NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 748: "Playing badly" is also acceptable. (Daily chapter)
On Friday, July 2010, 7, at the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, in front of many fans, team owner Jorge Vergara presented a gift to Li You before the game started.

This game was the last stop of Manchester United's North American tour. As part of the conditions for signing Javier Hernandez, his old club organized the game very decently.

As the third football match in the new stadium, nearly 5 fans formed a blue and red formation, and the cheers could not be stopped before the game even started that night.

The team's owner, Jorge Vergara, was very pleased with the atmosphere. He was wearing a black suit and spoke loudly about the friendship between the two clubs:

"I am proud that the club has produced such an outstanding player as Hernandez! I am very happy to see our players land at top European clubs."

"I also want to thank Lee for coming here. This means a lot to us. I hope to see more Mexican players coming to Europe in the future. To celebrate this great moment, I want to give you a gift!"

"."

On the other side, Ferguson’s face was not very good. It was not directed at the two people who were "putting on a show". The old man was dissatisfied with the artificial turf tonight!
The configuration of the stadium with such a lawn seems a bit abstract, but Li You doesn't care about it. He is very happy during the North American tour.

Dressed in his signature "red scarf", Li You laughed out loud when he saw the "mini crown" sent by Jorge Vergara, and took the initiative to step forward and pat this knowledgeable and interesting old man.

With everyone's witness, Li You held the mini golden crown in one hand, then took the microphone and exclaimed loudly in Spanish:

"Our friendship lives on! Congratulations again Guadalajara, your persistence paid off!"

"."

As the only football club in Mexico that does not sign foreign players, Guadalajara, which adheres to pure Mexican football, is indeed very successful.

Never relegated and winning multiple championships, in Mexico, nearly 40% of the countrymen are fans of this club.

Everyone loves to hear the polite words, especially Li You's authentic Spanish, which makes many fans feel close to him. Many people who follow sports events are also fans of Li You himself, and the Knicks are also considered the home team here.

The atmosphere was very lively after the pre-match praise. After the match officially started, Li You and Jorge Vergara moved to the stand box but did not talk about football anymore.

Vergara, who had been smiling the whole time, saw Scarlett naturally squeeze into Li You's arms, and couldn't help but change the subject:
"Li, if your production company needs help, please don't hesitate!"

Vergara also founded a production company a few years ago, and the movies he produced were very popular in Mexico. Li You didn't care about the development of "toys", but he still responded sincerely at this time:
"I swear, if I ever need help, you'll be the first one I call!"

"."

45-year-old Jorge Vergara smiled brightly at this moment, but he felt secretly sad in his heart. He only regretted that he did not have enough financial resources. He had not been fully accepted in New York in recent years. This time, he spent a lot of money to entertain Li You.

Scarlett, who was standing behind Li You and dressed in a professional suit, heard the two of them chatting happily. She rubbed his shoulders and bent down to kiss him.

After being reminded by the succubus, Li You stopped bragging. When he mentioned that the law firm was going to expand to Guadalajara, Vergara immediately agreed to help sort out the relationships.

The friendly match was a success, but the grass was so bad that it was hard to complain. Fortunately, Li You gave some instructions before the game, and Manchester United praised the atmosphere of the Akron Stadium.

After 93 minutes of play, the final score was 3:2. Although Manchester United lost, they won most of the cheers from the fans on the scene.

Hernandez burst into tears in front of his old club after the game, while Neymar, who scored the second goal and followed his teammates, rolled his eyes. The young man was attracted by those enthusiastic Latino girls.

When the Manchester United team bus returned to the hotel, there were still enthusiastic local fans "chasing and blocking" it.

Ferguson, who had been flying continuously, seemed to be unable to hold on any longer. The North American tour had exhausted the old man enough, and it was really not easy to "act" with Li You.

American journalists are no different from British ones, always asking some outrageous questions, and some even openly "provoked" him by asking what he thought of the current Manchester United board.
Ferguson really didn't have any opinion. Time is Li You's best friend. A group of middle-level managers were replaced in the youth training department, and the financial director was also replaced in the past two years.

The board of directors is composed of Li You's people. Except for the specific football business and Manchester United Radio, most of the people in the club have been replaced.

What is most chilling to the club’s veterans is that the former opposition has switched sides, and even the diehards in the fan club show “full of awe” when talking about Li You.

