Bishop of the Devil

In the past few days when the trading market has just opened, the Pirates have made various lineup changes, which has made fans from all walks of life more excited to watch and have a lot more to talk about.

Then the two powerful teams in the Eastern Conference fired their respective head coaches, which caused a lot of discussion.

Greencaps fired their head coach Doc Reeves, and Danny Ainge stepped in personally...

The Detroit Pistons fired Michael Curry, the new head coach who just took office last season, and has not yet announced a new head coach.

The Pistons' life is getting more and more difficult now. If nothing happens, they may even fall out of the top three in the Eastern Conference this season.

The departure of Billups made Yao Ming quite uncomfortable on the court. After all, without a top point guard like Billups, it would be much more difficult for Yao Ming to get the ball in the paint.

When Yao Ming had a headache, he called Richard. He wanted to hear Richard's advice on this matter.

With the current situation of the Pistons, they are not particularly eager for the championship. They just hope not to fall so early, and at least keep the top three positions in the Eastern Conference.

"Coach, are there any more reliable traditional point guards in the league now? You should also know the current situation of our Pistons." Yao Ming said painfully.

Richard nodded. He was naturally very aware of the Pistons' current situation, but when it came to reliable traditional point guards, there must still be some in the league.

Nash, Chris Paul, Rondo, De Xiaopang, Kidd and the Trail Blazers' bearded Davis are all extremely reliable top traditional point guards, but the key is that the Pistons cannot get these players.

These players all play extremely important roles in their respective teams and cannot be sold to the Pistons...

If he sells it to the Pistons, they won't be able to play ball anymore.

Therefore, the Pistons will definitely not be able to get these people, and they can only covet them. Yao Ming now comes to Richard for advice, and it must be because of this reason.

After pondering for a long time, Richard spoke.

"There is one person, although he is not as good as Paul and others, but if you give him some time, he can still perform at the All-Star level, but his defense is a bit behind."

Yao Ming was immediately pleasantly surprised. His defense was almost a close call. As long as he had offensive ability and excellent organizational skills, it was completely acceptable.

"Who? Who is it? Do we have a chance to get it?" Yao Ming asked in surprise.

"Dragic!" Richard said with a smile.

Yao Ming was startled. He must have known about Dragic, but in fact he was not very impressed. He only knew that he was the Buccaneers' third point guard last season...

Last season, Rondo was the main point guard, while Curry was the chief backup point guard and got a lot of playing time. When Rondo took a break, Curry was directly in the starting lineup.

As for Dragic, he has no chance to stand out in the Pirates. He averaged less than 8 minutes per game last season. This was even when Rondo rested many games. If Rondo did not rest, he averaged less than 8 minutes per game. The appearance time may have to be cut in half, about four minutes.

With such playing time, he is actually considered a marginal player in the NBA...

Yao Ming also didn't expect that Richard would give Dragic such a high evaluation, saying that this fringe player could play at the All-Star level? !

So how terrible is the depth of the Buccaneers' bench? Their third point guard actually has All-Star level strength...

Thinking of this, Yao Ming's eyes widened, completely shocked by the depth of the Pirates' lineup.

This is really scary. Their third point guard can reach an All-Star level with a little training. What can his Pistons do to compete with the Buccaneers for the championship? !

Yao Ming did not doubt Richard's statement at all. He was extremely convinced of Richard. Since Richard said Dragic was good, it must be good.

Seeing that Yao Ming didn't speak, Richard thought that Yao Ming didn't believe in Dragic's potential, so he continued to speak.

"Don't look at the fact that I gave Ingram to the Trail Blazers for nothing before. Ingram's potential is completely incomparable to Dragic, including Sun Yue..."

"Sun Yue, Ingram and Dragic are considered fringe players on our Pirates team, but Dragic's potential is much higher than those two..."

"Coach, I understand. In this draft, you picked up so many backcourt players. Are you planning to sell Dragic now?" Yao Ming asked with a smile.

"Yes, we do have such a plan now. If the Pistons want to strengthen the number one position, I really can't think of anyone in this league who is more suitable than Dragic."

