After browsing the list, Zhou Quan nodded and said, "Bob, how are the other teams doing? Have the Bulls found a better center?"
Whitsitt said: "After Jordan stayed with the Bulls, Phil Jackson acquired Kevin Willis from the Heat."
Then he introduced the situation of Kevin Willis and said: "He can play both the center and power forward positions, 213 centimeters tall, 33 years old, the 11th pick in the first round of 1984.
He was an All-Star substitute in 1992 and was selected to the All-NBA Third Team that year. He was traded from the Hawks to the Heat last season, averaging 35.7 minutes, 17.2 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. "
"It has offense and rebounds, not bad!"
Zhou Quan was shocked and asked: "The Heat just acquired it and were taken away by Phil Jackson in just half a season. What chips did the Bulls pay?"
Whitsitt said with a smile: "Kevin Wells was injured and was traded by the Hawks. The Heat saw that Wells' recovery from injury was not ideal, so they chose to trade. This is what I got. News. The Bulls' bargaining chip is Wilperdo, last season's main center, and a first-round pick."
Zhou Quan thought about the Bulls' lineup, Kevin Willis + Tony Kukoku, this lineup is already very good.
The offensive ability is very strong, stronger than the Sonics. And rebounding, not much worse than the Sonics. And he can also stretch out, have mid-range shots and three-pointers, and it's not easy to defend.
In the 1994 Finals, the Sonics never beat the Bulls, but center Sam Perkins was not good enough. He had no low-post offense and rebounding, and his offensive efficiency was lower than Kendall Gill's.
Then Gilliam and Matt Geiger were traded last season. Although they are not star centers, they are much better than Wilperdo and Luke Longley, so they defeated the Bulls in the finals this year.
So now that the Bulls have also strengthened the center position, can the Sonics compete with the Bulls in the low post in the new season?
At this time, Whitsitt said: "Almon Gilliam and Matt Geiger are still good. As long as they are given a chance, the data will be better. At present, I can't find a center that is more practical than them. The transaction is not possible." arrive.
And we can't sign them in the free market, we have no room, and those free agents are not suitable for the Big Bird terms. "
Zhou Quan nodded. The two centers in the team are indeed good. They are practical centers and not very famous.
George Karl said: "Gilliam is too short and may not be very effective against Willis. I plan to try Matt Geiger as the main center when we play against the Bulls. He has good rebounds and good defense. OK, the offense is mainly at the basket and in the low post, and the style is very tough."
"By the way, the Bulls renewed Jordan's contract. Do they have room for such a big contract?" Zhou Quan suddenly asked.
Whitsitt said: "His last contract was less than 4 million, and it only accounted for more than 5 million in salary space according to the Big Bird terms. In addition to the long-term contract signed by Pippen, the contract was even smaller, so they The space is no problem.
However, as long as Pippen's contract expires, the Bulls will disband and rebuild no matter what, and will seek trades even before Pippen's contract expires. "
George Karl said at this time: "The Hornets are finished. They traded Jose Hawkins to us for Kendall Gill, and Alonzo Mourning also went to the Heat."
Zhou Quan was startled. He had never paid attention to this.
Gary Payton is in the Heat. This guy has grown up. Now with Mourning in the paint, the Heat should be very competitive in the Eastern Conference.
Whitsitt also said: "The Heat should be good this season, with Mourning on the inside and Gary Payton on the outside.
, especially the defense will be very strong. In addition, the Bulls let go of their main point guard BJ, and they should correct Ron Harper. "
George Karl said worriedly: "Ron Harper was injured last season and was on the bench. I heard that the injury is healed now. His offense and defense are top-notch, but I don't know how far he has recovered. If he If it returns to its previous level, we will be in some trouble."
Whitsitt shook his head and said: "How can such a serious injury fully recover? He was already in trouble last season. He lost at least 50% of his strength. Don't worry too much about him. BJ's contract has expired and the Bulls can't give him a big salary." He walked away from the contract on his own."
"What about the Suns? Didn't they say they wanted to trade Barkley?" Zhou Quan suddenly thought of that damn fat man.
