Perhaps it was the realization of how foolish his previous self-destructive actions were, or maybe he truly understood the immense damage he'd inflicted on the team... Whatever the reason, Ron Artest's recovery date was moved up as he actively underwent treatment after his surgery. In mid-January, Artest's return, nearly half a month earlier than expected, finally gave General Manager Chris Mullin an opportunity to strengthen the reigning champions.
However, Artest's trade value, which was far below Mullin's expectations, immediately poured cold water on his plans. On the outside, no one denied Artest's skill. But his history of falling out with team management, first in Indiana and then in the Bay Area, had significantly lowered his trade value.
In the NBA, a player's trade value isn't just about their on-court performance. Many factors, including age, potential, and commercial appeal, all influence a player's specific value. And among those, a player's temperament also affects the offers from teams looking to acquire them.
Artest's current contract had a year and a half remaining. Given his personality, no team could guarantee they'd be able to keep him once his contract expired. Moreover, Artest would be nearing 30 when his contract ended. So, considering his age and personality, any team wanting to trade for Artest would have to be mentally prepared to likely only have him for a year and a half.
All of these factors combined meant Artest's current trade value didn't match his actual skill. Even though Mullin had planned to package Andris Biedriņš with Artest for a trade, when he saw the insulting offers other teams sent to the Warriors, the GM was furious. "Are they taking me for a fool?" he fumed, perhaps echoing Coach Anzai's frustration with Sakuragi's occasional antics.
The New Orleans Hornets offered Mike James and Rasual Butler for the deal. James, after a high-scoring 20+ point season with the Raptors in 2005-06, was only averaging 6.5 points this season. Butler, on the other hand, was a decent, cost-effective 3-and-D wing. But to offer just a cheap 3-and-D player for Artest and the promising Biedriņš? Mullin felt the Hornets' management was insulting his intelligence.
The Dallas Mavericks wanted to send Jerry Stackhouse and Devin Harris for the trade, even offering two future draft picks as compensation. However, as a potential rival, Mullin, knowing the Mavericks had been trying to bolster their frontcourt for years, didn't want to trade Artest to Dallas.
With no other options, Mullin reluctantly turned his attention to the Pacers' roster, hoping to find some good assets from his good friend, Larry Bird.
Then... Bird yelled at Mullin on the phone for a full two hours. This was because the only player on the current Pacers roster who met Mullin's needs, Danny Granger, was Bird's personally chosen "Prince of Indy." Bird couldn't believe Mullin dared to ask for Granger. And to make matters worse, Mullin's trade bait for Granger was Artest? Mullin had traded for Artest from Indy just two years ago, and now he wanted to use Artest to get Granger again... Bird, feeling like he was dealing with someone as audacious as Miyagi when he challenged other captains, vowed to give Mullin a good beating the next time they met.
Mullin, hitting dead ends in the trade market, suffered from insomnia for several nights. After all, with the Warriors about to enter another brutal stretch of games, a worried Mullin knew perfectly well that the team was relying solely on Zack to stay afloat. Whether it was reducing his minutes or intentionally slowing down the game, all the strategic adjustments the Warriors made to protect Zack hadn't actually eased his burden.
As of mid-January, Zack's average field goal attempts were still as high as 24, and his average drives to the rim reached an astonishing 9. To compress the opponent's defense as much as possible and create shooting opportunities for his perimeter teammates, the Golden State God of War had been operating at full power since day one of the regular season. Every night, he averaged a terrifying 36.1 points, along with 14.1 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and nearly 4 blocks. While his on-court performance made his supporters worship him like Sakuragi revering Coach Anzai, if the Warriors couldn't trade for a reliable helper before the trade deadline, Mullin could say with certainty that Zack's stamina would be completely drained by the upcoming games.
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### A Legendary Assist and a New First Mate
Fortunately, just as Mullin was on the verge of collapsing, Rod Higgins, the Charlotte Bobcats' General Manager and a close friend of Michael Jordan, called him. Higgins, a former Bulls player famously used by Jerry Krause to test Jordan's loyalty, immediately expressed the Bobcats' strong interest in Biedriņš.
Biedriņš was a rare "roaming" big man in the league. Higgins firmly believed that if the Bobcats gave Biedriņš ample playing time, he could develop into a true double-double machine. In fact, Higgins' assessment of Biedriņš was spot-on. Historically, Biedriņš did average 11 points and 11 rebounds in his peak season. Plus, Emeka Okafor's back injury had become a major concern for the Bobcats, who were trying to make a big splash this season. So, the Bobcats needed a young, energetic, roaming big man more than ever to boost their overall roster's competitiveness.
