The rest is just noise

"Coach Lu, congratulations on winning three consecutive championships. The New York Knicks are indeed the benchmark for all teams in the league. I want to learn more from you."

Lewis Shafir's words were nice, but Louis was not naive enough to lose his judgment after hearing a few nice words from him.

"Lewis, you already said these words when we won the championship." Louis asked calmly, "Are you on business?"

"Of course, Coach Lu!"

"If you want me to recommend someone to you, forget it. There are not many talents in this draft, and I am also worried about the Knicks' choice."

Although Louis enjoys the process of building the Heat remotely, Shafir would be too naive to take his help for granted and that he does not have to pay any price.

"Coach Lu, you are like a teacher in my eyes."

"Even if you say so"

"No, you are my mentor."

"hehe."

"Coach Lu, didn't we agree last time that we should maintain long-term contact? I am your most reliable partner, and you are also my most trustworthy partner."

Louis was too lazy to listen to the disgusting words this guy said.

"Let me guess, you probably want to ask if there are any good center candidates this year?"

The Heat now have Hank Gathers inside and Petrovic outside. They have excellent personnel reserves on the back and wing lines, but the center position is too weak.

Gathers may have a chance to become a Stoudemire who is energetic, defensive but with weakened athletic talent, but his heart problem is always a knife hanging over the Heat's head.

They dare not overwork Gathers, so there is no way to transform Gathers into a swingman like Danny Manning, like the Pacers next door.

"Coach Lu, you are indeed the smartest person in the world. No, you are my beacon in this world, my guiding light, the one I admire the most."

"Okay, I'm willing to help you, but, Lewis, should friends help each other?"

"Coach Lu, if you have any use for me, please feel free to ask."

"You can definitely help me."

"Let's be honest, Coach Lu, who is the one between you and me?"

His happy look made Louis very scared, because he also used this tone when he deceived others.

But this matter was brought up by him, and Shafir only had the right to agree or refuse, and there was no room for bargaining.

Thinking about it this way, he realized that Shafir was really a mudslide among many managers in professional sports.

Really, if he hadn't given him all his help, this guy would have been fired long ago based on his professionalism, right?

"I want your first-round pick this year."

As soon as Louis finished speaking, he continued: "Don't worry, I won't ask for your first-round pick in vain."

"Coach Lu, as long as the rules allow it, it's okay to give you a first-round pick for free."

"No, you should know that our connection is something the league doesn't want to see. If you do this, it would be too obvious." Louis paused, "I have thought of a way to get the best of both worlds. Our team's substitute center Sa

M Bowie will test the free market in the summer, and when the time comes, I will negotiate a price with him and send him to Miami through a sign-and-exchange deal."

Shafir said happily: "At that time, we only need to use the first-round pick to select the person you want, right?"

Wow, he is really smart.

"right."

"But, is Sam willing to come to Miami?" Shafir asked Louis, who didn't know how to answer.

He makes it seem like Miami is a place like Cleveland, Indiana, Boston, and Utah that no dog can go to.

Miami!

Do you understand Miami? It’s that Miami where the weather is warm all year round, the sun is shining brightly, and there are so many beautiful beach beauties!

"I will convince him." Louis resisted the urge to scold him.

"That's great, Coach Lu, I knew I could rely on you."

His behavior of betting his personal future on the presidents of other teams made Louis not know what to say.

"Lewis, in fact many problems can be solved through the scouting department, you don't have to go through me."

Louis felt that although this man was not a fool, he seemed to be on his own in Miami.

This shouldn't be the case. He is the first general manager in the history of the Heat. Without the remnants of his predecessor, who would isolate him?

"Hey, Coach Lu, our situation is different here. They recommended that I get Derrick Coleman through a trade. Isn't this a joke? We already have Hank Gathers!"

Louis is convinced that there is a problem within the Heat, and why there is a problem is none of his business.

It has nothing to do with him, and he shouldn't ask too many questions.

After hanging up the phone, Louis began to seriously think about this year's eighth pick.

This year's draft is very similar to 2020.

Only the top three picks in the 2020 draft are certain. Whoever gets the No. 1 pick will pick Zion, whoever gets the No. 2 pick will pick Morant, and RJ Barrett is the definite third pick.

However, starting from the fourth pick to the entire lottery area, it is full of variables.