This is inseparable from the European financial circle cursing Wall Street as a vampire. With wealth growing continuously and Li You giving back to the fans, it has become increasingly difficult for Ferguson to manipulate the team as he did in the past.

But the old man still has the final say in the locker room, and the players are also afraid of this Jazz.
Currently, the team's CEO David Gill has become a traitor. This time, there are many more sponsor activities in the North American tour than in the past. Ferguson originally opposed it, but finally had to acquiesce after persuasion.

At this time, David Gill returned to the suite and smiled happily. The tour ended successfully. This trip to Mexico was better than he planned. Vergara's "dog-licking" performance was beyond his expectations.

When the staff saw Li You appear, they cheered and hugged him. David Gill said enthusiastically:

"This is our most successful commercial tour since 04! Li, thank you very much for bringing top sponsorship to the team."

Li You, who had taken off his coat, laughed out loud, patted the traitor on the shoulder, and said cordially:

"Why didn't I see Oliver? The North American tour is over. He performed very well. This is a memorable moment!"

Speaking of his eldest son Oliver Gill, the insider CEO felt a little embarrassed. He couldn't say that his son was hit hard. He joined Manchester United's youth training early, but ended up not being as good as an amateur boss in the Chicago training camp.
"Let the young people have fun, Li. The next stop is Berlin. Do you want to change your itinerary?"

David Gill asked about Li You's plans, and Ferguson pricked up his ears. When they heard "return to New Mexico in a few days", both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

It’s not that it’s bad for Li You to follow the team, but everyone is uncomfortable having a “mother-in-law” controlling them.

Ferguson no longer worried about the turf tonight. The old man hugged Li You again and expressed his gratitude for what happened in Manchester United's youth training academy recently:

"Regarding the matter of Le Havre, I must thank you again for your support and thank you for your trust, Li!"

Manchester United's approach was a bit rough when it poached Pogba from Le Havre's youth training last year. Although FIFA believed that there was no violation of regulations, Li You still spent a "settlement fee" for this.

Speaking of "traitors", Li You smiled and shook his head. The old man was going to call Pogba to the first team, and he would not interfere, but just reminded him again:

"It's just a small thing. If you really like him, sign a contract earlier. I don't mind spending a little more money."

When he was still in the Premier League Youth Training League, Neymar received offers from Chelsea and West Ham United, but in order to prevent the young man from running away, Manchester United signed a new contract very early.

At that time, in order to deal with Neymar's parents, the team quietly sent a considerable signing fee to satisfy the other party. After hearing the reminder, the old man finally nodded. Times have changed, and young people are no longer loyal. After Li You gradually commercialized the team, Ferguson was no longer as repulsive as he was in the previous two years.

Halfway through the party, David Gill was holding a glass of champagne and talking about the club's re-listing next year. Li You was still confident about this and even "loaned" it directly:
“Having reached the Champions League final three times in four years, combined with our league titles and sponsorships, the stock is bound to be very popular!”

"At least it won't be worse than before, David. Now all we have to do is prepare a better story and tell everyone that the club will continue to win in the future."

"."

Watching his boss showing off his "Winning Science" skills, David Gill felt helpless. Football is not that simple. Who would believe it if it was exaggerated? For a moment, he could only pray secretly:

"hope everything is fine!"

-

On Monday, August 8, during the weekend, American sports media reported on the tour next door, and the photo of Li You holding the "crown" swept many mainstream media.

When many fans saw the news that Lee You would attend the "World Basketball Festival" held by Hook No. 12, they "made a wish" on social media, hoping to get a ticket to the event.

Fans who follow the NBA saw Dirk Nowitzki's movements in the morning. After the Mavericks pursued him for a month, Cuban successfully signed the German back.

There have been trade rumors last month. The Trail Blazers plan to send Aldridge and others away to recruit Nowitzki, and the Magic are actively clearing space and waiting for the German to arrive.

The Hawks are also very interested in Nowitzki. Many commentators believe that as long as Nowitzki nods, Al Horford and Josh Smith may be sent away.
The 76ers are also actively pursuing him, and Iguodala even publicly recruited him on Twitter. In short, the "softie" Nowitzki is very popular, and his absence from the finals has reversed his reputation.

