It is entering the middle of the season. Looking at the next schedule, Zhang Hao feels very sad.

Their schedule this season is very good, with loose front and tight middle and loose back.

In the Christmas game, they only had 8 games against the top ten teams in the league, less than one-third of the total schedule in the early stages of the season.

Fighting against the top eight teams in the east and west this season, we will play against the Mavericks, Wizards, Clippers, Timberwolves, Pacers, Cavaliers, and Spurs, and they will play against the Spurs twice.

The other top teams did not compete again until the Christmas game, which means the first 28 games, and the Supersonics only have 9 opponents currently rank in the top ten in the east and west this season.

Combining the density of the game, the number of home and away games, the length of consecutive away games, the number of back-to-back times, etc., as the defending champions of the dynasty, they had the easiest schedule in the early stage of this season in the entire league, and there was no one. Two months of the game were almost over, and they only played back-to-back 4 times in total.

However, they are only 19 wins and 10 losses.

Watching the Kings at home on the 27th, the 76ers away on the 29th, the Wizards away on the 31th, the Heat away on the 1st, the Lakers away on the 4th, the Lakers away on the 6th, and the Clippers away on the 7th...

‘This 7 consecutive hell schedule, can you summon the dragon after passing the level?’

Entering the middle of the season, this kind of thing happens every season. At the beginning, there will be psychological fluctuations due to the atmosphere you feel, the emotional changes of your teammates, the media hype... etc., but after playing for a long time, Zhang Hao already knows what he should do and how to drive the whole team.

Even if some seasons do not play well in the middle of the season, the team's record is not good, such as last season, at least he knows what he should do, but he just says that sometimes he can't do it.

But this year, it feels particularly different.

It's hard to feel like this.

It's different from the rookie year who keeps rushing for nothing.

It is different from actively adjusting and enterprising in the early stages of your career.

It's different from the average record of last season's acceptance of the mid-season versus early-season collapse, and it's over.

This year is full of uncertainty.

Just like at the beginning of the season, according to memory, Zhang Hao felt that Artest, who was 24 or 25, was about to take off the defense, but he was not allowed to take action in advance. Artest's defense was not yet fully physical, he had insufficient adjustment experience, and his confidence was not so strong. There was a big problem with the defense. The defensive performance he played and the defensive evaluations given by the system dropped from 95 as soon as it was started. Every time he updated, it looked 90-92. It can be seen that he was trying to adjust, but it was indeed a big impact. After all, he is a strong opponent player. With his defensive talent, he can definitely adjust the defense well, but it will not be a matter of a while.

Not only Artest, but many defensive masters have been affected this season, and each player is making adjustments to their own defense.

But the surprise was Artest's offensive end, averaging 20.5 points per game!

Originally, Zhang Hao felt a little regretful because Artest's technical progress was slow, but the rules that affected Artest's defense greatly improved him on the offensive end.

Ginobili's condition is even more unstable than expected, and Odom's play is more stable than expected...

Many, many uncertainties.

Zhang Hao felt this feeling very fresh, and he also felt the pain of encountering uncontrollable things...

...

Accidents or tomorrows, I will never know which one will come first.

This is the case with the Supersonics team. On the afternoon of the 26th, the wrist examination results of Artest's injured wrist during the Christmas game came out. He was diagnosed with soft tissue contusion and continued to fight without treatment. He was at risk of habitual dislocation.

Artest is not an Ironman player and is missing for more than ten games every year.

Artest was also missing in 4 games in the previous 28 games.

This time, I will be out of the situation for 2-4 weeks, which will be much more serious than the previous sprain and strain.

Players are frequently injured, and Artest is not an isolated case this season.

The overall speed of the league this season has suddenly accelerated. As you can see from the average score of the league last season, the average score of the league was 94.1 points, and this season it has increased to 97.6 points, and the average offensive time per round has been shortened by 3 seconds!

This has a great impact, comparable to the impact of shortening the three-point line back then.

Top stars such as McGrady, Iverson, and O'Neal have suffered a lot of injuries this season.

Such things are uncontrollable and can only be avoided as much as possible.

In the game against the Bulls, Artest was the one who had been C for a long time, and his playing style was strong, and there may be factors such as fatigue in the previous game... Injury, things like injury have always come, so they care about where they are not doing well enough and where they are not paying attention.

As the executive coach, Zhang Hao didn't notice some things, and he could not blame him.

Artest will definitely not be able to play in the next 7 consecutive hell-level schedule.

Just when he was having a headache, good news came!

At 7 pm on December 26, 2003, the Supersonics, Mavericks and Jazz completed a three-party transaction.

The Mavericks gave Antoine Jamison, with a cash compensation of US$1.97 million. In the first round of lottery in 2006, they protected the draft pick, got Keon Clark from the Jazz and Brad Miller from the Supersonics.

The Jazz sent Deshen Stevenson and Zeon Clark to protect the draft pick in the first five picks in 2006, and obtained the Mavericks' first round lottery in 2006, Antoine Jamison.

The Supersonics sent Brad Miller and received the Jazz's top 5 picks in 2006, with Desham Stevenson, with $1.97 million in cash compensation.

...

...

Before 2004 arrived, Brad Miller was successfully traded out.

It not only solved its own problems, but also did not delay Brad Miller.

After Howard Schultz and the press officer set the time for the press conference, he asked Zhang Hao: "Aix, do you think we have lost or made a profit?"

