The rest is just noise

The Celtics' record was in shambles, and Louis often traveled on business with an attitude of not caring about himself.

But he couldn't find a second target besides Laimbeer. Although many scouting reports were produced, the only one he hoped the team would select was Laimbeer.

His name is somewhat famous among the management.

Now everyone knows that the Celtics have a 19-year-old scout called "The Kid."

Moreover, Clippers owner Irving Levin praised him highly.

Facts have also proved that the two players he highly recommended, John Long and Maurice Cheeks, both performed brilliantly in their rookie seasons.

In this case, Louis added some pressure.

The Celtics' internal chaos continues.

Especially Auerbach and John Y. Brown. According to media disclosures, after the team transaction occurred, Brown was the one who selected the Celtics players.

This can explain why, halfway through the season, three of the four players acquired from the Braves were traded by Auerbach.

This was his positive response to Brown.

Brown's intervention made Auerbach's job difficult, but he still tried his best to find good players for the team.

For example, Chris Ford and Rick Robey C, the third pick in the 1978 draft. This man is a white center who once appeared on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" in college. Like most of the

Like the white players who appear in Sports Illustrated, their skin color makes them overrated.

When the Pacers couldn't convince Bird to participate in the draft, they traded the first pick to the Trail Blazers' third pick in an equal manner.

There is only one reason for this puzzling operation. They really have no money, so they try their best to save money.

But from a professional perspective, this is too bad.

They essentially traded the chance of having Bird with the No. 3 pick. Then the No. 3 pick only lasted less than half a season before losing patience, so they made a deal with the Celtics to get Billy...

Knight. Knight was one of the three players acquired by the Celtics in the team-changing trade, and he was also the only player on the rise in that trade. But he left his peak in the ABA, and his style of play was also similar to that of the Celtics.

Walter is out of tune. If you replace him with a young No. 3 pick, you will definitely make money without losing money.

The Pacers exchanged the chance of acquiring Bird for Billy Knight, which is as far-reaching as the Hornets trading Kobe for Divac.

Brown is unwilling to give up the control of the team. He believes that he is a great leader like Auerbach. Isn't it a championship? His previous team also won it, although it was in the ABA.

In February 1979, during an away game between the Celtics and the Knicks, Brown had dinner with Knicks general manager Eddie Donovan and owner Sonny Wimbling.

As they drank hard liquor and discussed the team's needs and wants, it became clear that Brown was smitten with Bob McAdoo. The next morning, Auerbach's team heard the Celtics might move

News of the Bob McAdoo trade.

This news seemed to be groundless because they had never heard of it.

Auerbach personally called Brown, who assured him that this was not the case.

A day later, Auerbach learned in the morning that Brown had made the decision without authorization and traded three first-round picks to acquire McAdoo from New York.

These three first-round picks were reconstruction resources that Auerbach painstakingly traded during the season. Even McAdoo, the party involved in the transaction, complained that he could play for any city, except Boston.

In the entire history of the Boston Celtics, there has never been a player who led the league in scoring. This is contrary to the concept of the team that Auerbach came up with when he was building a championship team.

In the 5 years before McAdoo came to Boston, he not only won the scoring title three times, but also averaged 23 shots per game. In the 1975-76 season, McAdoo averaged nearly 23 shots per game during his final scoring title.

25 times. In comparison, Dave Cowens, the Celtics' leading scorer, averaged less than 17 shots per game that season, and the Boston Celtics eventually won the NBA championship.

McAdoo's game completely goes against the Celtics' tradition and philosophy of constantly running and finding open spots.

Auerbach hated trading first-round picks, which violated his bottom line, and he didn't like scoring-first players. Brown's overstepping operation drove him crazy, which made him want to give up. In fact, he really

almost left Boston.

The talented and ambitious Knicks owner Sonny Werblin seized the opportunity and gave Auerbach the most generous management contract in sports history.

It was March, and Louis had passed his driver's license test.

The news that Auerbach may be poached by the Knicks has caused a stir in the city, and the angry Bostonians finally have a chance to calm down and pay attention to the Celtics.

Obviously, no one wants Auerbach to leave.

This Jew has gained the love of the entire city.

The most exaggerated thing is that when Louis finished a stage of work and was going to relax in the bar, people kept asking him if Auerbach was really leaving.

