I'm really strong in basketball

Chapter 149 2005 NBA Draft
When he heard his name, Bogut jumped up excitedly, waved his fist fiercely, and roared: "Yes! Yes!"

Immediately, Bogut looked at Liu He, wanting to give Liu He a hard look.

And told Liu He: How is it?
You thought Paul was the No. [-] pick, but the Bucks chose me.

Slap in the face?

Unfortunately, when Bogut looked at Liu He, Liu He was chatting happily with a beautiful woman.

Bogut was still somewhat impressed by this beauty.

Scarlett Johansson, a New Yorker, is a young actress who has just emerged, but her figure is already as mature as ever.

Liu He didn't look at Bogut at all. Even after he was elected as the top pick, he still chatted and laughed with Scarlett, telling interesting stories about making a movie with O'Neal in the summer, making Scarlett smile like a flower, trembling and trembling.

The number one pick is nothing, I've beaten you too much.

And this made Bogut so angry... How dare you ignore me!

In fact, he is only the number one pick, how can he compare to an already established superstar like Liu He?
Not to mention Liu He ignoring him, even if Liu He ridiculed him in person, he would still have to bear it.

It's just that Bogut takes himself too seriously, which makes him feel uncomfortable.

……

Soon, the second staff member delivered the card.

Stern opened the card and read: "With the second pick in the first round, the Atlanta Hawks selected the guard from Wake Forest University...Chris Paul!"

Paul jumped with excitement.

First, he hugged his family and cried, and then hugged Liu He.

"Dude, I knew you could!"

"thanks, thanks!"

Liu He patted Paul on the back, and then ruffled Paul's hair.

Paul smiled innocently.

They say Paul's head is like a tiger's butt...it can't be touched, so it also depends on who does it?
When facing seniors, no matter how badass you Paul is, you still have to lie down.

At this moment, history has also changed.

Originally, the Eagles selected the popular Marvin Williams.

Now, because of the explosive performances of Duncan and Liu He, the market value of Wake Forest University players has increased infinitely.

Paul took advantage of this spring breeze and became the second overall pick in 2005.

If history doesn't change much, next season's Hawks will consist of a youth army of Chris Paul, Joe Johnson, and Al Harrington.

Joe and Harrington have already mastered singles through several years of experience.With Paul's help, we will be even more powerful.

With Paul's support ability, this team has almost no difficulty reaching the playoffs in the weak Eastern Conference.

Next year's Eastern Conference playoffs will become even more competitive.

I don’t know if our “Chosen One”, who has failed to reach the playoffs for two consecutive years, can achieve a “zero” breakthrough.

As a "good friend" in the same class, Liu He began to worry about James.

……

The third pick.

The Utah Jazz didn't hesitate in selecting...Deron Williams.

Although Marvin Williams is good, coach Sloan is a fan of "pick-and-roll tactics".

The Jazz have a "replica of Malone" Boozer, but what they lack at the moment is a "replica of Stockton."

Obviously, "Little Fatty" Deron is the "replica of Stockton" in the coach's mind.

……

fourth overall.

The Hornets selected Raymond Felton.

Again... Although Marvin is good, the Hornets are short of defenders, and there is no shortage of players at the forward position.

……

fifth overall.

Marvin Williams, whose heart grew colder little by little, was finally chosen.

It was the Charlotte Bobcats, the new team in the league, who took him away.

Of course, Liu He felt that this was not a bad thing for Marvin.

Historically, Marvin went to the Eagles and didn't have many opportunities alongside singles Joe and Harrington.

On the contrary, in the Bobcats, Marvin may receive more resources and attention.

If we lose our horses, we can't know what a blessing is.

Maybe in this life, Marvin's career will be even better.

Gerald Wallace, Marvin Williams... plus the uninjured Emeka Okafor, the Bobcats are much better than before.

……

With the sixth pick, the Trail Blazers selected Martell Webster.

With the eighth pick, the Raptors selected "Hairless Hero" Villanueva.

With the [-]th pick, the Clippers selected "Baby Shark" Andrew Bynum.

But then, Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor, who missed his old friendship, traded Bynum to the Lakers next door.

Baylor is indeed a legend of the Lakers. Even if he is in the Clippers, he will not forget his old team.

