The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

[BraedenG33]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Wow, super high praise there. I am flattered, really, thank you.

As to the story ... well, their was never a definitive plan. All the stories I write always have a general idea about them, things and themes I want to explore, but nothing is ever set in stone. Most of this is improvised stuff, letting the seasons dictate some of the direction, letting real-life story lines (like the Lakers fans massive dislike of Jim Buss) influence things, and ideas from you guys have also factored in here.

I may write the story, but I'm making most of this up as I go along really. The characters, as much as any other thing I've cited so far, also play a large role in dictating the story. Strange and crazy as it sounds, they are real people to me in my head. Sure, they're created characters or fictional takes on real people, but the personalities, wants, conflicts within them, ect; dictate what is written more than anything.

This season (now entering the 4th season of Ronnie's story in my chronology) will be wrapping up story lines from seasons 1 and 2, as well as expanding on a few story lines from season 3 while introducing some new, fun dynamics in season 4. Ronnie's now a definite part of the NBA management stars, no longer seen as just a fluke, and will be getting a really deep look into the inner workings (and traps) of the front office brotherhood.

Hopefully that answers any questions you have. Again, thank you for the really high praise, I honestly think I can do better (and shall strive to do so), so thanks for the compliments and comments. If you want to know anything else, or add any more comments, please do.

Ok, so Im not crazy... Good. LOL. I feel the same way about some of my characters too. I'm also glad to hear I'm not the only one 'winging it' with some of the storyline. Outstanding series overall and is just as gripping as Andy McCutcheon. When I started following this I thought, "there's no way he could top what had in Fate and Fortune," but wow, I think I might be wrong. Great work

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Ok, so Im not crazy... Good. LOL. I feel the same way about some of my characters too. I'm also glad to hear I'm not the only one 'winging it' with some of the storyline. Outstanding series overall and is just as gripping as Andy McCutcheon. When I started following this I thought, "there's no way he could top what had in Fate and Fortune," but wow, I think I might be wrong. Great work

Thanks man. I really, really liked the Andy McCutcheon story and it's demise is a cruel twist of fate. That said ... expect to see some familiar faces from Andy's story in this upcoming season. It's gonna be a blast.

Now, here's some league news.
*********************************************

League News

Retirements:
Jason Richardson (76ers)
Metta World Peace (76ers)
Kevin Garnet (Celtics)
Jason Terry (Celtics)
Hedo Turkoglu (Heat)
Chauncey Billups (Lakers)
Al Harrington (Magic)

Retiring Coaches:
George Karl (Nuggets)
Gregg Popovich (Spurs)

Hirings/Firings Head Coaches
76ers sign Doug Collins to 2yr extension
Bucks fire Jim Boylan and hire Clarence Hall
Cavs sign Byron Scott to 2yr extension
Clippers hire Ronald Torres
Grizzlies fire Lionel Hollins, hire Vinny Del Negro
Knicks hire Mo Tinsley
Magic sign Jacque Vaughn to a 1yr extension
Nets fire PJ Carlesimo and hire Louie Stallworth
Nuggets hire Jess Miller
Pistons hire Mike Woodson
Raptors hire Lionel Collins
Rockets sign Kevin McHale to a 1yr extension
Spurs hire P.J. Carlesimo
Warriors sign Mark Jackson to a 2yr extension

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story




6-25-15

He tapped on his phone idly as he waited for the draft to begin. This was a big night. Ronnie no longer had a top pick in the draft, not like last year, but he did have the Net’s pick for this year. Denver had theirs for this year. The Lakers were picking sixteenth overall and, what they needed more than anything, was a young big man.

West was another year older and a free agent. Ronnie would bring him back for two reasons; one, West was willing to come back for cheap and two, Kobe would pitch a fit if West left. Both of them were old war hounds and, despite Kobe being in the league longer, the two respected one another. Worked against one another in practice.

Ronnie couldn’t let West go and he wouldn’t. They needed his floor spacing but, more than anything, they needed youth in the front line. Trey Thompkins was a nice get for him in free agency last year but he was as advanced as he was going to get. He had played well for them in the regular season and in the playoffs, but he was a role player. They didn’t need any more of those.

