Versatile Point Forward

Chapter 95 The Portland Visitor

Portland is located in northwestern Oregon. It is the largest city in Oregon and the second largest city in the Pacific Northwest of the United States after Seattle. It is located not far south of the mouth of the Willamide River into the Columbia River. .Due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, Portland has a tropical maritime climate, which is very suitable for growing roses. There are many rose plantations in the city, so it is also known as the "City of Roses".As a local professional basketball team in Portland, the Trail Blazers joined the NBA in 1970 and won the only championship in team history under the leadership of Bill Walton in the 1976-77 season.However, what they "remember" the most for fans is that they selected Sam Bowie with the second pick in the 1984 draft. This is a center who averaged 10.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in his career, but the third overall pick Yes, Michael Jordan.

However, their operations in the 2006 NBA Draft saved the team's reputation: the No. 2007 pick of the year, the Bulls' Aldridge, and the No. 2008 pick, Timberwolves' Roy, were obtained through trades.The pair of twin stars grew up rapidly in the second season and became the cornerstone of the Trail Blazers team.And in the 09 NBA draft, they used the No. [-] pick to select the talented center Oden, who had overshadowed the sky in the NCAA. The only fly in the ointment is that Oden was reimbursed for the season before he landed in the NBA. He will not be able to return until the beginning of the [-]-[-] season. .Even so, the Blazers still have great expectations for this mature-looking young man. You must know that in the NCAA Finals, he exploded the inside combination of the University of Florida with his uninjured left hand. Last year's No. [-] pick Horford and the No. [-] pick Noah.

But this time, they set their sights on Ye Feng.If Oden is counted, the Blazers have rising stars at the three positions of point guard, power forward and center. Now they urgently need a swingman with unlimited potential to build the Portland Young Guards.After carefully browsing the profiles of this year's hottest rookies, general manager Pritchard firmly believes that Ye Feng is the one they need most. The team's head coach McMillan is also optimistic about this yellow-skinned Asian youth. He has even started flirting with Luo The super combination of Yi + Ye Feng + Ade + Oden, he believes that in time these four young people can dominate the entire league.

But Pritchard was a little uneasy. After all, the Trail Blazers only had the 13th pick this year. With Ye Feng's level, it was very difficult to get such a low pick.He thought of 2006 when Roy and Aldridge were traded. In that year, the Blazers still had a No. 2008 pick. He used this pick to select Tyrus Thomas, and then he and Victor Cary Yapa's signing rights were packaged and sent to the Bulls in exchange for Alder.In addition, he also traded Telfair, Ratliff and a 2006 second-round pick from the Celtics in exchange for Dan Dickau, LaFrentz and the No. [-] pick of the year, and then Selected Randy Foye, plus some cash in exchange for Roy from the Timberwolves.In fact, in the [-] draft, the Trail Blazers were the most active team in player transactions, and of course their moves also laid the foundation for the team.

If they want to get Ye Feng, they have to make a trade, but this trade is not something that can be decided casually. Only by inquiring about the candidates of the top twelve teams can we make an accurate judgment.But the first thing to do now is to see if Ye Feng is willing to join the Trail Blazers. If the player himself is not willing, then guarding the No. 13 pick is futile.Pritchard was silent for a while, pressed the hands-free button on the phone on the desk, and dialed a number: "Yes, it's me, you have something to do right away, book me a ticket to Los Angeles at noon today, That's it." The secretary on the other end of the phone was a little hesitant, but the boss's words were orders, so Pritchard saw the airline tickets on the dining table before eating lunch.

Pritchard, the general manager of the NBA team, is going to Los Angeles to meet a rookie who has not yet participated in the draft!If it was discovered by all-pervasive media reporters, the title would probably be much more eye-catching than such a straightforward narration, but it is indeed a rather strange thing.So Ye Feng looked in surprise at this thin but still handsome middle-aged man in front of him, while Duffy next to him was directly ignored by him.Just because Duffy said something when he opened the door: "Ye, this is Mr. Kevin Pritchard, the general manager of the Trail Blazers, and he flew from Portland specifically to meet with you for an interview." talk."