Bynum went round and round and finally reached Kobe's side.

……

With the No. 17 pick, the Pacers selected Danny Granger.

I hope this guy doesn't get hurt in this life.

With the No. 19 pick, the Grizzlies selected Hakeem Warrick.

With the No. 20 pick, the Suns selected "Little Potato" Nate Robinson.

……

With the No. 20 pick, it’s finally the Knicks’ turn.

Jerry West took action and took down big man David Lee.

A rich second generation who will have to go home and inherit billions of assets if he doesn't play well.

In addition to the hundreds of office buildings, dozens of farms, and more than a dozen castles at home...what else are you?

Liu He greeted David Li from a distance.

David Lee immediately returned the favor to the team boss respectfully.

New York is the city that all NBA players dream of.

The popularity, money, fame, and resources he can give to players are unmatched by any other city.

What's more, the Knicks are so strong today, not only with their popularity, but also with their record.

What rookie wouldn't want to come to New York?

But after David Lee came to power, Liu He fell into deep thought.

Currently, the Knicks really have no shortage of big men.

Pachulia, Chandler, Varejao, Thomas, Malone...

Liu He can sometimes play a guest role at the fourth position.

Last season, the competition within the team was fierce.

Varejao received little playing time.

Although Malone will be one year older next season, the Knicks still have plenty of talent inside.

Under such circumstances, why would West choose an inside player?

Weird!
As a result, the Knicks next season will be overcrowded inside.

This choice is really meaningless!

If it was Lord Baylor or Rivers who did this, Liu He would still understand.

After all, there is something wrong with their brains.

However, Jerry West is a legendary general manager, a fighter among general managers, and would never make such a stupid mistake.

Then...there is only one possibility.

This summer, the Knicks will have huge changes, and West is planning a big deal.

The second round was hosted by Vice President Stu Jackson.

With the No. 40 pick, the Warriors selected Monta Aris.

With the No. 40 fifth pick, the 76ers selected Lou Williams.

The quality of the rookies in the 05 class is quite high, but the quantity is not large. These are the only rookies worth mentioning.The ninth pick also belongs to the Knicks.

Jerry West sold the pick directly, making $50 for the boss, James Dolan.

When Dolan found out, his face was unhappy.

I'm short of everything except money, so don't save money for me.

West was also helpless: "There is really no one to choose from!"

In this way, the 2005 NBA Draft came to an end.

……

It is worth mentioning that in this year's draft, West was targeted by the Magic's uniform staff.

West originally thought about trading some first-round draft picks and selecting high-ranking rookies.

But the Magic management got in the way.

The reason is also very simple.

Last summer, the Knicks traded Alan Houston for Grant Hill and Zaza Pachulia from the Magic.

Everyone knows the outcome of the transaction.

The Knicks made big money.

Hill recovered his second spring and was selected as an All-Star.

Pachulia became a qualified starting center.

But the Magic front office, which wanted to take advantage, suffered a big loss. Houston only played 20 games and was completely ruined.

What's even worse is that there is only one year left in Houston's big contract, and next season's salary will reach a terrifying $1913 million, which is more valuable than Kobe Bryant.

The key is that Houston can't play the game at all, not even one minute, and they have to pay him nearly 1 million US dollars.

Can you understand the mood of the Magic front office?

It can be said that the Knicks made money with tears and blood.

The Magic, on the other hand, lost so much that they had nothing left.

In fact, everyone knows the whole story. The Magic wanted to take advantage and rushed to trade, but they suffered a big loss.

No wonder others!

The Magic have to blame themselves for being stupid.

But this incident also made NBA general managers once again aware of West's power.

His vicious eyes and wise choices made everyone dare not look down upon him, and even be a little scared.

Therefore, under the instigation of the Magic team's institutional team, each team was unwilling to trade with the Knicks, for fear that they would become the next Magic team management and become a joke.

This makes West very helpless.

Sometimes, being too good is also a worry.

The wood is beautiful in the forest, and the wind will destroy it.

Seeing that the trade market is about to open, the Magic have begun to slander the Knicks in circles again.

The bloody facts are before our eyes. Teams in the league are really afraid of the Knicks.

The story reached David Stern's ears.

