novelraw Chapter 446 The 031 Draft Round Completely Unrecognizable! Earthquake-level
Chapter 446 The 031 Draft Round Completely Unrecognizable! Earthquake-level
Lin Tian gave Bird the middle finger, then lazily sat down opposite Bird and began flipping through the rookie reports that Bird had given him.
How should I put it? The Pacers' drafting ability is quite good!
Bird's abridged report to Lin Tian only included about 10 players, among whom were Leandro Barbosa, Josh Howard, Carlos Delfino, Kendrick Perkins, and others who were selected late in the first round and made a name for themselves.
With a slightly higher projected draft position, the Pacers will have a hard time selecting players like David West and Travis Outlaw.
The final round featured an even more diverse group of players, including names like Kapono, Korver, Maurice Williams, Matt Bonner, and James Jones.
Bird and his team's two weeks of overtime work were definitely not in vain.
"How much money are we planning to spend during the offseason?" Lin Tian asked Bird before offering his advice, inquiring about the team's goals and budget for the new season.
After all, the Simon brothers are very open about saving money, and the Pacers have two players who need to re-sign this year.
Ben Wallace and Arenas.
Both players' contracts have expired, but the Pacers also have their Bird rights. In other words, if the Pacers want to keep them, they can keep both of them, but the luxury tax will definitely skyrocket!
Given the Pacers' current salary situation, Lin Tian's 7-year super contract is entering its final year, with a salary of $3277 million. He will officially become the second player in NBA history to earn more than $3000 million annually!
In addition, Webber's salary will reach 1700 million, and the combined salaries of Lin Tian and Webber alone will be close to 5000 million!
These two people account for about 90% of the salary cap!
而联盟02-03赛季的奢侈税起征点是5800万美金，按照如今联盟的财务状况，下个赛季的奢侈税起征点大概率是在6000-6200万美金之间。
Besides these two, Christie and Brad Miller together take up more than $1100 million in salary. Just the salaries of these four players alone would put the Pacers in the luxury tax.
The good news is that, apart from those four players, the Pacers no longer have a fifth player earning a salary higher than the minimum or rookie contract.
The bad news is that, even so, the Pacers' total salary next season will be at least $7000 million, and they will have to pay at least $1000 million in luxury tax.
Even so, this is still the case where the team doesn't make any reinforcements, lets free agents go, and only signs players on minimum contracts.
As for Arenas and Ben...
If the team keeps any one of them, they will have to pay them double their salary next season.
The cost was too high!
In addition, these two are not players like Jordan who can bring huge commercial benefits; their commercial attributes cannot even be compared with Carter's!
Therefore, the Simon brothers would obviously refuse outright if it meant spending over 2000 million a year on either of these two individuals, including luxury tax and salary.
This is why Lin Tian asked Bird this question.
The answer he wanted was simple: should we add players to the existing roster next season, or strengthen the roster based on the roster after Ben Wallace and Gilbert Arenas left?
For example, if you have Arenas and Ben Wallace, then the team doesn't need to draft players for the center and shooting guard positions; they can just focus on the small forward position.
But if they leave...
Okay, if they leave, then we'll have to find someone to fill every position, and there will be a lot of vacancies.
"However, it's possible that neither of them will receive the high salaries and offers they're hoping for."
"Larry, let's stop with the nonsense," Lin Tian interrupted the frowning Bird. "The draft starts in 30 minutes; we at least need to reach an agreement on that!"
「好吧好吧。」伯德无奈的举手投降道：「按照市场价，本最少会签下一份4年3500-4年4200万之间的合同，市场上最少有3-5支球队愿意给他提供这个金额的合同。」
"Therefore, it's basically impossible for us to keep the original copy."
"Then there's Gilbert. His market value is slightly lower than Ben's, since he doesn't have as many opportunities to perform. Based on my estimates and market reactions, Gilbert's annual salary will most likely be between 500 and 800 million. If that's the amount, we can match it."
"So, we need to fill the gap in the center position, right?" Lin Tian continued looking at the draft report in his hand.
"That's how it is in theory," Bird said, scratching his forehead. "But in reality, things might be a little different."
"Entry and exit?" Lin Tian thought for a moment, then said, "You mean, someone might try to snatch people from us?"
"Yes," Bird nodded, expressing his concern.
The so-called malicious poaching is actually just using overpriced contracts to snatch players from the Pacers.
After all, the Pacers have dominated the league for so long, and there are plenty of guys in the league who don't like the Pacers and hope to break up their dynasty.
