The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 603 A Good Deal Where Everyone Gets What They Need
In the summer and fall of 1990, Boston Celtics general manager Jane Walker was mired in a quagmire.

Four seasons have passed since they reached the NBA Finals in 1986, and in just four short years, the Green Empire is collapsing at a visible speed.

At the end of the 1986 season, they had the most luxurious five-All-Star lineup in the league, and all of them were in their prime.

However, the Celtics failed to win a single championship in the next four seasons, not even an Eastern Conference title, let alone an NBA championship.

Marquese Johnson, acquired in a trade that used up their 86 second overall pick, faded from professional basketball after his son drowned, leaving only a season and a half with the Celtics.

Larry Bird has been plagued by back injuries and has never been able to deliver an MVP-caliber season again—although he remains one of the best small forwards in the league.

Kevin McHale's decision to play despite a broken leg was indeed heroic, but it also shortened his peak period, and his performance gradually declined after the 87 season.

Robert Parish was 27 years old when he joined the Celtics, and by the 1990 season he was 36. Even though he still had an All-Star level performance, he was not destined to be the one to turn the tide.

After Dennis Johnson finished the 1989-1990 season, Jane Walker was not prepared to offer him a new contract, so Dennis Johnson decided to retire.

This drew some criticism from the Celtics' management, as Dennis Johnson, who had maintained a consistent performance last season, voluntarily gave up his starting position to rookie John Bagley at the age of 35.

When Bagley was sidelined with a dislocated shoulder, Dennis Johnson returned to the starting lineup at a high level, playing a crucial role in holding the veterans together.

Although the Celtics were eliminated by the New York Knicks in the first round, which was a huge blow to the whole team, it was not Dennis Johnson's fault.

The Celtics still managed a respectable 52-30 record in the regular season—a record even better than some championship teams in certain seasons.

This is also the most painful and troubling problem for the Celtics' management right now: if they maintain their roster with veterans at its core, they will still be very competitive in the regular season, and 50 wins will be within their grasp.

However, in the playoffs, they were no match for the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, or even the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference, and the championship became a distant dream.

The Celtics' management faces a difficult choice: whether to maintain this old but still sturdy framework and let it rot until the flesh and skin are completely gone, or to discard the glorious past and rebuild from scratch.

When faced with a crucial decision that would determine the fate of the team, Jane Walker, who became the Celtics' general manager in 1985 and was involved in the Marquese Johnson trade, didn't hesitate much and chose the first path.

This was almost inevitable. Although the second road looked wide and bright from afar, with many unknown landscapes, Walker knew that there was a sign at the intersection that read "Dead End" and a deep cigar burn mark next to it.

That was left by Cardinal Reid Auerbach.

As long as Reid Auerbach is there, the Celtics' team-building and management style will not change easily.

Auerbach dislikes making trades, especially those involving established stars from other cities.

During his illustrious tenure coaching Bill Russell in the 60s, Auerbach made only one major deal: trading Mel Koons for Bailey Howell.

He likes the draft, he likes to sign unknown free agents, and then nurture them from scratch, like painting a blank sheet of paper with green, so that they won't be tainted by other colors.

Auerbach prefers to cultivate not only players, but also a wide range of positions within the Celtics, including coaches, assistant coaches, scouts, and consultants. He selects from retired Celtic players or related personnel and promotes them step by step.

He doesn't like professional managers who have made a name for themselves on other teams, and he doesn't like hiring professionals at high prices—a major reason being that the Celtics don't have the money.

Another reason is that "loyalty" is the quality Auerbach values ​​most, and he strives to make the Boston Celtics a big family, treating players and staff as family members.

Family members are the most trustworthy of each other; they are an unbreakable group.

Jane Walker is a product of this training system. She grew up in Massachusetts, where her father worked at Marshfield Summer Camp (Auerbach's Boy Scouts), providing various equipment for the camp for more than 20 years.

After graduating from Columbia University in 1971, Jane Walker took Auerbach's advice and worked in the Celtic's ticket marketing department, working her way up to where she is today. After Auerbach retired, she became the Celtic's front office manager.

