The Rest, Only Noise

June 17, 1986 draft day

Before the 1990s, the draft was in the afternoon, so any team in need of a trade, especially a front-end draft pick, would usually launch a heavy offense on the morning of the draft.

News of the Knicks auctioning the No. 2 pick has spread around the world, and unlike the 76ers, no team has ever made a breakthrough in negotiations with them.

Los Angeles and Portland have given up.

Chicago and Boston still want it, and there are some teams with back-slot picks that want to trade a post-slot pick + something for the Knicks' No. 2 pick.

On this day, Louis came to his office at eight in the morning.

Keep answering the phone, one after another.

Jerry Krause's phone called again.

"Coach Lu, as you wish, we will trade Kevin McHale for your second pick. How about it? You should be satisfied now, right?"

It was no exaggeration for Klaus to say that he was sullen on the phone, because Louis basically didn't have a good tone for him these days.

Louis didn't know why, he just had a bad feeling for Klaus and was full of vigilance.

"I could have taken Brad Doherty with the No. 2 pick and didn't have to pay him $1 million a year for the next few years, you can tell me I'd give up a potential big man in exchange for What's the rationale for a lack of aggressive power forward?"

Klaus was a little anxious and had to control his tone.

"You already have Patrick Ewing."

"I think the twin towers are a good idea, and Doherty's passing is great, I can play Ewing at power forward, you know he can." Louie took the phone and asked, "Jerry, you Being willing to hand over McHale is a good start, but not the end. It's a plan that even Philadelphia doesn't care about. If you think this will impress me, I can only persuade you to negotiate with another company. There's a third pick after the second pick, and I believe Doherty will be the second pick, and you can use the third pick to pick Len Bias."

There was a disturbing silence on the phone.

"I didn't say we wanted Len Byas."

"If you want Doherty, it looks like your only option is to trade with us."

It's no secret that the Knicks will use the No. 1 overall pick to draft Benjamin Wilson.

Doherty and Bias, who is second and who is third, is a question that needs to be seriously considered.

Byas has a higher ceiling.

But this is an era when insiders are king.

Choose between the sure-to-play center and the sure-to-play other positions, and everyone picks the striker.

"Coach Lu, I think we need to think about it again."

Negotiations were suspended in Chicago.

After a while, Baylor burst into Louie's office and said, "Utah wants to do a business with us."

"Oh, what kind of business?" Louis asked curiously.

"They want to trade a future first-round pick for one of our players," Baylor said bluntly.

"Could it be Campbell?" Louis asked.

"No," Baylor said. "They want Antoine Kyle."

"I agree with this deal, but don't agree too fast, try to order as many things as possible." Louie said greedily, "Cash, draft picks, everything is fine, don't trade one for one, don't forget, the initiative is ours ."

"certainly!"

Baylor ran back happily like a holiday.

Louie looked at the list in his hand, and there must be a lot of transactions happening today.

Moreover, the Knicks will once again be the protagonist of draft day.

In the past two days, Louie carefully studied the reasons why Chicago wanted to send McHale away.

As another player whose career was indirectly changed by Louie, McHale made his debut in Chicago. Over the years, from the bench to the low post core offensive player, everyone can see his progress.

Barkley was drafted by the Bulls in 1984, and his style of play matched him.

McHale is a rare 4 with the agility of the 3, just enough to complement the defensive speed of the 4 and the ball-playing 3 of Barkley.

This pair should logically be the core of the Bulls' team building. Krause actually said that he would tear it down. He was still not satisfied when he ranked sixth in the East last season?

Louie was impressed by the pair of fat and thin wings in Chicago.

The Bulls are the bitter masters of the Knicks. The Knicks only won once in the regular season.

McHale's IQ is crushed when he is attacking, and Barkley's strength is crushed when he is holding the ball. Neither of them can defend.

Louis looked up a lot of information and found a problem.

Buckley is a lip-smacking man whose desire for self-gratification outweighs his desire for glory.

To say he doesn't want to be a champion would be a bit unfair. But he really can't keep his mouth shut, gaining weight every offseason, and playing games for a while in the new season to lose weight.

Such a player who can't control himself is best matched with a ruthless character who is extremely self-restrained and harsh on his teammates.

Just like OK.

McHale is not such a character.

Everyone who knew McHale always said "if he wanted to, he could have sex".

The correct meaning of this sentence is that McHale is not willing. McHale doesn't care. McHale doesn't want to be who you want him to be. Basketball wasn't his whole life.

Know who McHale reminds Louie?

Gong Xiaobing

Talented, he can learn everything very quickly, and he is the top star in Asia by playing casually, which makes Koreans pee non-stop when they see him.

