NBA: I have 3, no D, and I can't dribble

In the Boston Celtics draft war room, general manager Danny Ainge and several assistants have begun to quickly contact the New Orleans Hornets, Charlotte Bobcats and other teams.

Quickly negotiate a trade for No. 2 overall pick Kevin Durant.

As a cold-blooded and decisive general manager, Danny Ainge had actually made plans before the draft, that is, whether the Celtics selected Durant or Oden,

The team will choose to trade the other party out with the signing rights before officially signing the contract, so as to obtain high-quality immediate combat power that can join forces with Paul Pierce.

Danny Ainge is a person who pays attention to timeliness and maximum cost-effectiveness. Whether it is Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, they indeed have huge talents and room for growth.

In order to have a great chance to become an MVP-level star, or even a historical-level superstar.

But this is just an uncertain probability. After all, NBA history is littered with the number two picks who ultimately lost out.

Danny Ainge is a person who pays attention to timeliness and risk. He only believes in the reality and data results he sees, and does not put too many expectations in the future.

Both Oden and Durant require the team to spend time and energy to develop, and Danny Ainge and the Celtics have been waiting for 21 seasons, and they have no time to wait any longer.

Of course, the most important point is that most teams in the league are eyeing Oden and Durant, especially those small-market teams that are looking forward to reconstruction and do not have players with superstar potential, and they hope to get Oden. and Durant, thus building a team around the two of them.

Therefore, the value and attractiveness of Oden and Durant's signing rights will become Danny Ainge's biggest bargaining chip to strengthen the team this summer.

What's more, Paul Pierce and Kevin Durant have overlapping positions. If the Celtics really plan to train Durant, Pierce will definitely be dissatisfied and even affect the unity of the team.

Danny Ainge naturally knows that Paul Pierce's upper limit may not be as high as that of future Durant, but he is at least an unbeatable Eastern All-Star and one of the top three small forwards in the league.

Facts have proved that Paul Pierce's ability to lead the team alone is limited, and it is difficult to even lead the Celtics to the playoffs, but if he has a teammate of comparable strength around him,

The Celtics are enough to make waves in the weak Eastern Conference.

If there can be one more, then Danny Ainge believes that the Celtics already have the chance to be in the top three in the Eastern Conference and even reach the finals.

The beautiful white assistant put down the phone and said to Danny Ainge:

"General Manager, the negotiations with the New Orleans Hornets are going very smoothly. As long as we are willing to trade Kevin Durant's signing rights and rookie Rajon Rondo as the subject of the transaction, the Hornets can give Chris Paul !”

Danny Ainge touched his chin and nodded slowly, although the Celtics' scouting department was very optimistic about Chris Paul's future after long-term observation.

But if Durant's signing rights and Rajon Rondo are to be exchanged for Chris Paul, Danny Ainge still won't agree so easily. He must let the Hornets bleed a little more.

"If we remember correctly, the Hornets already have the No. 12 pick, right?"

"If they are willing to draft Thaddeus Young and give him the right to sign, then there will be no obstacles to this deal!"

David Stern on the stage was still announcing the draft results of each team:

"In the 2007 NBA Draft, the Memphis Grizzlies selected Al Horford from Florida State University with the third overall pick in the first round!"

"In the 2007 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Jeff Green from Georgetown University with the fourth overall pick in the first round!"

Lin Fei, who was sitting in a suit and leather shoes in the front row, also came to the draft tonight accompanied by his girlfriend Qin Dongmei.

After all, Madison Square Garden is now at his doorstep, and many star players are coming to support it, so he naturally wants to join in the fun.

Moreover, three of the players participating in this year's draft have signed with Qin Dongmei's agency, and Yi Jianlian is one of them.

Sitting on the other side of Lin Fei was Kobe Bryant and Dayao, the Lakers' golden combination.

Due to the butterfly effect, Mike Conley was originally selected by the Grizzlies with the fourth overall pick in the first round, but now he was selected by the Hawks with the fifth overall pick.

