NBA: Back to 97, to be the Jagged Bishop

Chapter 426: Start taking advantage of Durant
Playing against Green Kai in the first round of the playoffs gave Kongbu a very strange feeling.

Because according to the normal trajectory of history, it won't be long before Garnett will join Green Kai and form the Big Three of Green Kai.

Looking at the current situation, it is [-]% difficult to form the Green Kai Big Three. The relationship between Pierce and Garnett is very bad.

About five years ago, Pierce and Garnett had a quarrel over the issue of All-Star qualifications. In the past five years, whenever the two met, it was bound to be a quarrel.

Especially since Garnett came to the Eastern Conference this year and played four games with the Celtics during the regular season. He had to curse Pierce before and after almost every game.

This playoffs is no exception. The Nets are first in the Eastern Conference and the Celtics are eighth in the Eastern Conference. It is obvious that Garnett has a greater psychological advantage.

"We are first and they are eighth. I really can't think of the possibility that they can beat us."

"Just like in previous encounters, Kevin is always the winner and Paul is always the loser."

Garnett said with a smile during the pregame press conference.

Pierce was not to be outdone, "There are countless examples of the weak defeating the strong in NBA history, and it's not like there has never been a black tie in the playoffs. I have absolute confidence to defeat him."

"If he hadn't come to the Eastern Conference to hug Kombu's thigh, would Kevin Garnett have made it to the playoffs this year?"

"Being at the top of the record list with Kombu's team is not an achievement that can be shown off. If it can be shown off, when I was with the Raptors, I won the championship with 70+ games in two years. He Garnett Still struggling to qualify for the playoffs.”

Pierce has a championship in hand, and two more. This is his most powerful weapon against Garnett.

To this day, Garnett still doesn't have a ring in his hand.

Pierce's words were very strong, but unfortunately the team's overall strength was not strong enough. In this round of playoffs, they only lasted four games before being swept by the Nets.

Pierce's performance was not bad. Facing Artest's defense, he still averaged an efficient performance of 27 points per game. Unfortunately, the gap between his teammates and the Nets was too big.

Al Jefferson is currently a first-line power forward averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. His statistics are absolutely top-notch. Looking at the fourth-position players who have entered the NBA in the past two years, there may be only one player who can equal him in terms of statistics. Ade.

It's a pity that this perfect data cannot cover up Al's cancerous attributes. His defense is a black hole. Garnett scored [-] or [-] points on him without even taking a breath.

Monta Ellis's statistics are also luxurious. He plays the starting point guard for Greencaps and averages 17 points and 8 assists per game this season. As a rookie point guard, with such statistics, he definitely seems to have a bright future. .

It's a pity that his defense is also at a cancerous level. Even Rondo can score double digits.

After four games, if Kongbu is asked to name a series MVP, Kongbu will vote for Roy.

Roy averaged 21 points per game. Even though he didn't score as many points as Garnett, his offensive efficiency was so high that it made Koumbu jaw-dropping.

An average of 70% shooting rate per game. Such a shooting rate is considered a bug even among centers.

Roy's overall strength has directly risen to a higher level since he learned to do it without a teacher.

Compared with the four major shooting guards in his peak period, there was still a slight gap between Roy before, but now there is no gap at all. Roy's offensive stability is even better than that of the four major shooting guards.

After successfully advancing to the second round of the playoffs, the Nets knew that their real challenge had just begun.

The opponents in the second round are either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the New York Knicks.

Of course, the outside world is optimistic that the Knicks can advance. After all, the price of the Knicks' lineup is there. If they can't even make it past the first round, it will really become a joke.

After the Nets eliminated the Green Kai, the Cavaliers and the Knicks also played exactly four games, and they ended up in a draw.

Such a result will undoubtedly dissatisfy Knicks fans. They thought that the Knicks were strong enough to sweep the Cavaliers and advance.

Although the Knicks are fifth in the Eastern Conference and the Cavaliers are fourth in the Eastern Conference, everyone knows that this is the Knicks conserving their physical strength during the regular season and not showing real combat power.

Now that they are tied with an originally inferior team like the Cavaliers, the fans are certainly not happy.