He had already made the call to trade Thompkins. Philly wanted him and had offered a second round pick in next year’s draft. It was a massive undersell but there was a logjam in the front court, so Thompkins was out. Philly was a contender, he’d gotten his ring, and he still had two years left on his contract: overall, Trey got a pretty good deal out of it.

The frontcourt right now was old. Bogut, West, Haslem, and Wallace were his guys there. Varejo wasn’t coming back to the Lakers, his agent had made that clear. The big man was heading somewhere that could give him a bump in salary, even if it was a small one. Ronnie didn’t much like that as Varejo was a great hustle player, but such was life.

He looked around the empty room and felt at peace. It was quiet. In another few hours this place would be the eye of the storm. He would be here with his top scouts, his lieutenants in this little army of his. This minor empire he ran.

He smirked at that. Minor empire … a bit of an oxymoron if there ever was one.

The Lakers were many things, but “minor” wasn’t one of them.

The door to the conference room opened and the first of his head scouts arrived. Chomping a large carrot, the sunglasses-wearing-cool-as-a-cucumber Jarrod “J-Dog” Mitchell waltzed in. J-Dog was an old scouting buddy of Ronnie’s, way back when the two first broke into the league together. J-Dog was on his third life by that point; prior to being a scout, he was a rather unsuccessful agent and before that, a financial analyst.

He had gotten a late start on his NBA scouting career. Of course, J-Dog was perpetually in his 20s anyway, so what did it matter. “Ron-ron, you ready?” J-Dog pulled his shades down, revealing his dark eyes. “Tonight’s the night, I got a feeling, I got a feeling man.” He sat down in the chair and propped his leather shoes on the table. Dressed in a dark tan suit, J-Dog’s dark skin kinda blended in.

Ronnie motioned for him to move his feet off the table and J-Dog, reluctantly, did. “You’re begging for me to fire you.”

“I am the best scout you got,” he said with a wide grin. He took a bite of his carrot and winked. “Who else is gonna cover that hurricane target that is Florida?”

Ronnie mentally agreed with that. He never liked working the Southeastern region. Too humid, hot, and prone to nasty weather. “A few of your targets could land near us.”

“I’m telling you, we should take Chris Walker. Dude’s gonna be a force in this league.”

“And I’m telling you he may not be there. He could go in the top five. He could go in the top ten.” Ronnie leaned forward. “We’re drafting sixteenth.”

J-Dog pulled his shades back up and waved his carrot dismissively at him. “Well, if we miss on him, we can pick up another big. This draft has some pretty decent ones.”

“They do, but—”

Just then the conference room door burst open and the thundering, large, footsteps of Vince Haber stepped in. Haber, a former power forward in high school and offensive linemen, was massive. Standing 6’5”, weighing somewhere around 300 pounds, Haber was a big man. He went to college on scholarship as a linemen but never made it to the NFL. Instead, he went to Canada to play in the CFL for two years before coming back stateside to finish his degree. He had a fondness for basketball after being in the CFL soured him on football.

That’s where Ronnie first met him. Haber was loud, often angry, and in charge of the Midwest region of scouting. His bald head shined in the lights of the office and his ire, as usual, was directed at J-Dog. The two had very different styles.

“Who let the pooch in?” He took a nearby newspaper, rolled it up, and began to whistle. “You want to play fetch boy? Fetch?”

J-Dog just shook his head. “Man, you lucky I’m older than you.”

“You dress like a reject from a Justin Bieber video.” He tossed the rolled up paper at J-Dog, who batted it out of the air, and turned to Ronnie. “Boss, we got some trades that just broke.”

Ronnie tapped on his phone again and found that there were some trades. “Cavs give up their picks this year for Bradley and Lee,” he read off his screen with surprise. “I figured they’d bring Shannon Brown back.”

“They stunk it up defensively against us in the Finals,” J-Dog said without a shred of modesty. “Of course, we were that good.”

Vince ignored him with some effort. “Jazz traded down for Terrence Ross and the Raptors fifteenth overall pick, too.”

