Bishop of the Devil

Early the next morning, the Pistons, Suns and Cavaliers jointly held a trade press conference.

The Pistons sent Rodney White and got Gerald Wallace and Arenas.

The reporters who attended the press conference were dumbfounded. Did Richard have some special fetish for the player named Wallace...

The Trail Blazers had a double-Wallace lineup before, but now that the Pistons have just arrived, and their butts are not yet warm, they directly get another Wallace.

…

As soon as the press conference ended, Richard immediately returned to Detroit with Bob Myers.

Old Curry is still waiting for him in Detroit...

His contract expired at the end of last season, and the Blazers did not renew Curry's contract.

Other teams are not very interested in the old Curry, mainly because in the last two years, the old Curry rarely played in the Trail Blazers.

Under such circumstances, Richard extended an olive branch to the old Curry and invited him to come to the Pistons as an assistant coach. The old Curry thought about it again and again and finally agreed.

There are still three children to raise at home, so it would be nice to earn a little more...

Since then, the coaching staff under Richard has gradually been enriched.

A Bob Myers is responsible for helping Richard and handling some of the daily tasks assigned by Richard.

An old Curry is responsible for the shooting training of the players on the team...

The coaching staff has already begun to take shape. If we hire two more coaches, that will be enough.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar must be invited, and in Richard's opinion, it is not very difficult to invite Kareem Abdul-Jabbar...

At present, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is working as an assistant coach with the Clippers. If he extends an olive branch and gives him more salary, I am afraid Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be very interested in joining the Pistons.

After all, Richard is quite legendary.

Although Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a perfect career, his coaching career is not outstanding.

Last season, he joined the Clippers as an assistant coach, but he couldn't continue working for two years.

Then in 2002, he went to the USBL league to coach the Oklahoma Storm.

This USBL sounds quite high-end, but it is actually a summer league...

It was not until 2004 that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar finally got the chance to be the head coach. He joined the New York Knicks and became the head coach of this team.

But he only worked for one season, and the next year he went to the Lakers as an assistant coach.

…

Taking advantage of the fact that the new season hadn't started yet, Richard immediately called Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The purpose of this call was naturally to invite Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to join the Pistons' coaching staff.

What Richard didn't expect was that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar agreed without saying a word...

Without even asking about the salary, he directly agreed with Richard to show up in Detroit within half a month.

It's normal to think about it. Richard now has three head coaches, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar must be thinking about taking the coaching path now.

After working for Richard for two years, he might be able to become the leader of a team like Carlisle and the others.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was born in 1947, is now in his fifties, which is certainly not old, and he is still able to have a second spring in the coaching industry.

…

The joining of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar undoubtedly made Richard very happy.

Now that we have the tools and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, we are just waiting for Yao Ming to return...

…

With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joining the coaching staff, Richard no longer has to worry about assistant coaching, which is basically enough.

The next tasks are nothing more than two. The first is to quickly sell Stackhouse in the team, as well as some other high-paid and incompetent players.

The second job is to see if there are any reliable players on the free market, and then recruit them into the team to improve the team's competitiveness.

There is an undrafted Nocchioni in this year's draft, who can play at the power forward or center position.

Normally, Richard might not be interested in Noccioni, but there is nothing he can do now.

The lineup is too empty. If Nocchione is brought in and a little training is done, it can still have a good effect.

Moreover, even if it is sold in the future, it can bring some chips to Richard.

In addition to Noccioni, there are two players who are more attractive to Richard.

One is Birdman Anderson and the other is Laga Bell.

Of course these two are not stars, but they will be good puzzle pieces for the team...

Birdman Anderson is certainly no stranger to fans. He was playing in Jiangsu Nanjing Steel in 1999. According to Richard's memory, he should have returned to the United States this year, and Richard was able to recruit him.

Extremely tough defense, in Richard's opinion, playing as a substitute at the fourth position is quite practical.

As for Laga Bell, Kobe fans are probably no stranger to him. He is still a defensive powerhouse and was selected to the defensive first team.

But what really made him famous was his on-court chokehold on Kobe...

This is a choke monster.

The defense of these two people is quite good...

Laga Bell is quite accomplished in three-pointers, but his offensive abilities in other aspects are not very good. Birdman Anderson's offensive level is not as good as Laga Bell.

But if they have excellent offensive ability, it won't be Richard's turn to choose them.

Lagaber spent some time with the 76ers last season, but was not noticed by Carlisle. He is now a free agent, and Richard can easily sign him.

As for Birdman Anderson, it took a lot of effort, because Richard Deguang knew that this guy left Jiangsu Nangang, but he didn't know where he went after returning to the United States.

However, there is a way to find Anderson. Just contact Jiangsu Nangang directly. They must have Anderson's contact information on hand.

…

Richard left the job of recruiting Laga Bell directly to Bob Myers.

There is definitely no need for Richard to get involved in such a simple task. Miles can easily complete this kind of work...

If he couldn't even complete this extremely simple task, then Miles would have no value in existence.

Richard approached Dazhi and asked him to help find the contact information of Jiangsu Nangang.

"Coach, oh my God, did you finally get his idea?"

