The sight of Zack returning triumphantly with the O'Brien trophy and the FMVP trophy became the grandest and liveliest scene in Oakland in decades.
In competitive sports, athletes who consistently meet fan expectations are often deified by local and personal supporters. As the Messiah in the hearts of Warriors fans, Zack was naturally no exception.
In the Bay Area, Zack had begun to attain a divine status—he was to the Warriors what Jordan was to the Bulls back then. For example, before he joined, the Warriors' market value had stagnated for years, but now they were the most valuable team in the NBA after the Knicks and Lakers. In the latest league team valuation rankings, they stood third at $450 million.
Historically, Joe Lacob, as Zack remembered, acquired the Warriors for around $450 million in 2009.
But now, it was 2006, a time when every inch of land was precious.
Since, normally, acquiring a cash cow like the Warriors would require even more money, even though Warriors owner Chris Cohan still disliked how players treated him, he gradually understood why this so-called "superstar above the team" culture had formed in the NBA.
As long as a star could bring endless wealth and victory after victory to the team, even the team owner had to defer to the star player.
This was a right soccer player Kylian Mbappé could only dream of possessing in the future, but in the NBA, this culture had been an unwritten rule since the Jordan era.
In a sense, Michael Jordan truly changed the NBA's underlying logic and the rules of the basketball world. Therefore, even if Zack had shown potential to be a "little rogue," he still held reverence for Jordan, the "old rogue."
After all, without Jordan's pioneering efforts back then, how could NBA players of later generations gradually escape being treated like livestock and even sit at the negotiation table, manipulating teams behind the scenes?
"Our championship parade is scheduled for the 25th. We still have a second-round pick this year. Do you have any players in mind?"
Shortly after returning to Oakland with the Warriors, the "Washed-Up Alcoholic" Mullin sought out Zack privately.
Hearing that, Zack, knowing the Warriors had previously lost their 2006 and 2008 first-round picks to acquire Artest, chuckled, "You pick whoever you want, I trust you."
2006 was known as a weak draft class.
Zack's knowledge of that year's rookies was limited to just a few individuals.
Moreover, the Warriors' 56th overall pick in the second round this year meant it would be very difficult for them to find a true gem.
Currently, the core of the Warriors' championship roster was largely in their prime – especially after re-signing Dunleavy and Richardson, their maneuverability for the new season would become increasingly limited. So, barring any surprises, the Warriors would have a remarkably quiet summer, maintaining their championship core.
Furthermore, after a year of working together, Zack, who had established supreme authority within the Warriors, had always enjoyed playing with his teammates, so he had no reason to break up and rebuild this reigning champion team.
"Then next, I'll try to bring back two more pieces for our championship defense from the free-agent market."
Zack vaguely remembered that Chris Mullin would sign Matt Barnes to the Warriors in his memory during this summer.
Barnes was a tough, lanky, versatile role player capable of defending multiple positions on the court.
And most importantly, in this cunning league, Barnes was known for his fierce loyalty.
Throughout his career, Barnes, who always presented himself as a tough guy on the court, basically only threw punches for his teammates.
If you were his opponent, Barnes would make you incredibly annoyed.
But if you were his teammate, Zack had basically never heard any of Barnes' teammates speak ill of him.
"Do you have Matt Barnes on your free-agent list?"
But just to be safe, Zack deliberately asked Mullin.
Hearing that, Mullin smiled and said, "He'll be my top target. I really like his style; I think his temperament fits our 'Bad Boys' culture perfectly. What, do you have any thoughts on him?"
Zack shook his head, "No, I admire him too."
"Well, great minds think alike. Don't worry, when I sign Matt, I'll definitely tell him our Messiah really appreciates him."
Although historically, Mullin would leave the Warriors on the eve of their rise due to Cohan selling the team and conflicts with his colleagues, his eye for talent during his years leading the Warriors was indeed commendable.
Whether it was his aggressive moves in the free-agent market or the capable players he brought in from the Pacers through his relationship with Bird, he allowed Warriors fans to fully experience the joy of the playoffs again on the eve of their resurgence.
In this life, with this great general manager assisting him, Zack could completely relax and fully enjoy the indulgent life before the upcoming championship parade.
Of course, although the Warriors' roster framework was largely set, they absolutely had to resolve the head coach issue for the new season.
