The additions of Tyronn Lue and Dikembe Mutombo filled two of the Boston Celtics ' most pressing tactical gaps.
After completing these two minimum-salary signings, Boston's roster now has fourteen confirmed names. Only one spot remains to reach the league's maximum roster size of fifteen.
In the president's office at Boston's New Garden, Lin Qi sat alone at his large desk, reviewing a compiled list of free agents and undrafted players.
His gaze lingered on one of the names for a long time.
Udonis Haslem.
Lin Qi had hoped to take advantage of the roster openings and sign this undrafted player to Boston on a non-guaranteed minimum salary contract. Haslem played a year in the France league, drastically losing weight, and was contacted by the Spurs, but was passed over by Popovich due to his lack of height, and is currently without a team.
But Lin Qi soon received a response. Haslem's agent very tactfully declined Boston's offer because Pat Riley personally called and offered Haslem a formal minimum-salary contract.
Lin Qi leaned back in his chair and shook his head helplessly.
He immediately understood the logic. Pat Riley had failed to acquire any players in the July free agency market, holding cash but unable to buy any big-name stars. Now, he could only turn to finding those fearless, tough guys to reshape the team's culture. Haslem's low body fat percentage and his tenacious, physical style of battling in the paint perfectly matched Pat Riley's aesthetic.
More importantly, the objective reality is before us.
Boston's interior defensive resources are already saturated. If Ben Wallace, Tyson Chandler Chandler, and the newly signed Mutombo and Okur Haslem were to come to Boston, their playing time would be virtually zero.
For an undrafted player desperately needing to establish himself in the NBA, a lack of playing time is tantamount to slow suicide. The Heat's interior defense is weak, and Pat Riley can give Haslem plenty of rotation time.
Moreover, Haslem is Miami native. This 2.03-meter-tall center is destined to become a tough, tenacious player, a true legend of the Miami Heat. With the dual allure of his former team and consistent playing time, Boston will indeed have a hard time signing him.
Since Haslem couldn't go, Lin Qi shifted his gaze from the available free agents, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. Two details from this year's draft that had been overlooked by the outside world suddenly flashed through his mind.
He picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number in New Jersey.
The phone was answered after two rings, and the calm voice of Nets general manager Mark Roberts came from the other end. "Boss, what can I do for you?"
Back in April of last year, when the New Jersey Nets changed hands and Chinese owner Wang Jialian took full control, Lin Qi readily promoted Mark Roberts, who had been working under him, to the position of general manager of the Nets. This rising star in the Eastern Conference, led by Yao Ming and Brand, still maintained a tacit "resource-sharing" relationship with Boston behind the scenes.
" Mark, did you sign that shooter named Korver you picked in the second round of this year's draft?" Lin Qi asked directly.
"Not yet." Roberts flipped through the player roster on the table. "He's a pure system shooter; his defense and stamina don't meet our requirements. More importantly, we need a 3-and-D player who can defend. Korver basically only gets benched here, so we haven't offered him a contract."
"Give him to me," Lin Qi demanded without any hesitation.
"No problem," Roberts readily agreed, then added with a smile, "But it's quite a coincidence, other teams did inquire about this kid before. On draft night, the Philadelphia 76ers offered $125,000 in cash to buy out his signing rights."
"Oh? Then why weren't they sold?" Lin Qi asked casually.
"Because of Yao Ming, we're making a fortune from box office revenue, merchandise sales, and broadcasting rights. The team doesn't need this small amount of money at all. At the time, I felt it was unnecessary and directly refused."
"Let's go through the proper channels. Boston will offer $250,000 in cash to buy out Korver's signing rights." Lin Qi leaned back in his chair, a wicked smile playing on his lips.
"Boss, you're really generous," Roberts joked.
"We need a plausible reason," Lin Qi casually made up an excuse. "Just tell the outside world that the Nets management doesn't think Korver is very useful. This $250,000 will be used to buy two of the best new photocopiers in the country for your Continental Airlines Arena office."
Upon hearing this excuse, Roberts on the other end of the phone couldn't help but laugh out loud, "That's a perfect public relations statement. The document will be sent to the Boston legal department in half an hour."
After hanging up the phone with New Jersey, Lin Qi didn't stop; instead, he dialed the Toronto Raptors ' number.
After a brief negotiation, he spent a little over $200,000 in cash to buy the signing rights to Matt Bonner, the center and shooter they selected with the 45th overall pick in the second round, directly from the Raptors.
Frankly, Boston doesn't need Matt Bonner at all right now, and Lin Qi has no intention of using him this year.
Matt Bonner, a white sharpshooter with red hair, was originally slated to become an important piece of the Spurs ' spatial puzzle.
But this summer, Gregg Popovich snatched Robert Horry from the free agent market, so he has to retaliate.
Now that Popovich has snatched his key veteran, even if Lin Qi buys him and puts him in Europe, Popovich will never see Matt Bonner wear a San Antonio jersey again.
Kyle Korver, Matt Bonner.
These two white lads, who were virtually invisible in this draft, will both grow into the league's top three-point shooters. But Lin Qi is also well aware that with their current level of physicality and defensive awareness, they are far from being at the level of regular NBA rotation players.
Moreover, Boston's roster only has one spot left, which is simply not enough to accommodate two second-round picks who need time to develop.
However, acquiring their "signing rights" does not count towards the NBA's official 15-man roster.
Milan Olimpia Milan quickly contacted Korver and Matt Bonner's agents, and naturally offered the two young men, who were unable to find a club in the United States, two one-year official contracts for EuroLeague.
Let these two United States lads hone their skills in the team-oriented Europe arena for a year. When Boston has roster space available, they can seamlessly integrate into the championship puzzle.
After arranging the destinations for the two players, Lin Qi turned his attention back to them.
At the very back of the bench for championship-contending teams, players are basically "water boy" players, rarely possessing immediate impact. These players often serve a special function: they don't care about playing time and can liven up the atmosphere in the locker room.
Without further hesitation, Lin Qi had the legal department draft a fully guaranteed two-year, $1.7 million contract extension and handed it to the most familiar white, chubby forward, Brian Scalabrine.
As the team's most knowledgeable player of Rick Carlisle's tactics, the most enthusiastic towel-throwing player, and an indispensable "lubricant" in the locker room, Scalabrine naturally secured the last spot on the 15-man roster.
With this, the Boston Celtics' 15-man roster for the 2003-04 season was officially finalized.