Looking at the expectant eyes of his two disciples.

Richard was a little speechless......

How to say that? Do you want to tell these two people that the Trailblazers are wondering where to find a reliable inside line right now?!

But come to think of it, the situation of Green Kai and the Trailblazers is different.

Because the Trail Blazers have no salary space, they can't consider those reliable inside lines with high salaries......

It's different from Green Kai, they have plenty of salary space right now!

Besides, the fat head is originally the top salary, and if you take it out for trading, you don't have to worry about the salary space......

After thinking for a while, seeing the expectant eyes of these two disciples, Richard directly softened.

"Ahem, there is one candidate, but whether you can take it down depends on your luck!" Richard said with a wry smile.

"Coach, talk ...... fast"

"God, there are really people! If we get him, can we break into the finals like Iverson and Dazhi? ”

The two of them asked Richard excitedly.

"Mutombo of the Eagles! He is also the highest salary, which can match Walker's contract! ”

"As for whether I can make it to the finals, I can't guarantee this......"

"Who knows? Even I can't guarantee that I will make it to the finals this year......"

Richard said with a wry smile.

"But if you can take Mutombo from the Hawks, don't dare to say anything else, you can also enter the Eastern Conference semifinals, and even enter the Eastern Conference finals!"

"As for whether you can make it to the finals, it depends on your luck!"

Richard said with a smile.

The Green Kai Purdue Twins are not as strong as the 76ers Purdue Twins offensively, but their defense is stronger than the opposition.

……

Under normal circumstances, in fact, the Hawks did not say that Mutombo was for sale, and after playing this season, the Eagles sold Mutombo before half of the next season......

And the object of the sale is the Philadelphia 76ers!

The 76ers also relied on the addition of Mutombo to reach the Finals in the 00-01 season, that is, the next season......

Mutombo's strength is quite reliable, in this alliance, in terms of blue-collar inside, I'm afraid in addition to Big Ben, Mutombo is the must, and Uncle Mu also has a good offensive strength.

For example, in the 00-01 season of the Eastern Conference finals under normal circumstances, the 76ers played against the Bucks, and Uncle Mu averaged nearly 17 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks per game, which taught the Bucks who had no inside line in the team a hard lesson.

Even against O'Neal in the finals, Uncle Mu also scored 17 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks, with a shooting rate of 6 percent!

……

It's just that at the moment, the Philadelphia 76ers must not be able to bring in Uncle Mu, Iverson has just signed the top salary, and after the end of this season, Dazhi estimates that it is another top salary, and it is difficult for the 76ers to swallow Uncle Mu's contract.

Richard didn't want Lu Kai to be too miserable, so he recommended them to fight for Uncle Mu, and it was quite dramatic to exchange Walker for Uncle Mu.

Big deal, plus a draft pick......

At the moment, if the Green Cavity want to make a difference in the east, bringing in Mutombo can be said to be their only way out.

Ordinary interior lines can indeed improve their interior strength, but they are useless, which can make their regular season record look better......

And only by getting a top inside line like Uncle Mu can they have a chance to rise completely!

The two rejoiced, this is Richard showing them a clear way!

"Thanks, Coach!"

"Thank you coach, you know you have a way to ...... coach"

……

The two of them ran to Pitino's side with excitement on their faces, and it looked like they couldn't wait to get rid of Fattou and bring in Mutombo......

Richard could only mourn in silence for the fat head.

If Pierce and Billups are forced to force the palace, the team management will definitely have to think about it.

Moreover, the fat head himself was not treated well by Pitino......

The chances of this deal going through are quite high!

……

As for the end of the eagle at this point in time, whether he is willing to let Uncle Mu go, that is not something that Richard can manage.

……

At the press conference after the game, Richard announced a "bad news" with a heavy face.

"Jermaine O'Neal just ate expired food in the locker room and is vomiting and diarrhea right now, and may be out for a week or two......"

"The good news is that Big Ben is back ......"

Richard lied, his face was really not red and his heart was not beating.

The reporters were speechless, why are your Trail Blazers players so delicate? Xiao Ao's sturdy boy, eat two bites of expired food, and then vomit and diarrhea so quickly?!

This is a laxative......

Besides, are you Pioneers' logistics team the devil?! Expired food was prepared for the players to eat......

Everything shows that Richard is, and Xiao Ao is okay at all!

"Ahem, Coach Richard, if something like this happens, won't you Trailblazers fire the head of the logistics team?" A reporter smiled and stood up to ask a question.

