Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 123 Our Team's Greatest Benefit
After changing their clothes, the group did not rush to leave.

Brown was simple-minded and not stupid. Seeing everyone's reaction, he could easily guess what had happened.

In the NBA, trades are nothing new.

You might have just finished a game, scored a high score, and felt that the future was bright and you would finally no longer have to sit on the bench. But then the coach comes to you and tells you that you have been traded and that you can pack your bags and leave right away.

Because you need to rush to report to your new team.

Brown himself, he hadn't even played a single game before he was traded.

Armstrong returned shortly afterward.

He tried to force a smile as he entered, but upon seeing the reactions of everyone in the locker room, he immediately fell silent.

No words were spoken, yet everything was understood without being said.

Grant sighed, stood up first, and went forward to hug Armstrong.

Then came McGrady.

At that moment, no one cared what amazing new teammates Armstrong had acquired; all they knew was that an old friend had left.

When it was Brown's turn, Armstrong suddenly lost control of his emotions.

After years of wandering, he finally received a call-up to the NBA in 95, but unfortunately he only got a short 10-day contract and played three games in the NBA.

That same year, he witnessed O'Neal and Hardaway team up and make it all the way to the NBA Finals.

At that time, he even fantasized about winning a championship ring.

Even if it was just freeloading, even if I only played three games for the Magic.

Unfortunately, the dream ended too soon.

The magician returned empty-handed.

But it's okay, at least I finally got the Magic's contract.

At that time, Armstrong was full of fighting spirit and felt very lucky to have returned to the NBA and joined a championship team.

Soon, I will be able to get my first championship ring.

Unfortunately, the Magic ran into the Bulls the following year.

Then Armstrong watched as the team fell apart.

Although he played better and better, secured a starting position, and won the Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player awards, he was getting further and further away from the championship.

Armstrong once gave up on this dream, feeling that it was fate.

But this year, Armstrong saw hope again, his fighting spirit was rekindled, and he was determined to give his 33-year-old body another good workout.

But fate played another trick on him.

He was traded away and went to the Wolves.

Armstrong hugged Brown tightly, his eyes already red, and he said, almost choking with emotion, "Kwame, I know it's hard, but don't give up. Keep trying, you can do it."

He patted Brown on the back, as if trying to infuse his dreams into Brown's body.

If the Magic unexpectedly win the championship this year, he will still have a chance to get a championship ring.

But if he fails to achieve his goal in one year and then spends two years in the process, he will once again miss out on the championship.

Armstrong passed away on the afternoon of Christmas Eve.

He was quite happy today, having received a text message from Tang Sen, and was even planning to go home tonight and proudly tell his children about it.

See? Dad has already started training hard. Maybe next year you'll see yourselves on the finals stage, watching Dad go for the championship.

But now all he could tell them was that they were moving to a new city, and that they would be going to a new school and making new friends.

……

Armstrong's trade affected Brown's mood to some extent.

She remained silent while receiving Guo Yonglin's massage.

As a veteran player on the team, Armstrong usually takes good care of him.

Tang Sen ignored him.

Trades are very common in the NBA; he'll have to get used to it sooner or later.

Ewing and the others were already used to it, and they gathered together to discuss the transactions here.

The deal is finalized and will be completed after Christmas.

The Magic traded Armstrong, the Timberwolves traded Billups, and to balance salaries, they also added undrafted Maurice Evans.

The latter was an undrafted player this year, but performed well in the Summer League, which led to him being scouted by Wolves and offered a contract.

But he barely got any playing time at Wolves.

As for him, who was included in the trade, he was abandoned because the Magic's roster was already full.

In other words, he did nothing and just lost his job on the eve of Christmas.

"Tracy, how's Chauncey?" Ewing asked.

In the 97-98 season, Billups, who was traded from the Celtics to the Raptors midway through the season, also played with McGrady for half a season.

McGrady thought for a moment and said with a wry smile, "I don't even remember us talking. He was very quiet at the time, and I remember when he was traded, we had just changed head coaches and the team was in chaos."

When Billups was sent to the Raptors, Raptors head coach Darrell Walker had just been fired due to the team's poor record.

Billups, already labeled a bust third overall pick, was eerily silent in the locker room. He never spoke to anyone, and would even leave without showering after a game, making him practically invisible in the locker room.