He knew Auerbach wouldn't leave.

Just like many people's impressions, before Rick Pitino took over, Auerbach was the most powerful person in Boston's front office.

Louis also had this impression. He also knew that the Celtics achieved brilliant achievements in the 1980s, which were all related to Auerbach. How could he leave?

"I don't know, I really don't know."

Louis told the truth that he was just here for a drink, and even though he was not yet old enough, everyone believed he was 25.

The legend of "The Imp" only exists among management and scouts, and no reporter has ever reported on Louis.

Therefore, he can talk freely.

"You really don't know?" Diana, the waiter at the counter, is an avid basketball fan. She described Auerbach's possible move to New York as the result of her parents' divorce.

Louis smiled and said: "I want to tell you, but I really don't know."

A few days later, Louis submitted a scouting report to Auerbach.

The March tournament is in full swing, and Louis is on a business trip again. This time he is only responsible for observing the games of Bird's Indiana State University.

"Your scouting report this time is a bit short." Auerbach is used to Louis' long speeches.

Louis sat casually and answered: "Isn't this considering that you have been upset recently? Please shorten the length to make you less upset."

"Stop doing this!" Auerbach put down the scouting report and asked seriously: "Do you really think Bill Laimbeer is good?"

Laimbeer's reputation was ruined by college coaches, which embarrassed Auerbach.

Even if he watched Laimbeer's game and didn't find much fault, he couldn't see any bright spots.

"Even if he is not as good as I said, we only need to pay a second-round pick to get him." Louis did not intend to guarantee Laimbeer. "This price is considered to be a reasonable price compared to the price we paid for McAdoo."

Is that acceptable?"

Auerbach immediately turned black: "Are you trying to make me angry?"

"Don't you dare...am I not complaining for you?" Louis looked like he was being slandered by a traitor, "I finally saved a few first-round draft picks, and I wanted to do something big this summer.

But it was wasted by the short-sighted 'great helmsman'. If it were me, I would have walked away long ago!"

Louis said everything Auerbach wanted to hear.

But Auerbach knows that "the kid is treacherous" and he is not someone who will come to the office to flatter him.

"What else do you want?" Auerbach wanted to drive people away.

"Uh...am I going on a business trip? The game between Larry and Indiana is worth paying attention to, and maybe I can find good players from it, so I need funds..."

"Need more money?"

"Reed, you know me. I never stay in good hotels or eat too much. Every penny of my money is spent on work. You can't give me enough bullets and expect me to become a sharpshooter.

Right?" Louis smiled and handed over the blank check.

Auerbach signed his name on the funding slip angrily, and the amount was 4,000.

This is actually the amount of money K.C. Jones and his colleagues received when they went on business trips, and Louis already received this much when he was still a secondary scout.

Auerbach's importance to him is well known within the management.

He is only 19 years old, has amazing insights and a keen sense of smell, and the game plan he helped create for Sanders and Cowens during the season was quite clever.

This is a young man who has potential in scouting players, working behind the scenes, and coaching.

Very few people enter this industry at his age.

Most of the people who join the industry are business elites or retired players. They are at least 30-40 years old.

Louis is the rare exception.

He happily accepted the funding note and was about to leave when he heard Auerbach ask: "Do you know Bill Fitch?"

As a young man who grew up in Cleveland and loved basketball, not knowing Fitch was like fans in Boston not knowing Auerbach.

"I know him, but he doesn't know me." Louis said bluntly.

Before Louis became a scout, the Cavaliers were his first choice.

It's a pity that he was eliminated without even seeing Fitch's face.

For the interview that did not happen, Louis studied Fitch's personality and now tells the whole story: "He is an excellent coach, has an extremely conceited personality and self-esteem, has a strong sense of control, is able to accept new things, and the football team he governs

The team is well disciplined..."

"Tell me about the shortcomings," Auerbach said.

In fact, these advantages of Fitch are also disadvantages.

"The extremely arrogant personality and self-esteem means that it is difficult for him to realize his mistakes. His strong desire to control will cause him to conflict with the management. He is easy to accept new things and will also be disliked by traditional conservatives, who require strict discipline in the team.

"High-pressure control for a long time." Louis said sharply, "I don't think this kind of control can last long."

Hearing this, Auerbach smiled strangely.

"Lu, have you ever considered coaching in the future?"