Chapter 636 Stoudemire and Marion will also run, the main lineup for the new season
D'Antoni persuaded with eloquent words: "Amare, think about your data comparison, what is the difference between the first half of the season and the second half of the season after K. came back?
Before he came back, you produced All-Star numbers in 2010. After he came back, he immediately became the most mediocre power forward and never produced the same numbers as in 2010.
Are you willing to always be a starless stone next to him? Do you not care about your own data at all?
So come here, you and Steve are a perfect match, the best people for run-and-gun tactics."
Stoudemire cannot say that he is not interested, otherwise he would not have come to New York with his agent.
As D'Antoni said, of course he cares about his own data. In the NBA, no one cares about his own data. Data is life. Without beautiful data, the team will not offer you a big contract, and without the favor of sponsors,
No All-Stars, no future.
After Old K came back, his shots decreased, his points and rebounds decreased, his statistics became mediocre, and he lost the brilliance of the first half of the season.
Do you want to leave? He looked at his agent Happy Woolster.
At this time, Walster's cell phone suddenly rang.
"Colangelo's call."
Walster said something and then hung up the call.
Stoudemire was startled, and Walster immediately said: "Amare, you should have averaged 2010 per game this season, and your status and commercial value would have skyrocketed, but it didn't. Even if you got the total
champion, but actually..."
At this point, the phone rang again, and it was Colangelo's call again. He hung up the phone without hesitation, and then continued: "But in fact, your value has not been realized. In the first half of the season,
There are still sponsors looking for you, but in the second half of the season they all went to old K, and you didn't have the chance to realize all your potential and strength.
And if you continue to stay in the Suns, you may never have the opportunity to play such data, so are you willing to make such a huge sacrifice for Old K? Are you willing to be a green leaf beside him? Is it worth it? Don’t you want to be the protagonist?
?”
Do you really want to leave? Xiao Si fell into silence.
Far away in Phoenix, little Colangelo looked at the phone in his hand, smiled bitterly, then put down the phone and did not make any more calls.
Half an hour later, he received a call from Happy Woolster, and Stoudemire took the initiative to apply for a trade.
"Shet!"
The uneasy feeling was finally confirmed. The Suns were poaching their third main player again. His temples jumped and the veins on his forehead popped out.
"By the way, Marion."
He suddenly realized that the Knicks had poached D'Antoni, then Nash, and now they wanted Stoudemire, and they were probably also thinking about Marion.
In the first half of the season, before Old K came back, D'Antoni used his run-and-gun tactics. Nash, Stoudemire, and Marion cooperated very well. Marion must also be one of the Knicks' targets.
After reacting, he immediately began to contact Marion.
"Hello, Mr. Colangelo, do you have a problem with me?"
As soon as the call went through, he breathed a sigh of relief and said immediately: "Oh, Sean, are you on vacation?"
"I'm going to Hawaii, but I haven't set off yet," Marion said.
"Have you noticed the news about Sean, Nash and D'Antoni?" he asked.
"Yes, I know, they even called me." Marion said.
Colangelo's heart skipped a beat and he immediately asked, "They want you to go to the Knicks?"
"Yes, Mr. Colangelo, I am thinking about it. There is no formal decision yet. If there is a decision, I will let the agent notify you as soon as possible." Marion said.
Little Colangelo just wanted to curse, but he was lucky that Marion didn't fool him.
Marion did not lie. D'Antoni and Nash have been contacting him in the past two days. He even knew that Stoudemire might also leave.
He has not agreed now, but he has not refused the Knicks' solicitation either.
It's not that he wants to stay in the Suns, because he was also suppressed by Old K in the Suns, and he knows this very well.
The reason for hesitation is that his new contract only lasts for one year, and there are still five years to come, and there are still four years left before the contract year, so there is no need to rush to find a new home.
However, what he and his agent Dan Fagan considered was that maybe his commercial value would be better if he went to New York, the largest city in the world?