Jane Walker is shrewd and capable, and her work is meticulous. Her years of experience have given her familiarity with all departments and staff within the Celtics team, and she has a thorough understanding of the team's operations.

At the same time, Jan Walker lacked imagination and creativity in team management and did not have many of his own ideas, so he was Auerbach's perfect "white glove" and never overstepped the rules and boundaries set by the cardinal.

For the past few seasons, Jane Walker has implemented the Celtics' strategy set by Auerbach, never seriously considering breaking up the frontcourt trio that Auerbach had created, and has been trying to develop a new successor through the draft.

The Celtics' draft picks have been quite successful, with Reggie Lewis and Brian Shaw being considered good choices made by the Celtics despite their relatively low draft positions.

However, the Celtics' outdated ideas about how to cultivate them and infuse them with "green blood" clashed sharply with the ideas of the new generation of players and the new NBA salary environment.

To Bostonians, it is a special honor for a player to "become a Celtic".

The green Celtics are different from other teams. Wearing this jersey and playing in Boston Garden means carrying the team's glorious history on your shoulders. It is a responsibility, a tradition, and an honor.

Therefore, the Celtics management never imagined that a player, after being drafted by the Celtics, would choose to leave and not sign with the Celtics.

In 1979, Larry Bird, a super talent who was famous throughout the United States, was drafted by the Celtics. However, he was also exploited by Auerbach and attacked by the Boston media in a lot of articles because of the rookie contract negotiations. He was under mental pressure from all the Boston fans and finally had to sign the contract and become a member of the glorious Celtics.

In 1983, when Kevin McHale became a free agent, the Knicks offered him a three-year, $3.6 million contract. Auerbach retained McHale with a four-year, $4 million contract—a contract with an annual salary lower than that of the Knicks.

In reality, the Knicks were willing to offer McHale a five-year, $7 million mega-contract, but McHale refused.

As an old-school player, he wanted to stay with the Celtics and win a championship there, rather than go to the bigger city of New York to be the boss and get a super contract.

But by 1990, times had changed. With the continuous efforts of the players' union, the constant improvement of the rules by David Stern, and the changing social atmosphere and values, the Boston Celtics' aura in the eyes of young players was fading. The old trick of pressuring players to sign cheap contracts with historical heritage and a spirit of glory was no longer effective.

Jane Walker ran into trouble in several draft and signing issues involving rookie players because he continued the arrogance of the Boston Celtics, assuming that young players would obediently submit once they were drafted, happily donning heavy green jerseys and playing and performing at the dilapidated Boston Garden, contributing their youthful years.

No, young people are starting to learn to say no, especially with the help of a new generation of agents, they are beginning to have new ideas.

The first player to give Jane Walker and the Celtics management a major headache was Brian Shaw, a talented guard from Oakland who was selected by the Celtics in the first round, 24th overall, in 1988.

He played for Boston for one season in 1988-1989, averaging 8.6 points, 5.6 assists and 1 steal per game. He was a pretty good point guard and was considered by the Celtics as a future starting point guard, someone worth developing.

But as a first-round pick, his salary in his first year was only $7.5, and he only signed a one-year contract.

In contrast, guard David Rivers, who was selected 25th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers and ranked one pick lower, averaged 2.9 points and 2.3 assists per game, and his first-year salary was $20.

From the perspective of the Celtics' management, being able to play for the Celtics itself represents high value, so it's normal for the pay to be a little less.

In the 1989 offseason, Jane Walker offered Brian Shaw a $55 contract, also for one year, to play the entire 1989-1990 season.

As a result, on the advice of his agent Leonard Almato, Brian Shaw rejected the Celtics' insulting offer and instead chose to play in Italy.

According to the collective bargaining agreement, the Celtics have the priority right to sign Brian Shaw, and with similar offers, it will be difficult for other teams to snatch Shaw from the Celtics.

However, this agreement only applies to NBA teams and has no effect on overseas teams. Brian Shaw, now a free agent, can certainly play in Europe.

Italian club Il Messaggero offered Brian Shaw a two-year, $200 million contract, a huge difference between the two offers.

