Chapter 1024
The deadline for the transaction has arrived!
Fortunately, Lin Tian still had some integrity. Even if live streaming existed in this era, he wouldn't do something like selling a $0.5 napkin for $10. That would be too unethical. He would sell it for $1.5 at most, no, $1.49. That would be the most he could do.
This is Lin Tian's bottom line price.
It might go up again.
Ahem, I've gone off on a tangent.
Back to the All-Star Game, the first day's Rising Stars Challenge turned into a one-on-one battle between Kyrie Irving and John Wall, two top guards who entered the league one after the other. Although their playing styles are vastly different, they are both extremely popular.
Kyrie Irving is agile and accurate with his shots; he is a graceful and dashing swordsman.
Wall, on the other hand, possesses explosive physical strength and incredible speed, making him a formidable swordsman on the battlefield.
These two are similar in age, entered the league around the same time, have similar builds, and are both incredibly arrogant. In addition, they were both number one draft picks. Even before they entered the league, discussions about who was better and more outstanding had already begun, and the two of them were constantly competing with each other, neither willing to admit defeat.
In the Christmas Day game, the two faced off for the first time in their careers, with Irving scoring 27 points, including 5 three-pointers, and leading his team to defeat his predecessor Wall.
But in the Rising Stars Challenge, Waller, playing for the stronger and more mature second-year team, had the advantage. He scored 25 points and 11 assists, leading the second-year team to victory over the first-year team and winning the Rising Stars Challenge MVP.
As for Irving, although he performed well, scoring 33 points and 7 assists, he still lost, didn't he?
After the loss, Irving was incredibly arrogant, directly challenging, "See you in Washington!"
Wall retorted defiantly, "I'll beat you to a pulp next door in New York!"
These two hot-blooded young men both declared they would crush the other on their home turf, which certainly reflects their arrogance.
I don't care about home advantage, I just want to beat you in front of your hometown folks!
It must be said that the fierce competition between the two top rookies, both on and off the court, set a great tone for the All-Star Weekend.
Meanwhile, Lin Tian was in Orlando showing Claire around Disney.
He also posted a status saying: "I'm fine, don't worry." This was accompanied by a photo of him playing with Claire.
This immediately drew a series of expressions of sympathy and concern from fans.
Look, our Lin has actually started comforting us. He's hiding his injuries; he doesn't want us to worry!
He was saying that everything was fine with him, but we all know Lin!
If he were truly good, would he make a point of expressing that he is good?
As a result, the Lakers' official account was flooded with messages from fans demanding that the Lakers give Lin Tian a longer rest, since the team's record was very stable and there would be no problem.
In addition, the Grizzlies, the opponent in the game where Lin Tian was 'injured', became the unlucky ones.
Their official account was also flooded with comments from Lakers fans.
Murderer, filthy bastard, trash, bottom-feeder who will never make the playoffs, and so on filled the Grizzlies' court with profanities.
Lin Tian could only regretfully reply: "It has nothing to do with me! The Lakers made the video; it has nothing to do with me!"
As for the Grizzlies, aside from posting a message expressing concern, sympathy, and best wishes, they could only swallow their anger and suffer in silence.
What can we do? We have fewer fans and can't beat them.
Next, if the Rising Stars Challenge gave this All-Star Game a good start, then the individual competition completely wiped out and destroyed that good start. The individual competition that night can be described in one sentence: utterly uninteresting.
Although no one embarrasses themselves in the skills challenge and everyone performs normally, one of the biggest highlights of this event is that some people embarrass themselves, like Kidd back in the day.
Unfortunately, no one embarrassed anyone this year, and in the end, Parker won an unremarkable championship with an unremarkable result, which was utterly uninteresting.
The following 3-point contest and skills competition were similarly unremarkable.
Only Durant and James Jones scored over 20 points in the preliminary round, 20 and 22 respectively, which is hardly worth mentioning.
In the following final, the two missed their shots again. Jones scored 12 points, almost matching Jordan's worst record in history, while Durant only managed 16 points.
Although it was only 16 points, it was still the highest score in the entire 3-point contest.
Although Love, another player who made it to the finals, also scored 16 points, the two will have to play a tiebreaker.
But is a tie at 25 points the same as a tie at 16 points?
Can a battle between gods be compared to a fight between noobs?
Neither of them displayed any particular style or had any exciting moments during the tiebreaker.
Love scored a modest 17 points, beating Durant's 14 points, and won the three-point title that few people were interested in.
