NBA: James wants to team up with me

Chapter 179 Trading the future for the present? Bulls-Pistons trade!

When Wang Chong saw the news, he thought it was fake news or a smoke bomb released by Billups' agent to put pressure on the Pistons and seek a big contract.

But as time goes by, more and more relevant reports come out, and it seems that the thing is true.

In Wang Chong's impression, Billups played for the Pistons until 2011 before being traded to the Nuggets. It's only 2007, so why has he already started to leave the team?

But after thinking about it carefully, this matter is actually very reasonable.

Although Billups was often underestimated and despised in the original time and space because of his low-key style of play, the championship point guard still has a certain status in the world as he also holds the FMVP trophy.

But in this world, because of Wang Chong's interference, the Pistons lost the 04 championship to the Lakers. Billups's career's biggest honor, FMVP, is gone. Currently, the accumulated honors are only two All-NBA teams and two Just an All-Star substitute.

What's more important is that the Pistons lost two consecutive finals and lost to Wang Chong's Bulls in the second round last season. The Pistons management has become intolerable to the current situation of the team.

The team management even chose to give up Ben Wallace, the soul of the team, in the summer, let alone Billups?

In the 06-07 season, Chauncey Billups is already 30 years old. He has a player option after this season. He wants to get out of the contract and re-sign a big contract with an annual salary of tens of millions, even though he averaged 18.5 points per game last season. With the data of 8.6 assists, it is reasonable to seek a contract with an annual salary of tens of millions.

But the Pistons already have the idea of ​​rebuilding the team, so how can they give a veteran who will be 31 years old next season a multi-year contract?

The two sides can't reach an agreement on the contract extension. Of course, the team management wants to send Billups out as a trading chip while he is still with the team. It is best to exchange for some first-round draft picks, which can Speed ​​up the team's rebuilding process.

Wang Chong was moved after learning all this.

That's Billups!

He previously counted Paul and Deron as the players most suitable for the Bulls' tactical system, but in fact Billups is also suitable for the Bulls.

What Wang Chong wants is a point guard with outstanding comprehensive abilities that integrates offensive scoring, organization and defense.

Billups meets all of these characteristics.

As a point guard, Billups is 1 meters tall and weighs 91 kilograms. He is no less strong than Deron Williams.

On the offensive end, Billups mainly scores from mid- to long-range shots. Because of this, as a point guard, his shooting percentage is not high. He only has a 41.5% field goal percentage in his career, but his three-point shooting percentage is 38.5%. %, and three-pointers accounted for 41.3% of all shots, so in fact Billups' true shooting percentage is not low, and he ranks among the best among defenders all year round.

Especially last season, the 05-06 season, Billups could score a career-high 18.5 points and shoot 43.3% from three-point range, which was higher than his field goal percentage.

While the offensive end has distinctive characteristics, Billups's organizational skills are not bad either. Although he does not have Nash's graceful and elegant passing, nor does he have Kidd's steady play and perfect timing of passing, but Billups His organizational passing also has his own characteristics.

Many people see Billups averaging 5.4 assists per game in his career and feel that his passing ability is poor. However, organizational ability cannot be measured simply by the number of assists. Billups has a lot of organized passes. They don't score immediately, but involve the opponent's defense through passing the ball, and rely on multiple passes to attack and score.

In this regard, Billups' playing style is actually quite a bit like the magic ball style of the future small ball era. As a point guard, he has a very high proportion of three-point shots and a low possession of the ball. He will conduct some off-ball movement tactics, so the number of assists is neither high nor low, but the assist-to-turnover ratio is controlled quite well.

If Billups' three-pointers were more accurate, it wouldn't be impossible to use him as Curry.

However, Billups' playing style is more like Harden than Curry. That's why Wang Chong used the magic ball to describe Billups. Whether it is the choice of three-point shooting or the technique of drawing fouls, Billups Pussy looks like a weakened version of Harden.

But unlike Harden, who is strong offensively and weak defensively, Billups' strong defensive ability has long been recognized by the league.