As a result, at the end of the season, he was promptly sent back to his hometown by the Raptors.

That means McGrady knew absolutely nothing about Billups.

Ewing scoffed and said, "If the team chose to trade him, then he must be better."

"you sure?"

Grant snorted. He felt that apart from the clever move in the Brown trade, the Magic's management's other trades were unacceptable.

McGrady sighed and said, "Hopefully he's better than Darrell."

Whether Billups will be a better fit for the team, nobody knows.

But at least the team is making trades and trying to adjust its roster.

McGrady was quite satisfied with this.

The worst thing is when a team shouts slogans loudly, yelling that they want to win the championship, but then does nothing.

……

After spending Christmas with his family, Armstrong rushed off to Minnesota.

Similarly, during the season, Billups spent Christmas with his family and flew to Orlando early the next morning to report for duty.

Upon exiting the airport, I was picked up by Magic staff and, looking refreshed, was led to the Water House to wait for the team's welcome ceremony.

His agent, Andy Miller, was also with him.

The two waited in the office area.

Normally, when a new player arrives, the team might give him a tour of the stadium and introduce him to the team's glorious history.

Unfortunately, there was no magic trick.

Besides, Billups wasn't in the mood for it.

He didn't have a very good impression of magic.

He endured the most agonizing offseason after being released by the Magic.

A once-proud third-place finisher has fallen to the point where he has no team to play for.

That summer, he became gloomy and liked to wander around outside until late at night.

So at that time, he had the idea that if he had the chance in the future, he would definitely perform well, strive to make a name for himself, and make the Magic's management regret their decision.

But fate played a cruel trick on him. He finally seized the opportunity, only to be switched back to magic.

"Changxi, don't overthink it. In my opinion, going back to the Magic is a good option."

Andy Miller, who wore glasses and had a serious and slightly harsh appearance, offered words of comfort and even analyzed the situation with Billups.

They said you'd stay with Wolves.

Although Wolves started the season strong, they were quickly brought back to reality and their performance continued to decline.

Moreover, in the Western Conference, the Wolves don't look like they have the makings of a championship team.

On the contrary, coming to the East might open up a whole new world for them. The Magic are currently second in the East, and with superstar rookies like Brown and McGrady, they've jumped to seventh in the latest power rankings across the entire league.

The Magic's name even appeared in discussions about their chances of winning the championship.

Joining a team on the rise is definitely not a bad thing for Billups, who desperately needs to prove himself.

Billups nodded noncommittally, but was curious as to why Miller had come to Orlando with him.

It's reasonable for an agent to follow a player when they're traded, but Miller's biggest client is Garnett, and he's just a nobody. It's not like Miller would pay so much attention to him, or even come all the way over for a mid-season trade.

What good would he do coming here? Help me rent an apartment?
Just then, Rivers appeared.

He hurried over to Billups and immediately put on a smile.

After hugging Billups and exchanging a few pleasantries, Rivers checked the time and said, "We still have some time. Chauncey, you go ahead to the venue. I'll be there in a bit, and we can talk in more detail then."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted and landed on Andy Miller.

He was certainly familiar with Garnett's agent.

Andy Miller doesn't have a good reputation in the agent world, after all, he started his career by poaching talent from his mentor, Eric Fleischer.

However, seeing him reminded Rivers of someone.

While researching power forward players these past two days, he also noticed one person.

Al Harrington, the Pacers' backup power forward.

He is 206 cm tall and weighs 104 kg, and has a good jump shot.

He is mainly athletic, has a wide range of movement, and is quite active on defense. Sometimes he can even mismatch and defend against small forwards.

Rivers had his eye on that.

Harrington's agent appears to be Miller.

However, Rivers' idea was just a flash of inspiration; his primary target was still Clifford Robinson.

After saying hello, Rivers hurried off to find Gabriel.

The Pistons have replied.

Upon arriving at Gabriel's office, Rivers immediately asked what the Pistons had to say.

Gabriel's sullen expression hadn't faded yet when he said directly, "Doug, give up, or you can find someone else."

"What do you mean?"

Rivers frowned and asked the Pistons what they wanted in return.

Gabriel cursed Joe Dumars's greed, then said, "Seriously, I don't think the Pistons have any intention of making a trade. They came right at us and asked for three of our first-round picks."

Rivers' eyes widened.

