During the Bobcats' winning streak, the Lakers lost three games. They suffered a shock loss to the Celtics, then a home defeat to the LeBron James-led Cavaliers, and then an away loss to the Timberwolves, with an overall record of 23-4. Ranked second overall in the league.

Artest played badly after his comeback, and Hayes's affair seemed to have left a shadow on his heart. After he came on the court, he played a mess, and there were fewer confrontations, but more risky steals, so he was often plagued by fouls and played a lot less playing time. And there are a lot of people who crusade against Artest on the Internet, David Stern explained to the referees that he should be stricter with Artest, and in the game, Artest has become the focus of the referees.

At this time, the Timberwolves, one of the Lakers' main rivals in the West, had completed a blockbuster trade with the Pistons.

The Pistons, Hamilton and Hibbert, were sent to the Timberwolves, who sent Allen Iverson, who won last season's championship.

Iverson was actually traded for a hidden reason.

After successfully winning the championship, the Timberwolves brass sensed that Iverson's mentality had changed. For a player like Iverson who plays hard, mentality is more important than skill. As soon as his mentality relaxed, his ability decreased greatly.

Apolis, Minnesota, where the Timberwolves are located, is a small city with a mediocre economy, and does not have the influence of big cities such as New York and Los Angeles.

Iverson was happy when he first arrived at the Timberwolves, as he wanted to challenge for a championship with Garnett. It took them two seasons and they managed to reach their goal. When a person's long-term goals are achieved, there is often a sense of emptiness in their hearts, and Iverson is exactly that. At the Timberwolves, he has no higher pursuits.

The defending champion? At that time, the championship MVP will probably still be awarded to Garnett. Because there is only one king here, and the king's name is not called "Answer". Originally, Iverson and Garnett were of equal status, but in the playoffs, Garnett played well and won the Finals MVP, and their evaluations changed.

Already with a championship ring, Iverson wants to push himself to the next level. He wants to win the championship as the only core of the team, but does he still have time? His contract is about to expire, and if he signs with the Timberwolves again, then he is likely to be the Timberwolves for the rest of his life and become the "deputy" next to Garnett. For a proud person, this is not a pleasant taste.

Iverson didn't want to end up with the Timberwolves, so he refused to take a pay cut. Such a move caused dissatisfaction with head coach McHale and the club's top management. They have already guessed that Iverson will not renew his contract next season, and instead of letting him go for nothing, it is better to send Iverson out of the team as soon as possible while he has trade value.

And so the deal happened. Iverson's stats this season are not too good, but his fame and influence are definitely not comparable to Hamilton's. Looking at the commercial value, you can see that his sales of sneakers and jerseys are twice as high as Hamilton's.

The Pistons also thought a lot about bringing in Iverson. From the perspective of strengthening the lineup, sending the team's star Hamilton and potential rookie Hibbert, in exchange for Iverson, who has reached the end of his career, may be a loss. But in terms of economic value and long-term benefits, it's a win-win deal.

As long as Iverson is still playing, he can be a starter in the All-Star Game. Even if Iverson's numbers drop, it won't affect the love of millions of fans. The Pistons needed Iverson to attract Detroit's sluggish box office. And Iverson's contract expires next year, and if he is not in good shape, the Pistons will not renew his contract and can spare 20 million in salary. Coupled with the fact that Rasheed Wallace's contract is also expiring, the Pistons could make a big difference in 2010.

In the summer of 2010, a group of big-name stars such as James, Wade, Bosh and Stoudamire will become free agents, and just by attracting one of them, the team can rise again. Detroit is a city with a recessionary economy, and it is not easy to attract big stars. If you can't hit the championship, then you can only rely on the top salary and money to attract stars!

With Roy Hibbert, a young center, the Timberwolves have breathed life into their aging interior line. In the second game after the trade was completed, the Timberwolves won at home against the Lakers. Hibbert and Hamilton both started the game and played well. With Garnett, Hamilton can also exert his power. The Timberwolves have won 6 in a row and are back in the ranks of the strong teams.

The only flaw in the Timberwolves now is the point guard position, as soon as Iverson leaves, they can only use Jaric as the starting point guard, and Jarric's breakthrough ability and passing awareness are not very qualified. So the Timberwolves are still looking for a trade, and they want to trade for a better guard. There is no plan for what to do, and before the trade deadline, the Timberwolves executives will make up their minds.

After the Timberwolves completed the big trade, the Lakers management also felt the pressure, and owner Buss held a high-level meeting with the intention of making another trade!

The Lakers were originally going to play the season with their current roster, but Artest didn't live up to the heights they expected. He's not here to assist Kobe, but he's here to rob the boss.

