NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 663: True "One Person, One City" (Daily Chapter)

On Sunday, June 2009, 6, as the Pistons, Thunder, and Grizzlies officially extended invitations to Kobe Bryant, the Lakers' trade information became increasingly popular.

There were a lot of trade rumors this weekend, with the Nets planning to trade Vince Carter and the Suns wanting to trade O'Neal to lighten their burden.

The Heat seem to want to sell the disobedient Artest, and the Spurs also intend to send Andrew Bynum away.

The Mavericks seem to have broken off talks with Kidd, and various teams have been "interested" in the past few days. After Kidd said he wanted to go out for a "walk", the Dallas Morning News has been complaining about the contract renewal issue every day.

Of course, what fans are most concerned about is the trading information of Mamba. Currently, Kobe can use his player option to terminate the current contract.

By 2011, there was another opportunity to terminate the contract. The main reason why Kobe was so popular was because he could get it for free.
As long as the salary cap allows, Kobe can terminate his contract himself, and the Pistons, Thunder, and Grizzlies can all sign Mamba. There is no need to spend any chips at all, just prepare a maximum salary contract!

If they really sign Kobe, the team can complete the reconstruction in an instant and don't have to worry about winning the championship. At least they don't have to worry about ticket sales in the next few years.

With such motivation, although the Lakers repeatedly declared that Kobe was not for sale, many teams still actively contacted them, thinking that it was a no-cost deal and that they could make money by getting him for free.

The Lakers' slogans were loud but they didn't take any real action. They didn't seem to want to discuss contract renewal this summer. People in the industry understand that old Buss just wants to sell players.

The reason why Buss is not afraid of Kobe giving up and running away is mainly because of the US dollar. Mamba's salary next season is 2300 million. If he gives up the contract, his salary will be reduced, which is the stupidest thing to do.

For a whole week, Pelinka's phone was bombarded with calls, and everyone wanted to talk to Kobe and make some promises.

If he can really impress the Mamba, he can lock in the best manager award in advance next season.

However, although there is a lot of transaction information, what interests the spectators more is the young players' views on the transaction.

The Pistons don't have any young, well-known talents, but the Thunder and Grizzlies are different. They have almost completed the reconstruction and have accumulated good talents. Trading Kobe will obviously have an impact on the young people.

Two days ago, the core of the Bulls, Derrick Rose, posted a dynamic on his personal Twitter, and was attacked by Kobe's fans. The relevant content made the onlookers laugh:

"I'm a kid from Chicago. I'm not interested in playing with copycats. I just want to be the next Michael Jordan and lead the Bulls to revenge."

The Bulls were also actively recruiting, but Rose did not cooperate at all. Although he was still a rookie, he acted like a big star and even mocked the veteran players in the end, which ruined most of the deal.

However, fans in Chicago really appreciate Derrick Rose’s fighting spirit, and many of them agree, firmly believing that Kobe is not worthy of the Bulls jersey unless the Mamba is willing to be Pippen.

Mayo and Rudy Gay of the Grizzlies were no pushovers either. Although they did not name anyone, they also tweeted in a sarcastic tone:

"The core guard with a hit rate of less than 40% in the finals is the biggest joke I have ever seen."

"Is he willing to accept my leadership? I don't want the chemistry of the team to be destroyed."

Mayo mocked Mamba's scoring efficiency, while Rudy Gay reminded everyone of Kobe's "cancer" attributes. The two young men vying for the top position faced each other in unison at this moment, which really made many basketball commentators laugh.

There was only one young person who clearly welcomed the event. Russell Westbrook of the Thunder excitedly updated his Twitter early on:
"Mamba!"

Although Durant surfs the Internet intensively, his personal updates are confusing. He has been promoting his basketball training camp recently, but what is confusing is the age of the students:
"The KD training camp will be the most suitable training camp in the United States for children around 5 years old to receive basketball enlightenment!"

Not only this kind of inexplicable advertisement, but also some personal dynamics made fans confused. Except for praising Li You during the finals, the rest were all Marvel-related content:

"The Homecoming series is amazing, I love this story."

The Black Widow limited series released two years ago was actually a bit niche, and Durant's recommendation to the fans was a bit stunned.

As the draft draws near, the Thunder have the No. 3 pick, and Oklahoma fans want to see some gossip from Durant, but their core player is inexplicably happy.
At 17:30 in the afternoon, ESPN's PTI was broadcast as scheduled. TNT was not active, but this side was not affected. The program team invited James Dolan to answer fans' questions.

