Champion, please stay!

Chapter 273, Section 271: The Crazy Offseason (Part 1)

The Knicks players celebrated for a while before going with the staff to change clothes and begin the awards ceremony.

Earlier, the Knicks players and coaches were simply excited and ecstatic. But when the championship trophy was passed from Stern to Dolan, and then to D'Antoni, the mustachioed coach managed to keep his mouth shut, but tears were streaming down his face, his emotions completely written on his face, impossible to hide.

After being fired by the Suns, D'Antoni was determined to prove his coaching ability. Even after drafting Yi Shui and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in his first year with the Knicks, he had no idea when he could prove himself or achieve better results than with the Suns. He could only look forward to the free agency market in the summer of 10.

Unexpectedly, happiness came so suddenly, and it was the team that abandoned him that defeated him!
The first player to receive the trophy from the coaching staff was Ben Wallace, whose eyes welled up with tears even though he was usually very serious.

At his age, he was already at the stage where the Cavaliers would treat him like trash and let him go. He originally planned to finish his last year of a big contract in New York and then go back to Detroit to retire. He never expected to get another ring!
Although he only played two games in the Finals and didn't have much playing time, he was a key rotation player in the Eastern Conference Finals, the first round, and the regular season. He was also the core of the interior defense at one point and played a big role in winning the championship. He was not a mascot!

Hughes was also in tears. When he was traded to New York, he was mentally prepared to be cut and retire, or retire after the season. He never expected to have such a dream season, and he was still one of the core players in the championship-winning tactics!

The emotions of the two highest-paid players affected everyone on the team.

Some Knicks players, before joining the Knicks, never thought their careers would have anything to do with winning a championship. Top teams wouldn't want them, and even average teams probably wouldn't offer them guaranteed contracts. Back then, their thought was to wander around with bad teams for another year and earn money as much as they could...

As Yi Shui received the Russell Cup from Russell and faced the camera, he raised the championship trophy and the Finals MVP trophy, one in each hand, high, marking the official end of the 2009-2010 NBA season!

After settling the post-game matters, the entire Knicks team, along with all their relatives who had come to the away game, boarded Dolan's private jet and flew overnight from Phoenix to Los Angeles to have a championship-winning all-night party in another city.

Although Yi Shui's parents hadn't seen it in person, they had heard a lot of rumors and hearsay. When they arrived at Los Angeles Airport, they went straight to the hotel. Before leaving Phoenix, Yi Shui's father had already asked Yi Shui's team to book a hotel in Los Angeles.

But his dad told him to go out and have fun with the team, emphasizing the importance of safety.

At that moment, Yi Shui felt inexplicably embarrassed; she didn't know why, she just felt shy.

However, once the team arrived at Dolan’s large estate near the beach and entered that atmosphere, all the embarrassment and shyness disappeared, and music and dancing began!

...

The next day, June 20th, it was evening when Yi Shui finally woke up. She spread the legs off him and heard the other person muttering complaints.

He felt great. Apart from being hungry, he didn't feel the fatigue from playing games and partying all night, or even the hangover... He glanced at the actress next to him who was sleeping with a pillow. How could this girl dare to be a delivery rider all by herself?

However, he has a really great figure and looks that fit the Chinese aesthetic. With the lighting effects, after getting drunk last night, he was seduced by this Hollywood actress who came to crash the party.

Guilt and sympathy were out of the question in this situation. He tidied up the free, unlimited supply of automatically attached balloons, flushed the toilet, took a shower, got dressed, packed his things, and left the room. He wanted to call the boss, but a servant wandering around the manor saw him and came up to ask what he needed. The boss... probably the boss's secretary, had already made arrangements.

He followed the servant to the dining room, where people were already inside. Curry was showing off a pile of food.

Hearing the servant's voice, Curry turned around and saw that it was Yi Shui, so he quickly turned his head away.

The elementary school student moved quickly, but Yi Shui still noticed the mark on his face. He leaned over and teased, "Stephen, did you run into someone who knows how to play tricks this time?"

Curry quickly glanced around and replied, "Who ran into someone who was playing dirty? Who got humiliated! It was Ayesha. She knew I was drinking with some actresses last night, and she came here at noon, slapped me, and left... I didn't do anything this time, I was just in a bad mood and drinking."

Yi Shui asked, puzzled, "You're in a bad mood after just winning the championship? Don't you want to win the championship?"

Curry: "No! Because I won the championship, I proposed to Ayesha last night, and she rejected me. She said she is an independent woman and doesn't want to be tied down by marriage or have children, as it would affect her career."

