Chapter 115 Steve Nash?

"Su, are you sure we were just talking about the Phoenix Suns'... Steve Nash?"

"Yes, Coach."

"..."

Honestly, if it weren't for his deep impression of Nash's defense, Davis felt he almost would've been fooled by Su Feng's nonsense.

In Su Feng's description, the person he was talking about wasn't Nash at all, at least, not in Davis's mind...

This was clearly a

Just look at Shaq's early career. As fearsome as the Shark was in the regular season, his team always faltered in the playoffs.

That's another reason Su Feng didn't want the Raptors to give up on Carter because of him.

With Duncan and Shaq as the two major bosses in the East and West, instead of trying to strengthen the paint, why not go the other way and use speed to dominate?

This lineup wasn't just about being fast.

It was a team that could use talent to break through the restrictions of the hC rules.

In Su Feng's previous life, even the hC rules couldn't stop Carter's dunks.

Combined with his scoring ability, Nash's playmaking, and the depth of the bench with McGrady coming off the bench...

To be honest, before this lineup broke up, they could at least contend with the Lakers, the Celtics, and Jordan, whose future was uncertain.

It was just that this kind of dream lineup could only be realized under various coincidences.

Su Feng knew that in his future career, it would be difficult to replicate such a dream lineup.

Besides...

You might not believe it, but if you didn't look at this lineup with the eyes of a time-traveler, many people would think that Su Feng was going to have a hard time...

...

After a long sales pitch...

Su Feng finally convinced Davis.

Especially at the end of their conversation, Su Feng amused Davis with the line, "Coach, I've played against Jordan before."

Davis really wanted to say to Su Feng at the time:

'Kid, can you not show off in front of me?

I was the coach who beat the Bulls with you last year!'

But Davis, who could talk about anything with Su Feng, didn't expose his bragging.

Because right now, the Raptors indeed had one more asset than Davis thought they needed.

History's shifting trajectory led the train to Toronto this time.

In Su Feng's previous life, the Raptors, Trail Blazers, and Celtics would have completed a three-way trade before the trade deadline in the 97/98 season.

But this time, due to various reasons, the three-way trade didn't happen.

Under Auerbach, Dee Brown was being a good boy in Boston because there was no Billups to stir things up with him.

And under Popovich's strict guidance, Billups was also growing up quite well. Therefore, in this life, that famous three-way trade became a one-on-one trade.

The Raptors didn't want to end up with nothing on Damon Stoudamire, and the Trail Blazers, eager to change, offered a relatively sincere trade package.

After friendly consultations, the two teams agreed that the Raptors would receive former All-Star guard Kenny Anderson, Gary Trent, Alvin Williams, and a 1999 first-round pick from the Trail Blazers.

And the latter would get "Mighty Mouse", Walt Williams, and Carlos Rogers.

In Su Feng's previous life, the Raptors didn't want to take on Kenny Anderson because they were hoping to scratch a lottery ticket like Billups.

But as the saying goes, times change.

Compared to "Mighty Mouse" leaving as soon as his contract expired, the Raptors' front office felt that stopping the bleeding was the key.

So...

Since Kenny Anderson wasn't what the Raptors wanted, why not talk to Phoenix?

Just like Su Feng had fooled Davis, it took Davis several hours to get Grunwald on board.

"Buddy, haven't you always wanted a local market?

Steve is Canadian. I think the fans in Toronto would love to see him play for a Canadian team."

Without a doubt, Davis's words were the final straw that broke Grunwald's back.

Because...

It seemed like that made sense.

Since they were scratching lottery tickets anyway, why not scratch a Nash?

But...

After communicating with Phoenix, NBA general managers still liked to treat new teams like idiots.

As the head decision-maker in Phoenix, Danny Ainge directly stated after receiving the Raptors' inquiry that Steve Nash was a valuable asset to Phoenix and not for sale.

In other words, Ainge meant that the Raptors' offer wasn't enough. They needed to add more.

In Su Feng's previous life, Nash was originally going to be traded to the Mavericks next season, and based on the trade package the Mavericks gave at the time, it was impossible for it to be greater than Kenny Anderson's.

After all, Nash at this time...

Besides chewing on his socks after games, what else could he do?

In the 97/98 season, as Kidd's backup, Nash averaged "9+3".

During the regular season, Ainge had tried to let Kidd and Nash play together as a dual point guard lineup.

But Nash's terrible defense, which you could break through even if you sent an assistant coach out there, made Ainge completely give up on this bold idea.

In addition, with Kidd gradually focusing and performing better, Ainge didn't want to keep Nash anymore.