Now he has no commercial sponsorship in Phoenix, he is too ugly, and he is not favored by sponsors and the media. Next to Lao K, his statistics are not good, and he has little popularity and topicality.
But what he values most is money and economic benefits. This is what attracts him to New York, so he did not refuse the Knicks' solicitation.
Anyway, Dan Fagan strongly supported him in leaving the Suns and was always trying to persuade him to leave.
Colangelo Jr. tried his best to appease Marion, but Marion seemed to be very assertive. After calmly dealing with it, he ended the call on his own initiative.
"This is really going to be bad!" Colangelo felt very powerless.
This afternoon, some media revealed that the Knicks acquired restricted free agent Quentin Richardson from the Clippers, a fast and energetic guard with flexible feet, strong breakthrough, accurate three-pointers, and excellent mid-range shooting.
.
The Knicks already have Marbury, Alan Houston and Jamal Crawford. They also brought in Richardson, a bunch of shooting guards, and Nash. The media speculated that D'Antoni will play point guard.
A four-point, five-guard scheme?
"Sir, the Knicks sent a quotation and want to package Stoudemire and Marion." When it was almost five o'clock, assistant Mike suddenly opened the door and came in nervously.
"Give me."
Colangelo's face looked ugly, but he still calmly took the quotation and read it.
"Haha, D'Antoni really wants to vacate the Suns!" He was quite helpless, shaking his head and smiling sarcastically.
The Knicks hope to package Marion Jr., and the bargaining chip is double Thomas, that is, Tim Thomas and Kurt Thomas, both forwards, plus Marbury and Alan Houston.
To be honest, if Stoudemire and Marion really want to leave, Colangelo is really excited about this quotation.
Tim Thomas is of little use, but Kurt Thomas is okay. Playing the fourth position, he can take Stoudemire's position. He has rebounds and offense. Of course, the offense is not as good as Stoudemire, but with the defense that Stoudemire lacks, he can also defend.
There is no problem in defending to the three-point line.
As for the offense, because of the presence of Lao K, Stoudemire's role is actually not that important. On the contrary, it suppresses Lao K's offense.
The power forward that Old K really needs is someone like Kurt Thomas who can do the dirty work.
And Marbury and Alan Houston can make the Suns' second position, from the main player to the substitute, reach the league's top level.
Although Marion is no longer at the third position, there are still two young men, Zhu Fangyu and Josh Howard, to take over.
However, Marbury was traded by the Suns, and those who were purged before Old K retired and returned will definitely not be able to get them back.
As for Alan Houston, he was seriously injured last season and only played 50 games. It's hard to predict his status next season, and his contract is the same as Marbury's, with an annual salary of tens of millions. Their combined salary is greater than that of Marion and Stoudemire combined.
higher.
Therefore, these two shooting guards are not suitable. He cannot exchange the healthy Marion and the relatively healthy Stoudemire for these two people, and the contract is larger.
"Jeff, it's like this..."
Then he called Van Gundy Jr. and discussed the deal with him.
"What?"
Van Gundy Jr. was on vacation with his family. After receiving the call, he learned that Stoudemire had applied for a trade, and Marion was not stable. He was shocked. He reluctantly calmed down, thought for a moment, and then said: "Bryan, several of the Knicks' shooting guards are...
Each has its own shortcomings, and I think this transaction should be considered carefully.
Marbury and Alan Houston, as you just said, are not suitable. The remaining Jamal Crawford is a neurotic combo guard with weak confrontation and unstable performance. Old K definitely does not want to be with this
Type of outside partner.
The remaining Quentin Richardson's shooting percentage was only 39.8% last season, which is much lower than Zhu Fangyu and Josh Howard. It is better to use him than Zhu and Josh.
In addition, Marion is the person we need. He can play both inside and outside, and can attack and defend well. His only weakness is that he does not have the ability to attack with the ball, but his existence can make our rotation more abundant. If he can stay, he will eventually
Good to stay."
