I’m Really Playing Basketball

Chen Xiao told Jerry West that if these Warriors teammates did not take the initiative to leave during the contract period, the Warriors would not trade them.

Having said that, Chen Xiao knows that some of the Warriors teammates actually want to leave.

For example...Ibaka.

Well, it's not Lopez, it's Ibaka.

Although Lopez became a rotation player of the team after Jokic came to the team, Lopez has no plans to leave for the time being. His idea is to fulfill his contract with the Warriors. He hopes to be able to play in Chen Xiao's side won more championships.

His current goal is to become one of the best role players in NBA history.

Like Robert Horry in history.

Whenever people think of the NBA's outstanding role players and championship hunters, they will think of Robert Horry.

Lopez thinks the same way.

Therefore, he is willing to sacrifice his playing time and data and give up his position to Jokic, who is more important to the team.

But Ibaka...

He is different. He is actually still young now, not yet 26 years old. He has always been a substitute in the Thunder, and he has always been a substitute in the Warriors.

It's not that he doesn't want to be the starter, but he has no choice. In the Thunder, his ability is not enough for the time being, but in the Warriors, his ability is enough, but the starter is thick eyebrows, and it is impossible for him to grab the starting position with thick eyebrows.

In this case, in this case, Ibaka hopes to pursue higher goals.

Therefore, after the championship celebration, Ibaka took the initiative to find Chen Xiao. He hoped that the team could trade him to the team he wanted to go to.

Ibaka told Chen Xiao and the Warriors that out of respect for Chen Xiao and the Warriors, he did not contact other teams in advance. Chen Xiao later asked him what requirements he had for his next team.

Ibaka said there are only two requirements, the West and a team with him as the core.

It can be seen from these two requirements that Ibaka is thoughtful about leaving.

Ibaka, who has already won the championship, now hopes to become an All-Star. Instead of going to the East, staying in the West means that he can become an All-Star, and becoming the core of the team means getting the maximum salary.

This is understandable. If he continues to play as a substitute for the Warriors for one year, his data will not be very good, which will affect the size of his next contract. At the same time, he also hopes to retain his Bird Rights through trade.

He wants both money and status.

As an NBA player, and a player from Africa, playing football is nothing more than making money to support his family. This is really understandable.

Moreover, Ibaka has been diligent and dedicated in the three seasons with the Warriors. He is very professional and hard-working. In this playoffs, he saved the team many times.

Of course, Chen Xiao is reluctant to let go of such a player.

But at the same time, he can understand Ibaka's pursuit.

Therefore, Ibaka became the first player from the Warriors to actively ask to leave the team.

After Jerry West announced the Ibaka trade information, teams throughout the NBA were restless.

Ibaka, as the popular bombshell who exploded in the playoffs last season, who wouldn't want him?

Even Ibaka's playoff victims, the Cavaliers and Spurs, want him.

In addition, Chen Xiao's former team, Bobcats Joe, also immediately found Jerry West and Chen Xiao. He wanted Ibaka.

Chen Xiao was also a little embarrassed about this. Boss Qiao must give him face. After all, when he came to the Warriors, Boss Qiao really put no obstacles in his way.

Both Warriors and Chen Xiao owe Boss Qiao's favor.

And Boss Joe doesn't want Ibaka for nothing. He is willing to exchange the Bobcats' Curry and Bennett as well as Houston's No. 8 draft pick this year.

Ibaka's current value is very high. As long as Ibaka promises to renew his contract, then Ibaka, a power forward who can run, jump and shoot three-pointers, can be replaced by the No. 1 pick in the draft.

As David West ages, the Bobcats are most in need of a power forward.

In 2013, the Bobcats used the No. 1 pick from Houston to select Bennett. After two seasons, it was basically a failure.

And Curry Jr., Chen Xiao's apprentice, has also been very embarrassed in the Bobcats in the past few seasons. Because of the rise of Kemba Walker, Curry Jr. has really become a weakling for the Bobcats.

Little Curry is Chen Xiao's apprentice and the son of Bobcats assistant coach Curry Sr. He has a very high status in the team, but no matter how high his status is, it would be embarrassing if he has no playing time and no position as the core of the tactics.

Of course, this is the Bobcats, and Curry still has a lot of room for the Warriors.

There is also Bennett. Although Bennett is probably dead, he is the No. 1 pick after all and is still young. Many teams also think that he can be salvaged, so he also has a certain trading value. If he really wants to trade, he is still young. A mid-first-round pick is no problem.