Whitsitt smiled and said: "The Suns have been seeking trades, but they have not been successful. Barkley definitely wants to go to a championship-level team. The Suns are pretty good to him and respect his personal wishes, which has influenced trade."
Zhou Quan said with a smile: "Barkley's injury problem is also relatively big. Although he can still produce 20+10 data, his shooting percentage has dropped to below 49%, and it is even lower in the playoffs."
George Karl said: "His highest season was the 1989/90 season, with a shooting percentage of 60%. His efficiency has indeed declined significantly, and he has entered a downward spiral."
"After all, he is almost 33 years old, and his efficiency has begun to decline since he was 30 years old." Bob Whitsitt said.
While several people were chatting about Barkley, far away at the Suns headquarters in Phoenix, a trade was underway.
"Boss, they gave four chips, Robert Horry, Sam Cassel, Chucky Brown, Mark Bryant."
The assistant came in and handed a quotation to Colangelo. Colangelo took it and looked at it and felt that it was pretty good.
There is not an All-Star here, but they are all players in their prime, especially Robert Horry and Sam Cassel. These are the two main players, and the other two are also important rotations. Chucky Brown was still on the Mosaic team last season. As the main small forward, it would not be a loss to replace these four players with the nearly 33-year-old Barkley.
"Let them add a second-round pick." He said to his assistant after a final thought.
"Okay, boss."
The assistant went out immediately.
At this time, Zhou Quan called his teammates over and prepared to communicate with them.
As a defending team, the most important thing is to maintain a stable lineup. Coupled with appropriate reinforcements, we can maintain strong competitiveness.
Fortunately, none of the SuperSonics' contracts have expired, so the lineup is very stable.
But as a defending team, there is an issue that needs attention, that is, after winning the championship, whether the team is still full of pursuit of the championship.
Zhou Quan needs to communicate now to get to know his teammates. If anyone slacks off, he will definitely ask the management to make a trade.
"How's it going, guys, what are your thoughts on the new season?" he asked.
Everyone looked at me and I looked at you, and they all understood what Zhou Quan meant.
Rodman jumped out first and shouted: "Iron Fist, your thoughts are my thoughts. If you want to defend the title, then we will defend the title."
The newcomer Jose Hawkins said excitedly: "Boss, that's it, I'm here for the championship."
Schrempf nodded and said: "I also want to win another championship with the boss."
Gilliam said: "This is my contract year, and I also want to fight for a season."
Rodman yelled, "This is my contract year too."
"Me too," Schrempf followed.
Zhou Quan nodded with satisfaction. The main force was fine, so the morale problem was not a big problem.
However, after this season, the SuperSonics lineup should change next year. The contracts of Rodman, Schrempf, and Gilliam have all arrived. The team should make every effort to retain Rodman, and it should also Try to keep one of Schrempf and Gilliam.
Half an hour later, NBA officials, the Suns, and Mosaic announced a deal.
The Suns paid Charles Barkley and reached a one-for-four deal with Mosaic, and Mosaic also received a 1996 second-round pick.
This transaction shocked the entire league, as well as the SuperSonics and Zhou Quan.
After Zhou Quan learned the news, he stopped training and rushed to the headquarters to discuss the lineup with Whithit and George Karl.
"Mosaic is exchanging the future for the present." Whithit commented carefully.
"But the Big Three lineup of Olajuwon + Barkley + Drexler is indeed extremely powerful." George Karl said very worriedly.
He looked at Whitsitt and asked seriously: "Bob, if we face Mosaic, the inside will be destroyed. We need a stronger center."
Whitcht did not answer, but looked at Zhou Quan and said: "Mr. Ballmer has said that in order to defend his title, he will not limit investment.
Iron Fist, the problem now is not that we have no money or that we are unwilling to trade, but that we can’t find the person we want.
A center that can compete with Big Dream needs at least the strength of an All-Star starting center. At the next level, Gilliam and Matt Geiger have that kind of strength. I can't find an All-Star starting center.
