Bishop of the Devil

After the Bucks management meeting, other executives naturally agreed.

After all, this matter is really beneficial to the Bucks without any harm.

Anyway, the record is already so bad, so why not help the Pirates, and I might get some benefits in the end.

Stotts told Richard the good news, and Richard breathed a sigh of relief. Although the Bucks might not be able to get the top two picks, as long as they messed up like crazy, they would have a good chance. After all, there is a 46.5% chance of getting the top two picks.

…

Richard watched the live broadcast of the next Bucks game. From the situation on the court, it can be seen that the Bucks really messed up thoroughly. Their opponent was the well-known Knicks. As a result, the Bucks game Also lost by 19 points.

…

Richard is a little worried now. If the Bucks really get the top two picks, how will he choose then?

Because now Durant has joined Purdue University, Richard doesn't know whether Oden will still be the favorite for the No. 1 pick.

However, this possibility is still quite high. As long as Oden can produce excellent statistics, even if he does not lead the team to win the championship in the end, his draft prospects may be better than Durant.

There's no way, because Oden is a big man inside, and with the media's amazing comments, he has a high chance of overpowering Durant to become the No. 1 pick.

If the Bucks draw the second pick for Richard, then if Oden is selected with the first pick, Richard can only choose Durant.

And if the Bucks get the No. 1 pick, Richard feels he might be more inclined to win Oden.

Although Durant is strong, what the Buccaneers currently lack most in their lineup is a traditional inside man who can control the situation.

Richard doesn't like to play fast break tactics too much. Although he used fast break tactics from time to time before, the basic tactics of the three teams he built were half-court positions.

Half-court tactics will definitely not work without a traditional inside man who can control the situation.

Richard needs a super traditional insider like O'Neal, Duncan or Yao Ming to hold the line.

Although Oden has not fulfilled his talent, the talent is there. If there are no injuries, Richard is still quite optimistic about Oden.

The key is that Oden is a low-key player, not the kind of player who makes a fuss, and Richard also admires his character.

…

If the Bucks fail to get the first two picks, there will be Marc Gasol in that round, which can be regarded as Richard's backup plan.

Gasol's defense is good enough and his organizational skills are good, but in Richard's opinion, he just lacks the sense of humor and lacks the kind of dominance that can make the final decision.

If he really couldn't get Oden, Richard would have no choice but to use Gasol.

…

The Buccaneers currently have four picks from the 2007 draft. Needless to say, the two picks they bring with them are definitely not much higher.

In addition to the Bucks' first-round pick, Richard also has a second-round pick from the 76ers.

The 76ers are getting worse year by year. This season, their winning rate is only over 40%, and they may not even make it to the playoffs in the end.

Their second-round pick should be good enough for Richard to sign a player of his choice.

…

Just as the regular season was in full swing, a shocking trade broke out in the league.

The Philadelphia 76ers reached a deal with the Denver Nuggets. The 76ers sent away Iverson and acquired Andre Miller from the Nuggets, Joe Smith, who only had one year and $7 million left on his contract, plus two future first-rounders. Draft picks.

This transaction is exactly the same as the one Richard is familiar with, except that the time is pushed back a bit.

Under normal circumstances, Iverson was officially traded to the Nuggets this season, fifteen games after the start of the 2006-07 season.

Now this time point has been pushed back a month.

…

In the eyes of industry insiders in the league, this deal is a win-win deal, but in Richard's eyes, it is a lose-lose deal.

Although the Philadelphia 76ers currently have a bad record, their record is still the same after they complete the transaction. They might as well keep Iverson, which can at least attract some fans to watch the game.

Iverson had the best performance of his career last season, averaging a terrifying 33 points per game. If Kobe hadn't been too aggressive, Iverson would have won last season's scoring title.

And this season, Iverson is currently playing in the two-month schedule, averaging 31.5 points per game, and his offensive firepower is quite fierce.

Anyway, in Richard's view, the 76ers have made no money unless they can get decent players with their two first-round picks.

As for the Nuggets, they actually didn't make any money. After paying such a cost, they ended up in the first round of the playoffs for two consecutive years. That is, they later traded Iverson for Billups, and finally got a foothold in the Western Conference Finals.