Ronnie sighed, rubbing his chin. That certainly made things interesting. Now the Celtics had the fourth and fifteenth picks in the draft. “You think they’re making a play for number one?”

J-Dog laughed. “If they do that they’ll be taking Mudiay for sure. He’s a young stud at point, Rondo will be shipped out like a bad Christmas gift, and the Celtics won’t be competitive for another year. They have no veterans on that team with any type of playoff experience except Green and Rondo.”

“Maybe. But they signed him to an extension … we’ll keep an eye on them.”

“Boss, still think we should try to trade up and get Okafor.” Vince’s loud voice dropped an octave. “He’s gonna be a difference maker in the post.”

“We need youth, athletic running youth,” J-Dog interjected. “The days of the slow and plodding big men are over.”

Vince shot him a glare.

Ronnie held up his hands. “Gentlemen, this is the second year of us doing this. Let’s not kill each other just yet, huh?”

The both of them mumbled their agreement as Ronnie leaned back in his chair. He could try and trade up but they didn’t have a lot of young assets. Just cap space, a few pieces of youth, and lots of veterans.

Unless an offer really wowed him, he was staying in that sixteenth spot and he’d take what was available. That was the smart play. The splash play could be made in free agency.

But this was the draft. The ultimate test of a GM’s abilities. This is where an organization excelled or faltered.

He really hoped they’d excel this year.

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

The 2015 NBA Draft

1. Magic
PG Emmanuel Mudiay

2. Bucks
PG Marcus Paige

3. Grizzlies

PF Jahlill Okafor

4. Celtics
SF Justise Winslow

5. Knicks
PF Rasmus Larsen

6. Raptors
C Dakari Johnson

7. Bobcats
PF Trey Lyles

8. Hawks
PF Cliff Alexander

9. Pistons
SG Theo Pinson

10. Clippers
C Qi Zhou

11. Mavericks
SG Jabari Bird

12. Bobcats
PG Quinn Cook

13. Warriors
SF Kevon Looney

14. Spurs
C Jusuf Nurkic

15. Jazz
SG Rasheed Suluaimon

16. Lakers
PF Chris Walker

17. Celtics
PF Montrezi Harrell

18. Hornets
SF Sam Dekker

19. Jazz
C Patson Siame

20. Heat
PG Tyus Jones

21. Timberwolves
PF Marcus Lee

22. Kings
C Amir Williams

23. Wizards
SF Justin Jackson

24. Trail Blazers
SG Jaquan Lyle

25. Nuggets
PF Brice Johnson

26. Pacers
SG Dante Exum

27. 76ers
SG Gary Harris

28. Bulls
C/PF Mouhammadou Jaiteh

29. Thunder
PF Nick Spires

30. Nuggets
C Marshal Plumlee

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story


6-27-15

Trapped.

She curled into a ball, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Get up!”

“Bleed!”

The voices were loud, angry, screaming at her, trying to hurt her.

She called out for help, anyone, anything, but she made no sound.

She rolled over, opened her eyes, and saw something gleam in the light and then it came for her, fast, and then—

Pain.

Agony.

Her vision blurred red, her hands covered in—

No—

Blood. Her blood.

She stared up, head heavy, eyes bleary, and saw it gleam in the light again … and again it was coming for her and this time it would be—



“Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!” She leapt out of bed, fell to the floor, and began to crawl away. She had to escape, had to go, had to move, had to do something, anything to stop it.

Her hand found a wall and beat against it.

A light turned on and the room was bathed in its warm hues. “Liz! Liz!”

Ronnie hopped out of bed and dropped to the floor with her, his hands holding onto her.

She was shaking.

But he couldn’t have been here, she was alone, they were here, not him … he was gone, he wasn’t there.

Her mind was going a thousand miles a second, blinking from confusion to fear, back again, and everything in between.

Ronnie’s firm hands held her, his eyes staring into hers. “You’re all right. I’m here. I’m here, Liz.”

She could barely hear him over the pounding of her heart. “But … but …” She looked around the room, her surroundings familiar yet foreign to her all at once. This wasn’t home. This wasn’t where they lived.

