warrior godfather

Chapter 649 Promise
"The Celtics? Congratulations, Steve, this is a great choice. The Celtics have great potential. You will definitely achieve good results." Zhang Yu laughed.

Prior to this, Kerr and Zhang Yu had passed the gas, and the two teams that included him in the final shortlist, the Celtics and the Kings, were very sincere. In the end, he chose the Celtics.

Cole said with some regret:
"The Kings are not bad, they are very close to the Bay Area, but they want to enter the playoffs next season, the difficulty is too high..."

"Haha!" Zhang Yu laughed, "The King wants to make it to the playoffs? It's probably impossible within ten years."

Before he crossed over, the Kings were still at the bottom of the West, with no hope of revival, and they were about to break the historical record of the four major American professional sports leagues not making the playoffs in a row.

Cole couldn't help but laugh:

"So I rejected the king. The conditions they gave were actually very good. I was allowed to choose someone, but Danny Ainge also gave me a lot of authority. Although I didn't have the final decision, it was enough."

"The Celtics should be the No. [-] pick this year, right? Who are you going to pick?" Zhang Yu asked curiously.

Cole has nothing to hide:
"It depends on which of Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram and Jaylen Brown falls. The choice is not in our hands."

In this year's draft, these three are the most popular rookies, among which Ben Simmons has the best talent and has almost booked the No. [-] pick.

Zhang Yu nodded slightly:

"Seize this opportunity well. The Celtics have hoarded a lot of talent. Isaiah's performance is getting better and better. Then use the remaining Nets to pick a few high-ranking rookies and they will be able to revive... Maybe In a few years, we'll see each other in the Finals."

After dismantling the Big Three, the Celtics sank for a season, and then returned to the ranks of the playoffs.

Originally, Brad Stevens would be the one to lead the Celtics towards revival, but now he has gone to the Bulls as the head coach and led the team to win the championship in his rookie season. Another young ncaa marshal, University of Memphis head coach Josh Pastner.

Pastner's coaching ability is good. He is especially good at guiding young players. He is a team-building head coach, and the Celtics team that is under reconstruction has the most young players.

Under the leadership of Pastner, the Celtics quickly returned to the playoffs. They ranked seventh in the Eastern Conference last season and sixth in the Eastern Conference this season. They have improved every year.

But this is not all due to him. The Celtics' regular season results are inseparable from the low competition intensity in the East. The most important thing is that Danny Ainge's operation is too good.

He discovered and traded many outstanding young players, including Thomas Jr., Bradley, Crowder, Smart, etc. The continuous improvement of these people is the root cause of the Celtics' record.

In the playoffs, Pastner's shortcoming of being stiff on the spot was exposed. The Celtics were swept in the first round for two consecutive years, and the losses were very straightforward, which made Danny Ainge lose his patience.

After the end of this season, Pastner's three-year contract with the Celtics expired. Danny Ainge announced that he would not renew his contract and re-selected the head coach. In the end, Cole won the position.

Hearing Zhang Yu's encouragement, Cole smiled and said:

"I hope so... But it will definitely take a long time. We have a lot of young people to cultivate, and there are strong teams such as the Cavaliers, Bulls, and Raptors. It is very difficult to break out of the East."

"Is this 'us'? Don't forget, you are still the assistant coach of the Warriors." Zhang Yu joked.

"I kept saying that during the interview, I'm used to it." Cole spread his hands helplessly.

"Then you have to quickly change your mentality." Zhang Yu smiled, "Help the team win a championship, and then coach another team. I think this is the best result."

"Of course!" Cole nodded, but then a look of embarrassment appeared on his face, "But there is one thing I want to discuss with you..."

"What's the matter? Just say it, what else can't you talk to me?" Zhang Yu laughed.

Cole hesitated and said:

"I want two people with you-Sean and Robert. I need a veteran point guard to hold the line, and a forward with excellent defensive ability and can shoot three-pointers."

Zhang Yu frowned slightly upon hearing this, and Cole looked at him nervously, waiting for his reply.

"Sean, I can give it to you, but Robert can't. He is an important rotation on the team's future front line. I can't send him away... Don't the Celtics already have Jae Crowder? He is also a Very good striker." Zhang Yu said.

"Crowder is really good, but his three-pointers are not accurate, he just shoots enough, and his defense can only be said to be above average, just a qualified 3D, far worse than Robert." Cole explained.

"You also know Robert's level, how could I send him away?" Zhang Yu shook his head.

Cole looked disappointed, but Zhang Yu then added:

"However, I can make a promise to you. If the team is about to leave in the future, and you want it again, I can give priority to making a deal with the Celtics. Of course, there must be no shortage of bargaining chips."

"You mean..." Cole's eyes lit up.

