045: The end of a busy summer day
Bird's beautiful "one-shot" in Atlanta sealed the deal between Horford and Hinrich. This trade can be described as a catch, and at the same time, both the center and point guard positions have been strengthened to a certain extent.
Behind Bird's swing, Henson is Bird's "coach", from raising chips to pretending to be entangled, all of them are Henson's ideas. They didn't put the draft pick on the table as soon as they came up, because they were too proactive to make any gains in the trade. They deliberately waited for others to ask, and only then gave up three draft picks half-pushed. However, in fact, draft picks have long been a bargaining chip in Henson's plan.
Henson and Bird received a call from Giron a day after returning to Indianapolis. The phone call lasted less than a minute, and it was summed up in one sentence: a deal!
After that, it's time for a series of processes. After submitting the trade plan to the league, and after the league approves it, Horford and Hinrich will be considered a real "walker". Generally speaking, the league will not block any trade as long as it is in line with the salary match principle. And Henson's current priority is to complete the contract extension with Horford as soon as possible.
If the deal only gets Horford a one-year tenure, it would be too much of a loss. The Hawks were only willing to offer Horford a price of 6,000 for five years at most, and after Bird and Henson weighed the disadvantages, they decided to offer Horford 6,800 for five years. As soon as the deal is completed, they will renew the contract immediately!
Just five hours after the Hawks and Pacers submitted their trade requests, Horford received a phone call from Giron at his home.
Horford couldn't be more than happy, and he thought that Giron had a big contract ready for him. However, Ji Long just said coldly: Child, you have been traded.
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Horford was a little disappointed, sitting alone at home, looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows at Atlanta. Unexpectedly, he worked hard for three years, but he was directly abandoned by the team because of contract renewal issues.
Durant took 86 million, Noah took 60 million, and what about himself? I didn't receive an offer of 60 million, which made the team lose patience. In the class of '07, he was the All-Star center second only to Durant in terms of performance......
He's a little disappointed, but he actually loves Atalanta, his teammates, the fans, the place that made him an All-Star. But this summer, his understanding of a sentence has become extremely profound.
Business is business.
"What's wrong, El? You have to get used to things like this, this is the NBA, this is the biggest commercial basketball league in the world. You have to get used to it, and this trade isn't necessarily bad for you. "Seeing my son's sad face, Totti. Horford patted him on the shoulder, "The Pacers have worked so hard to get you, you will definitely be reused!" A lot of stars actually start with transfers, you're a backup All-Star with the Hawks, and who knows if you're going to be a superstar at Indianapolis? ”
Horford patted his father's hand on his shoulder, showing his first smile in the past few days since receiving the call from Geelong, "I don't know, Dad." Last season the Hawks were third in the East, but the Pacers ...... They haven't played the playoffs in four years. ”
"But that's why they need you, and now that the Pacers are very young, you should be able to get more opportunities than before." Totti doesn't think there's anything wrong with the Pacers, and it's not uncommon for Horford to have Josh and Johnson alive in the Hawks, and for the Horford to not touch the ball for the entire quarter.
While the father and son were still talking, the doorbell of the Horford house rang. Horford immediately put away his sad expression, stood up and tidied up his suit.
His manager pressed his hands down and motioned for Horford to calm down and leave the negotiations to him later.
Do you really want to hand over the next five years to the Indiana Pacers? Horford wasn't sure. When the door opened, Bird shook hands with Horford's manager. And behind Bird, there is also the Chinese head coach who was pushed to the forefront some time ago......
During the contract negotiations, Henson and Horford sat across from each other and didn't say a word, and the entire negotiation was led by Bird and the manager.
Although Bird fooled Giron and said that Horford was 70 million in 5 years, there were definitely people rushing to give it, but when it really came to his own hands, he was reluctant to really open 70 million US dollars.
As in the previous trade, Bird decided to offer 65 million first, and then "deliberately" concede to keep Horford in Indianapolis at a price of 68 million over five years.
The two sides quickly reached an agreement that the price of $68 million over five years was acceptable to everyone. And it wasn't until the end of the negotiations that the silent Henson finally said the first words of the day.
"With business out of business, it's time for us to talk about basketball, Al." The Chinese-American coach naturally shook Horford's hand, and he looked a little cold, but he spoke very politely.
Looking into Henson's eyes, Horford didn't know why, but was a little scared of this rookie coach. In fact, most of the Pacers feel the same way when they see Henson.
Henson and Horford walked into the room, and after only half an hour, they walked out again. To Totti's surprise, the sad look on his son's face had vanished......
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"How did you do that?" In the taxi back to the airport, Bird stared curiously at Henson, who was beside him. Sometimes, Bird doesn't even think he knows him very well.
"What and how?"
"Horford, in just half an hour, you've already made that kid obedient?" Bird certainly knew how powerful Henson's mouth was, and it was no problem fooling a young man in his early twenties.
"Oh, that's what you say. Actually, you know, Horford is actually very good, and he's very much in line with my system. He's a blind ball examiner, he's not the most talked-about on the pitch, he's not the best stats, but he's the kind of player who can really make the difference between winning and losing. So I told him, I know your value, and I know how to embody your value. I brought you to Indianapolis for honor, for championships. ”
For a player like Horford, it's really rare to have someone who can appreciate his ability. Horford's passing ability is good, but not flashy and hard to remember. Horford doesn't have a big swing, but he has a good flexibility to switch defenses, but not many people can remember that. Horford isn't the kind of interior player who relies on physical fitness to win, so violent dunks aren't his forte, which makes it easier for Horford to be forgotten.
This guy's style of play "perfectly" avoids everything that fans love to see. But in the eyes of Henson, Horford is the perfect center he needs.
If you want to shoot, run, and pass, if you want to maximize your space, then Horford is the way to go!
Good at discovering and using players...... Bird smiled, and sure enough, he didn't look away. It's been a long time since Bird has been looking forward to a new season.
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After the talks with Horford, Henson's vacation work was basically completed. Suddenly becoming the head coach of the Pacers this summer has kept Henson busy almost all the time.
The job of a head coach is not that easy to do, especially as a rookie coach, and if you want the team to develop the way you want it to, you have to do everything yourself.
From the draft to the summer league, from the summer league to the roster. If any of these links are missed, it will affect the development of Henson's work.
But now that the Pacers' approximate lineup for next season has been finalized, Henson has also fulfilled his promise and reached out to Angela to start a summer trip just for the two of them.
Henson doesn't know what he and Angelie are, are they friends or a couple? They were intimate when they traveled, but Henson consciously or unconsciously avoided those "too much" intimate contacts.
Finally, on the 10th day of her trip, Angeli decided not to give Henson any more evasions. On the beach in Los Angeles, she leaned on Henson's chest and gagged Henson's attempts to escape. At that moment, Henson felt as if he had been electrocuted, and his whole body was numb. Finally, this calm, cold-looking Chinese scout surrendered to the sweet lips of a mixed-race girl.
That evening, Bird made a phone call to Henson and said he needed to inform him of some changes in team management. However, the phone was never answered, and this was the first time Bird called Henson, but no one answered.
Looking at the gossip news on the Internet that Henson hugged Anjiali and kissed on the beach, Bird shrugged his shoulders and didn't call any more. If Henson's "good deeds" were ruined because of his phone call, Henson would probably fly back and kill himself.