Bishop of the Devil

If they had the 29th overall pick in their hands, if they had to choose it themselves, their goal would be to select a backcourt player, preferably a top defensive player.

Now Richard is basically sending a big gift package, so it's no wonder Adelman is unhappy.

The Kings' starting lineup last season was truly gorgeous...

Center Divac, power forward Webb, small forward Peja, guard Doug Christie, point guard Bibby.

Except for Christie, the other four are all well-known players in NBA history.

And this Christie is not a nobody, he has been selected to the All-Defensive Team several times.

With such a lineup, it’s not surprising that the Kings have outstanding records...

But the Western Conference semifinals with the Spurs made Adelman realize the problem of insufficient defense on the team's bench.

They have great players like Turkoglu on the bench, but the problem is that Turkoglu is not very good at defense.

If a defensive engineer-type small forward can be found from Richard, paired with Turkoglu, and coupled with Bobby Jackson, the Kings' bench lineup will also become more powerful.

This is why Adelman is so excited...

He felt that this was a piece of pie in the sky!

In fact, this is indeed pie in the sky. The candidate given by Richard is none other than Matt Barnes.

Richard is definitely not very fond of the player Barnes.

The main reason is that he has no special features. Although he can do everything, he is not outstanding at anything...

There is a basket, but the stability of the basket is not high. There is defense, but the defensive effect is definitely not as good as Gerrard and Laga Bell.

Therefore, Richard was not very interested in Matt Barnes, so he simply gave it to Adelman.

But Richard doesn't like it, which doesn't mean that Barnes is not easy to use. If he plays as a substitute, Barnes is actually quite easy to use.

At least for the Kings, they really made money this time.

…

The deal with the king was almost finalized, and Richard felt settled.

The 29th overall pick in the first round was definitely used to get Boozer.

As for Prince, the other favorite, Richard is still thinking of a way...

Although Prince's draft pick will not be too high, Richard does not dare to take risks. He must still search as high as possible to see if he can find a team with the fifteenth pick.

If he gets a 20th overall pick, but Prince is cut off, then Richard will really have no place to cry.

Because if Prince is intercepted, the only one Richard can select with the 20th overall pick is Scola.

Right now the Pistons are not short of inside players...

Yao Ming, Boozer, Clark, Okur and Birdman Anderson, the five inside players are absolutely enough.

It doesn't make much sense to choose Scola again.

Besides, if Scola enters the league, there will be many problems, and Richard will not bother to bother with it.

Tinkering with Yao Ming has already made Richard dizzy...

Of course, in addition to Scola, Gazulic, the second-round pick, is also pretty good. Of course, it can only be considered good.

But this is also an insider, and a pure blue-collar insider, and Richard is not very interested either.

…

Richard first targeted the Rockets for trading.

The Rockets have two first-round picks this year, one is the third pick in the first round, and the other is the 15th pick in the first round.

The first-round pick with the fifteenth pick is in their inventory, and Richard is now eyeing their first-round pick with the fifteenth pick.

The Rockets' Tang Shuai had no interaction with Richard, but when faced with Richard's trade application, Tang Shuai patiently answered Richard's call.

Richard wanted to exchange the Rockets' 15th pick in the first round for Corris Williams, the team's old Pistons player.

In the season that just ended, Corliss was fattened by Richard.

Last season, the 2000-01 season, before Richard joined the Pistons, Corris averaged 15.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.

In the season coached by Richard, Corliss's statistics have increased a bit, reaching 17.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals. There is really nothing wrong with the statistics.

He did quite well on both offense and defense as well as in rebounding.

Corliss's strength was already pretty good. From Richard's point of view, he could just stay and use it for himself.

For a player with such statistics, the Rockets would really not lose money if they exchanged it for the 15th overall pick, and even made a lot of money.

But Corliss only has the last two years left on his contract, which makes Tang Shuai a little confused...

He also knew that this transaction was not a loss, but he knew better that Richard might make a bigger profit from this transaction.

Richard is so anxious to get a first-round pick, his purpose is self-evident, he must have a player he likes.

Maybe this selection is to select an All-Star player, using the Rockets' 15th pick in the first round to select an All-Star.

…

"Rudy, my old buddy, actually you should know better than me that this deal is more beneficial to the Rockets!" Richard said to Tang Shuai warmly, almost calling him "Lao Tie".

Tang Shuai was speechless for a long time. How could he become Richard's old buddy?

"Li, let me think about this again. After all, I'm just the head coach of the team. I can't make the decision on this matter by myself!"

After that, Tang Shuai was about to hang up the phone.

Richard looked at this posture and spoke immediately.

"Old man, wait until I finish. If this deal is concluded, I will give you a super insider!" In order to facilitate the deal, Richard spent a lot of money.

The super insider he is talking about is naturally none other than someone else. The two people who can be called super insiders in this draft are actually Yao Ming and Stoudemire.

Yao Ming couldn't give it, even if he did, the Rockets wouldn't be able to get it...

