At ten o'clock in the evening, in a bar in Minnesota, a non-remarkable-looking guy sat in the corner, with only a glass of ice water in front of him, and his eyes were confused. It's been two seasons since he joined the Timberwolves, but Billups still hasn't found his way, and despite starting 54 games for the team, he still hasn't received enough recognition.

Suddenly, the mobile phone in his pocket vibrate, Billups frowned, grabbed the cup in front of him, took a sip of ice water, and took out his mobile phone, and the name of the agent Andy Miller was displayed on the screen. Billups felt a little strange, Miller had never called him at this time, could something unexpected happen?

After answering the phone, Miller's somewhat tired but rather excited voice was on the other end: "Chauncey, haven't you always told me that you want to find a place where you can give full play to your abilities and get enough attention?" Now's your chance! The Pistons' general manager, Dumas, just called me and wanted to ask if you would be interested in playing in Detroit. ”

Detroit? Billups was silent, he hadn't played against the Pistons, and he remembered it as an incredibly tenacious team. Suddenly, he thought of something and asked, "Andy, I remember the Pistons started looking for a new head coach after the season, so I want to know who their new head coach is?" ”

"Larry Brown," Miller said with great certainty, "he just led the 76ers to two championships!" ”

Brown? Billups' mind began to think of the championship team's style of play, and his brow furrowed even deeper. Brown is undoubtedly a championship coach, but the 76ers' style of play is too unrestrained and inclined to offense, which doesn't seem to fit his own style. Do you really want to play under this manager? It doesn't seem like a good fit!

Billups was deep in thought, but Miller was anxious, he was still quite qualified as an agent, and he would not force his players to accept a contract they didn't want to accept, even if it was paid much higher than before. When he spoke to Dumas before, he felt the general manager's approval of Billups, so he hoped that he could play in Detroit and change his current predicament. Before Billups could finish thinking about it, he exclaimed, "Chauncey, I know you have concerns, but if it's convenient for you right now, you can call and talk to Coach Brown." ”

Talk to Brown directly? Billups began to have some interest in joining the Pistons, and with his approval, Miller simply hung up the phone. After a while, an unfamiliar number called Billups's mobile phone, pressed the answer button, and an old voice came from the other end: "It's Chauncey, right?" I wonder what you're thinking about joining our team? ”

Billups said a little helplessly: "Thank you for your attention, but I feel that I am completely inconsistent with the style of your team, and if I join, I may break the team's chemistry, so I have to say sorry......"

Brown was a little surprised, in fact, he didn't think Billups was suitable for the Pistons at all, but Chang Wei very decisively recommended to him this point guard who has been on three teams but still has no ambition. After watching Billups' game highlights, Brown had to admit that Billups was indeed the kind of point guard he liked, and at the same time admired Chang Wei's vision even more.

Nonsense, that's one of Brown's favorite generals in the previous life, and there's nothing wrong with recommending it, right? Although Brown played the league's top offense when he coached the 76ers before, Chang Wei believes that his dedication to defense and teamwork has never changed, so Billups will definitely have an appetite for Brown, and sure enough, he quickly caught Brown's attention.

Listening to Billups' reasoning, Brown smiled dumbly: "You don't have to worry about it at all, the basketball I want to play in the Pistons is not like that of the 76ers." At the end of the day, I'm a head coach who started out defensively, playing offensive basketball with the 76ers was just a matter of taking advantage of the situation, and the team's staffing forced me to focus more on offense, and now I want to build a different team. ”

"I think your style of play fits well with the new Pistons, and I'm going to have you as the team's starting point guard. I know that no manager has ever tapped your value before, but I believe I can, so I solemnly invite you to join my team, I will let you start a new chapter in your career here, and my coaching staff can also make you stronger! ”

Brown's words weren't grandiose, but they did impress Billups, who wasn't the kind of player who wanted to win a championship or anything he almost never thought about, but as a professional, he still wanted to get better. If joining the Pistons can take their game to the next level, what does it matter if they sign a contract?

Billups has never been recognized before with the Celtics, the Nuggets or the Timberwolves, and he has even considered ending his career here. But new opportunities are in front of you, and you won't be willing to give it a try. At this time, he completely abandoned his hesitation and said categorically: "No problem, I am willing to wear the Pistons jersey!" "Billups didn't ask about salary, how can money be used to weigh up a career-changing opportunity? Besides, since he is the main controller, the salary will not be too low, and not mentioning it at this time is a trust in Brown. Of course, Brown didn't plan to discredit his favored starting point guard, and he got a six-year, 36 million contract for Billups, which is 1 million more than in his previous life.

At the same time, under Chang Wei's strong recommendation, the Pistons and the Wizards' trade framework was basically agreed, and the Pistons sent their top scorers last season, Starkhouse, Cardinal and Varda, and got Hamilton, Haywood and Bobby Simmons from the Wizards.

This means that Billups and Hamilton, the backcourt golden partners of the Pistons Five Tigers in the previous life, have been bagged, and Thomas on the inside is also in place, and the only thing that needs to be added to the starting lineup is the small forward position. Brown was thinking about who to use as the team's starting small forward all day long, Chang Wei looked at it and laughed secretly, Prince, who is destined to become the Pistons Five Tigers, is still preparing to participate in the draft, and the team will be able to easily make up for the last shortcoming at that time.