NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 514: Become the core and kill the old man (daily chapter)
On Thursday, June 2007, 6, Steve Kerr, who had just become the general manager of the Suns, came to the TNT studio again after being active for more than half a month.

As a strong assistant to Michael Jordan, Popovich's "favorite student", and a tactical master on the commentary stand, Steve Kerr has attracted much attention since he got this position.

Reputation is very important. The reason why the Suns chose Kerr is not only that he is really good at making promises, but more importantly, the fans all know this championship guard.

His excellent performance in the commentary booth shows that Kerr is not only a good player, but also a tactical master.

Coupled with the "failure experience" of the Spurs, many fans expect Kerr to change the Suns. Not to mention the championship, at least making it to the finals once would be enough!
After Steve Kerr arrived, rumors of a trade for Shawn Marion became more and more frequent.

During the finals, the four-party trade involving the Lakers, Celtics and Timberwolves attracted much attention to Kerr. The new general manager seemed to have brought new ideas for team building.

At 20 p.m. that day, the four appeared in the studio and once again reviewed the Spurs' poor performance in this year's finals.

Without a game, the program length had to be shortened to 3 hours. After playing the highlights, everyone went straight to the topic. The three of them congratulated their former colleagues. The general manager is also the soul of a team.

Kenny Smith was somewhat envious of Kerr's experience. He sought the position of head coach more than once, but unfortunately he failed.

In addition, the league's superstars now have more and more say, and the situation in the past where the head coach controlled the team is gone forever.

Not only the head coach, but even the team owner has to compromise when meeting a superstar. Look at James Dolan, who almost became a "wine-ticket seller" after the finals.
Li You is no longer a player. The two sides are more like business partners, and win-win is the consensus between them.

"Steve, congratulations again! What insights did this year's finals bring to you? We are all curious whether you will trade for Kevin Garnett."

The smiling Kenny Smith asked about the gossip that fans were concerned about early on, but ESPN was still guessing, so they simply found the person involved who could make the decision.

The Lakers were the first to propose the four-team deal. Although Buss had left Kobe alone for a whole month, Kupchak had to take action.

The boss can be willful, but if the Lakers' ticket sales tool really ran away, the general manager will most likely be fired
Related transactions have been sweeping the league since early June, and with the Spurs' poor performance, the gossip has attracted more attention.

Steve Kerr was also somewhat proud. Although the Suns have not yet reached the championship level, they are definitely a strong playoff team in the league. Naturally, he wants to brag about getting the ideal position:

"I can't promise the fans now, but we are making every effort to get Kevin Garnett!"

"After watching the finals, I became more convinced that an average big man is not enough to take a team further."

"A cross-era defender like Garnett who can defend from the 1st to the 5th position is what the team is pursuing. Modern basketball has changed, and there will be more young people playing like Lee in the future."

The Suns actually have very limited chips, but Steve Kerr, who said this, looked determined to win.

A four-way trade is difficult to accomplish, and Charles Barkley did not expose him. While expressing his approval, he did not forget to continue to belittle the Spurs:

"In the past, many people believed that Tim Duncan was better than Kevin Garnett, but now it seems that the Timberwolves' chaotic team building ideas have affected the players' achievements."

"If the Suns complete the trade, will you change your current tactics to fight against the Knicks?"

Head coach Gentry's tactics are all about imitation. Steve Nash, as a core player who also entered the 180 club, is the bankrupt version of Li You in the Suns.

Steve Kerr will not get involved too much in tactical matters, but he also has his own ideas and took this opportunity to respond briefly:

"I discussed this with Coach Gentry, and we finally reached a consensus that if we want to pursue the championship, we must improve the team's defense."

"That's why we're actively pursuing Garnett. With Steve Nash around, he can score more easily, which allows him to perform better on the defensive end."

"No one in the league could keep up with Lee's pace on offense. Maybe you think of Kobe Bryant, but in my opinion, the two never came close."