As for why the Grizzlies chose No. 3 pick Al Horford even though they had Pau Gasol, there must be a very important reason.

Lin Fei touched his chin thoughtfully. Could it be that the Grizzlies are preparing to trade Gasol in advance this summer to rebuild the team?

Although Jerry West has always had close contact with the Lakers management, in Lin Fei's view, there is a high probability that Pau Gasol will not go to the Lakers again.

Because the Lakers already have Al Jefferson, and last season's Jefferson improved very significantly. He had 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks both offensively and defensively, which perfectly complemented Dayao's shortcomings in the interior.

Coupled with the market influence of the big ball market of Los Angeles and the help of two star teammates, Kobe and Dayao, Al Jefferson's development has been much smoother than the ups and downs of the original world.

If it weren't for the fierce competition among stars in the Western Conference, he would have every chance of being selected as this year's All-Star.

In fact, in Lin Fei's personal opinion, Al Jefferson is a player who has some strength, but his ability to lead a team is average. He is a very good piece of the championship puzzle and is more suitable to be No. 2-3 of a championship team. figure.

However, he spent most of his original career as the boss of teams such as the Timberwolves and Bobcats. He was outside the playoffs all year round and did not maximize his personal efficiency.

And now Al Jefferson has secured the third spot in the Los Angeles Lakers' lineup, and the Lakers are also very optimistic about the future of this third-year rookie.

With accurate positioning, Lin Fei believes that Al Jefferson in this parallel world will most likely achieve more brilliant achievements than in the original world, and will have a great chance of being selected as an All-Star and winning a championship.

Since Pau Gasol will not be traded to the Lakers, where do the Grizzlies want to trade him?

Lin Fei feels that starting from this summer, the NBA has deviated more and more from the trajectory of the original world.

But what interests Lin Fei the most is what level Greg Oden can reach in the future if he is not injured.

But Oden's knee injury problem has existed since high school and college. Since the Blazers' medical team can't solve it, the current Sonics team is probably not much better.

"Lin, what do you think of Greg Oden's future? Will he be like Shaquille first?"

Kobe, who was sitting on the left side of Lin Fei, once again asked this familiar question, just like in the 04 draft, Kobe asked Lin Fei if Howard could become the next Shaquille.

Lin Fei smiled and said: "Corvo, it seems that you really miss Shaquille, but I think there will never be another Shaquille in the NBA in the future!"

"Because the era of the center is over!"

Kobe's eyes suddenly became cold and stern, he nodded solemnly and said: "Lin, you are right!"

This summer, Kobe once again entered into a crazy training mode. Lin Fei led the Knicks to the finals and won the loser's FMVP, which stimulated Kobe even more.

As the most concerning thing for Chinese fans, Yi Jianlian was eventually selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 9th overall pick in the first round.

In the original world, Yi Jianlian was the 6th pick, because the Bucks were the 6th pick, but now the Bucks are the 9th pick. It seems that the Bucks are really in love with the UAE.

Because the Bucks conducted in-depth investigation and attention to the UAE in advance, coupled with the coach "Silver Fox" Del Harris who led the Chinese men's basketball team in the Athens Olympics,

The son of Del Harris is now the general manager of the Bucks.

Harris has always had a close relationship with Chinese players. This time the Arab League was selected by the Bucks, the "Silver Fox" played a role in it.

Of course, with Lin Fei's rapid rise to fame in the NBA, especially stimulated by the fact that he just won the second losing team FMVP in NBA history, the Chinese market is developing rapidly, and the selection of Chinese players naturally has greater commercial value.

Another Chinese player, Sun Yue, was drafted higher than in the original world and was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 29th overall pick in the first round.

Sun Yue was very happy to be selected in the first round. When she came off the court, she warmly hugged Lin Fei and Dayao, two old teammates from China.

