Chapter 490: Intercepting the Jackal King in the Draft
Compared to the Golden State Warriors, the Timberwolves are Wang Feng's second choice.
This team has good potential and is ready to draft Garnett.
But in the future, the Timberwolves will have another nickname among Chinese fans, and that is Huskies.
This guy always comes up with some weird ideas that leave people speechless.
The famous Joe Smith yin-yang contract was created by the Timberwolves management in 2000. Because of this incident, the Timberwolves were confiscated by the league for five years of their first-round picks. Although two were returned later, three first-round picks were enough.
There are too many.
The Timberwolves will have no shortage of outstanding players in the future, from Kevin Love to Anthony Towns, but the Timberwolves have always been the same Huskies without any fighting ability. They occasionally make it to the playoffs but often end up in the first round.
If possible, Wang Feng would prefer to go to another team, but if there is no particularly suitable team, it is not impossible to reluctantly join Minnesota.
Fortunately, the Warriors did not let Wang Feng struggle for long.
The next day, the general manager of the Warriors personally called Wang Feng.
"Mr. Wang Feng, I would like to ask, why do you want us to choose Garnett instead of Joe Smith?"
The general manager of the Warriors is named Bob. Before this, he was not entirely responsible for the recruitment of Warriors players because the Warriors' former head coach Don Nelson also served as the vice president while serving as the head coach.
Nelson has been responsible for the Warriors' signings in recent years, including the trade of Anfernee Hardaway to the Magic for Chris Webber.
However, with the 1994-95 season, the relationship between Nelson and Webber deteriorated, and the latter strongly demanded to be traded away from the team. Nickerson also chose to resign after the Warriors ended the regular season with the third-worst record in the Western Conference.
So now Bob can only handle the Warriors' recruitment work by himself.
Joe Smith is the player that all members of the Warriors management believe is most suitable for the Warriors. Due to Webber's departure, the Warriors currently lack a player with strong offensive capabilities inside.
Joe Smith, who is 2.08 meters tall, has strong physical fitness and full impact. He has talent and potential that is not inferior to Chris Webber. He is the substitute that best meets the needs of the Warriors.
In contrast, although Garnett has better static talent than Joe Smith, his status as a high school player and his thin and weak body really prevent the Warriors from betting on him.
But the Warriors really want to acquire Wang Feng, not only because they are impressed by Wang Feng's performance, but also because of Wang Feng's status as a Chinese player.
As we all know, San Francisco is the city with the largest Chinese population in the United States and has a large number of overseas Chinese.
In the next 2002, the Warriors will be more eager to acquire Yao than the Rockets, but unfortunately they were too unlucky not to get the No. 1 pick.
In the more distant future, the Warriors also tried to offer a Chinese-American player a contract. Unfortunately, the Chinese-American player failed to show his worth with the Warriors and was eventually given up.
Later, the Chinese player performed in the Knicks and shocked the whole world. He was called Linsanity. He was Jeremy Lin.
The topic has gone too far, so let’s get back to the topic.
The Warriors really hope to get Wang Feng, even if Wang Feng asks for a high salary, they can accept it. After all, it is an indisputable fact that Wang Feng defeated Jordan head-on in the playoffs and helped the Knicks crush the championship, even if this is just his first in the NBA.
This season, Wang Feng has already proven his worth with his strength.
Therefore, Bob carefully thought and discussed the conditions proposed by Wang Feng. In the end, he felt that he should listen to Wang Feng's explanation in detail before making a judgment.
"You want to ask why? Of course it's because Garnett is stronger than Smith." Wang Feng's answer was simple and clear, "Don't look at Joe Smith's current strength, but his talent limit is limited, and there is room for improvement after entering the NBA.
It’s not big, at most it’s just to become a quasi-All-Star player, and it’s good to be able to stably contribute around 18+10 data.”
"But Garnett is different. His physical talent is at a historical level, and I have seen Garnett with my own eyes. He is a player with great fighting spirit. He has the potential to become a top star in the league."
