The rest is just noise

Like Auerbach back then, Louis lit up his cigar not to humiliate his opponent.

If what Auerbach said was true and he smoked cigars in games where he was sure to win because he was bored, then Louis felt that this was what he should do.

This cigar is not only a memory of Auerbach, but also a return to the old times.

Starting today, the Celtics will once again be among the top contenders.

Just when Louis was thinking about it, suddenly, a person walked in front of him. He was obviously not a Celtics player, nor a Suns player, nor an on-site staff member.

This is a person who should not appear in front of Louis.

He had a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar to Louis.

Looking at him, Louis seemed to see his younger self.

Before Louis could speak, the other party said: "Hello, coach."

※※※

When Louis returned to reality from that absurd world, he still couldn't believe everything that had happened to him before.

Is it a dream?

No, that was not a dream.

That team was real, that game was real, but why didn't he remember the result of that game? But he remembered the players of the team he led.

A super-enhanced version of Ralph Sampson;

A super small forward with no solution for offense and defense—maybe an enhanced version of Benj?

A magician more powerful than a magician;

The two-meter Curry who flies in the sky and escapes from the ground is also the toughest player Louis has ever seen;

And, the swingman who looks very similar to his younger self and has the nickname "Wish"...

Although these five people have different strengths and weaknesses, no matter who comes into this world, they can write their own legend in the professional basketball world.

Louis couldn't believe that people like that existed in the world.

But, they do exist, and he did coach a team composed of these five people.

They easily defeated the Dream Team (noise version), the strongest team in history coached by Louis himself, in that different dimension that transcended time and space.

The process and results of coaching this team was a long story, but at this time Louis had forgotten most of it.

He woke up at home, the day after the finals.

For some reason, Louis felt like a long time had passed.

He couldn't remember what happened last night, he only remembered that Wu Xia was elected FMVP.

Then the hype for the Celtics, who were, after all, the only black-less team to win an NBA championship in fifty years, became feverish.

Countless interviews, countless articles, and countless praises have fallen on the Celtics.

The media wants to know how long this team can dominate the NBA.

And Louis is awake.

He would not be so naive as to think that he could hold the No Black Team for a long time now that public opinion is favorable to him.

No matter what, Wuhei is a very sensitive point.

When you know that you have this problem, if you don't correct it in time during the offseason, and if others question it again, it will be difficult to explain.

Even if the past can be evaded for a while, as long as the social atmosphere changes, all politically incorrect things will be sinful no matter how high-sounding the reasons are.

Now that the title of "the last championship coach of the black-free team" has been obtained, Louis has no nostalgia for it.

On the eve of the 2007 NBA draft, Louis sent David Lee away from the Hornets in exchange for the seventh pick.

As a result, the Celtics will have two lottery picks in the 2007 draft.

In addition to the seventh pick, they also own the Philadelphia 76ers' first-round pick.

The 76ers had a bad year this year. This was a year of overall decline for O'Neal. In addition, the attendance rate could not be guaranteed, and the team's talent was not enough. They were always in the lottery during the regular season, and finally gave the Celtics the fifth pick.

.

The fifth pick plus the seventh pick, in other big draft years, or in other more normal draft years, would be enough for Louis to select several good prospects.

But the weird thing about the 2007 draft was that there was a lot of hype before the draft, but few of them became great talents afterwards.

It is undeniable that the 2007 draft brought a large number of high-quality mid-level players to the league, but it was definitely not what people originally expected from it.

Putting aside Durant, who is destined to be the second pick, the only players worthy of lottery selection in this draft are Horford and Noah.

What Louis is interested in is Horford.

Although the partnership between Yao Yueban and Gasol is wonderful, it is impossible for the latter to maintain a light weight and play power forward for the former.

Gasol will have to gain weight sooner or later, and his playing habits are also biased toward center, which is something that cannot be changed.

Therefore, Louis needs to make plans early.

The Clippers hold this year's No. 3 pick.