It was only after two o'clock in the afternoon, and it was obviously not suitable to talk at Ye Feng's house, so the coffee shop became a good choice.The three sat down around a small table, and Duffy consciously sat down next to Ye Feng. Pritchard didn't say anything after seeing it, but showed a faint smile.After ordering coffee, the chat between the two sides quickly entered the topic.Pritchard said straight to the point: "Mr. Ye, I have studied your personal data and physical measurement data from the Timberwolves, and I have also watched a lot of your NCAA game videos. I think you are our team." The player I need, would you like to come to our beautiful Portland and play side by side with other talented young people?"

Ye Feng smiled slightly and said, "Thank you very much for your favor, Mr. Pritchard. The Blazers are a team with a bright future, but with all due respect, my opinion doesn't seem to be very important, right? Going to the team is the one that takes the initiative. Rookies like us have almost no right to choose independently. Whoever chooses me, I will play for whoever chooses me. It seems that there is no question of willingness or not.” Duffy Sitting on the side without saying a word, in fact, this is the way he taught Ye Feng to deal with it, to retreat and see what cards the opponent can play, so as to win more benefits for himself.

Pritchard was only promoted to general manager of the Trail Blazers last year, but that doesn't mean he's a rookie. He retired from professional basketball in 1998, and a year later began to serve as the general manager of the Kansas Cavaliers of the ABA League. Hired as Director of Player Personnel. He was the deputy general manager of the team when Roy and Alder were acquired through a trade in 2001. It is precisely because of his strong support that the Blazers were able to acquire this pair of twin stars with unlimited potential.How could such a person fail to see Ye Feng's motives?
But Pritchard doesn't mind. It's only natural for players to fight for their own interests. What's more, this has already involved the direction of their careers. He knows that he can't convince the young man in front of him without showing some dry goods. Duffy was still listening, he didn't dare to underestimate this seemingly harmless guy.He thanked the waiter who brought the coffee, took a sip of the cappuccino he ordered, and said seriously: "If you are willing to join the Trail Blazers, we will use various methods to find out who the top 2006 picks are. The team's intentions and the bottom line of the trade, and strive to be foolproof during the draft. You must have heard of our operations in the [-] draft, and we have rich experience in this regard."

Ye Feng and Duffy looked at each other, and Duffy said: "Which pick do you think my client will be selected? If you don't have a general operation goal, I think this conversation will be very fast." It can be over." Pritchard thought for a while, and said carefully: "First of all, I have to say sorry, I don't think Mr. Ye will be selected in the top three." Made an apologetic gesture, and then said: "The Bulls and the Heat don't need such a swingman who occupies the ball, and the Timberwolves, I think they may be more willing to choose Love. After all, McHale is a historical level. The risk of choosing an insider is much smaller than choosing an Asian swingman. Looking back, the Sonics are also impossible, they already have Durant, the Clippers and Maggette, the Grizzlies and Gay are the same Reasonable. But I’m not sure if the Knicks will cut the beard for the time being. The safest option is naturally their No. [-] pick. If there is no way to get it, the Bucks can also get the No. [-] pick, but the risk will be greater.”

Duffy laughed, and Pritchard's analysis coincided with his, but he continued to ask: "So in order to get Ye, what bargaining chips are you willing to pay? You must know that in this draft year, ordinary bargaining chips can be The trade is less than the sixth pick." Pritchard did not hesitate at all, the answer to this question was already thought up before he boarded the plane, he said calmly: "Except for Roy, Aldridge and Oden, we You can pay any price, as long as you can get Ye." Now it was Duffy's turn to be surprised, he didn't expect the Blazers to be so determined, and would rather give up an important rotation player to bring Ye Feng to Portland.

He struggled to calm down his fluctuating mental activities, and asked in a harsh voice, "Including your starting point guard Blake, starting small forward Webster and sixth man Outlaw?" Pritchard's tone remained unchanged. , He replied: "Yes, as I said, everything is fine except those three young people, but I will not let the other lion speak loudly, are you right?"

Ye Feng interjected: "Although I am very surprised and very happy, but can I ask why?" Pritchard took a deep look at him and whispered: "It's not just me, including the head coach Mike Milan and the boss Paul Allen, we agree that you are the most suitable one, with you, together with Roy and the others, we believe that you can create an era!"

(End of this chapter)