Looking at the elementary school student who was full of flaws, Yi Shui finally couldn't hold back her words after holding back for so long: "You mean, Ayesha spends your money and uses your name to take on roles, variety shows, and advertisements, and sometimes she even takes on co-endorsements without your consent, and you still have to take time out to pay for her and pay your agent's share, but you want to get married, and she says she is an independent woman, doesn't want to be tied down by you, doesn't want to have children with you, and that it will affect her career? Ha, simp."

Curry was stunned when he heard the word 'Simp'. His father had also used that word to insult him, saying, "You're a big star in New York. Countless women want to marry you and have your babies." He even had a fight with his father about it.

Does your best friend think so too?
Curry shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. By the way, what are your plans for this summer?"

As the saying goes, it's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage. Yi Shui was just venting. He couldn't care less how much of a simp a primary school student's love life was. When the other party tried to change the subject, he replied, "After the team activities are over, I plan to rest for a few days. Next month, I'll go on commercial activities. Winning the championship will definitely make me busier. I'll report to the national team at the end of next month to prepare for the World Championships in Turkey."

Curry: "Me too. Colangelo called me at noon and I agreed to participate in the World Championships, but I still have to go through the team selection process. Maybe we'll meet in the game... But Kobe won't be participating in this World Championships, which is a real pity. I thought I could play with him. I heard he tore his finger ligaments and will have surgery in the summer."

Yi Shui: "Uh, how many of Kobe's fingers are still intact?"

Curry: "I think that's all. I saw the Lakers' X-ray of his hand before, it looked like it had been run over by a car..."

The two chatted as they finished their dinner. Yi Shui was very hungry and ate the amount she usually ate for two meals, but she still didn't eat as much as Curry.

Elementary school students naturally have large appetites, one person can eat the equivalent of three, almost like the legendary competitive eater Okafor. Last night he drank until he vomited and didn't get up until noon. He was slapped and was so angry that he didn't eat lunch. Now he is starving and has turned his grief and anger into his appetite, eating much more than usual.

After filling his stomach, Curry's mood improved considerably, and he pulled Yi Shui to his room to browse the news on his computer.

This Finals has been called the most offensively exciting Finals in over 20 years, with the Knicks averaging 122.6 points and the Suns averaging 115.6 points. The last time there was such a crazy scoring battle in a Finals was the Lakers-Celtics rivalry during the era of offensive basketball.

The Knicks, fresh off their championship win, are enjoying immense popularity in North American sports, with major media outlets showering them with praise.

Prior to this, the Knicks had only won two championships in their history, with their last title being 37 years ago.

Curry averaged 18.8 points and 5.6 assists in 5 games and was praised for his composure under pressure. He is Yi Shui's most important helper on the perimeter.
David Lee averaged 21.2 points and 9 rebounds in 5 games, dominating every Suns center and anchoring the team's inside offense when Yi Shui needed to take a lot of shots from long range.
Chandler's interior defense was very poor in this Finals, while his help defense was decent. Overall, his defensive performance was average, but he played a big role on offense, averaging 2.8 offensive rebounds and, most importantly, 14.6 points per game!
Birdman, Swift, and Gibson only had occasional standout performances, and most of the time they played poorly against DeAndre Jordan. The only player who could consistently take advantage of the assists was Chandler.

Of course, the Yi River received the most praise.

51分、36分、40分、46分、36分，他5场比赛场均41.8分，刷新了乔丹在1993年总决赛场均41分的历史纪录！还有9.4板6.4助攻1.4抢断3盖帽！

By the way, the team Jordan faced in the Finals, where he averaged 41 points per game, was also the Phoenix Suns...

However, Yi Shui was unable to break the record for the highest total score in a single round of the finals.

贝勒1962年总决赛7场比赛合计284分，场均40.6分，排在第一；乔丹93年总决赛6场比赛合计246分，场均41分，第二；里克-巴里1967年总决赛6场比赛合计245分，场均40.8分，历史第三。

However, Yi Shui had the highest shooting percentage among the players who averaged 40+ points per game in the finals, making 17 of 42 three-point attempts for a 40.4% success rate; and making 73 of 137 total shots for a 53.3% success rate.

Regarding this topic, Yi Shui saw a comment from a Cavaliers fan saying that James could average 50 points per game if he played the Suns in the Finals... He wanted to see the Decision live immediately.

While scrolling through the news, Yi Shui saw articles praising the four of them and noticed something he hadn't noticed before.

He, Curry, David Lee, and Chandler combined for 96.4 points per game in the Finals, while the team averaged 122.6 points. They relied on an 11-man rotation in the Finals, meaning the other seven players combined only averaged 26 points per game.

