NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 811 It's Time to Change the Secondary GOAT! (Daily Chapter)

On Saturday, October 15, 2011, many NBA players gathered in Manhattan as usual. Basketball Lee was fully booked, as everyone liked to come here to exercise.

New Yorkers also love to come here to join the fun, amateur basketball enthusiasts can test their skills against star players, and sports media have also started to gather in New York.

The bloodshed during the "Occupy Wall Street" protests didn't affect this area; sports fans failed to empathize with those "victims."

Everyone's been going crazy over this lately, because Michael Jordan, the vice GOAT, pulled off something big!
Just a few days ago, at the labor negotiations, Mike's, along with more than 10 other business owners, formed a new group and directly opposed the impending agreement.
"Nobody's interested in more than 50%!"

Following Li You's recent proposal of a "rich man's line," David Stern and Billy Hunter both believe that negotiations are 95% complete, and the new season is expected to restart at the end of the month.

Unfortunately, the mid-month meeting backfired spectacularly, with half of the bosses turning against them and even overturning the previous 50/50 profit-sharing ratio, making an unusually tough and defiant statement:
"47% is the percentage that players should receive; the previous agreement made us uneasy."

Bobcats owner Michael Jordan was the most adamant in his stance. The vice GOAT, who had previously remained silent, failed to side with the players. After the contents of the meeting were leaked by relevant sources, the players were all shocked!

I thought Mike would definitely support me, but I was betrayed instead.
Some players who were preparing for the new season were so angry that they took sarcastic remarks on Twitter, while some "straightforward" guys even went so far as to publicly criticize their former idols.

On Saturday afternoon, a group of NBA players had just finished their day's scrimmage at Basketball Lee. When interviewed by New York reporters, Nick Young, when asked about the recent Twitter controversy, grinned widely and angrily responded:
"My account wasn't hacked! Dude, listen, that's what I wanted to say. I don't care about Michael Jordan. For young guys like us, Lee is the real GOAT!"

"As members of the union, we have the right to express our views."

Nick Young, sporting a buzz cut, lost his smile, and the surrounding players began to heckle. Paul George, who had recently responded positively on Twitter, also stepped forward to speak out:
"Michael Jordan was great, but he has now betrayed us. As Charles Barkley said, he was not a good owner. The Bobcats were a mess, and nobody wanted to play there!"

"."

Seeing Paul George's support, Nick Young was completely energized and started a new round of attacks. Jimmy Butt, who recently returned to New York, glanced around and quietly moved behind the crowd.

The rookie clearly didn't want to get involved in this mess, and as for Lance Stephenson, who was shouting along, he could only wish his teammate good luck; offending the "Jordan" brand was definitely not something he wanted to do.

After the New York reporters left satisfied, a smug look appeared on Paul George's dark face. He loved being an opinion leader; it felt fantastic.
"Bro, I believe in you. That 'son of Jordan' is a coward. A guy like that will leave the league sooner or later!"

“If you can’t stand New York, you can come to Indiana. Here you won’t have to train like crazy, no one in the locker room has special privileges, and Danny is a good guy, you’ll like him.”

Stephenson, who was changing his gear, was deeply moved by Paul George's heartfelt words. Nobody cared about him in New York; he'd been invisible all season, and the rookie was about to reach his breaking point.
“Yee! I’ll consider it, Bro. Seriously, those superstars don’t care about small fry like us.”

"You know, playing in New York isn't that great. The fans here are crazy; they don't care about basketball at all. What they care about is winning."

Stephenson involuntarily lowered his voice as he spoke, glancing around with wide eyes, seemingly worried about running into members of the New York fan club. He was terrified of those lunatics.

A look of interest appeared on his dark face. Paul George asked questions in a low voice from time to time. Nick Young glanced at John Wall and the others not far away, and seeing that the rookie was also moving away from them, he started to show off again:
"Actually, we all know that the luxury tax reform proposed by Lee was also intended to limit young teams. Towards the end of his career, he also began to worry that someone could replicate the Knicks' experience."

"That's how it is when you get old; you start to protect your own interests."

"If the opponents in the finals hadn't been so weak, Li might not have been able to win so many championships. But it's always a good thing, after all, not everyone can play in big cities. Li is still on the side of ordinary players."

"."

This time, Stephenson remained silent. He knew perfectly well whether his opponent was too weak or Li You was too strong.

It was common for him to take on five opponents at once during training sessions, and he could even beat the main players in the atmosphere-building group. He had experienced this scenario for a whole season, and the newbie already had a clear understanding of Li You's strength.

"As long as the luxury tax is implemented, we will be able to achieve great things sooner or later! If Li could defeat Michael Jordan in the twilight of his career, young people can defeat him in the same way."

"That's how the NBA evolves and changes generations."