Especially for those tank teams with plenty of salary cap space, they have long been eyeing the key rotation players of these strong teams, and they will definitely try to snatch them up whenever they have the chance!
再加上如今步行者队的薪金状况那可是所有人都再清楚不过的，都知道你不想交太多的奢侈税，4年4000万你会匹配的话，那4年4800甚至4年5200呢？
Still matching?
The value of key players in a dynasty team is naturally higher than their normal price. Now, with other teams eyeing the Pacers and wanting to break them up, the contracts they might offer in the future are likely to be higher than the "market price" Bird mentioned.
Whether it's Arenas or Ben Wallace, if their annual salaries were 2-500 million higher, that might be the price they would actually receive on the free market!
Based on this, it's highly likely the Pacers won't be able to keep a single player...
"If that's the case, then I actually have another idea." Lin Tian threw the stack of rookie reports on the table and said, "When it's our turn to choose, we'll choose whoever is available, the best, not the most suitable."
"Because next season, I think we'll be short-handed at every position except point guard!"
"That's what I think too." Bird nodded, then picked up a large stack of rookie reports and said, "Let's take a look at this first; these are guys projected to be between the late second round and undrafted."
"After the draft, we need to find more players for our Summer League. If that doesn't work, we should form two teams, because I think we'll need them to complete our roster this year."
For the next few tens of minutes, Lin Tian and Bird continued to chat, waiting for the draft to begin.
Meanwhile, Lin Tian's phone kept ringing.
After hanging up several times in a row, Lin Tian simply turned off the phone.
Annoying! I can't be bothered to answer!
"Who was it? Which girl did you get pregnant?"
Bird was gossiping when his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Donnie Walsh, the general manager of the New York Knicks.
Bird frowned. Why was this guy calling him?
Is a guy with the number one draft pick planning to trade it for his 29th pick?
"What's wrong, Donnie?" Bird asked, answering the phone.
"This is LeBron James! James Dolan! Larry, I'm a very direct person, I don't like beating around the bush. Could you ask Lin for me whether he wants to play with Anthony or team up with LeBron? We have 10 minutes left before the draft!"
Bird: ? ? ? ?
What the hell is this?
I was just gossiping and eating melons, and now I've gotten myself into this mess? This guy and that blond guy called the victim, asking the girl what kind of small umbrella she liked and what the differences were.
This is like pointing a finger at someone's face and cursing them!
"Choose your mother!" Bird was never the type to indulge others. Lin Tian's contract still had a year left, and you guys were already asking for trouble?
Angrily hanging up the phone, Bird looked at Lin Tian and said, "Why don't you go to the next room and talk to them?"
"You're acting just like a jealous, resentful woman," Lin Tian said, leaning back in his chair. "Why are you so stupid to answer the phone when I don't even answer mine?"
"Fuck!" Bird cursed, then, still feeling unsatisfied, picked up the phone and dialed back: "Hey? Donnie? Tell that damn bastard Dolan that Lin said he's going for Michael Sweetney!"
After saying that, Bird hung up the phone immediately.
Whether you listen or not, I've at least gotten my revenge!
…………
In the Knicks' draft office, Walsh looked at Dolan with a bitter expression and said, "Boss, I told you calling Bird wouldn't work. That guy's a jerk!"
"I know, and I wasn't expecting any answers from him anyway." Dolan took a big gulp of his drink and said, "I just want Lin to know that we haven't forgotten him and are still waiting for him. This is a trick I've learned from years of experience chasing girls. You can learn it too."
"So who should we choose?" Walsh was now displaying the skills and attributes that a top general manager should have.
obedient!
"I've already made up my mind. Lin gave me the answer when I asked him last time!" Dolan exclaimed confidently. "Just wait and see!"
In the draft office in San Antonio, Buford was very busy. His phone kept ringing, and he would answer it, chat for a few minutes, and then hang up again.
There are a lot of people interested in their second overall pick, with teams constantly inquiring about them. Two teams even offered to field All-Star players in their prime.
Honestly, if it weren't for his longtime partner Popovich refusing to trade this draft pick, Buford would have traded it away long ago!
But at this moment, Popovich has truly set his sights on James!
For example, this guy is still spreading rumors everywhere, saying how great Anthony is, and that he's the player of his dreams.
Buford even called the Knicks last night to cooperate with Popovich, expressing his desire to trade his second overall pick for the first overall pick, with the aim of selecting Anthony or something similar.
The main strategy is to create a smokescreen and try every means to make James fall to second place.
With the draft about to begin, Buford was incredibly busy, but he still remembered to call the Knicks again to ask who they would draft, whether they would sell the draft picks, and that everything was negotiable.