It's not fair to say that the other players were ineffective; they did a lot of work in defense, tactical execution, drawing defenders, and managing shot attempts.

But the scoring really relied on those four!

Yi Shui just came across an ESPN columnist who said that their championship win was just due to good luck, as they ran into the Suns, who have poor one-on-one defense, and that they definitely wouldn't have been able to beat the Lakers.

There's some truth to that. Although he's not intimidated by the Lakers, he doesn't know how difficult it will be to win a series.

Winning against the Suns was largely due to luck.

In Game 1, they dragged the game to the final moments, hitting a game-tying three-pointer to force overtime and win; in Game 2, the Suns played their average offensive performance from the previous games and secured a comfortable victory.

The Suns were in good form in Game 3, but perhaps because of their overall strength advantage, they had too many options and made the wrong choices; while the Suns had no other options, so they just went all out and crushed their opponents.

In Game 4, Yi Shui felt that the Suns were going to have to play a pivotal game on the road. The Suns made 14 of 24 three-pointers in the first three quarters. He felt like he was playing against a Magic team that had gotten hot, and a Magic team that could step up and solve problems both inside and outside. He thought there was no way to win. Unexpectedly, the Suns' shooting went completely cold in the final quarter, missing all 7 of their three-point attempts. This allowed the Knicks to mount a comeback and drag the game into the final moments for crucial shots.

In Game 5, Yi Shui truly felt that the team had the initiative. From the start to the end, they did not give the opponent any chance. Even when they were behind in the first quarter, they still had the upper hand on the field. Starting from the second quarter, they turned their advantage on the field into an actual score advantage and won the championship in one go, without giving the opponent any chance.

If the Suns' role players return to their form from the first three and a half games and win Game 5, the Knicks will likely be in serious trouble...

In this Finals, if any of him, Curry, David Lee, or Chandler had a poor performance in any game, the outcome would have been very different.

Yi Shui thought of the Western Conference Finals. His view of that Western Conference Finals was completely different from that before the start of the Grand Finals.

The Lakers were tied with the Suns at one point, and even had the upper hand in the first three quarters of the pivotal Game 5. They were able to come back from a 2-3 deficit to tie the series, which may not be because the Lakers' team strength is that great.

As the tactical core, Gasol is definitely better than Stoudemire, but his scoring ability and one-on-one ability cannot compare to Stoudemire's ability to average 25+ points per game in a long regular season.
Bynum's overall ability is certainly better than DeAndre Jordan's, but when it comes to playing against the Suns, he is not really more effective than Jordan. His strength in low-post defense is useless against the Suns, and his overall defensive performance is not as good as Chandler's.

Odom was again half-hearted.

The fact that they were able to hold on until Game 06 was truly thanks to Kobe Bryant relentlessly dominating every forward on the Suns' frontcourt from the high post, just like in the first four games of the 4 playoffs.

On the Yishui side, starting from Game 3, their offense heavily borrowed from Kobe's playing style.

Luck played a large role in winning.

Furthermore, after he and Curry spread the floor, David Lee and Chandler's scoring performance in the paint was better than Gasol, Bynum, and even Odom; both of them performed better.

It's not that these two are better than the three tall players, but rather that they are better suited for high-scoring battles. For example, in terms of speed, David Lee isn't particularly fast, but he's faster than Gasol and Bynum.

Furthermore, the Lakers were at a significant disadvantage in fast breaks against the Suns, almost to the point of non-existence. In the seven games played, only Farmar and Kobe scored more than 10 points on fast breaks.

For the Knicks, Swift alone scored 11 points in 5 games, including fast break baskets and free throws.

Their fast break success rate was lower than the Suns', but their fast break attempts were nearly 20% more numerous.

As a mature and almost perfect run-and-gun team, the Suns play fast breaks with great discipline and don't act recklessly.

They are different; they seize every opportunity to launch a quick attack, and even if there isn't an opportunity, they will still try to break through.

Sometimes, you can't be too conservative; they just keep going for 'brainless fast breaks' and managed to turn the tide twice, in Game 1 and Game 4.

If they had used their brains back then, they might not be enjoying the championship now; they might still be struggling at 2-3.

Of course, Yi Shui did not think that their victory was just due to good luck. Luck can be seen as opportunity, and they seized the opportunity, which is their skill!
...

Curry scrolled through news articles praising his performance against Nash, his frustration dissipated, and he started grinning foolishly. Yi Shui breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

This kind of love-struck mentality can easily lead to getting stuck on trivial details...

