NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 755 "The most difficult road?" (no protagonist chapter)
On Monday, September 2010, 9, the league officially approved the trade between the Nets and the Nuggets, and Carmelo Anthony successfully "returned home"!
Over the weekend, almost all sports media were discussing Anthony's choice. The Nets have not moved yet, the market is bleak, and the roster is not capable of competing for the championship.

Anthony, as a star player in the 03 class who is as famous as James and Wade, joined such a team, which is definitely not for the championship.

What fans did not expect the most was that as the transaction was completed, the reputation of the Heat's "Big Three" reversed.

Compared to Anthony, who has no ambition and only wants to make a lot of money and live a happy life with his wife, James is obviously more worthy of praise for giving up the highest honor "One Man One City Award" for the championship!

Mainstream sports media unanimously praised James and others for their desire for honor. As for Anthony, he has already been labeled a "data brush" before the new season even started.
Everyone knows that Anthony will earn 1700 million US dollars next season. After joining the Nets, he will definitely not cut his salary and will continue to pursue the maximum salary.

Considering the Nets' weak status as a team, Anthony will definitely be given unlimited shooting rights. Not to mention the championship, the data and the big contract are already in his hands after making this choice.

Compared to his friends who took pay cuts, Anthony has won to some extent.

Can honor affect life? The US dollar is the most real thing!
Although this is different from what the NBA and mainstream sports media have publicized, many players in the league are very envious of Anton's "decision" and sent their blessings on social media as soon as possible.

Joe Johnson, who also chose to sign a big contract with the Hawks, was even more unpretentious. Facing the fans who made sarcastic remarks, he directly hit back on Twitter:
"Many people simply cannot understand how difficult it is to pursue a championship. I support Melo. Life is bigger than basketball."

"."

Among the players in the superstar league, only James and a few others chose to cut their salaries, while the rest of the free agents signed big contracts.

Everything is afraid of comparison. After the media publicity, James and others have become the "tough guys" among the new generation of players!
They don't want US dollars, they want championships. The "Big Three" made sacrifices for basketball. What a "great" spirit!
Amidst the praise, more and more fans are supporting the Heat. This is the basketball that everyone has been expecting. Anthony and other guys who are trying to catch up with the US dollar have humiliated the sport!

In the afternoon's First Take show, Skip Bayless finally found an opportunity to criticize Anthony's soft "decision". Before the new season even started, he made a direct comment:
"The Nets sent Devin Harris, Danilo Gallinari and Derrick Favors in this deal. Considering the draft picks, the Nets have completely overdrawn their future."

"In the new season, Carmelo Anthony may be able to hand in some good statistics. After all, their starting guard has become Farmar, who has unlimited shooting rights and the scoring title is already waving to him."

"Stats can't bring this team a championship. Anthony has fallen behind James, Wade and Bosh, and will be completely left behind by the three in the future."

The director once again released the specific details of this transaction. The Nets did pay a heavy price:
In addition to Harris, Gallinari and Favors, the deal also includes the first-round picks in 11 and 13 and the second-round pick in 12 plus some cash.

Italian Danilo Gallinari was sidelined for two years after entering the league due to a back injury, but he made a name for himself last season, using data to prove that the original trade was correct;
Big man Derrick Favors was this year's third pick, and the Nets are giving away three first-round picks plus a qualified starting point guard.

Considering that Billups is old, the Nuggets completed the reconstruction almost instantly after getting these young people. The lineup on paper is balanced inside and outside, and the future is promising!
Stephen A. Smith did not expect Anthony to give up the championship so easily. When talking about the performance of the Nets in the new season, he criticized it like his partner:

"Maybe the Nets are counting on Anthony and Lopez to create sparks, but they will lose badly!"

"It's hard for Anthony to make a difference from beyond the three-point line, and they can only rely on Anthony Morrow, who had a good performance with the Warriors last year, to hit those three-pointers."

"We all know that poor offensive spacing means you won't win the championship."

After the Knicks' eight consecutive championships, professional basketball commentators have summarized the championship configuration. Excellent offensive space is a major prerequisite, and the team must have an excellent three-point shooter.

In addition, big men with high-quality screens and forwards who can pass the ball from a high position are also essential. In short, everything is for space.

The Nets' backcourt looks unreliable in any way. Lopez, a rookie, is still honing his low-post skills, his offensive performance is mediocre, and his switching defense is extremely poor.

