"Damn, do you know what time it is?" Bird received a call from Henson in his sleep.

On the phone, Bird's voice was a little confused, with a hint of anger in the confusion. After all, no one wants to be woken up by a phone call at two in the morning.

"The deal I mentioned to you, I've almost done it. If the Bucks come to you for confirmation, you have to do it as soon as possible. Alright, now you can go back to sleep, old man. ”

Bird shook his head, he really couldn't get angry with a guy like Henson. You were about to get angry at him, but he threw you good news.

"So, what about Livingston? Call him? Or do you go to him personally? Bird rubbed his eyes, trying to make himself more conscious.

"Call him, I don't have time, the team has a game on the 23rd. Be quick, Bird, I've heard that the Clevelands are playing Livingston's idea too. If Livingston becomes a Cavaliers player before the free agent signing deadline, you're doing your job wrong, Bird. ”

"Don't worry, stinky boy, Bird never makes a mistake!"

※※※

The eve of the 2013 trade deadline was as lively as ever. Although there have been no blockbuster mid-term trades this year like Anthony and Gasol, there are still frequent minor repairs for each team.

The Houston Rockets were the first recent trade involving the most players, and the Rockets sent Patrick to the Rockets. Patterson, Tony. Douglas, Cole. Aldridge and Marcus. Maurice, got Thomas from the king. Robinson, Francisco. Garcia, Taylor. Honeycutter and a 2013 second-round pick.

The Rockets' trade with the Kings was like a signal to kick off a trading frenzy before the trade deadline.

Subsequently, the Celtics, Heat, Raptors and other teams have operated, and each team is seizing this last opportunity to prepare for the playoffs.

It wasn't until the Warriors traded two second-round picks from the 76ers and Hawks in a row that there was only one hour left before the trade deadline. Everyone thinks there won't be any more explosive news in this year's mid-term trades, and the chaos ahead of this year's trade deadline should pretty much end there.

However, just as the trade deadline was approaching, the league abruptly announced that it had approved a whistle-blowing deal. In fact, this deal does not involve many players, and it is not a blockbuster deal, but it still shocks fans.

Because it was the defending champion Indiana Pacers who were involved in this deal!

"The Pacers sent D.J. Augustin, a 2013 first-round pick, a second-round pick, and a 2013 first-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks."

A whistle-blowing transaction appeared in front of everyone. Henson's palms were sweating the moment he received the notification from the Alliance, and he was really afraid that Hammond and the Magic deal would be made! However, it seems that in order to keep Tobias. Harris, Hammond chose to give up the draft pick!

After all, '13 is a draft year, and Hammond can't guarantee that the players he drafts this year will be better than Tobias. Harris is better.

"Henson, are you alright?" Seeing Henson's pale face, Anjiali couldn't help but touch his forehead with the back of her hand.

"Of course I'm fine, it's just, just a little too nervous. Oh my God, it's more exciting than a lore match. "Henson breathed a sigh of relief, the game was lost, and he could come back for the next one. But if this deal falls through, there is no telling what Antetokounmpo's fate will become. When that Greek kid is priced in another team, Henson wants to have him again, but it won't be the price he is now.

"It's just a trade for draft picks, do you need to be so excited? I think you and Mr. Hammond had a long conversation yesterday. Angeli kissed Henson on the forehead and ran back to the kitchen to toss lunch.

Henson and Angeli returned from Los Angeles this morning, and yesterday's charity dinner at Kobe's mansion gave Henson a lot of exposure, and there are still different opinions about why he went to that party.

As a result, the next day, the deal was struck. And at yesterday's banquet, the general manager of the Bucks was also one of the guests. Idiots can also see that the appearance of dinner parties and transactions is not a coincidence!

"An elusive trade, the Bucks got the kind of three-point shooter they wanted. But what about the defending champions? They almost sent a player for nothing. The Bucks are very likely to make the playoffs this season, and their first-round pick pick is not too high. I really don't understand if Bird is doing this just to find a sense of existence. ”

"Which rookie did the Pacers fancy again? I don't think it's possible, after all, the quality of the players in the '13 draft has yet to be probed. So why are they making this deal? I think it's only Henson. Joe knows it himself. ”

"ESPN gave the Pacers a C rating for the deal, and there's no doubt that no one knows what the deal is about."

The moment the trade happened, the Pacers were thrust into the limelight. I have to admit that the Pacers' exposure rate is really high now, and any random trade for a draft pick can cause heated discussions.

During the media opening session that afternoon, reporters finally saw the Chinese coach who had returned to the training ground and asked him some details about the deal. Henson, however, just spread his hands in confusion.