Richard is not lying at all. The Pistons in the league today have the opportunity to get a traditional point guard who can afford the contract and has good strength and potential. There is only one Dragic, and no one else!

"Coach, what price should we pay in exchange for Dragic? We don't have any high draft picks..." Yao Ming was so itchy that Richard said that he couldn't help but ask.

According to Richard, even if Dragic is not as good as Billups, the gap will not be particularly big. If they can get it, the Pistons will definitely be able to maintain their current top three position in the Eastern Conference.

"You don't have to give me any good bargaining chips. You can just give me a second-round pick. I can accept it," Richard said with a smile.

Yao Ming was stunned, only a second-round pick? This deal is all about giving warmth!

It is true that with Dragic's performance at this time, he is actually only worth a second-round pick, and it has to be a second-round pick that is quite low...

But Yao Ming knows that this is a future All-Star player, and Richard will not lie to himself, so the Pistons will make a fortune from this deal.

"Coach, you can't do this. You have suffered too much. Let me talk to the boss..." Yao Ming was a little ashamed.

In his opinion, Richard's behavior of sending warmth was just to take care of himself, and he was embarrassed to let Richard suffer. He was going to discuss it with his boss to see if he could give him a first-round pick in exchange. Dragic.

Even if it is a first-round pick, it is actually not worth much. The Pistons' first-round picks are usually after the 25th pick. In terms of value, they are actually not as high as the top five picks in the second round.

"Dayao, don't worry, I have other conditions..."

"Dragic can give it to you, but you, the Pistons, have to agree to a condition and give Raheem a chance to coach."

"It's just one year. If you are not satisfied with Raheem's coaching performance after one year of coaching, you can completely fire him."

Yao Ming was stunned again. He didn't expect Richard to propose such a strange condition.

This is the first time I have heard of a team adding such additional conditions to the deal.

However, Yao Ming understands Richard's purpose of adding this additional condition.

Rahim is the veteran of the West Lafayette players, and Richard's purpose in doing this must also be to find a way out for Rahim.

If he can secure his position as head coach with the Pistons, Rahim will definitely go a long way as a head coach in the future.

Thinking of this, Yao Ming couldn't help but have a higher respect for Richard.

Richard treated his disciples with all his heart, and now he gave up a lot of interests in order to find a way out for Rahim.

Thinking that he had received a lot of care from Richard before, Yao Ming decided that he must help Richard get this done.

…

The Pistons have just fired new head coach Michael Curry. Although the candidate for the new head coach has not been announced yet, Yao Ming already knows that the new coach candidate has basically been determined, named John Scott.

This coach comes from the NCAA and does not have any NBA coaching experience. Even in the NCAA, he does not have a particularly outstanding coaching resume.

What is the difference between using such a coach and using Raheem as the head coach? !

Yao Ming cannot guarantee that, at least with Raheem, the team atmosphere will be quite harmonious. After all, everyone is from the West Lafayette system, so there will definitely not be any disagreements between the generals.

…

Yao Ming did not tell Richard that the Pistons had a new head coach. In his opinion, there was no need to tell Richard about it.

Even if there is a new head coach now, can't he, the star player and the league's number one center, be able to make the team change his mind? !

Generally speaking, the head coach of a team must have a certain right to make suggestions when the team chooses a head coach.

I can't say that I have the right to make the final decision, but I can at least advise the team on what kind of head coach to choose...

Because Yao Ming has a relatively modest temperament, he has never used such rights since Richard left. Regardless of whether the team invites Sanders to coach or newcomer Michael Curry, Yao Ming always obeys the team. Arrangement without any comments.

And now he feels it's time for him to say a few words...

He is fully confident about this matter. As the number one center in the league, the team must give him due respect. And the most important thing is that although Richard has left the Pistons for many years, he is still the top three player in the Pistons. The stars are all West Lafayette players.

If the leader Yao Ming, the second leader Joe, and the third leader Prince put pressure on the team, it is impossible for the team to refuse.

…

After hanging up the phone, Yao Ming did not come forward to talk to his boss about the matter first, but asked Prince to talk to Dumas about it first.

Dumas was naturally quite convinced of Richard's vision. He felt that Dragic had at least an 80% chance and was really a treasure.