Generally speaking, once the individual competitions have progressed to this point, the most exciting and adrenaline-pumping event is next: the dunk contest! It's also the most anticipated competition of the night.
As long as you dunk well in the dunk contest, no matter how boring the first two competitions are, everyone will still be satisfied with the night!
But the result...
Zeiss Budinger, Derrick Williams, Jeremy Evans, Paul George.
Just looking at these four names makes you think this year's slam dunk contest is in trouble.
Who are these people? Are you all from NBDL?
Of these four, Budinger and Evans are not even in the team's rotation. Although Williams is the second overall pick, his performance over the past half season has basically convinced people that he is a hot pick, and a very hot one at that.
The only player who can secure a regular starting position on the team and seems to have some star potential is Paul George.
But in the end, Paul George had the worst dunk.
His first dunk attempt was to leap over his teammate Hibbert, who is nearly 220 centimeters tall, but unfortunately he failed to clear the gap on both attempts. Someone in the arena couldn't help but start mocking him: "If Hibbert had this defensive ability in the regular season, the Pacers would have made it to the conference finals long ago!"
A series of mistakes and a poor start cost George his chance to advance.
Then came the other dunks, but none were as noteworthy as this one.
At least this dunk brought joy to everyone, what about the others?
The deductions were alright, but that's about it; nothing worth revisiting or savoring.
Ultimately, among a bunch of mediocre dunks, they chose Jeremy Evans, who was at least somewhat decent.
His dunks weren't particularly spectacular, but this guy knew how to pull off a stunt. Coming from the Jazz, he paid tribute to his predecessor, Karl Malone, by having a mailman deliver a package to him containing Malone's jersey.
After putting on his team uniform, Evans completed his performance with a one-handed dunk, imitating Malone's signature head-touching move.
How should I put this dunk?
The part before putting on the jersey is perfect, but the part after putting on the jersey is really not worth mentioning.
But you can't blame Evans. Who told you that the Jazz didn't have any dunking stars in their history? Malone's signature move wasn't cool, so what could Evans do?
He can't exactly pay homage to Lin Tian of the Pacers or Jordan of the Bulls, can he...?
In short, Evans won the last championship of the night with a mediocre dunk.
The good news for fans is that Sunday is finally here, and they can watch the All-Star Game! Even if the All-Star Game is a bit lackluster, it can't be worse than tonight, right?
For Lin Tian, the good news is that Sunday is finally coming, and he can watch Disney's weekly princess parade! Even if he can't take the princesses from Orlando home or to a hotel, they're sure to be beautiful!
In short, both groups of people have their own happiness and wonderful expectations.
On Sunday, the main event of the All-Star Game will take place.
There weren't any major issues in the East, except for the Magic, who had no players selected, which was somewhat embarrassing. At least all 12 of their star players made it onto the field.
Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, James replaced Lin Tian in the starting lineup, while Deron Williams stood with the bench players.
This change shouldn't upset the fans too much.
After all, this is the All-Star Game. Even without Lin Tian, there are still 24 other top stars. Fans who only want to see Lin Tian and have no interest in anyone else obviously won't buy tickets for the All-Star Game.
It would be much better to just watch the Lakers' regular season games. Lin Tian gives his all in those games, unlike in the All-Star game where he's likely to coast and play haphazardly.
In addition to the previous statements from Lin Tian and the Lakers, Lin Tian's absence this time did not cause any subsequent problems or impacts.
What pleased Stern even more was that the All-Star Game itself lived up to his expectations.
Super intense!
The East and West All-Stars were evenly matched, trading blows and getting completely outplayed.
It features everything from slam dunks and long-range shots to dribbling skills, teamwork, and silly antics.
The only thing that Stern regrets is the remaining three players on the Lakers team.
They truly live up to their names.
They really went all out with their scribbling, and by the end of the match, these three guys hadn't even broken a sweat.
Kobe played 12 minutes, Durant 15 minutes, and Bynum 20 minutes.
Jackson gave different playing time to each of the three players based on their desire to be All-Stars.
Kobe was already tired of playing, so he just wanted to have some fun. Durant was still somewhat interested and wanted to play a little longer. Bynum, on his first game, got the full amount of playing time a starter should have.
However, the three players' time was cut into very small segments, which resulted in them having to rest before they had even broken a sweat. Fortunately, these three starters didn't put in much effort, while the other two starters played like their lives depended on it.