As the national team is still preparing for the game, the person connected to ESPN's program this morning was Mark Cuban. The big-mouthed boss was very proud that the team was able to sign Nowitzki back:

"Dirk is the purest basketball player. You can't even imagine how much he loves basketball!"

"He is very loyal to the Dallas fans and those rumors are fake news made up by the bored media."

"I know loyalty has become a little ridiculous in this day and age, but for Dirk and the Mavericks, loyalty never fades."

"I wanted to give Dirk a super-max contract, you know, he deserves it, but he wanted to take less money to help the team fill out the roster."

Grant Hill was also a little surprised to hear Nowitzki's salary cut. For him, it was unimaginable for an MVP-level player to take a pay cut. Cuban also showed a touching look at this time and continued to add:

"Now I just want to help Dirk pursue a championship. I hope to see him hold the Larry O'Brien Trophy at the American Airlines Arena next season!"

Hill nodded involuntarily and recognized Nowitzki's loyalty. However, when talking about the lineup, he pointed out the Mavericks' shortcomings without hesitation:
"I respect Dirk, but in my opinion, if the Mavericks want to take the next step, they need to rebuild their interior defense."

"I believe many fans still have a deep impression of the 06 Finals. Dirk had a terrible time defending the pick-and-roll and had huge problems protecting the rim."

Cuban, who has always wanted to send Haywood and others away, did not hide his expectations, and even made a "mysterious" promise during the live broadcast:
"I will sign an excellent center for the Mavericks. We still have time. I like the current three-point shooting tactics of the team. After the Knicks, we are the best team in the league in outside shooting!"

"."

Cuban did not reveal the target player on the show, but an ESPN commentator confidently broke the news on Twitter:

"The Mavericks are targeting a championship center, and Mark Cuban has promised Tyson Chandler a multi-year, big contract."

After championship center Chandler exercised his player option, his salary for next season is 1200 million US dollars. He has not yet reached a contract extension with the Knicks, and a large part of the reason is the salary issue.

After the 10-11 season, Chandler will be able to trigger the 10-year veteran clause. In theory, his salary will increase significantly, but the Knicks' salary is mostly filled by the contracts of Li You and Gasol.

The current salary offered has not satisfied the championship center, and many basketball commentators have predicted that Chandler may choose to leave the team with a big contract.

New York fans don't quite believe these reports. According to the existing labor-management agreement, the Knicks have no problem renewing the contract. The failure to renew the contract is probably because the league has taken action and there are problems with the new agreement.

The fans are not bothered by this. After all, after winning eight consecutive championships, everyone is prepared. In recent days, the spectators are actually more concerned about New York's top basketball succubus - Kyrie Irving.

The US men's basketball team has arrived in New York and will play warm-up games with the US selection team composed of college students in the next few days. Among them, Irving, who has just been promoted to Duke University, has been selected for the college team.

New York fans are very familiar with Irving. He shined in the high school league and his gorgeous style of play attracted a large number of spectators!

Judging from popularity alone, Irving is better than Marbury at the time. In addition, he was born in the "Lee You Training Camp". Before the young man played in the NCAA, New York fans shouted "Come to the bowl quickly".
On Monday afternoon, the reopened Madison Square Garden welcomed new reporters. Irving, dressed in "Li You gear", had just arrived at the arena when he was surrounded by reporters.

Irving is already used to this kind of scene. He even promoted the product by holding up the Knicks-colored sneakers in his hand and loudly saying:

"Guys this is the perfect shoe for a guard, I love it, thanks Uncle Lee for signing it!"

"."

When asked by an ESPN reporter whether he would participate in the draft next year, Irving responded readily and confirmed the relevant news. When asked which team he would like to play for, the young man answered without hesitation:
"It's always been my dream to play for the Knicks! You know, ever since moving to the Bronx, I've been a New York kid!"

"Like many young people, I have always wanted to play for the Knicks, and being able to play with Uncle Lee has been something I have been looking forward to since I was a kid."

"."

Many New York reporters smiled happily when they heard this. Like the fans, almost all New York basketball critics like Kyrie Irving. This young man is very suitable to play in Madison Square Garden.

When everyone saw Irving warming up and showing off his fancy moves, some radical New York reporters even started discussing next year's draft with their companions:

"I think we have a chance to get him!"

"Lottery zone, maybe we can take a year off, after Lee retires, Irving can take over the team"

(End of this chapter)