warrior godfather

Chapter 299 Kawhi Leonard

The next day, Zhang Yu waited in the office for Larry Riley who came to deliver the scouting report.

He took the stack of thick A4 papers from Larry Riley, flipped through them, and said casually:
"Sit down, let me take a look first."

Larry Riley opened his chair and sat down. As the general manager, he naturally didn't have to do this kind of errands, but after the Warriors finished their playoff journey, the next focus will be on the draft. Zhang Yu discussed this matter before making the trip in person.

The order of these scouting reports was not random. After Zhang Yu opened the first one, he read it intently.

“Kawhi Leonard:

Height: 6 feet 7 inches (2 meters 01);
Weight: 227 lbs;
School: San Diego State University;

Position: small forward;

Birthday: June 1991, 6;
Template: Luke Richard Mbah a Moute/Gerald Wallace

Draft prospects: Top 10
Pros: Leonard is a forward with boundless vibrancy and energy.He spent most of his time on the perimeter, but the few opportunities he had, he showed some low-post offensive ability, especially the turnaround jumper after posting up.He is quick and has great strides, so he covers a lot of range of motion on the court.His shooting ability is constantly improving, and he has enough threats on the outside.He likes to pull up shots, once he has the touch, he will score consecutively, and his excellent wingspan and high release point make his shooting difficult to be interfered with.The ability to hold the ball is not bad, and the first step starts fairly quickly.While becoming the core of the offense, he also contributed a lot to rebounding.Leonard, who has excellent rebounding awareness and wingspan, averaged 10.6 rebounds per game on both ends of the floor and often made tip-backs.With his outstanding stealing ability, he will become a tough opponent when attacking.These strengths and talents will make him have the potential to be an excellent defensive player.

Disadvantages: There is no outstanding trick in the offense.He has excellent physical condition, but his skills still need to be refined, and he is too much on the outside.The dribbling ability is average, especially the left hand is not solid.Although the jump shot has improved, it is still not stable enough, and there are often some reluctant shots, and most of them are out of the basket.Doesn't feel good around the basket unless you're in a very favorable position.His teamwork on the defensive end is not very good, and he often rushes up. "

"Larry, what do you think of the player Kawhi?" Zhang Yu didn't continue to read, but raised his head and asked.

He asked Larry Riley to pay close attention to Leonard's situation before, and Larry Riley even quietly went to the University of San Diego to watch Leonard's game live.

Larry Riley pondered for a moment, and said:

"His static talent is excellent, with a wide frame, long wingspan, big hands, but his ballhandling and shooting are average. I think he has a chance to develop into a good defensive player in the future, similar to the front line. A version of Tony, but the offensive tools may be lacking."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, and asked again:

"At what point do you think we can draft him?"

Larry Riley thought for a moment and replied:
"The first fifteen picks are fine. If you want to be safe, use the twelfth pick. To be honest, Kawhi Leonard's draft market is not good. Big, unstable jump shot, not accurate three-pointers, almost no self-scoring ability, if handled properly, we can pick him with a lower pick."

He didn't ask Zhang Yu why he chose Leonard, who was generally underestimated by the outside world. After the two-year draft, Larry Riley has unconditionally believed in Zhang Yu's vision. As long as Zhang Yu is optimistic about the player, he will not have any doubts.

"Um……"

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, indicating that he understood, put Leonard's scouting report aside, and flipped through the thick stack of A4 papers again.

The second is Bojan Bogdanovic's scouting report, which is also a player that Zhang Yu asked Larry Riley to pay close attention to.

Followed by Chandler Parsons, Isaiah Thomas, Nikola Vucevic, Nikola Mirotic, Reggie Jackson, Tobias Harris and other players.

When Zhang Yu browsed the reports of these players, the speed was much faster. Afterwards, the reports were normally sorted according to the draft prospects of the players. The first one had Kyrie Irving’s name printed on it. Zhang Yu also stopped looking through the action. .

He raised his head, bent his right index finger, tapped his knuckles on the table lightly, made a slight clicking sound, and his eyes flickered.