After discussing for a long time, Colangelo asked his assistant to reject the Knicks' trade application, and then contacted Marion again.
"Sean, the Knicks initiated a trade for you. What was your decision? To be honest, Sean, the team wants you to stay. You are very important to the team, and I believe you know this." He said directly.
said.
"Mr. Colangelo, please let me think about it."
After replying, Marion pressed the receiver of his cell phone and said to his agent Dan Fagan: "The Knicks are trading me, Dan, what should I do?"
"Let's go, Sean, go to New York, you will have a successful career." Dan Fagan persuaded him at Marion's home.
Marion took a deep breath, nodded, put down his hand, and said to the phone: "Mr. Colangelo, I have decided. I hope the team... trades me."
"..."
Colangelo Jr. hung up the phone silently.
"Old K, D'Antoni wants to recruit Stoudemire and Marion as well. Please contact them and see if you can retain them."
After sitting there for a long time, regardless of whether it was still midnight in China, he made a phone call to Lao Wang and informed him of the current situation.
Lao Wang was woken up in the middle of the night. Although he was mentally prepared, he didn't expect that Stoudemire and Nash would also leave. However, he had no idea that he would come forward to retain people. He said: "Bryan, they can leave if they want to. You have more
By bringing back a few veterans, we can create a mixed lineup of three generations of veterans, middle and young people, just like the Lakers did in those years, and it will be more stable."
"Then you think so, so I did this?" Colangelo Jr. said.
"Let's do it, it's no big deal. These young people, when their wings are hard, they will fly. Let's fly. We can't stop them from pursuing their future, right? If we force them to stay, we will become enemies if we stay. There is no need for that. Everything in the world is free.
The banquet is over." Lao Wang said with a smile.
"Oh well."
After making this call, Colangelo felt much more relaxed.
After all, the Suns have won four championships in the past few years. Except for the Lakers and Green Team, the Suns' record is considered a top-notch team in the league. If it weren't for Old K, the boss wouldn't have invested so much to win the championship. Now Old K has this attitude
, his work becomes easier and the pressure is much less.
…
The time soon came to late July, on the 23rd, the league's freeze period ended, and the salary cap for the new season was announced, which was US$47.5 million, which was an increase from last season.
The transaction officially started, a series of transactions occurred, and many contract renewals also occurred.
Kobe renewed his contract with the Lakers with a seven-year, US$140 million contract, becoming the largest contract extension in the offseason.
Then there was Rasheed Wallace, who renewed his contract with the Pistons with a five-year, $58.7 million contract.
Then Nash, Dampier, Camby, Ginobili, etc. officially signed new contracts.
On the Suns side, although Stoudemire and Marion both took the initiative to apply for a trade, Colangelo looked down on the bargaining chip offered by the Knicks, and the Knicks were unwilling to give the bargaining chip the Suns wanted, so the deal was temporarily in a rut.
among.
Colangelo Jr. wants the Knicks' two future unprotected first-round picks, which is a headache for the Knicks.
Payton called Kidd that day and said with a somewhat complicated mood: "Jason, the media are saying that the Suns collapsed, D'Antoni ran away, Nash ran away, Joe Johnson was traded, Stoudemire and Marion listened.
I have to leave, do you think our Blazers can hope to win the championship next season?"
Kidd thought for a while and said: "The Suns are indeed in trouble. Old K has won his seventh championship, and the Suns have won their fourth championship. The head coach and point guard have been poached by the Knicks, and the main shooting guard Joe Johnson has gone.
The Hawks, I heard that they requested the trade themselves, Stoudemire and Marion may indeed leave, but do you think it is possible that the Suns will collapse?"
"Boy, not to mention the head coach, two main players are gone. If Stoudemire and Marion also leave, there will be only one old K left in the main lineup last season. Do you think the Suns haven't collapsed yet?" Payton was a little unconvinced.
typical.
Kidd sneered and said: "As long as Old K is still there, how can his team collapse? Not to mention that he can support a team by himself, on both offense and defense, he can at least support half of the team."
