warrior godfather

July 7th.Manhattan, New York.

At 5:12 in the morning, Stephen A. Smith, who was sleeping soundly, was awakened by a rapid ringtone of his mobile phone. He opened his eyes, shook his head, sat up with one right hand, and groped for the mobile phone from the bedside table with his left hand .

As a commentator, his phone is always on 24 hours a day, ready for breaking news, especially when the trading market is open.

"This is Smith..."

"Stephen, where are you? Come here quickly, James has gone to the Cavaliers, and needs to urgently produce a show!" A hurried voice came through the phone, interrupting his words.

Smith trembled all over, without any sleepiness, he pushed aside the thin quilt covering his body, turned over and got out of bed, and said loudly:

"Give me 30 minutes, no, 20 minutes, I'll be right there!"

At this moment, he was extremely grateful that he bought a luxury apartment in the city at a high price, instead of buying a villa in a high-end community farther away, which greatly shortened the distance for him to reach the ESPN New York branch.

After hanging up the phone, Smith dressed in a hurry, washed up briefly, and drove 10 minutes to the New York branch of ESPN. He met the program producers and directors who were already waiting for him, and started working immediately.

At eleven o'clock, Smith's program finally aired, and he commented on James in his usual provocative tone:
"James returned to the Cavaliers after 4 failed seasons. He became a deserter again! The Heat tried their best to keep him, but he turned around and returned to the Cavaliers after seeing that the Heat had no hope of winning the championship. Knowing whether this is 'hometown basketball' or 'group basketball', he said he would bring Cleveland a championship, but he didn't win a championship with Wade and Bosh, can he win a championship when he returns to the Cavaliers?"

"We all know where his confidence comes from. On the same day that James returned to the Cavaliers, the Cavaliers made a trade, using three first-round picks in 2016, 2018, and 2020 and some rotation players. Kevin Love formed the Big Three of James, Irving and Love, which should be the reason why James returned to the Cavaliers. Without the Big Three, I don’t think he will return to the second-to-last Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.”

"It can be seen from the composition of the Cavaliers' Big Three. James has learned the lessons of failure in the Heat. Love can shoot three-pointers. Irving is younger and will not decline as soon as Wade. There is no doubt that this is the A smart choice, but this time, I don’t think anyone thought he would dominate the league like when James went to the Heat, because there are top teams such as the Warriors, Bulls, and Thunder in the league, and even the Pacers can threaten knight."

"What James and the Cavaliers signed is a five-year maximum salary contract, the last year is a player option, which is very similar to the contract he signed with the Heat. If the Cavaliers cannot win the championship in the next four years, James will continue A deserter? I think that's something David Griffin needs to start thinking about now because he has a record..."

Smith's performance on the show was not objective at all. As a media person, he only followed the traffic. After James made a "decision", he did not win a championship with the Heat. His reputation has long been worse than before. Now After the Heat's locker room collapsed, he walked away, only to be ridiculed. Smith just said what the fans wanted to see.

Americans do not reject "traitors", they only mock the weak.

If James returns to the Cavaliers with two championships, it will be the return of the king. He is still the emperor of Cleveland, and those Cavaliers fans who hate him will immediately become his most loyal supporters.

But James didn't win anything. There were only three pieces of the best first team, which meant nothing to him and could only prove his failure.

For losers, Americans have very low tolerance.

After Smith's show was broadcast, the ratings were very high, especially the Cavaliers fans who felt betrayed by James at the beginning, agreed with his statement very much, and "warmly welcomed" James back home on social media:
"Go back to your south coast, how dare you say that you Love and Irving are your brothers? Aren't your brothers Wade and Bosh?"

Along with the news of the signing of James and the Cavaliers, as well as James’ speech in an interview, he said that Love and Irving are his brothers. He hopes to bring the two new brothers together to bring a championship to his hometown. Group ridicule.