Twice selected to the All-Defensive Team, Billups played for seven seasons in the Pistons, which is known for its defensive ability. Billups' defense is among the top levels among point guards.

Of course, Billups also has shortcomings. With his strong body, he is good at defending guards who are as powerful as him. His lateral movement speed is quite difficult against a point guard with outstanding speed like Ellis. He is often directly beaten one-on-one. Pass.

But in the Bulls, it doesn't matter even if you can't guard the small and flexible defender. With Chandler guarding the basket, the offensive efficiency of any defender who rushes into the penalty area will be greatly affected.

In addition, Billups, who relies too much on three-pointers and free throws, has unstable scoring ability and insufficient offensive ability. Especially in the playoffs, Billups made 10 of 1 and 12 of 3 shots in the Pistons' performance. There have also been games in .

But this is not a problem either. In the Bulls, Wang Chong must have the main task of attacking. Looking at the current league, there are not many players who can compare with Wang Chong in terms of scoring.

Moreover, Billups is nicknamed Mr. Big Heart, and he will not show mercy at critical moments of the game.

After saying so much, Wang Chong was actually moved.

If the Bulls can intercept Billups, their overall strength will undoubtedly be improved to a higher level, and they may even have the ability to compete for the championship!

This is no joke. Although the Bulls currently have the best record in the league, there is still a big gap between their real strength and the Spurs. Even if they can stand out from the weak Eastern Conference in the playoffs, they will never be able to pass the Spurs' level.

But with Billups, the result is not certain. Although the Spurs' GDP combination is still at a disadvantage, it at least has the power to fight.

-

Just one day later, Pistons management received an offer from the Bulls.

Once one of the stars of the Bad Boys and now the team's general manager, Joe Dumars looked at the Bulls' offer and fell into deep thought.

"Are the Bulls actually willing to send Monta Ellis for Chauncey?"

Since the news that the Pistons wanted to trade Billups spread, the Pistons have received many offers, but overall, the Bulls' offer is obviously the highest value.

<divclass="contentadv"> Monta Ellis is only 21 years old and is currently averaging 18 points and 5 assists per game for the Bulls. His future is limitless.

You must know that so far this season, Billups has only averaged 17 points and 7 assists per game, which is not much better than Ellis.

The 30-year-old veteran Billups can be exchanged for Ellis, which is a profitable transaction.

-

Bulls general manager's office.

After General Manager John Paxson hung up the phone, he said to Wang Chong in front of him: "The other party has agreed to the transaction."

When saying this, Paxson looked obviously unhappy.

It's normal for him to be unhappy, because he is not optimistic about this deal. To be precise, no general manager in the league is likely to be optimistic about this deal.

The two players have similar statistics, but the age difference is nearly 10 years. Even if Billups has better experience and defensive ability than Ellis, considering the long-term development of the team, Ellis will definitely be chosen.

But what can be done? As the general manager and the person with the most power on the team, Paxson had no say in front of Wang Chong. He was submissive and did not even dare to speak too loudly.

This is not only because of Wang Chong's performance and the status of the Bulls, but there is another reason that is more important. The 06-07 season was the fourth season of Wang Chong's career. As a player who entered the league through the draft, the fourth year was like A sign, because it means the end of the four-year rookie child labor contract stipulated by the league. Wang Chong will become a restricted free agent this summer and needs to re-sign a contract with the team.

At this critical moment, no one on the Bulls team dared to offend Wang Chong, for fear that he would accidentally make this uncle unhappy and turn around and leave the Bulls. Such a person's personal ability has reached the top level of the league, and he still has a lot of potential. If a young player with room for improvement leaves the team for this reason, it won't be long before he becomes the general manager.

Of course, because players on rookie contracts expire as restricted free agents, the Bulls can actually use league rules to forcefully match the offer contract offered by any other team for Wang Chong and keep him in the team. But if Wang Chong really doesn't plan to play for the Bulls. Even if he is forced to stay, it will only hurt both sides and the gain will not be worth the loss.

Therefore, whenever Wang Chong made a request, Paxson would do his best at all costs and completely transform into Wang Chong's licking dog, striving to lick his goddess to comfort.