Moreover, there are fewer matches to play in Europe, the travel time is shorter, the matches are easier, and the taxes are lower, so Brian Shaw didn't hesitate much and chose to go to Italy.

Brian Shaw's decision infuriated Auerbach, who could not tolerate anyone "betraying" the Celtics in this way.

At the same time, he couldn't understand why Brian Shaw would give up the glory of being a member of the Celtics and the opportunity to be a member of this warm family.

However, times have changed. In this failed attempt to sign Brian Shaw, Jan Walker revealed his slowness and complacency. After learning that the Italian club had offered a higher price, he gave up on pursuing Brian Shaw, causing Celtic to lose a promising young player for nothing.

In 1990, Jan Walker had a chance to redeem himself: Brian Shaw had a great year in Italy, but he was homesick, missed America, and wanted to return to the NBA.

The Celtics still retain the priority right to sign Brian Shaw, and Shaw's contract with the Messenger includes a clause that allows him to opt out of the second year.

Upon learning this news, Jane Walker held detailed discussions with Brian Shaw and decided to offer him a four-year, million-dollar contract.

The first year's contract was $120 million, increasing by $10 each year thereafter, plus a $40 signing bonus, and the forgiveness of a $5 loan Brian Shaw took out with the Celtics during his rookie season.

The contract amount was quite substantial. After Brian Shaw verbally agreed, Jane Walker immediately flew to Rome, where Brian Shaw signed the contract in the presence of lawyers and notaries. He would represent the Celtics in the 1990-1991 season.

Just as Jane Walker breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it wasn't too late to mend the fence after the sheep were lost—although the contract came at a great cost, another change occurred.

As the new season was about to begin, Brian Shaw wavered again, this time swayed by an ambitious African-American basketball agent from Los Angeles, Jerome Stanley.

Stanley was previously Leonard Almato's assistant, and he has a strong influence over Brian Shaw.

After Brian Shaw signed a return contract with the Celtics, Stanley told Shaw that if he waited another season, the Celtics would no longer have the priority to sign Shaw.

As an experienced and strong guard, Brian Shaw will have the opportunity to test the free agent market, listen to offers from across the league, and maximize his potential.

At Stanley's urging, Brian Shaw informed the Celtics through his lawyer that he would not cancel his second-year contract with the Messenger and would remain in Italy instead of returning to play for the Celtics.

Jane Walker and Reid Auerbach were furious at Brian Shaw's flip-flopping. They were enraged. "You've already signed the contract and taken the signing bonus, and now you want to go back on your word?"
Brian Shaw stated that he would return the full signing bonus and claimed that his lawyer was not present at the signing ceremony, and that he was coerced and influenced by unfavorable rhetoric before signing the contract. Shaw intends to take the matter to court, but given the notoriously lengthy legal process in the United States, a court trial would undoubtedly jeopardize the Celtics' plans for the 1990-1991 season.

But the trouble Jerome Stanley brought to the Celtics didn't stop there. This summer, the Celtics had two other very important tasks: one was to extend the contract of their promising core guard Reggie Lewis, and the other was to sign guard Dee Brown, who was selected in the 1990 NBA Draft.

Unfortunately, Reggie Lewis and Dee Brown's agent is Jerome Stanley.

Influenced by Jerome Stanley, Reggie Lewis, the Celtics' carefully cultivated forward and guard star, has made it clear that if the Celtics cannot offer him a satisfactory contract when his contract expires next year, he will leave Boston and seek a suitable contract from another team.

Therefore, he refused to sign an early contract extension with the Celtics in the summer of 1990, retaining the right to become a free agent in 1991.

This shocked the entire Celtics management, and Stanley thus became the Celtics' nightmare this summer.

Previously, when Stanley, as Almato's assistant, came to Boston to negotiate with the Celtics' management, he never received the respect he deserved.

The Celtics' white executives rarely shook hands with him, their eyes barely lingering on him; in their eyes, he was nothing more than a West Coast nigger, a lackey for others.