"The traitor still has the nerve to return to Cleveland? When you left the Cavaliers, you said that you are not from Cleveland, but from Akron. Go play for Akron!"

"XXXX,XXX!XX,XXXXX!"

But just when Smith was angry at James, ESPN made another program, invited several commentators to analyze the pros and cons of James returning to the Cavaliers, and finally came to a conclusion that the Cavaliers will be the champions of the new season. Popularity, even stronger than the Bulls, has been recognized by some Cavaliers fans.

They have had enough of being at the bottom of the league. Although James failed to win the championship with the Heat, he is one of the few superstars in the league after all. Under his leadership, the Cavaliers will definitely be able to return to top strength. I don't expect to win the championship.

This is also the idea of ​​​​the Cavaliers management. After James announced his return to the Cavaliers, the owner Gilbert immediately deleted the open letter he had published after James left, and welcomed James' return. General manager David Griffin also agreed. Tweeted that James is "the hero of Cleveland, the savior of the Cavaliers, he will lead the Cavaliers back to the top."

But what people don't know is that the Cavaliers, who seem to be very enthusiastic about James, refused to give up an inch in the negotiations, forcing James to sign a five-year contract. The reason why the first-round draft pick traded Love.

The deal with the Warriors at the beginning caused the Cavaliers to lose a No. 4 pick and a No. [-] pick. Gilbert still gritted his teeth thinking about it, and would never stud Love without guarantee. No matter how reluctant James was, he could only sign The next five years of the contract just turn the last year into a player option, which is the biggest concession the Cavaliers can make.

When the signing of James and the Cavaliers was in full swing, the renewal progress of the Warriors and many players was also advancing rapidly.

On July 7, the Warriors officially announced that they had reached a five-year, $4 million maximum salary extension with restricted free agent Klay Thompson.

On July 7, the Warriors officially announced that they had reached a five-year $5 million contract extension with restricted free agent Draymond Green, of which $5 million was a bonus, which Green could only get if he met the conditions.

On July 7, the Warriors officially announced that they had reached a four-year, $6 million contract extension with Kawhi Leonard.

Larry Riley and Leonard's uncle, also his agent Dennis, reached an agreement after see-saw negotiations. Dennis no longer asked for a maximum salary, but the time was also reduced by one year.

After the completion of these three contract extensions, the three main players all stayed on the team, and the Warriors fans were greatly relieved, followed by crazy praise for Zhang Yu:

"Coach Z is magnificent! Carrying the luxury tax to renew the contract, this is determined to continue to compete for the championship!"

"The contracts of Clay and Leonard are very reasonable, and Green's is a bit high. It's too easy to get a bonus of 70 million US dollars for 100 appearances?"

"Why do you care so much? You don't pay for it. Green's defense is very important and he can pass the ball. The Warriors can't live without Green!"

Warriors fans were pleasantly surprised by Zhang Yu's arrogance, but the Warriors' contract extension is still going on.

On July 7, the Warriors officially announced that they had reached a 7-year signing contract of $4 million with the No. Contract, the last two years are team options.

On July 7, the Suns officially announced that they had reached a four-year $8 million contract extension with free agent Tyson Chandler, which also represented the Warriors parting ways with this meritorious insider.

On the same day, the Warriors congratulated Chandler on the official social media for signing with the Suns. Chandler also said at the signing ceremony with the Suns that Coach Z saved his career. He is very grateful for this experience in the Warriors.

On July 7, the Rockets formally proposed a three-year, 10 million offer contract to Parsons. The Warriors chose to match the contract and kept Parsons.

On July 7, the official signing ceremony between the Warriors, Wiggins and Dinwiddie was held at the Oracle Center.

This also means that the Warriors' summer contract renewals are all over. Chandler is obsessed with a long-term pension contract. Middleton rejected the Warriors' offer and decided to wait until next summer to discuss the contract renewal. Bazemore, who wants to renew the contract , Jamichael Green did not get a chance to renew his contract.