Yi Shui called his parents, who said they wanted to travel to the Greater Bay Area and meet in New York after the Knicks' championship celebrations were over.

Of course he wouldn't object. Making money is all about making life better for himself and his family, and seeing more of the world... Even though the elderly couple didn't seem to want to take him on a trip at all, they just wanted some time alone together.

After hanging up the phone, he called the agency and asked them to arrange his parents' schedule and security measures, promising to pay for it.

After a day of rest, on the 21st, the entire Knicks team boarded Dolan's private jet and flew back to New York. That night, there was another party, this time with New York celebrities and socialites invited to celebrate.

On the afternoon of the 22nd, a special celebration event for invited fans was held, with a raffle for autographed basketballs, autographed jerseys, tickets to the opening game of the next season, and more.

On the 23rd, I participated in the city hall event, and on the 24th, after several days of preparation, the champion parade began.

The number of people participating in the championship parade was even greater than when Yi Shui led UConn to victory in 08, which is rare in North American sports, especially in New York, where basketball is very popular.

Dolan is hosting a party on the 25th, and he's invited all the team members to show off...

After several busy days, Yi Shui was happy, but still felt quite tired. On the 26th, the 08 team went fishing at a manor in the suburbs of New York City.

After the commotion subsided, as the gentle breeze blew by the lake, the three of them couldn't help but feel a surge of sadness.

Curry said, "I don't know how many of my teammates who won the championship with me will be left for next season."

Upon hearing this, Yi Shui pursed her lips and hummed in agreement, exhaling a breath through her nose.

At last night's party, Walsh and D'Antoni approached him and discussed their plans for the summer.

After several days of discussion, the management and coaching staff finally decided to proceed with the free agent program as planned.

Winning the championship this season was a complete surprise; too many coincidences contributed to this dream season.

Their initial goal was simply to achieve 50 wins.

For example, the initial reason for trading back Hughes and Ben Wallace was simply to replace Jeffries and Eddie Curry's 11-year contracts with expiring contracts.

Surprisingly, Hughes, who had lost his passion for basketball with the Bulls, was revitalized with them, giving them a second player who could initiate fast breaks and ensuring the continuity of their fast-paced offense.

The combination of Ben Wallace and Yi Shui's two forwards, extending their defense and collapsing to protect the rim, gave them an average level of defense in the league. This made them more consistent in beating weaker teams during the regular season. Throughout the season, they almost never lost a game against teams that were not in playoff contention, and it also gave the management a clear target for recruitment – ​​Chandler.

The acquisition of Chandler was also quite dramatic. Okafor, who usually doesn't make headlines for a year or two, wanted to leave. For various reasons, the Bobcats had to send Okafor to the Hornets, who wanted to go there, in exchange for Chandler, who was not favored by the management and Larry Brown.

If they were to trade directly with the Hornets, a Harrington plus two low-draft first-round picks would definitely be out of the question. Harrington needs to play a high-post style of play, which the Hornets don't.

Of course, Walsh's acquisition of players like Duhon, Webster, Birdman, Swift, and Barnes to build a highly functional bench was also crucial.

But even if a miracle happens, it's still a miracle. Can they play with the same roster again next season? Even if Yi Shui is very confident in himself and has high expectations for the progress of himself, Curry, and Chandler, he still thinks it's unlikely.

Moreover, next season, many players on the team may not be able to maintain the form they had just finished this season.

Hughes and Ben Wallace are another year older, and Swift, who is 30, has already shown signs of declining athleticism. He will be 31 next season, and his condition will be even more uncertain.

Birdman, on the other hand, seems to get better with age. In the recently concluded season, although his stats weren't as high as in his first year, dropping from 6.4 points per game to 5.6, his field goal percentage soared from 51% to 58%, higher than David Lee and second only to Chandler.

In the Finals, Birdman was the only center besides David Lee and Chandler to have scored in double figures in a single game.

And then there's Barnes, a good player, but his IQ is unusually low...

Yi Shui looked at Curry and Chalmers, both of whom looked dejected at the possibility of many teammates leaving with them to win a championship, and said, "It's normal for teammates to leave. We have to get used to it. What we need to do is not to be the one who gets abandoned, not to become a bargaining chip... Stephen, yes, I'm talking to you. Work hard, so that one day you won't be sold as a bargaining chip... Hey, can't hit you, short arms..."

Seeing Curry jump up from the small stool and pounce on Yi Shui, Yi Shui skillfully pressed down on Curry's head... Chalmers marveled at his boss's impressive shot-blocking ability.

