warrior godfather

Chapter 554 Trading
Antetokounmpo was taken aback for a moment, and then saw a new reply:

"Are you Larry Riley or Coach Z? It's ridiculous. Whiteside is the future starting center of the Warriors. You just traded if you said it?"

"I really can't figure out why you guys like to slander Whiteside so much, he works so hard on the court, can't you see it at all?"

"That's right, Whiteside does have a lot of problems now, but he's getting a basic salary! Why do you have such high demands on him? Please give him more time, he will become a top center in the league!"

"And Coach Z is very appreciative of Whiteside's performance, don't you believe in Coach Z's vision?"

Many people began to defend Whiteside. They were all Warriors fans who were conquered by Whiteside's performance during this period, especially Zhang Yu's endorsement of Whiteside, which made them believe in Whiteside's bright future.

Antetokounmpo saw these replies, but he was dubious in his heart.

He also saw Whiteside's performance in his eyes. He didn't like Whiteside's defensive style of squatting at the basket, and Whiteside's defense was also poor. He often took off rashly to block shots, and even lost own defensive position.

In Antetokounmpo's view, Whiteside's defense is extremely unqualified.

However, Zhang Yu praised Whiteside's performance greatly. After each game, he would praise Whiteside, which has even become a standard feature of the Warriors' post-match interviews.

On the one hand, Antetokounmpo saw it with his own eyes, and on the other hand, Zhang Yu recognized Whiteside, which plunged Antetokounmpo into chaos.

Is Whiteside's performance bad or good?

Not only Antetokounmpo, but also many people in the Warriors zone have fallen into confusion.

The person who raised Zhang Yu as Whiteside's platform immediately ushered in doubts:

"I know that Coach Z is very optimistic about Whiteside, and I admit that Coach Z's vision is not wrong, but I watched the Warriors' game, and Whiteside's performance is poor! Maybe Coach Z is wrong this time?"

"Are you questioning Coach Z's vision?"

"Of course not, but no one is always right, and Whiteside's performance is really bad!"

"Are you the head coach of the Warriors? Please don't use your hobbies to challenge other people's careers, especially Coach Z!"

"If it wasn't for Coach Z, I would have started complaining a long time ago..."

Antetokounmpo watched the two sides quarreling, feeling depressed, and threw the phone aside.

At this time, he remembered that the person who was very sure that Whiteside would be traded never spoke again.

……

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

In a high-end hotel, Zhang Yu was lying on the bed, holding a mobile phone, and chuckled from time to time, looking quite happy.

On the screen of his mobile phone, the Warriors section of Reddit's basketball section was impressively displayed.

"If it wasn't for Coach Z, I would have started complaining a long time ago..."

"Ha ha!"

Seeing this latest reply, Zhang Yu couldn't help laughing out loud, put his finger on the screen, and quickly typed a line:

"Coach Z got up and realized that Whiteside was not good enough. He only gave him the ball in order to trade Whiteside away, and asked him to collect statistics..."

Halfway through the finger press, Zhang Yu stopped, sighed lightly, and pressed the delete key to delete all this sentence.

He posted the previous comment that Whiteside would be traded, and if he posted it again, it would be too conspicuous.

In order to ensure that Whiteside's transaction does not attract attention, and more importantly, in order to keep his trumpet, Zhang Yu reluctantly gave up this good opportunity to pretend to be aggressive.

What's the point of pretending to be aggressive on the Internet? He is not Durant, and he needs to be recognized by netizens.

Zhang Yu wandered around the Warriors Zone for a while, and even pissed off a few sunspots who were coaching across the zone, before putting down his phone contentedly.

It's really fun to play against people online, no wonder Durant is keen on it...

Zhang Yu began to understand Durant's psychology, but it was too down-to-earth to use the tuba to end in person, and using the trumpet was a very good choice.

Thinking of the shocked expressions of the Warriors fans who supported Whiteside when they learned that Whiteside was traded, Zhang Yu felt like laughing.

However, he also felt a trace of guilt in his heart.