Paul George, now a vocal opinion leader, began to boast again, but he was interrupted halfway through his sentence by a group of Black golfers who had gathered around. Seemingly dissatisfied with his remarks, several of them shouted:
"Hey buddy, show some respect! Who do you think you are?"

"The Knicks will soon surpass the Celtics. Don't talk nonsense about winning the championship; you'll end up like that clown Reggie Miller, never touching a trophy in your entire life."

"Do you know whose territory this is? New York doesn't welcome you!"

Upon seeing the familiar faces of several members of the New York fan club, Stephenson immediately ran away. It wasn't that he was cowardly, but rather that his mind was in trouble for trying to fight against a mentally ill person.

Nick Young, who was shoved, panicked a bit. While being an opinion leader is good, the thought of potentially being targeted by New York fans in the future forced him to force a smile and, once again, become a fence-sitter, loudly responding:

"Guys, I'm a huge fan of Lee too."

-

On Sunday the 16th, ESPN continued to report on this week's labor dispute in its morning program, but this time the focus was on several young players.

Right after Michael Jordan's firm opposition, Nick Young was the first to publicly announce on Twitter, "I will never wear Jordan's shoes again," followed by Paul George's sharp comment:

"Damn MJ! Is this what you wanted to see? You ruined everyone's hard work."

Another rookie player, Klay Thompson, retweeted an even sharper comment, the content of which broke the hearts of many Michael Jordan fans:

"Would Michael Jordan have done that in 1996? Maybe he's been hiding his true self all along; he's a complete hypocrite."

Using the term "Straight hypocrite" might seem a bit extreme, but Paul George and others reached a consensus, and under their influence, many players followed suit and even began to boycott the Jordan brand.

In this context, the program team connected with Dwyane Wade, a well-known star player under Jordan's management, this morning. The public wanted to see if the Flash would also boycott, making the situation even more absurd.

Host Grant Hill didn't make things difficult for Wade, asking very friendly questions. The Flash was clearly not a "naive newbie," calmly responding when asked about branding:

"I don't need to be involved in all of this. After losing the finals, I obviously have more important work to do!"

"As for Nick Young's decision, that's his responsibility. He can make any choice he wants. This situation won't affect me. Honestly, all I'm thinking about is the championship."

"Of course, I am also disappointed that the games cannot resume at the end of the month. I would like to call on everyone to get back to the negotiating table, which is what the fans are looking forward to."

"Let's keep basketball pure. As players, we should focus on what we're supposed to do. I can't wait to get back on the court."

Having undergone nearsightedness surgery during the offseason and then minor knee repairs, Wade was in excellent form during a recent scrimmage in Miami. He is one of the players most eager to return to the court at the end of the month.

"I agree with you, Bro. We all know the Heat's situation. You are the only team that hasn't lost any players yet."

Grant Hill smiled and praised the Heat's situation, noting that while most teams had already started playing overseas, Miami was actively conducting training camps, a unique practice in the league: "Let's talk about LeBron and the others. I know he recently went to England. Do you have any training plans recently?"

James, who recently became a minority shareholder of Liverpool FC, flew to England this weekend. The chosen one plans to expand his influence like Li You, and naturally wouldn't miss the big event of the "North-West Derby".

"Of course, I've been training with Trish recently. You know, it's more difficult for veterans to maintain their physical condition, and I have an obligation to help them."

"I believe the new season will officially start soon, and we will not relax during this time. Continuing to cultivate 'chemistry' is our most important task."

"."

The connection was a great success, and Wade remained "loyal." As for boycotting the Jordan brand, only a fool would do that. The influence of the Hook in the league is well known to players who have been in the league for many years.

This morning, Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski continued his feature, but instead of analyzing proportions as usual, he shared some gossip:

"Michael Jordan has had enough of Charles Barkley's criticism, and their friendship is on the verge of collapse."

This incident, where Michael Jordan led the opposition to players receiving too much of the playing time, was just the trigger. Since Barkley became a big mouth, the relationship between the two has gradually deteriorated.

Michael Jordan didn't directly respond to his friend's criticism, but Barkley recently said that the two hadn't spoken for months, which is enough to prove that their friendship has indeed run into problems.

However, this situation does not stop Charles Barkley from continuing to generate buzz. With the popularity of many well-known stars plummeting, the big mouth is in dire need of new topics, and making fun of his friends is a routine operation.

Fox Sports did the same, seizing on hot topics and proactively revealing the views of a well-known agent who wished to remain anonymous:

"Jordan's stance is hypocritical! I would never let any of my players play for the Bobcats."

"."

LeBron James, who is still in England, praised Liverpool yesterday for their loss, saying the Merseyside derby was very exciting and he enjoyed watching it. He did not comment on the vice-GOAT.