The director played Li You's finals highlights at the right time, including frequent small-sided shots against big-sided shots, continuous breakthrough passes, and unreasonable long-range three-pointers.
Steve Kerr continued to talk about the game on paper as the screen played, and when he talked about the offense, he was full of praise:
"The combination of ball and off-ball, the ability to shoot from anywhere in the half court, coupled with the ability to seize opportunities and excellent passing vision, all make up the Lee we see."

"To beat this team, defense is the most important thing. No one can beat Lee, whose shooting percentage is over 6%, but limiting his shooting percentage to 50% may have a completely different result."

In the picture, Li You was holding two trophies, and the data from the four games of the finals made many staff members in the studio agree with Steve Kerr's point of view:
场均出场36.8分钟，场均拿到36.0分5.3篮板10.8助攻2.5抢断0.5盖帽1.5失误；

The shooting rate was 63.1%, the three-point shooting rate was 51.5%, and the free throw shooting rate was 96.9%.

Considering that this is an average of 19.8 shots per game, everyone knows that this is not Li You's limit at all. In Game 4, he was slacking off.
In the past two years, the Suns and the Cavaliers were the same, with the head coach holding the same general manager duties, but now both sides have taken back the power.

Ernie Johnson knew that his former colleague would definitely not be sidelined. When he heard the other party's point of view of "building a team with defense", he asked curiously again:

"Head coach Jeff Van Gundy also believes in winning by defense. Their performance in the Eastern Conference Finals was not inferior to that of the Spurs. What is the biggest reason why the two best defensive teams lost in succession?"

"The Cavaliers lack experience and they have not been able to realize the talent of their players."

After the brief comment, Steve Colton paused with mixed emotions, but when talking about the Spurs, he finally said the truth:
"As for the Spurs' defeat, the main reason is that Tim Duncan failed to show the dominance he should have. I know him, he could have done better."

"Mistakes from beyond the three-point line are also an important reason. In four games, the three-point shooting rate did not exceed 30%. For this, I can only praise the Knicks' defense."

"."

Kobe, who was watching the show at home in Los Angeles, was helpless to find that four people had stripped Tim Duncan of his MVP award. TNT and the Los Angeles Times were both "blowing Li You."

It wasn't until his agent Pelinka called and Kobe heard the bad news again that he was so angry that he threw his phone into the sofa.

The reason why I pay attention to Steve Kerr is mainly because of the trade. After it was confirmed that the other party would not give up Stoudemire, the four-party trade basically fell through. When Kobe received Garnett's text message, he did not respond. He did not like to team up with the MVP, but he did not mind teaming up with the Suns players.

Kupchak also gave Kobe's team another alternative plan, bringing in the Pacers and targeting Jermaine O'Neal.

Until the show ended at 23 p.m., Kobe stayed on the sofa without moving, staring at the TV, constantly thinking about how to change his predicament.

Kobe was fed up with the cycle of getting attention in the regular season year after year and fishing early in the playoffs, and he was even more upset with Buss' attitude towards him.

"Wouldn't it be great if we just stayed in Los Angeles? Pelinka said you can continue to get a maximum salary contract and play here."

Vanessa sat quietly next to her husband. Since the "trade" was announced, Kobe's mood has been visibly getting worse over the past month.

She secretly consulted Pelinka, who promised that this incident would definitely not affect Kobe's big contract. After hearing this result, Vanessa felt that she should just lie down.

"I need respect! I don't want to talk about this right now. We're going to Chicago in a few days."

Without explaining too much, Kobe was still furious. He didn't understand why he always encountered such bad things while the Knicks were getting stronger and stronger.

When Kobe, who almost suffered from insomnia, saw the Los Angeles Times column early the next morning, he immediately tore the newspaper in half:
"Shet!"

It seems that Buss' attitude has been confirmed. The fence-sitters in Los Angeles have become more stubborn. The article did not mention Kobe, but the sarcasm in the article made people realize that it was a veiled attack:

"Even if Tim Duncan loses the finals again, his loyalty is still commendable!"

On Saturday, June 6, Li You appeared at Lenox Hill Hospital early in the morning. Ivana, who was still recuperating, was recovering well and would be able to go home in another week.