"You go ask Bird, I went to Los Angeles and the deal was suddenly made, and even I didn't know what was going on."

Henson's realistic acting skills successfully fooled the reporters. So much so that they didn't realize that there was a face in the Banker's Life Arena today that wasn't supposed to be there.

"If there's an agreement, you'll be training on this field in the future." Bird was looking at the basketball court below in the office area on the second floor, and next to him, a tall, lanky young man was standing.

"I've heard that Coach Henson is very different." The man next to Bird looked at Henson, as if he was a little nervous.

"I vouch for my personality, Sean. Henson. Joe wasn't anything out of the ordinary, he was just a simple jerk. Bird waved his hand, "Let's go, go to the office, Coach Henson will come up right away." Let's talk about the contract. ”

※※※

He doesn't smile, he can't see joy on his cold face, but he reveals a trace of sorrow that has read the sorrows of life.

This was the first time Henson met Sean in Bird's office. Livingston, the tall defender left an impression on him.

Sean. Livingston, put it ten years ago, it was definitely a name that everyone knew and everyone knew.

In the 2004 draft, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the fourth pick in the first round, and Livingston was called the next Magician. With his nimble footwork, versatile dribbling, and wide passing vision, he has been called "the worst possible to be an All-Star fringe player" by scouts! Drafted by the Clippers, he was quickly developed as a cornerstone player, and needless to say, he knows what an honor it is.

Livingston proved to be a player with a lot of potential. In his third year in the league, he has already begun to cash in on his talent. However, it was also that third year that changed Livingston's fortunes forever.

Back on the night of February 26, 2007, when the Los Angeles Clippers played Charlotte Bobcats at home, and just three minutes into the game, Livingston was injured and fell to the ground on a layup, with a terrible face and a series of heart-rending screams, at this time, Livingston's knee was severely deformed, all three of his ligaments were ruptured, and he suffered a recurrent patellar dislocation and anterior tibial decapitation. The left knee bent violently and then collapsed inward

Yes, he had a broken leg – and it doesn't get worse than that for a basketball player. Because the video of the injury was so bloody and terrifying, the alliance even banned the scene on the whole network.

After the results of the examination came in, the situation was worse than people thought. Livingston ruptured the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, severely sprained the medial ligament, and displaced almost all of the cartilage and joints inside the knee. To put it simply, his knees were like a mess of paste, which had been stirred up with a wooden spoon for about two days and two nights.

Well-known doctors at the time said, "This is probably the worst knee injury I've seen in my 20 years in the industry," "I may need to have an amputation, so say goodbye to basketball." ”

Compared to the impact of the injury, Levin's mental state is also close to collapse. The side effects of painkillers and such a tragic injury blow made him even think of suicide. The doctor told Livingston's friends to keep an eye on the patient at all times, and on every quiet night, Livingston's good brother would sneak into his room and slowly walk to his bed to make sure that his brother was still breathing.

is such a guy who almost lost a leg, and even almost lost his life, at this time, there is still a chance to sign with an NBA team.

Most teams won't trust him, and starting in '08, Sean began his NBA wandering career. He's been on multiple teams and even out of the NBA for a while, and the longest time he's ever been with a team is nine months, which also includes nearly four months of offseason, and he's spent 10 days and 10 days on short contracts, sometimes before he even knows who his colleagues are.

He's become a wandering mercenary, and the team's managers never look at him squarely and throw him around like garbage, because no one believes in the value of a skinny defender who is almost dead legs and has an inconsistent projection.

But Henson believes in his worth.

Instead of injuries and decadence, he saw in Livingston with amazing willpower, good vision of the pitch, excellent playball-handling ability, ferocious defence and a brilliant back-to-back attack that didn't fit the No. 1 position. As Henson has always adhered to, he only cares about what a player can do and what he can bring to the team.

Are those previous scars really that important?

So, Livingston also felt the special nature of this Chinese coach for the first time.

When Henson walked into Bird's office, he didn't shake hands, didn't say hello, didn't talk nonsense, but went straight to the point.

"I need you, Sean. You need to fight for the championship, not take a short contract to send you away. I have to tell you that the road to winning the title is extremely difficult and not everyone can withstand the pressure. If you feel you can, sign this contract and become part of the defending champions. Together, we challenge the greatest achievements. But if you don't think you can't, that's okay, then go to Cleveland and easily get another short contract and some quick money. Then next season, it will continue to drift. The choice is yours, Sean. ”

Henson shrugged, his words hitting the nail on the head.

Livingston's face was still cold, but a warm current surged up in his heart.