As it turned out, there was a sucker who wanted to buy Nash, and Ainge felt that now was the time to rob them.

It's worth mentioning that after Ainge repeatedly rejected Grunwald's offer, Grunwald, who "didn't understand basketball," became deeply convinced of Nash's strength...

Under Ainge's "persuasion" and after consulting with John Davis...

Just like that, the Raptors got "robbed."

The Suns and Raptors agreed to make the trade at the draft.

At that time, the Suns would send out Nash and Mark Bryant, and the Raptors would send out Kenny Anderson and the first-round pick they got from the Trail Blazers in the "Mighty Mouse" trade.

If you didn't look at this trade with the eyes of a time-traveler, the Suns would definitely make a huge profit.

Because they not only got a former All-Star guard, but they also cleared out Mark Bryant's "bad" contract and got a 1999 first-round pick from the Trail Blazers.

But when Su Feng learned about this trade, he really wanted to say:

Ainge is really a "good guy."

First of all, Kenny Anderson, whether in terms of strength, potential, or style, was not as suitable for the Raptors as Nash.

Secondly, Mark Bryant's "bad" contract, after this CBA negotiation, was only a small contract of more than 2 million. How could it be bad?

Finally, if nothing went wrong, according to his memory, Paul Allen would increase his spending on the Trail Blazers next season, and once the Trail Blazers rose, how much would that Trail Blazers' first-round pick be worth?

In comparison, even if Nash's contract expired next year, as long as the Raptors were willing to give him a decent contract, how difficult would it be to keep Nash?

In Su Feng's previous life, under Nelson's leadership, Nash only got a contract worth less than three skins a year after his rookie contract expired.

In Toronto, Nash's stats might be better, but with Nash's defense, before he reached his full potential and became the "Sun King," Nash's salary would not only not be a burden to the Raptors, but would also become an important guarantee for Su Feng's "Toronto Five-Year Plan."

Su Feng would definitely not do anything to help capitalists exploit their own people, but...

With Nash's "defensive handicap" in his early years, if the Raptors didn't have a bunch of swingmen, who would dare to take him on except for that madman, Nelson?

In short, counting the last year of his rookie contract, in Su Feng's five-year plan in Toronto, no matter how you looked at it, as long as Ainge was willing to trade Nash, the Raptors would definitely make a profit.

Because in the future, when these people reached their peak, the world would definitely marvel at how buggy the Raptors were back then...

...

"You mean, Ben... wants to come to Toronto with you?"

That day, in addition to discussing the Raptors' tactics for next season with Davis, Su Feng also specifically mentioned Ben's matter to Davis in order to get rid of Ben's "unbreakable seven-day lock" as soon as possible.

And what could Davis do besides applaud a loyal and righteous knight like Ben?

Of course, according to the current CBA negotiation prospects, Davis and Su Feng had the same idea: even if the Raptors wanted to sign Ben, they would have to wait until the CBA negotiation was over.

However, Davis assured Su Feng that if Ben was willing to join the Raptors, the Raptors would offer him a contract of about two or three skins a year at the very least.

That was about what Su Feng had expected.

After all, after the CBA negotiation, a contract worth tens of millions would be the maximum.

The salary cap in the 90s was not the same as in the future. In Su Feng's previous life, Ben would have to wait until 2000 to get a six-year contract worth 34 million in Motor City.

Therefore, if Ben could get a big contract in advance, Su Feng felt that he would not have let him down.

"Ben, can you let go of me now? I need to take a shower."

After hanging up the phone with Davis, Su Feng looked at Ben, who was hugging him, in despair.

Wasn't it the case that normal time-traveling protagonists always had beautiful women on their left and right?

He didn't know why, but maybe it was because he had been looking at Ben and Kobe for too long. Now, even when Su Feng looked at a game controller, he felt that it was quite attractive...

"Hehe, the Raptors are really willing to give me that much money?"

After listening to Su Feng's words, a wretched smile appeared on Ben's ferocious face.

At that moment, coupled with him licking his lips, it was terrifying.

Su Feng: "..."

...

Appointing "Kobe and McGrady" to be his Pippens, secretly influencing Davis to trade for his "sock brother" Nash, and securing Ben's future...

These days, Su Feng felt like he was living the life of a "time-traveler."

"Ah, no... I seem to be a time-traveler."

To be honest, Su Feng was becoming more and more excited about the Toronto Five-Year Plan.

After all, if this lineup wasn't in reality, but in a game, you wouldn't be able to put these people on the same team at all.

So, where was 2K's setting reasonable?