We are the defending team. From a competitive perspective, we are the public enemy of the league. No team is willing to trade their All-Star center to us. "
Zhou Quan said while thinking about it: "Let's not talk about injuries for now. Mosaic replaces four with one. Their lineup thickness has definitely dropped a lot. The No. 1, No. 3 and No. 3 positions are their weaknesses, and the substitute lineup is also their weakness. Dameng and the others It is impossible for the three giants to dominate the world."
George Karl and Whithit also nodded and waited for Zhou Quan's next words.
He continued: “Now that Mosaic has completed such a big deal, it is almost impossible to trade anymore, they have no leverage.
Unless they trade future draft picks, that would consume almost all the team's potential.
And if this aging Big Three lineup fails to become famous, Mosaic may not be able to turn around within ten years. "
Whithit nodded and said: "This lineup looks super strong, but it is really too old. The three of them are a hundred years old together. It should be impossible for Mosaic management to trade draft picks again. That is It will definitely overdraw the future of the team."
Zhou Quan continued: "If they don't strengthen the first and third positions, Schrempf and I can beat them. Facing the Big Three lineup, we also have an advantage, so we don't need to be too afraid.
However, it would certainly be better if the team could find an All-Star-level center. If you can't find it, we can try to find it.
Jordan was able to win three championships with an aging center like Cartwright, why can't we? Gilliam and Matt Geiger are more than a notch better than the aging Cartwright. "
When he said this, although George Karl's face still looked worried, it was much better.
Whitsitt promised to continue to seek trades, but once again bluntly stated that the All-Star center would most likely not be traded.
Phoenix, Barkley was already ecstatic. After learning the news, he immediately drank two bottles of whiskey to congratulate, then hugged his wife and ate it, and made the last call to Dameng.
"Hakeem, in the new season we are going to kill the Iron Fist, overthrow the Sonics, and then go to the finals and kill Michael." He yelled with a big tongue.
Da Meng over there seemed to have drunk a lot of wine, and shouted excitedly: "Charles, come here quickly, Clyde will be here soon, and the three of us are finally together."
"Uh! You idiot, I'm still in Phoenix, you sent a private plane to pick me up." Barkley said after burping.
"OK, just wait."
"You guys are talking nonsense when you drink too much. How can Dream have a private jet?" Buckley's wife Maureen said angrily.
After the two of them hung up the phone, Maureen said: "Charles, you can just play ball. Can you please stop saying things like "Fuck Iron Fist to death" that have strong personal grudges?"
"Why, I just don't like him." Buckley said unconvinced.
"You have no grudges with him at all. Do you need to make the relationship so tense? Don't bring what happened on the field to the field." Maureen advised.
"You just favor him." Buckley said unhappily.
Maureen was almost angry to death and said angrily: "Charles, look at his influence now. He earns hundreds of millions of dollars from a boxing match. The president personally invited him to visit the White House. His influence in the world is a hundred times yours." Times, if you give yourself such an opponent off the court, does it have any positive meaning for you?"
"No matter how influential he is, what does it have to do with me?"
Buckley opened his mouth and said forcefully: "My dear, this is our men's business, so please stay out of it."
"..."
Maureen was speechless and didn't bother to persuade her.
Barkley's transaction not only caused him to be criticized, but Dameng and Gliding did not escape the media's criticism. The media believed that they were teaming up.
"This is the team's decision and has nothing to do with me personally," Barkley said in an interview with the media.
"But according to my information, it was you who expressed your wish to remove the mosaic to the management." The reporter said.
"That's impossible. What you got is false news." Buckley completely denied the news.
But his denial could not make the media shut up, and he was saddled with the reputation of being in a group.
On the 7th, Zhou Quan and the Sonics went to Washington. After spending a night in the hotel, they visited the White House at 10 a.m. on the 8th.
Zhou Quan presented Keshi with a pair of boxing gloves, the same ones used in the last boxing championship challenge. Keshi was very happy and gave him a set of exquisite silver tableware from his collection in return.
(End of chapter)
