God of NBA point guards

Chapter 124 The Real Leader, Pistons Boss
"He has to be the leader of the Pistons, both in name and in substance, so that the Pistons can really rebuild," McCloskey said.

Joe Dumars has actually lost his vigor, and it is impossible for him to lead the team back to the top. He was tied to the assassins, and the result was that last year's Eastern Conference Finals was swept by Jordan.

Only when the team has a new, younger core and leader, can it be truly full of vitality and vigor, and can stand in front of Michael Jordan again.

At the same time, only when Iron Fist becomes the leader of the Pistons can the negative impact of the locker room violence be truly eliminated. Otherwise, even if we select potential rookies in the future, they may refuse to report. "

Chuck Daly nodded immediately and said: "It is established that this is the case. I think it is time for Iron Fist to become the new leader."

McCloskey said: "If we don't make this clear, he is not right, and this is our business, we have to show our attitude, we have to come forward to solve this problem, otherwise other teams will beat him. idea, we have to see him as not for sale.

Also, I'm retiring soon and have to fix this before I retire, it can't be left to Troy.

Troy took over, but his qualifications were not enough, and he was not capable of dealing with this problem, and he might cause trouble. "

This Chuck Daly nodded again and again, and said, "Agreed, presumably Joe Dumas, and the assassins, they will not object."

McCloskey nodded and said: "Well, let's find an opportunity to communicate with Joe and Isiah later, so as not to cause conflicts."

"OK."

Not long after, the duo called out the assassin and Joe Dumas who had showered.

McCloskey said straight to the point: "Isiah, Joe, there is one thing I need to tell you.

This is related to the stability of the team and whether the reconstruction is smooth. "

The two looked at each other, waiting for the next sentence.

McCloskey went on to say: "Iron Fist's performance has met or even exceeded my expectations for him. He has met my requirements for a new core. I think our reconstruction has been partly successful. We have found a new core, and new leader."

"leader?"

Assassin Isiah Thomas couldn't help but smile wryly in his heart. Is the management going to straighten the iron fist?

However, his mood is not bad. After all, his state is no longer what it used to be, and he recognizes Tekken's performance. There is another reason. If he dares to oppose the decision of the management, what is waiting for him is probably a deal. undesired things.

Moreover, Iron Fist has long been the de facto core and leader. It is useless for him to object, and he does not want to object. He even pointed at Iron Fist to help him deal with Jordan.

Joe Dumars was also taken aback. It felt a little sudden to ask this question in the middle of the playoffs.

But that's all. After Iron Fist overthrew Lambiel and the others, he no longer regarded this young man as a rookie. With Iron Fist's performance this season, whether it is on the field or in the locker room, he is already a de facto team. core and leaders.

"You don't object, do you?" McCloskey asked.

The two shook their heads at the same time, and Joe Dumas said: "I think it is acceptable for Iron Fist to become our leader."

Chuck Daly nodded with relief and said: "Although he will officially become the leader of the Pistons, you are also the spiritual leaders of this team."

The two looked at each other and couldn't help laughing helplessly.

Joe Dumas is a little bit better. His strength is still there, and his relationship with Tekken is also very good. From the peak period of the Bad Boys to the present, he has a high status in the team, and he has even been one of the leaders. Indeed Qualified to serve as the spiritual leader of the Pistons.

But the Assassin couldn't do it. Starting from the violence in the locker room, his prestige in the team disappeared. Coupled with Iron Fist's intentional or unintentional suppression, his own strength declined too seriously, and the team added some rookies who didn't accept him at all.

His current status in the team has long been lost, so how can he be qualified to be a spiritual leader?If he didn't bow his head last time, he would have been traded or forced to retire.

With his character of vengeance, in fact, from the bottom of his heart, the hatred for Zhou Quan has not been completely let go, but the reality is pressing. That violent incident not only ruined his reputation, but also made his historical status further decline, and also lost a large sum of money. In order to stop the loss of commercial income, he had to choose to bow his head.