Mike Montgomery would officially bid farewell to the Warriors after the championship parade.
The Warriors needed to select a suitable head coach for their young warship.
Originally, Mullin's top choice was his former mentor, Don Nelson.
However, now, Don Nelson was no longer the best candidate.
Zack had read the Warriors' chronicles; he knew the Warriors' current management was in a delicate balance.
Because Mullin had successfully completed the Warriors' restructuring last season and brought back the championship trophy that had been absent for thirty-one years, Mullin, who was currently unrivaled in the Warriors' front office, could still suppress President Robert Rowell, who always prioritized owner Cohan's interests.
But once Don Nelson was brought into the fold, this delicate balance would be instantly shattered.
If Zack remembered correctly, the decline of that "We Believe" Warriors team in his memory stemmed precisely from Don Nelson's desire for greater power within the Warriors.
As a result, Mullin, gradually sidelined, could only choose to leave voluntarily due to his past mentor-mentee relationship with Don Nelson.
But Mullin's departure, however, allowed President Rowell to dominate, completely breaking the previous balance of the Warriors' management.
Like people, in the NBA, every team is also a highly complex entity.
Given that this Warriors team could potentially contend for more championships, Zack didn't want this balance to be broken, nor did he want Rowell, who always had a poor relationship with players, to hold the power.
Furthermore, while this Warriors team's offense certainly needed fine-tuning, compared to offense...
They needed a balanced coach, strong on both offense and defense, to improve their defense.
During this year's playoffs, the Warriors' strategy of clogging the paint had exposed their weaknesses on the perimeter.
NBA teams weren't fools; since the Warriors weren't without flaws, they would definitely target the issues exposed by the Warriors in the new season, either through personnel adjustments, intensified training, or tactical drills.
Therefore, no matter how many strengths Don Nelson had, he wasn't the best choice for this reigning champion.
And considering that even Mike Montgomery could lead the Warriors to a championship...
The Warriors were destined to pick a young coach who wasn't afraid of taking the blame as his successor.
After all...
Aside from Don Nelson, who would only come out of retirement if Mullin personally asked him, the only well-known coach who had publicly expressed interest in the Warriors' head coaching job was Larry Brown.
Larry Brown, who had just been fired by the New York Knicks, said in an interview: "The Warriors have many talented players, especially the Messiah. If you give him to me, I am confident I can help him grow into the most outstanding player in the NBA within three years."
Three years?
Who the hell needs three years? Zack is the most outstanding player in the NBA right now!
"In my opinion, they still have many problems to solve. For example, their defense, and I happen to be an expert in that area. As for their three-point shooting, I think they take too many unnecessary three-point attempts. I believe under my coaching, they can improve this issue."
Not let this Warriors team shoot threes?
Then Zack and Davis would literally be exhausted to death every game!
In short, for Larry Brown, who wanted to "take credit," both Mullin and Zack agreed on one thing:
---
Tell him to take his theories and roll as far away as possible!
---
With no suitable candidate for now, Mullin planned to find a young, energetic head coach who was good at communicating with players (and, most importantly, wouldn't anger Zack) through an open recruitment process.
---
On the 25th.
Zack, who had been indulging himself since returning victorious from Miami, joined the entire Warriors team for their championship parade.
Winning the championship again after thirty-one years, millions of fans, dressed in Warriors jerseys, densely lined the streets. (Note ①)
The Warriors' championship floats started from Broadway at 11th Street. On the day of the parade, some fans even gathered as early as 5 AM.
To ensure the parade went smoothly, the local government even temporarily increased subway services to manage traffic.
As the championship floats turned right onto Grand Avenue, Warriors fans once again chanted in unison, "We Believe!"
Then, turning right onto Harrison Street towards Lakeside Drive, the endlessly surging golden tide filled all Warriors players with unprecedented pride and glory.
"Even if I die now, I'll die without regrets!" Davis, who had been actively interacting with fans, said with tears in his eyes.
"This is one of the reasons I love basketball!" Artest, wearing a championship hat, said when the floats reached Lakeside Drive.
Since Zack, Richardson, Dunleavy, and Murphy, these four core championship players, were all drafted by the Warriors themselves, they were the four most popular stars when the floats finally reached Oak Street—an honor Davis and Artest couldn't earn, no matter how much they emphasized their contributions to the Warriors.
Because these four championship cornerstones represented the DNA of this Warriors team.
