Chereads / NBA: LeBron James wants to team up with me / Chapter 191 - Targeting the Wolf King, Shaking the Alliance with a Big Deal!

Chapter 191 - Targeting the Wolf King, Shaking the Alliance with a Big Deal!

Guys there is already content on patreon, if anyone wants to become a chunin jonnin, hogake or God Shinobi.

patreon.com/Chuga320 (Have than 50 additional chapters)

After chapter 200 I realized that in the last chapters (180-199) severalwere incomplete, fortunately I was able to find the solution and I think the others are now complete. I apologize because I was in exams and full crazy with the university at that time. 

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The draft picks after Durant are not actually that important; they include Al Horford, the third overall pick, Mike Conley, the fourth pick, Jeff Green, among others. They're all just average players. Horford may be slightly better, but he's a player who can only contribute around 18+8 at his peak, just enough to be considered an All-Star level.

It's worth mentioning that the Milwaukee Bucks, with the seventh pick, chose the Chinese player UAE, as they did in the original historical draft process.

You have to admire UAE's agent; they did a fantastic job. Their moves, including the famous chair test, really scared the league's scouts. They genuinely thought UAE would be like Yao and Wang Chong, becoming the third Asian player to make a name for himself in the NBA.

The Arab League player is certainly skilled, even strong enough in the NBA to be a rotation player, capable of contributing around 10+7 per game steadily.

When you look at the entire league, there are fewer than 200 players who get consistent playing time.

However, UAE's main issue is that his starting position was too high. Initially drafted as the sixth pick in the first round, and now as the seventh, the team selecting him hoped he could become a star like Yao.

Additionally, Ah Lian is quite introverted, isn't good at communication, and has a limited capacity for confrontation, all of which restrict his NBA development.

But in truth, if the Arab League were willing, he could still play in the NBA, with teams willing to offer him a contract.

The main reason UAE returned to the CBA was that he didn't want to waste his prime sitting on an NBA bench.

Simply put, he preferred being a leader in a smaller league rather than just another player in the NBA.

In the CBA, UAE achieved great honors, winning four regular-season MVPs, seven CBA championships, and leading in career scoring and rebounding. His achievements and status in the CBA are comparable to Jordan's in the NBA.

If he had spent all this time in the NBA, he would have only had a few seasons with average stats as a role player, a nondescript, ordinary player with no lasting impression in the NBA.

Of course, when UAE first stepped onto the NBA stage, he was excited to showcase his skills in the league.

The Bulls, as in the previous season, remained inactive during the first round of the draft. When the draft moved to the second round, they started making moves.

Quietly, the Bulls used players from their bench along with some cash compensation to trade for a high-ranking second-round pick, selecting center Marc Gasol.

Then the Bulls used their last second-round pick to draft point guard Ramon Sessions.

Picking Sessions was an unexpected surprise.

Initially, Wang Chong hadn't intended to pick Sessions since the Bulls had the best regular-season record and were the last to choose among the thirty teams, whether in the first or second round.

Sessions was picked fifth from the bottom in the second round, so theoretically, the Bulls had no chance to select him.

But perhaps because the draft was entirely disrupted by the butterfly effect of Wang Chong's time travel, Sessions wasn't selected until the 30th pick in the second round.

Wang Chong then acted decisively, signing Sessions.

Ramon Sessions, at 1.91 meters, plays as a point guard with career averages of 10 points and 4 rebounds per game. He's a fairly typical role player, but as a second-round pick, securing a player of this level is excellent. Not all superstars like Jokic were selected in the second round.

Signing Sessions slightly strengthens the Bulls' bench firepower. Even if Sessions doesn't perform well, using a late second-round pick isn't a disadvantage.

As a result, the Bulls secured two players in the draft, Marc Gasol as a center and Ramon Sessions as a point guard.

In all honesty, when a journalist heard about the Bulls' draft picks, he didn't even feel like reporting it.

It was another second-round pick. Why do the Bulls love them so much?

Since Wang Chong joined the Bulls, apart from the major trade for Billups, the Bulls have acted like an old mother reluctant to make any drastic moves each year, only hoping to pick up second-round selections.

Monta Ellis, overlooked in the 2005 draft, did well, but Paul Millsap, who was ignored in 2006, was average last season, scoring around 8 points and 5 rebounds per game. He seemed like a player destined to be a lifelong benchwarmer.

The team reached the finals this year, and to achieve greater success in the future, surely some bold moves were expected. Yet, here they were, choosing two more second-round picks after selecting rookies every year and training them. When will it end?

Little did they know, Wang Chong was mentally preparing to drop a bomb in the league this summer.

Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In the Timberwolves' general manager's office, GM Kevin McHale rubbed his throbbing temples, looking at the offers from each team, caught in a continuous dilemma.

At the end of the regular season, the Timberwolves finished second-to-last in the Western Conference with a 30-51 record. After the 2006-07 season, the team's biggest star, Kevin Garnett, had lost faith in the franchise.

At the end of the season, Garnett requested a trade, hoping to join a strong team with championship potential.

The Timberwolves' management made efforts to keep their superstar, but Garnett's resolve left them with no choice but to accept offers from other league teams.

Since news broke about Garnett's availability, multiple teams had made offers to the Timberwolves. However, most were not what Garnett wanted, even if the Timberwolves were interested in certain players. They couldn't sell their best star without his consent.

Garnett himself was most interested in the Los Angeles Lakers, feeling that the big LA market and partnership with Kobe would lead to success.

For Garnett, who would turn 31 next season, his career's peak was nearly over, and he wanted to win a championship before it ended.

However, the Lakers' offer didn't satisfy McHale.

Trading Garnett was a huge decision, and without substantial assets, they couldn't let him go.

The Timberwolves' asking price was high: Bynum, Odom, Ben Gordon from the Lakers, plus a first-round pick and bench players to match Garnett's $20 million annual salary.

This demand almost scared off the Lakers. The trade would dismantle half the team, and even with Garnett, they'd be left short-staffed.

The Lakers, still interested in Garnett, kept negotiating, trying to keep Bynum, a promising center they hoped would become the next Shaq.

During this time, the Lakers' arch-rival, the Boston Celtics, also expressed interest.

Unlike the hesitant Lakers, the Celtics were willing to dismantle half their team for Garnett. They offered five players, including center prospect Al Jefferson, two first-round picks, a 7-for-1 trade for Garnett.

This generous offer excited McHale.

But just as he was about to decide, the Chicago Bulls appeared.

The Bulls' management contacted him, willing to trade Tyson Chandler, Luol Deng, backup point guard Chris Duhon, a future first-round pick, and cash to cover the salary difference.

Comparatively, the Celtics' offer seemed better. Though Tyson Chandler performed well and was named Defensive Player of the Year, he was fundamentally a defender with limited offensive skills.

Even with the promising Luol Deng, the offer didn't quite match Boston's.

Yet, McHale received a call from Garnett immediately after the Bulls' offer.

"Kevin, I want to join the Bulls!"

End of this chapter

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