After commotion for a bit, Curry calmed down a lot and said, "Dolan told me yesterday that I'm just like you, I'm not for sale!"

Chalmers added, "Donnie and Mike also approached me and told me not to worry, that I'm part of the team's future plans."

Curry: "We'll probably break up someday, but at least for the next few years, we can stay together."

Chalmers: "That's right, we will continue to work together to create our own era!"

Yi Shui: "Ugh, Stephen, what you're saying is disgusting. Don't change your orientation just because you were hurt by Ayesha, I'm scared."

Elementary school student: "You bastard Brook, I'll fight you to the death... Aaaaaaah... Let go of my head..."

...

After a day of rest, on the 27th, Yi Shui, Curry, and Chalmers rejoined the team's work. With the draft tomorrow, and taking advantage of their home court, they organized another round of tryouts today.

Although they only have their own 30th overall pick in the first round and the Cavaliers' 54th overall pick in the second round, they can't just pick randomly.

Walsh has two plans for the offseason: one is to pursue a superstar on a max contract.

If all goes well, the remaining cap space will be around 10 million. If we can find another top-tier role player, we might only have 2 to 3 million left. The rest of the roster will have to be filled with players on minimum salaries.

So they have to make the most of the rookie bonus.

If they fail to acquire the superstar they want, the second option is to bring in a strong, prime-age player who is suited to the run-and-gun offense, continue their previous style of play, and improve their overall strength.

Even so, if the draft is done well, rookie contracts can be used to fill some positions, and other positions can be filled by recruiting players with higher salaries and better players.

New York is New York. With one late first-round and one late second-round draft pick, dozens of people came for tryouts. However, after watching for a day, Yi Shui felt that the players from the 10 draft class and later were quite poor, far inferior to the 09 draft class, which was full of ready-to-play players in the second round.

As for any notable omissions from the 10 draft, besides Jeremy Lin and Whiteside, I can't recall any others.

Just like Matthews, who went undrafted last year, he didn't even think about him until the regular season game against the Jazz. He realized he had overlooked this player. If he had remembered him then and drafted him in the second round, he wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble to trade for Webster.

However, having Webster and Danny Green developing in the G League is not bad. As for Jeremy Lin, it's uncertain whether he'll get playing time, which might hinder him.

On the 28th, Yi Shui didn't go to the stadium. Instead, he stayed home and watched the live broadcast of the talent show with his parents, who had just returned from their trip.

Although he only participated in the team's draft yesterday, watching the draft tryouts with Curry and Chalmers, he also looked at draft materials in his spare time during team activities in the previous days.

While watching the live stream together, he discovered that his dad knew more about the draft picks than he did. For example, the Kentucky Wildcats, who had five players expected to be first-round picks, a record for them. He didn't remember exactly how the Wildcats performed last season, only that they were eliminated by the California Hill Climbers in the quarterfinals.

But his dad remembered which awards Wall won in his freshman season, Wall being named to the All-American First Team and Cousins ​​to the All-American Second Team, making them one of only nine pairs of teammates in NCAA history to be named to the All-American team at the same time; and the first time in NCAA history that two freshmen from the same team were named to the All-American team together.

His father also made a side note, saying that these two players, who are so talented, were on the same team but didn't even win a college championship before dropping out to enter the NBA. He suggested that they were probably players who couldn't handle the pressure.

After listening to his father's complaints, Yi Shui silently thought to himself, "He really has a good eye for people," and "No wonder he's a Chinese teacher, he remembers things so clearly."

He also sensed that the father genuinely cared about the profession his son pursued.

His father went from treating basketball as an occasional extracurricular activity to a genuine hobby, gaining a more comprehensive understanding of it than his son, who plays in the NBA.

Yi Shui thought about it. If he had a child in the future, and it was a son who went to play football... he would probably become a football fan too.

The live broadcast of the draft started at 7 p.m. After the Green Room members entered, various interviews, and highlights of their college performances were shown, at 7:55 p.m., Stern took to the stage and delivered his opening remarks amidst boos from the audience. At 8 p.m. sharp, he opened the envelope and read out the name of the number one draft pick.

The Wizards unsurprisingly selected John Wall.

Yi Shui remembers this choice. He was more curious about who the Warriors would select next. In his memory, the original second overall pick in 10 was Evan Turner, who beat Wall to become the best junior in the United States.

But the Warriors already have Maggette, who averaged 20.8 points per game last season, so they probably won't draft Turner, who plays the same position.

Just as he was about to flip through the draft list and make a prediction, the live stream switched to the secondary stage.