The Clippers, who have selected top inside talents in several consecutive drafts, do not need to select Horford to compete with the Bodogs for the ball. What they want most is Durant, but even if the Clippers knock out Donald Sterling

, making the decision without authorization and including 50% of the Clippers shares in the deal, the Spurs may not be able to send the No. 2 pick.

You can't make progress, you can't retreat.

Louis called the Clippers and quoted the price of the fifth pick + Szczerbiak.

The two sides spent several hours and finally decided. The Celtics sent Szczerbiak, the fifth pick, and this year's second-round pick (from the Pacers) to the Clippers in exchange for the opponent's third pick.

In the subsequent 2007 draft, Greg Oden, the inside great known as a combination of Ewing and Robinson, was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Kevin McHale was pleased with the choice: "He's better than Patrick back then."

It is worth mentioning that behind the scenes, Louis strongly suggested that McHale use the No. 1 pick to trade with the Trail Blazers in exchange for Dwight Howard and four first-round picks.

However, McHale did not accept the suggestion.

He couldn't bear the criticism of trading the No. 1 pick, a deal only Louis and Shafir Lewis could do.

As long as it is a transaction made by these two people, even if there is controversy from the outside world, they will wait and see the consequences.

Because they are the only two godfathers currently in service.

Moreover, McHale couldn't see anything strange about Oden.

"We will build a great team around Greg." McHale said in an interview with ABC. "You can teach players skills, tactics, and awareness, but you can't give him a seven-foot height and let him

Running like a deer and jumping like a rabbit, Greg’s absolute genius is one of a kind!”

Seeing this, Louis decided to respect the fate of others, give up his desire to help others, and never said a word to McHale about Oden again.

Then, the Spurs selected Kevin Durant without any suspense.

Durant said something vaguely about not liking to be the second best, but on the surface, he was a sunny boy with a smile and white teeth. He was excited about playing for the Spurs because Popovich was

One of the best coaches in the NBA.

"Maybe second only to Boss Lu and Coach Donovan?" Durant finally added.

Five minutes later, the Celtics selected Al Horford with the No. 3 pick.

As for the No. 7 pick, Louis doesn't plan to draft anyone.

Before the draft started, Louis made rumors that instead of using the No. 7 pick to select a rookie, he would rather use it for a small forward who can shoot and defend.

When the New Jersey Nets made an offer for Shane Battier, they easily beat out Theo Ratliff of the Pistons, Kevin Martin of the Lakers, and Sefolosha of the 76ers.

If you want to set a perfect answer to the question "What should I exchange for the No. 7 pick in 2007?", Louis' answer is Battier.

The two parties concluded the deal.

Louis finally brought Battier, who had been in his heart for many years, back to the team.

Afterwards, the Celtics selected Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol's younger brother, with the 30th pick of the first round.

The Celtics still had a second-round pick, but since the roster was already full, Louis didn't pick another pick and directly sold it for money.

After the draft, the NBA officially enters the offseason.

A month later, critics are still enthusiastically discussing the 2007 Celtics' place in history.

Louis put down his official duties and traveled to Europe with Lorraine.

Lu Wuxia's injury touched the hearts of many Celtics fans. After the finals, he was diagnosed with a high level two sprain of his right ankle.

This incident shocked many people into a cold sweat.

Fortunately, the Celtics successfully won Game 6 of the Finals. Otherwise, if Wish had been allowed to continue with the injury, it might have resulted in an irreparable major injury.

In late July, legendary godfather Lewis Shafir officially announced his retirement.

The day before Shafir retired, he finalized the Gilbert Arenas trade.

The Heat sent Arenas to Chicago in a one-for-one trade in exchange for Paul Pierce, who was unhappy in the Windy City.

The deal was widely viewed as a loss-stopper for the Heat, who still need to address their point guard issues.

Facts have proven that Jason Williams alone cannot activate such a powerful outside firepower group. Without a good commander, no matter how many firepower points they have, they will not be able to exert their maximum power.

Until the last moment, Shafir made a good deal, worthy of his reputation as a godfather.

