In the messy work last season, Min Congda often felt isolated and helpless.
None of the hundreds of employees of the Los Angeles Clippers, including more than 20 team players and coaching staff, could reassure him.
If you don't feel safe and cooperate with him, just let him show off. From time to time, he will come out and stab him in the back, which will make all his previous efforts in vain.
Fortunately, Min Congda was optimistic by nature. He shouldered everything by himself and faced the bleak current situation with an optimistic spirit.
After experiencing a happy November, seeing that the team was about to recover again, Min Congda suppressed the entire team with a big move.
Not only that, he also gained an important assistant for his bad job, his man on the road to bad work, Steve Kerr!
After Cole joined the Clippers, Min Congda observed carefully for a while and found that this person was simply his replacement.
During training, we don’t draw tactics or design new training routines. We just talk about “sharing”, “participating more” and “sharing spirit” all day long.
The more Min Congda heard these words, the more familiar they became. Isn't this a big scam by those who will engage in the Internet sharing economy to make money and defraud investments in the future?
They deceived many investors and ordinary people so much that they finally made money and ran away, leaving a lot of chicken feathers behind.
However, Min Congda needed exactly this kind of talent. He valued Cole more and more and regarded him as his right-hand man.
Cole is not only Min Congda's replacement in the design of offensive tactics, but also because he has experience as a team manager.
Therefore, he can also share the pressure with Min Congda and give opinions and suggestions on team transactions, signings and other matters.
In mid-January, the Phoenix Suns, eager to improve their lineup, wanted to complete a deal with the Rockets, using a protected first-round pick and point guard Dragic in exchange for the Rockets' most improved player, Aaron Brooks.
However, after Steve Kerr learned about this transaction, he immediately suggested that Min Congda trade Bledsoe for the Suns' chips.
Cole believes that Dragic is a point guard more suitable for the pass-and-cut system, and he can also get a first-round pick.
Although Bledsoe has good talent, his role in the Clippers' passing system is somewhat out of place.
He is not tall enough, has average vision, strong attack ability, and poor shooting. He is more suitable for the growth of the rebuilt Suns.
Min Congda asked Cole if he wanted to help his old club, the Suns, and Cole responded readily, "Yes."
The NBA is a network of relationships. Teams compete with each other, but they also cooperate with each other.
Some teams often make deals with each other and pry each other's wool. Sometimes you pry mine, and sometimes I pry yours.
For example, why was Ainge able to acquire Kevin Garnett from the Timberwolves in 2007?
It's not because Timberwolves chairman of operations McHale is a veteran of the Celtics and is willing to accept the Celtics' chips.
Assuming that the Timberwolves' management leader is a Lakers star, then Garnett will definitely be sent to the Los Angeles Lakers to partner with Kobe.
The NBA in recent years must have been in a different situation.
Facing Cole's frankness, Min Congda admired it very much. He liked this kind of human sophistication.
In his opinion, being sophisticated in the business field is the only way to ruin things.
Today, the potential Bledsoe was traded for favors, and Gasol will be taken away tomorrow for favors.
By accepting a junk contract the day after tomorrow out of favor and sophistication, wouldn't the Clippers' path to ruin be getting better and better?
Min Congda has long disliked Bledsoe, a potential stock.
After Curry was injured and had surgery, if Bledsoe hadn't performed well in some games, the Clippers would have lost five more games.
Bledsoe was originally what the Clippers scouting team wanted in the draft, but was taken away by the Thunder in an attempt to blackmail the Clippers into a trade.
Min Congda had no interest in Bledsoe and completed the deal mainly to send Gordon away.
I didn't expect this little guy to play the ball very neatly. The little guard is very talented and works very hard. It's like he was beaten all day long.
It didn't have the lazy energy of Harden and Paul George at all, which made Min Congda very unhappy.
You work hard every day and train and play hard. Do you want to improve the Clippers' performance?
This kind of player who struggles and involutes all day long is not in line with the Clippers' concept of sustainable development.
In order to get rid of the traditional model of other teams failing first and struggling later, Min Congda proposed a new team-building idea of failing first and not struggling.
Of course, he was the only one who knew this idea. Seeing that Cole could accurately figure out his own idea, Min Congda was very satisfied.
He immediately agreed to the transaction application and asked Olshey to handle it.
Olshey immediately discussed with the Suns general manager and blocked the deal between the Suns and Rockets.
Moreover, through some bargaining, Olshey changed the Suns' first-round lottery-protected pick into a top-10 first-round protected pick.
Because the bargaining chip given by the Rockets is Brooks. Although Brooks was the most improved player last season, he has begun to regress visibly this season.
He averaged 19.6 points per game last season, but he can only score 11 points with the Rockets this season. After winning the Most Improved Player Award, it is not a problem to take the fastest regression.
Moreover, Brooks is thin and has no potential to tap, so the bargaining chip provided by the Suns is a first-round lottery protection.
With the Suns' strength and situation this season, they will definitely not be able to make the playoffs, so this first round is basically nothing.
But Bledsoe is different. He is a real potential player. He has proven to be very impactful in his playing style and good defense in the Clippers.
In addition, with Cole, an old acquaintance, as a matchmaker, one Dragic was definitely not enough, so the first round was changed to top ten pick protection.
After acquiring Dragic, the Clippers have one more European player, and two members from the former Yugoslavia.
The Clippers' already lacking athletic ability in the backcourt was further weakened, and this transaction naturally received a lot of criticism.
The Los Angeles Times pointed out, "Smart has a tendency to be too obsessed with so-called team basketball. He reuses a lot of 'team' players, but basketball in the NBA and FIBA is different. The most important thing here is superstars, talent, physical fitness, and team." Basketball was never the way out.”
Obviously, the stubborn impressions of the old days still linger in the minds of many people.
Min Congda was certainly very satisfied with such reports and praised Cole greatly.
He finally felt that he had found the right helper. The two of them really had a good understanding and worked well together!
The only person who was dissatisfied was Mike Dunleavy, not that he thought the deal was not done well.
But the day after the transaction was completed, he received a call from Rockets general manager Daryl Morey!
As soon as the call was connected, Morey said, "I'm Morey from the Rockets..."
Dunleavy was furious and shouted into the phone: "I'm the Clippers head coach! Not the general manager! I have no right to suggest transactions! Don't come to me!"
After speaking, Dunleavy hung up the phone on Morey. He was so angry that he couldn't do the job anymore.
Morey was even more confused. "Lao Dengtou, I want to ask you if you are interested in becoming the head coach of the Rockets when your contract expires next season. Why are you so angry at me?"
Morey, who was scolded for no apparent reason, had no choice but to turn his attention to other coaches. The Clippers were such a weird team, so it was better not to deal with their people.
You robbed my trade, and the head coach scolded me in return. Who should I ask to reason?
(End of chapter)