Griffin already possesses the most dazzling playing style and the most captivating skills, and being a young player, he plays with incredible ferocity, practically tearing apart the rims on the Eastern Conference side with his dunks.
Griffin scored the second-highest points for the team with 25. However, James was the player who played the hardest and most energetically.
This guy might have been motivated by the negative comments about LeBron James these past few days and was eager to prove himself, or he might have been resentful for not making the All-Star starting lineup. In any case, he played the game like a real game.
27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
James put up a rather rare statistic at the All-Star Game.
James also became the third player in NBA All-Star Game history to record a triple-double.
The first two are Lin Tian and Jordan.
He achieved a triple-double, led his team to victory, and delivered a stellar performance.
Tonight's All-Star MVP trophy was unsurprisingly won by LeBron James.
"This is not my last MVP trophy this season!" After receiving the trophy, James continued his domineering performance and directly attacked the entire league.
If this isn't the last one, then there are only two MVP trophies left, right?
MVP and Finals MVP.
James's domineering declaration naturally sparked another round of attacks among fans.
Those who like LeBron James say he's awesome, and that the King is mighty.
Those who dislike James say you're dreaming, and you should try to win Terry back first!
However, these post-match dessert-like discussions are unlikely to cause much of a stir.
Everyone's attention quickly shifted elsewhere, and the All-Star game was quickly forgotten.
Trading deadline!
This time of year is definitely one of the most anticipated and exciting periods for fans.
As long as their team has any intention or hint at strengthening their roster, fans will be glued to their computers or televisions, eagerly awaiting the trades they've been hoping for.
The two teams that received the most attention at this year's deadline were undoubtedly the Hornets and the Mavericks!
The 'basketball reasons' in January plunged both teams into internal strife, and while their performance didn't plummet, it steadily declined.
For example, the Mavericks have slipped from being second in the West, closely trailing the Lakers, to third, where they have almost no hope of competing for the top spot in the West.
Everyone knows that these two teams will inevitably make a trade, and it will definitely be a big one!
Otherwise, the situation within their team will only escalate.
Especially the Mavericks, who are aiming for the championship. James gave up everything to come to Dallas, not to waste his youth in the playoffs.
He craves victory and championships more than most people in the league.
Because every time he misses a championship, the pressure on him increases exponentially.
Under increasing pressure, James' path to winning a championship will become increasingly difficult.
As for the Hornets, although they have slipped from fourth to eighth in the Western Conference in the month following the trade announcement and could fall out of the playoff picture at any time, they are clearly not as desperate as the Mavericks.
After all, the team hasn't been sold yet.
This team currently has no targets, at least not until the team is sold.
Even if there's internal strife, it depends on what the new boss thinks, right?
Should they give up and try to win the top spot, or should they make minor adjustments and then continue to strive for better results?
no one knows.
At this point, many people have already realized that Stern's claim that the new owner specifically requested that Deron be kept was complete nonsense.
There is no potential new boss at all, otherwise how could so much time have passed without any news or movement?
If the new owner really had such a knack for keeping all the information from leaking, the team wouldn't have been struggling to secure a win for so long.
However, not many people are willing to discuss and study things that have already happened, and those who question and discover the truth have not really caused much of a stir.
Everyone's attention is still focused on the trading deadline.
As time rapidly passed and the deadline drew ever closer, the first explosive transaction finally occurred!
The Jazz have made their move.
They traded multiple future draft picks, Devin Harris (nicknamed "Pluto"), who is currently their star point guard averaging 15 points and 7 assists per game, along with two other players to balance their salaries, to New Orleans in exchange for Deron Williams!
The Jazz's move was unexpected, given their previous low-key approach, making it hard to believe they were planning a trade.
Even before this deal was finalized, New York was considered the most likely destination for Deron Williams!
But suddenly, it became Salt Lake City.
But upon closer examination, it makes perfect sense for the Jazz to acquire Deron Williams.
Since the departures of Malone and Stockton, the Jazz have never been a top team in the league, let alone truly risen to prominence.
They've had some good players, but they've come and gone, and their best result has only been the playoffs.
After Boozer suddenly left without saying goodbye and broke his promise, the Jazz's performance plummeted.
Last season, they plummeted to the bottom of the league and got the third overall pick, selecting a big man: Enes Kanter from Turkey.
In addition to Millsap and Al Jefferson, who were already playing quite well for the team, the team now has three players who can be considered excellent inside players.
