Chapter 67: Prelude to the Great War
Although I don't know how long the shadow of this turmoil will last, the next classic battle of the Knicks is about to be officially staged.
Jeremy Lin VS Yi Jianlian, although it is Monday, but this CCAV will not be broadcast live, it is estimated that the director of the station should be microwaved by fans across the country!
According to the court arrangement, the Knicks, who defeated the Hornets, rested for two days and faced the Dallas Mavericks, the last champion with Yi Jianlian, on February 20, Beijing time.
The Mavericks last played at home against the 76ers, who were third in the Eastern Conference, and the legendary Mavericks dunk player Vince Carter moved himself to 33rd overall scoring in the NBA compared to David Robinson in his last game against the Nuggets. In the game against the 76ers, Nuo Tianwang, who took off his knee pads, was resurrected on the spot, was in a brave state, played a bull break, scored 28 points and 12 rebounds, and led the team to set off a counterattack in the second half ~ tide, won 6 consecutive wins, and achieved a 20-11 record. It's a pity that Yi Jianlian appeared for 2 minutes and 20 seconds and failed to score.
Here, the Knicks have good news. According to the New York Post, the Knicks are about to officially announce the signing of J.R. Smith, who has just returned to the United States from China, today. According to multiple sources, Smith was supposed to be at Madison Square Square during the Knicks-Hornets' game against the Hornets, but would not play. His promotional debut will be Sunday (next Monday GMT) against the Mavericks.
In the office of owner James Dolan, Wang Xiaomu talked about all the top team executives, except for the elder Dolan, the New York Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh, commercial director Bill Ayle, and financial director Raidon W. Ger was dressed in leather shoes and well-dressed, and behind each of them sat two of his own henchmen, and each staff member held a thick cowhide book in his hand.
"Coach Wang Xiaomu, it's very sad to tell you that the Pacers rejected our offer of Iman Shampert and they wanted our newly signed J.R. Smith. It's a fantasy! Donnie Walsh laughs.
The Knicks brass laughed.
"Yes!" Wang Xiaomu's words pinched these gangs into his throat.
"Coach Wang Xiaomu, you, what did you say?" Donnie thought he had misheard.
"I said, yes." Wang Xiaomu's words of conviction made the guys who had been running J.R. join New York a little angry, even a little annoyed.
The player's transfer was not very transparent, and Downey finally signed J.R. from China this time, but reached many shady terms with the other party's agent. After all, including the Lakers and even the Pacers, are chasing Smith. Walsh was already a sworn enemy with Big Bird Bird, and it was a big deal to be able to defeat each other in this operation. But this breath hasn't finished yet, so you can only obediently send the other party's favorite object back?
"It's impossible!" Donnie Walsh threw the notebook in his hand on the big desk, and directly tore his face with Wang Xiaomu, a yellow-skinned monkey who relied on luck to achieve some results, actually challenged my authority, do you think the New York Knicks were opened by your family?
"We did a lot of work to sign J.R." Commercial Director Bill Ayr voted in favor of Walsh.
"I also think that Smith's influence is greater than George's, and he can also pull the Chinese market, which is more cost-effective." Treasurer Raidon. Gehr also fell to his own general manager.
Just when Donnie Walsh thought that this topic could be over, the owner James Lando asked Wang Xiaomu with a smile, yes, and asked in a asking tone: "Mr. Wang, you see, which player do you need?" ”
The boss's groveling behavior and flattering expression almost made the jaws of the Knicks executives in the whole room break their jaws.
Wang Xiaomu was also confused by Lando's sudden hospitality, but he still wanted to tell everyone his reasons: "This year, the team's goal is to win the championship, whether it is Smith or George, they can increase the bench strength for the team, but everyone knows, who is the strongest opponent on our road to the championship?" Miami heat! The team needed a guy who could stand up to James physically and keep up with Wade in speed, and Paul George was that guy. ”
"But Smith's offense is sharper, and he can even get 60+ and 50+ in the Chinese league." Walsh's die-hard loyalists are not dead yet.
Wang Xiaomu was annoyed by the pigs who only looked at offense and didn't care about defense, and impatiently pushed back these guys with data: "His team didn't even make the playoffs, do you want the Knicks to repeat the mistakes of the past?" ”
In fact, Wang Xiaomu has no opinion on JR. Smith personally, although he plays alone, although he helps his sister play fans, and even he makes trouble in nightclubs, has his driver's license revoked, and is sentenced to prison, these are all fine. There is only one reason why Coach Wang doesn't want him: the team has too many players who are strong in attack and weak in defense.