Ronnie could sense her confusion. “We’re in L.A. Away from Charlotte, away from what happened there. We’re safe.” His tone was gentle, comforting.

She stared at him for a long moment, trying to make sense of it, before finally her mind slowed down just long enough to recall it.

The Lakers. The hospital. The recovery. The championship.

She held out her left hand.

The ring.

They were going to be married.

“We’re … we’re home,” she said with relief, her voice shaky. Her shoulders slumped, her tense muscles relaxing and leaving her spent. “Oh my god, it … it was so real.”

She placed her hand on her forehead, finding it sweaty. God, she was a wreck.

Ronnie loosened his grip and his hands made their way up her shoulders. “You won’t have to worry about that soon enough. I got people looking for them. They’ll find them, lock them away, and we’ll be safe.”

Safe. Such a small word that conveyed so much. How can we possibly be safe even if those people are found? They can’t find them all … they can’t possibly find them all, she thought to herself worriedly.

For his sake, she forced a smile. “I hope so.”

He looked at her tiredly. “Don’t hope. Know. Come on, let’s get back to bed.” He stood and picked her up from the floor with relative ease.

She kissed him on the cheek and got back into bed.

He wordlessly did the same. He was tired. It had been a long week for him and it was still the early morning hours of Saturday. He was probably going to sleep in.

The light turned off and once again the room was plunged into darkness.

She wrapped her arms around him, drawing herself near. He was warm. He was comforting.

He was safe.

[Nox_Caelum]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

16. Lakers
PF Cliff Walker

Did you mean Chris Walker ?

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Did you mean Chris Walker ?

Actually, I just messed up and gave you a sneak peek at the evil twin storyline I was drawing up, where Cliff Paul and Cliff Walker ("normal" twin of Chris Walker) team up to simultaneously bring ruin onto L.A.'s two basketball franchises so the Maloof brothers can buy them both, move to to Las Vegas, and rule the NBA from the gambling capital of the world!

...

No, it was actually a typo. Good catch. Though I think I may have Chris Walker totally ape the State Farm commercials ... man, the Clippers are gonna be a PAIN this year with the moves they made in FA. The rivalry is really gonna be something I feel this season.

[Nox_Caelum]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Haha!
I figured, It's just at first I thought you'd passed on Wlaker and drafted Cliff Alexander but great pickup. Also Pacers and 76ers got good steals with Exum and Harris.

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Haha!
I figured, It's just at first I thought you'd passed on Wlaker and drafted Cliff Alexander but great pickup. Also Pacers and 76ers got good steals with Exum and Harris.

Exum is def the PG of the future for the Pacers. George Hill's contract still has two years left, but the Pacers are looking for some new blood there. As we'll see in the offseason review, the Pacers are making a push to get back to the Conference Finals, something they haven't done since the 2012 posteason in game. Pressure is on in Indiana to make something happen there.

For the 76ers, they were really wishing the lottery had the Grizzlies pick fall out of the top three (so they could get it) but they get the Grizzles pick next year no matter what now. Harris is gonna be a solid player in their rotation for years to come, not a star player by any means, but a good role player for sure.

More to come shortly on the Lakers offseason moves, as well as some moves from other teams.

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story


7-7-15

He paced, back and forth in his office, waiting for the call. This was the decision day for a key number of free agents, a number of them the Lakers had made contract offers to. The biggest domino belonged to Lamarcus Aldridge. Aldridge had hit the free agent market and made it clear that he wasn’t going back to Portland.

There was rift in the locker room between him and Lillard. Lillard was getting all the praise, Lillard was going to get the big contract after this season and Lillard was seen as the leader of that team. Aldridge wasn’t pleased with that and Ronnie couldn’t blame him. The guy suffered through Roy and Oden being injured, he wasted years carrying the team, and now he was being forgotten about.

Things in Portland were looking rough. With Aldridge gone, the Blazers had brought in Amar’e on a one year deal to fill the four spot, signed Reggie Jackson to a three year deal, and brought in Alexy Sheved, formerly of the Timberwolves, to replace the loss of Wesley Matthews. But Lillard wasn’t going to sign an extension; he’d made it clear he was going to play out the year and see what the summer held.