In the afternoon, while onlookers were still waiting for other legends to follow suit, James suddenly updated his Twitter, showing the chosen one's responsibility in a crucial moment:

"I disagree with MJ's point of view. In fact, the players should receive at least 53%, which is what we deserve."

“As a new generation leader, I know that this ratio is difficult to achieve, so accepting 50/50 is the best option. We need competition.”

“MJ was great, but his era is long over. Lee changed basketball, and after this labor negotiation, the league will usher in a new era.”

After posting three tweets in a row, many players expressed their support on social media. Li You proposed the "tycoon line," James advocated for proportionality, and the chosen one has seemingly become the new vice GOAT!

After the "fall" of veteran stars like Kobe and Duncan, LeBron James, who suffered from "biased refereeing," is trending towards becoming a "tragic hero."
As for Nowitzki, the German simply doesn't deserve to be the vice GOAT!
-

On Monday, October 17, 2011, the NBA confirmed that the two sides would not return to the negotiating table this week. The owners' representatives did not compromise because of James's words, and the players' union also began to make exorbitant demands.

The returning chosen ones are on the move, and player representatives will gather in Los Angeles this week to discuss potential future scenarios.

Led by Matt Bartelstein, several well-known agents, including Jeff Schwartz and Leon Rose, will also join the meeting. Everyone believes that the negotiations will most likely end soon, and the free agency market will open quickly.

That morning, the 7th Annual Value Investing Conference was also held as scheduled at the Marriott Hotel in Times Square, New York City, with many major hedge funds in attendance.

The conference also attracted more than 600 well-known investors, along with financial journalists from multiple countries. Around 9 a.m., the banquet hall became a bustling hub for taking photos.

Unlike sports media, The Wall Street Journal is more concerned with Li You's assets and life, and many people were excited after it was confirmed that Ax Capital would also participate.

Since the financial crisis, many industry insiders have noticed that several YT Capital firms seem to be joining forces to boycott Li You and Bobby, and the two sides are arguing more and more.

Before the investment conference even started, David Einhorn, founder of Greenlight Capital, who is also known for shorting Lehman Brothers, made a sarcastic statement to reporters:
"I'm planning to give some people a surprise."

Bill Ackman of Pershing Square was equally ill-intentioned. As one of the "face representatives" of the conference, he didn't say anything good about Ackman Capital either, alluding to the recent raid by the Alliance Securities Committee.

"The investor conference is also an opportunity to correct people's prejudices against us. You should know that not everyone likes insider trading."

“Excellent investment philosophy and sound data models are the right way.”

As for Jim Chanos, Leon Cooperman, and other well-known industry veterans, although they did not express their opinions, they were not very welcoming of Ax Capital's arrival.

If it weren't for the investors' insistence, it would have been difficult to see Li You and Bobby at this internal meeting.

Around 10 o'clock, Li Youcai appeared before the reporters, seemingly unaware that his colleagues were not welcoming him, and still jokingly said to the Wall Street Journal reporter:
“We’ve wanted to attend the investment conference for a long time, but we haven’t been able to get an invitation before. Fortunately, we’ve been doing quite well in recent years, and Ax Capital has prepared some gifts for our visit this time.”

Li You, dressed in a black suit, was almost identical to Bill Ackerman, the only difference being the red scarf on his chest.

On the other side, Bobby, dressed in a gray suit, was shaking hands with several old friends when he entered the banquet hall. He noticed Bill Ackman engaged in lively conversation with several investors and immediately quipped in a low voice:
"If they could guess what we're planning, would they still have extended the invitation?"

As Li You was about to sit down, he saw David Einhorn, with short black hair, looking in their direction. After giving him a friendly smile, Li You responded in a low voice:

"I think they will definitely regret it."

At 10:00 AM, the investor conference officially began, with a brief speech by 68-year-old Leon Cooperman, the founder of Goldman Sachs' asset management division and Omega Advisors.

As the old man reviewed the financial environment of recent years, Li You, sitting in the front row, didn't forget to applaud. When Bobby was the first to stand on the stage and start his speech, a low murmur quickly rose in the banquet hall.

Many financial journalists also realized something was wrong; what they thought was a symbolic speech turned out to be a PowerPoint presentation.

Standing behind the black podium, Bobby deliberately glanced at David Einhorn and Bill Ackerman, noticing their surprised expressions, before slowly continuing to scroll through the beautifully designed PowerPoint presentation.

"Today I want to share Green Mountain Coffee's successful business model."

David Einhorn, who was planning to short Green Mountain Coffee, was stunned. He swore he had never revealed any information and looked incredulously at Li You's name in the bottom right corner of the PowerPoint presentation.
How did they know all this?

"."

(End of this chapter)