Chapter 19 A Letter from the University
Who is the best scoring guard of the 21st century?
Who scored 81 points at the Raptors' home court and silenced the Canada Route Center Arena?
Who entered the finals three years in a row, won the championship twice, and staged a heart-wrenching yellow-green battle with the archrival Celtics?
The handsome people who are reading the book must have the answer in their hearts, please shout his name out loud!
Kobe Bryant!
There are many criticisms about Kobe's career, but it is undeniable that apart from that basketball god, the second-ranked scoring guard in history must be Kobe Bryant!
The big shark traveled eastward, Kobe Bryant wanted to become the boss of the team, and Kobe Bryant, who obtained unlimited firing rights, ushered in three years of his own data blowout in the 2004-2007 season.
In the 05-06 season, Kobe averaged 35.4 points, 4.5 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game, won the scoring title and helped the team reach the playoffs.
In the 06-07 season, Kobe averaged 31.6 points, 5.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, and while reducing the number of shots, he better connected the team, and won the scoring title again.
This time the Lakers were not as lucky as last year, under the increasingly mature run-and-shoot system, the Suns were bloodless, and once again rejected Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers with a score of 4:1.
Kobe Bryant has made no gains in the playoffs for two consecutive years, and Shaquille O'Neal, who left Los Angeles and went to the Miami Heat alone, teamed up with another famous scoring guard in history, "The Flash" Dwyane Wade, and successfully won the championship trophy in the 05-06 season.
"Without my Kobe, I wouldn't have won the championship!" The big shark's words pricked Bryant's nerves deeply.
And after two consecutive years of high-intensity battles, despite his full honor, the team still couldn't break through the curse of the first round, which also made Kobe realize the seriousness of the problem.
Individuals are at their peak in terms of performance and age, but the team has been struggling in the first round of the playoffs, and a team cannot survive in the NBA law of the jungle by one person and one game of five.
At the same time, the management of the Lakers team also had major problems, internal disunity was about to come out, and Mitch Kupchak's inaction also made Kobe Bryant feel extremely annoyed.
"We need Jerry West, the man who takes us to the top, and he's the best general manager for the Lakers!" Kobe Bryant even went straight to the top for a showdown, he didn't like Mitch Kupchak, he didn't think Mitch Kupchak was capable of helping the Lakers go further.
It's a pity that Jerry Buss, the owner of the Lakers at the time and the absolute voice of the Buss family, expressed strong support for Mitch Kupchak.
A farce kicked off in the summer of 2007, and Kobe's decision made the whole league boil!
All the teams in the league have expressed a strong desire for Kobe, and Mavericks owner Cuban has been even more blunt: "Except for Dirk Nowitzki, everyone in the Mavericks can be used as a bargaining chip, and even future draft picks can be used as negotiation capital." ”
You know, the Mavericks had All-Star level Josh Howard and quasi-All-Star level Jason Terry!
It's a pity that the Lakers have a high vision, except for Dirk Nowitzki, the rest of them are nothing more than stinky fish and rotten shrimp in their eyes!
And the most chance to win Kobe was the Bulls, Kobe Bryant also hoped to go to the city of his idol Jordan, so as to bring glory to Chicago, and the chips provided by the Bulls were also very sincere. Includes Noah, Gordon, Nocioni, Thomas and two first-round picks. And the reason why the two sides failed to reach a deal was because of Roel Deng, and the Bulls did not let go.
In addition, the Cleveland Cavaliers also asked the Lakers for an offer, and the Lakers gave a 1-for-1 swap with LeBron James, and it is clear that the Cavaliers owner cannot give up LeBron James, the chosen son of Akron.
"It's so exciting! I didn't expect an idol to apply for a transaction, I never thought of such a scene! DeRozan was extremely surprised when he heard the news.
"That's the Los Angeles Lakers! The most legendary team in the history of the league! ”
"A place that all players dream of, where you can get the attention of the world and be the focus of all basketball lovers."
"Kobe Bryant made such a choice, it's fake news, right?" Even Klay Thompson looked incredulous.
"Don't worry, the boss won't leave." As a person who has come over, Lin Mu naturally knows the details well.
Bass Sr. is a very experienced manager with a unique intelligence.
For Kobe Bryant, who was cultivated by his own team, Bath finally found a way to keep him on the team.
First of all, the elder Buss did not deny Kobe's trade request, and Bath also supported Kobe's desire to be traded to the Spurs and Bulls. Even actively listen to quotes to find the possibility of trading. Of course, Buss Sr. couldn't be stupid enough to trade Kobe. When the time came, Buss Sr. kept Bryant with a letter.
In the letter, the elder Bass said: "Whenever you make that decision, you'd better not be on the opposite side of me in the race for the championship. ”
Why did Kobe Bryant want to trade? Because he wants to compete for the championship, but there are only a few teams in the league that can compete for the championship out of 30 teams. The Lakers are in a slump, but this team has a championship tradition. At that time, the Lakers were second only to the Celtics in terms of championships, and Kobe Bryant also won three championships with the team. Buss knows that the Lakers have a championship background, as long as Kobe Bryant's golden sign is properly recruited and the team's roster strength is improved, winning the championship is not a problem at all.
To retreat as advance, to shoot when it is time to shoot, old Bass can be said to be a perfect interpretation of the truth of living in the world.
Kobe Bryant still trusted the elder Buss, and it was under such pressure that Kupchak, the Lakers' general manager at the time, made a shocking trade in February 2008: he traded Kwame Brown, some other players, and a first-round pick from the Grizzlies for Spanish superstar Pau Gasol.
Gasol's arrival finally made Kobe Bryant compromise, and it was this deal that put the Lakers on the right track, laying a solid foundation for reaching the Finals in the next three years.
"It's a pity that if Da Yao can join forces with Kobe Bryant in 2005 with the Lakers, the pattern of the league will be a different picture."
In the end, Kobe Bryant chose to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers, and in this hot summer, the moment the cicadas ended, quietly crossed everyone's youth.
...
"Gone! See you in the College League! "DeRozan walks in style, and he doesn't look like a depressed man at all.
Klay Thompson, on the other hand, needs to finish his high school studies before he officially enters college next year.
"I really envy you guys, you can fight in different teams and the same arena!" Thompson's face was full of longing.
"Are you sure it's a fight?" Lin Mu said half-jokingly.
"You think everyone is like you, big pervert!" Thompson rolled his eyes, turned around and patted his buttocks, and left without taking a cloud with him.
After sending the two away, Lin Mu picked up the envelope in his schoolbag, and when he opened it, it was an admission letter from UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles.
Obviously, it is easy to see that Lin Mu's college career is about to begin!