Bishop of the Devil

"Hey, Coach Carter, our Blazers would like to seek a deal with you." Richard called Butch Carter directly.

Butch Carter is actually a relatively inexperienced coach. He just took the position of head coach of the Raptors in the past two years. Under normal circumstances, after coaching for the following season, he will be fired by the Raptors, and then he will be completely in the coaching industry. Disappeared……

There are actually many similar coaches. The elimination rate of NBA coaches is quite high. Almost every year, some coaches are fired and completely eliminated from the coaching industry.

There are less than ten coaches who can truly establish themselves in the league.

…

Butch Carter was quite puzzled when he received a call from Richard.

The main reason is that there has never been any relationship between the Raptors and the Trail Blazers, and there is also no friendship between the management and coaches of both parties.

The Grizzlies, who are brothers in trouble, have a close relationship with the Trail Blazers.

"Coach Li, trade? Sorry, we Raptors have no idea of ​​​​trading right now..."

"But I'm curious, which player do you have your eye on, Artest?" Butch Carter asked doubtfully.

"Yes, it's Artest. You should know the relationship between Artest and I, so I want to see if we can use our Stephen Jackson to make a deal with you!" Richard said nothing. Timati...

Butch Carter was in a daze for a moment, trading Jackson for Artest? !

Could it be that Richard is out of his mind...

After all, Jackson is a player who has already played well. Although he has been playing as Kobe's substitute in the Trail Blazers because he didn't have many opportunities to perform, so the statistics are not too luxurious.

But everyone with a discerning eye knows the potential of this player!

Now Richard is actually willing to trade for Artest? !

It's really unbelievable...

Although the products produced by West Lafayette must be high-quality products, these high-quality products are also divided into upper and lower grades. For example, the strength displayed by Billups before was not very strong.

At least it is far inferior to Stephen Jackson.

It must be a high-quality player. The high-quality product here means that he is guaranteed to be a main starter, but it does not necessarily mean that he can become an All-Star player.

Jackson, on the other hand, is clearly All-Star-level. Given enough playing time, he may average around 20 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists per game.

The defense is also quite strong, with three-pointers, breakthroughs, and organizational skills...

Such a player, at least in Butch Carter's view, is definitely worth much more than Artest.

…

"Richard, are you sure you're not looking for fun with me?! If you are really willing to trade Jackson for Artest, I can agree to it immediately without even asking the team management for instructions!" Butch Carter asked hastily.

This is simply a piece of cake falling from the sky...

In fact, Butch Carter's life is quite difficult now, mainly because it is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice.

The Raptors lineup can definitely be described as scumbag.

There is no point guard in the lineup, really no point guard at all. The only one with some organizational skills is Doug Christie, who averages 3.7 assists per game...

In the draft that just ended, the Raptors actually wanted to introduce a point guard, such as Francis...

As a result, Francis was taken by their fellow sufferer, the Grizzlies, with the second pick. They had no choice but to settle for the next best option and select Artest.

The Raptors' current problem is not just a lack of point guards, but also a lack of outside defenders.

Or simply put, they lack everything...

There is no point guard, no perimeter defender, no interior line, nothing you want.

If Wu Sheng Jackson can really be introduced, at least the problems of point guards and outside defenders can be solved...

This is why Butch Carter is so excited.

Hearing Butch Carter's words, Richard coughed twice. His goal was not just Artest.

"Ahem, man, you should know that Artest's value is definitely far inferior to that of Jackson. You should add some chips, such as next year's first-round pick..." Richard still never mentioned McGrady's name. .

He had no friendship with Butch Carter, so it was naturally impossible for him to reveal all his intentions at the moment.

If you are negotiating a deal with an old acquaintance like Carlisle, there is no need to hide it...

He said he wanted Tracy McGrady right from the start, so it's strange that Butch Carter didn't get suspicious.

You Blazers just lost Kobe, and now you are thinking about McGrady. Does that mean that in your eyes, Richard, McGrady can play the role of Kobe? !

…

Butch Carter suddenly fell silent when he heard Richard's words.

Want a first-round pick? ! This is not going to be easy...

The Raptors value their first-round picks more than their lives, even though they didn't pick anything good...

I chose Tracy McGrady and never reused him.

Since entering the league, the Raptors have truly selected a player that is valuable to them, and that is Vince Carter.