"Zen Master" Jackson's opinion is clear: "If you can, trade Artest." When Bryant was on the floor, he also knew how to pass; But Kobe Bryant, he will take up a lot of shots, and I think he doesn't agree with Paul (Gasol) and thinks he's the Lakers' No. 2 man. Because he doesn't pass the ball to Paul on the inside, he always chooses to play by himself. He kept the team out of the triangle offense. I've had a very low shooting percentage and I've talked to him too many times and it didn't work out at all. ”

Lakers consultant Bruce also agreed with Jackson's statement that the Lakers originally brought in Artest to let him defend Hayes, but it turned out that Artest couldn't guard Hayes at all, and he was annoyed and embarrassed in the first game. On the offensive end, Artest also did not adapt to the triangle offensive system, and his help to the Lakers was limited, and the summer reinforcements have failed.

If Hayes knew the inside story of the Lakers, he would be very curious why Artest arrived at the Lakers a year earlier and was not in as good shape as he was in his previous life.

It's a matter of timing. Artest played a season with the Rockets in the 2008-2009 season, and because of Maddy's injury, Artest became the Rockets' top offensive option on the outside, so he didn't clash with his teammates. After a not-so-successful season, Artest's morale has worn out a bit. Joining the Lakers, who have already won a championship, is to hug the thigh and get the ring. So it's more low-key. Today's Lakers have not won a championship, and they were eliminated by the Timberwolves last season and did not show invincible strength. And Artest's stats last season were just at the peak of his career. The combination of these conditions makes Artest feel like the savior of the Lakers, rather than "hugging his thighs". So he didn't want to be a blue-collar coolie.

The Lakers met to deliberate, and there was a suggestion to trade Artest for the Thunder's Rashard Lewis, or to bring back Caron Butler, who played with the Lakers for a year.

Lewis hasn't played well with the Thunder this season. With an annual salary of 10 million, he will become a free agent next year, Lewis jumped out of his contract last season in pursuit of a high salary, but no one cared about him, and this season he also entered the free agency as a restricted free agent, and no team is willing to pay a high salary for him. This left Lewis disheartened. Executed the final year of his contract with the Thunder. Next year, he's going to be a completely free agent if the Lakers trade him. If you don't renew your contract next year, you can free up your salary and avoid the luxury tax.

Lewis himself has no intention of renewing his contract with the Thunder. The Thunder's top management is now focused on developing Jeff Green, and they continue to start with Lewis just to get him to brush up on his stats and use his final year of trade value to trade back other players. Lewis was publicly put on the shelf by the Thunder, and the league knew about it.

Caron Butler's stats have also dropped significantly this season. In 34 minutes of play, he averaged only 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, which is a big difference from his 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2.2 steals last season. His stats have dropped so much, not because of his ability, but because of the lack of cooperation from his teammates. The Wizards are now in serious infighting. Zach Randolph has turned the atmosphere in the Wizards' locker room into a prison-like atmosphere.

Randolph and Butler split the team into two factions and battled for the top spot. Randolph had a luxurious statistic of 20.6 points and 11.4 rebounds last season. After Hayes' success, the Wizards' top brass preferred a fat man like Randolph who could be inside and out, and had a soft touch. And Hayes openly said in an interview that the people he is most reluctant to defend are Randolph and Nowitzki. Hayes's words didn't really mean anything special, but when others heard them, they added points to Randolph's level. It was as if Hayes had recognized Randolph and Nowitzki as a class.

As a result, Butler has reduced his playing time this season, and the club wants to trade Butler out of the team with Randolph as the core of the team. It was quite risky, but the Wizards decided to give it a try.

Lakers general manager Kupchak first contacted the Thunder. The Lakers are a little more interested in Lewis. But the Thunder didn't want Artest. Their intentions are clear. The replacement of Lewis is to put Jeff Green on the position, and if Artest comes, Green's position will become awkward again.

Kupchak then contacted the Wizards again. Ask Caron Butler. The Lakers traded Butler for Kwame Brown, and many pundits considered it a trade that failed to the extreme.

Not really. At that time, the Lakers had a surplus of outside personnel, and Kobe Bryant took up a lot of shooting power, and it was difficult for others to play. Butler's position is also a bit of a conflict with Odom's, so it's not very useful. In addition, the Lakers' interior line is in a state of full holes, a permanent substitute Meme, a Grant, (there is no him on the edge to the bench, he has to sit on the floor...... A Divac who can't play and gets a salary. At that time, the Lakers were in dire need of a player with energy and height. They have taken a fancy to the champion Kwame Brown, and now it seems that if there is no Brown, the Lakers may not be able to trade to Gasol, so they say that they will not make money or lose money.

Coincidentally, Brown was traded by the Wizards because of a conflict with Arenas. Now the Lakers are likely to get Butler back, again because of the Wizards' contradictions.

As soon as Kupchak proposed a trade, Grenfield, the general manager of the Wizards, showed great interest. What would happen if Artest moved to the Wizards? "Drug Dealer" Randolph and "Violent Man" Artest, this combination is very interesting......

(To be continued)