The Whip of the God of Basketball

　　 One step ahead of Angie, Leon arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, the southern part of the United States on June 19th. This was once the main entrenchment point for slave owners in the southern Civil War and the birthplace of rock music.

Compared with Boston, this is completely two worlds. It is different from Austin, Texas. The wide and peaceful Mississippi River passes through the city. Because I arrived a day earlier, Leon, Wallace and Morey rode together. A steamer on the river came to cruise the city.

Although the center of Memphis is also monotonous, high-rise buildings, but in the old city and along the Mississippi River, there are scattered old-fashioned wooden houses, which are old and vicissitudes under the cover of tall beech trees and lush maple. It is a good material for making various musical instruments.

Leon was lying on the open deck on the top of the ship. Although it was summer, the thick clouds in the southern sky made the sun not so dazzling. The warmth hit Leon’s face. This was his rare leisure during the offseason. Time, at this time, many players must be vacationing all over the United States, and he still has to run around as an assistant coach and scout.

"Sometimes I think, maybe it’s good to stay in the south and be a small rebounder for playing guitar in a tavern. During the holidays, I’ll lie in the boat I bought and drift in the wind on the Mississippi River, just like Harry Baker-Fern. "Leon closed his eyes, enjoying the sunshine and breeze, and said to Wallace, who was dozing around.

Wallace was thinking about negotiating with the Grizzlies tomorrow afternoon. He didn’t react to what Leon said for a long time. He rubbed his eyes and said, “I can’t sing... Let’s talk about the deal. The problem, the contract..." Morey on the side listened to a smirk covering his mouth, and the three of them had a rare relaxing time. Only Wallace was in a nervous state all the time.

"Chris, you've been nervous since you started in Boston. To be honest, this negotiation is really a pediatric-level deal. You shouldn't engage in the same way you met your mother-in-law for the first time. You were in the league in 1986. , Come on, what are you worried about?" Leon asked, standing up from the deck.

Wallace woke up from a state of anxiety, he lowered his head and smiled and replied: "You know, I am not from a basketball circle. I have neither been a professional player nor a coach, nor even a trainer. You can say I took this position because I am a basketball fan, just like Vogel, but Vogel has also been a player on the school team. Only me, I don’t know how to shoot. Since I became the manager of the team, no matter how much Small transactions, how small negotiations, I will be 100% invested and treated, and sometimes I get nervous as if it is a big deal. This is my habit, unless the negotiation ends tomorrow, otherwise I can't have fun and nodded."

Leon nodded when he heard it. In retrospect, Wallace was indeed a very serious and hardworking man. Although Auerbach commented that Wallace was a "stupid who only knows that he can only cultivate the land and can't get the runway", he just came to Kai from Leon. From the beginning of the Alters, Wallace took care of Leon. Perhaps this is also related to Leon’s background without basketball, including Morey sitting on the side. They are just like Wallace as a "half-way monk" basketball player. .

"You know what Leon, sometimes I think, in fact, you can participate in this negotiation alone, maybe you can add an Angie, this negotiation can definitely be done. I said these words not out of jealousy or other intentions. , I know you are a straightforward guy, so I'm more straightforward. Everyone knows that one day you will replace O'Brien, replace me, replace Pitino's everything, and let the Celtics restore them Of course, I don't mean anything else, but you know, everyone has to think about themselves..." Wallace still said his heartbeat, on the quiet Mississippi River.

More than a month ago, just after the season was on vacation, Wallace, who returned to his hometown in West Virginia, was invited to participate in a basketball charity event at West Virginia University, where he met his fellow villager and graduated from The legendary superstar Jerry West of West Virginia University.

The former superstar of the Lakers, now also serves as the general manager of the Lakers, and has achieved great success. From the time he grabbed O'Neal and selected Kobe in 1996, West blocked the Olympics who had caused him life-long psychological damage in the player era. Elbach and his Celtics took revenge on the N Arrows and took the Lakers to new heights. After winning consecutive championships in the 00 and 01 seasons, they are striding towards the new century's three consecutive championships.

After meeting Wallace, Jerry West and the Celtic general manager had a very happy conversation. The two basketball players who spoke Virginia accent but played for two feuds had a subtle After returning to Boston, Wallace continued to keep in touch with West. Finally, a few weeks ago, West called and hoped that Wallace could leave the Celtics to be his assistant, but it was not. The Lakers will be on another team next season.

Jerry West has been in the management position of the Lakers for 20 years. The next season will be his 20th year. During this period, the Purple and Golden Army he formed won six championships and reached the finals ten times. If the new season After three consecutive championships, he will retreat. If he fails, he will not stay there again. He has nothing to chase and achieve in the Lakers.

　　 And the next place West is likely to go is Memphis, although all this is still only in the oral discussions of a few people in the circle.

　　 Regarding these situations, Chris Wallace revealed part of it to Leon and Morey. He did not mention Jerry West, but said that he is likely to leave to seek positions in other teams. In his opinion, Leon is Auerbach's successor, but there is not green blood flowing in his veins, let alone Morey, an assistant he recruited himself, purely his own.

The NBA is a battlefield, but it is also a business field. Nothing is necessary to die or die. As Pitino's "legacy" in the Celtics, Wallace doesn't want to leave everything like Pitino. Don't stay, if he wants to continue to mix in the NBA manager circle and do better, he needs friends like Leon, and of course Morey.

Then it would be a good choice to talk to your heart on the right occasion, and Wallace did not speak. He was indeed a little anxious. Since Pitino left the Celtics, he has been full of insecurity. One season, he didn't feel much better until he said something today.

Leon picked up two bottles of beer from the ice box on the deck, uncapped the bottle, and handed them to Wallace and Morey~www.NovelMTL.com~ The three took a sip, and then Leon said, "Whether you We will be friends with any team we go to. But before you leave, you will always be a Celtic, just like me."

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Wallace’s little secret did not affect the Celtics and Grizzlies’ meeting the next day. After Danny Ainge arrived in Memphis on June 20, the managers of the two sides held two-hour consultations. The draft strategy and the deal reached a certain degree of agreement. Not surprisingly, the Grizzlies will rob Tony Parker in the 27th place in the first round, and then the Grizzlies will pull the Celtics and the Spurs together to make a fortune. The three-way trade forced the Spurs to bleed Parker, and the Grizzlies will also get their favorite Celtics.

In this way, under Leon's promotion, the Celtics' layout in the draft is basically completed. Of course, this is only their A plan. Sometimes the draft is unpredictable and unpredictable. I don't know what will happen. It happens that once certain teams do not play cards according to their routines, all plans will be disrupted and the agreements that have been formed will also be invalidated. And the Celtics have a lot of news in this draft, and the plan is complicated, and the more complicated the plan, the easier it is to be disturbed by unexpected factors.

In order to be fully prepared, after staying in Memphis for a day, Angie decided that he would immediately return to Boston to preside over the overall situation, while Leon and his party went directly to New York to prepare for the public opinion battle a week before the draft and set up smoke bomb Make fake moves to prevent spoiling the team.

　　 The good show of the 2001 draft is about to begin~www.NovelMTL.com~ Book friends are welcome to visit and read. The latest, fastest and hottest serial works are all at ~www.NovelMTL.com~ For mobile users, please go to read.