However, at the press conference announcing his retirement, Shafir emphatically thanked Boss Lu and said a meaningful sentence: "Without Coach Lu, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Wilson, Rodman, Ewing, Ellis...many players have said the same thing, and Shafir is not even the first NBA GM to say this.

The last NBA GM to say this was Lakers Vice President Zhao Yuanzheng.

Zhao Yuanzheng has followed Louis for many years, so he has no problem saying this.

But why did Shafir say that?

Some things remain to be revealed further.

The basketball world has become accustomed to Louis' magic, just like when a legendary writer revealed that Louis controlled Jerry West behind the scenes to acquire David Robinson and Scottie Pippen through trades in the offseason and completed the transaction instantly.

He has done the same thing countless times.

If he could have such a big influence on the Lakers when he was in the Knicks, then it doesn't seem impossible to help the Heat create a basketball godfather from a distance...

In September, Lewis Shafir was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame⑴.

Dwyane Wade made a strong comeback this summer and took the initiative to sign up for the US team to play in the US Championships.

With his strength, playing in the US Championships is naturally a dimensionality reduction blow.

Wade has shown that he is in excellent condition by killing everyone in the game.

Will he become a problem for the Celtics in the new season?

How can Wish get along with him?

Regarding this question, Wade's management team gave the answer in another way.

As Lu Wuxia and Wade enter the fifth year of their careers, their rookie contracts are coming to an end and they are ready to sign their second contracts.

The Celtics first started negotiations for Wade's early contract extension.

As a result, the contract extension negotiations did not move forward one step because Wade made it clear that he wanted to join the 2008 free market.

This statement indirectly proves that Wade has given up competing with Lu Wuxia for the top spot of the team.

Because he can't fight.

Whether it's strength or background.

Since you can't compete and you're not willing to bow your head and play small, you can only find a way out on your own.

Hearing that Wade was unwilling to renew his contract, Louis expected him to join James.

Whether Wade will choose to team up with James in this life is something Louis is very concerned about.

If Wade made the same choice as in his previous life, Lu Wuxia would definitely be touched.

After all, whether Wade is a teammate with Lu Wuxia or James, he cannot be the boss.

What does it mean to rather leave the Celtics than join forces with James? Is James better than me?

——Lu Wuxia must think so.

Before the start of the NBA preseason training camp for the 2007-08 season, Alan Houston, who was suffering from injuries, completely gave up playing and announced his retirement.

Tony Allen has resumed training and will return in the new season.

Brandon Luo Yin announced his retirement for the season in advance.

A few months ago, Luo Yin successfully underwent minimally invasive knee surgery. The attending physician declared that the operation was extremely successful, but Luo Yin still needs a long period of time to recover.

Successful surgery is only the first step, postoperative rehabilitation is also key, and the Celtics are not in a hurry.

This can be considered a blessing in disguise.

If Luo Yin does not encounter injuries, the internal competition in the Celtics' backcourt will be unprecedentedly fierce.

Lu Wuxia, Ginobili, Wade, Luo Yin.

Who starts and who comes on the bench?

Now, Louis doesn't have to choose between death and death.

There is much less pressure to choose two out of three, especially since Wade has stated that he will devote himself to next year's free market. Louis will naturally let Ginobili continue to start.

If Wade has any objections, Louis can only put him on the shelf.

He could even take the initiative to help the good brothers James and he get together in advance.

In extreme circumstances, Louis can send Wade to Cleveland, allowing him to do what he couldn't do in his previous life - I can join forces with you, even in Cleveland.

However, Wade is a sensible person, and he knows that since he has chosen to leave, he will never get the respect he received in the past.

He has no objection to the team's arrangements.

For him, playing sixth man is an opportunity to prove himself.

Even in the sixth man position, he performed better than anyone else.

Louis thought the starting battle between Ginobili and Wade was the toughest thing during training camp.

As a result, it ranked third among the "most difficult things".

The second is Gasol's weight.

Not surprisingly, Gasol gained weight scientifically under the guidance of a professional team.

In one summer, he successfully gained 12 pounds and already had the physique of a center.

As a result, it is impossible for him to return to the fourth position.