The host announced that the Warriors and the Jazz have completed the trade for the second overall pick!

The Warriors traded their second overall pick, the draft rights to Ricky Rubio (who was selected last year), Anthony Tolliver, Kylana Azubuike, and Andre Biedrins to the Jazz in exchange for Deron Williams!

Yi Shui and his father were both shocked and started chattering about it. His mother stood by and played the straight man, asking some very basic questions, which the two men patiently explained... In reality, they were just showing off how knowledgeable they were.

Soon, Stern returned to the stage and announced the Jazz's selection—Derrick Favors.

Bosh's junior, a freshman player on the Georgia Tech Jacket team.

Yi Shui recalls that this player did well in the future. He was good at defense and pick-and-roll. In a weaker team, he could be the main scorer in the frontcourt. He started as a power forward, and later, in the era of small ball, he became a hot commodity at the center position.

During All-Star Weekend, Yi Shui heard that the Jazz were having internal conflicts. When they faced the Lakers in the playoffs, the Jazz showed no fighting spirit. Boozer publicly stated after the season that he would not renew his contract with the Jazz and would test the free agent market. Deron Williams also expressed his dissatisfaction with the roster, saying that other championship contenders had three or four stars.

Surprisingly, the Jazz dismantled their team before free agency even opened!
They traded Deron Williams, whom they had nurtured for six years, for Rubio, and used the draft pick they received to select a second overall power forward, directly severing ties with the "new duo" and creating a "new new duo"?
The Jazz had previously acquired the right to swap first-round picks with the Bulls, trading their 17th pick for the Bulls' 9th pick.

This year's draft predictions have been poor since the latter part of the first round, and even worse in the second round. However, the group in the green room still has great talent, and the Jazz might still be able to draft a young prodigy.

Immediately afterwards, the Kings selected DeMarcus Cousins ​​with the third overall pick.

Yi Shui thought the Kings had improved their draft picks by two and would choose someone else, but it seems they were eyeing Cousins' talent.

With the fourth pick, the Nets selected Evan Turner, one of the top prospects for the number one draft pick.

It's a very standard choice: whoever falls down gets picked.

With the 5th pick, Ekpe Udoh, the 76ers stepped into that hole.

Yi Shui didn't have a deep impression of the other lottery picks who were disappointing, but he remembered this player.

He played two years at Michigan College, then transferred to Baylor College in his junior year and didn't play for a year. In his senior season, he averaged 13 points, 9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game, which seemed like a very strong player who could contribute immediately, but he faltered when he entered the NBA.

He has outstanding athleticism but extremely low basketball IQ. He is not strong enough to play power forward. He has high shot-blocking efficiency, but he commits two fouls for every shot he blocks.

Yi Shui remembers Ekpe Udoh mainly because Udoh teamed up with Ellis on the Warriors, ganging up to isolate Curry and others, and were eventually traded to the Bucks.

The Clippers selected Al-Aminu of Wake Forest University with the 6th pick, the Pistons selected Greg Monroe of Georgetown University with the 7th pick, and the Timberwolves selected Wesley Johnson of Syracuse University with the 8th pick.

Of these three players, according to the draft data that Yi Shui obtained, Monroe was predicted to have the best talent, but the Clippers already have twin towers and have traded Kaman, so they definitely won't be drafting another center.

Aminu and Wesley Johnson had similar performances in college, with the older Wesley Johnson, who was about to turn 23, falling to the bottom.

As expected, Gordon Hayward, who will become the best video game player in the NBA, was selected by the Jazz with the 9th pick.

Rubio, Favors, and Yi Shui remembers Millsap, who will also emerge after Boozer leaves. Add Hayward, and the Jazz have enough talent. The only question is whether they can nurture so many new players.

When Stern took the 10th pick for the Raptors and walked onto the stage, Yi Shui glanced at the name he had circled in the draft profile... Sure enough, the Raptors didn't pick that one, and Stern read out Ed Davis's name.

The Thunder, who had the Hornets' 11th overall pick, selected Cole Aldridge.

The Rockets selected Patrick Patterson with the 12th pick.

Finally, when it came to the Bucks with the 13th pick, Stern called out Paul George's name.

Paul George sprinted out of the aisle, rushed onto the stage, then ran back down to take the hat and go on stage again, causing a burst of laughter from the audience, clearly overwhelmed with surprise.

When Yi Shui first started working on the team's draft, he discovered that Paul George's draft expectations were not high.

Like Curry, Paul George graduated from a low-ranked high school, outside the top 200, and no top-tier college offered him a full basketball scholarship.