Did those 2K designers even understand basketball?

Of course...

Leaving Brown's clutches was certainly a happy event, but these days, after learning from Pat Krause that Iverson had communicated with the team's management at least seven times, how could Su Feng not be sad?

Su Feng wasn't a saint, but he, who had become "partners in crime" with Iverson in this life, was saddened when he learned that Iverson had even said, "If the 76ers are choosing to trade Su Feng because of the upcoming hard salary cap, then Iverson is willing to take less money than Su Feng."

"Su... the draft is tomorrow."

On the 22nd, the night before the draft, Pat Krause made one last phone call with Su Feng.

"Yeah..." Su Feng sighed and replied.

"I know that no amount of persuasion will change your mind.

But I still sincerely hope that you can reconsider...

As Berlinburg said, Larry is indeed a great head coach. As long as you are willing to make changes, then..."

Unfortunately, Su Feng didn't let Krause finish his sentence.

Because, sadness aside, Su Feng knew very well that unless the 76ers were willing to pay the "price" to keep him, he and the 76ers were destined to break up.

And what was obvious was that even if Pat Krause valued feelings, he couldn't pay the "price" to keep Su Feng.

Su Feng and Krause were both smart people.

Therefore, after Su Feng expressed his wishes, Krause didn't continue to dwell on the matter with Su Feng.

...

On June 23, the 1998 NBA draft was held in Vancouver.

Unlike the hustle and bustle of previous drafts, this year's draft had low viewership due to the uncertainty of a possible lockout next season.

In addition, similar to the 09 generation, the 98 generation was also labeled as being of average quality by the scouts at this time.

But for Su Feng, who knew the future, he knew that the overall quality of the 1998 draft was very high. Among the high-ranking rookies, except for the Clippers, whose performance was as normal as always, most of the players became All-Stars in the future.

In Philadelphia, Su Feng watched this year's draft at home with Ben and Kobe.

Since learning that Su Feng was going to be traded to the Raptors, Kobe, who had originally planned to use the Western Conference Finals to taunt him, had even taken the initiative to take on the task of washing the dishes after dinner in the past two days.

However, while washing the dishes, Kobe would always show a wretched smile.

Well...

Yeah!

It wasn't that Kobe was gloating over Su Feng's misfortune of being sent to the boonies. He was simply excited about playing against the Raptors next season.

Just imagine, when he plays against the Raptors next season, should the great Lakers starter, the All-Star starter, Kobe, go up against that silver-haired Su Feng or that bronze-skinned McGrady?

Just thinking about this scene made Kobe feel restless.

Well, Su Feng didn't know what Kobe was thinking.

Otherwise, when the Raptors added Carter, Su Feng would have already imagined the scene of Kobe wondering which of the Su-Carter-McGrady trio he should pick.

At the scene in Vancouver, Stern received more and more boos when he went on stage because of the CBA negotiations.

Fans were hoping to put pressure on the league in various ways. After all, for fans who had gotten used to watching NBA games, they didn't want a lockout to actually happen.

After a few opening remarks, Stern's practiced smile made people marvel...

The President, he was the President.

In Su Feng's previous life, "Jokes" would be more or less embarrassed when facing the boos, which had become a tradition.

But if you had actually watched the live broadcast of the draft, you would feel that Stern's smile at the draft was the smile of a...

Heartless tool.

With the first overall pick, the Clippers' performance was as steady as Li Changshou.

If there were 10 answers to a multiple-choice question, and 9 of them were correct, then the one who could pick the only wrong answer out of those 9...

Was definitely Baylor.

Michael Olowokandi from Nigeria, whose archetype was "Hakeem Olajuwon," excitedly stepped onto the main stage with a Clippers hat on.

Similar to his predecessor's experience, Olowokandi had not been playing basketball for long, but he had picked it up very quickly.

In his junior year, he led his team to sweep the entire Pacific Division, averaging "20+10."

Elgin Baylor was simply the most legendary general manager in the NBA, because even though he had made countless mistakes in his life, he had always sat steadily in the position of team general manager.

The difference between Olowokandi and Olajuwon was more than just the former's name having one more word than the latter's.

People only paid attention to Olajuwon's figure, but they forgot that he had a flexibility, coordination, speed, and explosiveness that did not match his figure.

In addition, Olajuwon also had a very soft touch.

You had to know that in his prime, the secret weapon that Olajuwon used to dominate the league was never the "Dream Shake," but his all-round attack that could be near or far, fast or slow.

When Shaq faced off against Olajuwon in his prime, Shaq couldn't defend Olajuwon because the old fox would always lure him out of the paint to duel.