Zhang Yu sighed softly:
"Closing the door, I won't talk about those nonsense. This season we have a great chance of defending the title. The strength of the Cavaliers and Bulls is not as good as the Thunder. We have to spend some time in the Eastern Conference. The difficulty of the finals is actually not that big. Next season is also very likely to win the championship. Under such circumstances, people's hearts cannot be fluctuating, and the lineup must be changed, otherwise a group of "meritorious achievements" with several champions will stay in the team, how will they compete for the championship in the future?"

Cole was quite moved. He was about to leave the Warriors, but Zhang Yu was able to tell him the future development direction of the Warriors, which showed his trust in him.

He immediately said:
"Thank you, Ronan, the chips given by the Celtics will definitely satisfy you. Danny is not a stingy person, and he will make the most sensible choice."

Afterwards, Cole and Zhang Yu bid farewell and left satisfied.

He got Livingston from Zhang Yu, and also got the "trading priority" from Zhang Yu, and he returned with a full load, and his confidence in coaching the Celtics in the future has increased a lot.

He knows better than anyone else how high the quality of the Warriors players are. Take one out and put it on other teams, at least they can enter the rotation lineup. Looney and Wood, the two half-way home centers, have very distinct advantages. If the Celtics can trade a few, it will be a great improvement to the team's strength.

Moreover, Cole, as the chief assistant coach of the Warriors, has a good relationship with the players and understands everyone's mentality. If the Warriors really win two more championships, some people may not be able to sit still... At that time, he It means that if you are close to the water, you will get the moon first.

After seeing off the excited Cole, Zhang Yu leaned back on the chair tiredly.

In the past two days, he has met with Wiltz, Riley, and Kerr successively to discuss various things. He also pays attention to the Eastern Conference finals between the Cavaliers and the Bulls, watches the game videos of the two teams, and prepares for the finals. He has hardly rested.

But at such a critical juncture, he, as the Warriors' owner and head coach, and de facto general manager, cannot have leisure time.

After a short 15-minute break, Zhang Yu turned on the game replay and began to carefully analyze the Cavaliers and Bulls' G2.

He watched the live broadcast of the game, but for the head coach, the live broadcast is just an appetizer, and he can even skip it. The replay of the video is the main meal, and he has to eat it several times, which can make people get tired of eating.

Zhang Yu cheered up and started the second analysis of G2 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

If you want to win the championship and defend the championship, you must do what ordinary people can't do.

……

No one knew that in just two days, so many things happened to the Warriors.

Cole and the Celtics have negotiated that he will not announce his role as the head coach of the Celtics until after the finals, so as not to have an impact on the Warriors who are preparing for the finals.

Zhang Yu treated Cole very kindly, and Cole reciprocated, dutifully, and stood on the last post.

People's eyes are all focused on the Eastern Conference Finals. The Warriors in the Western Conference swept thousands of troops, and they watched heartily, but it was over after a while. The Eastern Cavaliers and Bulls' duel was very fierce. qualifying for the finals.

In G3, the two teams moved to Chicago. The Bulls held the home court advantage, and the momentum was like a rainbow. They fought fiercely with the Cavaliers until the last moment. With Butler's 7.1-second emergency stop jump shot, they beat the Cavaliers 104:102 and led 2:1. .

This is a game that belongs to Butler. Under the cheers of Chicago fans, Butler scored 32 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 1 block. field.

In G4, the Bulls went all out at the beginning, vowing to win the match point at home.

But Irving stood up, shot from inside and outside, and scored 34 points. James also steadily scored 25 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds. The Cavaliers beat the Bulls 115:101, tying the score at 2:2.

In the G5 Tianwangshan battle, the two teams seemed to be playing a turn-based game. Rose broke out and scored a super double-double with 35 points and 12 assists.

Bulls fans saw the hope of winning, but in the next two games, James showed the strength of a veteran superstar, scoring 29 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists in a row, 34 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds, and the Cavaliers scored two consecutive cities. The Bulls were eliminated 4:3 and successfully advanced to the finals.

In this round of the series, the major stars took turns to soar points, and the fans said it was enjoyable.

Of course, this is inseparable from Xiao Hua's precise control of the field, but it is mainly because the inside defense of the two teams has a lot of problems, and it happens that the leading stars of both sides have strong impact. Only when the opponent breaks through the penalty area, will there be such a situation where you explode and I explode.

In the end, the Cavaliers with the Big Three were even better. Although Love did not score more than 25 points in any game, he output steadily in every game, averaging 18+11 double-doubles per game, providing the Cavaliers with stable and efficient scoring. With his solid backcourt rebounds, he became the winner of the game out of people's eyes.

At this point, the Eastern Conference finals came to an end, the Cavaliers passed the risk and joined the Warriors in the finals.

After two years, James once again stood on the stage of the finals and got the chance to challenge Curry.

(End of this chapter)