The Godfather of Basketball

"I know this will be a bit embarrassing, but you know this is business, we have no choice." Tang Tian didn't say much.

It is most convenient to let Kidd come. If Kidd can't be persuaded, he can only go up and pour poisonous chicken soup.

"I'll try." Kidd finally agreed, and Tang Tian even came to him in person, and he couldn't justify not trying.

"I believe in your ability." Tang Tian said and patted Kidd on the shoulder.

This season, if possible, he hopes that he is just a decision maker who can grasp the general direction. In this way, he can spend more time with his wife and children.

After explaining that Kidd was going to settle Garnett's affairs, he then called Jones, and the content was very simple and direct.

"Hey, bro, I'm the boss now, I need a general manager, can you come?"

"No problem bro, I'll be right there."

A brief summary of the content of the conversation is just these two sentences.

Jones followed Tang Tian from the Rockets to the Cavaliers and then to the Thunder. Although there was a gap in age between the two, they had a good understanding and were old partners.

Now that Tang Tian became the boss, and he was about to be promoted, he naturally had no reason to refuse.

The corner of the wall was dug, and it was done with a hoe.

And the next day, Tang Tian officially announced through the team that the team had fired the current general manager Billy King and appointed former Thunder team deputy general manager Keith Jones as the team's new general manager.

Brooklyn fans applauded.

Billy King was doing nothing when he was in the 76ers. Although he was instructed by the management in the Nets in the past few years, it is okay to have poor negotiation skills. It is very satisfying to fire him.

Good things come in pairs. After announcing this new appointment, Kidd quickly replied to Tang Tian that Garnett was willing to waive his trade veto right if he was traded to the Timberwolves.

Pierce has a high probability of leaving the team. After the old wolf king has struggled here for two seasons, there is really nothing to argue about. For him, returning to the roots is the best choice.

After receiving this definitive answer, Tang Tian quickly connected Jones with the Timberwolves, aiming at a second-round pick of the other side.

Although according to the rules, the teams can only start trading until the day before the draft, but such things as contacting in advance can definitely be done in advance.

However, the feedback from Jones is that they basically agree, but they hope to delay the transaction until the day of the draft, because they seem to have relatively large transactions.

This unexpected harvest made Tang Tian a little curious, what kind of deal is the Timberwolves planning?

Time flies, and it is the day before the draft.

Although he didn't have a draft pick in hand, Tang Tian brought Jones and Kidd and was still preparing to go to the draft conference.

The draft picks promised by the Timberwolves are on the one hand, and on the other hand, this is also their home arena.

Because they failed to acquire the arena, the Nets and Barclays Center are now in a lease relationship, but officially, it is still their home court.

Before the start of the draft, Tang Tian also asked Jones to put on the shelves valuable but not so important players, such as Mirza Taylor Tovi. The goal is this year's second-round pick.

It is not uncommon in the draft to have such a thing out of nothing.

Last year's draft was a standard draft year, but this year, Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid, Aaron Gordon and other potential new stars gathered together, it is definitely a draft new year.

It is precisely because of this that the enthusiasm of each team in this year's draft is far better than last year, and the value of draft picks has also risen accordingly.

Neither Taylor Tovic nor Anderson has received a valuable offer for the time being, and it seems that they can only wait and watch while walking during the draft.

When Tang Tian and Jones entered the draft scene, they were greeted with cheers from New York fans.

The current situation of the Nets is a stagnant pool. Tang Tian's entry is undoubtedly the only hope for Brooklyn fans. Now they are expecting Tang Tian to lead them to a rapid rise.

This expectation is even stronger than winning the championship, after all, it is really difficult.

Tang Tian also greeted the fans with a smile.

If the Nets want to rise, the support of the fans is naturally indispensable. No matter how difficult the situation is, he must give the fans a positive side.

In the passage on the second floor, Tang Tian met many old acquaintances.

Casey, after resigning last season, was hired by the Raptors as the new head coach this season.

Thibodeau is still the head coach of the Bulls.

Stevens, the Thunder have just officially announced that they have reached a three-year head coaching contract with Stevens.

Kerr just became the new head coach of the Warriors.

These assistants of his are all in a mess now, and Tang Tian's department in the league can be considered to have taken root in the league.

After greeting these old men, Tang Tian and Jones entered the hut for a while, and they received a greeting from Timberwolves.

Garnett will go to the Timberwolves in a deal involving three parties, and they will also get the second-round pick they want, but before that, they are inconvenient to disclose the specific details.

Now that the transaction was confirmed, Tang Tian didn't care too much about the details.

After sitting down, he looked at the TV in the cabin, ready to watch the draft.

This is Xiao Hua's first draft after taking office as president, and the league also attaches great importance to it.

Xiao Hua walked out from the backstage wearing a suit, and was greeted with bursts of cheers from the scene.

Compared with his predecessor, Stern, Xiao Hua was much taller and had a bald head. Once he stood in the center of the stage, he immediately attracted the attention of the audience.

"Good morning, gentlemen and ladies, to fans across the United States, and to Canadian fans watching on T.N.TV and watching on CBCTV, welcome to the 2014 NBA Draft at Barclays Center..."

Xiao Hua read the same opening remarks as Stern, the difference is that he always has a smile on his face, which is also his characteristic.

"The first pick in the first round of the 2014 NBA belongs to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they have 5 minutes to think about it."

This year's draft lottery was held as early as May. Nick Gilbert, the son of Cavaliers owner Gilbert, won the No. 1 pick with a probability of 1.1%.

The Cavaliers wanted to do badly but failed, but got the favor of the goddess of luck. This magic draw can be said to have completely changed their fate for a year.

After Xiao Hua finished speaking and retreated to the stage, at this moment, Jones received a call from the Timberwolves.

"The three-party deal is done." Jones said directly.

"with who?"

"The Cavaliers." Jones said with a complicated expression.