Portland was just a few steps away from panic. If Lillard said he wanted out, they’d have to trade him, and they’d get plenty of value for him … but Lillard wasn’t planning on leaving. At least not now. A bad year though …

His phone rang and picked it up. “Well?” The news wasn’t what he expected. “Are you serious?” He looked out the window, out into the sprawling city of L.A.

They’d have to move to their backup plans. He kinda preferred that plan, if he was honest with himself. It would give them better depth. “All right, all right, get in contact with Randolph. Give him our offer.”

His phone beeped and he switched from call to text. Two new ones, both from the agents of prospective free agents. He smiled and did a mini-fist pump. Calderon and Doron Lamb had accepted the offers presented to them. With Chauncey retiring, they needed a veteran point man and Calderon was that guy.

Lamb was going to be a bit of a project, but the kid had talent. He could hit the deep ball and was going to be the long term solution as the backup two-guard, perhaps a future starter if he developed. But he was going to play a big part in the rotation this year as Redick was another year older. J.J. could still shoot but he needed to be saved for the playoffs.

His phone rang again and he picked it up. He did another fist pump. They had Anthony Randolph. The four spot was now secured for the next few years.

There was a knock on the door and Vince stepped in. “Boss, hear about Aldridge? Signed with the Celtics, what is he, stupid?”

Vince was many things. Subtle he was not. Ronnie shrugged. “They offered him more money and they need the post help more than us.” He rubbed the back of his neck. Aldridge would be featured in the post in Boston. He was playing on a very talented team now. The starting five for them was impressive: Rondo, Wiggins, Green, Aldridge, and Gobert.

“You hear about the Clippers?”

Ronnie shook his head. He’d been so focused on the Lakers offers he hadn’t been paying attention to the Clippers. “What about them?”

Vince whistled. “They got both Gasols, let Jordan sign with the Wizards.”

“Paul, Griffin, and Marc Gasol?” Ronnie was impressed. Marc Gasol was a huge upgrade over DeAndre Jordan. “That’s gonna be interesting.”

“Pau Gasol is who I’m worried about.” Vince stroked his beard, which covered the majority of his face. “He knows us. Knows the organization.”

“He’s a year removed from us, I don’t think he can hurt us.” Ronnie sat in his chair and spun it towards Vince. “You think we need to be worried?”

“I think we should be careful, Boss.”

Ronnie nodded absently as his mind played with the idea of Paul to Gasol. It was enticing in his mind.

The Clippers had upped the ante. They were challenging again.

This upcoming season would be the toughest yet.

[BraedenG33]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Wow. I wonder who's gonna start for the clips. Im guessing Pau is the sixth man. I wonder what sort of trouble he's gonna start.

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Wow. I wonder who's gonna start for the clips. Im guessing Pau is the sixth man. I wonder what sort of trouble he's gonna start.

Pau is indeed the sixth man and there could be some storms on the horizon for the Lakers, depending on how the two teams individual seasons play out. Plenty of possibilities.

[ewing6]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Just want to say, great story really enjoy your updates. Good luck this year.

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story


7-11-15

The ball hit the court and he was struggling to keep up. He could admit that, at least to himself.

There was no way in hell he’d admit it to his brother.

Rick shot him a cocky smirk. “What? Too fast for you?” He dribbled the ball, played around with it, as he kept far enough away from Ronnie to make those moves low risk.

Ronnie forced a smirk and shook his head. “Not too fast … just rusty. Just rusty.” He mentally berated himself for not hitting the court over the last year or so. He hadn’t kept his basketball muscles in good shape … he was struggling, badly, keeping up. His defense was sagging.

He wondered if this was how Steve Nash felt at the end of his career.

“Here we go.” Rick took the ball and began to dribble to his right.

Ronnie set his feet, shuffled over a little to put himself in range for the steal, the post up, or to block off the turn. His brother liked the flashy play. The game was tied, 20-20. The next one to score would win.

