lakers championship

Chapter 294 Draft Conference (1)

At 7 p.m., Barclays Center in New York was crowded.

In the TNT live broadcast area, the four of O'Neill started working.

Ernie: "Welcome everyone to the 2017 NBA Draft. From 8 o'clock, we will live broadcast the journey of rookies to realize their dreams. Shaq, what do you think of the top three picks?"

O'Neal: "I think the Celtics will pick Josh Jackson first, the Suns will pick Jayson Tatum next, and the 76ers will pick Mark Fultz..."

Kenny: "So you think Fultz will drop to No. [-]?"

O'Neal: "Yes, he lacks shooting and can only use explosive power to play. But think about it, you are in this league, facing Curry tonight, Irving tomorrow night, challenging Lillard the day after tomorrow, and you may encounter guest control from time to time. Wei's Tianyang, no matter how strong your physical fitness is, it will be exhausted, and if you can't shoot, it will be very uncomfortable."

Barkley: "Shaq, what you said makes sense..."

O'Neill: "Do you finally agree with me?"

Barkley: "I agree that you are useless. Just now, the Celtics made a deal with the 76ers, sending the No. 1 pick to the 76ers for the No. 3 pick and the 18 first-round pick, so..."

Kenny: "So you predicted wrong..."

O'Neill: "I'll go..."

……

At 7:30, in the Lakers draft office.

Wharton put down his phone, gearing up, "The first shot has been fired! Let's see what's next..."

Before the words finished, the phone rang. It was Kupchak's cell phone, and Wharton immediately shut up.

"Hello, I'm the general manager of the Lakers!" Kupchak pressed the answer button and then the speakerphone button.

"Hi, I'm Ryan, general manager of the Suns."

"what can I help you?"

"After discussion, for the deal of Cousins, we agreed to send the first-round pick in 19, but you must take over Russell, how?"

"Let's discuss it and get back to you in 10 minutes!"

After hanging up the phone, Kupchak immediately asked, "What do you think?"

Although Tianyang guessed that the Lakers might trade Cousins, he was still a little shocked. After thinking about it for about 5 seconds, he said, "If Russell is willing to accept returning to the status of the Lakers and doesn't care about things in the locker room, I will No objection, anyway, Nick Young has forgiven him."

Walton shook his head: "I object to this. The current lineup needs a point guard who has organizational skills and can contribute on the defensive end, as well as a blue-collar center who moves faster."

After listening to the opinions of the two, Kupchak stood up and thought about it, paced back and forth and said: "What if we send it away? Take Tarek or Zubac for a first-rounder this year for selection. Kuzma!"

Wharton's eyes lit up, "I think it's feasible!"

Tianyang pouted, "Then let's see which team needs Russell."

Eight minutes later, the trio finally found the answer, and Kupchak called Ryan.

"We agreed to the deal."

"Happy cooperation!"

After hanging up the phone, Kupchak called Jim again, and notified Jim in Los Angeles of the deal and the discussion between the three, so that he could quickly contact the target team.

……

At 7:45, in the TNT live broadcast area, Ernie asked Shaq to analyze the selection of the Suns.

O'Neal: "Now the situation is very clear. The 76ers chose Fultz with the first pick, and the Celtics chose Josh Jackson with the third pick. The Suns will not grab it, and their lineup already has 2 point guards Russell and Bledsoe, so only Jayson Tatum!"

Barkley: "Shaq, what you said makes sense..."

Kenny: "But your analysis is wrong again..."

Ernie: "Haha, just now, we received the latest news that the Suns traded with the Lakers, sending Russell, this year's No. 2 pick and the first round of 19 to the league's number one center Cousins. Ke, what do you think of this deal?"

O'Neill: "Director! You can't target me just because I was the last one to join! Why did you ask me to finish the analysis after you got the news! I'm very angry now!"

……

Regarding the Cousins ​​trade, direct discussions exploded on Twitter, and Lakers fans were even more busy flying.

"Choose Ball! Organized and defensive! The most important thing is not to occupy the ball!"

"Choose Jayson Tatum! Immediately with strong combat power, he can help the Lakers win the championship this year!"

"In my opinion, grab Josh-Jackson! Get revenge for the Celtics grabbing Ingram last year!"

Kupchak and Wharton also hesitated over who to choose.

The plan set at the beginning was to choose players with immediate combat power who could help the Lakers win the championship quickly, but in the trial training against Bobauer and Tatum, both performed very well!

Seeing that the two couldn't make up their minds, Tianyang said, "No matter who we choose, I believe he can quickly adapt the Lakers' system. It's better to wait. Anyway, Russell's deal hasn't been finalized yet."

Kupchak nodded immediately, and Wharton agreed.

……

At 8 o'clock, Adam Silver walked out of the room on time, and the 17 NBA Draft officially began.

"Good evening, and welcome to the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, where the 2017 NBA Draft is held. These young people are here tonight to become NBA players and perform at a high level in front of fans around the world. The game ... according to the trade, the No. 1 pick of the Boston Celtics now belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers, and they will have 5 minutes to decide the selection."

Silver left after delivering his speech. At the same time, Kupchak received a call from Jim.

"The Nets agreed to our trade request and are willing to accept Russell and Tarek in exchange for Brook Lopez and this year's 27th pick!"

The call was still in the hands-free state. After Wharton and Tianyang listened, they clapped hands in celebration.

But Kupchak still frowned, "The question is again, who should we choose?"

Just when the three were hesitating, Xiao Hua returned to the draft scene, took out a note and read: "In the 2017 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Mark Fultz from the University of Washington with the first overall pick. !"

There was applause at the scene, and Fultz took the stage to take a photo with Xiao Hua.

……

In the Lakers draft office, Kupchak smiled and said: "It's only 5 minutes, Jim asked us to make a decision, or let's flip a coin! Heads Ball, tail Tatum."

Walton also laughed and said, "If the coin stands up, choose Josh Jackson, and turn around and rob the Celtics!"

"I agree with the coach's idea!" Tianyang said.

"You said to choose Josh? He hated you and Kobe. He thought back-ups were outdated, and the selection was also a thorn in the head. I don't think it's good!" Kupchak shook his head again and again.

Tianyang waved his hand, "No, I agree to rob the Celtics! Just now WOJ broke the news that Josh Jackson was very angry at not being elected No. So here's our chance!"

Wharton's eyes lit up like stars when he heard the words, "You mean, they can only choose Tatum now, and we intercept halfway, and then force them to choose Ball and paste the pick to trade with us. Whether they Do you agree, we all only make money and not lose money?"

Tianyang nodded, "Yes, that's what I mean!"

Kupchak laughed, picked up his phone and started dialing.

"Hi, Angie, my old friend, I'm Mitch Kupchak. I now have a fair and just deal that is full of great benefits for both the Lakers and the Celtics, and I want to talk to you."

　Add more updates for the rudder master 'Beishan Fenghan'.In order to prevent you from guessing the plot, it is not easy for me. . .However, you should know who you chose by now, right?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)