"I'm so excited. I have to say that the coach's vision is really invincible!"

As soon as he heard that Richard wanted the contact information of Jiangsu Nanjing Iron \u0026 Steel Co., Ltd., Dazhi immediately started talking happily and praised Richard with him.

Richard was a bit baffled by the praise...

How could he be invincible? He just wanted Nangang's contact information and then inquired about Anderson's whereabouts.

"What? Dazhi, what are you talking about?" Richard asked speechlessly.

"Coach? Don't you want to recruit Hu Weidong to play in the league?"

"You really found the right person. Now that the Pistons are empty in the backcourt, I think Brother Hu can definitely come in handy!"

"Brother Hu's strength is really hard to say. I played with him in the previous Olympics. In terms of strength, I'm afraid he's no worse than some NBA players!" Dazhi said to Richard like a barrage of firecrackers.

Richard was stunned for a moment before he figured out what Dazhi was talking about.

Da Zhi thought he wanted to contact Jiangsu Nangang to recruit Hu Weidong? !

Well, it’s no wonder that Dazhi misunderstood. If it were Richard, he would probably also misunderstand.

Because Hu Weidong is the star player of Jiangsu Nangang, in Dazhi's view, Richard contacted Nangang for no reason just to recruit Hu Weidong!

Moreover, Hu Weidong and the NBA are not completely unrelated.

In 1998, Nelson of the Mavericks invited Hu Weidong to a ten-day short contract, but Hu Weidong injured his knee at that time and did not make the trip.

Then in 2000, the Magic gave Hu Weidong a short contract again. This time Hu Weidong suffered a foot injury and missed the opportunity to enter the NBA.

It is now 2001. It is no wonder that Dazhi misunderstood Richard. He thought that Richard wanted to recruit Hu Weidong to play for the Pistons.

After all, the Pistons currently have no hair on the team...

The only Stackhouse was also put on the shelf by Richard. It is normal for Richard to have the idea of ​​​​domestic players.

…

Richard was dumbfounded. It seemed that what Dazhi said was not impossible.

Hu Weidong has a considerable reputation in the history of Chinese basketball. After all, he is nicknamed Chinese Jordan.

In terms of strength of the CBA backcourt players that emerged in later generations, it's not that Richard doesn't look down on them, it's that they are really not as good as Hu Weidong.

Maybe Hu Weidong is the strongest defender in the entire CBA history.

As for Liu Yudong, although he is the same height as Hu Weidong, his official position is not a defender, but a power forward...

It is not impossible to recruit such a strongest defender in Chinese history.

Richard secretly made a calculation in his mind.

Recruiting Hu Weidong should not be too difficult. Hu Weidong is already 31 years old. He is already a veteran in the CBA. Nanjing Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. considers that Hu Weidong has played for them for so many years. It is easy to let him go. .

After all, Hu Weidong has been suffering from injuries in the past two years, and his condition has declined sharply.

In the 1999-00 season, Hu was still averaging 30 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 steals per game in the CBA. By the time 2000-01, he had basically shrunk by half...

Richard thought about it and thought it was feasible.

Of course, even if Hu Weidong is really recruited, it is unlikely that Hu Weidong will become the core of the Pistons' backcourt at his current age.

First, he is really old, and second, in terms of strength, he is definitely not as good as NBA-level stars.

Richard has never lacked stars, especially backcourt stars...

Under such circumstances, it is naturally impossible for Hu Weidong to become the core of the backcourt.

The nature may be more similar to when the old Curry joined the Trail Blazers. He mainly played as a substitute in the first two years, and in the next few years was responsible for training new players and instilling some game experience in them.

Moreover, the Pistons' lineup is quite empty at the moment. Even though they got three people in the draft and are planning to get Nocchioni, Anderson and Laga Bell, their manpower is still quite insufficient.

In the Pistons' original lineup, except for the two newcomers of some value, Richard was prepared to use none of the other players.

Anyway, Richard had to gather at least thirteen players.

Who is this contract not for? Can't we give Hu Weidong a guaranteed NBA contract? !

Can give!

There is no reason not to give...

Richard didn't expect that this call would lead to such a harvest. His goal was to find Anderson, but in the end, in addition to Anderson, he also found Hu Weidong.

"Okay, Dazhi, you noticed it, why don't you ask your dad to ask. After all, they are in the same circle, so it's easy to talk to them."

"Ask Hu Weidong if he has any thoughts about joining the NBA..."

Richard said to Dazhi with a smile.

"You don't have to ask about this. I talked to Brother Hu before. He has ideas in this regard, but the main reason is that the Mavericks and Magic offered him a ten-day short contract. He doesn't want to go!"

"Even if he is not injured, he is too lazy to go. A ten-day short contract, isn't that an insult..."

"Coach, can the Pistons provide you with a guaranteed contract? If there is a guaranteed contract, Brother Hu will probably go. After all, who doesn't want to come to the NBA!"

Dazhi asked in distress.

"Don't worry, Dazhi. The guarantee contract I will definitely give you will be for four years. The specific amount will have to be considered by me, but it will definitely not be too low!"