Rick began to go to the right, dipping his shoulder, and Ronnie went in for the steal.

Instead of continuing to dribble, Rick pulled up and nailed a jumper. That was game.

Ronnie whistled as he watched his brother step back, a wide grin on his face, arms outstretched. “Who’s your daddy?”

Ronnie wiped the sweat from his brow as he tried to catch his breath. “Nice jumper,” he managed to say. “Been saving that?”

“Like fine wine.” Ronnie went over to the bench, tossed Ronnie his water bottle, and took a dip gulp from his own.

“What are you Kobe, now?”

Rick winked at him. “Hey, I got into USC. Did something Kobe’s never done.”

“He doesn’t need to do it, he makes more money than you or me.” Rick walked on over, sat down, and replayed the last shot in his mind. He should have been more prepared for the jumper, but even if he was he doubted his legs could have gotten him the lift needed to affect the shot. “You should try out for the team.”

“What, USC’s team?” Rick shook his head. “Sorry, I’d rather be hanging with the pretty girls than be at practice.”

“Well, try out for the local YMCA’s team then.” Ronnie poured some of the water over his head, letting the cool liquid chill him.

“Can I ask a question?”

“You won, ask away.”

Rick leaned back on the bench, shooting Ronnie a measuring glance. “I thought you hated the Lakers.”

Ronnie chuckled. “I didn’t hate them. Just hated they chose Kobe over Shaq, that’s all. You can’t find big men like that.”

“Now that Liz is better and you guys are getting married … why be here?”

Ronnie’s eyebrow shot up. “What, you preferred me with the Bobcats?”

“Hey, it was the tougher challenge. They had nothing before you. They sucked last year without you.” He took out his towel from the gym bag and wiped his face off. “Hell, L.A.’s great for … well, everything, but you honestly want to stay here? What’s the challenge?”

“The challenge?” He sounded more defensive than he wanted to. “I have to maintain a championship contender.”

“In the biggest market in the NBA,” Rick shot back. “I’m not complaining, but I’m just saying … I remember all the years we were kids and watching basketball. I remember you complaining bitterly that all the same teams winning all the time. You’re part of one of those teams now.”


“I am,” Ronnie admitted. He pointed at himself. “But this league isn’t about diversity or parity. People want to see the Celtics, the Lakers, the Bulls, the Heat, the Knicks, and a few other teams win. When they win, the league wins.”

“Yeah, but jeez … what about bum teams like the Bucks? They last won, what, back in the 70s?”

“Kareem, yeah. Milwaukee is what they are; a mid-market team that can’t spend a lot and doesn’t take care of their guys. They have a history of trading away their best players.”

“So, fix them. Go around and fix all the teams.” Ronnie smiled. “Wouldn’t you like to win titles with just more than one team? Being the greatest GM in NBA history isn’t a hard thing.”

Ronnie scoffed loudly at that. “GMs are not players. We don’t chase rings by switching teams, we stick with one franchise and we make that franchise a winner, year in and year out.” He stood and shot his brother a smirk. “It’s about commitment. Being a GM of an organization is like being married … there’s a high divorce rate, a lot of the marriages don’t work out, but everyone wants to be the guy who sticks for a decade or two. You don’t just jump teams, especially after winning. You stay the course.”

Rick rolled his eyes. “I’m so glad you’re ready to settle down. You are getting old.”

Ronnie stood and nodded. “Maybe I am. And you know what? I’m okay with that.”

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story


7-22-15

J-Dog slid his shades down and looked with skepticism at the food below him. “Man, you’re pulling a brother’s leg. You expect me to eat this?”

The two were at a new restaurant in L.A., “The Class Act” and the place had a wide variety of foods. In fact, you could say they had too much variety. The menu read more like a brochure of obscure vacation spots than it did an actual menu.

Ronnie had ordered them both something called “The Left Field Special” which, according to the description, was a random selection from the main menu. You wouldn’t know till you got it.

“Be brave,” Ronnie scolded him. He looked at his own plate and found it looked a bit more appealing than J-Dog’s. At least his looked cooked.

Sitting outside, enjoying a nice day, Ronnie took a sip of his ice cold water and then got to the business at hand. “J-Dog, what are your opinions on this year’s draft?”

The man poked at his food curiously. “I think it’s pretty top heavy … once we get past pick ten, this thing’s a desert.” He cut the meat – at least Ronnie thought it was meat – and sniffed at it. With a shrug he picked it up with his fork and shoveled it down his gullet.

He swallowed, a small smirk on his lips. “Not bad.”

“So, in other words, if you don’t plan to suck this year you should probably get out of the draft or trade up?”

“You thinking of doing that?” J-Dog sipped at his Coke. “I like it, I like it … let’s focus on repeating. Forget this year’s draft.”

“You only like it cause it’ll give you time to obsess over next year’s draft,” Ronnie pointed out. “It’s always about next year.”

“Isn’t it, though?”

The two turned towards the voice and found another man standing there, in a silver suit and rose shaded glasses.

Ronnie frowned. He recognized who this guy was.”Freddie Brigs.”

The agent gave a small nod, pulled up a chair, and sat down at the table. He was completely uninvited but Brigs didn’t care. “Mr. Gold, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“It’s all yours, Freddie.” Ronnie leaned back in his chair. “What do you want?”

Freddie ignored the question and shot a glance at J-Dog. “And how are you doing, Jarrod? Life better now that you’re out of the agent game?”

It was a shot and anyone with ears could tell it was. J-Dog wisely didn’t take the bait, though Ronnie knew he wanted to. “Life’s good for me … won a championship this past year. Getting my ring soon.” He offered a cool smile. “It’s gonna look good.”

“Freddie,” Ronnie interjected, trying to get Freddie out of his hair as soon as possible, “what can I do for you?”

“My client, Trey Burke, wanted me to personally inform you that he’ll be entering free agency when his contract is up in the summer of 2017.”

Ronnie outwardly smirked. Inwardly, he was stomping mad. Burke was a quality young point man, not a star, but definitely a potential all-star. Ronnie was hoping to avoid a long free agency process with him. “He told me last year he was fine with negotiating an extension.”

Freddie’s rose shaded glasses gleamed in the light as he stood. “Well, new year, new thoughts. You know how it goes. Just wanted to let you know.” He gave them both nods and confidently strode away.

J-Dog shook his head. “If there was ever a person I wanted to get hit by a bus, it would be that man.”

“That’s not far from how I feel.” Ronnie slid his plate away. He’d lost his appetite. “Freddie was hired a few months ago, I have no doubt he was whispering big dollars into Trey’s ears.”

“Well, he’s an agent, that’s how the game’s played. I know, I did it to many a man.”

Ronnie’s mind, with this new information, combined it with the idea in his head from before. “J-Dog, this draft isn’t deep. We have four picks in it, one first, three seconds. And now Burke is gonna be an issue in 2017.”

“Five birds, one stone? Man, that’s tough.” He took a big sip of his Coke. “I’m telling you, Kobe likes Burke. His kind of point guard, the kind that don’t demand to score; Burke looks to pass and he does a damned good job of it. Brother knows how to make Kobe happy.”

“I know, I know … it’s not like point guards are hard to find.” He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. The league had seen a ton of new point guards in the last few drafts. This next one would have more point guards … meanwhile, finding quality bigs was tough. The league was definitely trending to more guard oriented play and that made Ronnie sad.

Guards couldn’t pull off a Shaq-Kobe combo. Or Stockton-Malone. “You think that Walker kid we got is gonna be good?”

“He’s athletic enough to make a big difference. We pair him with another athletic big up front and we’re golden,” J-Dog said confidently. “If Randolph stays healthy and Walker develops, in two seasons we could combine them into a nasty frontcourt.”

“If Randolph stays healthy … I don’t know if we’ll even get another decent year from Bogut. I didn’t think he’d last as well as he did or play as well as he did this time last year. He was there for defense.”

“Well, he’s still there for that, man. Except, now, he’s defending more than just the paint.” Freddie grabbed a roll and took a big bite out of it. “Now, he’s defending a title, too.”