Kongbu still doesn't know whether the Cavaliers can advance.

Originally, like ordinary fans, he felt that the Knicks could definitely beat the Cavaliers, because Ouyang could still absolutely crush Howard.

As a result, during the game, O'Path was indeed able to suppress Howard when he was on the court, but he could not stay on the court all the time. As long as O'Pang was not on the court, Howard immediately broke out with the help of Turkoglu's pass.

Iverson in the No. [-] position faced off against the old Miller, which was also a huge advantage like a natural chasm.

McGrady's touch is amazing. He plays well and leads the team to win. If he plays poorly, he leads the team to lose.

The Cavaliers and Knicks are playing in full swing, but both teams, the Philadelphia 76ers and Bobcats, have completed their respective sweeps.

The Bobcats swept the Pacers very easily. Even if Jordan messed up in the draft and selected a bunch of bad players, the Bobcats still have a solid foundation and can still easily crush a team of the Pacers' level.

The Philadelphia 76ers swept the Pistons. The super twin towers of Yao Ming and Da Zhi are the natural enemies of the Pistons' Varejao and Rashid inside combination. After four games, Yao Ming and Da Zhi can combine to average close to 70 points per game. An incredible 30 rebounds.

Rasheed and Varejao only had about 30 points and 18 rebounds, and the gap was not that big.

……

The first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs has not yet ended, and the annual lottery has begun.

This year's draw had little to do with Kongbu, but he still watched the live broadcast of the draw with Thomas Lao with great interest.

"Kong, it's all for nothing. You might as well go have a drink with me."

Old Thomas is not interested in the lottery at all. The Nets are not eligible for the lottery this year, and they currently don't seem to have any extra players to trade lottery picks.

"Why is it free of charge? Not only am I not free of charge, I also want to get the No. [-] pick or the No. [-] pick."

Combe said with a smile.

"Huh? The No. [-] pick or the No. [-] pick? The price we have to pay is definitely something we can't bear."

"Are you attracted to Greg Oden?"

"We lack this kind of super traditional center. If you can really get the No. [-] pick, we will win more games next season."

Combs shook his head and smiled: "No, what I want is not Oden, but Kevin Durant."

"Durant? Kong, I advise you to be cautious."

“Remember that guy Michael Jordan drafted Adam Morrison with the second pick in the last draft?”

"Durant's playing style in the NCAA is exactly the same as Morrison's. The two men's playing styles are absolutely brothers, but one is white and the other is black."

"You have also seen Morrison's performance this season. Do you think Durant can perform well?"

Old Thomas persuaded.

He was actually right. Morrison was a small forward with Durant's style when he was in college. He was a small forward with strong offensive firepower. Unfortunately, he was completely wiped out after one season.

"You don't understand, Durant and Morrison are completely different levels of players." Kongbu waved his hand and smiled. "I don't understand? I've been in this league for 30 years, why don't I understand?"

Old Thomas jumped up like an old cat whose tail had been stepped on.

The lottery has begun, and the picks are roughly the same as Kongbu remembers. The No. [-] pick was taken by the Portland Trail Blazers, and then the second pick was taken by the Seattle SuperSonics.

Kongbu said he wanted the No. [-] pick or the No. [-] pick, but in fact he knew that the No. [-] pick had no chance.

Even if Oden was lost due to injury in later generations, when the Blazers general manager was interviewed by reporters, he still said that even if they had to choose again a hundred times, they would still choose Oden.

Yes, this is the super influence that Oden has in the NCAA, definitely no less than Duncan back then.

After winning the No. [-] pick, I'm afraid the Trail Blazers have already made up their mind to choose Oden and are unlikely to trade the No. [-] pick to Kong Bu.

Unless Kongbu is willing to offer extremely generous bargaining chips, such as packaging the Blazers twin stars Ade and Roy to the Blazers, this may be the only way to impress the Blazers.

So Kongbu's only goal right now is the Sonics' second pick.

Kong Bu is bound to win this second pick!

Taking advantage of the fact that there was still a long time before the draft, Kongbu decided to call the SuperSonics first to find out what they were saying.