Also, the No. 8 pick of the Bobcats is also very attractive to the Warriors. The Warriors hope to get a strong second single RBI point in the team. Bill has this potential, but is it possible in the future? Becoming Kobe next to O'Neal or Rose next to Chen Xiao is yet to be determined. For the team, of course, it is impossible to put all eggs in one basket.

Especially when Bill is not sure whether he can stay in the future, the Warriors need such a backup player.

With Jerry West's vision and Chen Xiao's plug-in, the No. 8 pick will allow them to find a player with this potential to train and consider the future of the team.

If Ibaka's opinion was not taken into account, the Bobcats' transaction application would indeed be perfect.

Therefore, Chen Xiao and Jerry West allowed Boss Joe and Ibaka to have private contact, hoping that Boss Joe could convince Ibaka.

But obviously, this was not successful.

However, when your team has a consultant named Jerry West, there is never anything that is impossible in the NBA.

The Kings hoped to trade their star power forward Al Horford with Ibaka. This trade request was, of course, rejected by Jerry West at the beginning.

After all, although Horford is good, he is now 29 years old and is not as good as he is. He is naturally incomparable to a rising star like Ibaka.

Therefore, Horford's bargaining chip in exchange for Ibaka is definitely not enough, but...

Is Boss Joe interested in Horford as a bargaining chip?

Obviously, Boss Qiao is indeed interested.

The styles of Al Horford and West are very similar, they can attack and defend, and they have more support and stronger singles than David West.

Al Horford is definitely a talent that has been buried in the Kings. He actually has the ability to shine in the playoffs and on a bigger stage.

The two geniuses of his generation, Durant and Oden, have become super giants. He has not even entered the All-Stars or playoffs, which is very embarrassing.

Although Horford may not look as tough as David West, Al Horford, who has stronger support capabilities, is indeed very suitable for the Bobcats with Rose, Cousins, Jimmy Butler, and DeRozan.

Counting Kemba Walker, Thomas, Tobias Harris and other players on the bench, the Bobcats really have no shortage of terminators.

So the Kings and Bobcats are both interested in Jerry West's matchmaking.

In the end, the three parties reached a deal quickly.

The Bobcats sent Curry Jr., Bennett and the No. 8 pick from Houston to get Al Horford from the Kings.

The Kings received Ibaka and Bennett in exchange for Al Horford and Derrick Williams, whose contract is about to expire, as well as the team's top-five protected first-round pick in the next two years.

The Warriors sent Ibaka in exchange for Curry Jr. from the Bobcats, Derrick Williams from the Kings, Houston's No. 8 pick in 2015, and a future first-round pick from the Kings.

Derrick Williams, the Warriors can't use it, so they will definitely not exercise the team option, and the Kings' first-round pick.

If the Kings’ draft picks are outside the top ten in the next two years, and one of them belongs to the Warriors, and if the Kings’ draft picks are both in the top ten in the next two years, then in the third year, 2018, the Kings’ first-round pick will be There is no protection for the right, and it definitely belongs to the Warriors.

Bennett's current value and Ibaka's premium over Horford are definitely worth a lottery pick. Therefore, the Kings' pick is actually a profit for the Kings. In case, the Kings After rising, even if they can't make the playoffs, the ninth and tenth picks given to the Warriors are the 13th and 14th picks, and they still make a lot of money.

The King feels that with the agents of Evans and Ibaka, it shouldn't be difficult for the King to rise in the West.

After the Warriors, Kings and Bobcats completed this transaction, the time has actually arrived before this year's draft.

To be honest, this time is quite embarrassing for the Warriors, and there is not enough time to inspect the rookies.

However, fortunately, Jerry West's connections in the NBA are really wide.

Although the Warriors do not have reliable draft reports for lottery picks, after a few phone calls from Jerry West, all the draft reports of this year's lottery picks appeared on his desk.

And it's not the lousy public draft reports, but the very private confidential draft reports.

The Warriors are not targeting a power forward in this year's draft.

Although Ibaka has left, the Warriors' Lopez can play at the power forward position. In addition, Chen Xiao can also make a guest appearance, coupled with the presence of Gobert.

The Warriors are not short of big men right now.

What the Warriors are in urgent need of is a player with strong singles potential like Kobe, Rose, Wade, and Durant.