Richard was not surprised that the deal went through. What surprised him was that Iverson didn't talk to him.

But it's normal to think about it. With Iverson's arrogant temperament, he must be ashamed to tell Richard that he was traded.

Richard sighed and called Iverson.

"Allen, actually you should tell me about this. Our Buccaneers can provide some bargaining chips and may be able to cut off the Nuggets."

Richard did have plans to trade Iverson, but not this season...

Originally, when he saw no movement from the Philadelphia 76ers in the first fifteen games, he thought Iverson would continue to stay with the 76ers this season.

As a result, the deal happened this season.

"Coach, there's no need. I'm not Brent. It's not time to hug your thigh yet."

"Brent is old and I am still young. I want to fight for a few more years to see if I can win a championship on my own." Iverson said with a wry smile.

In fact, Iverson has more than just this on his mind. He knows very well that if Richard wants to intercept the Nuggets, the Pirates will have to pay an extremely heavy price, and it will even affect the Nuggets' playoff journey this year.

First of all, the Pirates do not lack the No. 1 position at all. Iverson must have been paying attention to Richard's game and is well aware of the strength of the Pirates' No. 1 position lineup.

Although Paul and Rondo are young, they are already showing first-class traditional point guard capabilities.

Even with Iverson's arrogant temperament, he asked himself that his organizational and defensive abilities were not as good as these two newcomers.

If he joins the Pirates, what will happen to these two newcomers? You can't let them play as a substitute, and it's even less possible for you to play as a substitute...

Secondly, the 76ers' asking price is too high. Iverson has also privately discussed with the Philadelphia 76ers what kind of chips they will need from the Pirates if they apply for a trade with the Buccaneers.

As a result, the 76ers management came up with two plans.

The first plan is Milicic plus Varejao...

The second plan is Iguodala plus Varejao plus a first-round pick.

This made Iverson completely stop thinking about joining the Pirates, because if the Pirates really wanted to pay this kind of bargaining chip, the lineup would be completely dismantled.

No matter which trading plan it is, it will damage the strength of the Pirates.

The main reason is that Iverson can't play the second position, he can only play the one position.

If he plays the second position, his height disadvantage and defensive disadvantage will be infinitely expanded, which is completely outweighing the gain.

As a result, Iverson directly informed the team executives that he had contacted Richard privately, and Richard did not agree to the two transaction plans.

…

Richard himself also wondered why the Philadelphia 76ers didn't come to negotiate the deal with him first if they wanted to trade Iverson. They should be very clear about the relationship between themselves and Iverson.

If Richard knew about this, he would definitely not be confused.

Iverson didn't mention this matter to Richard, he didn't want to make it difficult for Richard.

Iverson is still looking forward to joining the Nuggets. The Nuggets' lineup is quite good, at least much better than the 76ers.

This may give him more capital to compete for the championship.

"Coach, do you think my trip to the Nuggets will be successful?" Iverson was curious about what Richard thought of this deal.

"I can't tell. No one knows what will happen in the future. Just work hard, old man." Richard couldn't bear to tell Iverson the truth. This was really shocking.

The Spurs and Suns are at a time when they are strong, the Lakers have suddenly emerged, and now the Western Conference has begun hell mode again. It is definitely not a good time for Iverson to join the Western Conference at this moment.

If Iverson had joined a Western Conference team when the Western Conference was weak in the past two years, he might have had a good playoff record.

"By the way, Allen, what are the 76ers thinking now? Are they ready to right the ship?" Richard quickly changed the subject, not wanting to continue talking about the Nuggets' prospects.

"As far as I know, it doesn't seem to be the case. The 76ers management may be preparing to completely rebuild in the past one or two seasons, and Da Zhi may also be put on the shelf next year." Iverson said with a wry smile.

Thinking back to how brilliant the Philadelphia Twins were back then, when they defeated Jordan's Bulls in the playoffs.

But times have changed, and the current Gemini stars have gradually dimmed, even to the point of being put on the shelf by the team.

Thinking of this, Iverson sighed heavily. If only he had been as lucky as Ben, he would probably have a few championship rings in his hands now, right?