Ever since Lee You announced his future plans on The Late Night Show with Jimmy Fallon - to fight again after 7 years, the popularity of this show has exploded.

The chain reaction brought about was that New York fans began to celebrate in advance, surpassing the Celtics next door and becoming the top team with the most championship banners in NBA history.
On the Reddit forum, Knicks fans who have taken out loans have all calculated that if they can win their eighth consecutive championship next year, and four more after that, everyone will be satisfied!

At the end of his career, Li You retired gracefully and went on tour. Fans responded positively to this and believed that this was the most reasonable plan.

Naturally, Celtics fans also watched the show, and as a result, many of them broke down late at night, cursing the "Big Four" for being softies, bringing shame to the team, and saying that they would never be their match in the future.

7 years is not a long time. By then Li You will be almost 39 years old, a real old man. Naturally, the new players have not reacted much in recent years, but all the old players are numb.

Old Deng and others can be regarded as the biggest victims. Look at Iverson, who plays with leaves every day and is completely useless.

Among the other players of the same class, the one who did the best was Kobe, who got a ring by currying favor with others. But after O'Neal passed away, his performance became completely bad, and even Tim Duncan couldn't lead him.

As for Kevin Garnett, who suffered a knee injury, he did not participate in the mini training camp led by him after hearing the news. The tough guy has not accepted any interviews in recent days.

Among the "Big Four", Marbury had the biggest reaction after the news was confirmed. He has not yet renewed his contract with the team. Many people thought that Li You would no longer pursue the championship after winning eight consecutive championships. The Son of New York thought so.

Now all his fantasies are shattered. Marbury feels sad when he thinks about giving up his player option in pursuit of the championship and that he may only be able to sign a minimum salary contract this year after becoming a middle-class worker.

Even the Boston Globe felt sorry for the "Big Four," and a related article two days ago even used a somewhat exaggerated title and illustration:
"From hope to despair!"

The related picture is a photo of Marbury covering his face with his hands in a recent training camp. Everyone who was full of energy not long ago has become discouraged.

This episode of PTI mainly discusses the future of the Knicks. Competing for the championship is not playing house or daydreaming. The O'Brien Cup costs a lot of money!

In the studio, James Dolan couldn't stop smiling when Michael Wilbon and Kornheiser talked about the Knicks' championship journey this year.

"Forbes predicts that the Knicks' revenue this year will exceed 8 million US dollars. You will become the most famous basketball brand in the world!" Bald Michael Wilbon deliberately emphasized the "8 million". Seeing that the curly-haired boss did not deny it and was still smiling, he knew that this number might be conservative.
"What does the team's management think of Lee's plan? Have you communicated about this?"

Kornheiser also looked at tonight's guests with curiosity. James Dolan couldn't stop smiling and answered the question with a proud tone and confidence:
"In fact, we don't need to discuss such issues at all. No matter what plan Lee has, everyone will support him. To some extent, he represents the will of New York basketball!"

The two hosts were speechless for a moment. Kornheiser noticed that the curly-haired boss hadn't grasped the point of the question, so he couldn't help but remind him:
"Mr. Dolan, the Knicks' salary expenditure this season has reached 1.13 million US dollars, which is the highest in the NBA. You will pay 4000 million US dollars in luxury tax."

"Next season, Lee's salary will be $2776 million. There is no doubt that his salary will increase in the future."

In the 08-09 season, the Knicks' salary once again exceeded 11 million. There were only 8000 teams in the league that paid luxury tax, and most of them had salaries that did not exceed 1000 million, and the corresponding luxury tax was less than million.

Among them, the salary expenditure of the Mavericks and Cavaliers reached 9500 million, the Trail Blazers and Lakers were 8000 million, and the Celtics were 7800 million.

Although in the NBA, more salary does not mean stronger strength, but those who stick to the poverty line will probably not gain much.

"I'm like Lee, we don't consider the salary issue, we just love this sport. We won't win the championship if we play for the US dollar!"

James Dolan opened his mouth and boasted as if the more than 1 million US dollars spent did not exist. He ignored the strange looks of the two people and continued to brag:
"In my opinion, the maximum salary only represents a kind of respect! We respect Li. No matter what adjustments are made to the labor contract in the future, Li will always be the top salary."

"Age is not a problem. Even if Lee is 40 years old, we will still offer him a maximum salary contract. This is our honor. I believe all New York fans will support the Knicks' operation!"