Then it can only be Stoudemire.

Maybe some fans have some misunderstandings about Stoudemire, thinking that Stoudemire relied on Nash to grow up.

In fact, this view is biased and obliterates Stoudemire's own strength.

Stoudemire is not the kind of inside player who has to make a living. His athletic ability and impact ability are quite strong. Just relying on this strong physical fitness, he will never do too badly.

Besides, when Stoudemire won the Rookie of the Year award in 2002, he hadn't even gotten along with Nash yet...

Next season, the Suns have Marbury, Marion, Penny Hardaway and isolation Joe on their roster.

They are all players who need to consume the ball...

Even in this case, Stoudemire could still get 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds.

Domestic fans may be a little dissatisfied with Stoudemire winning this year's Rookie of the Year, but it doesn't matter. Stoudemire's overall performance is really a little better than Yao Ming.

Of course, it's just a trace, not a whole lot.

Before Nash joined the Suns, Stoudemire was averaging 20 points per game.

Later, Nash came to the Suns, and Stoudemire's data soared to 26 points...

It seems that he has a lot to do with Nash, but in fact the relationship is not particularly big. You must know that Stoudemire later went to the Knicks and also scored 25+ in his first season.

In terms of offensive level, to be honest, Stoudemire's offensive level is no worse than Yao Ming.

Of course, now that Richard is coaching Yao Ming and letting Stoudemire win the Rookie of the Year, it will definitely not happen.

It is even impossible to compare the two together, because Yao Ming's current starting point is destined to be much higher than Stoudemire...

Maybe the object of comparison in Yao Ming's rookie season is not Stoudemire of the same generation, but those super insiders who have become famous, such as O'Neal and Duncan.

…

Now Richard is taking out Stoudemire, preparing to use it as an invisible bargaining chip in a deal with the Rockets. It is definitely impossible to say that there is no idea of ​​​​compensating the Rockets.

Richard won the No. 1 pick this year, which was actually a robbery of the Rockets.

Of course, the Rockets definitely don't know about this. They are actually quite satisfied with getting the third overall pick.

Now it's time to make a deal with the Rockets, and then reveal Stoudemire to the Rockets and let the Rockets take it down...

It can be regarded as making up for the loss of the Rockets.

To say that Richard was so kind-hearted that he went to send warmth to the Rockets, but that's not the case...

The main reason is that Richard feels that Stoudemire is a threat. What if he is selected by the Suns again? What if Nash joins the Suns after leaving the Pistons...

Now let's move Stoudemire to the Rockets first. These super strong teams can be separated one by one to avoid causing trouble for themselves in the future.

…

Upon hearing Richard's words, Tang Shuai suddenly became interested.

How could they not be interested? Since their big dream left, they have been dreaming of getting a super center to rebuild.

Tang Shuai is a very traditional coach. If he is asked to build a team with Francis as the absolute core cornerstone, he will definitely not be happy.

Although Francis is almost enjoying the treatment of a cornerstone at the moment, this is only because the Rockets do not have a reliable inside cornerstone.

Once there is a reliable inside cornerstone, Francis' status in the team will immediately decline.

…

"Are you serious? Li?" Tang Shuai asked with shock in his tone.

Because if this is true, the Rockets are getting a big deal.

Although Tang Shuai didn't have much interaction with Richard, he was quite convinced of Richard's talent selection ability.

In fact, no one would doubt Richard's ability to see people. This is something Richard has proven over the past eight years.

"Of course it's true, an inside player who has at least 25+ points in his peak period!" Richard said very confidently.

Tang Shuai was shocked, and the hand holding the phone was already trembling a little.

An insider with at least 25+ scoring performance? What a terrifying offensive power this is.

"Li, if there is such a strong inside player, why don't you want it?" Tang Shuai was a little doubtful...

Would Richard be so kind as to give such a powerful insider to him?

If you want to say that the relationship between the two is deep, it is understandable...

But the problem now is that he and Richard really have no friendship. Now that Richard takes the initiative to send warmth, he has some doubts in his heart.

"Because we already have Yao Ming, we already have enough inside players. If we have more players, we won't be able to cultivate them!"

…

After the two hung up the phone, Tang Shuai couldn't calm down for a long time.

He felt that this risk could be taken.

To be precise, it's not really a risk. The Rockets exchange a 15th overall pick for Corris, which is a bit of a profit in itself, and now Richard can provide such news.

Even if this news is false, the Rockets will not lose...

If this news is true, it just so happens that the Rockets still have a lottery pick in their hands. If they get the insider mentioned by Richard, the Rockets are expected to rise!

…

After negotiating a deal with the Rockets, Richard was relieved. All the picks he needed to prepare for the next draft were ready.

The Pistons had their own No. 1 pick, the 15th pick from the Rockets, and the 29th pick from the Kings.

With three first-round picks, Richard is going to make a big splash this year. With Yao Ming, Boozer and Prince, it will definitely be a bumper draft!