Are you kidding me?!
He knew the Magic didn't have many good assets right now and would inevitably have to give up their first-round pick.

Can there be 3?
How dare you to speak up.

"Didn't you try to bargain?" Rivers retorted.

He sets a price, you just need to negotiate back.

Gabriel thought to himself, "How could I not bargain?" He said, "But this guy was very firm. He said that if I didn't get three first-round picks, there was no point in talking. He said that Robinson is the team's second-leading scorer and is not for sale."

Rivers frowned.

Dumas is right about that.

With the Pistons' offense lacking, Robinson managed to become their second-leading scorer.

But the idea that he's not for sale is nonsense, after all, he's a 35-year-old veteran.

Gabriel added, "Then he said he could give up the draft picks, or even give them both of them; he was willing to package Robinson and Wallace in exchange for Brown."

"Fuck you!"

Rivers immediately launched into a tirade of profanities.

Want Brown? What a pipe dream.

If it weren't for Brown, would I have gone through all that trouble to trade for Robinson?
Gabriel said, "Doug, give up. The Pistons have big ambitions, and they won't give up their key players easily."

The Magic are on the rise, just like the Pistons.

Detroiters have been longing to regain their former glory for years.

“How about PJ Brown?” Gabriel suggested. “I’ve thought about it again, and maybe PJ is a better fit for us. He’s better at low post defense. In crucial moments, we can have him guard O’Neal and then have Kwameira help. He’s been practicing his mid-range shot, so we don’t necessarily have to put him in the low post.”

Rivers pursed his lips, thinking that Gabriel's idea made some sense, but he still preferred to choose Robinson.

“At least they’re willing to talk, so keep talking. We still have time,” Rivers said.

If they didn't reject us outright, then there's still hope for negotiation.

Since there's still some time before the trading deadline, let's talk about it some more.

And it's not just the power forward position; there are also substitutes.

If you want to win the championship, your bench strength is also crucial.

The Magic's bench is also terrible.

Like Buchler, he's just coasting along and can't be counted on at all.

"gone."

With a sigh, Rivers called to Gabriel to set off.

Attended Billups' welcoming ceremony.

The media were relatively accommodating, asking a few simple questions as if it were just a formality, without mentioning the "fake" third-place finisher.

After this was over, Rivers personally showed Billups around the area.

Talk while walking.

He started by saying that letting you go back then wasn't his fault, but rather a decision made by the team's roster, and ultimately it was Gabriel who made the final decision.

Gabriel has to take the blame for this.

He's made plenty of stupid deals anyway, so one more won't make a difference.

Sure enough, after Rivers earnestly admitted that he had misjudged the situation back then, Billups's stern expression softened considerably.

Even if he didn't quite believe Rivers's words.

"Chanchy, we have Kwame and Tracy. You and Tracy were teammates before, and you know his talent, so we have a good chance of making a breakthrough in our record this season."

Rivers envisioned a bright future for the Magic.

Billups nodded slightly.

He admitted this.

Magic seems to be making a comeback this year.

The main reason is Brown; this number one draft pick is too strong.

Rivers is good at inspiring people. Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, he put his arm around Billups' shoulder and said, "Chauncey, you were the third overall pick, but even now, fans and the media still think you're a bust. I'm sure you're not happy about that."

When the label "parallel import" was mentioned, Billups' expression immediately turned serious.

"So coming to the Magic is your opportunity, because the biggest benefit of our team is having an incredibly good trainer!"

As Rivers got into the conversation, it suddenly occurred to him that when recruiting players in the future, could he use Tang Sen as an advantage?

Since Tang Sen's hometown is in Orlando, he has the advantage of being close to the source.

"You mean Tang Sen?"

Billups immediately said.

Brown and Townsend, these two names are practically linked.

Brown was so successful, how could Billups not know the name Townsend?

“That’s right.” Rivers said confidently, “I’ve already made arrangements for you. You’ll train with Don, just like Brown. Trust me, you can definitely shed the label of being a bust third overall pick.”

After learning that Townsend had only selected a few players, Rivers spoke with Townsend.

One option was to replace Armstrong with Billups.

Secondly, let's stop just practicing once in the morning and start emulating Brown and his teammates.

With only a few players, spending 30,000 to 50,000 yuan makes it seem like the team is short of money.

(End of this chapter)