On the other hand, the Grizzlies, our fellow sufferers, at least now have Raheem and Bibi...

"Richard, I have to discuss this matter with the team management, but I think it is unlikely. If we trade like this, we will suffer a bit..."

"After all, you should also know that our Raptors draft picks will be relatively high..."

Butch Carter said with a frown.

Richard laughed: "I have a good relationship with Larry Bird. You should also know this. If your management is really unwilling to take out the first-round pick, it is not impossible to use the newcomers in your team..."

"Okay, Richard, I'll discuss it with the management first and give you an answer tomorrow!"

…

Early the next morning, Richard received a call from Butch Carter.

It looks like they discussed the deal overnight last night...

Butch Carter is quite concerned about this transaction because he has a hunch that if the Raptors continue to make little progress this season, he may be fired.

Under such circumstances, he naturally wanted to facilitate this deal. After all, the arrival of Wu Sheng would definitely enhance the Raptors' immediate combat power.

"Richard, we discussed until twelve o'clock last night and finally came up with three trading plans. You can see which one is more acceptable to you..."

"First, we give Ron Artest and Antonio Davis, whom we just acquired from Larry Bird, in exchange for your Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington!"

Butch Carter's first trading plan directly made Richard frown.

The Raptors just made a deal with the Pacers a few days ago and got the combo forward Antonio Davis. In fact, Davis is quite good, but Richard will definitely look down on him...

"Go on, Coach Carter, I'm not very interested in this first option..."

"Okay, the second option is that we use Artest to package Alvin Williams and exchange for Stephen Jackson. Of course, if you want to exchange Williams for next year's second-round pick, we can also accept it... …”

Richard rolled his eyes. What the hell is this? Alvin Williams appeared out of nowhere and was thinking of using a second-round pick to package...

"Coach Carter, it seems like you Raptors have no sincerity..." Richard sighed and said.

"Don't worry, Richard, we have a third option..." Butch Carter began to sweat on his forehead...

"The third option is that we take out Artest plus Tracy McGrady, and then exchange Stephen Jackson plus the Blazers' first-round and second-round picks next year..."

"Man, this is the biggest concession we have made." Butch Carter said with a sigh.

Richard was overjoyed that the Raptors finally came up with his favorite trading plan.

However, he remained calm and did not show the joy in his heart...

"Coach Carter, let me think about it. To be honest, I don't see your sincerity. I will give you a definite answer tomorrow!"

…

After hanging up the phone, Richard finally couldn't hold back his laughter.

The third trade plan proposed by the Raptors is quite feasible!

Although the Raptors want the Blazers' two draft picks for next year, in Richard's view, this is completely acceptable...

Mainly because of next year's draft, Richard doesn't have any targets that he must acquire.

The only one who is more interested is the golden left-hand Reed in the second round...

Now, in addition to their own second-round pick, the Trail Blazers also have a second-round pick acquired from the Magic. The Magic's second-round pick can be used to sign Reid.

As for the remaining rookie players in the 2000 class, to be honest, Richard is quite uninterested.

The price/performance ratio is too low and too low...

2000 was definitely a small year for the draft. Not only compared with 1996/98/99, but also compared with 1997 when the number of stars was relatively small.

Kenyon Martin was the No. 1 pick in the 2000 draft. Although he cannot be said to be a parallel import, he should be considered a relatively weak presence among the No. 1 pick...

Except for Martin, the top pick, there are really not many players in the first round who can make a difference. Purdue University's Mike Miller is one of them.

Crawford counts as one...

Turkoglu counts as one...

Quentin Richardson and Maurice Peterson, the two together are one...

(I wrote it wrong before. The current three members of Purdue are Prince, Mike Miller and Richardson, but there is no Jefferson...)

And then it’s gone…

…

To put it bluntly, even if Richard has high draft picks, it is unlikely that he will select these players, because he will lose money if he selects them.

Even his disciple Mike Miller would be quite hesitant if Richard were to choose with the fifth pick...

…

As for the second-round pick, there is only one golden left-hand Reed.

If the 2000 draft was rearranged, it is estimated that Reed and Crawford would compete for the No. 1 pick...

Martin, the top pick, is not as accomplished as these two, and will almost be selected with the third overall pick.

As for fourth and fifth, they are occupied by Mike Miller and Turkoglu.

This shows how weak this draft is...