Larry Riley didn't make a sound, waiting patiently for Zhang Yu's thinking to end.

After a while, Zhang Yu stopped tapping on the table, looked at Larry Riley, and said:
"In this way, we will trade out the No. [-] pick, and exchange for a top ten pick and a few early second-round picks!"

"Then what is our goal?" Larry Riley did not persuade Zhang Yu's "prodigal" behavior, but actively asked him about his next plan.

Zhang Yu said slowly:

"Invite Leonard to participate in the trial, but don't be too enthusiastic about him. In addition, pay attention to the performance of Chandler Parsons, Isaiah Thomas, and Davis Bertans in the joint trial. Please contact me again Bogdanovic's agent, asking if he has plans to play in the NBA in the near future."

"No problem." Larry Riley nodded in response, but immediately asked, "But it's a bit of a loss to exchange these things with the No. [-] pick, and we already have enough young rookies in the team, should we trade some veterans? After all, next season we are going to compete for the championship."

Zhang Yu smiled and said:

"You make a lot of sense, but I let you pay attention to these second-round picks because they are all older rookies. They are immediate combat power and don't need special training. Even Leonard can do something for the team next season. Contribute, don’t worry about them dragging down the team’s footsteps. But the No. [-] pick really can’t be traded out at a loss, do you have any ideas?”

Larry Riley pondered for a moment and said:

"The team's point guard and center position are still a little weak. Jeremy can only be said to be a barely qualified backup point guard. A qualified substitute is needed to share the time, Ilgauskas told me through his agent that he will retire in the offseason, and Hassan's growth rate is not fast enough, I think this is the direction of the trade we can seek."

"Center and point guard?" Zhang Yu chuckled, "Hehe, don't worry about the point guard. Jeremy is enough. After Ilgauskas retires, the center really needs to be supplemented, but Hassan passed After training this season, he should be able to play for about 15 minutes next season, just need to find a third center."

Larry Riley wondered:
"But Jeremy he..."

"Don't worry, I know what's going on."

Zhang Yu waved his hand, and Larry Riley closed his mouth wisely.

He didn't know why the boss had such confidence in Jeremy Lin, and he didn't know how much Jeremy Lin's skin color played in it, but he knew that when the boss made a decision, don't question it.

The experience of being frequently slapped in the face in the past made Larry Riley much smarter.

But Zhang Yu still explained:
"Be prepared, Jeremy will surprise you very, very much next season."

Larry Riley nodded dubiously, Zhang Yu didn't say anything more, and time will prove it.

Jeremy Lin, who was originally wandering, was able to set off a burst of Lin madness in the Knicks that swept the league. Now Jeremy Lin has experienced a season of training and played three rounds of the playoffs, accumulating a lot of game experience, and Curry is in front of him. To shelter from the wind and rain, he only needs to let go on the offensive end, and the opponent will not focus on him defensively, and it is bound to explode with more dazzling brilliance.

"Then I'll let the wind out first and see which team gives the most chips. Although this year is a small draft year, there will always be people who will gamble." Larry Riley said.

Zhang Yu nodded and said:
"Okay, I am determined to win Leonard, and the rest of the bargaining chip can be considered as appropriate. It is also okay to trade with other people in the future... By the way, pay attention to the actions of the Spurs. They are also interested in Leonard. Don't let RC Buford know about us. s plan."

"No problem, but you don't have to worry about them. The Spurs are notoriously stingy. They don't have good chips in their hands and they can't compete with us at all." Larry Riley said.

"That's right, I'm worrying too much." Zhang Yu laughed at himself.

He is constrained by the inherent impression. The Warriors have the No. [-] pick as a bargaining chip. The Spurs only have Jordan Hill, and there are not even a few high-quality role players. It is even more impossible for Popovich to dismantle the GDP combination. They want to compete with the Warriors for Leonard. , there are no doors.

Afterwards, the two discussed the details of the draft, and Larry Riley immediately left Zhang Yu's office to arrange many matters.