In the NBA, it's true that not every team values origin and lineage, but the Warriors have always been a team that emphasizes "DNA" culture.
Yes, even during the Chris Cohan era.
In Zack's memory, the reason Biedrins became a Warriors captain in the future and was beloved by Bay Area fans was precisely because he was personally drafted by the Warriors.
On the championship float, looking at Jarrett Jack, who was drafted by the Warriors in the 2005 draft through a trade for draft picks, Kwame Brown's expression at the time could only be described as envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Indeed, even substitutes like Jack and Biedrins were more popular with fans on championship parade day than Brown, the starting center.
This was the so-called "root."
Without "roots," a person certainly wouldn't die like plants.
But at a championship moment like this, Warriors fans would definitely prefer players who had "roots."
---
Of course, in the NBA, acquiring "roots" with a team isn't just about being drafted.
Because during the draft, except for those top talents already pre-selected, no player can control their own destiny. Therefore, playing for a specific team for a long time is also a way to gain "roots."
In the NBA, "roots" are important, and "roots" are not important.
For example, if you truly build a real dynasty (three-peat) in different cities after each "root" change, then later, "great scholars" will naturally debate on your behalf.
You might even gain "roots" in all these different cities.
But if after each "root" change, your undeniably great dynasty isn't a true dynasty, and some of the championships you win are merely "asterisk championships" as O'Neal would call them, then you're destined to be labeled a mercenary.
And then...
The "roots" would come back to bite you.
In the NBA, players without "roots" almost never escape the fate of an "unfortunate twilight."
On the championship parade, Zack, personally drafted by the Warriors, already felt an unprecedented pressure.
He had begun to attain a divine status in Oakland; now the entire Bay Area worshipped him as a god.
This was immense affection, but also an invisible pressure.
In Miami, he seemed to have personally claimed the heaviest crown for himself, but in reality, that weighty crown had always been on his head.
Mike Montgomery officially bid farewell to the Warriors after the championship parade.
Richardson and Dunleavy, both having secured large contracts, planned to take a good rest this summer.
Artest and Davis also wanted to vacation first before their summer training.
Biedrins would return to Latvia as the first NBA champion in his country's history – what's the point of returning rich if you can't show it off?
Jack would return to Georgia Tech to complete his unfinished studies, aiming to become a Bachelor of Business as soon as possible – a promise he made to his mother before entering the draft.
As for Kwame Brown?
He had to successfully complete the weight loss target Zack set for him this summer, otherwise, in the new season, he would be traded to Minnesota for stepping into the Warriors' practice facility with his left foot (or right foot) first.
The championship parade ended, and as teammates scattered for their vacations, the entire world suddenly seemed to quiet down.
At Tim Grover's suggestion...
Although he desperately wanted to continue improving himself before becoming a workhorse for the NBA and major sponsors, Zack also had to endure a period of boring and monotonous adjustment first.
As a seasoned professional, Grover knew very well that Zack, having just finished the Finals, was in an extremely fatigued state.
"Your height and weight mean your game load far exceeds that of a normal person. I know you want to continue dominating the NBA, but even Michael Jordan himself wouldn't immediately start training after the Finals."
Hearing that, Zack asked, confused, "But in the reports I've read, they all said Michael immediately returned to training after every Finals."
Grover rolled his eyes at Zack, "That's just Michael's talking points to fend off the media."
For this, Grover even told Zack a funny anecdote about Jordan.
It was a story that happened after the Bulls' first championship in 1991.
Jordan, having just finished the Finals, immediately found Richard Elkann, a shareholder of the San Diego Sports Center, and played several high-stakes golf games with him.
"That year, Michael didn't return to the training facility until he had lost a total of $1.25 million."
$1.25 million in 1991?!
No wonder Jordan had another nickname in the NBA: "God of Gamblers."
"I don't recommend any high-intensity training before late July. If you want to stay in shape, you can shoot a few hundred shots a day."
Just a few hundred shots, could that even be called training?
This was definitely the easiest "homework" Grover had assigned Zack since he met him.
However, considering that with Grover's assistance, Jordan had suffered very few major injuries throughout his career, Zack obediently followed Grover's arrangements.
No choice. Even though he didn't want to continue indulging himself, if this was the price of greatness, Zack could only comply with tears in his eyes.
---
On the 28th.
