"If we decide to rebuild, our primary goal is to trade Rashid Wallace and Damon Stoudamire," Steve Patterson said gravely.
On the Trail Blazers’ current roster, these two were the only ones with significant trade value.
Rashid Wallace was an All-Star, one of the top forwards in the West.
He was 29, in the prime of his career.
As for the 30-year-old Damon Stoudamire, if he could stay out of trouble, he’d still be one of the best point guards in the league.
His aging knees had recovered somewhat after Chen Yu’s treatment. That’s why last season, despite being suspended for several games due to his off-court bullshit, he still averaged 14.1 points and 6.3 assists.
Those were respectable numbers for a point guard. His twelve-million-dollar contract was hefty, but he still had trade value.
At this point, Patterson glanced at Chen Yu and suddenly asked, "Dr. Chen, you were the one who first suggested rebuilding. Do you have any thoughts?"
’He had a feeling Paul Allen trusted Chen Yu more. The same words coming from him versus from Chen Yu could lead to completely different outcomes.’
Paul Allen looked up at Chen Yu as well.
’Chen Yu runs that potential development camp. He must have some insight into selecting rookies.’
’Chen Yu didn’t really want to get involved in this kind of discussion.’
’I’m not a part of the Trail Blazers organization. What if I give advice, the player they trade for turns out to be a bust, and then I get blamed for it?’
’But on second thought, there was no harm in speaking up.’
’If the rookie they trade for pans out, it would only prove I have a good eye for talent, and the Trail Blazers would owe me one.’
’Besides, it would be good for my consulting firm’s business.’
’Chen Yu wanted to keep the potential development camp going.’
"Wallace has a lot of trade value," Chen Yu began.
In fact, if the Phoenix Suns didn’t have McDyess, Rashid Wallace would have been their best option at the four.
"I remember some media reports over the summer saying the Pistons wanted to acquire Wallace. Is that right?" Chen Yu asked, looking at John Nash.
’He remembered an article in the *Detroit Free Press* over the summer that suggested the Pistons’ front office trade for Rashid Wallace.’
’Dumars seemed to have responded as well, lavishing praise on Rashid Wallace as an excellent interior player.’
’Da Ben is an excellent defender, but he has no offensive game.’
’If the Pistons wanted to make a deep playoff run, they needed to strengthen their interior offense.’
John Nash nodded. "Joe contacted me, but we ignored him."
’Wallace was the Trail Blazers’ only true star. Unless they were rebuilding, there was no way they’d trade him.’
Chen Yu quickly ran through the Pistons’ roster in his mind before saying, "Since you’re rebuilding, you’ll definitely want to build around a big man with high potential."
In the league right now, a dominant big man was still the most important piece.
Once you have a developed big man, it’s easy to build the perimeter around him.
"You should consider a trade with the Pistons, with the main target being Milicic."
’When you’re trading an All-Star player like Rashid Wallace as part of a rebuild, the target has to be a rookie from the top three of the draft.’
’Last year it was Yao Ming, this year it’s James. The Trail Blazers could sell their entire team, and the Lakers and Knight still wouldn’t make that trade.’
’Going further back, the risk of Brown being a bust is too high.’
’Besides, if you traded for him, you’d have to sign him to a big extension in less than two years, and the salary cap pressure would be right back on.’
’The only real options are top-three picks from the last two drafts.’
’And if you want to build around a center, there’s only one choice: Milicic.’
’Bosh would be another option, but the Raptors drafted him to be their franchise cornerstone. Only the Pistons, who are contending for a championship, might be willing to part with Milicic.’
"And two other players."
Chen Yu continued, "Mehmet O’Ku and Tayshaun Prince. You could get them as part of the package."
"O’Ku is a bit of an unorthodox big man. He wasn’t a high draft pick, but he played well under Karel last year. Especially in the playoffs, he shot over fifty percent from three, which is excellent."
Even though he got posterized by Tracy McGrady in the Eastern Conference Finals, his performance was still commendable for his first postseason.
After all, he was an international player, so he was already quite polished when he came to the NBA.
"Then there’s Prince. He..."
Chen Yu was momentarily stumped, pausing before he said, "He’s got really long arms. He could become a great defender."
’If I remember correctly, with a height of 206cm and a wingspan of 218cm, he might not be as freakish as Marion, but those are still ridiculous measurements.’
’In any case, Milicic is the main prize. Those two are just throw-ins.’
’Besides, they’re the only rookies from the last two years on the Pistons’ current roster.’
Steve Patterson nodded subconsciously. The moment a trade for Rashid Wallace was mentioned, the name "Milicic" had popped into his head.
Anyone who saw the big man’s talent would be drooling.
The Pistons had just gotten ridiculously lucky this year, managing to draft him unexpectedly.
The newly appointed Larry Brown wasn’t known for using rookies, so the probability of acquiring him in a trade was high.
"Boss, Milicic is indeed an excellent choice," Steve Patterson said immediately, seeing Paul Allen look his way.
Paul Allen thought for a moment, then asked, "What about Damon?"
John Nash said, "If we trade for Milicic, then we should use Stoudamire to get a guard with potential, preferably a swingman."
Tall swingmen who can play both offense and defense have been in high demand these past couple of years.
He quickly ran through the rookies from the last two drafts in his mind.
This year’s rookies hadn’t proven themselves yet, so they weren’t worth trading for at the moment.