"I joined the Warriors. Of course I hope this team will become stronger instead of being at the bottom of the league like it is now, so I need some good helpers to assist. I am optimistic that Garnett will grow into the league's top inside player within two years.
, can be my right-hand man in winning the championship.”
At this point, Wang Feng added the final blow.,
"I won't hide it from you. I have also been in contact with the Timberwolves management because I know they want Garnett. If Garnett is eventually selected by the Timberwolves, this may be a factor in whether I join or not.
A great reference for Minnesota.”
As soon as Wang Feng said these words, he made his attitude very clear.
In fact, for him, Garnett is not necessary, nor does it mean that without Garnett, he will not have the confidence to defeat the Bulls. This kind of behavior is actually more like an oath of sovereignty. The Warriors want to get themselves
, you must pay attention to your own status, just like Wang Feng did when he was with the Lakers. The important signings of the team are not made by the general manager or head coach, but by Wang Feng.
Although it feels a bit presumptuous for players to control the team's trade and recruitment, as a time traveler, Wang Feng has the foresight to know which players are stronger and can perform at a higher level. It is obvious that Wang Feng is more suitable for this job than anyone else.
Again, what James can do, I, Wang Feng, can’t do?
After Wang Feng said a lot of words, there was a long silence on the other side of the phone.
After a long time, Bob spoke again.
"Mr. Wang Feng, what you are telling me is that you want to lead the Warriors to win the championship? Are you confident in this?"
Wang Feng smiled.
"I just led the Knicks to a championship. Do you think I have confidence?"
Bob stopped talking.
At this time, it would be stupid to continue to argue and say that you can win the championship with the Knicks because the Knicks have Ewing.
"Okay, Mr. Wang Feng, I think I have made a decision now..."
…
On June 28, 1995, the NBA draft was held as scheduled in Toronto, Canada.
The Golden State Warriors, who won the No. 1 pick, successfully selected No. 1 pick Joe Smith with the first pick in the first round.
This is in line with the judgment of all media. Without Chris Webber last season, the Warriors' record plummeted. They must choose an offensive power forward to fill this vacancy. Moreover, in 1995, a small draft year
, they don't have many targets to choose from. If they don't choose Smith, they can only choose high school rookie Garnett.
But what they need is an excellent immediate ability rather than a potential rookie who takes time to develop and has no idea of the upper limit of future growth.
However, within minutes of the Warriors drafting Joe Smith, they immediately used the new No. 1 pick as a bargaining chip to trade with the Philadelphia 76ers for the third overall pick. From the 76ers, they obtained this year's No. 3 pick and the next two second rounds.
signature and part of the cash compensation.
Immediately afterwards, the Warriors used the third pick to sign high school power forward Kevin Garnett.
This operation was beyond everyone's expectations, and the Timberwolves management was dumbfounded.
What the hell? Garnett was intercepted?
The Timberwolves, who hold the fifth pick, are most optimistic about Garnett. They want to select Garnett and train him as the core of the team.
I didn't expect the Warriors to make such a move.
"what to do?"
Now the Timberwolves management is in complete chaos. "There is no other choice but to choose Rasheed Wallace. Although his potential is not as good as Garnett's, he is also a good inside player in this draft..."
However, before the Timberwolves finished speaking, the Washington Bullets, who held the fourth overall pick, selected Rasheed Wallace.
Timberwolves management: "..."
Forget about the Warriors, why are you joining in the fun with the Bullets? Are you short of interior players?
The Washington Bullets currently have the combination of Chris Webber and Juwan Howard in the interior, and they don't need interior players at all.
But they just chose Rasheed Wallace.
Moreover, in Wang Feng's impression, Wallace only played one season with the Washington Bullets, the Wizards, before being traded to the Trail Blazers. Later, he became an All-Star with the Trail Blazers and earned the title of Roaring God.
…
Wang Feng sat in front of the TV, watching with tears in his eyes as the Timberwolves, holding the fifth pick, signed Jerry Stackhouse, who was originally supposed to be signed by the 76ers with the third pick, knowing that history had changed once again.