Richard had nothing to say when asked this question.

"Well, whoever doesn't make a mistake won't be expelled from this kind of small thing......"

The reporters in the audience burst into laughter.

They also know the reasons why Richard wants to do everything he can to rest the players.

If the player is rested in rotation, it will not be counted in the number of appearances, and if the average data per game is calculated at that time, it will definitely be higher......

As long as you play more than two-thirds of the games in a season, you are eligible to compete for the scoring title, rebounding title and other honors.

Although this may cause the Trail Blazers to lose, looking at Richard's posture, this season will definitely not pay much attention to the regular season record.

It's normal to think about it, if these reporters lead the team to a winning record as a head coach, then they will definitely not care much about the regular season next season......

If you fight hard, what can you do, is it possible to break your own record?!

……

As soon as he returned to Portland, Richard was immediately pulled into the strong, and the NBA league held a charity event in Portland to raise charity funds for children with leukemia.

Since it is an event held in Portland, Richard, the big leader of the Portland Trail Blazers, must attend, not only Richard, but also many players on the team must attend this event.

In general, there are relevant provisions in the player's contract, such as what activities the team needs the player to attend, and the player cannot refuse without a valid reason.

……

Stern didn't come to this event, but Xiao Hua came in person.

According to Xiao Hua's words, Stern was afraid that he would be in Portland, so he simply sent Xiao Hua over......

Richard couldn't laugh or cry, it looks like that old fellow Stern has a deep grudge against himself!

If only Xiao Hua could take the position earlier, he has a good relationship with Xiao Hua, and when Xiao Hua takes the position in the future, he won't have to look at Stern's face.

Many fans have a misunderstanding of Xiao Hua, thinking that the basketball style of later generations became "weak" because of Xiao Hua's reform.

What's more, some fans say that under Xiao Hua's administration, NBA ratings have fallen and market value has declined.

In fact, this view is completely unreasonable.

In terms of alliance policies and rules, Xiao Hua has not made any reforms, and most of them follow the old rules formulated by Stern.

For example, severely punishing the brawl on the court, which was caused by Stern and has nothing to do with Xiao Hua......

FOR EXAMPLE, CANCELING THE HAND-CHECK AND REDUCING THE INTENSITY OF CONFRONTATION ON THE COURT, THIS MATTER WAS ALSO DONE BY STERN, AND IT STILL HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH XIAO HUA.

On the contrary, after Xiao Hua took over, the market value of the NBA has nearly tripled in just five or six years!

Before 2014, during the Stern administration, the total market value of all NBA teams was less than $20 billion, probably around $15 billion.

Five years later, the combined market value of all NBA teams has exceeded $50 billion.

To say that the NBA ratings are falling is pure unfounded nonsense......

As for the league's style of play becoming weak, this is true, but it has nothing to do with Xiao Hua, mainly due to the development of basketball skills.

With the development of the times, the style of play of each team has changed from stacking inside lines to stacking outside lines, and the position of center forward has become dispensable.

Even if there is a center, most of it is an outside-oriented style of play......

In this case, there is a lot less confrontation on the inside, and it naturally looks less tough than before.

You can't expect a bunch of small men on the outside to fight hand-to-hand outside the three-point line, right?

……

Of course, if Xiao Hua wants to change this style of play, he can definitely do it, such as introducing some rules that are beneficial to the center.

But it's completely unnecessary!

Because the NBA wants to make money, it is a well-known fact that the commercial value of outside players is higher than that of interior players.

After all, the NBA is a commercial league, and if you don't make money, then Xiao Hua must be a fool......

……

"Adam, tell me the truth, has your management committee ever held a special meeting to discuss how to get our pioneers?" Richard asked Xiao Hua beside him with a smile.

This question directly made Xiao Hua's face unnatural......

"Ahem, no! The management committee will never deliberately target a certain team, Lee, you think too much! Xiao Hua laughed awkwardly.

"I don't believe ......," Richard said, rolling his eyes.

……

"By the way, Adam, there's something I'd like to consult with you!" Richard thought of something and asked Xiao Hua with a frown.

Xiao Hua nodded and motioned for Richard to continue.

"In that case, I'd like to ask how can I create a new team in the NBA?"

"In other words, if the league wants to expand a team, what conditions do I need to meet if I want to be the owner of this team now?"

Richard asked, frowning.