He eventually joined California State University, Fresno, and played in the minor leagues. Although he displayed exceptional physical talent during his college years and was compared to McGrady and Gay, he was not selected by any team manager for the green room.

In the original timeline, Curry University had achieved good results, making the 3rd All-American quarterfinals in their sophomore year and being selected to the All-American First Team in their junior year, which led to the expectation of a top-ten draft pick.

Paul George's only advantage during his college years was his physical talent.

Originally, because the Pacers had risen to prominence and no longer had any lottery picks, Yi Shui thought Paul George would fall out of the lottery. Unexpectedly, the Bucks recognized his talent.

However, the Bucks have done a good job in the last ten years or so, whether it's the draft, trades, or free agent signings, and they've been willing to spend money to give big contracts.

In 05, the team selected "White Duncan" with the first overall pick, which is a choice that most teams would make. Last year, they used a lottery-tailed pick to select Jennings, which was already a great deal. The team didn't achieve results, purely due to bad luck.

First, a large number of role players were injured, which exhausted Reed. By the time the role players were healthy and played at a playoff level, Reed was already finished. Without Reed to raise the ceiling, the Bucks were at best on the edge of the playoffs.

Many people in Yishui didn't remember who drafted the next dozen or so picks, except for Avery Bradley from the Celtics and Eric Bledsoe from the Thunder for the Clippers.

His dad, on the other hand, gets really engrossed in watching the game. He knows about most of the players in the draft, which might affect his teaching... However, he took a month off in June to watch him play in the finals. Although it was supported by the school, I guess he's starting to move towards a management position, just like his mom.

Finally, at the 30th pick in the first round, Stern called out Landry Fields' name.

This aligns with the conclusion reached by the three brothers and the coaching staff after yesterday's trial.

Fields, a senior at Stanford University, is a true high achiever. A Los Angeles native who grew up receiving an elite education, he didn't receive a basketball scholarship but rather an academic scholarship. In his senior year, he also passed the entrance exam for Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

He has little athleticism and no shooting ability, but he has excellent passing and ball-handling skills and plays basketball with his brain.

He averaged 4 points per game in his freshman and sophomore seasons. In his junior year, the Cardinals began to rebuild, and Fields finally got the chance to start, averaging 12 points per game. In his senior year, he averaged 22 points per game... but the team's record was extremely poor, finishing at the bottom of the PAC-10 league for two consecutive years.

Averaging 20+ points per game in the NCAA Division I league certainly indicates immediate impact; he's a strong contender for the first round or early second round. However, what D'Antoni values ​​in Fields isn't his immediate impact, but rather his intelligence and personality.

A team needs villains, but it also needs good guys. D'Antoni looked around the team and couldn't find a single truly good person... Even Webster was considered a 'good guy' on their team.

Yi Shui expressed strong dissatisfaction with this statement yesterday, insisting that he is a good person, but the elementary school students all looked at him with disdain.

In the second round, the Kings picked Whiteside with the first pick.

Yi Shui preferred to draft Stephenson, but the Pacers used the 37th pick they acquired from the Pistons to select him.

Yi Shui had only seen most of the other people in the draft information and during yesterday's tryouts, and had no recollection of them at all.

Luke Harangodie, whom they planned to draft during yesterday's tryouts, was picked up by the Celtics with the 47th pick.

Finally, at the 54th pick, Stu Jackson called out Jeremy Evans' name.

This is their alternative. Advantages: 206 cm tall, exceptional running and jumping ability. That's it.

He averaged 10 points per game in his senior year, and was a pure lob-scoring forward. He was not good at physical strength, ball handling, defense, shooting, or free throws, but he was the player who best fit the run-and-gun style of play among the players who tried out yesterday.

After watching the draft live, Yi Shui was still very excited even though his team didn't get any good picks. Less than 10 days after the season ended, he was already looking forward to the new season!
...

On the morning of the 29th, Walsh and D'Antoni visited Yi Shui's home to discuss offseason plans and reach a consensus.

In fact, they had already had a very thorough exchange a few days ago, but before Yi Shui returned to China, the two still visited each other and talked again.

To be honest, Yi Shui felt quite pleased...

In the afternoon, he called all his teammates, including Danny Green and Travis Dinar, who hadn't played a single game last season, and treated them to a party. Although he left after dinner, he had his team take them to the next game to continue the party, and he paid for it. This party was probably the last time his team, which won its first championship, would be together as a whole.

That evening, he and his parents boarded a direct flight to Shanghai.

