The 2013 draft didn't cause much discussion, after all, there was neither a genius nor a Jordan heir in this draft. Even the champion Anthony. Bennett was quickly left behind as an even more exciting free agent market was about to open.

If I had to say which player had the most attention in this draft, it would undoubtedly be Antetokounmpo, who just received legal Greek citizenship three days before entering the draft and was selected by the Pacers with the 15th pick in the first round.

It stands to reason that a mere 15th pick rookie should not get so much attention. But the team and people who chose Antetokounmpo were too special.

As the defending champion, and as the head coach who has personally directed several successful drafts, it's not believed that the Pacers picked Antetokounmpo with their eyes closed.

Before this Greek kid was chosen, people didn't even know that there was such a number one. I have to admit that Henson has done a pretty good job of keeping his plan secret.

What's even more shocking is that Antetokounmpo didn't even participate in a tryout for any of the NBA teams. As a result, all teams across the league don't know anything about Antetokounmpo. Except for Henson, no one knew what this tall and long-arm young man was capable of.

But Antetokounmpo's fame has brought him more troubles than just more attention.

Criticism of Antetokounmpo was already in the air the day after the draft.

"Antetokounmpo's exposure to basketball is so short that he needs a lot of time to make up for the lack of fundamentals. I admit that Antetokounmpo's physical condition is tempting. But basketball is not a sport that is taller than anyone else. If he can continue to hone in the Europa League for a year or two, maybe he can still make a difference. But it looks like the Pacers don't seem to have that in mind. ”

"While Antetokounmpo is extremely athletic, he doesn't have an elite level of explosiveness. In addition, he had to train more, especially in terms of lower body strength. Because Antetokounmpo is so thin, as an interior lineman, he needs to know how to play the role of muscle strength when facing opponents. ”

"He basically doesn't have the ability to shoot from mid-range, and he basically doesn't think about making jumpers in his offensive options, but chooses to attack the basket. Antetokounmpo shot 31.3 percent from three-point range in the Spanish league last season, and his three-point shot was not consistent, not very natural in terms of shooting, and not particularly fluid. ”

"Antetokounmpo's understanding of basketball as a whole is based on his physical strengths, basketball talent and physical strengths. In addition, he has been playing in the lower leagues, which can affect his personal ability. Maybe in the NBA, it's hard to be that good. ”

Antetokounmpo was very confused by these reports, why should these people criticize him if he hasn't played a game in the NBA?

On that issue, Antetokounmpo, who met with the team after the draft, learned his first lesson in entering the league with Henson.

"You have to remember one thing, Janis. Everything the media says is fart! When someone else farts, will you listen to it seriously? ”

When Henson said this, Antetokounmpo was shocked.

Prior to that, Antetokounmpo had spent two professional teams, both coached by the kind of good guys. Speaking loudly seems to be the limit of their temper, and this Chinese coach is and pee as soon as he opens his mouth......

"No, sir." Antetokounmpo shook his head repeatedly, he had already heard some rumors and knew that this Chinese coach was not easy to mess with.

"Sir? Well...... I'm really not used to it. In the future, in the team, you don't need to call me sir, just call me boss. From now until the bootcamp starts, you can enjoy your vacation. Once the free agent market opens, we'll sign you and you'll play for the team in Summer League. Remember what I said, everything the media says is a fart, whether it's praise or criticism. All you have to do is do everything you can to win the game, you know? ”

"Yes, sir...... Chief! ”

That's all the conversation between Antetokounmpo and Henson when they first met, and once Antetokounmpo was done, it meant that a busy summer was about to begin.

As a championship team and a team that has won two straight championships, Henson believes the Pacers' top priority this summer is to maintain roster integrity. In other words, Henson doesn't plan to make any big moves this summer.

At the moment, the squad is fully staffed and there are no vacancies in any position. But even so, the Pacers weren't without action. In fact, on the first day after the free agent market opened, the Pacers offered a big contract!

"Paul renews his contract with the Indiana Pacers for 5 years and 107 million, and the championship point guard stays in the championship division!"

"Chris. Paul: There's no reason to leave, I want to win a few more championships. ”

"Henson: I never thought Paul would leave, we are close partners."

