One Year Left to Play

Chapter 500 - 151: Setting a New Small Goal?

This is a very special aspect of him; he knows he cannot be complacent or lose focus because of what he has achieved in the past.

"Remaining lifespan: 892 days..."

Looking at the lifespan he gained after winning last night’s game, which was 10 days, and then after reviewing the game and the reduction of natural lifespan consumption, he lost 3 days; the remaining lifespan, he understands, he always has things to do and needs to stay focused.

By focusing on the latter part of the season, what he wants to do becomes simpler.

With a record of 38 wins and 9 losses, how can one not have some ideas?

Competing with the Bulls for the regular season championship is definitely not the goal, as the Bulls might lose at most a handful of games in the latter part of the season.

However, with 35 games left, is there any chance to push for 60 wins or even better? Is it possible to vie for first place in the West?

There are two direct competitors — the Spurs and the SuperSonics.

The Utah Jazz probably won’t challenge for 60 wins; during the regular season, they tend to lose more than they win against strong teams, mainly being stable in beating weaker teams, which Zhang Hao experienced during his time with the Brooklyn Nets.

But the Spurs and the SuperSonics perform quite well against strong teams... David Robinson has always performed well in the regular season against tough opponents.

As for the SuperSonics, Zhang Hao remembers them as the team that made it to the finals in this season in the original timeline.

"Let me see, we have to face both the Spurs and the SuperSonics twice more, and we also have two games against the Rockets, two against the Magic... and then there’s the Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns, these tough bones... we need to win against the not-so-strong opponents, otherwise getting 60 wins will be very difficult..."

...

During the All-Star weekend, most players are on vacation, but the management teams of each franchise have reached the busiest phase of the season.

After the All-Star weekend events conclude, and with the last two to three days of rest, teams begin making decisions, and suddenly many transactions are completed or declared failures.

As for the Lakers, since the rumors of being interested in Moning from the Heat surfaced, there hasn’t been much movement.

Judging from that trade rumor involving Moning, Zhang Hao understands that the team is likely aiming to maintain stability, rebuild the winning culture, and focus on the off-season.

Zhang Hao likes this kind of state; he very much needs a stable environment.

At the very least, it requires operations like Doug Christie and Donyell Marshall joining, or Magician coming back, which are beneficial changes for him.

Drastic changes, if done after an off-season would be acceptable to him, as after a summer, many things might change—young teammates may improve, old teammates might decline, contracts could expire, new players might join... these are necessary acceptances.

Upon returning to Los Angeles, Zhang Hao saw a lot of news.

Alan Houston once again rejected the Pistons’ 5-year, $25 million renewal offer, which didn’t surprise Zhang Hao. Henry Thomas mentioned that without a 5-year, over $30 million contract, Alan Houston wouldn’t renew, and Alan Houston has the capability to vie for a contract exceeding $30 million US Dollars over 5 years.

The Toronto Raptors and 76ers reached a trade, swapping Tony Massenburg for center Zane Tabak.

The Vancouver Grizzlies and the Milwaukee Bucks completed a trade, acquiring veteran Benoit Benjamin.

The Heat pasted a second-round pick while sending Tony Smith’s $1.69-million contract to the Phoenix Suns...

One trade after another surfaced after the All-Star weekend events ended, constantly being exposed.

In Zhang Hao’s opinion, all these trades are small moves; their appeal is not as interesting as the wrangling between Alan Houston and the Pistons over $5 million US Dollars.

Finally, in the evening, a big trade and a piece of news prompted Pelinka to call Zhang Hao!

...

On the evening of February 12, 1996, at 7:30 PM, the Heat and the Warriors reached a trade; the Heat sent Kevin Willis, Bimbo Coles, and two lottery-protected first-round picks for 1996 and 1998, and acquired Tim Hardaway and Chris Gatling from the Warriors.

Pure robbery-style trade!

Although Tim Hardaway’s stats this season are average, last season, he averaged 20.1 points and 9.3 assists, sinking 2.7 three-pointers per game, being a strong contender for the league’s best point guard. His decline this season was only due to Adelman not liking him, and many have criticized Adelman’s coaching strategy because of him.

The chips the Heat gave up, doubled—turning into 4 first-round picks plus 4 main rotation players—might just be enough to trade for Tim Hardaway.

This is pure robbery.

When Zhang Hao heard Pelinka discussing this deal, he also felt it was a robbery.

However, he remembers that Tim Hardaway did indeed go to the Heat, and later overshadowed Gary Payton to earn first-team honors... and experienced the humiliation of being upset in the playoffs.

This trade garnered widespread attention from the media and fans, with even television channels discussing it on the night.

There’s no doubt it’s a huge upgrade for the Heat; the point guard line was like swapping a shotgun for a cannon, directly upgrading to the league’s top level.

Tim Hardaway and Moning as a pair give the Heat genuine potential to build a championship-contending lineup.

But what Zhang Hao focused more on was the overlooked piece of news, and another transaction that happened after this trade.

The 76ers exchanged former All-Star guard Jeff Malone and Scott Skiles—who holds the single-game assist record with two players nearing retirement—from the Hornets to acquire Kenny Anderson from the Hornets, who wasn’t being utilized properly there.