The flight took more than ten hours, plus going to the airport, waiting, getting off at the airport, transferring... By the time I arrived at my hometown, it was already dawn, just in time for my grandmother to make breakfast. Yi Shui ate three big zongzi in one go.

After being away for almost a year, Yi Shui discovered that the villa his mother had been working on in the suburbs of the county had become... even more bizarre. The original garden in the yard had been turned into a vegetable garden, and a wire fence had been built around it. This was because a half-court basketball court with a canopy had been built next to it, and the area marked on the half-court had been raised and floored!
To be honest, he was really touched. He only comes back for a few days a year, but they specially set up a court for him so that he could play ball at home whenever he wanted.

So what if the art style is a little strange? Whose hometown has such a refreshing art style anyway?

After resting for two days, Amei arrived on July 1st.

Yi Shui received news that Walsh officially announced before the start of free agency that he would not exercise the team options for David Lee and Birdman, and would also give up the Bird rights for Ben Wallace, Hughes, Swift, Travis Dinar, and others, as well as the early bird rights for Barnes and Duhon.

After the free agency period began, their team only had five rookie contracts left: himself, Curry, Chalmers, Gibson, and Danny Green; Chandler's expiring contract; Webster's near-mid-level exception contract; and two rookie contracts awaiting signing that were on virtual minimum salaries, totaling just over $32 million.

It's highly unlikely that Hughes and Ben Wallace will re-sign; anything above the minimum salary wouldn't be suitable for them, but giving a veteran who just won a championship a minimum salary wouldn't be appropriate either.

During the dinner that day, Hughes said he still planned to retire. He felt that retiring after winning a championship ring was already a perfect ending. He was no longer short of money; he had earned more money than he could ever spend in his lifetime at his lifestyle.

Ben Wallace, on the other hand, plans to return to Detroit to help his former team develop their young center.

The reason Duhon did not renew his contract was to give Chalmers more playing time.

Moreover, Du Hong, who had just won the championship, was at the peak of his value. Now that he had the championship ring, he needed to secure a big contract.

Curry spent more time at point guard in his second year, and Chalmers also started to need more playing time, leaving no room for Duhon.

Swift's contract renewal last year was essentially a one-year retirement contract. If the final roster isn't full and Swift doesn't find a job, she might sign another contract. Otherwise, she won't be renewed.

When Walsh told Yi Shui about the decision, Yi Shui did not object. He liked this shrewd and capable old second-place finisher, but he couldn't take care of him forever, and he had already helped his younger brother earn several million more.

Barnes' relationship with management had soured, making his departure inevitable.

David Lee had already received permission from management to begin contacting other teams ahead of schedule after the championship parade.

The player whose value increased the most after winning the championship is David Lee, who is reportedly being offered a long-term contract by the Timberwolves worth over $1500 million per year.

The NBA announced a new salary cap for the season that is higher than expected, reaching $5982 million. It did not decrease but increased slightly, making it an outlier among the four major leagues at a time when the subprime mortgage crisis is still having a significant impact.

According to Forbes Sports, the NBA playoffs revenue in the recently concluded 2009-2010 season surpassed that of the 08 playoffs, setting a new all-time high.

It was precisely because of this that the NBA withstood the impact of the subprime mortgage crisis on regular season ticket sales, and its total season revenue increased rather than decreased.

The Knicks have freed up nearly $200 million more in cap space than Walsh had estimated after acquiring Chandler, reaching $2700 million. This gives them more flexibility in their operations, and sometimes it can come down to just a small difference.

After the draft, the media began to hype up the free agency market.

Wade, Yao Ming, James, and Bosh all announced they would opt out of their contracts after the Finals. Stoudemire, Boozer, David Lee, Joe Johnson, Ray Allen... their contracts expired.

The media has dubbed this summer the NBA's biggest free agency year yet.

However, after the free agency period began, Yi Shui stayed at home, playing mahjong with his mother, playing basketball with his father and school teachers, and teaching English to his relatives' children. After resting for several days, he did not receive any clear news about any big-name free agents. Instead, he heard various rumors and fake news, such as the Cavaliers having reached an agreement with James to extend his contract.

July 7th arrived, the Yishui holiday ended, and it was time to start public welfare and commercial activities. Finally, a major announcement was made.

But it wasn't about anyone joining a new team or renewing a contract with their former team; it was a scandal involving the Knicks...

Dolan accidentally revealed after getting drunk at a nightclub that Pat Riley wanted to trade Wade for the number one draft pick on the day of the 2008 NBA draft.

This news caused an uproar! A South Coast version of the "Magic Johnson for Jordan" trade!
(End of this chapter)