The whole team is counting on Anthony to let loose, which is simply a replica of the "76ers" back then. The championship seems hopeless.

Dana Jacobson has gotten used to these two "fence-sitters". The show is getting more and more abstract. The female host took the opportunity to guide the topic again before it turned to Li You:
"Many professionals have given their own opinions. Everyone thinks that Anthony seems to be more eager for data and a big contract. What do you think about this?"

"Carmelo Anthony has been left behind by LeBron James!"

Skip Bayless, who has recently become a "James fan", immediately started to praise James again when he talked about this topic. He didn't even look at the strange looks of the two people, and continued to praise him with a big grin:
"In fact, James was better than Anthony in his rookie season. We all know that coach Van Gundy just wanted to accumulate talent at the time, which affected the Cavaliers' record."

"Looking at Anthony's performance in recent years, maybe he should return the Rookie of the Year trophy to James!"

"James chose to cut his salary for the championship. His desire for honor far exceeds Anthony's."

Old "Kobe hater" Stephen A. Smith also got excited. As soon as his partner finished speaking, he started to criticize Mamba as usual:
"This is the first time I've seen a star player constantly use his trade veto. Anthony could have teamed up with Stoudemire, but Kobe messed everything up!"

"Anthony was forced to make this choice, and Kobe should be held responsible for it. This is a lose-lose situation, and I feel sad for the fans who love basketball."

"."

One praised James and others' desire for the championship, and the other criticized Kobe's selfishness for getting the Lakers into a quagmire. Dana Jacobson couldn't get a word in. She always felt that the show was broken, and could only complain in her heart:
“Maybe I should rethink my career.”

-

On the morning of Tuesday, September 2010, 9, as Carmelo Anthony and his wife Lala got off the plane, the atmosphere group organized by the Nets was boiling at the airport!
The group did not go to East Rutherford, New Jersey next door first, but followed the team's general manager Billy King and other management directly to the construction site of the Barclays Center.

After arriving at the destination, a smug look appeared on the bald Billy King's face. He has been pushing for Anthony's trade since he officially took office in August.

Now that the goal has been achieved, as the new general manager, Billy King feels that he has won the trust of Russian owner Prokhorov!

The team's CEO Brett Yormark and Vice President of Operations Vandeweghe were also present. When head coach Lawrence Frank saw Anthony, he immediately went up to him and said cordially:
"Mero, welcome to the team! Many fans are waiting for your arrival"

Carmelo Anthony, wearing a floral shirt, looked casual at the moment. Lala was holding her husband's arm, and when they saw the people coming to greet them, they both had smiles on their faces.

Witnessed by New York reporters, Anthony smiled and shook hands with everyone, and finally hugged Jay-Z tightly. The two laughed and looked very happy:
“Welcome to Brooklyn!”

"Bro, I can't wait to come here and play."

Although the team owner was not there, the CEO took on the task of painting a rosy picture. Anthony, wearing helmets, and his team began to visit the Barclays Center which was under construction.

Although it was just a construction site, Anthony was still very happy and couldn't stop smiling. He even dug a few shovels to take photos. Since the Nets have not moved yet, they will continue to play at the Prudential Center, the home of the New Jersey Devils, for the next two seasons.

However, daily training and other matters must be held at the PNY Training Center, so the place to entertain the media had to be back in East Rutherford. When a large number of reporters attended the press conference, it was already afternoon.

Witnessed by numerous media, Anthony held up the Nets' No. 7 jersey and smiled happily, while head coach Lawrence Frank and general manager Billy King clapped their hands repeatedly.

Yesterday, the U.S. men's basketball team defeated Angola in the round of 16. Anthony congratulated the young players as soon as he sat down and said some polite words. The Yahoo Sports reporter immediately added fuel to the fire:
"Melo, the Nets during Kidd's time always encountered embarrassing situations in the playoffs. As long as you face the Knicks, you will lose your home-court advantage."

"What do you think about this? Can you reverse this situation?"

The reporters in the audience were all looking at the people on the stage eagerly. Noticing everyone's gaze, the three of them felt a little embarrassed at this moment. There was no solution to this problem.
"I believe that as the Nets get back on track, we will change this situation. You know, it takes time to rebuild the team culture, and I am here to do this job."

Anthony forced himself to smile and answered the question with a confident look. Seeing that the other party wanted to ask more questions, he immediately added a few more sentences:
"Not everyone is a fan of a championship team. Don't underestimate the charm of basketball!"

