Chapter 96: This is Too Bullying

Glen Grunwald had his eye on Brian Grant, a backup big man standing 6'9" and weighing 253 pounds.

Last season, Grant averaged 31.8 minutes, 12.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. He had a reliable mid-range shot, strong defensive presence, and a fierce style reminiscent of Charles Oakley.

Larry Miller flatly refused. "No way, Brian is very important. Sabonis can't play for long stretches now, and we're a championship-contending team. We don't have time to develop new players. If you want a trade, we can only offer Jermaine O'Neal."

"You want to trade our core big man, the league's shot-blocking leader, for a fringe player?" Glen laughed in disbelief, almost wanting to hang up the phone.

Since entering the league, O'Neal had been a fringe player, averaging 13.5 minutes, 4.5 points, and 3.4 rebounds last season, with the only highlight being his 1 block per game, which also came during garbage time.

Miller showed interest in Camby and started pitching. "Glen, I'm not trying to fool you. Think about it, the reason the Raptors struggled last season was directly related to their big men not being able to shoot. Jermaine has a good mid-range shot and decent physical attributes. It's just that we have too many star big men, so he was forced to be a backup. If he goes to a bad team, he will definitely be a focal point for development."

A bad team, is that us... Glen's veins were bulging.

Jermaine O'Neal was the 17th overall pick in the 1996 draft. If the Raptors traded the shot-blocking leader Camby for the stat-less O'Neal, the Toronto media would definitely roast him as brain-dead.

Seeing Glen's silence, Miller smiled and said, "You can think about it. Besides us, I don't think any other team would be willing to trade a shooting big man with you. There's still time before the draft; contact me when you've made up your mind."

"Hmph!" Glen snorted and hung up the phone. He felt drained, rubbing his face with both hands, not knowing what to do.

Camby and his agent were being too unreasonable, not even considering communicating with Yang Rui, leaving no room for negotiation, clearly giving the management and the new coach a hard time.

Now, calling a management meeting would only result in trading Camby for role players, just like they did with "Mighty Mouse." If Yang Rui was unhappy with that, Glen would be in a tough spot as the manager.

After much thought, Glen dialed Yang Rui's number to hear his opinion.

Yang Rui didn't have enough clout to demand the management bring in a star player. If they traded for an average player, he could accept it, as it would at least be an explanation to the owner and the fans.

Of course, doing so also felt like bullying the young coach, and Glen felt guilty. Jerry was about the same age as his son, yet he had to take the brunt of the blame...

"Hi, Glen," Yang Rui answered the phone.

"Jerry, I want to talk to you about a trade. This year, due to labor negotiations, trades have become very difficult. It's hard for us to get a shooting power forward, and we don't have attractive assets, so we can only trade Marcus Camby. Without Camby, do you think we can do well next season?"

Glen held the phone, blushing.

How could they do well? They didn't even have a competent center.

Yang Rui had long known that Camby might be traded. He wasn't very interested in this offensively weak "glass man" blue-collar player, but he still asked in a frustrated tone, "Wasn't Marcus the team's core big man last season? If he leaves, how will we defend? So... who can we get in return?"

Glen asked, "What about Charles Oakley from the Knicks? Do you think he would work?"

"Are you kidding? He's making ten million next season and is already 35 years old," Yang Rui exclaimed.

He wasn't faking it; he was genuinely surprised. Oakley had already become a backup last season, and the Raptors still wanted him?

Glen felt very embarrassed. He wanted to first throw out an utterly foolish option as a baseline, then mention two slightly less foolish options.

"The other one is Tony Battie from the Nuggets. He can shoot mid-range."

"That's not good either. Any other options?" Yang Rui knew Battie, the fifth overall pick in 1997, who never really panned out and was just an ordinary role player, similar in style to Mikki Moore.

"The last one is Jermaine O'Neal from the Blazers."

"What?" Yang Rui was stunned, almost dropping his jaw. He asked loudly, "Who did you say?"

"Jermaine O'Neal," Glen repeated, sweating. "Jerry, don't be mad. Although his stats are terrible with the Blazers and he's just a backup... he has decent physical attributes and can shoot. It's just that the Blazers' roster is too strong, so he hasn't had a chance to shine."

Glen couldn't even convince himself; what backup? He was just a fringe player.

Yang Rui, however, wasn't angry but rather pleasantly surprised to the point of disbelief.

Compared to Jermaine O'Neal, what was Camby worth?!

Jermaine O'Neal debuted for the Blazers at just eighteen years and one month old, making him the youngest player in NBA history. He stood 6'11" and weighed 227 pounds, too skinny to get playing time.

After two years of training, O'Neal's weight had increased to 243 pounds, still slightly thin but able to handle physical play.

In Yang Rui's previous life, O'Neal was a six-time NBA All-Star, made the All-NBA Third Team twice, and the All-NBA Second Team once. If it weren't for Pacers coach Rick Carlisle making him bulk up to 265 pounds to play center, leading to severe injuries, he would have had even more accolades.

O'Neal had a flawless mid-range shot, could shoot from any position, was fast enough to run the fast break, and had post moves.

Defensively, he had excellent awareness, great shot-blocking ability, could defend pick-and-rolls, and was strong in one-on-one situations, making him a significant defensive asset.

A healthy O'Neal wasn't as good as Garnett or Duncan, but he could definitely compete with Nowitzki, Webber, Brand, and Gasol, making him an absolute star.

Yang Rui took a few deep breaths to calm himself and said seriously, "Glen, is the situation in the team not good right now? Does Camby have to go, so you're forced to trade him without suitable options? We're a family now; if there's a problem, don't hide it from me. Although I'm young, we can all work together to get through tough times."

Glen was touched. What a good kid, understanding my difficulties from just a few words and considering my feelings. I was even thinking of pushing the responsibility onto him...

"Jerry, I'm sorry. It's tough for us to attract big-name stars, and we can't keep Camby. His heart was never here, so he definitely won't stay."

Yang Rui smiled, "Then let's trade for Jermaine O'Neal. You called me, so there must be no better options. Although his stats are bad, he's only 20 years old. If we develop him well, he might become a star. However, making the playoffs next season will be much harder, and we'll need to find a center."

Glen sighed, "We can probably only find veterans in the free-agent market for a center."

"If you trust me, I can find a couple of guys in the second round or among undrafted rookies," Yang Rui sighed.

Also sighing, Yang Rui was actually overjoyed inside. With Jermaine O'Neal, McGrady, Carter, and Billups... he was going to lead the Raptors to a championship in the future.