Bishop of the Devil

Looking at the expectant eyes of his two disciples.

Richard was a little speechless...

What should I say? Do you want to tell these two people that the Blazers are currently thinking about where to find a reliable insider? !

But think about it, the situations of Green Kai and the Trail Blazers are different.

Because the Trail Blazers have no salary space, they have no way to consider reliable insiders with high salaries...

However, Green Kai is different. They currently have ample salary space!

Besides, Fat Tou Tuo already has a maximum salary. If he trades it, he doesn’t have to worry about salary space...

After thinking for a moment, Richard immediately softened his heart when he saw the expectant eyes of the two disciples.

"Ahem, there is one candidate, but whether you can win or not depends on your luck!" Richard said with a wry smile.

"Coach, tell me quickly..."

"God, there really is a candidate! If we get him, can we make it to the finals like Iverson and Da Zhi?"

The two of them asked Richard extremely excitedly.

"Mutombo from the Hawks! He also has a maximum salary, which can match Walker's contract!"

"As for whether I can make it to the finals, I can't guarantee that..."

"Who knows about this kind of thing? Even I can't guarantee that I can make it to the finals this year..."

Richard said with a wry smile.

"But if you can win Mutombo from the Hawks, I dare not say anything else. You can enter the Eastern Conference semifinals with a guaranteed minimum, and there is a good chance of even entering the Eastern Conference finals!"

"As for whether you can make it to the finals, it depends on your luck!"

Richard said with a smile.

The Greencaps' Purdue Twins' offensive strength is not as good as the 76ers' Purdue Twins, but their defense is stronger than their opponent.

…

Under normal circumstances, the Hawks actually did not say that Mutombo was not for sale. After finishing this season, the Hawks sold Mutombo before even half of the next season...

The target of the sale is the Philadelphia 76ers!

The 76ers also relied on Mutombo's joining to reach the finals in the 2000-01 season, that is, the next season...

Mutombo's strength is quite reliable. In this league, in terms of blue-collar insiders, apart from Big Ben, it is probably Mutombo, and Uncle Mu also has good offensive capabilities.

For example, under normal circumstances, in the 2000-01 Eastern Conference Finals, the 76ers played against the Bucks. As a result, Uncle Mu averaged close to 17 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks per game, which taught the Bucks a lesson that had few insiders in the team.

Even against O'Neal in the finals, Uncle Mu scored 17 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 60%!

…

It’s just that the Philadelphia 76ers definitely can’t bring in Uncle Mu at the moment. Iverson has just signed a maximum salary. After this season, Da Zhi estimates that he will get another maximum salary. It will be difficult for the 76ers to swallow Uncle Mu’s contract. .

Richard didn't want Green Kai to suffer too much, so he recommended them to compete for Uncle Mu. It would be quite fun to exchange Walker for Uncle Mu.

At worst, add a draft pick...

At present, if Green Kai wants to make a difference in the Eastern Conference, introducing Mutombo can be said to be their only way out.

Ordinary insiders can indeed improve their inside strength, but if they are useless, they can also make their regular season record look better...

And only by getting top insiders like Uncle Mu can they have a chance to rise completely!

The two of them rejoiced, this was Richard showing them a clear path!

"Thanks, coach!"

"Thank you coach, I know you have a way, coach..."

…

The two of them ran to Pitino's side with excitement on their faces, looking like they couldn't wait to get rid of Fat Tutuo and bring in Mutombo...

Richard could only mourn for Fat Tou Tuo.

If Pierce and Billups are forced to leave, the team management will definitely have to think carefully.

Besides, Fat Toutuo himself was not favored by Pitino...

The probability of this deal going through is still quite high!

…

As for whether the Eagles are willing to let Uncle Mu go at this point in time, that is beyond Richard's control.

…

At the press conference after the game, Richard announced another "bad news" with a heavy face.

"Jermaine O'Neal just ate expired food in the locker room and is currently suffering from vomiting and diarrhea. He may be sidelined for one to two weeks..."

"The good news is that Big Ben is back..."

When Richard lied, his face turned red and his heart stopped beating.

The reporters were speechless. Why are your Blazers players so delicate? Xiao Ao, that sturdy boy, ate two mouthfuls of expired food and then fell into vomiting and diarrhea so quickly? !

This is a laxative...

Besides, is your Trail Blazers' logistics team a devil? ! He even bought expired food for the players to eat...

Everything shows that Richard is talking nonsense and Xiao Ao is fine at all!

"Ahem, Coach Richard, if something like this happened, wouldn't your Blazers fire the person in charge of the logistics team?" A reporter stood up and asked, holding back his laughter.

Richard was speechless when asked this question.

"Well, if no one makes a mistake, such a small thing will not lead to expulsion..."

The reporters in the audience burst into laughter.

They also generally know the reason why Richard tried every means to retire the players.

If players take a rest, it will not be counted in the number of appearances. If the average data per game is calculated by then, it will definitely be higher...

As long as he plays more than two-thirds of the games in a season, he is eligible to compete for honors such as scoring champion and rebounding champion.

Although this may cause the Blazers to lose, looking at Richard's attitude, he definitely doesn't pay much attention to the regular season record this season.

It's normal to think about it. If these reporters lead the team to a perfect winning record as head coaches, then they will definitely not care much about the regular season next season...

What if I try harder? Is it possible that I can break my own record? !

…

As soon as he returned to Portland, Richard was immediately inspired. The NBA held a charity event in Portland, mainly to raise charity funds for children with leukemia.

Since the event is held in Portland, Richard, the leader of the Portland Trail Blazers, must attend. Not only Richard, but also many players on the team must attend this event.

There are actually relevant provisions in the contracts of ordinary players. For example, if the team needs the players to attend some activities, the players cannot refuse without legitimate reasons.

…

Stern did not come to this event, but Xiao Hua came in person.

According to Xiao Hua, Stern was afraid that he would be angered to death in Portland, so he simply sent Xiao Hua over...

Richard didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It seemed that the old guy Stern resented him very much!

It would be great if Xiao Hua could take the position earlier. He and Xiao Hua have a good relationship. In the future, when Xiao Hua takes the position, he wouldn't have to look at Stern's face.

Many fans have misunderstandings about Xiao Hua, thinking that the basketball style in later generations has become "weak" because of Xiao Hua's reforms.

What's more, some fans say that under Xiao Hua's administration, NBA ratings have dropped and its market value has declined.

In fact, this view is completely unreasonable.

In terms of league policies and rules, Xiao Hua actually did not make any reforms. Most of them followed the old rules formulated by Stern.

For example, severely punishing court fights was caused by Stern and had nothing to do with Xiao Hua...

For example, canceling HAND-CHECK and reducing the intensity of confrontation on the court. This was also done by Stern and has nothing to do with Xiao Hua.

On the contrary, after Xiao Hua took over, the market value of the NBA nearly tripled in just five or six years!

Before 2014, which was the era of Stern's administration, the total market value of all NBA teams was less than 20 billion U.S. dollars, probably around 15 billion U.S. dollars.

Five years later, the total market value of all NBA teams has exceeded 50 billion US dollars.

To say that NBA ratings have dropped is purely baseless nonsense...

As for the league's style of play becoming weaker, this is true, but it has nothing to do with Xiao Hua. It is mainly caused by the development of basketball technology.

With the development of the times, the style of play of each team has changed from stacking inside players to stacking outside players, and the center position has become dispensable.

Even if there is a center, most of them will play from the outside...

In this case, there is less internal confrontation, so naturally it does not look as tough as before.

You can't expect a bunch of small outsiders to fight from behind the three-point line, right?

…

Of course, if Xiao Hua wants to change this change in his style of play, he can definitely do it, such as introducing some rules that are beneficial to centers.

But it is completely unnecessary!

Because the NBA wants to make money, the commercial value of outside players is higher than that of inside players. This is a known fact.

After all, the NBA is a business league. If you don't make money, then Xiao Hua must be a fool...

…

"Adam, tell me the truth, has your management committee held a special meeting to discuss how to deal with our Trail Blazers?" Richard asked Xiao Hua beside him with a smile.

This question directly made Xiao Hua look uncomfortable...

"Ahem, no! The Administrative Committee will never deliberately target a certain team, Li, you are thinking too much!" Xiao Hua laughed awkwardly.

"Why don't I believe it at all..." Richard rolled his eyes and said.

…

"By the way, Adam, there's something I want to consult with you about!" Richard thought of something and asked Xiao Hua with a frown.

Xiao Hua nodded and motioned for Richard to continue.

"If that's the case, I would like to ask how can I get the right to create a new team in the NBA?"

"To put it another way, for example, if the league wants to expand a team, and I want to become the owner of this team, what conditions need to be met?"

Richard frowned and asked.

When Xiao Hua heard this question, he suddenly started to sweat from behind, and he was a little surprised!

What did Richard know? !

How did he know about this kind of thing? !

A few days ago, Stern had a private chat with him and planned to expand a team in the next few years.

Because there are currently 29 teams in the league, which is an odd number. The number of teams in the east and west is different, which is completely obsessive-compulsive.

If another team is added, the number of teams will reach exactly thirty, with fifteen teams in the east and west.

Of course, this was what Stern said casually. This kind of military expansion cannot be accomplished in a day or two.

It's impossible for Stern to slap his head, let's add a team, and then there will be one more team next season...

Expanding the army is quite troublesome and requires at least two or three years of preparation time!

Just choosing a location takes a lot of time!

If you want to build a new team in a city, you must first discuss taxation and other related matters with the government, and see if the government will provide financial subsidies.

I can't stop doing this for a few months...

After all, the government still has to hold a meeting to study...

Then the arena thing couldn't be stopped for another year.

At the moment, Stern just had a temporary idea and talked to Xiao Hua about this matter privately, wanting to ask Xiao Hua's opinion.

Xiao Hua naturally has no objection. Whatever Stern says will be taken...

At the moment, only Stern and Xiao Hua knew about this matter. Richard suddenly asked this question, and Xiao Hua even wondered whether Richard had installed monitoring equipment in Stern's office.

But it’s unlikely when you think about it…

"Li, why did you think of asking this? Our alliance currently has no plans to expand its army!" Xiao Hua forced himself to calm down...

Richard laughed dryly. There is no plan to expand the army now, but that doesn't mean there won't be any in the future!

Richard clearly remembers that in 2004, the NBA expanded another team, the Charlotte Bobcats.

Two years later, the Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans, which happened to vacate the city of Charlotte. The NBA simply expanded in Charlotte.

Later, the New Orleans Hornets changed their name to the Pelicans, and the Charlotte Bobcats simply changed their team name to the Hornets.

…

Now that Richard is asking about the military expansion, he must also want to inquire about the situation and see if he is qualified to get involved in the military expansion.

This thing is quite attractive to Richard, a completely new team!

…

"Adam, I'm just asking, don't you know about this kind of thing? It's impossible for the NBA to never expand its ranks. Let me find out first..." Richard said with a smile to Xiao Hua.

"Okay, Lee, this is more complicated!"

"First of all, let's use an analogy. For example, the NBA now has a plan to expand its army. This is just a hypothesis. Don't think about it. The NBA really has no plan to expand its army now!"

"Then the NBA will verify the capital of those who signed up..."

"Capital verification? What do you mean?" Richard asked with a frown.

"It's just to see if you have the capital to run a team. For example, the Raptors and Grizzlies a few years ago, their initial capital verification was US$200 million!"

"You should know that a new team may face losses in most cases in the early stage. If the boss has no money on hand, this will definitely not work..."

"Of course, the league will definitely not touch this money. It just wants to make sure that you have the capital to compete for the qualification of team owner!" Xiao Hua explained patiently.

Richard nodded. After saying this, he understood clearly. When the owner of the Bobcats entered the league, he also had his capital verified...

This money does not have to be turned over to the league, it just proves to the league that you have the capital to run a team.

"Then what? It won't be over after the capital verification is completed, right?" Richard asked again.

Xiao Hua shook his head, "It's not that easy. The management committee will also examine your management capabilities!"

"You should know what this means. After all, we don't want another boss like Shi Steping..."

Richard nodded. This is easy to understand. In addition to making sure that you have the capital to run the team, the league also has to make sure that you are not a fool...

Just like Steiping, he took a good team and almost bankrupted it, causing the league a lot of headaches!

The league has learned to be smart. Now it not only requires capital, but also requires the boss to be capable!

It’s not that a team has to bear the losses themselves. The league’s dividends and profits actually have to subsidize these loss-making teams. Naturally, the league doesn’t want new teams to lose money...

"Adam, do you think I have increased the market value of the Trail Blazers so much, is this a reflection of my business ability?" Richard asked with a smile.

What he didn't expect was that Xiao Hua shook his head.

"It doesn't count! It definitely doesn't count! You're just a head coach, not a team manager..." Xiao Hua said to Richard very simply.

These words almost made Richard vomit blood...

Does this mean that even if you have money, you won't be able to qualify as a team owner? !

This is quite uncomfortable...

…

Richard gained something from tonight's charity event. He learned a lot of information from Xiao Hua, which was quite useful.

The next night, the Trail Blazers' home trip begins.

Xiao Ao was rested, and Ben was playing.

Before the game started, a piece of news about Green Kai and the Eagles made Richard feel a little unbelievable.

These two teams reached a deal at lightning speed!

Green Kai gave away their first-round pick for next year and the team's Fat Totuo in exchange for the Hawks' blue-collar center Mutombo!

This transaction broke out at six o'clock in the afternoon, and the entire basketball circle was excited.

Everyone feels that Lu Kai’s transaction this time may be out of their minds...

Fans and experts may still be able to accept Fat Tou Tuo's replacement for Uncle Mu. After all, both of them are top-paid players...

But Green Kai actually added their unprotected first-round pick for next year to this deal? !

What happened to Lu Kai? ! Expanded? Don’t know how much you weigh? !

In the opinion of many experts, the best plan for Lukai at the moment is to continue to mess up and try to select a reliable blue-collar insider next year!

In this case, they will rise...

But obviously Lukai's operation was beyond their expectations. In their opinion, Lukai's operation was too hasty!

Can't we wait any longer...

Green Kai obviously can't wait any longer. This wealthy team with the deepest foundation in the league has been in bad shape for several years!

The last time they made it to the playoffs was in the 1994-95 season, which was the year Richard traveled through time!

And this time they entered the playoffs, they only had the eighth record in the Eastern Conference and were out of the first round of the playoffs.

If it continues to suck, we will lose a lot of fans!

If this season fails, it is indeed a good choice, but what if next year I choose a stinky tomato and a rotten bird's egg...

Who dares to say accurately about the draft? !

Moreover, judging from the current draft predictions, there will be no decent blue-collar insiders in the next draft...

It's better to do what Richard said and make a clean trade for Mutombo and give it a try!

If you succeed, you will be a young model in the club; if you fail, you will work in the sea!

Richard also had to admire Lu Kai's courage, he was really neat and tidy...

The Hawks' Wilkens got some advantages, mainly because the Hawks are preparing to fail this season.

Since the start of the season, they have a record of 1 win and 5 losses, and they don't expect to have any success this season.

…

In Richard's view, this is a win-win deal, and neither party is losing money anyway.

It's the beginning of the season now, and Green Kai got Uncle Mu, and they can still get used to it for a whole season.

The Hawks happened to get a young Pang Toutuo and a first-round draft pick, which was very suitable for their plan to mess up.

…

Green Kai is about to rise. Of course, even if it rises, it will only take one or two seasons, because during the offseason next season, the contracts of Uncle Mu and Pierce will expire at the same time.

Pierce definitely wants a maximum-salary contract. Unless Uncle Mu reduces his salary for some reason, it will be difficult for Green Kai to keep Uncle Mu.

Even so, if Green Kai has a good record in the past two years, it won't be a loss!

…

The Trail Blazers' opponent tonight is the Phoenix Suns.

An old rival, the Suns are one of fifteen teams in the league without a West Lafayette player.

It's not that Danny Ainge doesn't want West Lafayette players. In fact, in the draft that just ended, with the ninth pick from the Mavericks, Ainge wanted to select a player from Purdue University. .

That was the ninth pick, and Purdue's Sixth Young Master was in the running, so Anji thought he would be able to pick one, right?

The result was that it made his balls ache...

Not to mention his No. 9 pick, even the sixth pick from Purdue was not selected with the No. 8 pick!

Purdue's sixth young master was directly taken away from the first seven picks...

This made Anji very uncomfortable and he could only choose Hacker Marion as planned!

Of course, Anji's choice is actually no worse than Purdue's Sixers, and Marion is a greatly underestimated player.

Apart from his ugly appearance and ugly playing style, there is nothing else that can be faulted.

…

The Suns' current record is pretty good, with a record of 4 wins and 3 losses since the start of the season.

Richard will definitely not hold back when playing against the Suns. It just so happens that Nowitzki's touch was quite good tonight. Richard directly let Nowitzki play hard. Anyway, there is a big boss protecting the inside!

Big Ben is actually more suitable for these god-making tasks than Xiao Ao.

The main reason is that this guy doesn't take up any possession of the ball. After grabbing the rebound, the first thing he thinks of is not to attack, but to pass the ball to the outside.

This also allowed the Blazers to play quite comfortably on the outside tonight...

At the end of the game, Nowitzki scored 31 points, which excited the Blazers fans!

The group of newcomers that Richard selected last season have begun to gradually show their power...

Harrington's side just exploded in three consecutive games, and Nowitzki exploded again tonight!