As soon as Xiao Hua heard this question, a cold sweat suddenly began to break out behind his back, and he was a little surprised in his heart!

What did Richard know?!

How did he know about such a thing?!

A few days ago, Stern had a private conversation with him about plans to add a team in recent years.

Because there are 29 teams in the league at the moment, which is an odd number, and the number of teams in the east and west is different, it is completely obsessive-compulsive disorder.

With one more team, the number of teams would be exactly thirty, with fifteen teams in the east and west.

Of course, this is also what Stern casually mentioned, this kind of army expansion cannot be done in a day or two.

It's impossible for Stern to pat his head on the head, let's add a team and then we can have one more team next season......

The expansion of the army is quite troublesome, and it takes at least two or three years to prepare!

Just choosing a site can take a lot of time!

If you want to build a new team in a city, you first have to discuss tax and other related matters with the government, and see if the government will give financial subsidies.

This alone will not stop for months......

After all, the government still has to hold a meeting to study it......

Then the matter of the stadium was another year of inaction.

At the moment, Stern was only temporary, and he talked about it privately with Xiao Hua, wanting to ask Xiao Hua's opinion.

Xiao Hua naturally has no opinion, what Stern says is what he says......

At the moment, only Stern and Xiao Hua knew about this matter, and Richard suddenly asked this question, and Xiao Hua even wondered if Richard had installed a listening device in Stern's office.

But it's impossible to think about it......

"Lee, why did you remember to ask this? Our alliance has no plans to expand its forces at the moment! Xiao Hua forced himself to calm down......

Richard laughed dryly, there is no plan to expand the army now, but it doesn't mean that there will be no in the future!

Richard clearly remembers that in '04, the NBA expanded another team, that is, the Charlotte Bobcats.

Two years later, the Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans, just vacating the city of Charlotte, and the NBA simply expanded its team in Charlotte.

Later, the New Orleans Hornets changed their name to the Pelicans, and the Charlotte Bobcats simply changed their name to the Hornets.

……

Now that Richard is asking about the expansion of the army, he must also want to find out the situation and see if he is qualified to participate in the expansion of the army.

It's still quite attractive to Richard, a completely new team!

……

"Adam, I'm just asking, don't you know about this kind of thing? The NBA can't never expand its army, I'll find out first......" Richard said with a smile at Xiao Hua.

"Okay, Lee, it's complicated!"

"First of all, let's make an analogy, for example, the NBA now has a plan to expand the army, this is just a hypothesis, don't think about it, the NBA does not have a plan to expand the army now!"

"Then the NBA will hold a capital verification ...... for those who sign up."

"Capital verification? How do you say that? Richard asked, frowning.

"It's to see if you have the capital to run a team, such as the Raptors and Grizzlies a few years ago, they originally verified the capital of 200 million US dollars!"

"You should be aware that a new team may face losses in most cases in the early stages, and if the owner has no money on hand, this will definitely not work......

"Of course, the league will definitely not touch this money, just make sure that you have the capital to compete for the team owner!" Xiao Hua patiently explained.

Richard nodded, so he knew that when the owner of the Bobcats first entered the league, he also verified his capital......

This money doesn't have to be handed over to the league, it's just a proof to the league that you have the capital to run a team.

"And then? Won't it be over after the capital verification is completed? Richard asked again.

Xiao Hua shook his head, "It's not that easy, the management committee will also inspect your business ability!" ”

"You should know what this means, after all, we don't want another boss like Stauping......"

Richard nodded, this is very understandable, in addition to making sure that you have the capital to run the team, the league also has to make sure that you are not a fool......

Just like Stauping, he almost bankrupted a good team, which made the league very troubled!

The alliance can be regarded as smart, and now it not only requires capital, but also requires the boss to be capable!

It's not that a team loses money and bears its own losses, the league's dividend profits actually have to subsidize these loss-making teams, and the league naturally doesn't want new teams to lose money......

"Adam, then you say that I have increased the market value of the Trailblazers so much, is it a manifestation of business ability?" Richard asked with a smile.

What he didn't expect was that Xiao Hua shook his head.

"Nope! Definitely not! You're just a head coach, not a team manager...... "Xiao Hua said to Richard very simply.

These words almost made Richard vomit blood......

It means that even if you have money, you won't be able to qualify as the team owner?!

It's quite uncomfortable......

……

Tonight's charity event has made Richard gain something, and he has learned a lot of information from Xiao Hua, which is still quite useful.