When there is no game, it is the busiest time for the management.

……

While the Warriors are preparing for the draft, the playoffs are still in full swing.

The tenacious Bull finally fell to the feet of the Heat.

Facing the desperate situation of falling behind 2:3, the Big Three broke out in G6, and the home court advantage was also on the Heat's side. The Heat set off a Jedi counterattack at the American Airlines Center.

But Rose's hand fell back, the Bulls' offense was blocked, and they finally lost 84:103, and the two teams entered the tiebreaker.

All eyes were on the United Center in Chicago, and the battle to determine the Finals spot lived up to everyone's expectations.

Rose regained his long-range shooting touch. Luol Deng and Boozer, as Rose's right-hand men, were overwhelming in the paint. The Bulls' offense recovered and their defense remained tough.

The Heat are entering a complete singles mode, and Spoelstara pinned all his hopes on the personal abilities of the Big Three, which is also the biggest advantage of the Heat.

Not long after the start of the first quarter, the two sides became red-eyed. Every ball must be contested. Fierce body movements and fouls were staged frequently. Boos and the most vicious curses, the United Center has become a red noise hell for the Heat.

But a superstar is a superstar. James and Wade withstood the huge pressure and fought back with tough individual singles. Wade, who was guarded by the Bulls, scored fairy goals repeatedly. The Bulls went on a rampage inside.

虽然罗斯竭尽全力，里突外投一共拿下34分7助攻5篮板2抢断的豪华数据，但公牛却顶不住合砍87分的三巨头，最终以105:111输掉了这场抢七大战。

A round of defense-based series ended in a confrontational battle.

Although the Bulls lost a glorious defeat, they were eighth in the Eastern Conference last season and were eliminated in the first round.

Their reconstruction is completely completed, and the Bulls in the future will be a powerful Eastern Conference and a strong contender for the championship.

Although the Heat entered the finals, they consumed a lot. In the series against the Bulls, the confrontation was extremely intense. The playing time of the Big Three all reached more than 40 minutes, especially in the last tiebreaker. 48 minutes, Wade 45 minutes, Bosh 42 minutes, after the game, James was so tired that he slumped on the chair when he was interviewed.

They only have three days to rest, and then they will face the restless Mavericks on June 6.

Most of the Mavericks are veterans. After three rounds of the series, it took a lot of energy, but the Bulls and the Heat reached the tiebreaker, which gave them four more days of rest, a full week of rest.

These experienced veterans will not relax because of the long rest, they will use this precious time to recharge their batteries and return to their peak physical and mental condition.

And the Heat have to fly back to distant Miami from Chicago, and then immediately put into the training for the Mavericks. There is very little rest time, and they will definitely not be able to face the Mavericks in the best condition.

But even so, people still think the Heat will win the championship.

Dirk Nowitzki's soft-ass image is deeply ingrained, and in the tiebreaker against the Bulls, the Big Three showed the superstar power under the desperate situation. The outside world is generally optimistic that the Heat will be the same as the Celtics. Successfully won the championship in the first year of formation.

There are even Heat fans who are looking forward to the future dynasty. Some people ask questions on the Internet:

"Who do you think won the FMVP for? All three of these feelings are possible?"

This tweet sparked a lot of discussion:
"Give it to Wade first. He is the veteran of the team. I think James will be humble."

"I think it should be given to James first. He is a guest from afar. Wade already has one. I will definitely help my good brother get one."

"Bosh is the most likely. Nowitzki's defense is too soft. Bosh can average 23 points per game against the Bulls. He can't play against the Mavericks. I am optimistic about Bosh!"

"What is there to discuss? Anyway, the Big Three are invincible. First, the entire three consecutive championships, one for each person, and then the championships will come in turn. James has said that the championships he wants to win for the Heat are not one or two, but five or six. indivual."

All of a sudden, the Heat led the tiebreaker to eliminate the Bulls, and their prestige was at its peak. Under the anticipation of the Heat fans, the finals finally started.

(End of this chapter)