"From the trading value and Miller's current market, it's good to get a lottery pick, and we want a good shooting guard that we want, and now we can just match the vacancy that Ron was injured."

Zhang Hao looked at the transaction application receipt sent to the league on the computer. The Jazz protected the draft picks in the top 5 picks in 2006. If the Jazz won the top 5 picks in 2006, it would be postponed to the top 3 picks in 2007. If the Jazz were really so miserable and still had the top 3 picks until then, it would be postponed to the top 3 picks in 2008.

The method of postponement is discussed by yourself, and it may not necessarily be that the scope of protection will be narrowed in the next year. "Protecting at the top" is more like a bet agreement.

For example, if you want to get a player with the same value as the mid- and late draft picks in the first round of the non-loto zone, you give the opponent a lottery pick. If you don’t make the playoffs, it will generally become the top 10 picks for the next year, or the second round picks for the next year plus the second round picks for the next year, and generally you will not continue to reduce the protection to higher picks.

Unless it is a deal like this that made a huge profit from the Jazz.

Deshen Stevenson, who played 25 games this season, averaged 11.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game, is a very high-quality role player.

The Jazz gave a top 8 pick to protect the draft pick and gave Desham Stevenson, but it was still a big profit to get Jamison.

That's why the Jazz are willing to give such a postponement method.

This is also the confidence of the Jazz management. They believe that by 2006, they will definitely not be the top 5... Of course, if they don't make the playoffs and draw the top 3 pick, they will probably be very happy.

Zhang Hao was very satisfied with this deal and said, "We didn't have a first round pick in 2006, and we're making up now."

Howard Schultz thought for a while and said, "We didn't have a first-round pick in 2004, why not change to 2004?"

"Mr. Schultz, the difference between you playing games and doing business... The Jazz are eager to protect our picks for the top 5 picks next year, because we definitely can't get them. The draft market next year is very good. If you want this pick, the conditions for the picks they give may be more stringent. Since we want to win a better pick, we have to take greater risks.

We will definitely get this first round of picks in 2006, so we don’t have to worry so much.”

"You're right, but when talking about the value of the transaction, the Mavericks lost a lot of money in this transaction, took Clark's contract, and gave the Jazz a 2006 draft pick, helping us get the Jazz's 2006 draft pick.

But they actually solved the biggest problem. They didn't pay anything to trade with Jamison. If they got Jamison's chips in the summer, plus the draft picks given to the Jazz and the cash compensation they gave us, they would still make money. We should be asking for more things from the Mavericks."

"It doesn't matter if the Mavericks make or lose. We pull them in. We lose less. If we lose less, we will be profitable. Moreover, Mr. Harris said that Cuban was so angry that he hung up the phone. He waited for 20 minutes before he called back and was willing to give us 1.97 million compensation."

"Larry is really..."

“Beautiful job!”

"Haha, you're right. The Mavericks' 1.97 million cash this year was useless, so I gave it to us! Cuban must be so angry that he jumped. Thinking about it this way, it's nothing unacceptable to help him adjust the lineup structure... Moreover, they will definitely become the strong opponents in the minds of major championship teams again, and our reconstruction will be easier."

"Hmm? There's something else?"

"Well, you want to put in the Mavericks trade, isn't it just to use the Mavericks as a living target to attract our opponent's firepower?"

"I think so? Boss, it has nothing to do with me. This is your conspiracy."

“…”

...

...

As Zhang Hao expected, after the transaction was exposed, Cuban immediately became the first NBA star to become popular in the mid-season.

Unlike the bosses of other teams, Cuban is really a big star-level figure, and his exposure rate is even higher than that of their team's stars.

This deal was praised and ridiculed.

A few months ago, he got Jamison from the Warriors, and was very popular and was saying everywhere that the next dynasty was his.

Now, in order to send Jamison away, to get Brad Miller, to meet the Supersonics' request that they do not want to lose too much...

He dumped cash discounts and first-round picks, and also took over Jazz's Zeon Clark, helping the Supersonics get the Jazz's top 5 picks in 2006.

Thinking of Gongjin back then...

Cuban's character has always been about "you must bite a piece of meat when trading with a strong team."

Now, he is humble and compensates the SuperSonics for cash. The SuperSonics no longer have to pay Brad Miller for salary. He is likely to be a lottery draw or even the top ten draft pick. Even Deshen Stevenson's salary is about the same as the Mavericks helping to pay, and there is still a remaining...

Keon Clark, the Kings' substitute center last season, averaged 4.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks last season. He signed a two-year middle-class man in the summer of 2002. The contract expired for $5.13 million this season, but he collapsed, who will be 29 years old this season, and averaged only 2.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

The Jazz did not refuse the Supersonics to pull the Mavericks into the trade, but they also bit the Mavericks and were unwilling to trade special cases for the Mavericks. Instead, they used Keon Clark to match the trade, which means saving money.

Of course, the Supersonics failed to get the Jazz draft pick at the beginning because the Supersonics would not agree to take Keon Clark's contract, but everyone knows the recent situation of the Mavericks. The Jazz decisively started from the Mavericks. Since the players they can get changed from Brad Miller to Jamison, the Jazz are willing to give it to the first round pick, but they need more compensation from the Mavericks.

In this regard, Cuban was ridiculed.

However, Cuban received a lot of praise.

The Mavericks seem to lose money in this quick-knife-cutting deal, but the lineup has been streamlined!
To be continued...