The next night, the Trail Blazers' home tour began.

Xiao Ao was rested in turn, and Big Ben played.

Before the start of the game, a piece of news about Green Kai and the Eagles directly made Richard a little incredulous.

These two teams, at lightning speed, actually made a deal!

Green Kai sent their first-round pick for next year and the team's fat head in exchange for the Eagles' blue-collar center Mutombo!

The deal broke out at six o'clock in the afternoon, and the whole basketball circle was boiling.

Everyone feels that Lu Kai's transaction this time may be in the brain......

If you want to say that Fat Tou Tuo will replace Uncle Mu, fans and experts may be able to accept it, after all, these two are players at the highest salary level......

But Green Kai actually added their first-round unprotected draft pick for the following year to this deal?!

What's wrong with Green Kai?! Inflated? I don't know how many pounds and taels I have?!

In the opinion of many experts, at present, the best plan for Green Kai is to continue to rot, and strive to choose a reliable blue-collar insider in the coming year!

In this case, they can be considered to rise......

But obviously, Green Kai's operation was beyond their expectations, and in their opinion, Green Kai's operation was really a bit too hasty!

Can't we wait any longer......

Green Kai obviously can't wait, this giant team with the deepest background in the league has been rotten for several years!

The last time they made the playoffs was in the 94-95 season, the year Richard crossed over!

And this time to enter the playoffs, it is only the eighth record in the East, the first round of the playoffs.

If you continue to rot, you will lose a lot of fans!

It's a good choice if it's bad this season, but what if you choose a rotten tomato egg next year......

Who would dare to say anything about the draft?!

Moreover, judging from the current draft predictions, there are no decent blue-collar interior lines in the next draft......

It's better to follow what Richard said, and simply trade to Mutombo and fight thoroughly!

If you succeed, the club will be tender, and if you fail, go to the sea to work!

Richard also had to admire Green Kai's courage, which was really neat......

The Hawks' Wilkens got some advantage, mainly because the Hawks are ready to mess up this season.

Since the start of the season, they have a 1-5 record, and they don't expect anything to come out this season.

……

In Richard's view, it was a win-win deal, and neither side was losing money anyway.

Now it is the beginning of the season, and Lu Kai has got Uncle Mu, and he can still run in for a whole season.

And the Hawks just took a young fathead and a first-round pick, which fits their bad plan.

……

Green Kai is going to rise at the pace, of course, even if the rise is a matter of the past two seasons, because next season offseason, Uncle Mu and Pierce's contracts expire at the same time.

Pierce must have a contract with the highest salary, and unless Uncle Mu cuts his salary for some reason, it will be difficult for Green Kai to keep Uncle Mu.

Even so, if Green Kai has played a good record in the past two years, it will not be a loss!

……

The Trail Blazers' opponent tonight is the Phoenix Suns.

Old rivals, the Suns are one of fifteen teams in the league without a West Lafayette player.

It's not that Danny Ainge doesn't want West Lafayette players, in fact, in the just-concluded draft, with the No. 9 pick he got from the Mavericks, Aegie wanted to pick a Purdue player.

That's the No. 9 lottery, Purdue six young candidates, how can Anji choose one, right?

It turned out to be a pain in his eyes......

Not to mention his No. 9 pick, he didn't even choose the No. 8 pick to Pudu Sixth Less!

The six young Pudu were directly taken out in the top seven......

This made Angie very uncomfortable, so she could only choose the hacker Marion according to the original plan!

Of course, Ange's choice is actually no worse than that of Purdue Six, and Marion is a greatly underrated player.

Except for the ugliness of the appearance, except for the ugliness of the ball style, there is nothing else to fault with it.

……

At the moment, the Suns' record is okay, with a 4-3 record so far in the game.

If you hit the sun, Richard will definitely not keep his hand, it just so happens that Novitzki's hand is quite good tonight, Richard directly let Nowitzki play hard, anyway, there is Ben protecting the inside!

Big Ben is actually more suitable for these god-making tasks than Xiao Ao.

The main thing is that this goods does not occupy the ball at all, and after grabbing the rebound, the first thing that comes to mind is not to attack, but to transmit the ball to the outside.

This also makes tonight's Trail Blazers play quite comfortably......

At the end of the game, Nowitzki scored 31 points, much to the delight of Trail Blazers fans!

The group of rookies that Richard selected last season have begun to show their power......

Harrington's side has just exploded three games in a row, and Nowitzki has exploded again tonight!