The little guys are very popular, and Tang Nade shows up here on time every afternoon. Although it sounds a bit awkward, the presence of two little ones at home does make him feel better.

After Ivana, who was sitting on the bed, enjoyed Li You's feeding, a happy look appeared on her chubby face, and then she asked quietly:
"Is there anything wrong with the invitation from the Chief of Staff of the White House? Father always has a few complaints these days."

David Addington changed his previous style. After Li You won the championship, he sent his blessings in front of the Washington media and invited Li You to "give back to his hometown alma mater".
After the news broke, many reporters realized that both of them graduated from Sandia High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Donard apparently got the news that several media outlets including the New York Times were planning to sue David Addington, with the target being Dick Cheney, who was about to become outdated.

Li You also got the news. Not only the print media, but also the documentary about "Cheney's Law" has been filmed.
The content involves David Addington's influence on government strategy, as well as how the Elephant Party uses power to make money, involving the "Enron incident", and ultimately pointing the finger at the current White House.

If all the charges are proven, it will undoubtedly affect Axe Capital, and Eliot Spitzer, who has just become governor, will most likely intervene again.

New Attorney General Andrew Cuomo may take this opportunity to become the next "Wall Street Sheriff" and take down Axe Capital as his achievement after taking office.
The only prerequisite for all this is that the governor can hold out until 2008, when Dick Cheney and David Addington leave the White House, and he is still standing, so now it is just the other side's preparation.

Li You rubbed Ivana's slightly fat little hand, lowered his head and kissed her. Seeing the girl's concerned eyes, he comforted her with a relaxed look:
"It's just an ordinary invitation. There's nothing wrong with donating to a high school. I also plan to donate some money to the University of Connecticut. I'm about to graduate!"

Seeing Li You winking and teasing her, Ivana laughed softly, took the initiative to step forward and kissed him, then put her troubles behind her and continued to talk about her own little troubles:
“Do you want to breastfeed?”

The girl who had become a mother looked down at her fair skin which had grown two sizes bigger and more swollen. It was obvious that the swelling had brought her some distress.

Hearing the whisper in his ear, Li You unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and began to lean forward with a sweet laugh. Ivana, with a ruddy face, had to whisper:
"Be gentle, dear!"

On Monday, June 6, as the draft approaches, Manhattan becomes even more lively, which means the team's championship parade is about to begin.

Many new players have been invited in advance. According to convention, a press conference will be held for lottery picks before the draft.

The most popular players this year are naturally the super center Greg Oden from Ohio State University and the super scorer Kevin Durant from the University of Texas.

Compared to Oden, Durant received more attention because Li You recommended this newcomer to participate in this year's US men's basketball tryouts.

After exaggerated publicity from the sports media, Durant, who had only played one year in college, suddenly won the "Lee You Recognition Award", which made many reporters curious about the actual strength of this rookie.

The new general manager of the Supersonics, Sam Presti, also came to New York in a low-key manner. The team has the second pick and they have locked in Durant, but the newbie doesn't seem to like the Supersonics very much.

Before holding the press conference, Presti had to communicate with Durant again. The two had a pleasant chat on the phone, but they had differences when talking about the future of the team.

"Believe me, Kevin, Ray can help you adapt to the league, and you two will become the strongest scoring combination."

Presti didn't want to trade Ray Allen. After all, his playing attitude was impeccable and his personality was a little weird, but he was definitely a good person and completely in line with the team's plan.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Presti, but I may have a different opinion on this."

"When I attended Lee's training camp last year, I knew my shortcomings. I needed more ball possession and I might not be able to fully realize my talent as a rookie."

"I respect Ray Allen, but I insist that the team should have only one core, and I prefer to work with young people."

Durant, who was still in the hotel, made his request without hesitation. When he heard that Presti had no objection, a smug look appeared on his face.

After the call, Durant looked at the news in the New York Times and felt sad. The Ace of Spades was selling well, but the goddess was getting further and further away from him:
“I will succeed!”

(End of this chapter)