Unfortunately, Walsh hung up on him immediately.
You Spurs know what you're doing, but we Knicks are just stupid?
Walsh knew this was a smokescreen; did the Spurs really want James?
Unfortunately, Dolan wouldn't say who he would choose, which put Walsh in a very passive position.
If you had told me earlier, I could have made some preparations. Whether it's a trade or a direct selection, it will bring some benefits to the team either way.
Dolan was quite willful: No need, we want to show Lin our sincerity.
What a load of rubbish about sincerity.
Walsh cursed Dolan countless times in his mind, but what could he do when Dolan was paying his salary?
On the surface, they still presented an expression that said: "The boss is brilliant, the boss is awesome."
I can endure it all for the sake of survival!
Inside the draft office in Portland, a group of people were also busy discussing who to pick: the Serbian Darko Milicic? Or perhaps the face-up power forward Chris Bosh?
The group was divided, with all sorts of opinions being offered. Some even suggested asking the top two scorers if they would sell their prizes.
The suggestion was dismissed by everyone.
If I could buy it, would I have waited until now? I would have gotten it a long time ago!
They made it clear long ago: This is not for sale! They absolutely will not consider selling it!
Similar scenarios are playing out among teams like the Cavaliers, Heat, Clippers, and Bulls, who all have top-ten draft picks. Everyone is busy discussing who to choose and what kind of choice to make.
Meanwhile, teams that want to bring a fresh start to the new year and make some big moves are continuing their overt or covert actions and negotiations.
As time flew by, the first mystery of the night was revealed!
The Knicks are about to make their selection!
"Boss, who should we choose?" Walsh asked Dolan again as time was running out.
"Last time when I said I'd pick LeBron, Lin clearly refused! So let's pick Anthony! Besides, Anthony is one of us from New York, unlike LeBron, who's like a country bumpkin from a small town. He's seen the world, he deserves to be in New York!"
Dolan confidently slammed his fist on the table, declaring, "Let's choose one of our own from New York!"
His table-slamming and analysis exuded confidence and a sassy air.
But Walsh was cursing under his breath.
Why the hell didn't you say you were going to pick Anthony earlier?!
The fact that the Spurs next door want LeBron James is not an open secret; it's like Napoleon donning the crown—they've already ascended the throne!
If you had told us earlier that we wanted Anthony, we could have traded the number one pick for the number two pick, and then extorted some more money from him. Wouldn't that have been great?
If you choose now, won't people think you're an idiot?
Walsh couldn't hold back any longer. He directly asked the question and once again offered his suggestion: "We draft LeBron James, then trade him for the Spurs' second overall pick. Nine times out of ten, we'll get two more draft picks!"
"No!" Dolan refused without hesitation. "Donnie, you're a good person, but don't you know you shouldn't give secondhand gifts?"
"Lin said he wants Anthony, so we'll give him a brand new Anthony, not the Anthony we traded for!"
"This has nothing to do with draft picks or instant impact players; it's all about sincerity and goodwill! Understand?"
I understand, you banana-shaped glass teapot yo-yo!
Looking at Dolan's face, Walsh really wanted to grab a chair and smash his face to pieces.
This is the boss, the boss, the boss, the boss—he's paying my salary!
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on!
After silently repeating several times in his mind, Walsh opened his mouth again and asked:
"Boss, when did Lin tell you he wanted Anthony?"
This was Walsh's last effort. He vowed that if Dolan gave him another piece of crap like "gifts should be given with sincerity," he would quit on the spot!
I can tolerate this for the sake of making a living, but I absolutely cannot tolerate you insulting my intelligence!
"You were there that time, Donnie." Dolan looked confident and invincible as he sat there with his arms outstretched. The ring on his hand, a symbol of power, and the martini, a testament to his personal taste, all spoke volumes about Dolan's wisdom.
"On the day we got the number one pick, I called Lin and asked him who he would choose. I said Carmelo Anthony, and he didn't object. But when I said LeBron James, he vehemently rejected it! This proves that Lin wanted to play with Anthony!"
I don't believe your nonsense!
Walsh found his heart pounding, his blood pressure rising rapidly, and then he realized his hands were gripping the back of the chair, ready to lift it up and smash it across Dolan's face at any moment.
Then, the office phone rang.
The eerie and menacing atmosphere vanished in an instant, and Walsh picked up the phone.
"Knicks, who will you pick with your number one pick? There are 30 seconds left before the commissioner comes on stage to announce your pick."
