The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 336 - 187 The Free Market Shakes Once Again_2

Chapter 336: Chapter 187 The Free Market Shakes Once Again_2

The Pacers truly didn’t lack his three-point shooting ability this season.

"Su, Rick made me practice three-point shots."

"..."

"You’d say he’s a devil, wouldn’t you?"

"...Jeff, could it be possible that he made a mistake!"

On July 18, as the Pacers were fervently practicing three-point shots, the free agent market was once again bustling.

Shaquille O’Neal, who had been in trade rumors, finally had a clear destination:

The Heat Team sent away Shaquille O’Neal to the Cavaliers for "Big Z," along with the Pacers’ 2007 first-round pick, the Cavaliers’ 2008 first-round pick, and David Lee, who was the New York Knicks’ 30th pick in the 2005 first round, plus a $5 million trade exception.

The New York Knicks sent out David Lee, Channing Frye, and Quentin Richardson, getting Larry Hughes from the Cavaliers, as well as the Cavaliers’ 2009 second-round pick and 2010 second-round pick.

The Cavaliers sent out "Big Z," Larry Hughes, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks, receiving Shaquille O’Neal, Quentin Richardson, and Channing Frye in return.

This trade also caused great stir throughout the League.

Pat Riley’s maneuver, it was clear to everyone, was to get rid of Shaquille O’Neal. Judging from what he acquired in the trade, "Big Z" and a $5 million trade exception, it was obvious that the Heat Team had more big moves coming.

The media gave his moves a provisional A rating. Whether it rises to A+ or more depends on his subsequent maneuvers.

Since Thomas came to the New York Knicks, he has been making all sorts of head-exploding moves for the fans, so the New York media was no longer surprised by his trades.

At least this time, they knew what his purpose was:

He wanted the backcourt formed by Stephen Marbury and Crawford to look less pitiful.

Although Larry Hughes had suffered injuries in Cleveland, he was still the "All-Defensive First Team" two years ago, and he had experience playing with a dual-purpose guard like Stephen Marbury.

Considering these factors, many media outlets, especially those in New York, gave the move a D- rating.

Hmm...

Unless Thomas trades Su Wan to the New York Knicks now, no matter what he does, they just want him to get lost as soon as possible!

When it rains, it pours, and at this time, a female executive working for the New York Knicks accused Thomas of workplace sexual harassment, further tarnishing the "Smiling Assassin" name.

As for the Cavaliers...

They were hailed as "the biggest winners of the trade" by all media!

Not only did they get a high-quality version of "Big Z," but they also secured shooters like Channing Frye and "Ah Q." — Danny Ferry had been eyeing sharpshooters on the free market all summer, and everyone knew it.

There had been no activity, but who would have thought!

A trade involving Shaquille O’Neal actually brought him two shooters he desired.

Most media gave an S- rating.

The reason it wasn’t an S, or even an S+, was mainly because the trade wasn’t without risks.

The biggest concern was Shaquille O’Neal’s condition.

His decline over the past two years had been obvious to all.

He was a year older this season, who knows how much further his condition would deteriorate.

If his performance plummeted substantially this season, his $20 million contract would become a huge burden for the Cavaliers.

Even more fatal...

His contract still had a full three years left on it!

If he failed to perform well this season and couldn’t synergize with LeBron, then forget "Big Z"— they wouldn’t even be able to trade for David Lee.

It was a trade with extremely high risks.

If it succeeded, then the Cavaliers could leap to become one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference; if it failed, they could be without a shot at the championship for the next three or four seasons.

However, both the Cleveland media and fans believe Danny Ferry will be crowned "General Manager of the Year" thanks to this trade!

Especially the Clevelanders, who really wanted to line up to apologize to Danny Ferry.

You should have said so earlier, bro!

If you had just busted out this big move sooner, none of that earlier nonsense would have mattered!

The Cleveland Plain Dealer directly ran the headline: "After the Storm Comes a Rainbow, LeBron Welcomes the First All-NBA Teammate of His Career! The New Season of the Cavaliers Is Worthy of Any Expectation!"

Hmm...

Others saw Shaquille O’Neal’s declining state and his embarrassing blowout by the Pacers in the playoffs.

But Clevelanders wanted to say:

No matter how bad Shaquille was, wasn’t he still last season’s "All-NBA Team"?

In their eyes, people were just jealous that the Cavaliers had made such a great trade, and LeBron James finally had strong support!

Su Wan, just wait, wait for LeBron to come to settle the score with you, for the humiliation you’ve brought us these two years, it’s time to repay you!

When LeBron James heard the news, he was also excited, but he first made a call to Wade:

"Man, I’m sorry, I never thought something like this would happen, I hope it doesn’t change anything between us!"

Wade magnanimously replied, "It’s not something we can decide, so there’s no need to worry, buddy, it won’t affect anything."

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