The Whip of the God of Basketball

In a victory, the Boston Celtics sent away 2002 and are about to usher in 2003. The Grizzlies completely lost their fighting spirit in the fourth quarter, and the Celtics' goal at the end of the third quarter made the Grizzlies frustrated. But they still fought to the last moment. Hubie Brown never changed the water dispenser players to let the game enter garbage time, but kept dispatching troops and calling timeouts to re-boost the team's morale.

When the game ended with a score of 101:89, Leon walked to the center line and hugged Hubie Brown. Brown, who lost the ball, didn't say a word, and turned around and left after simply hugging, leaving only Leon A tough and stubborn back. Looking at the figure of this 70-year-old man, Leon thought that the Grizzlies will definitely rise next season, but you should continue to sink this season, for the Celtics.

Leon unconsciously turned his gaze to the exiting auditorium. Chris Wallace had already left his seat. At this time, he should be waiting for him in the North Beer Hall not far from the arena. The two made an appointment three days before this game, and they will have a drink in Boston after the game tonight.

The end of a game is like the end of a movie and a banquet, leaving behind the aftertaste of passion and the exhaustion caused by relaxation after tension. Fortunately, this was a victory. In the locker room, Leon easily completed the post-match interview. Then in the interview at the press conference, Leon summarized the progress and shortcomings of the team in 2002, and looked forward to the new year. The goal of the team, and welcome new members to join. In this way, a game day from the start of training in the morning to the complete end of the game in the evening was completed, and Leon drove to the agreed place.

Wallace had already booked a small private room on the second floor of the tavern. Besides Wallace and Darryl Morey, Leon arrived first. The three good friends reunited. When Leon entered When I saw the two in the room, I thought that just last season, the three of them often worked together, went on business trips, and rushed to select players. Now one of them has switched to his team, and the other’s time in the Celtics is not counted. Ruyi, leaving is only a matter of time.

The three of them didn't have much to say, so they drank the large glass of beer in front of them in one gulp. The Boston stout was as fragrant and mellow as the wild flowers on the Appalachian mountains. Chris Wallace felt unsatisfied after drinking a glass. Thinking about it, I also miss the days of struggling in Boston.

The reunion of friends is nothing more than recalling the past and talking about the recent situation. Wallace is doing well in the Grizzlies, he is very appreciated by Jerry West, especially Wallace's strategic thinking of emphasizing the development of overseas players has been recognized by West, and West has no concerns about him Celtic's origin, in many important matters are discussed with Wallace. It can be foreseen that in the near future, Wallace will replace the aging West and take the position of general manager of the Grizzlies.

In comparison, Morey seemed a bit confused. Chris Wallace brought him into the NBA and into the Celtics. But at that time, the internal environment of the Celtics was complicated. Paul, finally left here, leaving only the helpless Morey. Fortunately, Leon agrees with Morey in some ideas, and the two get along well because of Wallace's relationship, and Morey has also done a lot for Leon. But now the administrative power of the Celtics is in the hands of Angie, Leon is firmly in control of the team, and Morey does not rely on both ends, silently contributing to his position.

But Leon knew that this fat man, who was hardworking, smart, and passionate about basketball, would one day shine in a new place like Chris Wallace and reflect his own value.

Compared with the two friends, Leon became the guy they admired the most. In his first season with the Celtics, a rookie with no basketball experience actually led the team to such a good record, and The military is well run and the planning is clear, so that the Celtics present a thriving appearance. Now Leon is already one of the popular candidates for the best coach of the season. He has appeared in the eyes of the basketball public with an amazing dark horse posture. In mid-December, he has already appeared on the cover of "Sports Illustrated". This time magazine in the American sports world is the weathervane of the sports world. Now Fox Leon is no longer the unknown little scout, or the humble assistant coach. He is walking on the road to become a great coach. superior.

However, the higher the road, the more difficult and dangerous it is. The three chatted until the early hours of the morning, drank a lot of beer, and were slightly drunk. At this time, a question popped into Leon's mind, a question that has been bothering him for the past few days, and Chris Wallace may be able to answer it. , he asked: "Chris, I want to ask you a question."

Wallace drank a lot, he was a little sluggish, but he still nodded to Leon to ask, and Leon continued, "What is Popper's background?"

Popper, also known as Celtics Director of Players Leon Popper, one of the Celtics' three Leons, Fox Leon met him on his first day at Celtics headquarters , a guy with a full face. However, he is also considered a veteran in the Celtics. Except for the chief physician Ed Reisert working earlier, the other main positions are that he stays for a long time. When Leon was working as a scout, I thought this guy would cause some trouble, but I didn't expect him to be good at it. He was only responsible for sorting and transmitting information, and rarely made final decisions, which gave Leon a lot of room to play.

"What? Popper? He has been engaged in amateur basketball in Boston in the past. He has been an amateur basketball team coach for more than 20 years. He also formed the Boston Amateur Basketball Club... This guy... has strong organizational skills, and the management team Guys have a good relationship, but as a scout... so-so to be honest. Oh, and he has a good relationship with a lot of player agents, anyway, he is a well-rounded guy, not what he looks like." Chris Wallace After all, he came to the Celtics earlier than Leon, had more contacts, and learned more, and after drinking some wine, Leon gave him a rough idea when he asked him.

"What's the matter, what happened to Popper?" Wallace didn't know why Leon asked Popper. At least in the past few years, Leon and Popper have coexisted peacefully, and now Popper is also appreciated by Angie. Soon to be promoted to team vice president.

Leon looked at Wallace who was drunk and Morey who had fallen asleep on the table, but still shook his head, did not speak, but continued to drink a sip of wine. Wallace didn't continue to ask, and took a sip, and became even more drunk.

Leon's mind is still very clear. The reason why he asked Wallace about Popper's situation was because he asked Joe Johnson who told him that he was going to be traded at the Mohegan God Casino that day, and the answer he got was Leon -Popper!

No wonder Joe Johnson went from playing with peace of mind in the face of rumors before to suddenly feeling restless. The reason is that it was Popper who told him the news. Joe Johnson certainly believed in this, and in fact he didn't lie to Johnson, and Johnson was really traded away in the end.

Leon still can't understand this. Popper is neither Angie's person, and Angie has definitely not disclosed any transaction information to Johnson. So what purpose did Popper tell Johnson about this information? Unless everything is a coincidence, Popper just accidentally leaked information to Johnson, but such an explanation is really hard for Leon to believe.

However, it was impossible for Leon to directly ask Popper about this matter, and he didn't want to discuss it with Angie, so he kept it in his heart, looking for opportunities to slowly reveal the answer. And Wallace’s answer reminded Leon a little bit, that is, he mentioned the agent. Wallace said that Popper has a good relationship with many agents. Indeed, scouts and agents are inextricably linked. , including Leon himself.

With this breakthrough point, and thinking of some major events in the basketball agent world in the past six months, Leon gradually got some eyebrows.