Coach: Coaching the Grizzlies at the beginning, playing the bantam

Chapter 64 High-Level Meeting: Discussing the Draft!Confused about number five?A dispute between the scouting department and the operations department!
That afternoon, the Sonics management held an emergency meeting to sit together to discuss the goals of this year's draft.

As the team coach, Lu Yong will naturally also be present and has the right to make suggestions.

After being seated, he greeted Adrian Hunter, the team's chief scout, cordially. Working together in a rebuilding team, the two will definitely communicate in the future.

It was the first time to attend a high-level meeting. Lu Yong kept a low profile, sat in a corner and listened quietly, and only occasionally expressed his opinions.

In fact, although there are many talents in this year's draft, there are two talents among them who are separated from other rookies.

Greg Oden, who was named the best high school student in the United States in his sophomore year, is a well-deserved favorite. Although in the NCAA finals, Ohio State University led by Oden lost 75 to 84 to the University of Florida, but Greg -Oden scored 25 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots, playing a strong enough dominance of the restricted area.

Before the draft in 07 even started, the call for Oden to be the No. Influence.

When the Trail Blazers hold the No. [-] pick, they will definitely pick Oden without hesitation. There is only one way for the Sonics to go in the offseason, which is to pick Kevin, who was elected as the best college player of the year. - Durant.

In the final year of college, Durant averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, among which he scored 20+ points 30 times and ranked first in the NCAA.

He got 390 rebounds in a single season, which is also the third-highest rookie rebounding record in the NCAA.

Even though the scouts are very worried that this seemingly thin kid can't adapt to the intensity of the NBA's confrontation, it is difficult for any team holding the second pick to skip Durant and choose Oden's defeated Al Horford And Joakim Noah's decision.

The Sonics' plan is to use the No. 5 pick to pick off talented scorer Kevin Durant, which has long been unanimously approved by the management.The reason for this emergency meeting is to discuss which player to choose with the No. [-] pick in the first round, whether to strengthen the outside line or the inside line.

Sam Presti is a very thoughtful general manager. He showed enough respect to the team's new coach Lu Yong at the meeting. "Lu, do you have any good suggestions for this year's draft? The team plans to select Kevin with the second pick. What's your opinion?"

Lu Yong knows very well that Kevin Durant is the strongest player in this draft, and the No. [-] pick Oden is a joke.

As a reborn, he would of course choose Durant, but any hesitation would be insufficient respect for "Reaper".

Unless he's out of his mind, he will raise objections. Isn't he good at coaching a scoring leader like Durant?
"I have no objection. Kevin is a very good player. I believe that you have conducted in-depth discussions before making a decision. The second pick is of great importance. I agree with you." Lu Yong pretended to be modest and smiled. .

Lu Yong knows that he doesn't need to intervene in this matter. As long as he doesn't express his opinion, the Sonics must choose Durant.

A little humility at this time can win the favor of high-level colleagues. Only by leaving a reliable impression on these people can he make more articles and put forward different opinions in the remaining draft picks.

Lu Yong's words made everyone present breathe a sigh of relief, and it sounded very comfortable.

Especially Sam Presti, he was really afraid that Lu Yong would overturn the table when he came up, put forward different opinions and argue with those old guys.

Although he, the general manager, was the one who made the final decision, it would not be a good thing for him or Lu Yong if there was a disagreement at the beginning of the cooperation.

He now feels that Lu Yong is too good at being a man. Although his coaching style is indeed crazy, he is not a young and reckless young man. No wonder he can help the Grizzlies win the championship in only one season.

The others were also very surprised. They didn't expect the young Lu Yong to be quite easy to talk to. It seemed different from what the outside world said?
Some media broke the news that Lu Yong had many quarrels with head coach Fratello during his tenure as the Grizzlies assistant coach. Most of the reasons were due to differences in employment and tactics.

A young man who is dishonest as an assistant coach will be easy to talk to?

Even with my ass, I can think that this guy must be a bad guy.

From the moment Presti decided to hire Lu Yong as the head coach, the Supersonics management was ready to fly.

As a result, the reality was different from what they had imagined. The old guys were overwhelmed, and they couldn't understand Lu Yong, a young man.

The matter of selecting Durant with the second pick went smoothly. Presti looked at Lu Yong with a smile and asked, "Lu, do you have anything else to add?"

"I only have one request, that is, I will participate in the selection of this year's second-round pick. After taking over the coach, I conducted a simulation analysis on the Sonics' lineup to better understand what players the team needs for the new season. It is difficult for the offensive system I set up to exert the greatest threat." Lu Yong had a smile on his face.

"Of course there is no problem. The chance of being able to select a good rookie in the second round is very small. If you think there is a player who is suitable to play in your tactical system, the team will definitely pick it for you. After all, you are responsible for leading the team to play. Coach."

The big stone in Presti's heart finally fell to the ground. He didn't expect Lu Yongti's request to be so simple, just two worthless second-round picks.

The second-round pick for the Sonics can be bought from other teams even if they spend money to buy it. Compared with the significant second pick, it is not a weight at all.

Next, the management discussed which player to choose with the No. 5 pick in the first round.

Because the draft has not yet started, no one knows what the final ranking will be, so everyone has different opinions on this issue, and at least three alternatives must be given.

Scout Adrian Hunter's opinion is to use the No. 5 pick in the first round to pick Mike Conley or Jeff Green. These two players are most likely to fall out of the top four.

Conley is a rookie who signed up for the draft after graduating from his freshman year. This age has a great advantage, and he has more training value after entering the league.

In his freshman season, Conley ranked third in the team with 11.3 points per game, 3 assists and 6.1 steals per game.Shooting 2.2% from the field and 52% from three-point range, scoring in double digits 30 times this season is a dazzling achievement.

In addition, Conley was also selected to the first team of the top ten games selected by the media and the second team of the top ten games selected by the coach that season. His comprehensive potential is very suitable for the supersonic training.

As for Jeff Green's college resume, he is also good. Although he did not participate in the draft after graduating from his junior year, his mature playing style and immediate combat power still made it into the top six in the ranking prediction before the draft.

In his junior season, Green led the team in averaging 14.3 points per game, and ranked second on the team in averaging 6.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

Most importantly, Jeff Green performed well in March Madness, helping Georgetown University enter the NCAA Final 1985 for the first time since 4, which undoubtedly became his plus point.

Vice President of Operations Nick Smith held a different view. He felt that the team had just acquired striker Szczerbiak and guard Delonti West through trades, and the second pick also planned to pick Kevin Durant.

The team's backcourt configuration is too crowded, and it is the most reasonable state to pick a mature insider in this draft.

Brandon White, Joakim Noah, and Yi Jianlian from China's CBA are all candidates he gave. The reason is that these three players have excellent athletic talents and can make up for the lack of vitality in the Supersonics. plate.

Spencer Hawes from the University of Washington is also an excellent center, but his playing style is too soft, and he is an insider who floats outside. Nick Smith despised him and did not include him.

Both the operations department and the scouting department had their own ideas about the discussion of the No. [-] pick in the first round. The two sides argued for more than ten minutes but failed to convince each other, which made general manager Sam Presti sit in the middle with a headache.

Rubbing the temples on both sides with his hands, Presti looked at Lu Yong who was smiling and sitting in the corner without making a sound. "Lu, you are the team's coach for the new season, and you know the type of players the team needs in the new season. Let me tell you your opinion. Which rookie do you want the team to pick with the fifth pick in the first round?"

　Thank you guys for your votes, thank you very much!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)