When George Karl was at the helm of the Sonics, Combs had a close relationship with the Sonics. Later, when George Karl left the Sonics, this relationship was severed.

After so many years, the Sonics have gone through several general managers, none of whom lasted long.

The general manager who just took office this year is named Sam Presti. Combs has never had any dealings with him, but he is very familiar with him.

The three young men of the Thunder in later generations were all created by him. When it comes to drafting vision, this Presti is 780 million ways better than Jordan.

Strictly speaking, Presti belongs to the Spurs. He joined the Spurs at the age of 24, but he is not a coach, but takes the management route.

On the second day of the draw, Combu called Presti.

"Kong? I never dreamed that I would receive a call from you."

There was surprise in Presti's tone. He was actually about the same age as Kongbu. As a peer, Combo's achievements made Presti admire him.

"Sam, I want to negotiate a deal with you." Kongbu said straight to the point.

"Trade? Do you want our second pick?"

As expected of a man with a keen eye, he had already guessed Kong Bu's purpose without Kong Bu opening his mouth.

"Yes, I want your second pick."

"Is this second pick intended to be used to select Kevin Durant?" Presti asked with a smile.

Kongbu knew that he couldn't hide it from others, so he simply admitted it.

"Old man, no one likes a smart guy. You have discovered all my little secrets."

"Tell me, are you interested in this deal?"

"Since it's a transaction, of course I'm interested. The only difference is whether the chips are attractive enough."

"Kong, what kind of chips are you willing to give?"

After Combo thought for a moment, "How about Paul Millsap plus Lowry?"

"You should have an impression of Millsap's performance this year. Even without the feat of 28 minutes in 12 seconds, the 29 games he started in the regular season were definitely All-Star-level performances."

"Not to mention Lowry's value. He started 19 games this season and scored 19 points and 9 assists in each starting game. You should know what such a rookie point guard means."

"With this price, I'm even sure I can get the No. [-] pick from the Trail Blazers."

Kongbu started talking nonsense. If he was really sure about changing to the No. [-] pick, he would definitely not deal with Presti.

Presti was shocked. The price Kongbu offered was indeed beyond his expectation.

Millsap's miracle of 28 seconds and 12 minutes made him so popular that he was not handsome enough, otherwise he might have become a first-class star long ago.

Even without this miracle, Millsap's performance in the first games this season is definitely All-Star level.

For a combo forward who can perform at an All-Star level in his rookie season, the trade value can be imagined.

And Lowry's trade value is higher!
Although Kongbu likes Rondo more and feels that Rondo plays a greater role in the team, the outside world does not see it that way. Most people feel that Lowry has been wronged in the Nets. He is obviously more versatile than Rondo, but he can only give Rondo came on the bench.

His performance in the starting games was no less than that of a first-line point guard. In an era when point guards were extremely valuable, his trade value was even higher than Millsap's.

Presti originally thought that Combs wanted to trade Millsap for the second pick in his hand, and he would definitely not agree to such an offer.

But if there is another Lowry, then he will have to be moved.

And even if he is not tempted, the team owner will definitely not miss it if he hears that there is such a good thing.

At the same time, Presti was also curious about how strong Durant's peak strength must be to make Kongbu willing to make such a generous move.

"No other conditions attached?"

"Of course, in addition to your second pick, I hope you will provide another first-round pick, any pick is acceptable." Kongbu tentatively stated a condition.

This condition is optional, Kong Bu just wants to make more money.

"I'm sorry, Kong, the conditions for adding an extra No. [-] pick are too harsh."

"Let's find other conditions."

The two sides have entered into negotiations.

Combs thought about it, "How about this, use our own pick 30 in the second round for your pick 35 in the second round?"

"make a deal!"

Presty did not hesitate any longer and directly agreed. There was no need to ask the boss about this kind of deal, because it was a business that was obviously profitable.

Seeing that Kongbu wanted Durant so much, Presti guessed that Durant would definitely be a great player in the future.

But no matter how great it is, it is still risky. What if it is injured and scrapped?
Now the Nets directly gave two All-Stars in exchange for the second pick. No matter how you look at this deal, the SuperSonics made a profit.

(End of this chapter)