Whether it's the reality or the spirit of Ah Q, now he has transferred all his hatred for Zhou Quan to Jordan.

And as Zhou Quan's performance is becoming more and more exciting, he even expects the Pistons to be brilliant again, so that he can also benefit from it.

Then Chuck Daly called Zhou Quan out again, and five people made a final decision on this matter.

Zhou Quan was a little surprised, was the management so eager to push him to the foreground?Then I heard that McCloskey was going to retire, and I understood.

"Joe, Isiah, I hope everyone will continue to work hard for this team. No matter how strong Michael Jordan and his Bulls are, I believe that we can finally regain their glory and be even greater."

He stretched out his hand, looked at Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas and said.

The two looked at each other, put their hands on it, and said in unison: "We believe it too."

Then five people entered the locker room and announced the matter to all players and coaches.

McCloskey said: "Everyone, starting today, the Detroit Pistons have completed the handover of the new and old core and leaders. Let us welcome the new locker room leader and the core on the field. Your boss, Zhou Quan."

"..."

Everyone was shocked, it was so sudden.

Darnell Walker and the few rookies who have only joined the Pistons this season reacted the fastest. Whether they are rookies or veterans, they immediately cheered, applauded Zhou Quan and shouted: "Boss."

Rodman shouted loudly: "Iron Fist, you have a treat."

"Boss."

The others also reacted, and after glancing at Joe Dumas and Isiah Thomas, they also shouted.

As a member of the Bad Boys and the old man of the Pistons, John Sely felt very emotional that a rookie became the boss of a team so quickly, and this team was the former Bad Boys.

The boss of the Pistons has a higher status in the team than Lambiel and Thomas before. This is a combination of the leader of the locker room and the core of the field. In the past, Lambiel was only the leader of the locker room, and Thomas was only the core of the field. Set both in one.

In other words, Tekken will have a great say in this team in the future, and even the management will have to seek his opinion on key matters.

Zhou Quan took a step forward, clasped his fists left and right, and said with a smile: "Brothers, I feel pressure to get the support of the management, Joe, Isiah, and you to become the leader of this team.

Although there is pressure, I am more motivated because I firmly believe that I can lead you back to glory, and even greater. "

"Boss."

"Boss."

Darnell Walker raised his fist and shouted, and the atmosphere in the locker room was very enthusiastic.

Zhou Quan nodded with a smile, and said in a serious tone: "Now I have something to tell you."

The players were startled, is Iron Fist going to set the rules?They straightened up immediately.

Zhou Quan smiled and said: "From today on, in my team, tenacity, toughness, iron blood and fearlessness are still our team motto. I hope everyone will keep this in mind and try their best to achieve it. Do you understand?"

"clear."

With such a serious atmosphere, coupled with Zhou Quan's always strong, even Rodman didn't dare to be naughty, and immediately replied in a solemn voice.

Zhou Quan smiled again and said: "I still have a rule. In my team, at any time, violence against your own people is not allowed. No matter what reason you have, you must never shoot against your own people. This I also have to implement the rules, what's your opinion?"

"Boss is right."

"Yes, boss."

Who dares to object?Everyone nodded in agreement.

"You guys should call Iron Fist, otherwise I will think this is not a team, but a gangster family." Zhou Quan laughed.

"Ha ha……"

The crowd laughed.

Standing at the door, McCloskey suddenly signaled Troy Weaver behind him to come out with him, came to a place where there was no one, and whispered to him:
"Troy, the team still needs more fresh blood, we need more vigor, after you take over, you must pay attention to this in terms of lineup construction, and find some players who are full of desire for championships to join.

The existing lineup should be cleaned up. Those who are no longer interested in honors are no longer suitable for us. "

"Understood, sir." Weaver said respectfully.

Soon after, the post-match press conference was held.

The press conference hall of the Pistons was crowded with people. Under the rostrum, tripods were lined up, and the cameras were like a forest.

