Start coaching the Thunder, starting with Westbrook

Chapter 11
Durant asked this, of course not because he was dissatisfied with Westbrook, but because he was dissatisfied with the lineup.

Although it has never been revealed, except for Westbrook and Ibaka in the current team, he really has no one in the team.

And if Westbrook is injured and may not be able to play at the beginning of next season, the team's point guards will be Reggie Jackson and Fisher. These two are rookies and one is too old, so they can't be counted on.

Of course, you can't count on picking a rookie point guard, but if you have a good choice, you can actually try it. After all, the point guard's immediate combat power is stronger than the inside line.

And to be honest, Durant has been leading rookies in the past few years, Westbrook, Ibaka, Harden, and finally brought some results, reached the finals, and let them go because of a difference of several million in the offseason.

Durant's whole body is numb!
At this moment, Presti suddenly turned his head and asked, "Lee, is that the decision?"

Li Sheng shrugged and said: "I just suggest that Mr. Presti decides."

Durant was suddenly a little curious. It sounded like Presti was asking for Li Sheng's opinion.

Also, why hasn't Li Sheng left yet, the draft is about to start, shouldn't he go back to the Spurs?

But at this time, the draft was finally about to start, and he didn't have time to ask, watching the NBA president walk on stage in the screen.

And Presti took a look at Li Sheng, and felt a little helpless when he saw that the old god was there.

He actually wanted to play football just now, and asked Li Sheng to tell Durant, but Li Sheng refused to take over.

At present, the two parties have actually reached an agreement, and the problem of how to communicate with Brooks and the players will be left to Presti.

Judging by Li Sheng's appearance, he has no idea at all to have too much contact with the players now, and Presti can't help it either.

The draft has officially started, and the previous selection has not changed much. After all, the arrival of Li Sheng is not enough to cause a butterfly effect, until the 12th pick, the Thunder's pick.

"The Thunder chose... Giannis Antetokounmpo!"

Steven Adams in the little green room was stunned when he heard the result, and then raised his thick eyebrows. It is estimated that if Presti was in front of him at this time, he would definitely yell at him: "Atlantis forever, I don't believe in 'love' anymore."

In fact, it is not uncommon for this kind of temporary change of mind before the draft. Being in the small green room does not mean that he will definitely be a lottery pick. For example, the former Jordan fell all the way to the end of the second round in the small green room.

Meanwhile, on the other side, a tall, thin black teenager looked disbelieving, and in the Bucks room, general manager John Hammond stood up in the same astonishment.

John Hammond once won the best manager, and he is well-known for his operation as the general manager, and his vision is actually not bad.

In 09, he selected Jennings for the team. He was once a strong contender for the best rookie and led the team to the playoffs. Unfortunately, due to factors such as injuries, he failed to make further progress.

This time, he took a fancy to the Greeks who had a mediocre market before the draft. For this reason, he didn't even contact him in advance, just to reduce the attention of other teams to him.

Of course, Hammond is not very sure about this decision. After all, the draft is a gamble, let alone the 15th overall pick.

What he didn't expect was that Antetokounmpo was still selected ahead of schedule, and it was still the Thunder.

The Thunder's draft vision is not only liked by fans, but also recognized by his peers. He sighed secretly, suddenly a little frustrated, he knew that he should trade up...

"This is..." Durant was also surprised by this result, mainly because he read Brother Antetokounmpo's name for a long time, but he didn't figure out how to pronounce it.

Li Sheng immediately said: "Giannis Antetokounmpo, a Greek, is 19 years old this year. I plan to let him be your substitute next season. Of course, it depends on his offseason training results."

Durant looked at Li Sheng in surprise when he heard it. He had no brains and understood Li Sheng's meaning. He was about to ask, but Li Sheng raised his index finger and hissed, indicating that Presti was talking on the phone.

This kind of time is the most tense time. Although most teams will contact each other and reach an agreement before, the plan cannot keep up with the changes. Most of the time, there will be an alternative plan, or else they will adapt to the situation.

Of course, Presti is urgently contacting other teams, hoping to trade up the top pick, so as to ensure that their selection will not be cut off.

As the general manager of the team, Presti can certainly serve the needs of the coach when making transactions, especially Li Sheng is also the head coach appointed by the owner Bennett.

Anyway, how to cultivate it and whether it can be played at that time will depend on Li Sheng. If he is just an empty frame who can draw cakes and talk big, then he will be exposed sooner or later.

It's just using the team's next two years to bet on a rookie coach. Presti felt that the bet was too big but there was nothing he could do about it. After all, it was the boss who made the decisions.

Moreover, this two-year contract was proposed by Li Sheng himself. Presti doesn't know where his confidence comes from, but it's also very good.

Even if after this time, the boss is disappointed, maybe he can give him more power.

In the world of adults, of course, all kinds of calculations are indispensable.

The next two picks did not change, because the two draft picks had already negotiated a deal. The Thunder's change was too sudden, even if they wanted to change their minds, it was too late. Until the No. 15 pick, John Hammond thought and thought again, and chose Steven Adams.

The Bucks actually have no shortage of center forwards, and if they are selected, they will either trade one of the center forwards in the team, or use this signing right to trade with another team.

The main reason is that the Thunder's temporary shot disrupted his plan. Although he can also grab Robertson, who the Thunder is looking for, but for the team's consideration, Adams is definitely a better choice, whether it is for training or as a bargaining chip.

Then came the 26th pick...

"How about the Nuggets not agreeing to the deal?"

Presti shook his head, Li Sheng immediately said: "Then choose Gobert!"

Presti hesitated to speak, but there was nothing he could do. Adams had been selected, so he must choose the center position first.

And to be honest, there are still Sefolosha and Lamb in the team at present, and Robertson will not have many opportunities after being selected, especially after Antetokounmpo is selected with a lottery pick, he must focus on training.

Sighing, Presti still made a decision, "Then choose Gobert..."

Earlier, the Nuggets had just changed coaches, and then new coach Brian Shaw immediately participated in the draft.

They had previously traded the 14th and 21st picks to get the Timberwolves' No. 9 pick and selected Trey Burke from the University of Michigan.

Of course, they hoped to go further and make a difference in the new season after they stopped in the first round last season, but the head star Iguodala became a free agent and would not renew his contract. They could only make another plan.

After the Jazz and Thunder called at the same time to trade up for their draft picks, the Nuggets eventually chose to trade with the Jazz.

So the Thunder selected Rudy Gobert with the 26th overall pick, the Nuggets with the 27th overall pick were stunned, and the Jazz who got the pick in the trade were even more stunned.

How do they choose now?
(End of this chapter)