Upon hearing this, Da Zhi thanked Richard repeatedly on behalf of Hu Weidong, and immediately hung up the phone, seemingly going to contact Hu Weidong.

He had a very good relationship with Hu Weidong during the last Sydney Olympics.

Now that his brother is going to be coached by Richard, Da Zhi is naturally very excited.

…

Richard also felt a little happy in his heart, not that Hu Weidong joining the Pistons would bring much improvement in strength.

But he was from Jiangsu in his previous life, so he naturally grew up listening to Hu Weidong's myths.

Even if there are some exaggerations in it, it does not hinder Richard's admiration for Hu Weidong.

China Jordan, just this name is enough to illustrate Hu Weidong's strength.

Moreover, even if he is really injured and unable to play, don't forget who Richard is.

He is the host bound to the system. It is not difficult to give Hu Weidong a new lease of life.

You must know that Hu Weidong is actually not very old at the moment, only 31 years old. In the NBA, he is actually still in his prime!

Even two years younger than Richard...

…

In the afternoon, Richard received an international call. He knew without thinking that it must be from Hu Weidong.

"Brother Li, haha, I heard what Dazhi said. I'm really grateful!" Hu Weidong was a typical northern Jiangsu man. He was very forthright and made the call without beating around the bush.

This call from Brother Li made Richard feel quite embarrassed.

Good guy, I have become Hu Weidong's eldest brother, and Hu Weidong has become my little brother. It is really against the law.

"Ahem, as I call you Brother Buxin here in the United States, you can just call me by my name. No, you have to call me coach from now on." Richard said with a smile.

"Well, I thought about it just now. On behalf of the team, I offered a four-year, eight-million-dollar contract. In addition, if Nangang needs a buyout fee, we can provide hundreds of thousands, and the remaining If it’s not enough, you’ll have to pay out of your own pocket!”

Richard directly informed Hu Weidong of the contract quotation he had prepared.

There is no need for negotiation between the two parties...

Eight million U.S. dollars in four years, an average of 2 million U.S. dollars a year. Speaking of giving Hu Weidong such a contract, it is definitely a bit too much. If it were another team, it would definitely not give such a contract, and it would not even be possible to give it to four teams. years of contract employment.

Didn’t you see that the Mavericks and Magic only gave them ten-day short contracts?

But in Richard's opinion, this contract is not high. Is a mere two million US dollars a year considered high? !

Moreover, now the Pistons actually have to spend more money, because after sending away many high-paid and incompetent players in the team, the Pistons' salary will hit the poverty line.

The Pistons themselves don't have a single maximum salary, and the highest is Stackhouse's five million US dollars. Now that Stackhouse has been sent away, there are also several players with annual salaries of three to four million US dollars. , it will definitely trigger the poor line.

The salary of each team cannot be too much, and it will have to pay luxury tax.

And if there is less, the same will not work, and the poor line will be triggered. The team has to take out the difference from the poor line and distribute it evenly to the players in the team...

What makes Richard most embarrassed right now is that it seems that the Pistons are still a long way from the poverty line.

The poverty line is 90% of the salary cap!

The salary cap for the coming season is approximately $42 million.

In other words, the poverty line is US$38 million. If it is lower than this number, the team will have to use money to make up the difference and distribute it equally to the players.

And now if the Pistons exclude those players with an annual salary of 3 million, let alone 38 million, they can't even make 20 million...

Therefore, in Richard's opinion, giving Hu Weidong a contract with an annual salary of 2 million is actually less. It would be more appropriate to sign a contract with an annual salary of 4 to 5 million to fill the poverty line.

But Richard also knew that if he really spent five million US dollars to sign Hu Weidong, he would be in trouble, and he would probably be sprayed to death...

…

"By the way, Weidong, your Nanjing Iron and Steel Group had a foreign aid named Chris Anderson. Do you know?" Richard thought of Anderson.

"I know, that kid just returned to China a few days ago. I have his contact information here. He is my little brother. He also gave me time to go to the United States to find him..."

"Okay, then you should come to the United States as soon as possible to report, and take that kid with you on the way. I have also prepared a guarantee contract for him!"

…

Several things were resolved smoothly, which made Richard full of confidence in the future of the Pistons!

Three days later, Miles showed up at Richard's office with Lagabelle.

Looking at the thin, baby-faced boy in front of him, Richard couldn't connect with the choke monster no matter what.

"I'm too thin. I'll train hard this offseason and try to build muscle and enhance my resistance!"

"My Richard team doesn't want a papery defensive player who gets knocked down as soon as he hits him!"

Richard frowned and ordered.

"Yes, coach! I will work hard this offseason!" Laga Bell looked excited.

He never dreamed that such good luck would happen to him!

Are you kidding, this is Richard!

There is a God-like existence among the coaches, but he actually likes me? !

Seeing that Richard was not very satisfied with his body, Lagabell immediately patted his chest and promised that he would train well this offseason!

Richard nodded and said to Powers: "Go and sign the contract first..."

"Ten million US dollars over four years, Bell, do you have any objections?"

Lagabel was confused for a moment. Do you have any opinions? ! He has too many opinions. Does this contract give too much...