The annual NBA Draft was held in the theater at Madison Square Garden.
Zack, busy indulging himself, didn't really care about this year's draft.
Because Mullin had already decided to sell the Warriors' second-round pick.
But...
Who would have thought that at the very beginning of this year's draft, an earthquake-level trade would instantly shake the entire basketball world?
The Houston Rockets and the Seattle SuperSonics officially completed the trade involving player Yao Ming.
The moment the trade was confirmed, Holden Schultz, directing from the back, waved a document in his hand and declared, "The history of the SuperSonics has been rewritten at this moment!"
In this trade, the SuperSonics would send their newly drafted Italian top pick Andrea Bargnani, along with Vladimir Radmanovic, Luke Ridnour, Robert Swift, Mikki Moore, Vitaly Potapenko, Rick Brunson, plus their 2007 first-round pick and 2008 second-round pick, in exchange for the Houston Rockets' Yao Ming and Chuck Hayes.
This was a trade where the SuperSonics had to bleed heavily to acquire Yao Ming at this current time.
But this was only the first shock the SuperSonics delivered to the basketball world on draft day.
Because using the draft, the Seattle SuperSonics quickly reached a trade agreement with the Minnesota Timberwolves for "The Big Ticket" Kevin Garnett.
Seeing this, some might ask, with Yao Ming already traded to the SuperSonics, did David Stern intend not to block the SuperSonics' upcoming trade for Garnett?
The answer is, Stern couldn't control it.
In Zack's previous life, Stern could block the New Orleans Hornets' trade with the Lakers because the New Orleans Hornets were under league control at the time. Therefore, the league could intervene in that Chris Paul trade for "basketball reasons" while managing the team.
In fact, if the league truly could control trades between teams, then in the 1980s, how could the Cavaliers have been fleeced by the Lakers, allowing the Lakers to be the team that won a championship while also holding the number one pick?
David Stern was just the league commissioner; unless a team was under league control, he had no authority to interfere with trades between NBA teams.
Of course, if Stern had known beforehand that Schultz dared to play such big moves...
Then he would definitely have seriously considered whether to let the SuperSonics win this year's top pick.
But since the outcome was already sealed, Stern could only admire Schultz's audacious moves.
At the draft, a second earthquake-level trade quickly broke.
The SuperSonics would send their All-Star forward Rashard Lewis, along with Reggie Evans, Danny Fortson, Damien Wilkins, Ibrahim Kutluay, Mike Wilks, plus their 2006 second-round pick, 2009 first-round pick, and 2010 second-round pick, in exchange for the Timberwolves' All-Star power forward Kevin Garnett.
All-Star for All-Star – although Lewis's star power couldn't compare to Garnett's, considering Garnett had been forcing a trade for an entire season and only wanted to go to the SuperSonics, this was also a fair and honest trade at this current time.
"Don't you watch the news?" In the East Bay mansion, Evans asked, looking at a calm Zack.
Zack shook his head, "What's there to see?"
Zack knew very well that his appearance would inevitably trigger a series of butterfly effects.
NBA general managers would certainly not remain indifferent to the Warriors' rise.
So, what's the big deal about a new Big Three composed of Yao Ming, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen?
No need to make a fuss about it.
"Your phone."
"Who's calling?"
"Your good buddy Carmelo Anthony."
Seeing this, Zack took the phone from Evans and was almost deafened by Anthony the next second.
"I want a trade! I can't take this! Is this damn Western Conference even allowing anyone to play?! Look at the news! The Lakers also traded with the Grizzlies! No, tomorrow I'm going to demand a trade to the Warriors!"
Over the phone, Anthony's tone was so agitated and distraught.
And Zack?
Of course, he wouldn't take Anthony's joke about demanding a trade seriously.
After all, even if Anthony wanted to come to the Warriors, the Warriors would need assets to trade for him. Remember, Anthony was still on his rookie contract; the Warriors couldn't trade him for Anthony, could they?
Would Mullin even want to stay in Oakland then?
At this moment, Zack asked with interest, "The Lakers also traded with the Grizzlies?"
Then, after getting a confirmed answer over the phone, Zack told Evans to turn on the TV.
"Why are you only curious about the Lakers?"
"Because if they keep being a mediocre team... then me going to L.A. next season as the reigning champion to beat up on them would just be openly stat-padding, wouldn't it?"
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