Now, Stanley, as the representative of the Celtics' most valuable future asset, sits before the arrogant Auerbach, Jan Walker, and others, slamming his shoe on the table like Khrushchev, and tells them: "My players will no longer accept your paltry offers. If you want to keep them, offer enough money and long enough contracts. Boston dollars are the same as Los Angeles, Cleveland, Miami, and Houston dollars; they're not worth any more!"

Stanley's arrival has plunged the Celtics, who are known for their opportunistic buying and selling strategy and their ability to bind talented players with cheap contracts, into a quagmire, making their rebuilding plan extremely difficult.

Even under these circumstances, someone still jumped out to kick them while they were down, making the Celtics' situation even worse.

This person is Larry Fleischer's son, Mark Fleischer.

In 1989, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Vlade Divac in the NBA draft, causing the Lakers' draft plans to fall through.

In restitution, Don Nelson selected Dino Raja, a center also from Yugoslavia, which caused the Celtics' draft plans to fall through.

Auerbach was furious. Dino Raja was an important part of the Celtics' rebuilding plan and was considered a potential replacement for Kevin McHale as the new low-post monster.

The Trail Blazers' hijacking of the deal triggered a chain reaction, leaving the Celtics empty-handed.

However, the Lakers also fared poorly, as Raja still had a contract in Europe, negotiations broke down, and Raja remained in Yugoslavia.

In this situation, Don Nelson did a favor by trading Raja's signing rights to the Celtics.

After all, Nelson was a former Celtics legend and had some connection with Auerbach.

After acquiring Raja's signing rights, the Celtics negotiated with Raja's former club in Yugoslavia, KK-split, and through a series of terms, bought out Raja's contract and then signed a new contract with him.

Jane Walker completed this operation, believing he had Raja secured, and then focused his efforts on signing Brian Shaw and Reggie Lewis.

However, the Celtics made a mistake: when they acquired Raja's draft rights, Raja was already under contract with the Lakers.

After negotiating with KK-split, they amended the contract, changing the amount for the first year to $37 and for the following two years to $45.

This fatal mistake was seized upon by Mark Fleischer, who took over Raja's agent position from Garth Ritchie in April 1990 and began working on a contract between Raja and the Celtics.

According to the 1988 Collective Bargaining Agreement, once a rookie player signs a contract with a team, the terms of his contract are fixed and cannot be modified before the contract expires.

The main purpose of this is to prevent some newcomers from demanding exorbitant prices and then reneging on their contracts after signing, demanding additional amounts or contract lengths, in order to protect the team's interests.

Unexpectedly, the Celtics made a mistake; they overlooked the fact that Raja's contract with the Lakers was traded to the Celtics along with the Lakers' contract.

When they went to negotiate with KK-split, they signed a new contract with added clauses and revised amounts, violating the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.

Mark Fleischer decided to exploit this loophole and sue the Celtics, asking the court to declare the Celtics' contract with Raja invalid.

Mark's father, Larry Fleischer, had a strained relationship with Auerbach, and although Auerbach later tried to mend things, it didn't work out.

Cardinal Mark Fleischer had always wanted to invite Forrest Gump to a Chinese meal in Boston, but the meal never took place before Larry Fleischer's death, and naturally, Fleischer didn't have a good impression of the Celtics.

Of course, the personal discord was not the key issue; the key issue was that the Italian messengers wanted Raja, which was their revenge against the Celts.

During negotiations with the Celtics regarding Brian Shaw, the Messenger reported that the Celtics' management disliked the arrogant Celtics management, who showed no interest in the legendary Green Army.

The Celtics were once invincible in the American sports environment, and Auerbach had many tricks up his sleeve. However, in the international basketball environment, in Europe, his methods were ineffective.

Larry Fleischer has cultivated his overseas connections for many years, and he has passed on his network and experience to his son. Mark Fleischer, representing the Messenger team, dealt a heavy blow to the Celtics.

Currently, Jane Walker faces multiple difficulties: Brian Shaw doesn't want to come back, Reggie Lewis doesn't want to renew his contract, Dino Raja's contract has expired, and Dee Brown is demanding a high price (Stanley is asking for a contract with a minimum annual salary of $50 for Dee Brown).