There's no clear No. 4 pick, and no one of the remaining talent is significantly better than anyone else.

There is no such choice as "since he is the only one left, I will choose him".

The same is true this year. Coleman is the favorite for the No. 1 pick, and Frazier II, Gary Payton and "Moonlight Pistol" Chris Jackson have basically locked up the top three spots.

Not to mention Payton, Jackson's style of play reminded Louis of Stephen Curry countless times.

He can shoot three-pointers at will, hold the ball for three-pointers beyond his times, be a terrifying pick-and-roll threat, and have a sharp and smooth single-action shooting posture.

The existence of this person provides basis for supporters of the argument that "Curry couldn't play well in the 1980s and 1990s."

But after watching many of his game videos, Louis felt that he looked like Curry, but not so much like Curry.

The Curry he resembles is Stephen Curry, the sophomore shooting guard at Davidson College who set the basketball world on fire in 2008 and became the uncrowned king.

The focus is on the shooting guard.

Curry's style of play has undergone great changes in college. In 2008, Curry played one of the best individual performances in the history of March Madness, and his draft stock has also been rising steadily, although he did not end up being drafted.

The girl's story was played out to the end, but his name has been known to the basketball world. However, the world-famous Curry was not affected by fame and fortune. He chose to stay in college for his third season and transformed into a point guard in his junior season.

It created the foundation for the legend and small ball revolution he created in the NBA.

Jackson also had an unforgettable college performance, leading the NCAA with 30 points per game and 27 points per game in two seasons.

He is a Curry who has not been guided correctly.

The biggest difference with Curry is that Curry switched from the second position to the first position, while he stood at the first position and played the second position. These two different choices and playing styles also destined the two to be completely different.

ending.

I heard that he is also a fanatical religious person.

Louis has no reason to be optimistic about his future.

If he had the third overall pick this year on a team that had nothing, he would have drafted Jackson with the ambition of transforming him into a modern-day Curry.

However, the Knicks have matured.

Louis can say as confidently as Min Lulei (former BJ team coach): "Our team does not need players like Curry."

Therefore, the appearance of Jackson certainly stirred his heartstrings and gave him some impulses.

But he will eventually have to separate his beautiful wishes from reality.

He has no chance to transform Jackson, nor does he have the need to transform Jackson. This is the reality.

Skipping this year's top three favorites, Louis seems to have arrived in a primitive jungle.

DennisSottSF?

KendallGillSG?

FeltonSpenerC?

Beau Kimble(Bo KimbleSG)?

Willie Burton(WillieBurtonSF/SG)?

Zhao Yuanzheng also added a special footnote, suggesting that these people may be selected in the top nine picks and need to be focused on.

After working on it for a long time, what he just looked at are still scraps?

Louis didn't have the patience to look at them one by one, so he simply called Zhao Yuanzheng's office and asked him to come to his side to provide advice on the spot.

No matter what, nothing would be more depressing than him facing these outrageous scouting reports alone.

Zhao Yuanzheng arrived soon, and he was still in the mood to joke: "Coach Lu, have you heard that Charles Barkley is causing trouble in Chicago?"

"Don't be distracted by trivial matters like this."

What needs special attention is that this innocuous little thing was initiated by Louis.

Now, when Barkley meets reporters in Chicago, he shouts, "If it's not me, it's Klaus SB."

He also plans to go on the show to expose a series of unfulfilled promises that Klaus made to him.

We all see a lot of stars who want to be traded, but there are very few players like Barkley who can't stay for a second.

But Louis is different, he comes from a new era.

A player can discuss his own team formation, control management transactions, defect to his biggest competitor, make a decision whether to stay with the team, make a documentary to entertain the fans, single-handedly hold off wealthy clubs, dismantle other teams, and build a new team.

It is considered gentle for a super team to apply for a trade and designate a new team during the contract period.

At least, naming the next player gives the old club a clear target to negotiate with.

If it's like the quarrel between Ben Simmons and the 76ers, I'm afraid both parties will have to find someone to talk to each other about the twists and turns with the BGM of "What Do You Want From Me".

Of course, considering that Mo Laogou will be so disgusted by this that he can't sleep, it's hard not to give Brother Xi a thumbs up.

This is why Louis thinks what Barkley does is trivial.

Compared with what those talented young men did, where was this? A small scene.