And in the rumor mill, almost everyone knew that Jordan desperately wanted the Bobcats to turn their season around and shut up the critics and reporters who questioned his team-building philosophy, especially Charles Barkley. Just as Zack remembered, though the reasons for Barkley's criticisms might have changed, when Jordan traded Jeff Green and other fillers for Zach Randolph in last year's draft, Barkley famously commented, "This trade stinks to high heaven. Michael Jordan simply doesn't know how to run an NBA team." To spite Barkley, Jordan wanted the Bobcats to have a bounce-back season. To fulfill Jordan's wish, Higgins naturally had to prioritize strengthening the Bobcats' relatively weak interior.
On the phone, Mullin, learning of Higgins' intentions, immediately realized this was a good trade worth discussing. Besides being a close friend of Jordan and a former Bulls player, Mr. Rod Higgins had another very important label: for most of his 13-year career, he spent it in Oakland. Yes, he was a former Warriors legend who played for many years and ended his career with the team!
So, Mullin didn't rush to discuss his main concern with his old teammate, Higgins. Instead, he spent several hours reminiscing with the Warriors legend. Seeing this, Higgins said with a wry smile, "Chris, I know you want to package Ron and Andris together, but you have to tell me which player you want from our roster."
Knowing the time was right, Mullin immediately said, "Gerald Wallace."
Gerald Wallace: an excellent two-way wing, only 25 years old. Standing 201 cm tall with a 213 cm wingspan, he possessed a near-perfect forward build, and his athleticism was astonishing, with a running vertical jump easily exceeding one meter. Furthermore, during his years with the Bobcats, Wallace, under Jordan's constant guidance, developed excellent wing isolation skills. This season, Wallace was averaging nearly seven drives to the rim per game. His continuously evolving ball-handling coordination made him an excellent attacker who could earn many free throws by driving to the basket. The only drawback was that, similar to Zack's senior, Josh Howard, "Crash" Wallace's stamina wasn't enough to sustain full engagement on both ends of the court. But for the Warriors, who didn't need Wallace to be the primary scorer, Wallace was an absolutely perfect candidate for a second option, like Mitsui becoming a key scorer after his return in Slam Dunk.
So, the question now was, how did Mr. Rod Higgins, a Warriors legend, feel about this trade?
On the phone, after several minutes of silence, Higgins said, "I'm willing to facilitate this trade, but I need to discuss it with Michael."
Higgins' willingness to facilitate the trade was related to the rapid growth of "Baby King" Brandon Roy. Although Roy, under Jordan's tutelage, reduced his knee-stressing, no-hesitation changes of direction, his excellent fundamental skills before entering the NBA, coupled with his quick transformation, made him an even more troublesome perimeter scorer. In games, Roy, who frequently used teammate screens to drive and relied on his skilled post-up game to score for the team, undoubtedly proved with his talent (which made some players question their own abilities) that turnarounds and post-ups aren't as hard to master as people think.
Indeed, compared to another "Jordan successor," Roy was physically less gifted, but the Roy who grew up under Jordan's demanding coaching in this life had more of a "Yellow Mamba" flair. And with Roy's growth and Randolph's arrival, Wallace's position on the Bobcats was no longer indispensable. Furthermore, as a new NBA team, the Bobcats, who still needed time to build connections and networks in the league, weren't as petty as other teams. Coupled with Higgins being a Warriors legend, Artest's trade value consequently returned to a slightly more normal range.
Artest, as a two-time champion and former DPOY, possessed the playoff experience that the Bobcats sorely lacked. His "enforcer" image could also protect this young Bobcats team. Thus, with Jordan's approval, this mutually beneficial trade was officially completed. The Warriors traded Artest and Biedriņš to Charlotte for Wallace. The Bobcats' roster depth was further strengthened. And the Warriors finally acquired a player who could alleviate Zack's offensive burden. ESPN gave both teams a high A- grade for the trade.
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### A New Chapter Begins
Before his departure, the soon-to-be-former Warrior, Artest, sought out Zack. "If I sincerely apologize to you, will you forgive me?"
Looking at Artest, Zack said, "As a teammate, no. But as a friend, I've already forgiven you."
Seeing this, Artest forced a smile and said, "I hope you can lead these Warriors to a three-peat. I deeply regret that I can't be with you until the end." After a pause, Artest sighed, "You know, if only I had listened to you earlier and gotten that damned surgery, how much better would things have been?"