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Hurry your grandma's legs! Are you all in such a rush to be reborn? Damn it, if I had thought it through, I would have told you already! Hurry, hurry, hurry, all you do is urge!"
"I'm picking Carmelo Anthony! This is just going to go on and on!"
Walsh fired off a series of rapid-fire words, then slammed the phone down on the table.
Then, as he looked up at Dolan, his eyes once again displayed a calm and ingratiating smile: "Boss, these bastards from the Alliance are really annoying. I don't know what they have to complain about!"
"That's true," Dolan said, picking up his glass and waving it at Walsh. "But you need to change your temper. The league staff are just doing their jobs. What's the point of yelling at them like that? It only makes their jobs harder. Don't do that again next time."
"Have a drink, Donnie. Don't do it again next time. After all, you're about to become the general manager of a dynasty team!"
Dynasty, you flat-bottomed teapot yo-yo!
Walsh suppressed his anger once again!
He can endure it all for the sake of making a living; he can even endure the humiliation of his intelligence!
Who can blame him when Dolan really gave him a lot of money?
"The New York Knicks select... Carmelo Anthony with the first overall pick!"
Wow!!
"Dolan is awesome!!"
"Long live!!"
"Messi!! Messi!! Messi!! Messi!!"
"Our gods! Our beloved Messi and Ronaldo have arrived!"
"New York will always be your home!"
Unlike most previous drafts, tonight, at Madison Square Garden, when Stern announced this year's number one pick, the entire Madison Square Garden went wild!
A wild celebration, a frenzy of cheers.
They like Anthony!
They love this fellow New Yorker! They think Dolan made the right choice!
How could James, that guy from Akron who's been hyped up to the skies, possibly be worthy of our Big Apple?
With an incredibly excited and expectant smile on his face, Anthony put on a Knicks hat, walked onto the stage, and posed for a photo with Stern.
For him, tonight was definitely a dream come true.
What New York kid wouldn't want to play for the Knicks?
Inside the Spurs' draft office.
"Hooray!" Popovich shouted excitedly, raising his hands to the sky. "We did it! We got LeBron James! Hahaha, RJ, I told you we could do it!"
"I told you those Knicks idiots would fall for it; they'd keep LeBron!"
"I'm a fucking genius! I'm destined to be the best head coach ever! Tim Duncan! If you dare to run away, I'll kill you next season!"
"Hmm, never mind, it starts the season after next, I'll beat you to a pulp!"
"Alright, call the league and tell them our decision. And RJ, come check if my suit is messed up. We're going to have a good talk with LeBron later."
"We will fight side by side for the next 10 or even 15 years!"
"The San Antonio Spurs, with the second overall pick in the first round, selected... LeBron James!"
Unlike Anthony, James was met with a barrage of boos and cheers when he stepped onto the stage.
Or rather, aside from Anthony, every rookie tonight would probably get a barrage of criticism from New York fans.
It's not that we hate these rookies, New Yorkers just want to have fun!
Do you really think that the more than 1 fans who flooded into Madison tonight are here for the draft?
The people at America's number one entertainment city are here to have fun!
Booing is one of their main ways of having fun!
Furthermore, when James walked onto the stage, his smile was very forced, unlike Anthony's cheerful and carefree demeanor. He seemed to have something on his mind, his brows were constantly furrowed, and he only managed a forced smile when taking photos.
As James walked off the stage, he cursed under his breath.
"I'm the King!! I'm the best in this draft!! I'll show Carmelo and the Knicks how terribly wrong they are!!"
"LeBron, can I ask you a few questions?" The TNT reporter, who had just let Anthony go, quickly grabbed James from the audience and asked, "Are you satisfied with your draft position?"
"I'm so happy! It really feels like a dream! I can't believe it. Yesterday I was a high school student, and today I'm the second overall pick in the world's greatest league! This is a dream come true! Thank you San Antonio, thank you for everything!"
"I will play for San Antonio my whole life, I will be a San Antonio man my whole life, I will bring them a championship, and I believe, not one, not two, not three, but many!"
On stage, Stern walked up for the third time and announced, "Third overall pick in the first round, the Portland Trail Blazers select... Chris Bosh!"
Then, Stern went on stage again and again to announce the results of tonight's draft.
"The Denver Nuggets select... Darko Milicic with the fourth overall pick!"
"The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Dwyane Wade with the fifth overall pick!"
"The Miami Heat selected Kirk Hinrich with the sixth pick!"
It has to be said that the top few positions are a complete mess.
