After the Finals, the Lakers held a championship parade in Los Angeles.
The entire Los Angeles was empty, and countless fans took to the streets to celebrate this championship trophy after 9 years.
At the same time, the management of each team in the league has begun nervous preparations for the opening of the free market.
One week after the finals, the NBA 2019 draft officially took place.
With a lot of luck, the New Orleans Pelicans, who won the No. 1 pick with a very low probability, chose forward Zion Williamson just like in another time and space.
But unlike another time and space, the Lakers entered the playoffs with the best record in the league. Therefore, even if Aunt Jenny's favorite Kuzma possessed the European Emperor, the Lakers could not get the No. 4 pick in the first round.
The Lakers, who held the 28th pick in the first round, selected 1.93-meter-tall shooting guard Jordan Poole.
This choice was of course based on Wang Feng’s suggestion.
General manager Magic Johnson himself wants to choose a center or point guard. After all, the current Lakers team has no shortage of players at the shooting guard position. There are Butler, Jordan Clarkson, Seth Curry and others.
There is no need to draft another shooting guard.
However, at Wang Feng's strong request, Jordan Poole was chosen.
The Lakers have just won the championship under the leadership of Wang Feng, and the two sides are in the honeymoon period. Several players recommended by Wang Feng last season also performed well during the regular season playoffs, including the Lakers acquiring Jimmy Butler in a trade.
It was also achieved with Wang Feng’s vigorous promotion.
Sometimes after carefully reviewing Wang Feng's operations, Johnson felt that Wang Feng should be the general manager.
After Brook Lopez's big contract with the Lakers expired, the team was originally not prepared to keep him, but after Wang Feng insisted, they gave him a four-year, $2,400 contract to keep Lopez.
This contract extension was criticized by many at the time. Based on Lopez's performance in the previous few seasons, he was completely at the level of a low-paid player. Although the 24 million contract is only 4 million per year on average, it is not too high.
But giving a veteran like Lopez a long-term contract is simply not worth it.
However, this season, Lopez, who changed his tactical positioning and appeared on the court as a space-based inside line, has the second spring of his career. Although he averages only about 12 points and 5 rebounds per game, he can provide stable scoring in limited playing time.
output.
Lopez averaged 2.3 three-pointers per game during the regular season. As long as he is on the court, the opponent's center has to defend him. Lopez is indispensable for the reason why Wang Feng's efficiency in breaking through and attacking the frame is so high this season.
Not only Lopez, but several others including Rondo, Rose, McGee and others are also important rotation role players for the Lakers this season.
Now Johnson regrets that he originally gave them short-term contracts of one year. As the Lakers win the championship, the value of these players will inevitably rise. If you want to keep them, you will obviously have to pay a certain price.
Therefore, since Wang Feng valued Jordan Poole, who seemed to have no outstanding characteristics, Johnson simply complied with Wang Feng's wish and selected Poole with the 28th pick.
Wang Feng, who traveled back in time in 2022, certainly knows the level of Jordan Poole. He can be regarded as the player with the strongest potential and strength at the end of the first round.
In the first year after he was drafted, Poole's performance was mediocre and he was nicknamed the 19th draft pick.
Who would have thought that two seasons later, Poole would become one of the Warriors' main scoring points, averaging 18.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4 assists in 30 minutes per game during the 21-22 regular season.
In fact, the Lakers' current lineup does not particularly need Jordan Poole, but it happens that the Warriors' draft pick is ranked behind the Lakers, with the 29th overall pick.
In line with the idea of not taking advantage of the bastard, Wang Feng decisively asked the Lakers to intercept and draw.
If you don't select players with potential and select some crooked players who can't even serve as substitutes, then there's something wrong with your brain.
As for whether Poole can perform at a future level with the Lakers without the same distribution of ball rights as the Warriors, that is not within the scope of Wang Feng's consideration.
To put it bluntly, even if Poole sits on the bench of the Lakers, it is more cost-effective than being drafted by other teams to become an effective fighting force.
If my opponent becomes weaker, won’t I become stronger relatively speaking?
This is a very simple and easy-to-understand truth.
Johnson chose Jordan Poole on his front foot, and within a few minutes, he received a call from the Warriors' general manager.
What shocked him was that the Warriors actually wanted to trade him for Poole, and were willing to pay a future first-round pick plus two second-round picks.
"Does this rookie who almost fell to the second round really have something?"
Johnson was puzzled and politely refused on the phone.
…
The Lakers also had a draft pick in the second round. Originally, in another time and space, they would use this draft pick to select the resentful Horton Tucker.
As a second-round pick, Tucker's strength is actually very good, but in the 21-22 season, the Lakers were forced to use him as an important rotation role player when no one was available, and then as a shooting guard.
Tucker's three-point shooting percentage was 26.9%, which almost made Lakers fans so angry that they had a cerebral hemorrhage.
Now, since Jordan Poole was selected in the first round, Johnson did not choose Horton Tucker, who plays the same position as Poole, but instead chose Bol Bol, a big inside player who is 2.18 meters tall.
Wang Feng doesn't even know what this guy does. From this, it can be seen that this is a player who is far inferior to Horton Tucker. After all, Tucker returns from the trap and can still play a rotation role in the NBA.
But he did not continue to dictate this draft.
After all, it doesn't make much difference whether he chooses Tucker or Bol. They won't be able to play anyway, so there is no need for him to continue to point fingers at the Lakers management over such trivial matters.
Even though the two sides are in the honeymoon period now, the job of introducing and signing players is the job of the general manager after all. He has not yet reached the level like LeBron James, where the position is so big that even the team owner has to obey. It is necessary.
It's good to explain and stick to your own opinions at all times. Otherwise, if you control too much, it is likely to cause unnecessary conflicts and create a gap between the two parties.
Right now, the Lakers have a strong team, and Wang Feng still hopes to win a few more championships with the Lakers.
…
Two days after the draft, the NBA Awards Ceremony was held in Los Angeles.
Wang Feng dressed up to attend, preparing to receive his second regular season MVP trophy in his career. Although the award has not been announced yet, there is no suspense anymore.