The world's best combo guard

Chapter 99 96 [Conversation]

"Mitch, honestly, I have to thank you. Obviously, Lee has proven to everyone that he is a genius, the kind of guy who has the hope of becoming a superstar."

A high-end bar, Phil Jackson fulfilled his previous thoughts, and he decided to thank Kupchak.

"Man, I'll be honest, maybe from the first tryout, I liked that kid, but like you said, this kid has a chance to be super giant, and I probably didn't I didn't think of this level, so, Phil, just like those guys who have become legends, each of them is different, and everyone's rise starts from the incredible"

To a certain extent, Mitch Kupchak and Phil Jackson are the same kind of people. They are wage earners, and if the boss wants to keep them satisfied, they must show enough results.

It is always more difficult to get food from a wealthy family. Kupchak knows very well that if he wants to stay as the general manager of the Lakers for a longer period of time, he must show results, otherwise Jerry Buss will not be polite. fired him.

In the past summer, Kupchak has realized this. He knows that he must immediately come up with some bargaining chips to ensure that he continues to sit in the position of general manager, otherwise what awaits him is to be kicked out. This can be felt from the lines of Jeri Buss' words.

Therefore, from this point of view, Li Hao was the one who chose Li Hao in the first place, and he also let go of the battle with a gambling mentality.

If Li Hao can realize his talent, then his position as general manager of Kupchak will at least last longer.

It now looks like he was right.

This guard from China not only allows him to continue his position as general manager, but also has the potential to make Kupchak famous in the entire circle, just like West once traded to Kobe Bryant Success is the same.

Kupchak will not forget what Jerry Buss said to him two days ago.

"Mitch, in my opinion, you're no less accomplished with the Los Angeles Lakers than Pat Riley was"

Although he knew that this was just a polite remark from Jerry Buss, Kupchak was still very pleased.

As the head coach of the team, Phil Jackson is the same as him. Don't look at him as the founder of the Bulls dynasty and the founder of the Lakers' three consecutive championships. Personally, he is the prospective son-in-law of Jerry Buss, but , Once the team has a poor record this season, what awaits him will also be Jeremy Buss' merciless sweeping out. This is not surprising in NBA history.

Therefore, he can understand Phil Jackson's mood to invite him out for a drink at this time, because maybe Phil may build a peak dynasty by relying on this increasingly outstanding Chinese defender.

It's just that if he thinks of these places, he really has to talk to Phil Jackson about the future of the team.

"Phil, it seems that in your formation, Lee will replace Gary as the team's next starting point guard without accident. Through the recent wave of gold-rich winning streak, we have reason to believe that Lee will The role-playing could have been better, but we all know that doesn't mean we've got an unassailable championship roster."

"Obviously, the weakness inside will continue. Shaq's comeback will of course bring enough energy, but neither Dmitry nor Brian Cook seems to be able to help the team further. We have to make some assumptions. For example, in the case of Li Rising, can the team reduce the number of outside spots to increase the inside strength?"

Mitch Kupchak's meaning is self-evident, he hopes to make a difference in the upcoming New Year's trade, and add chips to the road to the championship in April and May next year.

"Mitch, I understand your concerns, but I don't think we need to improve the team's strength by introducing immediate combat power. Shaq's energy is well known. As long as he comes back, our inside line will become a no-fly zone from now on. , as has been the case for so many seasons in the past.”

Sometimes, Kupchak is very strange. He doesn't know why Phil Jackson trusts Shaquille O'Neal so much. In the entire Lakers, Phil Jackson trusts Shaquille O'Neal more than he trusts any player.

This seems to have been the case in the past and will be the case in the future.

"Phil, maybe you're right, but you know that for me, as the general manager, I have to think about the future of the team. It may be one year from now, or it may be two years from now. Just to give you an example, If Lee continues to grow rapidly, when his rookie contract ends, we need enough salary space to keep him, so before that, we must prepare enough space."

"So, Mitch, what's your trading plan?"

Phil Jackson could see what Kupchak meant.

"Under Lee's rise, Derek Fisher's position has become increasingly awkward. I don't deny that Derek is also a talented player. Before Gary came to the team, he was already the team's starter. Point guard, but we need to free up the team's salary space, and Lee's rise will allow us to temporarily stop worrying about this position for a few seasons."

"Mitch, are you crazy? Trade Derek? It's absolutely impossible"

Phil Jackson didn't expect Kupchak to bring him such an incredible trading plan as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Mitch, I don't agree with your trading plan, at least I won't agree until the end of this season. Indeed, Lee has performed very well during this period, but we need at least one season to pay attention to his growth. If this season ends , Li continued to perform brilliantly, maybe as you said, we don’t need to worry about point guards in the next few years, but if it’s just a flash in the pan, what should we do then.”

"Besides, you have also seen that Gary has been struggling to integrate into the triangle offense. On a big stage like the playoffs, it is difficult for us to be relieved by Lee alone. Therefore, we must keep Derek. At least not this season."

Kupchak was caught off guard by Phil Jackson's sudden agitation, which is really rare.

"Well, you are the head coach, and we fully respect your opinion, but regarding the personnel adjustment of the team, it is already imperative. After all, after the end of this season, we are facing a major choice at this point in Shaq. "

Kupchak sighed softly. There has been a lot of quarrel within the management during this time about whether to keep O'Neal, or how to keep O'Neal.

(End of this chapter)