The reason why these fans are optimistic about Whiteside is mostly because of Zhang Yu's endorsement of Whiteside. His trade of Whiteside also "behaved" the trust of these fans to some extent.

But Zhang Yu has to do this. If the smoke bombs are not released, other teams will know that the Warriors are eager to send Whiteside away, and they will definitely lower the price aggressively, which is very unfavorable for the Warriors' trade.

It is precisely because Zhang Yu personally endorsed Whiteside that Whiteside's poor defensive performance was covered up to a certain extent, allowing him to get a "poor defense, but excellent offense, great potential" in the league. "image of.

If there is no such image, based on Whiteside's performance, the Warriors don't want to exchange for satisfactory players.

Zhang Yu played against people online today because Whiteside's deal has made significant progress. Although the Thunder lost, he was in a good mood, so he made a "prediction" in the Warriors zone.

And he is very satisfied with the object of this transaction. If the transaction can be successful, the Warriors' center position will be greatly strengthened.

Zhang Yu lay on the bed for a while, picked up the phone, found Larry Riley's number, and dialed:

"Larry, how's your talk with Danny Ainge going?"

Larry Riley's slightly tired voice came from the phone:
"He asked us to add another second-round pick, Ronan, I think we still need to think about it again, he is completely a lion..."

"Promise him! Give him a second-round pick, and give him our second-round pick next year!" Zhang Yu said firmly.

"..." Larry Riley was silent for a long time before he asked back in surprise, "Ronan, we have given enough bargaining chips. Hassan and Isaiah are important rotations that we have cultivated for several years. To give another second-round pick, Olynyk is just a rookie, is he worth it?"

Zhang Yu laughed
"Larry, no one knows better than us how Hassan's statistics came about. Olynik's statistics are not as good as his, but his role on the court is definitely ten times stronger than his."

"What about Isaiah? He is the team's sixth man! His statistics are solid and have been tested in the playoffs. Moreover, he has improved this season and is a strong contender for the best sixth man. Even if it’s just replacing Olynyk with him alone, I feel that I’m at a loss, not to mention Hassan and a second-round pick. Ronan, I know you are eager to strengthen the team’s inside line, but we There are better options..." Larry Riley persuaded earnestly.

After the Warriors quietly put Whiteside on the shelves, several teams made inquiries, and the Celtics were not among them.

The few teams that inquired, after seeing Whiteside's performance on the field that did not match the data, all had some doubts about why the Warriors wanted to trade him away.

Larry Riley has been prepared for a long time, saying, "Whiteside has great potential, and our boss is also very optimistic about him. We already have Steph and Klay. We don't need a star center who occupies the ball, and the Warriors are now going to compete for the championship." , no time to train him", dispelled their doubts.

But Zhang Yu was not satisfied with the bargaining chips provided by these teams. Later, Larry Riley contacted Danny Angie and proposed to use Whiteside to trade this year's No. 16 pick Olynyk.

Larry Riley immediately contacted Danny Angie according to Zhang Yu's request.

Danny Ainge did not give a positive answer, but questioned the gold content of Whiteside's data.

Larry Riley said that set of reasons again, and Danny Ainge replied after listening:
"Then why did you go to such lengths to draft Giannis Antetokounmpo?"

Larry Riley was at a loss for words.

He told Zhang Yu about the communication with Danny Angie, and Zhang Yu was also silent.

He devolved Antetokounmpo to the Development League. On the one hand, he allowed Antetokounmpo to play, and on the other hand, he made him less conspicuous, which in turn affected Whiteside's deal.

But Danny Angie, an old fox, is really not easy to fool, and he saw through his calculations at a glance.

However, he did not directly refuse, which means that there is still room for negotiation.

Later, Zhang Yu asked Larry Riley to find Danny Angie again, and the two started formal trade negotiations.

In half a month of back-and-forth, the Warriors had to add Thomas Jr. in the trade, and now they have added a second-round pick, while the Celtics paid only one chip for Olynyk, so Larry Riley Will feel worthless for this transaction.