Therefore, the second problem for the Celtics is not that Louis continues to persuade Gasol to lose weight, but to persuade him to come off the bench.

Gasol couldn't accept the role of substitute, and Louis didn't force it. He asked in a calm tone that the Spaniard never expected: "It's okay not to play as a substitute. Which team do you want to go to?"

Pau Gasol firmly believes that the Louis who was so cold as if he had no personal relationship with him is not the same person as the laughing and strict Louis of the past.

The Louis who used to be at least had tenderness, but now this Louis is like a devil who ignores his self-esteem and feelings.

If you don't accept the substitute, get out of here.

This is his attitude.

He didn't even try to start Gasol and Yao Yue at half-time.

Although Gasol is a bit soft on the NBA court, he has the dignity of a big man. Louis is so nostalgic that he has no illusions about his future with the Celtics.

The two sides broke up, Gasol was about to change teams, and Bird was starting to make plans. It was best to negotiate the deal before the trade market started, and try to trade people as soon as possible to minimize the impact.

The reason why Louis is impatient with Gasol is simple. He has been prepared before and selected Horford in the draft to guard against this.

Since Gasol was determined to play the fifth position, Louis no longer forced him, or even tried to persuade him. He was determined to kick him away and straighten Horford.

Although Horford is not a superstar, he has comprehensive skills and is an ideal candidate to be the second or third leader of a strong team. He is not as patriotic as Gasol. In Louis' impression, this Dominican black man has played very few games for his country.

As a normal person, he respects those players who have a strong sense of national honor from the bottom of his heart, but as a boss and coach, he loves those players who are not patriotic, because players are the assets of the team. If they do not cultivate themselves well during the offseason,

If you also run to help the national team play games, it will not only increase the risk of injury, but also increase physical wear and tear, and you will not be able to focus on improving your personal abilities.

Although Gasol's matter is big, it is still not the most difficult problem in the training camp.

What's the toughest problem?

Lu Wuxia's agent shockingly rejected the Celtics' early contract extension talks.

However, they are not as decisive as Wade.

In the broker's words, this is not a rejection, but rather preserving flexibility for the future.

With Pau Gasol being put on the shelf, young Horford taking over, and Wade announcing that he will test the free market next year, the Celtics are in turmoil internally and have no reason to bind him early.

This reason is very convincing, but looking at the league, Lu Wuxia alone should not use this reason, because no matter how turbulent the Celtics are internally, his position will always be stable.

Because this is his dad's team.

His father is the owner and the coach. Their family controls everything about the Celtics. Now you say you are worried about the instability of the future, so you refuse to renew the contract in advance and wait and see?

Louis did not go to talk to Wu Xia about this matter.

Because a few years ago, Wu Xia said that she didn't like to be arranged.

At that time, Louis felt that this day would come.

Just like he prepared Horford for Gasol in advance, if Wuxia leaves the team next summer, then the four first-round picks he prepared in 2009 can be put to use.

With either nightclub sign or head-shaking library, the Celtics' competitiveness in the next ten years is guaranteed.

If he gets both, then unless Wu Xia teams up with James or Durant, otherwise, the Celtics' five years of experience will be like a dream to him, and when he wakes up, there won't be anything.

Moved, he will suffer a steady stream of failures just like everything Pat Riley encountered after 1982.

At the 2007 preseason training camp media conference, Lu Wuxia tactfully talked about his contract extension: "No matter how big the contract I get, all I earn in the end is my own money. This feeling is very strange, just like

Taking money from the left pocket and putting it into the right pocket, maybe I should find a way to make other people’s money.”

He seemed to be joking, but no one took his words seriously. The news that the agent refused to renew the contract in advance has not been leaked. For Celtics fans, except for the Gasol incident, everything else is very bad.

good.

Especially Wish, he looks far better than last season. Considering that he is only 23 years old and has at least 10 years left at his peak, Boston has a bright future.

⑴ Only players who are elected to the Hall of Fame have retirement requirements, so Louis should have entered the Hall of Fame long ago. This was my mistake.