Bishop of the Devil

In the next four away games, the Pirates had a record of 2 wins and 2 losses.

It seemed that this record did not meet Richard's expectations, but in fact it was quite acceptable to Richard.

Mainly because in this away game, the Pirates' opponents are a bit stronger.

Among them are three strong teams: the Spurs, Nuggets and Heat. It is actually not easy for the Pirates to win two of them.

There is nothing to say about the Spurs. They have been as stable as a dog for thousands of years. With the strength of the newly formed Pirates team, they are obviously not a match for the Spurs.

The Heat now have O'Neal. In this game, O'Neal performed brilliantly, scoring 37 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks in a single game.

Normally, O'Neal would definitely not work so hard, but this time when he met Richard, he used almost all his special skills, just thinking that he could win against Richard.

Finally he succeeded...

As for the Nuggets, they are no longer what they used to be.

Under the leadership of George Karl, the current rise can be said to be the most powerful team in the Western Conference after the Spurs and Suns.

What many people have not noticed is that in fact, the most dazzling player of the 2003 Platinum Generation was not Wade at the beginning, but Anthony.

This is Anthony's third season in the league. He has steadily contributed 20 points in the first two seasons, including 21 points in his rookie season and 20.8 points in his second season. There is not much difference.

But this season, Anthony has completely exploded. After the first few games, his scoring average has reached a terrifying 28.5 points per game, which is close to the level of the league's number one small forward Pierce.

The data is excellent, and the team's record can reach the top three in the Western Conference. It can be said that Anthony has unlimited glory at the moment.

As for Wade, although the Heat became a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference after O'Neal joined last season, many people put this credit on O'Neal.

There is nothing wrong with this. Last season, O'Neal averaged 23 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.

As for James, the No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft, his statistics are naturally quite good, but last season they only finished eighth in the Eastern Conference and were shaved off by the Pistons in the first round.

You must know that this is when someone had his head shaved when there were Big Z and Larry Hughes in the team...

…

The Nuggets' lineup is pretty good. Of course, it can only be said to be good. Compared with super powerful teams, they are far behind.

Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Andre Miller, Earl Boykins, Marcus Camby, and Nene Hilario on the bench.

Next season, the Nuggets will trade with the Philadelphia 76ers for Iverson to form a golden duo.

Of course, this combination didn't have a very good effect, and in the end it didn't even touch the floor of the Western Conference Finals.

Richard was thinking about whether to cut off this deal, get Iverson into his team first, and then lead Iverson to win the championship.

But considering that I already have Paul on hand, doing so would be a bit of a loss.

You know, the management of the Philadelphia 76ers is not a fool, they are just the masters who don't let the hawk see the rabbit. If Richard doesn't give them enough chips to impress them, how can they let Iverson go.

You must know that under normal circumstances, the Nuggets acquired Iverson only after returning Andre Miller, who led the team in assists this season, Joe Smith, and two first-round picks.

And if Richard applies for a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers, it is estimated that the 76ers management will ask for more and bigger chips.

After paying these chips, the Pirates will definitely be severely weakened. If they want to win the championship, they will probably have to build a lineup for several more years.

In this way, the gain outweighs the loss by intercepting Iverson. If Iverson is to join the team, the purpose must be to let Iverson win the championship. But with Iverson coming, the team's lineup will be damaged and it will be difficult to win...

It would be better to wait another two years and recruit Iverson after he is given up by the Nuggets.

…

A total of eight games have been played since the start of the season, and the Pirates have a record of 5 wins and 3 losses, and are currently ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference.

Richard is naturally not very satisfied with this position. You must know that his goal this season is to become the coach of the Eastern Conference All-Star team.

Therefore, he has to be in the top four to guarantee. Only in this way can he have the opportunity to get involved in the position of leading the team coach.

Of course, it is best to finish first in the Eastern Conference. This is the safest way.

There are several teams in the East with better records than the Pirates, namely the Pistons, Heat, Nets and Green Kai.

Green Kai's current lineup is really good. Ilyasova and Reed, whom they acquired in this year's draft, were put into the starting lineup by Rivers and achieved good results.

As a result, Green Kai's starting lineup includes Okur, Pierce, Ilyasova and Luwei. Except for the weak position at the first position, the remaining four positions are pretty good.

This is also the reason why they can reach the top half of the Eastern Conference at the start of the game.

Pierce and Doc Rivers are naturally extremely grateful to Richard.

The two newcomers selected this time are not very good on the defensive end, but there is no fault at all on the offensive end.

With the two joining, plus Pierce and Okur, who already have strong offensive firepower, their offensive firepower of Green Kai has already reached the top three in the league.

That is to say, their defensive efficiency is holding them back. Otherwise, their record may be even better.

…

After this wave of four consecutive away games ends, the Pirates will next face the Pistons at home.

What surprised Richard was that the Pistons rested Yao Ke...

And that's not all, there are also two main players on the forward and defensive lines who have been placed on the injury list.

This is not to say that the Pistons have encountered a wave of injuries, because these people are now in Charlotte, eating with Richard.

"So, Phillip is planning to set things off for me?" Richard asked, dumbfounded.

Yao Ming nodded. The new head coach of the Pistons, Flip Saunders, really has this idea at the moment.

Flip Saunders has been friends with Richard for many years. He had been coaching the Timberwolves before, but he was fired because he failed to lead the Timberwolves to win the championship for a long time.

When Richard left the Pistons, Dumas asked Richard about a replacement head coach, and Richard recommended Sanders.

Sanders has excellent coaching ability and is a veteran coach in the league. He is quite suitable to be the head coach of the Pistons.

Dumas naturally did not refuse, because he knew very well that it would be useless to refuse. The boss Davidson would definitely use the candidate recommended by Richard.

In this way, Sanders was completely drawn into his camp by Richard.

"Coach, I feel very sorry for you. I signed the contract in advance..." Yao Ming said to Richard with some guilt.

During the offseason, Yao Ming had already completed an early contract extension with the Pistons, with a five-year maximum salary contract of US$73 million.

Not only Yao Ming, Stoudemire, who was also a rookie in the 2002 class, also renewed his contract with the Suns in advance, and he also received a maximum salary contract.

Under normal circumstances, Dunleavy Jr. actually got the opportunity to renew his contract in advance. Although he did not receive the maximum salary, he still had an annual salary of tens of millions.

However, due to being tricked by Richard before, and the influence of his father Dunleavy Sr. in the league has faded, he is not as lucky as normal...

…

Richard waved his hand directly, "Dayao, to be honest, I do feel a little uncomfortable about this, but don't think too much about it. You all should know me well. I don't like to force things."

"For you, staying with the Pistons is indeed the best choice, and we all know this."

"So, there is no need to mention this matter again. Let's work hard and strive to win another championship."

When Yao Ming renewed his contract with the Pistons in advance, Richard felt a little uncomfortable, because if Yao Ming did not renew his contract in advance, he would be able to join the Pirates next season after he finishes playing this year...

In this way, the Buccaneers will basically be invincible next season.