After listening to Larry Riley quietly, Zhang Yu smiled and said:

"Larry, Isaiah is really a big piece of the team, but we already have Steph at the point guard position, and Kawhi and Klay can also share the scoring pressure of the rotation ... and our interior is in desperate need Reinforcement, without Isaiah, just lost a scoring point on the bench. Sean is good enough to play the role of a backup point guard, but without a center, it will affect the team's overall defense. Which is more important? Did I say more?"

"..." Larry Riley was silent, and he said after a while, "Well, although I don't think Olynik's future development will be better than Isaiah, but he is indeed a good center. Just reply to Danny Ainge."

After hanging up the phone, a smile appeared on the corner of Zhang Yu's mouth.

Thomas Jr.'s upper limit is indeed much higher than Olynyk, but Olynyk is more suitable for the Warriors than Thomas Jr.

Thomas Jr. will be a top scorer in the future, but the Warriors already have Curry, who can completely cover Thomas Jr.'s role.

And Thomas Jr. is really at a disadvantage on the defensive end. He and Curry are on the court at the same time, and the Warriors' backcourt defense cannot be seen.

Olynik is different. He is a jack-of-all-trades center who can defend, support, rebound, three-pointers, breakthroughs, and inside singles. He has a very high ball quotient and is very suitable for the Warriors' passing and cutting tactics.

The most important thing is that Olynyk is a very good immediate combat power, plug and play, which can greatly strengthen the Warriors' weak center position.

Since the start of the game, Olynik has averaged 17 minutes per game in 20.3 games, scoring 7.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.6 blocks. He is perfectly qualified for the role of the Celtics' backup center.

Of course, Olynik is not without shortcomings. He is limited by his physical fitness and his ability to protect the frame is somewhat poor, but judging from his position as a backup center, there are no shortcomings.

……

The next day, the Warriors flew to Sacramento, and after a day's rest in the hotel, at 12:1 pm on December 07, they ushered in a game against the Kings.

It is still difficult for the Warriors to play against a strong team now, because Zhang Yu has to guarantee Whiteside's time and let him brush up the data. With his lower strength, it is much more difficult for the Warriors to win.

But facing the Kings, the Warriors still won very easily.

Previously, the Kings had a record of 4 wins and 10 losses, and it was another season of slack. The goal of returning to the playoffs can only be postponed for another year.

In this game, the Warriors firmly suppressed the Kings throughout the game, and Zhang Yu also took this opportunity to give Whiteside more possession of the ball.

In the end, the Warriors beat the Kings 125:103, ending their two-game losing streak.

怀特塞德全场出战38分钟，狂砍32分17篮板3助攻4封盖的超级两双，打破职业生涯得分纪录、篮板纪录。

After the game, Zhang Yu was interviewed by reporters and praised Whiteside again:
"Hassan's performance tonight is phenomenal. He helped the team end the losing streak. I am very satisfied with his performance. During the period when Tyson was injured, he supported the team's inside line... I also got good news that Tyson will be back in the next game, I believe this victory will reverse our decline!"

The reporters were attracted by the news of Chandler's return from injury, and asked for details, but Zhang Yu took it lightly:

"In the game against the Raptors the day after tomorrow, you can see Tyson's performance..."

When Whiteside was interviewed, he was also in high spirits:

"I will play more high-level games in the future. I am confident in ruling the penalty area and providing more help for the team!"

The media and fans were also amazed by Whiteside's performance. In the Warriors section of Reddit's basketball section, those Warriors fans who supported Whiteside posted a lot of posts and boasted.

Some people found Zhang Yu's reply the day before yesterday, and mocked it below:
"Do you still think Whiteside will be traded?"

"Are you kidding? The Warriors will give up a future All-Star center?"

"Delete the comment, man, you're wrong!"

But the next day, well-known journalist Wojnarowski posted a tweet:
"The Warriors traded Hassan Whiteside, Isaiah Thomas and a 2015 second-round pick to the Celtics for Kelly Olynyk."

Not long after, the NBA officially released an identical transaction message, and the Warriors fans who supported Whiteside collectively lost their voices.

(End of this chapter)