The rest is just noise

Chapter 1047: Shafir who can both protect and warm the heart

Hurley falling to the ninth pick with no pick is really a big upset in this draft.

He is considered a faster, more accurate version of Stockton.

But compared to Stockton, he is more like Nash with weaker shooting and stronger breakthroughs.

If he stays healthy and develops normally, his upper limit should be an All-Star level point guard.

Louis wanted to draft him, but the Knicks already had Stockton and Rauf, so there was no soil suitable for Hurley's development.

Therefore, the Knicks selected Alan Houston as planned.

Houston responded well to the lights.

Appear appropriately and speak naturally.

He said the Knicks were the greatest team in NBA history, was excited to play for Louis, and said he would learn from Miller and Wilson.

Ewing is the best center in history

He licked everyone and everything he could lick. You can say that he is a very smart young man.

"Is it true that no one wants John Salley?" Louis asked Baylor.

Baylor said helplessly: "He is indeed a very good player, but the Eden incident was a heavy blow to his reputation. No team wants a 'dime' that may reveal the whispers in the locker room to the media⑴.

"

If there is no good deal to be made, Luigi would rather give him away than keep him in the team.

Just when Louis was feeling impatient, his private plane rang.

The Knicks' draft war room is set up in Louie's president's office, and usually only people very close to him make calls here.

"Hello, who's there?"

Louis asked straight to the point.

"Coach Lu, it's me, Lewis."

The caller was Lewis Shafir, the godfather of professional basketball in Miami.

In the past few years, Shafir would call Louie a lot during the offseason.

Without Louis, the Heat wouldn't have been able to rebuild so quickly.

This year, the Heat have no draft picks.

Having just reached the Eastern Conference finals, they are very proud and optimistic about the future of the team, so they have no plans to make any big trades.

"What's the matter, Lewis?"

"Coach Lu, I heard that you are in trouble. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Louis knew that this guy would come to his door.

John Salley definitely can't stay in New York. The Knicks' game of the century against the Trail Blazers proved that he is still a player who can perform at a high level.

"It would be a favor to me if you could take that bastard John Salley away from me," Louis said.

Shafir couldn't wait to say: "This is my purpose, Coach Lu, just name it, who do you want?"

Louis originally wanted to say P-J Brown, but then he thought about it, Ewing has Yu Tiancan as a substitute, and they don't need Brown.

"Rick Mahon."

"make a deal."

Louis:???

"What's wrong, Coach Lu?"

Louis asked: "What did you say?"

"Deal, I agree." Shafir's tone seemed to be a big advantage.

John Salley and Rick Mahorn are both representatives of the Bad Boys, but Mahon is far more famous than Salley because he is the top hitter of that team.

After entering the 1990s, both Mahon and Selly passed their peak years.

However, Ma Hong's immediate combat ability is obviously stronger than Selly's.

If Mahon is exchanged for Selley, the Heat will be weakened.

"Why did you agree so simply?" Louis asked curiously.

Shafir replied matter-of-factly: "Coach Lu, when I needed your help, you helped me without hesitation. Now you just want to get rid of John Salley. Why shouldn't I help you?"

Louis could only sigh.

"Are we done with the deal, Coach Lu?"

"Deal."

This deal will completely address the negative impact of Selly.

Ma Hong is also a swingman at the fourth and fifth positions. In terms of defensive ability alone, he is above Selly.

Selly is a sweeping Spider-Man, while Mahorn is the kind of defensive warrior that Riley likes, and he was selected as a secondary defense a few years ago.

His position just fills Selly's vacancy, and his fierce playing style also meets the needs of the Knicks. It can be said that he is the perfect complement to Selly.

Shafir was of great help this time.

"Is this done?" Belle asked in surprise.

Louis glanced at Zhao Yuanzheng and said, "Go and inform him."

Zhao Yuanzheng asked: "What's John's next stop?"

"Miami."

Baylor then asked, "Who did we get back?"

"Rick Mahon."

The relationship between Shafir and Louis is evident, and both Baylor and Doug Mo are convinced.

In a situation like Selly's, it is difficult to get an equal return under normal circumstances. Because the Knicks are eager to make a move, even if he is a good player, no team will offer similar chips.

But Shafir is a kind man. He has provided better players than Selly at this stage, and his position and style meet the needs of the Knicks.

"Coach Lu, have you saved Lewis's life?" Lao Mo asked.

Louis pouted proudly, "You are right to say that."

Afterwards, Baylor called Shafir to finalize some details and included Wang Mukong in the deal.

To join Wang Mukong, the Heat need to give him something more.

Baylor tentatively asked for future draft picks.

Shafir actually readily gave him a 1998 second-round pick.

"Is he so easy to talk to?" Baylor really couldn't understand.

Louis knew that Shafir was just repaying himself, so he didn't explain much and just asked Baylor to move forward with the transaction.

The draft is underway, and the trade between the Knicks and the Heat has been completed.

The Knicks sent John Salley and Wang Mukong to the Heat in exchange for Rick Mahon and a 1998 second-round pick.

The Knicks used their first-round pick to sign combo guard Sam Cassel from Florida State University.

Then there are the destinations for some of this year’s players.

George Muresan, the top player in history, was selected by the Cavaliers with the 25th overall pick in the first round.

Then came the Cavaliers, who used the first pick of the second round to select "Crazy" Nick Van Exel from the University of Cincinnati.

The eternal backdrop, Byron Russell was drafted by the Spurs.

Then there is the draft situation of Chinese players.

This year, 8 Chinese players from Luyuan participated in the draft, and 6 of them came from the second phase of Luyuan, but unfortunately, no one was selected in the second phase. The other two players who participated in the draft were Du Shuai from the third phase of Young Eagle.

and Chu Nan. They were selected by the Clippers and Magic with the 13th and 20th picks in the second round respectively. Louis swore that this incident had nothing to do with him.

Especially Du Shuai, Louis was very worried when he saw him being selected by the Clippers. Although the Clippers are now considered the top team in the Western Conference, they have a terrible boss who may take the ball away at any time because they are unwilling to spend more money.

Team dismantling.

As for Chu Nan, Louis was happy for him.

Before he and Du Shuai came to the United States, they were the most promising kids in the third period, but their development after coming to the United States was not smooth. Especially Chu Nan, he should have become a space-based No. 5 with strong rim protection ability.

position, but was hit by the ruthless reality.

Not many coaches knew how to use the space-based fifth position. After struggling for a few years, Chu Nan had to give up his studies and participate in the draft early.

From the perspective of technical characteristics, magic is his best destination.

His shooting ability can be matched with anyone among O'Neal and Webber. It will not hinder the performance of these two giants, and he can also open up space and protect the basket.

The premise is that he has to adapt to the NBA's three-point line.

No matter what, when the new season comes, there will be five Chinese players in the NBA. This was unimaginable in Louis' previous life, and he is excited and proud of it.

In New York, the Knicks have basically realized their strategic plan.

Through this draft, we strengthened the No. 2 position, found Ainge's successor, and upgraded John Salley to Rick Mahon.

If Toni Kukoc can successfully land in the NBA and join the team, then when the new season starts, the Knicks can proudly announce that none of the 15 people on the roster will be redundant.

⑴ Before the 1990s, the cost of calling public telephones from public telephones in the United States was a dime. The "dimes" Baylor refers to are those who sell exclusive information through public telephones.