Maintaining the integrity of the lineup, to put it bluntly, is to stabilize the current lineup at any cost. Henson doesn't want the Pacers to be like the Oklahoma City Thunder and lose a player of Harden's calibre for millions of dollars.

So on Paul's contract extension, Bird and Henson and Stephen. Simon agreed that it would not be an exaggeration to offer Paul a salary cap. Most of the players on the Pacers roster now have "child labor contracts", which are easy to use and cheap. So, there is also the ability to offer Paul a big contract. In this case, it is natural that we should not be stingy.

If all of the Pacers' rookies follow the trajectory Henson intended, the Pacers will soon face difficulties with contract extensions. After re-signing Paul with the highest salary and re-signing George early, the space for the Pacers will no longer be so rich. Even if there's space, Stephen. It's also impossible for Simon to accept that the team has multiple max-paid players. After all, Indianapolis is not a gold lucrative destination like Los Angeles and New York. The exorbitant luxury tax is indeed a burden for walkers.

But Henson doesn't want to delay the current contract extension because of the future. It's pointless to put a price tag on Paul, and as long as Paul is around, Henson can build the roster he needs as much as he wants.

Because he believes that a point guard like Paul can adapt to any environment.

The Pacers' enthusiasm and Paul's willingness is not surprising, with Paul winning two championships just two years after joining the Pacers, and it's not an exaggeration to say that the two sides are still on their honeymoon. And Paul's five-year long contract also represents his determination to stay behind the walkers.

Just a few hours after Paul's contract extension, the Pacers officially announced that they would officially sign David for 2 years and $8.61 million for 4 years. West and Antetokounmpo, who was just drafted.

The two signings, in their apparent terms, are not newsworthy. But for Henson, keeping the experienced West and officially signing Antetokounmpo is an important step in the development of the Pacers!

If next year or the summer after that, the Pacers' contract renewal work is really difficult, and several young people really leave, then Antetokounmpo is undoubtedly the hope and capital for the Pacers to rise again!

Although the Pacers have a good team atmosphere and Henson has a good personal relationship with the players, he also knows very well that the NBA is a commercial league that does not talk about personal feelings and personal relationships. Can a personal relationship allow you to keep an All-Star caliber player with a base salary? Can a human touch cost a player tens of millions of dollars a year?

There is no such thing as a feast, and while Henson doesn't want anyone to leave, he can't stop preparing for wishful thinking. So the addition of Antetokounmpo means a lot to Henson! Even if someone does leave in the future, with Antetokounmpo, Henson will be able to suffer such losses!

After these two contract extensions, the Pacers' reinforcements this summer can be said to be over. After that, in addition to renewing Paul's contract early. Outside of George, even if the Pacers have reinforcements, it won't be a big move.

At this point, after leading the team to a championship, completing the draft and assisting the team with a contract extension, Henson finally started his summer vacation. But just as he was about to discuss with Angeli where to travel this summer and where to plan for the wedding in the future, Bird told Henson that the team still had an important signing to be finalized.

"What important signings? Isn't George's early contract extension until September? Sitting in Bird's office, Henson was a little puzzled.

Although Henson is a workaholic, he is also a living person. Seeing that the finals are almost over for half a month, and he hasn't started his vacation yet, he is naturally a little anxious.

"One more than Chris. Paul's renewal is also an important renewal, and this renewal must be attended by you. ”

"Who?"

Bird didn't answer, but handed a contract to Henson.

27 million for 3 years, renewed for 3 years. Henson looked at the contract, then at Bird. The renewal of this contract is none other than Henson himself!

yes, he almost forgot. This summer, my contract has expired.

"How? Still thinking about it? Bird smiled slightly, 27 million in 3 years, 9 million a year. That's a very high annual salary for a manager. Of course, Henson's results are also very worthy of such a price.

You must know that Henson's first contract was only worth 15 million. In just three years, Henson's salary has risen dramatically!

"You're right, Bird, this is an important contract extension." Henson picked up his pen and put his name on the contract.

The legend of the champion coach will continue in Indianapolis......

。 vertex