It's just that once this deal is reached, it will be a completely thankless act for the Bulls. It is still uncertain how much Billups can improve the team's strength, but at the age of 30, he can only maintain it for two more years at most. During his peak period of about three years, he gave up Monta Ellis, who could be used for at least ten years, for him. No matter how you calculate this, it is a loss.

Seemingly sensing Paxson's depression, Wang Chong had to comfort him again.

"John, you must believe my vision. Billups is definitely more suitable for the current Bulls than Ellis. Have you forgotten that Ellis himself is the player I like and ask to be selected? Within two to three years , the team will definitely win the championship!”

"Wang, of course I believe you, otherwise I would not agree to this deal."

Paxson forced out a smile that was uglier than crying and said words that were against his will. "Under your leadership, the Bulls will definitely be able to regain the glory of the Michael era. I will look forward to that day."

-

In mid-January 2007, the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls issued statements at the same time. The Bulls sent away main guard Monta Ellis and backup forward Michael Swetney, and acquired All-Star point guard Chauncey Billup from the Pistons. Sri Lanka.

The entire league was shocked by this very sudden trade. They were surprised that the Pistons actually traded their main point guard away from the team, and they were also surprised by the courage of the Bulls.

Billups is an excellent player, but that's all. Last season, Billups was selected to the All-Star and All-NBA Team for the first time. At that time, he was already 29 years old and won the regular season MVP at the age of 30. Like Nash, he is a late bloomer.

In terms of strength, he is definitely stronger than Ellis, especially on the defensive end. Billups, who was selected for the All-Defensive Second Team last season, has extremely outstanding defensive ability. At the same time, his ability to organize and support is also better than that of the point guard who is actually the main player. Ellis, a combo guard who focuses on scoring, is better.

But two players of completely different age groups cannot simply look at their current abilities.

Ellis, who is only 21 years old and can average 18+5 per game, will definitely have far better future development prospects than Billups. Although the Bulls have acquired a stronger immediate player, it also The future is sacrificed.

After many Chicago fans learned about this incident, their immediate reaction was that it was unacceptable and incomprehensible. Why would Ellis be traded for Billups? They also expect that in two or three years, the Bulls will reappear the combination of Jordan and Pippen. Wang Chong is Jordan and Ellis must have the ability to become Wang Chong's Pippen.

But now, two or three years later, when Wang Chong is 25 years old and his competitive form reaches its peak, Billups will be almost 34 years old.

Even though Jordan can still win a championship at the age of 34, lead the scoring team and even compete for the regular season MVP, other ordinary players are basically at the end of their careers by this age, and their competitive status and strength will decline significantly. By then, the Bulls will We also need to find ways to find a good partner for Wang Chong. If we don't use the young up-and-comer who can train for ten years, and replace him with an old guy, what is the purpose of this?

It’s not a boast or a shame, but these people are quite accurate in their age analysis.

The peak of Billups' career lasted until he was 34 years old.

In the 10-11 season, the 34-year-old Billups played a total of 72 games for the Nuggets and Clippers during the regular season, averaging 16.8 points and 5.4 assists per game, shooting 42.7% from the field and 40% from the three-point range. 91.6%, % free throws, and true shooting percentage are still among the best among point guards.

However, in the second year, the 35-year-old Billups' competitive form began to decline significantly, and he suffered injuries. He only played 20 games in the regular season, and he also suffered injuries in the following two seasons. In just three years, he was completely out of shape. Disappeared from the league's sight and officially announced his retirement.

但这在王崇看来已经足够了，从06-07赛季到10-11赛季，比卢普斯可以保持场均18+7左右的数据打五个赛季，这期间将会是王崇身边最得力的左膀右臂。

And the lack of guards that Bulls fans are worried about is also a problem for Wang Chong?

Wang Chong, who is well aware of every future draft, can select future superstars who are suitable for the team based on the team's style and characteristics.

Not to mention other positions, for the position of point guard, Wang Chong has several excellent candidates in mind, among which the highest priority and the most important one is, of course, the point guard Stephen who was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 09 draft. .Curry!