"Lee will only play in New York. I don't think there will be any problem with the salary. Think about Kobe's salary. He needs 2300 million? You should understand what I mean."

Watching James Dolan laugh as he gave the example, Michael Wilbon suddenly felt that what he said made so much sense, and even an outrageous thought emerged in his mind:
"Lee doesn't earn much, maybe he just loves the sport."

Before the show started, Kornheiser thought the Knicks had invested too much, but after just a short chat, he felt the Dolan family was making money too easily.

Anyone can see that the curly-haired boss is not pretending to be generous, but is really willing to give the top salary, which is not expensive and is even a bit cheap!

"Regarding the future of the Knicks, what are your plans? I believe the Boston Celtics have already felt the crisis, and they certainly don't want to be surpassed like the Lakers."

Hearing Kornheiser's question, James Dolan shook his head again, not hiding his intentions, and responded with a smile:
"I won't think about these things, because I know that Li will lead the team to win all the time!"

"The Knicks are destined to surpass the Celtics. I am more concerned about how to hang our championship banner. You know, it is not an easy problem to display the championship banner perfectly."

"Madison Square Garden is already very old. In order to meet the future and provide a better viewing experience for fans around the world, we also need to make some changes to the arena."

"."

In subsequent programs, no matter what the question was, James Dolan always responded with "love" and "pure basketball". Such a statement made the two hosts too lazy to ask about the luxury tax issue anymore.

There is no doubt that the Knicks will not save money in the future, and there is no way to save money. Li You's salary alone will exceed half of the salary cap. As for a pay cut? That is simply impossible.

In the end, James Dolan did not forget to repeatedly emphasize his and Li You's love for basketball. When the two hosts remained silent, he proudly said:
"Lee and I complement each other, and we will create miracles together!"

Monday, June 6, the ratings of PTI's program skyrocketed again after it was broadcast last night, and New York fans have already made 22 championship banners.

After sharing the pictures on social media, fans said they would celebrate with these flags at tomorrow’s championship parade!
Not only James Dolan was bragging on the show, but old Charles, who was close to retirement, also supported Li You on his own channel. When the old man talked about the draft that year, he also mentioned himself:

“Bringing Lee to New York was the best decision I ever made in my life!”

"Lee reshaped the Knicks' culture and turned Madison Square Garden into a basketball mecca for basketball players all over the world. There is no doubt that he will stay here."

Super maximum salary is no longer a problem. Li You locked up the highest honor in the NBA 7 years in advance - the true one-man-one-city award!

While the public was discussing Li You's future super-max salary, the sports media in Los Angeles suddenly understood old Buss.

Kobe Bryant doesn't have the "Lee You Clause" and is also paid the maximum salary, which seems to be a serious overpayment in comparison.
At 8 o'clock in the morning, Li You and Ivana brought the little ones to Donald's 18-hole championship golf course in the Bronx.

The reason for playing golf so early was mainly because the visiting Michael Jordan was addicted to gambling and had to play a few rounds and then gamble a few times to satisfy his addiction.

Yvette Prieto was wearing a white golf suit. As Michael's new girlfriend, the two have been having a hot relationship in the past two years and seem to be inseparable.

Sitting in the golf cart, watching Ivana greeting the little ones from time to time, he asked curiously:
"Does Li usually take care of the children?"

Ivana, who had her hair in a ponytail, smiled as she talked about her daily life. She said with some complacency, without disguising it:

"I still look after the children most of the time, but Lee reads them a bedtime story every night and we plan to give them a few more languages."

Yvette Prieto was a little envious. Michael's family's trumpet was not very good, and the two of them recently planned to practice the trumpet. She was still a little worried about the future.

Just like this time when he came to New York, Michael Jordan was mainly here to discuss business and raise funds for the acquisition of the Bobcats. In this regard, Yvette Prieto could not participate deeply and could only follow behind.

In the golf cart ahead, Li You was listening to Michael Jordan complaining. Michael Jordan still had some feelings for his little brother Kobe:
"Sometimes the New York media is really too much! Kobe should not be discussed with you a long time ago, but now everyone starts to hate him!"

"Kobe owes you a thank you, Lee, thank you for speaking up for him at this time!"

Li You was driving his car and looking at the Manhattan skyline in the distance. When he heard Mike express his gratitude on behalf of his little brother, he immediately responded with a smile:

"Tell him not to take it to heart. I will always support him. You know, I respect all my opponents!"

"."

(End of this chapter)