Stern was furious.

Magic, you are causing trouble!

The ultimate drama of "New York vs. Los Angeles" I planned is progressing normally, how dare you come out to cause trouble?
New York was excluded from the trade market, resulting in the inability to improve its strength and failure to advance to the finals, resulting in the failure of the big show, and then lack of popularity, which damaged the interests of the entire league...

Can the Magic afford this loss?
No, we have to find a way without delaying the Knicks' summer reinforcements.

Stern was determined.

That night.

The NBA suddenly announced a new rule.

Alan Houston Law.

A team can waive any player on the team, and the player's salary will not count against the team's salary cap.

The rules are still the same.

The name has not changed.

Even the timing of the rule's rollout has not changed.

It's just that in another time and space, Houston was still with the Knicks.

The Knicks' cap space is too bloated and rotten, and the league has no choice but to help the Knicks.

Everyone knows the alliance's intentions, but they don't care.

Because the Knicks suck.

An "Allan Houston" rule won't save the Knicks, and it will have no impact on other teams.

But in this time and space, although the Knicks also have bloated wages, they have eased some of it after West's operations last summer.

The key is that the Knicks just finished this year with the best record in team history of 61 wins and 21 losses, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, and they are extremely strong.

If the rules introduced by the league are called the "Anfernee Hardaway" rule or the "Grant Hill" rule, other teams in the league will never agree, allowing the league to blatantly help the already strong Knicks.

So Stern used a little trick.

If I can’t name it after a Knicks player, I’ll name it after a Magic player.

Your Magic team is making trouble, so I'll help you.You have no objection.

On the surface, you are helping the Magic, and you, the Magic, have to say thank you.

The Magic team is so weak, what's wrong with me helping him?
But out of fairness rules, I can't just give policies to the Magic and not other teams, right?

Well, all 30 teams can use the "Alan Houston" rule once, it's fair, right?

The Knicks are also a member of the league, so of course they can use this rule.

What else can the naysayers say?
Seems fair.

It's actually not fair.

The Knicks obviously need this rule more than other teams.

Some teams simply can't reach the luxury tax line. What's the point of this rule?

……

In any case, Stern achieved his goal of "helping the Knicks."

As for the disobedient kid on the Magic team, there will be plenty of opportunities to deal with it slowly in the future.

……

Soon, West contacted Anfernee Hardaway.

After some friendly discussions, the Knicks used the Alan Houston Rule and waived Hardaway.

This move suddenly left the Knicks with $1575 million in salary space.

The next day, Hardaway announced his retirement and joined the Knicks coaching staff as an assistant to Coach Nelson.

In fact, Hardaway's condition has declined sharply in recent years due to injuries and age.

Last season, he had almost no playing opportunities.

Hardaway also gradually began to think about retiring.

In addition, "Big Dog" Glenn Robinson also announced his retirement at the same time.

The No. 94 pick in [-] finally ruined his career with unlimited possibilities early due to drinking, fighting, and laziness.

Last season, Big Dog's annual salary was $1207 million.

Through only Hardaway and Big Dog, the Knicks reduced their salary by $2782 million in one fell swoop.

All of a sudden, the Knicks' salary space became much healthier and they had more room to operate.

中锋：安德森·瓦莱乔（23岁、87万美刀）、泰森·钱德勒（23岁、四年童工合同到期）、扎扎·帕楚利亚（21岁、两年新秀合同到期）、大卫·李（22岁、86万美刀）

Power forward: Karl Malone (42 years old, veteran’s minimum salary), Kurt Thomas (33 years old, $662 million)

小前锋：刘河（21岁、104万美刀）、特雷沃·阿里扎（20岁、68万美刀）、格兰特·希尔（33岁、1569万美刀）

Shooting Guard: Jamal Crawford (25 years old, $648 million)

Point guard: Gary Payton (37 years old, veteran’s minimum salary), Jason Williams (30 years old, $756 million)

Malone and Payton have signed veteran minimum salary contracts, intending to fight for another year.

Currently, only Pachulia and Chandler are left to be signed by the Knicks.

However, looking at the bloated inside line, Liu He always had a feeling that this offseason would not be peaceful.

Jerry West is brewing some big deal.

(End of this chapter)