"Champions are only part of the NBA. You know, a lot of times, an excellent basketball culture is the key to attracting fans."

This statement almost made the New York reporters at the scene laugh out loud. If it were any other city, everyone would really believe it, but for New York, which has become numb to winning, winning is the best basketball culture.

"If a New York fan talks trash to you, how would you deal with it? Melo, you should have experienced this."

Anthony's face turned black when he heard the reminder from the New York Times reporter. When he was partnering with Iverson, he was repeatedly hit hard by Li You. The two teams had several conflicts and there was even a suspension penalty.

This resulted in him being scolded by New York fans every time he came to Madison Square Garden to play. To this, Anthony could only spread his hands and said in a deep voice:

"Maybe after I lead the Nets to win the championship, I can regain the respect of those fans!"

As if they had heard a joke, some New York reporters began to lower their heads. ESPN reporters seized the opportunity and asked a sensitive question:
"The Hawks also invited you, but you refused to play in Atlanta. Was your choice of the Nets influenced by family factors?"

"I don't want to deny it, you know, I just got married and there's more to life than basketball."

Anthony admitted it frankly, noticing the surprised looks on everyone's faces, and continued seriously:
"In my opinion, joining the Nets is the most difficult road! I am not like some lucky guys who enter the league and play in a big city. For the championship, I can only keep improving myself."

"I don't have MVP teammates, nor good brothers to help me, but I want to grow with the Nets and be able to leave my name on a brand new team. I think this is the best thing!"

"Basketball is not just about championships. I won't play for honors. That's why I chose to come to the Nets."

"."

Anthony became more and more excited as he spoke, and he even moved himself. That's right, he doesn't play basketball to pursue the championship, but to establish an excellent team culture is his goal.

The data and big contracts gained in the process are not important; those are not what he is pursuing at all!
Head coach Lawrence Frank could only smile along. Apart from flattering him, he always felt that Anthony's arrival would make him end his coaching contract early.

General Manager Billy King was worried that the New York reporters would continue to embarrass Anthony, so he quickly took over the conversation and expressed his support for the previous question:
"I don't want to criticize those boring commentators. The 'Big Three' is the worst team building model. Melo is very old-fashioned and he will not make such a decision."

"The Nets will regain their past winning feeling, and returning to the playoffs is our current goal."

"Mero is still young, give him some time and he will prove how good he is!"

"."

With the two of them singing in unison, the press conference ended successfully. Anthony breathed a sigh of relief and when he left everyone's sight, he took the initiative to bump fists with Billy King.

"Looks like we'll have to deal with these annoying New York reporters again in the new season!"

Hearing Anthony's low complaints, Billy Jinhei smiled, shook his head and gossiped in a low voice:
"The Knicks are unlikely to make the playoffs, Bro. This is our chance. Like I told you before, Lee's focus will not be on basketball in the next few years."

"When we move, you'll have a chance to win fans over to us."

Unable to help but imagine playing in the luxurious Barclays Center, Anthony nodded with a smile, hugged his compatriot, and whispered with a smile:
"I'm only 26 years old, time is on my side!"

-

At 9 a.m. on Thursday, September 9, outside Lenox Hill Hospital, Donard, surrounded by many reporters, was dressed in a suit and looked a little tired after staying up late, but he still proudly announced a good news:

"A strong boy! I'm so proud of Ivana, Ronald-Tump, I've already picked a name for him!"

While gesturing to the reporters around him about how strong his daughter was and how beautiful the little one was, Tang Nade deliberately ignored the child's father and expressed his dissatisfaction with Li You for not getting married.

Reporters from Vanity Fair and The New Yorker were secretly delighted by this, as they could gossip about Li You's love life and make fun of Donald, the old scumbag.

The morning Sports Center program did not forget to congratulate Li You. It was another boy. The Li football team is really going to be successful.
Hannah Storm had just reported the gossip about Li You, and her partner Grant Hill talked about the content of yesterday's Miami Herald. The champion forward looked puzzled and spread his hands to the camera:

"The Heat's 'Big Three' started training camp early. After the first day of training, a reporter from the Miami Herald believes that the three have already secured the championship!"

"The three young players once again talked about the 'Decision' in July in an interview."

“Young people think they have chosen the hardest path!”

"."

(End of this chapter)