One Year Left to Play-Chapter 91 - 28: We’ll Be Laughed at for Picking a High Schooler!
John Lucas thought of these names the moment he saw Zhang Hao’s mid-range training.
This led John Lucas to decide to observe Zhang Hao’s shooting again the next day.
A player like Zhang Hao, unless the team trains with him, it’s hard to see his abilities. Only through individual tryouts can one understand his shooting strengths.
Then, John Lucas confirmed that Zhang Hao’s mid-range shooting at 18 is stronger than the top mid-range shooters in the NBA when they first entered, and Zhang Hao is 3-5 years younger than they were!
Although there was no real match comparison, it didn’t prevent John Lucas from making this assessment.
As for talent... with such strong shooting at 18, can he not have talent? Plus, Zhang Hao is an athletic forward.
If Reggie Miller is the Three-Point King, John Lucas believes Zhang Hao has the potential to become the Mid-range King!
Yet, he frowned because he anticipated that the boss would most likely ignore his suggestion.
As for the talk about having a chance to exchange for a second-round pick, John Lucas knew it was just talk...
...
Compared to John Lucas’s unfortunate situation as a coach specialized in tanking, at the Time Warner Sports Training Hall near the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles, the true base of the Lakers, the Logo Man had the final say in drafting matters.
However, this time, even Kupchek, who idolized him, could not understand his intentions.
Players participating in tryouts may have very different views from the teams trying them out.
Zhang Hao had the opportunity for two individual tryouts, but the content of the tryouts was simple. Even at the 76ers, who gave him the second individual tryout, the content remained simple, making Zhang Hao feel he wasn’t valued.
But from the perspective of the teams trying him out, this was perfectly normal. No matter how valued, they couldn’t conduct more tests because Zhang Hao only had two strengths: physical fitness and mid-range shooting, nothing else!
Since they saw that Zhang Hao excelled in his strengths, that was enough.
The Lakers management already knew the Logo Man wanted to draft Zhang Hao, but the problem was their 37th pick might not be able to secure Zhang Hao.
According to their information, the Pistons had a high probability of using the first pick of the second round or around the 20th in the first round to draft Zhang Hao. Their new head coach, Doug Collins, expressed interest in Zhang Hao to Chinese media.
Although it might just be pleasantries, several teams were polite, but only the Pistons clearly stated they might draft Zhang Hao.
In such a situation, there was nothing the Lakers could do as they did not have a higher pick. In the draft, every year teams watch as players they like are taken by others, so the Lakers management hadn’t been worrying about it lately.
But today, in the Lakers’ management meeting, the Logo Man made a decision that shocked everyone else.
"I’m planning to trade Cedric for a first-round pick. I’m negotiating with some teams to help us draft Zhang, and then we’ll complete the trade with them."
Hearing the Logo Man’s plan, even Kupchek couldn’t remain calm and quickly said, "Jerry, you can’t be serious, can you? Cedric is our top scorer!"
Cedric Ceballos, drafted at the end of the second round by the Suns in 1990, didn’t perform well early in his career. His highlight was winning the Slam Dunk Contest in his second year.
However, in his third year, Ceballos seized an opportunity. That year, the Suns traded their star Jeff Hornacek, using him as the core piece to acquire Charles Barkley. Lacking an outside scorer that season, Ceballos averaged 12.8 points and secured a starting position after the All-Star break. By the 93-94 season, Ceballos was averaging 19.1 points, becoming a top scorer. Last summer, the Lakers signed Ceballos to a lucrative 4-year, $9.01 million contract.
What does this contract mean... Just for comparison, Pippen of the Bulls, who was just eliminated in the second round, had a salary of $2.29 million this season, while Jordan’s next season salary is $3.85 million.
However, Ceballos did not disappoint with this contract. He made the All-Star team and, together with Van Exel, Eddie Jones, and Divac, led the team into the playoffs. They nearly swept the Supersonics in the first round.
Although they couldn’t advance further and were beaten by David Robinson in the second round, their performance this year was already impressive.
Ceballos undoubtedly played an important role in their achievements this season. But to trade a player like him to draft a high schooler?
Kupchek felt his mentor had gone mad!
"Mickey, our vision can’t be limited to just this season. Cedric played well, but he’s reached his limit. Our current roster stands no chance at competing for the championship. We are the Lakers; such a season is a failure for us.
More importantly, Cedric’s playing style puts him too close to the paint, but he’s not a strong force. When faced with a center like David Robinson, he performed terribly. He can’t score from beyond and drags down teammates’ offense to 4v5.
Moreover, Cedric has impacted the development of Nick and Eddie."
The Logo Man unhesitatingly pointed out Ceballos’s flaws.
These were things Kupchek understood, but it was a different matter. After all, Ceballos had just made the All-Star team and, at 27, was at his peak. Trading him for a draft pick to select a high schooler?
This is why Kupchek opposed it. Waiting until the trade deadline next season to swap with teams having poor records for draft picks would be more cost-effective than securing a pick whose position is already determined.
"Can’t we use other assets? Like future draft picks?" Kupchek suggested another approach.
"Mickey, we need to make sacrifices in our lineup. Nick and Eddie both need more ball time. Cedric is hindering their growth. When we signed Cedric last summer, our initial purpose was to create a good trade asset, wasn’t it? He just performed even better than I expected, allowing us to secure a lottery pick.
In our future plans, we need a shooting forward. Initially, I intended to wait until Zhang finished college to consider drafting him, but now he’s bypassed college. We should seize the opportunity to resolve this need..."
Hearing this, Kupchek knew his mentor had made up his mind, but he had another question, "Jerry, when did you start considering Zhang as part of the future plan?"
"Adidas Training Camp Elite Competition, I watched it."
"..." How do you argue with someone who’s not only talented but also more diligent than you? Kupchek was at a loss for words.
"Besides Zhang, I found another very interesting high school talent... Oh, Mickey, how’s the news spreading from Orlando?"
"Very smoothly, and without surprises, there should be an effect next season..."
The Logo Man and Kupchek thus discussed and made a decision that could potentially affect a player’s career, with the Buss Clan’s top executives not interfering with the Logo Man’s team-building ideas, assured by past examples of his keen eye.
Even if there are occasional mishaps, even if this decision turns out to be a misstep, the Buss Clan will continue to trust him next time.
However, everyone present was curious about who the other intriguing talent the Logo Man mentioned was.
Garnett? Or Odom?
With an already crowded perimeter requiring the sacrifice of an All-Star small forward, they naturally turned their thoughts to the inside.