If he can improve his requirements, he should be the best power forward in Asian history before Space Yi and Hachimura.

But he didn't want to.

Barkley has only played for two seasons, and his performance is amazing. With that kind of size, that kind of speed, that kind of explosiveness, his ceiling is too high to see, but McHale has been playing for six years and can basically see the ceiling.

So Krause needs to find a player who can inspire Barkley's inner fireworks.

There are two such players in this draft.

Wilson, who was booked by the Knicks, and Len Byas.

He's a "cool" player, as evidenced by footage of his games at the University of Maryland.

In the era of shorts, there were very few players who could look cool, and Bias was one of them.

He is fearless and never backs down. He has an unusually reckless air when he plays, and his arrogance when dunking makes people want to rush to the scene to flatten him. He has a flamboyant personality and is a New York City with a natural genius but his own brain-dead nature. Point guard street style.

Louie from the future knew that the style would become very popular in the 90s, eventually forcing David Stern to issue a dress code after Allen Iverson walked into the league wearing big fat pants and a trench haircut , curbs the expansive street style.

If Krause sees him as a hope to save Barkley's professional attitude, he's definitely willing to give more than McHale.

In Louie's office, the call goes from eight in the morning to two in the afternoon.

Before the draft began, Jerry Krause was determined to trade the second overall pick.

He called the Blue Palace in New York again.

"If you need anything, please say it directly." Louis was already severely impatient.

"Coach Lu, it's me." Klaus hated his current posture very much, and was too humble, "We decided to raise our chips, this is our final bid."

"tell me the story."

"Kevin McHale remains the subject of the deal, and beyond that, we're willing to offer two protected picks."

"continue."

"1988 first-round pick, top-three protected."

"1990 first-round pick, top-five protection."

"I see, I will seriously consider it, please wait for my call."

The moment Louis/Klaus hung up the phone, the mood was different.

Klaus is like a death row inmate waiting to be executed, while Louis is delighted.

McHale has the strength of 50 superstars, of course, this is in Louie's previous life. He and Bird were teammates, and the hillbilly was a **** who didn't allow teammates to slack off.

This is also the reason why McHale and Bird had a bad relationship.

Bird was cruel to himself and to others, and McHale could never see basketball as the only thing in life like Bird.

However, without Bird, he was so mediocre that it would be difficult for him to be selected as an All-Star in the Eastern Conference. After six years, he had no success, let alone the 50th, even if he was selected as one of the 100 biggest stars in NBA history, he would not necessarily have his share. It is not that he is not strong enough, but that he is likely to be missed when selecting candidates.

This is the magic of great players. Magic saved Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after the age of 30. Bird can also improve the level of the players around him. No one knows what Pippen will develop without Jordan's day and night church. De Green even said the true meaning of the phrase "a great player can make the person around him as great" if you can't get better around Curry, then you suck.

But then again, the ability to make people around you better is different. Some people are equal to all living beings, and some people have a rigid need for the player's character.

Just as Louie decided to call Chicago back to close the deal, Boston called.

The caller was Jane Walker, and Auerbach had been mad at Louis.

This time yesterday, Auerbach called in person and wanted to trade the second overall pick. Louis opened his mouth to ask for three first-round exchanges and four first-round exchanges. He hung up the phone with the old man in anger. We prepared two sets of trading plans. "

Louis said helplessly: "Please speak."

"The first plan, we send John Long, this year's No. 8 pick, the 1987 first-round pick and the 1989 first-round pick in exchange for your No. 2 pick; the second plan, we send Bill. Ranbir"

"Are you crazy?"

Walker laughed: "We are determined to acquire Beal, the second package also includes the 1987 first-round pick and 200,000 cash."

"you guys"

What should Louis say?

They had obviously persuaded them before, not to choose Bias, not to choose Bias, but they still dismantled their dynasty team, and prepared two sets of future draft picks in the way that Auerbach hated the most. Attractive trading plan.

"Lu, what do you think?"

If Louie made the deal and let the Celtics draft Bias, the end result would definitely be good.

The Celtics dismantled the lineup, and then Byas will still kill himself, the strength of the Green Army will definitely be slumped, and the momentum of the dynasty may come to an end.

But in any case, Louis will never forget where he started.

The six years in Boston have taught him a lot. The people in Auerbach and K.C. Jones are very good to him. Although the camp is different now, he hopes that the Celtics will maintain their existing competitiveness and wait for him. Rise, let him defeat.

Destroying the Celtics in this way, what sense of accomplishment?

Because of his own ambitions, and because of Boston's kindness to him, he wouldn't make the deal.

"You're late, Mr. Jane, the deal is done," said Louis gently. "Don't think about Len Byas, this is my last word of advice."