At this point, he suggested in a sarcastic tone: "Gary, I think you should take the initiative to apply for a trade. If you can still play ten or twenty minutes, the Suns will not have the main point, so you can follow Old K."
A championship.”
"Damn you, what did you say? You actually asked me to hug Lao K's thigh, you bastard! Do I still have the face to hug his thigh?" Payton said angrily.
Kidd continued to taunt: "Come on, Gary, you will be as miserable as a dog without a championship for life. You are about to retire and haven't won a championship yet. What qualifications do you have to be embarrassed? Now you only have two choices. One is to be as miserable as a dog."
, the second is shameless, make your own choice."
"you?"
Payton was so angry that he almost vomited blood. Bang, in anger and shame, he smashed his cell phone on the floor.
"Ha ha……"
Kidd was laughing so hard on the other end of the phone that he had been talking trash to Payton since he was a child, and this time he finally gained the upper hand.
At the Suns headquarters, Colangelo Jr. put down his deal with the Knicks, took the time to go around the free market, and found a target, the Grizzlies' restricted free agent, Kenyon Martin.
Kenyon Martin was the second overall pick in 2000 and was selected by the Grizzlies. Yao was the top pick that year. His data last season was 179. His offense and rebounds were pretty good, and he could barely fill Stoudemire's vacancy.
In addition, the defense is a little better than Stoudemire, but the offensive style is somewhat similar to Stoudemire. They both lack singles ability and need the cooperation of teammates, so they are the pie-eating type.
Kenyon Martin was dissatisfied with the Grizzlies' contract extension, and it has not yet been renewed. It was an opportunity to recruit people, and Colangelo immediately rushed forward with a hoe on his shoulders.
On July 25, the Suns used a sign-and-trade method to acquire Kenyon Martin with a seven-year, $90 million contract. Colangelo Jr. also spent a lot of money.
The Grizzlies received the Suns' top-three protected first-round pick in 2005 and their unprotected first-round pick in 2006, plus two role players.
After securing the power forward, Colangelo Jr. went to the free market again, but found no goals, so he changed his target and looked for other teams.
After analyzing for a long time, the point guard he needed finally found his target, Jason Williams.
This time the target is again a Grizzlies player.
White Chocolate's contract with the Grizzlies still has one year left. He hopes to renew his contract in advance, but he and the Grizzlies have not reached an agreement. This news was revealed by the media.
Colangelo Jr. immediately contacted White Chocolate's agent Bob Myers. Myers knew that the Suns would have many vacant positions in the player supermarket, which meant that there was no problem with salary space and the owner was willing to pay.
With a large amount of luxury tax, there are definitely conditions to give Williams a big contract.
So the two hit it off immediately, one immediately requested a trade from the Grizzlies, and the other immediately requested an active trade from the team.
As for the Grizzlies, it's actually just what they wanted. White Chocolate's contract renewal requirements are very high, with an annual salary of close to tens of millions. The Grizzlies management doesn't even consider it. Now the transaction is just right.
So the Grizzlies and the Suns hit it off and quickly reached a deal.
The Suns sent away the 2005 top-three protected first-round pick they received from the Hawks in exchange for Jason Williams.
After the trade was announced, the hesitant Payton settled down and gave up on going to the Suns. There was no way he would be a substitute for White Chocolate, absolutely impossible.
After finishing the white chocolate, little Colangelo breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the deal between Stoudemire and Marion has not yet been finalized, the main lineup for the new season is almost done.
Center Lao K, power forward Kenyon Martin, small forward Zhu Fangyu, shooting guard Josh Howard, point guard Jason Williams.
The next step is to trade Stoudemire and Marion, save as many draft picks as possible, and then equip several high-quality role players to create a combat-effective rotation.
He has now figured out that Stoudemire and Marion can leave if they want. This is also a problem that championship teams must face.
He got a signing and a deal done, and the Knicks became anxious, as did Stoudemire and Marion.