In addition, the Celtics have not yet decided on a coach. Jane Walker tried to invite Duke University's head coach Mike Krzyzewski to coach the team, but was rejected.

With no players and no coach, the Celtics' new season is a complete mess.

Reid Auerbach's old methods are completely ineffective, and the Celtics, this old ship, are struggling to navigate the ocean of the new era.

If these issues aren't resolved, the Celtics' training camp will be problematic in itself, and without a solid training camp, the state of the new season is predictable.

Just when Jane Walker was in a terrible predicament, a phone call came from Portland; it was Jerry West.

"Oh, Jerry? It's you. That's surprising. I'm glad you'd call."

“I was also surprised that I would call you.”

West never expected that he would call the Celtics' general manager's office to discuss a big deal.

In the past, if Jane Walker received a call from West, she would have made a sarcastic remark and then hung up.

The situation is different now; Jane Walker needs any possible lifeline to salvage the current crisis.

"I hope you're not here to mock me; everyone knows we're in trouble."

"I don't have the time for that. I'd like to offer some feasible solutions and suggestions."

"Why don't you tell me..."
-
In September 1990, the big news of Charles Barkley being traded to the Suns shocked the league.

The departure of a superstar forward to the West has strengthened the Western Conference, giving the Portland Trail Blazers a formidable challenger.

But soon, a trade by the Trail Blazers also shocked teams across the league, with The New York Times claiming that "Jerry West is laying a solid foundation for the Trail Blazers dynasty."

The Portland Trail Blazers traded their Yugoslavian center Vlade Divac and shooting guard Jeff Hornacek to the Boston Celtics in exchange for shooting guard Reggie Lewis, forward Ed Pinckney, and priority signing rights to center Dino Raja.

Following the completion of this trade, the Celtics, following Jerry West's advice, withdrew Brian Shaw's contract dispute from the court and submitted it to the league for arbitration.

League arbitration is much faster than court arbitration; this is a procedure established by the 1988 Collective Bargaining Agreement that can quickly resolve conflicts between players and teams.

The league appointed Professor Daniel Collins to conduct a hearing to handle the dispute. After repeated appeals and arbitration hearings, the league ruled that Brian Shaw's contract with the Celtics was valid and that Brian Shaw must play for the Celtics.

Following that, Jerry West contacted Mark Fleischer through Agan's connections. After discussing with Fleischer, they decided to trade Raja to the Trail Blazers (since Divac went to Boston, he would certainly not be able to get along with Divac). The Trail Blazers retained Raja's signing rights but let him go to play for the Italian Messenger team.

With Raja on the roster, the Messenger reported that the team's need for Brian Shaw was not as great. They told Brian Shaw not to insist on exercising his second year contract and to stay in Boston and play well.

Brian Shaw received the league's arbitration and the messenger's message from the team, which made him give up on staying in Italy to play. With no other choice, he went to the Celtics' training camp for the new season.

Reggie Lewis had one year and $40 left on his contract, so he went to the deep-pocketed Portland Trail Blazers, and the Celtics didn't have to worry about contract renewals for the 1991 season.

As an alternative, Jeff Hornacek is exactly the kind of low-key white guard the Celtics like, and he definitely has the potential to be an All-Star.

As for Divac, a versatile center, he brought much-needed energy to the Celtics' frontcourt, something the Celtics management desperately wanted.

In addition to resolving the locker room crisis ahead of schedule, the Trail Blazers finally filled the gap in their forward and guard positions, which lacked defense and athleticism, with the 6-foot-7 Reggie Lewis.

This can be considered a good deal where everyone gets what they need, resulting in a better allocation of resources.

Moreover, everyone knows that Reggie Lewis was specifically created for Michael Jordan.

It is said that after seeing Lewis traded to the Trail Blazers, Bulls general manager Jerry Krause was so angry that he cursed loudly in his office, throwing whatever he was holding.

After venting his anger, the obese man sat in his office in a daze, then picked up the phone and called his boss, Rheinsdorf, asking, "Boss, can we think of a way to trade for Akim Olajuwon?"

(End of this chapter)