After learning that the Nuggets were interested in trading Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks 'general manager, Steve Mills, was in high spirits. He slammed the table and said excitedly,""This will probably be the biggest fish before the trade deadline this season. We have to prepare well and win!”
The Knicks did not lack money or fans. What they really lacked were star players.
A young All-Star player like Carmelo Anthony would naturally be the hottest fish in the trading market.
How could Steve Mills miss it?
He had already given the order, so the next step was to take the initiative to approach the Nuggets and keep giving them offers until they were satisfied and the deal was finally made.
The most important thing for the Knicks to decide on was the biggest bargaining chip.
In other words, all the assets that could be traded after confirming that they were not for sale.
Obviously, Amare Stoudemire was a bargaining chip that could not be traded. Although his trade value was very good, the Knicks originally wanted to build a team of star players. Using Stoudemire to trade Anthony was basically no different from not trading.
In addition, Bai Feng was also the second candidate he wanted to keep.
There were no good point guards in the market, and Bai Feng was chosen by him and his team. Most importantly, Bai Feng did not take up much space at this stage, and the other party probably had no interest in him.
Well, not bad. Except for Stoudemire and Bai Feng, all the assets of the entire team could be traded. This was Steve Mills 'determination and attitude.
……
After several negotiations with the Nuggets, the Knicks received another important piece of news. The conditions for this deal were not only to satisfy the Nuggets, but also to satisfy Anthony.
There were only two things that a star player should be satisfied with a team that he would be heading to in the future.
One was the city's football market, and the other was its competitiveness.
The current Knicks could be said to be at the league level other than competitiveness.
Many star players wanted to come here to play. Of course, they probably didn't want to play badly.
……
Now, what the Knicks needed to do was to show Cameron Anthony the determination and investment of the Knicks to rebuild.
Coincidentally, in three days, the Knicks would start an away trip to the Western Conference, and their first opponent would be the Nuggets.
This was a good opportunity for the Nuggets to see the vitality of the Knicks 'secretly placed chips on the shelves. In addition, it was also a good opportunity for Anthony to see that even in the midst of rebuilding, the Knicks still had a lot of potential.
Then, it was imperative to play a good game.
……
However, looking back, the Knicks 'record had fallen a little.
After their three consecutive victories at the start, they had suffered a wave of seven consecutive defeats!
After winning, losing, and losing, they suffered another wave of five consecutive defeats.
Their overall record was 5 wins and 14 losses, and they quickly fell to the bottom of the Eastern Conference, only better than the Cavaliers and Raptors.
During this period of time, Steve Mills had been busy with the team's trade work, so he had no time to care about the team's record. Of course, in this kind of big trade environment, the players were likely to be replaced immediately. There was no need to care about the team's results. Just let nature take its course.
The only thing that made him happy was the statistics of the two " non-tradable " players.
As the team's number one star player, Stoudemire had an average of 25.6 points and 11.2 rebounded per game in the past games, which was in line with his identity as an All-Star inside player. It seemed that he was slowly recovering from his injury. As for whether he could return to his peak, it was hard to say.
As for Bai Feng, his stats had also reached 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounding, and 5.4 assists.
This number was higher than when he was in university!
Generally speaking, in the first year after a college player entered the NBA, their statistics would generally decline, or even plummet. However, Bai Feng was going against the trend.
Moreover, his performance on the court was getting more and more stable, with an average of 0.6 mistakes per game. And his efficiency value was still firmly at the top of the team!
……
Before leaving for denver, Steve Mills discussed with coach D'Antoni and mobilized the players. The goal of the mobilization was to play a 100% game in denver, win, and sweep away the previous consecutive losses!
This mobilization was very effective and the players were full of confidence.
However, after arriving in Stanford, trouble came.
Perhaps it was because of the plateau, but during the team training after getting off the plane, the team's core player, Stoudemire, felt a slight pressure on his knee.
That was the part of his old injury. After the team doctor made an evaluation, it was decided to give Stoudemire a rotation rest for safety reasons.
As such, it was troublesome for the general manager, Steve Mills, who had personally come with the team.
How could the Knicks win without Stoudemire?
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