Zhou Quan and Joe Dumars, Isiah Thomas, John Sely, Rodman, Mark Aguirre, etc., all players were present, not one.

"What happened?"

"Something big happened."

Seeing that all the players attended the press conference, all the reporters on the scene were very surprised and began to speculate.

Everyone in the Pistons didn't sit down, and couldn't sit down at all. McCloskey and Chuck Daly stood in the middle, and Zhou Quan, Joe Dumars, and the assassin were on both sides of the two.

At this time, McCloskey picked up a microphone on the rostrum, coughed and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, before the press conference, I will make an announcement on behalf of the Detroit Pistons."

After everyone's attention was on him, he said very seriously: "Starting today, our team has officially ushered in a new leader. He will be the leader of the Pistons locker room and also our on-court leader." core."

"Oh, is Iron Fist officially in charge?"

"He has long been the leader of the Pistons. Regardless of his performance on the court, or his character, influence, popularity, and leadership in the locker room, Joe Dumars can't hold him down."

"Then his status in the Pistons is higher than that of Lambiel and the Assassins before."

"A season hasn't ended yet, so I'm going to be officially in charge, shouldn't I be in a hurry?"

Immediately, there was a lot of discussion at the press conference.

McCloskey added: "The reason why we decided on this matter so quickly is that we are very satisfied with Iron Fist's performance and we couldn't find a more suitable person; the second is that I must confirm this matter before I retire. Indeed I was in a hurry, but who made Iron Fist so good, and I'm old?"

"Oh! Mr. McCloskey, are you going to retire?" a reporter exclaimed.

"Yes, after the playoffs, I will officially retire."

When McCloskey said this, he pointed to Troy Weaver not far away and said: "My assistant, Mr. Troy Weaver will take over my position, and he will become the new general manager of the Detroit Pistons."

The successive news made the media below busy, raising their hands to ask questions.

"OK, now to the questioning session."

McCloskey put down the microphone and stepped back, giving Zhou Quan the front seat.

"Iron Fist..."

"Iron Fist..."

Many reporters couldn't wait for the flop, and threw out their own questions.

Zhou Quan responded calmly, coping with the somewhat chaotic scene.

……

On the 7th, the media reported the news of Zhou Quan's ascension, and even the news of the game was suppressed.

"The Pistons will become the most violent locker room in the league. Someone will use his fist to suppress the locker room. He is the iron fist." New York Daily.

"With the strong style of Iron Fist, the Detroit Pistons locker room will usher in a true Iron Fist (power) tyrant." Los Angeles Daily.

"The iron fist oath will inherit the original team motto, and the Pistons will continue to be full of tenacity, toughness, iron blood and fearlessness." Detroit Daily.

"Iron Fist publicly announced that any violent behavior will be prohibited in the Pistons locker room.

These news disappointed some interested people.

The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated in the first round and were almost swept by the Trail Blazers. The team has reached the time when it must seek to rebuild.

General manager Jerry West has always hoped to bring Zhou Quan back to Los Angeles, but this news made him very disappointed.

Trading a best rookie is completely different from trading the boss of a team. The first is the possibility of trading.

Almost no team will trade a boss in his prime unless the management loses confidence in the boss.

For example, Charles Barkley is in his prime, but Philadelphia has put him on the shelf because the management has lost confidence in him.

As for trading a boss who is growing rapidly during reconstruction, it is even more impossible, and it is almost not for sale.

The Pistons pushed Zhou Quan to the position of team leader, and they no longer wanted to trade him.

Of course, it's not 100%. If the Bulls are willing to trade Jordan, the Pistons should agree, or it's possible to trade a super center for Zhou Quan.

But these two, the Lakers have neither.

In other words, it is almost impossible for the Lakers to trade weekly rights now.

Jerry West sighed, thinking of the upcoming draw.

This year's No. [-] pick, Shaquille O'Neal, is a big guy who makes him drool. Unfortunately, the Lakers didn't even have the chance to participate in the lottery ceremony. He regrets not having a bad season this season.