But Olowokandi's touch was as stiff as could be.

The seven-footer often failed to make easy layups under the basket in his career.

And the most ridiculous thing was that he, who had a career mid-range two-point percentage of less than 30% and a long-range two-point percentage of less than 20%, said in an interview in the future:

"Actually, I'm a shooter."

Alright...

The Clippers had wasted another first overall pick.

Next, with the second overall pick, the Grizzlies selected Mike Bibby, who had played with Su Feng in the McDonald's All-American Game.

Bibby, nicknamed "White Devil," was strong, but the Grizzlies' choice was also a mine-laying choice.

Because in the future, if they could select Francis again, Francis would definitely refuse to report to Vancouver.

With the third overall pick, the Nuggets selected Raef LaFrentz from Hampton.

A chubby, somewhat cute-looking white big man.

LaFrentz had a soft touch, especially his left-handed three-pointer, which was hard to defend against.

In Su Feng's opinion, his characteristics and positioning were what Wang Zhizhi should learn from.

Before his major injury, LaFrentz had signed a contract worth tens of millions and had played in the NBA for many years.

In Su Feng's previous life, the swollen Wang Zhizhi at this time failed to see the gap between him and Nowitzki, but in reality, not to mention Nowitzki, even LaFrentz was a height that Wang Zhizhi would find difficult to reach even after giving his all.

"Su, what pick do you think your countryman, Wang, will be selected with?" In Philadelphia, Kobe, sitting on the sofa, curiously looked at Su Feng and asked.

Su Feng spread his hands. If nothing went wrong, Su Feng estimated that Wang Zhizhi would be selected by the Mavericks in the second round.

After all, only the madman, Nelson, could do something like cultivating two major defensive black holes, Nowitzki and Wang Zhizhi, at the same time.

However...

Just when Su Feng was waiting patiently for his Pippen to arrive on the battlefield, the Lakers' front-line combat team at the scene in Vancouver suddenly received a call from the Logo man.

In the call, the Logo man only made two requests to the Lakers.

The first request was that the Lakers' first pick in the second round this year would choose Rashard Lewis, the talented high school student from Louisiana, as originally planned.

The second request was that the Lakers' front-line combat team would spend money to buy the Bulls' fourth pick in the second round, which happened to be ahead of the Dallas Mavericks' pick this year.

"Use this pick to select Wang... Zhi... Zhi, the power forward from China."

In the call, Jerry West said to the Lakers' front-line combat team word by word.

...

Since regrettably missing out on Su Feng, the Logo man, after a painful reflection, set his sights on Lewis this year.

Lewis, who was 208 centimeters tall, was also a capable swingman.

Lewis, who became famous in this year's McDonald's All-American Game, had been selected as an All-Star in the future, signed a huge contract worth hundreds of millions, and had made 1,787 three-pointers in his career.

This season, after Harris promoted Kobe to the small forward position, the Logo man noticed that Kobe's physical resistance was insufficient when he played at the small forward position.

However, West didn't want Kobe to continue to gain weight to play small forward.

Because in West's opinion, at least for now, the Lakers needed the nimble magic of Pennsylvania more than the Los Angeles Karl Malone.

After noticing Lewis's weakness of insufficient physical resistance on the scouting report, West felt that when testing Lewis, why not let this kid play small forward?

Lewis's current shooting ability was average, but he had already shown great talent.

West knew very well that the OK needed space-type players in the future. Therefore, Lewis's characteristics were a perfect fit for the Lakers in the future.

As for his status as a high school player, for the Lakers, who had already scratched the lottery ticket of Kobe, what if they scratched another Lewis?

In short, after Su Feng came out of nowhere, what he inspired was more than just John Davis's inspiration.

For a monster like West, as long as he opened his eyes slightly, he would be able to find the only correct answer among 10 answers.

The reason why the Lakers wanted to select Wang Zhizhi was because West had people pull some strings to get the video of Wang Zhizhi's tryout with the Mavericks.

For the same reason as Lewis, the Logo man felt that Wang Zhizhi, as a space-type power forward, was the perfect complement to the OK.

And how could Nelson, who was happily waiting for Nowitzki and Wang Zhizhi, imagine that one of his choices had already been intercepted and reserved by someone...

...

ps: Thanks to all the bosses for the various rewards. To be honest, you have really made me cry. A Qiao will thank you chapter by chapter next...

ps2: Thanks to Boss Huan Yu for the Silver Alliance! This is A Qiao's first Silver Alliance, and this first time is for Boss Huan Yu!