, Rubio, Wesley Johnson, Derek Williams.These people are all players with high draft rankings in recent years, and Milicic is on the bench.However, none of these people has become an All-Star. Beasley is an All-Star in statistics, but his nickname is "Data Brush".If they can't play well, the Timberwolves are the place where parallel imports are concentrated.

The Toronto Raptors chose Türkiye's Kanter in the third pick!The man had never played an NCAA game, and Kanter was disqualified from playing for Kentucky by the NCAA because he received funding from Fenerbahce.But he has as much attention as anyone.The current lineup of the Raptors is more interesting, and they are almost becoming an international team.

The Sacramento Kings selected guard Brandon Knight, who is projected to be third overall.In Ye Feng's previous life, Knight was selected by the Pistons after falling to seventh place. From this point, it can be seen that insiders are valuable. Almost all league teams lack insiders, even those with low evaluations must be selected.

In fifth place, the Clippers robbed Tristan Thompson, and the Bobcats were a disaster. They finally traded to the No. 7 pick, but they couldn't choose the person they wanted the most.

Jordan immediately dialed Ye Feng's phone, which showed how much he valued Thompson, and his tone of voice was not kind. "Ye, did you do it on purpose? Why did the Clippers choose Thompson when they have no shortage of insiders? Are you making trouble with us?"

Ye Feng said lightly: "Michael, don't get excited. Thompson is not what we want to choose, but just a bargaining chip. We have already agreed with someone to trade, and we will announce it later. I think Biyombo is also good, let's choose him instead."

Jordan angrily hung up the phone without saying goodbye, and the Bobcats' reconstruction plan was disrupted.

The sixth Wizards selected the Czech player Veseli, a shooting insider with a height of 211cm.There are so many European players this year, and almost every one of them has been compared with Nowitzki. Only Veseli is called the Griffin of Europe.This is definitely a joke, the two are nothing alike.There are also reports that Veseli is a genius and is proficient in four languages: Czech, Slovenian, Serbian and English. This is even more of a joke. What does knowing several languages ​​have to do with basketball?Is it possible to spray trash in multiple languages ​​on the court?
The Bobcats chose Bismack Biyombo for the seventh spot. He is an African insider and very old-fashioned. It is said that Biyombo, who signed up for 18 years old, is actually 22 years old. The age of Africans is a mystery.However, the inside line in Africa has always been very useful. Mutombo and Ball are very strong, and of course "Dream" Olajuwon.

The eighth warrior chose Valenciunas, also a European player, who is young and weak in confrontation.

The ninth Bobcats chose Kemba Walker!This year NCAA Walker led the University of Connecticut to win the championship and suddenly emerged.But Walker's prospects are not optimistic, this buddy is too lonely.If it weren't for the outbreak in the NCAA this year, he probably wouldn't be able to enter the lottery, and the future development is worthy of attention.

During the reporter's interview, every time the Bobcats selected players, they would be asked how they would play under Jordan. This is nonsense. Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison have already given good answers.If Eric Gordon is not in the Bobcats, Walker may be able to play, but it will be difficult for him to get the ball and attack with the ball next season.

In Ye Feng's previous life, the Jazz were lucky enough to get the No. 11 pick, but unfortunately selected Kanter, pushing a group of short and fat insiders, causing Kanter to have no playing time.Now they dropped to the [-]th pick and selected Eric Burks.

What's more funny is that the Suns selected Markieff Morris, the twin brother.The Suns manager is obviously a "twin lover", Lopez Jr., Griffin Jr., and now Morris Jr., or twins have been produced in recent years...

Leonard, who was originally predicted to be the No. 5 pick, fell out of the lottery zone and was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 15th pick.After that, there was no one to pay attention to, Ye Feng didn't look carefully, he kept chatting and complaining with Ariel.They also have a pick at the bottom of the second round, and that position has already decided who to choose.

There was a climax when New York was selected as the 17th pick, and there were cheers on the scene. Last year, Fields was picked up as a treasure, and he also formed the Big Three. New York fans were very excited and generally optimistic about the Knicks.Who will they choose?Is it Singleton or Brooks?

As soon as the results were announced, there was another booing and screams like killing a pig.New York actually selected point guard Iman Schubert!A guy who was predicted to fall to the second round was selected 17th in the first round!The New York fans hugged their heads and groaned in various ways, with extremely painful expressions...