Stackhouse is a very good player. He can consistently get 20+4+4 statistics all year round. In his peak season, he averaged 29.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. He was selected to the All-Star twice.
However, there is no comparison between him and Garnett. In other words, the rookie class of 1995 was completely dominated by Garnett.
Without the future Wolf King, the Timberwolves' future development path will inevitably change greatly, and the biggest change is undoubtedly the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors gave up No. 1 pick Joe Smith and chose Garnett instead, which puzzled the entire league. After all, both power forwards, Joe Smith seems to have a brighter future than Garnett.
In the 1990s, no more than in the future, NBA scouts had very few ways to obtain player information, with NCAA games being the most important channel.
Although Garnett is extremely talented and has a dominant performance in the high school league, he has not been baptized by the NCAA after all. Even the bonus in talent is not enough to make him surpass Joe Smith in evaluation.
More importantly, in the eyes of the outside world, the return the Warriors received from giving up the No. 1 pick and choosing the No. 3 pick was too little, with only two second rounds and a cash compensation.
But in fact, in this small draft year, the value of the No. 1 pick is indeed not that high. The Warriors have communicated with several teams before the trade, and the bargaining chip offered by the 76ers is still relatively the best one.
"Obviously, Golden State has given up on the idea of returning to a strong team in the league in the new season. They have chosen the future instead of the present. Garnett may become an outstanding player in the future, but there is nothing he can do as a high school student.
Help the Warriors return to the playoffs in the new season."
"It seems that the Warriors have begun to prepare in advance for next year's draft. Maybe they want AI or a tough inside man like Marcus Camby, so they don't care about the record next season."
San Francisco fans are also very disappointed with the Warriors' draft manipulation.
But before they could start scolding, one day later, the Warriors made another series of operations. They bundled the team's core point guard Tim Hardaway with Donyel Marshall, the No. 4 pick in 1994.
A three-way trade with the Heat and Hornets sent Hardaway to the Heat and Marshall to the Hornets.
The deal allowed the Heat to acquire Tim Hardaway of the Warriors and Alonzo Mourning of the Hornets, while the Hornets acquired Marshall and several players from the Heat.
As for the Warriors, the only thing they received was the two first-round picks from the Hornets and Heat in 1996 and some cash compensation.
This three-party trade involved the trade of two All-Star players, Mourning and Hardaway, and the news was quite big, which surprised the public.
The Heat became the biggest winner in this transaction. Although they almost dismantled half of the team's main players, they also got two All-Stars in their prime.
Although the Hornets lost Mourning, they got All-Star player Glen Rice and several powerful players from the Heat. Overall, they were not particularly disadvantaged.
On the other hand, the Warriors looked like they were losing money.
Tim Hardaway has played five seasons with the Warriors and has recorded 20+10 double-doubles for four consecutive years. Last season, he averaged 20.1 points, 3 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game, which is quite luxurious in the entire league.
Such an All-Star player in his prime was actually exchanged for two first-rounders and didn't even get a player? And he also got an extra power forward Donyel Marshall with great potential.
What on earth is the Warriors management trying to do? Are they taking dirty money from the Heat?
Joe Smith also failed to get the expected immediate combat power. The original lineup was torn into pieces. No matter who looks at it, this Warriors team will be a completely bad team in the new season, at the bottom of the league.
The local sports media in San Francisco can't wait to write articles criticizing the Warriors' management for a series of operations.
However, two days later, the free market opened, and the Warriors immediately made another round of big moves.
On July 1, when the free market just opened, the Warriors immediately issued a statement that they had reached an agreement with former Knicks player Wang Feng. The latter would sign a two-year contract with the Warriors with a total salary of US$16.72 million!
This news immediately caused a sensation.
The whole league is watching Wang Feng's movements, wondering which team this player who defeated Jordan, O'Neal and Olajuwon in the playoffs will choose.
Unexpectedly, he turned out to be a warrior!
16.72 million U.S. dollars in two years, an average of 8.36 million U.S. dollars per year. This is already the highest salary in the league, higher than David Robinson's annual salary of 7.3 million U.S. dollars!