……

October 7, two o'clock in the afternoon.

In a conference room at the Oracle Center, Zhang Yu, Larry Riley, Wiggins, and Dinwiddie sat at a long conference table with several contracts on the table.

Larry and Riley signed their names on the positions of Party A and Party B respectively, while Zhang Yu sat aside and watched with a smile. As the boss, he didn't need to sign the contract.

After everyone exchanged the documents in their hands and signed all the contracts in duplicate, Wiggins grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth, and Dinwiddie got up immediately, smiling with Zhang Yu, La Riley shook hands, showing two very different personalities.

Afterwards, several people came to the media room and accepted media interviews.

Although Dinwiddie and Wiggins were treated exactly the same at the signing ceremony, the reporters' eyes were all focused on the No. [-] pick, and Dinwiddie was almost completely ignored.

"Andrew, can you predict your performance this season?"

"Andrew, how do you feel about joining the Warriors?"

"Andrew, will you be the starter next season..."

Faced with many questions from reporters, Wiggins was calm in the face of danger and answered without revealing anything.

Since high school, he has been the proud son of heaven, and he has been taught by his parents' precepts and deeds. He has a lot of experience in facing the media, but when he answered the question of whether he will be the starter or the substitute next season, he showed a little hesitation, and finally said that he would obey. Team arrangement.

Dinwiddie was not annoyed because he was left out, but just smiled, watching Wiggins talking, and humorously echoing a few words from time to time.

After the signing press conference, Dinwiddie and his agent left quickly. Zhang Yu was very relieved of him and just told him to train well in the summer without mentioning any specific requirements.

It was Zhang Yu who recommended Dinwiddie to Stevens at the beginning. After he entered Butler University, Zhang Yu has been paying attention to Dinwiddie's development.

After three years in the NCAA, Dinwiddie's skills are relatively mature. He is a threat to shooting, breakthrough and passing. He was reimbursed for the season and fell out of the first round.

In Zhang Yu's previous life, Dinwiddie also suffered a devastating injury. He was selected by the Pistons in the second round, but he did not shoot and his offensive efficiency was very poor. Although his organizational skills were outstanding, he was still cut after two seasons.

But under Stevens, Dinwiddie has practiced a stable three-pointer, which fits the Warriors' tactics very well and is fully capable of serving as a backup point guard.

After Dinwiddie left, Wiggins was left behind by Zhang Yu. He asked with a smile:

"Andrew, I noticed that you seemed hesitant when asked whether you would be a starter or a substitute next season. If you have any ideas, feel free to let me know."

When Wiggins heard this, he immediately shook his head and said:

"No, coach, I obey all the team's arrangements, and I accept the substitute position."

If you switch to someone else, you may still have doubts about whether Wiggins has other ideas in mind, but Zhang Yu knows that Wiggins thinks so, and he is not a very competitive player.

But then, Wiggins hesitated and said:
"I accept the position of the bench, Kawhi's performance is very good, I'm just worried that I may not be able to help the team, I watched a few games of the team's game video, I feel that the tactics are very complicated, and the requirements for shooting are very high, And my shot was average..."

"It turns out that you are worried about this issue. Don't worry, the coaching staff has already considered your technical characteristics and will arrange the most suitable tactics for you to help you quickly integrate into the team." Zhang Yu said.

Wiggins breathed a sigh of relief, and then he saw Zhang Yu take out a thin document:

"However, this also requires your own efforts... This is the training plan made by the coaching staff for you, focusing on improving your three-pointers, defense and air cutting ability. Of course, the team will not interfere with your summer training plan. Just a small suggestion, but I hope you will take a look..."

"I am willing to train according to this plan!" Before Zhang Yu finished speaking, Wiggins quickly agreed.

Who in the league doesn't know that the Warriors are best at developing young players?The training plan arranged by the Warriors coaching staff is much more reliable than the trainers hired by the players themselves, and Wiggins can't wait for this.