Only Chandler can defend in the starters, and the substitutes Brother Douglas (Douglas) and brother-in-law (Jeffries) are more defensive, but they often have more than enough to do; In addition, almost all of the teams are attack-oriented: one of the four starters is lazier than the other, and Shambert, Fields, and Novak are all guys who play offense and finish on defense.
The Knicks need flashy offense to keep the box office safe, but they need to win even more!
"I think the team needs Smith more!" Donnie Walsh didn't even bother to say why. 、
"Paul George or DeMar DeRozan!" Wang Xiaomu did not retreat at all.
"DeRozan is a core player of the Raptors, how can the transfer be successful!" Walsh was furious, thinking that Wang Xiaomu was talking nonsense.
"Then I'll give way, I see that the big man Andrew Bogut in this plan is also okay, sign him over!" Wang Xiaomu suddenly felt that the group of people on the inside line looked very powerful, and it was not bad to be a bodyguard for himself if he didn't play well. As for the injury problem, it is by no means a factor that Coach Wang considers.
"No! This guy is paid more than Byron! "Treasurer Raidon. Gehr jumped straight out of his chair.
"Love can't do it! No, go to the hospital on your own. Wang Xiaomu was too lazy to talk to these "no, no" cowards here, muttered to Lando, and directly threw his sleeves and left.
"It's too arrogant, it's too arrogant, is this a quality performance that an employee should have! He's challenging the club's board of directors to decide collectively! Donnie Walsh was in a hurry, and his big fat face was almost on the face of the boss Lando.
Lando nimbly dodged Walsh's saliva bomb, pinned him to his seat, patted Donnie on the shoulder, and whispered, "Do as he says, bring Paul George and Andrew Bogut over if necessary." ”
Treasurer Raidon. Gehr and the two deputy financial directors behind him covered their mouths and were stunned, I am afraid that the Knicks will have to pay hundreds of millions of luxury taxes if this sign continues.
"Are you the president of the club, or are you this Chinese yellow-skinned monkey?" Downey is simply crazy to make the last mistake that his subordinates should not make and challenge the authority of his boss in public.
But today, Lando's authority has long been shattered, and he wears glasses. replied lightly: "Didn't you say it before he came just now?" If it weren't for his winning streak, where would we have the heart to sit peacefully in the office and count the money? I need a team that wins all the time, and that's what I promised him.
Far away in the western United States, at the Indiana Pacers training gym, Paul George practiced his upcoming moves in the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest in a corner of the arena. He was drafted by the Pacers with the 10th pick in the first round in 2010.
"Paul, I heard that the Knicks signed J.R. Your positions overlap, I don't think New York can have a swingman of similar strength" The team's boss Granger and Paul are good friends, of course, this news is only a small spread.
"Hehe, it's okay, I feel good here!" Paul George tried the 360° Bottom Line Campaign's one-armed windmill slam dunk, and the good haode bounce made his movements stretch. Apparently he also got the news from the agent.
"Actually, you should strengthen your outside strength more." Granger, who is five years older than George, clearly knows the disadvantage of dunking, which is that he is too prone to injury.
"Hehe," Paul George said, geeving, knowing that his three-point point is weak, "but I just like to hit the basket!" ”
The two were chatting hotly, but they didn't expect the team's basketball president Big Bird Bird to appear behind the two, and took Granger's words with a slightly regretful expression: "Perhaps, you went to the team with too many three-pointers." ”
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February was originally the hottest period for transfers, and it was easy to generate blockbuster transactions, because the team could not wait until March to make a major player or even core trade, the manager needed players to adapt to the team, and players also needed to integrate more with the players.
The news of the transfer of teams such as the Knicks instantly made headlines on major sports websites.
With the operation of many behind-the-scenes drivers, Wang Xiaomu smiled the brightest, and he got his ideal two players: Paul George and Luis Scola. Rockets general manager Darrell Morey has always had a headache with Scola's performance of not being strong or weak, neither soft nor hard, and this time he put it in very happily. So the four-carat diamond flew straight to New York for the next game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Paul George is expected to be able to attend the next game in New York due to the distance between the formalities and the team, and the actual game will have to wait for the next game against the Nets.
At this point, Wang Xiaomu's large-scale reinforcements are basically over. Moreover, his team is also overstaffed, and according to the regulations, a team can only have a maximum of 15 players. Reinaldo Balkman, who was 6 feet 8 inches, had no choice but to pack his bags and return to Puerto Rico.