There is a big difference between the first round and the second round. After all, the first round means a guaranteed contract, while the second round is likely to be directly abandoned by the team.

The Knicks' two draft picks this year have already been traded away, so there is no chance of a draft at all.

However, Lin Fei felt that it didn't matter, because the success rate in the 07 draft was actually not high. There was no second MVP-level star besides Durant. It was not only inferior to 03, but also inferior to 08 and 09.

After the first-round picks were announced, David Stern also took a group photo with the 30 rookie players, and then the second-round picks were announced by the vice president.

Marc Gasol, who was originally the 48th pick in the second round of the world, has now fallen to the 56th pick, almost losing the draft.

It seems that there are indeed many potential stars who really had no talent at all as rookies. If Lin Fei was not a time traveler, he probably wouldn't be able to see Xiaojia's potential to catch up with his brother Dajia.

After the draft, Lin Fei, Dayao, Da Da, A Lian and Sun Yue also took a group photo, leaving precious memories in the history books of the Chinese men's basketball team.

Thinking that in the new 07-08 season, there will be five Chinese players playing in the NBA, China's hundreds of millions of fans are full of expectations.

"Haha, I have watched the new season. I hope Lin Fei and Dayao can continue to perform as superstars and continue to work hard. Arab League and Sun Yue can also quickly adapt to the rhythm of the NBA!"

"A-Lian's talent is here. As long as he can adapt to life in the United States and the rhythm of the NBA, I feel that no matter how bad he is, he can still be a starter, right?"

"Dayao and Lin Fei are both frequent All-Star players. The next step will depend on the efforts of the United Arab Emirates. If one day there are 3-4 stars from our country in the All-Star game, that will be really awesome!"

"Isn't the Arab League's draft model Pau Gasol? If he can play two-thirds of Pau Gasol's current level, coupled with the blessing of our Chinese market, it will not be difficult to become an All-Star, right? ?”

"There is always hope. At the Imperial Capital Olympics next year, with the strength of our Chinese men's basketball team, will there be a chance to compete with the American Men's Basketball Team?"

That night, Lin Fei acted as a host and went to the Beijing Restaurant "Comers from All Directions" he invested in Chinatown, New York. He invited Dayao, Da Da, Ah Lian and Sun Yue to eat the most authentic Beijing cuisine together.

Kobe, Marbury, Szebiak, Wolf King and others sat at another table.

Lin Fei and Dayao also personally called Michael Reid, the current big brother of the Bucks, and Nash of the Suns respectively, telling them to take good care of their two younger brothers, A Lian and Sun Yue, in the new season.

With the care of several big brothers, Ah Lian and Sun Yue will not feel unfamiliar overseas, and they are full of expectations for their rookie season.

Ah Lian was relatively dull, but Sun Yue, who drank more than a pound of Maotai, turned red, hugged Lin Fei and cried bitterly, calling her brother and sister, and said a lot of heartfelt words.

"Brother Fei, Brother Yao, I, Sun Yue, never thought that I would have this day, I will have this day too!"

"NBA, I'm here!"

For most people, the NBA is a dream, a paradise for every child in the world who has a basketball dream.

Compared with getting admitted to Tsinghua, Peking University, Harvard and Cambridge, being able to play in the NBA is a dream and honor hundreds of times greater.

After all, around the world, there are thousands to tens of thousands of students entering world-famous universities every year.

However, less than 60 people can enter the NBA through the draft every year.

Time soon came to July 7, and the NBA's free market officially opened.

On the first day, major earthquake-level trades came to the league, including four-way trades from the Boston Celtics, New Orleans Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks, involving more than 13 people.

David Stern held a major meeting at the headquarters and finally decided to approve this shocking transaction.

In this deal that swept the league,

The Boston Celtics gave away the rights to sign Kevin Durant, 06 rookie point guard Rajon Rondo and small forward Gerald Green, three future first-round picks and $600 million. cash.