"Karl-Anthony Towns is all-around offensive and defensive. We already have another Anthony and we don't need this Anthony who is also all-around offensive and defensive."

"A kaleidoscope of low-post offense, Duke University's Jahlil Okafor, the draft template is Spurs center Al Jefferson. Although he has good singles potential, he does not have a dominant level in the future and does not have enough grade for future growth. "

"Super combo guards D'Angelo Russell and Mudiay, although they have strong singles potential, they consume the ball too much. What we need is a player who can consume the shot, not a player who consumes the ball. Players, we already have Jokic and God, we don’t need another player who can only attack with the ball.”

"Australia's talented guard Exum, whose draft model was Penny Hardaway, led Australia to defeat the American youth team in the 2013 World Championships, which had Parker, Randall and other American super talents. His physical fitness is extremely strong. He plays very smart and is good at drawing fouls. However, his field goal percentage is only 60% and his field goal percentage is only 40%. His offensive efficiency is extremely low. He can consume the right to take shots, but for singles players, the most important thing is His shots after dribbling, his shooting percentage is even less than 20%, and his singles skills are so bad. We are not sure whether he can bear the responsibility in higher-level NBA games without his physical advantage. Our responsibility.”

Although I already have the No. 8 pick, the 2015 draft is not a big draft year. If you want to be like the 1996 draft, you can pick anyone and be able to bear the expectations of the Warriors. This draft is different. Among the rookies in the draft, the Warriors' scouting directors discussed with Jerry West for a long time, but they were unable to find a player who met the requirements.

Let's put it this way, these players with singles ability this year may not be as good as Bill.

The Warriors have no intention of using the No. 8 pick to select a player who surpasses Bill as the second pick in the draft.

The Warriors hope to find a player not much worse than Bill.

However, these people are much worse than Bill.

Therefore, Jerry West had a bit of a headache hearing the opinions of these scouting directors.

Looking at the scouting reports in his hands, from his perspective, he certainly knew that what the scouting directors said was right.

There is no one he needs in this year's draft.

After repeatedly reading the information of these people and watching the videos of these people.

Jerry West was attracted by a young guard less than 19 years old.

Devin Booker

Birthday: October 30, 1996

School: University of Kentucky

Position: Shooting Guard

Height: 1.98 meters Weight: 93 kg

Template: Klay Thompson/Kobe Bryant

Predicted pick: 9 (Hawks)

Advantages: Devin Booker, who is only 18 years old, averaged 21 minutes per game as a substitute at the University of Kentucky this season, shooting 53% from two-point range, 41% from three-point range, and 83% from free throws. He has grams. Shooting talent like Ray Thompson.

Booker is 1.98 meters tall in shoes, but his wingspan is only 1.98 meters. His body shape is very similar to Kobe.

Like Klay Thompson, his explosive power is not outstanding, and he is not the type to play based on athletic ability. His outstanding basketball IQ and astute running without the ball are his labels.

Like Kobe, he has a textbook shooting posture, with a fast shooting speed and a soft touch. He also has the same dribbling and shooting ability as Kobe, with good footwork and balance.

Disadvantages: The hands are too short. In the NBA, there are only a handful of non-point guard players with a wingspan of less than 1.98 meters and a standing reach of less than 2.54 meters. This will make him encounter great difficulties on the defensive end.

The offense only shoots jumpers. Of Booker's 200 shots in the half-court offense this season, 178 were jumpers.

Teams with lottery picks are more likely to choose top defensive players or prolific scorers. Booker does not belong to this type. His upper limit is very strange. Maybe he can't become Thompson or Kobe. Maybe he can't become Thompson or Kobe. Perhaps a combination of Kobe and Thompson, he is full of uncertainty.

However, he is one of the youngest rookies in this class and also the best shooter. He is expected to become a stable scorer in the NBA.

"Same short hands as Kobe, and also has Klay Thompson-level three-point talent..."

Jerry West's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had seen something incredible.

On June 26, 2015, the NBA 2015 draft was held in New York.

As for Chen Xiao, he was not in New York at this time. He did not participate in this year's draft.

At this time, Chen Xiao was on vacation with Xiao Chen and the others in Los Angeles.

However, after the draft, he still knew the team's choices this year.

A shooting guard under 19 years old, Devin Booker.

Jerry West encouraged him before the draft, and he also knew that this was the Warriors' No. 1 goal.

This defender is the same as Chen Xiao's idol boss, with short hands.