But what they lack is someone who can integrate the team and these three big men into a cohesive unit. Harris is clearly not that person; he's just a pure penetrator. Although his assist numbers are decent, his specialty is playing one-on-one.
Everyone knows that if the Jazz want to rise to prominence, what they need most is a playmaker, a playmaker who can organize the offense.
It's only natural that Deron Williams, whose career was already over and unlikely to continue with his original team, would become a target for the Jazz.
This trade came suddenly, but the Jazz are rated quite highly by the public, with many giving them an A or even an A+.
A top-tier point guard in the league is enough to transform a team.
With Deron Williams, Richard Jefferson, Paul Millsap, a young Enes Kanter, and veteran coach Jerry Sloan, the Jazz could be revived and regain the glory of their "Twin Towers" era.
As for the situation with the Hornets, it depends on which perspective you take.
In terms of immediate competitiveness, the Hornets have essentially given up on this season and are determined to try their luck in the lottery.
Harris is good, but that's about it. If you make him the team's leader, the team's performance is absolutely hopeless.
So from this perspective, the Hornets have lost miserably.
But what if we look at it from another perspective?
With three first-round draft picks, including one that will almost certainly be a lottery pick next year, the Jazz are currently only ranked 14th in the Western Conference. Even if Deron Williams is invincible, it's a pipe dream for the team to improve their record and make it into the playoffs in just half a season.
They are a full 10 games behind the Hornets, who are currently in eighth place!
As for the final draft positions of the other two players, that will depend on how well the Jazz gel as a team.
In addition, although Harris is not as good as Deron Williams, he is still decent. With him on the team, the team won't lose too badly. More importantly, Harris is cheap!
This guy's annual salary is about 700 million less than Delong's, and his contract expires this summer.
The other two who came along, Mills and Bell, also have relatively small contracts, totaling just over 500 million. Although their contracts don't expire in the summer, they have good immediate impact and experience, which can mentor younger players. Furthermore, even if they are not comfortable using the equipment, they can easily resell it.
Both of these are quite good puzzle pieces.
In this way, the Hornets saved money, weakened the team, and accumulated draft picks, which they could then use to jump straight to the lottery and see what promising talents they could find in the summer draft.
As for the Hornets' rumored new owner who supposedly liked Deron Williams, he has naturally become a legendary figure and will probably never appear again.
As for Deron Williams himself, if he really had to choose, he would definitely prefer to go to New York and team up with Stoudemire. But unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Deron Williams didn't show any dissatisfaction or disappointment when he arrived in the cold Salt Lake City.
This guy still showed a lot of sincerity and professional ethics at this time.
Deron Williams thanked Salt Lake City fans for their welcome, vowed to play well, and promised to create a new era of glory. He said every single thing he was told.
His statement won the favor of the people of Salt Lake City, and they initially accepted him. As for what happens next, we'll have to see how Deron Williams fares in the end.
Less than two days after Deron Williams' transfer was finalized, another highly anticipated and certain deal was revealed.
The Dallas Mavericks have made their move!
This time, the scale of the operation is even larger than the last one!
They packaged Jason Terry, starting center Haywood, starting small forward, and their last two first-round draft picks, two first-round pick swaps, and three second-round draft picks and sent them to Milwaukee.
If we consider Terry, this troublemaker, as part of the team's regular strength, then this Mavericks team has essentially given up their starting small forward and starting center, plus one of the league's top sixth-man scoring machines.
Including their two first-round draft picks, two swaps, and three draft picks.
The Mavericks have truly gone all out this time, giving away everything they could, including all their valuable assets.
This time, they can be described as going all in!
Clearly, it's not just James who's eager to win the championship; Cuban, Nowitzki, and the entire Mavericks team are also eager to win and hope to get out of their current predicament as soon as possible and get back on track quickly.
That's why we had this all-or-nothing, all-or-nothing deal!
Fortunately, the rewards they received were quite good.
Multiple All-Stars, including former league-leading sharpshooter Ray Allen, Milwaukee's starting point guard nicknamed "Mo-Never-Pass" Maurice Williams, and the Bucks' starting center, former number one draft pick Andrew Bogut.
These three players are also the Bucks' current starting trio.
Bogut was the number one pick in 05, but he has never been able to live up to his potential. His performance on the court is far inferior to that of the two point guards who were selected after him, Paul and Deron. His best year in his career so far has only averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Although he was selected for the All-NBA Third Team that year, that was already his peak.
So far this season, he's averaging only 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game, hardly qualifying him as a particularly outstanding center. (End of Chapter)