But letting Raheem coach the Pistons made Dumars frown.

John is the boss's final choice for the new season's head coach, and he himself has agreed...

In the end, boss Gores has to give his nod to this matter.

What embarrassed Dumas was that Gores would rather give Richard a first-round pick than change the head coach...

Dumas doesn't know what attracted Gores to John, because in his opinion, there is not much difference between using John or Raheem.

And maybe Rahim is even better. After all, Rahim has a wide network of contacts in the league and has experience in coaching the NBA, so he is more suitable than John.

If nothing else, if Raheem is coaching the Pistons, if there really is a life-or-death crisis, can Richard just sit back and watch? !

Therefore, Dumas is inclined to use Rahim as the team's head coach in the new season.

But the boss didn't agree, so he had no choice but to tell Prince the news and ask him to contact Richard to see if Rahim's condition could be removed.

As a result, in the evening of the next day, Yao Ming and his two younger brothers came to Dumas's office, and boss Gores was also invited.

"BOSS, both of them and I feel that Rahim will be the best candidate for head coach." Yao Ming did not mince words and directly expressed the opinions of the three of them.

The tone was certainly not tough, but Gores could also hear a hint of persistence in Yao Ming's tone.

"Yao, John is a veteran coach in the NCAA and has rich coaching experience, which is not what Rahim can compare with."

"Our current goal is to win the championship. Do you think we can win the championship with Raheem as coach? He is Richard's disciple. I'm afraid everything he knows is leftover from Richard's games..." Gores frowned. He said with a frown.

Before Yao Ming could speak, singles Joe on the side spoke directly.

"BOSS, I think our current goal of winning the championship is a bit unrealistic."

"Although every team should set its season goal to win the championship, when you face a team where even the third point guard is an All-Star, having this idea of ​​competing for the championship will only hurt you. Own."

"Besides, Richard only asked for one year, which is not an excessive request."

"I think we should agree to Richard. It doesn't hurt us. It's almost like we picked up a traditional point guard at the All-Star level for nothing."

"Everyone in this room should not doubt Dragic's potential. Since Richard said so, he will definitely be an All-Star in the future."

…

The two parties talked for about half an hour, and both parties were relatively rational and did not get into a big fight. In the end, Gors could only nod helplessly.

The three leaders of the team came together, all asking for Rahim to coach the Pistons, and the bargaining chip provided by Richard was indeed good. They only needed to let Rahim coach for one year, and the conditions were not too excessive. .

In this case, Gores had no choice but to agree.

…

That night, Richard received a call from Yao Ming and the matter was settled.

Richard had a smile on his face and breathed a sigh of relief.

This matter is actually quite important to Richard.

The first is that Richard does not want to continue to waste Dragic's time. With the addition of Harden, Dragic may be a marginal player again this season.

You must know that Harden can also play point guard, and he plays pretty well...

In the new season, Curry will be the starting point guard and Harden will be the backup point guard. This is what Richard has planned for a long time.

In this case, Dragic continues to stay in the team, and Richard is wasting Dragic's time...

Secondly, Richard also wanted to find a way out for Rahim. He was the first of Richard's disciples to embark on the road of coaching, so Richard naturally wanted to help him.

Richard is very envious of Popovich's success in the future, so he is currently sparing no effort to cultivate his coaching team.

…

Once again, Richard has another goal, which is to qualify for this year's All-Star team leadership.

This year, even if Richard leads the team to the first place in the league, he is no longer qualified to lead the team. He can only rely on others to transfer his qualifications to lead the All-Star team.

Will Green Kai's new head coach Danny Ainge give it to him? impossible!

If the Pistons get a new coach who has no connection with Richard, it is unlikely that he will be given over to Richard.

This is equivalent to saying that no matter who of the two teams gets the qualification to lead the All-Star team, Richard will have no chance...

Now that Raheem is coaching the Pistons, there is at least some hope.

At the moment, Richard has seven super-giant suit parts on hand. If he can get one more part this year, it will be eight parts, and he is only one step away from putting it all together!

…

Based on these three reasons, Richard must definitely talk to the Pistons about such a deal.