The former Bay Area first mate thus began his journey to Charlotte, filled with regret and remorse, but also Zack's forgiveness. And Biedriņš, who traveled with him, left with anticipation for his new team and the hope of getting more opportunities to showcase himself on the court.
Friends come and go, but only championship banners wave in the wind.
Three days later, when the new Bay Area first mate, Gerald Wallace, who would wear number 45 for the Warriors, arrived in Oakland, Wallace delivered an incredibly satisfying performance in his Warriors debut against the Suns that night.
On both ends of the court, the omnipresent Wallace completely freed Zack, who had been carrying the team on his back since the start of the regular season. In the first offensive possession of the game, "Afro Gerald" cut through the middle for his first connection with Zack in a Warriors uniform. This breathtaking windmill dunk even earned Wallace a 9 from dunk contest champion Jason Richardson in his mind. Richardson held back one point to keep Wallace from getting too arrogant.
Immediately after, with Kwame Brown, Zack, and Wallace combining to lock down the paint, the usually formidable Amar'e Stoudemire didn't hesitate to show his respect for the Warriors' interior defense by playing a game where "if I enter the paint once, I lose." Ultimately, Wallace finished the night with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, shooting 7-for-12 from the field, 0-for-1 from three, and 6-for-8 from the free-throw line.
After the game, Wallace, who joined the reigning champions with high ambitions, said in an interview, "I think I'm a perfect fit with the Messiah. I will do everything I can to assist this young king of the Bay Area."
Although Wallace, currently in his honeymoon period with the Warriors after the trade, still needed more games to prove he deserved the title of the Bay Area's new first mate, his generous and humble personality allowed him to integrate into the team in just a few days. In Zack's memory, Wallace was always the pride of his hometown, Childersburg, Alabama. Because after his future retirement, this Black player, who only wanted to watch his children play and spend time with his family, was not only a good father but also a good neighbor who loved life. His toughness and intensity on the court were just his way of playing. Off the court, Wallace was actually more like a shy big kid, perhaps reminiscent of the quieter side of some Slam Dunk characters off the court.
Of course, once he got more comfortable, Wallace also revealed his unique interests in the locker room.
On January 28th, the Warriors hosted the Nuggets. Before the game, Wallace carefully walked into the locker room, then meticulously asked each teammate if they had spotted any suspicious individuals. To this, Richardson asked, puzzled, "What is Gerald doing?"
What was Wallace doing? After getting permission from his teammates and thoroughly checking each teammate's bag, Wallace suddenly announced, "Through my hard work, I have eliminated the possibility of us being attacked by terrorists."
"..."
As an aspiring young man aiming to become an FBI agent, it was clear that Wallace was staging a thoroughly childish "secret agent" game. While many teammates found Wallace's childish behavior difficult to understand, Zack later laughed, "With Gerald around, you guys better be careful about what you leave in the locker room from now on." Hearing that, Brown, with lightning speed, quickly hid his prized collection of adult magazines.
"Agent 45" Wallace continued his excellent performance in his second game as a Warrior. Under Wallace's full-throttle defense, Carmelo Anthony, who was averaging 28.1 points for the Nuggets this season, shot a dismal 7-for-21 from the field, indirectly proving how successful Wallace's defense was against him. And the Warriors, having acquired Wallace through trade, seemed to have regained their dominance on the court overnight. The Warriors, winning game after game, officially returned to the top half of the Western Conference in early February.
Although the Warriors still had several tough matchups in February, including games against the Lakers, Celtics, and Sonics, before the All-Star break in New Orleans, Wallace's arrival had already given Warriors fans hope that the team would once again sweep aside all their former defeated opponents.
On February 7th, the Warriors, playing at home in Oracle Arena, officially began their brutal schedule before the All-Star break with a resounding victory. That night, the visiting Dallas Mavericks were suppressed by the Warriors from start to finish. "German Soft Candy" Dirk Nowitzki, labeled a "softie" by Zack himself, couldn't turn the tide for the Mavericks even with 36 points and 9 rebounds. After the game, the Mavericks' management officially announced that "Little General" Avery Johnson would no longer be the team's head coach. For the Dallas faithful, the Zack-led Warriors had become an insurmountable wall of despair in recent years. The Mavericks needed a new roster and a new coach to break the Warriors' unilateral dominance over them since the 2005-06 season.
And in Oakland, after a wonderfully pleasant night, just when Warriors fans thought the team would continue its winning streak until the All-Star break, the good times brought by Gerald Wallace's arrival... quietly came to an end.
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