This draft was completely different from the one Lin Tian remembered. Not a single player ended up with the team he had previously played for. The only similarity was that Wade was still selected fifth overall and went to Cleveland.
As for the rest, they really turned into a complete mess.
However, this result is definitely more exciting than Lin Tian remembered!
James finally debuted in a team with a top-notch coach and management team; Anthony came to New York, the team he had always dreamed of, from the very beginning; Milicic went to a bad team that was rebuilding around him and was bound to get a lot of opportunities; and Bosh was able to shine in Portland.
As for Wade, he finally won't be subjected to Riley's manipulation anymore, and he won't be stuck without ever getting a max contract in his life, having to wander around in his later years.
As for Riley, let him try to manipulate Hinrich and see if he can succeed...
Of course, none of this has much to do with Lin Tian. Even if these bad teams manage to draft a new core player that the team truly needs, they will still need 2-3 years to develop before they have a chance to meet Lin Tian in the playoffs.
As for tonight, Lin Tian and Bird's attention is actually focused on the late first-round zone.
"The Dallas Mavericks selected Kendrick Perkins with the 26th overall pick in the first round!"
"The New Jersey Nets selected Leandro Barbosa with the 27th overall pick in the first round!"
"The Los Angeles Lakers selected Brian Cook with the 28th pick in the first round!"
"FUXX!!!"
Bird looked at the choices of the three competitors ahead of him, couldn't help but swear repeatedly, and then threw away several pieces of paper.
Bird wanted all of these players.
But now that these guys have all been chosen, Bird only has three sheets of paper left.
"Come on, Lin, who do you choose?"
Bird spread out the remaining three draft reports and placed them in front of Lin Tian.
Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, and Josh Howard.
"Logically, we should pick Howard, but I remember you said we don't want ugly guys on the team? This guy's face is comparable to Cassell's. What do we do? Should we pick him or Walton? Walton is quite handsome!"
"Did Charles eat your brain, Larry?" Lin Tian couldn't help but roll his eyes. He had just said that casually back then, and Bird actually took it seriously?
The reason for choosing a coach is that Carter and Jamison are actually quite evenly matched, so of course the choice is to choose a coach.
But these guys are definitely not in the same league, if not worlds apart!
When Howard wasn't causing trouble, he was Dallas's number one offensive perimeter player for a period of time and was even selected as an All-Star!
Those two years, Dallas was a top team with 60 wins!
He can defend, shoot, play one-on-one, and drive to the basket!
Howard's offensive ability and one-on-one skills, if not top-notch, are definitely first-rate.
The top perimeter player on a top team, that's all the level and title he deserves.
Isn't he 30 times better than some Three-Point Contest champion, Capono, or Prince Don, the son of a legend?
Given such a significant difference in ability, why judge someone solely on their looks?
"Then I'll choose Howard." Bird chuckled, picked up the phone, dialed Stern, and told him his choice.
The Pacers' first draft pick is now confirmed.
Then, in the second round of the draft, the pace was even faster, twice as fast as in the first round. Stern also stopped going on stage to take photos with the players, leaving that job to his deputy.
Then, halfway through the second round of the draft, a shocking trade suddenly broke out that was enough to shake the league!
The Philadelphia 76ers are rebuilding!
The 76ers traded Allen Iverson ($1200 million) to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for former All-Star guard Trier Brandon ($1100 million).
In addition, the Timberwolves also acquired Travis Outlaw, who was selected 22nd overall in the first round of this year's draft, as well as their four first-round draft picks from 04, 06, 08, and 10, and the 05 Lakers draft pick and the 06 Jazz draft pick that they acquired in a previous trade.
A total of 6 draft picks and one newly selected first-round rookie!
The Timberwolves completely mortgaged their future, and what they got in return was Allen Iverson, a small scorer who had been active in the top five or even top three of the scoring list for the past few years and had even won the scoring title!
This deal is absolutely groundbreaking!
After this trade, the 76ers immediately announced a complete rebuild, and everyone knew that their goal in this trade was to free up salary cap space and those 7 draft picks. As for Trier?
He was once an All-Star player, that's true, but Trier missed a single game last season due to injury, and although this season hasn't started yet, everyone knows he can no longer play in the NBA!
With age and injuries, he doesn't even need to report to Philadelphia anymore. After receiving his multi-million dollar salary in the last year of his career, it will be time for him to say goodbye to the NBA!
The 76ers are determined to rebuild after a series of first-round losses and Allen Iverson's antics. The assets they've acquired this time are certainly not bad! It's just a question of when they'll be able to rise again after Iverson's departure.
I hope they can trust the process! (End of Chapter)