Champion Creed
Chapter 628 - 628 222 I'm not afraid of failure not at all asking for monthly votes!_2

628: 222: I’m not afraid of failure, not at all (asking for monthly votes!)_2 628: 222: I’m not afraid of failure, not at all (asking for monthly votes!)_2 If the positions you play just happen to fill the gaps of a championship team, that’s fine, but on the Hawks, the positions Pierce could play, Roger, Steve Smith, and Pippen could all play…

This is damn like a disaster at the start!

How was he supposed to compete with those three for time?

Start as a substitute?

It’s not that it couldn’t work, but the problem is, how long would he have to be a substitute?

Being a substitute during the growth period for three or four years would completely ruin him.

Pierce felt helpless as his ranking plummeted, joining Roger’s team, and entering a championship team, these three blows made his smile on stage extremely reluctant.

Pete Babcock also smiled very reluctantly.

He knew about the issues between Pierce and Roger, and he knew Paul Pierce’s domineering personality was dangerous.

That bastard had not only been NCAA’s best small forward but also held the nickname of NCAA’s best trash talker.

His trash talking was infamous in the NCAA basketball scene.

Raef LaFrentz, who was on the same team as Pierce, once said, “Is Paul the NCAA’s Gary?

Ha, his mouth might even be filthier than Gary Payton’s.”

Can you imagine a rookie like him trash-talking Roger?

Or say, can you imagine what Paul Pierce would look like obediently listening after being trash-talked by Roger?

Steve Smith could get along with Roger on the court because Steve Smith wasn’t confrontational.

Actually, his relationship with Roger was very cold; he never attended Roger’s parties, and he even skipped the championship party Roger held at home a few days ago.

But one thing, he would not provoke Roger deliberately.

And his good temperament could also allow him to endure Roger’s wrath most of the time.

As much as he disliked Roger, he wouldn’t cause locker room issues.

But don’t expect something like this to happen with Paul Pierce.

No one knew how “pleasing” his coexistence with Roger would be.

Pete Babcock didn’t know if it was the right choice; from a talent perspective, Pierce had the potential to thrive, but he could also be drowned by mediocre physical abilities.

And from the locker room perspective, Pierce was downright a bad pic.

However, Babcock was willing to believe in Roger’s leadership.

He had seen this guy break the Hawks’ 30-year championship curse, so Babcock wouldn’t be surprised by anything Roger achieved.

Since he was personally chosen, he must have a way to handle it.

Next, the deteriorating Magic Team chose Larry Hughes, Florida’s chosen son finally had a good partner.

The second round of the draft began, and due to some trades a long time ago, the Hawks’ second-round position was not high, only 45th in sequence.

Roger gave the name Rashard Lewis, a high school forward from Texas, who was the MVP of this year’s Roger training camp.

But he was taken away early by Seattle, and then the SuperSonics refused Pete Babcock’s offer of cash + draft rights.

So switch the target to Cuttino Mobley from the University of Rhode Island?

He was good, but wouldn’t there be too many attackers on the team?

So in the end, the Hawks secured Andrae Patterson.

The duo that swept the American high school basketball scene in 1993 reunited in the NBA five years later.

The Hawks needed some toughness inside, and Patterson was a good choice.

And he could also serve as an enforcer.

Around Roger, such a role could never be too many.

After the draft ended, Paul Pierce grabbed more attention than even the first pick Olowokandi.

At the time of the lottery rookies group photo, many journalists clicked their cameras at Pierce.

Considering the Hawks’ popularity, Pierce was not just the focus tonight; he would be the most watched rookie of the class of 1998 for the whole season.

Such popularity was what most rookies could only dream of, but Pierce was very distressed.

Because even before the season started, he felt he was living in a kingdom dominated by Roger.

Sure enough, during the interview after the group photo, facing a bunch of questions about Roger, Pierce’s smile was incredibly stiff.

“You all have too many questions, I just want to be a champion, that’s it.”

The draft show ended, and Roger could give Babcock a perfect score for his performance.

Because he loyally executed Roger’s plan.

According to Ted Turner, Roger actually only had “advisory power.”

The final decisions were still made by Babcock, the general manager.

But Babcock understood, that was just a more pleasant way to put it.

Given Roger’s status in Georgia now, if Babcock defied Roger, he would be eating peanuts on the street.

What status does Roger currently have in Georgia?

Media even joked that he could be the first foreign-born governor in American history.

The draft was completely conducted under Roger’s will, and while he didn’t manage to secure Dirk, it was not without gains.

This feeling of controlling everything was really great.

However, there were still things in the world that Roger couldn’t control.

For instance, shortly after the draft on July 1, due to a breakdown in labor negotiations, the NBA officially entered a lockout period.

During this time, teams were prohibited from signing and trading players, as well as holding practice and meetings.

This lockout was beyond Roger’s control.

Then, there was a second uncontrollable thing.

Steve Smith requested a trade.

—————–

Roger stood solemnly by the Tallapoosa River in a black suit.

This is a river that begins in Georgia, flows 431 kilometers into the Alabama River, and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico.