NBA: Warrior godfather.

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Silas looked at the sweat stains on his suit and felt a bit amused. He had miscalculated. He should have brought two more sets of clothes...

But he quickly smiled and no longer had any doubts after the game.

Silas was very satisfied with the team's performance. Larry was such a competent and excellent general manager who found so many good players for him.

Although Wesley Matthews, Anthony Tolliver, and Reggie Williams had various shortcomings, in Silas' opinion, they at least had the strength of NBA substitute players. Having them play in the summer league felt like a waste of their talents.

Moreover, all three of them were rare types of players in the league and very suitable for the Warriors' tactics.

3-and-D players with the right physique, like Matthews, have been highly sought after in the league in recent years. At only 21 years old, he has development potential. It was hard for Silas to believe that a player with strong defense and accurate three-point shooting wouldn't be selected in the draft.

Anthony Tolliver is a rare stretch-four in the entire NBA. He might not contribute much aside from shooting three-pointers, but he shoots them both accurately and quickly. He could be used as a surprise player at specific moments, providing firepower off the bench.

Reggie Williams' performance was the most impressive among the three. He had a wide array of scoring skills, could drive and shoot, was impactful and fearless on the court, and played hard on defense.

Even though he stood out in the summer league, Silas knew Reggie might be more limited in the NBA. Still, he clearly had the ability to become a valuable bench player for the Warriors in the upcoming season.

In addition to those three, both Watson and Lowry had been NBA backup point guards last year. They had stable playing time, and their strong performance was exactly what Silas expected.

But it was Butler's toughness on defense that turned out to be the biggest surprise.

Silas knew that Butler had been a college teammate of Curry and played under Liam. After being selected by the Warriors, Butler signed a four-year, $5 million fully guaranteed contract with the team, a significantly better deal than what late first-round picks usually get.

At first, Silas thought it might have been a case of favoritism. But after seeing Butler's defensive skills, he was taken aback. Although still somewhat inexperienced, Butler showed the potential to become a defensive stalwart for the Warriors if given enough time to gain experience.

Moreover, Silas was impressed with Butler's unselfishness on offense. He had NBA-range three-point shooting, was efficient with open spot-up shots, actively passed the ball, and didn't try to force his own scoring. Though Butler wasn't putting up high point totals, he was playing the role of a glue guy, helping the Warriors' offense run more smoothly.

If Butler could only shoot threes and defend, he'd be a typical blue-collar player at best. But the fact that he could handle the ball as well made him a rare find.

Silas made a mental note to keep an eye on Butler. He was an excellent team player and, at only 20 years old, still had plenty of untapped potential. He was definitely worth developing for the Warriors.

Looking at the young players laughing and chatting, Silas couldn't help but smile.

"Larry, you're such a good brother. I'll definitely buy you a drink when I get back!"

...

"The No. 30 jersey is sold out again? It's only been three days! Fine, I'll call them to restock... What? Someone wants to buy the coach's jersey? Tell them the coach doesn't have a jersey!"

Back in Oakland, Larry Riley had no idea what was happening in Las Vegas.

He had a lot of work to follow up on, and with Liam having just taken over the team, personnel matters needed to be reorganized. He was so busy that he hadn't even thought about the summer league.

The management structures of NBA teams vary, but they generally divide into basketball operations and administrative departments.

The basketball operations department handles all team and basketball-related matters, usually led by the general manager and sometimes a president of basketball operations, depending on the team. For instance, the Warriors had only a general manager, while teams like the Knicks had both a general manager and a president. Other teams, like the Raptors, had both roles.

The administrative department manages everything not directly related to basketball, such as publicity, arena management, and commercial partnerships, typically overseen by a president or team CEO. This department is closer to the team's owner and influences the overall direction of the organization.

Initially, Larry Riley was solely responsible for basketball operations. However, when the Warriors' previous president, who had been aligned with Chris Cohan, resigned after the ownership change, Liam temporarily handed the administrative responsibilities to Riley.

This job used to be fairly low-key, as the Warriors had struggled for years, lacked star power, and had lukewarm commercial growth.

But after Liam took over, the team drafted Curry. Curry had been a star in college and had already garnered a lot of national attention. Within just a month, Curry's No. 30 jersey had sold out multiple times at fan shops in the Bay Area, and Riley had to constantly coordinate with the league for restocks.

Fortunately, fan stores in other cities were managed by the league, or Riley would have been even more overwhelmed.

What made Riley sigh was that San Francisco's large Hispanic community showed significant interest in the team. Many Hispanic fans even wanted to buy the coach's merchandise!

Moreover, several Hispanic companies had contacted Riley, eager to discuss advertising deals at Oracle Arena. Having seen the success of partnerships with teams like the Rockets, these companies didn't want to miss out on what seemed like the next big opportunity with the Warriors.

Caught up in all these developments, Riley had completely forgotten that the Warriors were playing their summer league opener that day.

"Ring…"

He had just put down the phone when it rang again.

Larry Riley sighed, staring at his computer screen, then picked up the phone and answered:

"Hello, this is Larry Riley. How can I help you?"

"Larry, it's me. You didn't check the caller ID?" a familiar voice responded.

Riley glanced at his phone screen and saw the name Stephen Silas.

"Stephen! What's going on? I've been so busy, I haven't had time to check in."

"Larry, where did you find these players for me?" Silas's tone sounded a bit strange.

Riley's heart skipped a beat. Something felt off.

He suddenly remembered that today was the Warriors' summer league opener! From Silas's tone, it seemed they might have been beaten badly, and now he was calling to complain.

His mind raced, and he tried to respond sympathetically:

"Listen, I know these players might not meet your expectations, and I understand how you feel. Just be patient with them…"

End of this chapter

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