Zhang Yu handed the document to Wiggins, smiled with satisfaction, and began to pua Wiggins:
"Very good, come on, Andrew, you do have to serve as a substitute in a short period of time, but you are a very important member of the team in the future, even a cornerstone for ten years, the team is very careful about your training, Jimmy Kawhi and Kawhi all grew up according to this path, and played an important role in the team's way to win the championship. I hope you can also follow in their footsteps, become a top striker with both offense and defense, and help the team win more championships !"

Wiggins blushed immediately with excitement, and nodded heavily:
"Coach, I will definitely live up to your expectations!"

He has never been a very competitive person, but he longs for the feeling of being needed. Zhang Yu is a champion coach, but he relies so much on him, which makes Wiggins burst out with infinite fighting spirit.

I am the future cornerstone of the championship team. I must train well and never let the coach down!
After Wiggins left, Zhang Yu looked at Larry Riley:

"How's the talk over there with the Rockets?"

"It's been discussed."

"Very well, let's do it, time waits for no one."

That night, the Warriors announced the completion of a deal with the Rockets, trading Chandler Parsons for the Rockets' backup center Omer Asik and edge rotation Robert Covington.

Asik was the center candidate recommended by Larry Riley to Zhang Yu, and it was Zhang Yu's approval that Larry Riley promoted the deal and sent him away within the 48-hour sign-and-trade period , and also allowed the Rockets to catch Covington, making the transaction salaries of the two parties basically equal (Note).

Asik originally said that the Rockets' starting center lost his starting position after Howard's arrival, but as a blue-collar center, his strength is not bad.

Asik's movement speed is very slow, but his height of 2 meters 13 and his wingspan of 2 fans and 24 make him very intimidating at the basket, with excellent frame protection and rebounding ability.

Although he doesn't block many shots, with his height and wingspan and excellent defensive positioning awareness, Asik is good at interfering with opponents' shots. His average matchup points per 4 rounds ranks in the top 96% of the league, compared with 16%. Everyone must be excellent, and this is only the effect achieved in [-] minutes of playing time.

In addition, Asik's screen quality is very high, and he is one of the most capable centers in the league who can set up screen walls. He is very suitable to partner with Curry and Clay.

Moreover, as a European player, Asik has outstanding team awareness and coping ability. Although he does not have many assists, he moves the ball very smoothly. From time to time, he is a center who can't get the ball outside the three-second zone.

Of course, Asik's shortcomings are also outstanding. He has no scoring ability, no mid-range shooting, no low-post singles ability, slow footwork, and can't switch to small players, but the Warriors don't need him to do so. It can be said that he is very suitable. A blue-collar center for the Warriors is not enough to fill [-]% of Chandler's vacancy, and the remaining [-]% is Chandler's top frame protection, sweeping defense and inside finishing ability, but it is enough.

The Rockets were eager for a small forward who could score. Parsons, whose contract had expired, entered Mogou's sight. The two sides hit it off and reached the deal.

As for the attached Covington, Zhang Yu asked the Rockets to put it in the transaction. Mogou didn't care about Covington at all, and agreed very readily.

That is, after the playoffs, Mogou fired Silas. If Silas was still in the Rockets, based on his understanding of Zhang Yu, he would definitely not agree to put Covington in the deal.

At this point, the Warriors' transaction was also announced to be completed, and they remained silent in the subsequent trading market.

The Warriors fans are also satisfied. The team retained the core lineup, selected the No. [-] pick, and strengthened the inside line.

I wish you all a happy Chinese New Year, good health and good luck in everything. Happy New Year to all book lovers!

The qualification quotation for Parsons should be given before June 6. Due to the needs of the plot, some changes will be made, so please know.

Note: The NBA balance rule is within the range of 0-980 million, and the player's salary is equal to the player's salary x 1.5 times + 10 US dollars.