Milicic, as the second overall pick, was a different story.
The first name that came to mind was the Warriors’ Jason Richardson. He had a sharp offensive game, explosive athleticism, and was a two-time slam dunk contest champion.
The Warriors had been screwed by the Wizards this past summer, painfully losing Arenas. Logically, they’d need to reinforce their backcourt.
But they had already completed a trade with the Mavericks over the summer to get Nick Van Exel.
Their contracts were similar, and Van Exel’s offense was even more potent.
So if the Warriors hadn’t made that trade, a deal might have been possible.
Then, another name popped into his head.
"The Celtics’ Joe Johnson. I think he’d be a good choice."
The 10th pick in the ’01 draft. He was selected by the Celtics and averaged 13.4 points last season, growing into an important sidekick for Pierce.
Most importantly, the Celtics needed a point guard.
To fill their gap at point guard, they capitalized on an opportunity with the Phoenix Suns, using a ’04 first-round pick they got from the Mavericks to acquire Tony Delk.
Then, they went and signed an undrafted player named Mike James.
John Nash felt that if they offered Damon Stoudamire, the Celtics would definitely be interested.
’Chen Yu also thought about Joe Johnson.’
’Average athleticism, but an excellent jump shot and a solid three-point range.’
’On defense, with his size, he couldn’t be too bad.’
’He definitely had a lot of future potential.’
Paul Allen had never heard the name, but he always trusted his front office. Since John Nash thought the guy was good, that was enough for him.
At this moment, Chen Yu spoke up. "You’ll also need a point guard—an experienced floor general who can mentor the rookies."
To develop rookies, you have to give them the ball and have someone set a good example. That’s where the value of an experienced, playmaking veteran point guard really shows.
"I remember next summer Nash’s contract is up. You could try to bring him to Portland then. With Camp’s contract expiring next year, and after clearing Wallace’s and Stoudamire’s contracts, you should have the cap space to offer him a max deal."
"However, he’ll want to chase a championship, so you might not be the most attractive destination."
’Actually, J Kidd would be an even better fit than Nash.’
’He was a pure playmaker who didn’t look to score, which would give the rookies plenty of touches to gain experience. He was also a defensive maestro, the kind of player who could anchor an entire defensive line by himself.’
’Most importantly, J Kidd already had a championship ring. Offer him a big contract, and he’d surely be willing to come.’
"That’s right, Nash’s contract is up next year."
Steve Patterson’s eyes lit up. He crossed his arms and muttered, "The Mavericks have major salary cap issues, too. They might not give Nash a big contract."
"Nash?"
Paul Allen tilted his head back in thought, then nodded with satisfaction. "He’s good," he said.
’Even though we’re rebuilding, we can’t just have rookies. A team without a single respectable star... what about my reputation?’
’Freeing up cap space to pursue Nash next summer is definitely a great option.’
Thinking of next year’s free agents, his mind suddenly jumped to Kobe.
Kobe was also set to become a free agent next summer.
’But it was just a fleeting thought. Given Kobe’s situation, there was no way he would leave the Lakers.’
"Right, what about a coach."
A thought suddenly struck him, and Paul Allen brought up another issue.
After Cheeks was fired, the Trail Blazers had temporarily promoted assistant coach Jim Lynam to the head role.
But that was just a temporary solution.
Paul Allen wasn’t particularly fond of Lynam. During his coaching years with the Digital People and the Wizards, his winning percentage wasn’t very high, and he wasn’t exactly a famous coach.
Steve Patterson hesitated for a moment. "Boss, I think Jim is decent. With his college-coaching background, he’s pretty good at developing rookies."
Paul Allen said nothing, clearly disagreeing with Patterson.
Seeing this reaction, Steve Patterson immediately fell silent.
Paul Allen’s gaze shifted to Chen Yu.
Chen Yu mentally reviewed the head coaches and assistants around the league, but one name, for some reason, popped into his head.
"Paul, when it comes to developing rookies, I actually think there’s someone who would be a good fit for you."
Seeing all three of them looking at him, Chen Yu said, "I’m talking about Doug Rivers."
As soon as the name was out, the expressions on all three men’s faces turned peculiar.
Everyone in the league knew that Doug Rivers had lost his head coaching job in disgrace because of Chen Yu.
"Chen, why do you think he’s a good fit for us?" Paul Allen asked.
’If he didn’t know what kind of person Chen Yu was, Paul Allen would have questioned his motives. Why else would he recommend an enemy?’
Chen Yu smiled. "First of all, it’s true I don’t personally think much of Rivers, but putting my personal feelings aside, he’s genuinely a good fit for you."
"I’ve interacted with him before. He’s good at motivating people and is very patient with rookies. Since you’re committed to rebuilding, you need exactly that kind of coach."
’Rookies need to be given opportunities and fed feel-good speeches, and Rivers is great at that.’
"Second, since you’re rebuilding, you won’t have pressure to win right away. His coaching ability is decent. In 2000, he led that Magic team to a ninth-place finish and was named Coach of the Year. That shows he’s very good at coaching role players."
’With the passage of time, Chen Yu had long since stopped caring about his old grudge with Rivers.’
’Given his current standing, it wasn’t worth his time to hold a grudge against him.’
’Chen Yu was speaking purely from the Trail Blazers’ perspective; he genuinely thought Rivers was a good fit.’

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