Acquired point guard Chris Paul and No. 12 pick Thades Young from the New Orleans Hornets, and acquired power forward Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies.

Since then, Danny Ainge's plan has been initially completed. In the new season, the Celtics will have a Big Three lineup of Paul Pierce, Chris Paul and Pau Gasol.

The achievement of the "three Pauls" lineup has also allowed the Celtics to quickly jump into the ranks of the Eastern Conference's top teams. In ESPN's latest predicted team strength list for the new season, the Celtics quickly jumped to 13th place.

As a time traveler himself, Lin Fei is well aware of the tremendous growth that Chris Paul will usher in in the new season.

After all, in the original world, Chris Paul almost stole the MVP from Kobe in the 07-08 season.

Although the new "Green Army's Three Pauls" lineup may not be as good as the original Green Army's Big Three (Pierce, Garnett, and Tre Allen) in terms of overall strength,

But it is also of extraordinary significance and worthy of Green Army fans to look forward to in the new season.

The New Orleans Hornets got a new team-building core in Kevin Durant, and they also have a good potential point guard in Rajon Rondo.

In addition, the Hornets now have the inside combination of David West and Tyson Chandler, and the team will also have great competitiveness in the new season.

In addition, the Grizzlies and Hawks, who also participated in this huge deal, also gained certain benefits.

The Grizzlies sent Pau Gasol, determined to cultivate Al Horford in the paint, and also received two first-round picks from the Celtics, a portion of cash and All-Star swingman "Isolations King" Joe Johnson.

The Hawks received two first-round picks, small forwards Gerald Green and Devin Brown, resolving the conflict between Joe Johnson and Josh Smith.

The conclusion of this huge deal has given all four teams a valuable positive improvement.

The transaction rating between the Green Army and the Hornets is A+,

The trade between the Hawks and Grizzlies is graded A.

Chris Paul, who was in his villa in New Orleans, was also surprised to be traded to the Celtics.

But it's a good thing to think about it. After all, Boston is considered a big city, but it is much more prosperous than New Orleans. At the same time, as the Green Army is a wealthy team, they will naturally receive more media attention and exposure.

Chris Paul still looks forward to teaming up with the two All-Star players Pierce and Gasol.

Gazing sadly at the wall of honor in his living room, which lists the awards Paul received in high school, college and after entering the NBA.

Among them, the NBA's Rookie of the Year award is also the most valuable award for Chris Paul today.

In the new season, Chris Paul came to the Eastern Conference and set a bigger goal for himself, which is to enter the All-Stars and be selected for the best team of the year.

Because in this way Paul can trigger the "Linwei Clause" and make early plans for his next big contract.

Perhaps even Paul would not have foreseen that he would be able to occupy the first place on the regular season MVP list for a long time in the new season.

How many players in NBA history can hit the regular season MVP during the rookie contract period and eventually rank in the top two?

"New Orleans, goodbye!"

The three Pauls of the Green Army each have their own advantages, but who is the boss of the Celtics in the new season has once again aroused discussion among fans.

"Of course he is still the boss of Pierce. After all, he is a direct star born and raised in the country. He has also made the All-Star and All-NBA teams. Paul and Gasol will not affect Truth's status in the team!"

"The Big Three of the Green Army feel interesting. They should be a potential opponent of Fei Ge and the Knicks in the new season!"

On July 7, the Knicks also completed the first major signing of the off-season.

Artest, whose contract expired, eventually broke down with the Timberwolves and defected to New York, where he signed a three-year, $3 million contract with the Knicks.

After all, New York is Artest's hometown. At the same time, after this round of the finals, Artest was completely conquered by Lin Fei's charm and determined to help.

Artest's arrival has also strengthened the small forward position, which is the weakest among the Knicks' starting five, and the team's overall defense is expected to reach a new height.

Lin Fei naturally welcomes the arrival of Artest. Reality has proved that Artest is indeed a high-quality piece of the puzzle for the team to win the championship.

(End of this chapter)