After that, the tripartite trade of the Clippers, Cavaliers, and Grizzlies was announced, and the fans were shocked. The Gasol brothers joined the Clippers at the same time, and the Clippers also sent 4 people, which is the biggest so far. trade.

The most tragic person at the scene was Tristan Thompson, and the cameraman also pointed the camera at him. A close-up of his expression appeared on the big screen, and his face froze in shock.There is no rookie who does not want to go to the Clippers. Although he cannot be the boss, he is likely to win the championship.

A group of people who were still envious of Thompson just now also became gloating. After going to the Cavaliers, Thompson will have to compete with McGee, Varejao, and Jamison for playing time. He must be the most marginal person.

The Spurs also traded, sent George Hill, and got the Pacers' No. 15 rookie Leonard!Popovich is an old fox. As soon as Leonard fell out of the lottery, he made a decisive shot to strengthen the striker. Richard Jefferson was no longer good.And George Hill is not indispensable, Gary Neal is enough.

Not much changed after that, the New Jersey Nets still selected Marshawn Brooks, this is a good guard, averaged 36.5 minutes last season, contributed 24.6 points, 7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.2 blocks per game .Someone once hailed Brooks as the next Kobe, which is an affirmation of his offensive ability.He has fallen so far because his style of play is too unique.With him, the Nets have become stronger, but the back line is also a bit crowded, and it is estimated that there will be trades.

Before the start of the second round, another three-way transaction occurred. The Nuggets sent Raymond Felton in exchange for the Trail Blazers veteran point guard Andre Miller, this year's first-round pick No. 26 Jordan Hamilton and a future The Blazers sent Miller, Rudy Fernandez, the right to sign the 07 rookie Copponen, and the future second-round pick in exchange for Felton and this year's No. 57 pick; the Mavericks sent No. 26 The draft pick, the No. 57 pick this year, in exchange for the signing rights of Fernandez and Kauponen.Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the biggest beneficiary of this deal is the Mavericks, and Fernandez has enhanced the depth of the bench.The Blazers actually just traded Miller and Fernandez for Felton, which is strange.The Nuggets continued to live without a leader, and Miller's return to Denver would be regarded as returning to his roots.

There was a good Chandler Parsons in the second round of the draft, but he was selected by the Rockets.Rockets manager Morey has done a terrible job of finding big-name players, but he can always find some undervalued rookies.

After waiting until the last place, Thibodeau chose Isiah Thomas.

When Thomas heard that he had been drafted by the Clippers, he jumped out of his seat excitedly.He was about to collapse, and when he was about to give up, he was picked by the best team. There is no more ups and downs in life than this.He is content to have a chance to perform and play preseason for the Clippers. He doesn't expect to stay in the Clippers, he just wants to stay in the NBA with a mixed contract.

It’s no wonder that Thomas feels inferior. Since the NBA adopted a two-round draft system in 1989, 22 of the 13 “last rookies” have not had a chance to play for even one minute, and only 1 have played for two seasons. They are all marginal players. .

When Ye Feng proposed to choose Thomas, the coaching staff did not object, because the Clippers used Barea heavily, and the small guard messed up the Lakers' inside line in the playoffs.The reason why Thomas fell to the last place and no one wants it is also his height. He is shorter than Barea, only 173CM, and his body is relatively thin.

Thomas has heard countless doubts and criticisms since he was a child.But every time he can use his performance to gag other people's mouths.In high school, he set numerous state records.While studying at the University of Washington, a famous basketball school, he was also elected as the MVP of the Pacific Big Ten League.The only reason the other 29 NBA teams underestimated Thomas was because of his height. If he was 1 meters, he would definitely be selected in the first round.

Of course, Thomas' defense has many shortcomings, but the Clippers don't care about these. They have a lot of defensive masters, and an assaulter like Barea is enough.When coming off the bench, Thomas' defense will be a loophole, but offense can help the team. Now the Clippers prefer offense!
At the end of the draft, Ye Feng felt a little sad. Thomas was probably the last outstanding rookie he could bring to the team with the memories of his previous life.

Fortunately, the Clippers' recruitment work is almost complete. Even if there are no outstanding free agents to join in the future, relying on the existing 12 people, Ye Feng is also confident to lead the team to the best record in the league. Can they improve last season's record and keep their salary below the salary cap?

(End of this chapter)