The Lakers have a tradition of centers, and Magic Johnson can also play a center. Johnson won his first championship as a center. Compared with Zhou Quan, he is actually more willing to get O'Neal.

Just when Jerry West was disappointed, New York, David Stern was also thinking about the problem.

What he considers is the balance between east and west. He cannot make the Eastern Conference stronger and stronger, nor can he let the finals lose suspense.

Judging from the current situation, Zhou Quan's performance is very eye-catching. If the lineup is strengthened and a star or two high-quality role players are introduced, the Pistons seem to have the possibility of revival, which will undoubtedly strengthen the strength of the Eastern Conference.

And this time the Pistons pushed Zhou Quan to the position of team leader, which will undoubtedly speed up the revival of the Pistons, which is not good for his balance strategy.

He had an idea before, because the conflict between Jordan and Zhou Quan was so big that it became violent off the court, and the Battle of Auburn Hills almost destroyed the sign he wanted to hold, so he wanted to separate Jordan and Zhou Quan , it is best to get Zhou Quan to the west.

But now, this idea has become unfeasible, and it is basically impossible for the Pistons to agree.

Of course, it is not impossible to operate, as long as there are enough chips, there are still chances.

For example, super center Olajuwon, such as Barkley, he does not believe that the Pistons management has no idea about these two peak superstars.

The contradiction between Olajuwon and the Mosaic management is very deep. This time he didn't even make the playoffs, and the early contract extension also fell apart. Can he get him to the Pistons and exchange teams with Zhou Quan?

Barkley, Philadelphia is determined to trade, can a three-way deal be made to send Zhou Quan to the West?

He thought of the Lakers, Magician retired due to illness this season, and the Lakers will definitely rebuild, so whether it is Dameng, Zhou Quan, or Barkley, they should all be the ones the Lakers hope to get.

The Lakers' ball market is what the league needs, and he also hopes that the Lakers can complete the reconstruction as soon as possible.

That night, the Bulls won two against the Celtics, and the Trail Blazers also won two against the Suns. They each won two consecutive victories at home.

Jordan's performance was not as good as the previous game. He made 24 of 12 shots and 8 of 3 free throws. He scored 27 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.

The Bulls' rebounds were 10 behind the Green Team's, and they only grabbed 32 rebounds.

Rebounds alone lost a lot of possessions. Jordan's efficiency is not very high. The reason why the Bulls can still win is the suffocating perimeter defense. The whole game forced the green team to make 23 turnovers. 11 times, thus gaining a lot of possessions and making up for the possessions lost on rebounds.

The Blazers scored 129 points in this game, six of them scored in double figures, and three of them scored 20+. They are extremely strong, especially with unlimited offensive firepower.

And the leader of the Suns, Lightning Kevin Johnson, scored a game-high 35 points, with a shooting percentage of 47.4%. The team had 20+ points, 5 players scored in double figures, and scored 119 points. They were still defeated by the Blazers.

"Our offensive firepower is still some distance away from them." After watching the game, Joe Dumars said.

Rodman smiled and said: "Don't worry, Joe, we can't touch them."

Zhou Quan put away his smile, and said with a sneer: "The Bulls' strength, apart from Jordan's offense, is their perimeter defense, but precisely this is also our strongest point. If we make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, as long as we dare If you dare to fight, who will win, who can book?"

"Iron Fist, he still wants to sweep us away again, isn't he going to donate 50 US dollars?" The assassin cheered up, and immediately reminded him in a cold voice.

"We had two wins and three losses in the regular season, and Michael Jordan didn't know how to call out to sweep us." Rodman was also unconvinced.

"Dennis, how is your injury?" Zhou Quan asked.

Rodman's face turned bitter, and he said helplessly: "There is no chance of recovery in the playoffs. There are good times and bad times. The past two days have not been very good."

This cast a shadow over everyone's hearts. If Rodman's rebounds are not guaranteed, let alone the Bulls, they are not sure about the Cavaliers in front of them.

(End of this chapter)