Champion, please stay!

Chapter 92, Section 90: A Variety of Teammates
Yi Shui understood Walsh's team-building plan, which had clear goals and a well-defined direction.

Moreover, it was already public knowledge—to develop young players and target the 2010 free agency market.

The direction of the transaction is to focus on developing Yi Shui's team and clearing salary space.

The contracts were executed well, and the newly signed contracts, except for rookies, were all for 1-2 years; the contracts of players acquired through trades also expired in 09 or 10.

Previously, Yi Shui thought that Chalmers, Curry, and Duhon, one pure point guard and two combo guards, all had shooting ability, so they were alright and there wouldn't be much conflict.

But when he saw the list, he remembered that there was also Nate Robinson, who averaged 12 points per game in his third year.

When trading for the 11th overall pick, they also acquired Jamal Tinsley, who was part of the Pacers' "extra" lineup and averaged 11.9 points and 8.4 assists per game last season.

Current Knicks roster:

Guards: Chalmers, Curry, Duhon, Nate Robinson, Jamal Tinsley, Marquese Daniels, Quentin Richardson.

Forwards: Yi Shui, Wilson Chandler, David Lee, Al Harrington, Jared Jeffries.

Centers: Eddie Curry, Jerome James.

These two centers, Isaiah Thomas's masterpiece, could be displayed in a museum to showcase the folly of assassins.

Yi Shui had heard about the idea behind forming this combination, which was to emulate the very successful Nowitzki + Dampier combination of the Mavericks in the 04-05 season, one for offense and one for defense.

This is a legacy issue, and there's not much that can be done except wait for the contract to expire or buy it out.

Forwards David Lee (05 draft class) and Wilson Chandler (07 draft class) are among the few good moves by the Assassin, both being late first-round picks. However, in 06, he signed Jeffries to a 5-year, $3000 million contract, adding another bad contract to his arsenal.

When Walsh cleared out the two lone wolves in the backcourt, he brought back Al Harrington, thus completing the five-man rotation for the forward line.

At shooting guard, Big Q has a good shot and was personally trained by D'Antoni, so he's ready to go right away; Marquez Daniels is a good defender, can score, and has the ability to organize the offense, making him an excellent backup. He's a bit pricey, but it's his contract year, and the team isn't short of luxury tax.

But there's one more point guard than mahjong player!
Hearing Yi Shui's question, Walsh said, "We won't keep Tinsley. We signed Chris Duhon to ensure we have a strong enough starting point guard. He has years of playoff experience and can help you, Stephen, David, and others."

Another purpose of choosing so many point guards is to use actual games to select the point guard that suits you.

You are very fast, perhaps suited to a fast-paced offense, so we kept Nate.

Mario was the best player we could select at the time. He was very effective immediately and was well-suited for positional play.

Stephen has tremendous talent, and we look forward to him becoming your best assistant.

Hearing the president's patient explanation, Yi Shui suddenly felt that being doubted about one's intelligence wasn't all bad...

However, Curry is highly valued, and the number of players at the point guard and shooting guard positions is overflowing.

He thought of the Warriors team from 2009 to 2012, which also had a lot of guards.

Is this meant to increase the level of competition for Curry?
With the point guard position already planned, Yi Shui didn't elaborate further. He then asked the next question: "Shouldn't we be signing a center for our 15th player? Have we found a candidate yet?"

Walsh replied, "Yes, we already have someone in mind. We contacted him a long time ago, and he is currently being evaluated by us."

In terms of trades, our top priority right now is to trade for an athletic center.

However, we'll be playing a mini-roster without a center next season, using a forward as center, which Mike excels at.

D'Antoni, who was standing nearby, responded with a nod of agreement.

Yi Shui's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "Donnie, the striker you're talking about, you wouldn't happen to be me, would you?"

Walsh chuckled and said, "We can't bear to part with them. We're not Westerhead. David is a bit slow at power forward, and Jared is tall enough, so we'll have them play more at center."

I've heard of Paul Westherd.

The former Lakers head coach made Magic Johnson, in his second year, play in the paint, which resulted in Magic Johnson missing the rest of the season and ultimately being fired.

A rookie coach won a championship in his first season and had a great reputation. After being fired by the Lakers, Magic Johnson was criticized for a year. However, he won 20 games in 3 consecutive years after switching teams, showing people with his actions that he was really not capable and that the championship was purely due to Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Yi Shui is fine now. Keep listening; it's always good to learn more about the team's plans.

Moreover, the president and head coach had a very detailed and patient conversation, and he did learn some professional things.

...

Yi Shui returned to a life of constant practice.

The Olympics, although a bit of a hassle, were truly educational, allowing me to witness all sorts of different basketball styles.

During this time, he took some time to go back to school to officially complete his senior year registration; he also visited some of the houses that Bartelstein's people had investigated and selected during his mornings when he wasn't training.

Yi Shui initially liked the houses on the Upper East Side; the style was somewhat retro, very much like the New York seen in movies. However, he felt the people there were very pretentious, and after hearing from his real estate agent that most people there were like that, he decided to give up. The Upper West Side is close to Wall Street, has a strong art scene, and is very quiet, but it is said to have a higher crime rate and a higher number of suspected mentally ill people, given the large number of artists.

He originally intended to 'control the budget', but after spending several mornings choosing a place, he ended up in Tribeca, the most expensive area in the city, and found a townhouse he liked.

The house was renovated starting in 06 and was completed last year. Before the owner could even live in it, he was forced to sell it due to a cash flow crisis.

The house is beautiful, and the homeowner or the designer they hired has good taste.

The location is good; according to actual measurements, it takes 7 minutes to drive from Madison Square Garden during off-peak hours.

Security is good. The property management fee is expensive, but the service matches the price.

The privacy is quite good for a townhouse.

The only downside is that it's expensive.

This building has a floor area of ​​just over 6000 square feet, or a little over 560 square meters, and costs 1200 million.

The 10% of the total endorsement signing fee that Hook received was 966 million. After deducting 45% of the first year's endorsement fee and 8% commission, there was still 621 million left. In total, more than three-quarters of it will be spent.

Moreover, in the Upper East Side and Upper West Side, people who want to sell their houses have lowered their prices in the past two years, but this townhouse, which was forced to be sold, saw its price increase by $50 this summer.

It's convenient for commuting to and from get off work, and when my parents come to visit, it's convenient whether they're going to watch a game at the stadium or going on a trip... Yi Shui checked his account balance and decided to buy it!
He had heard in his 'past life' that property prices in this area were rising even during the pandemic, so buying there was definitely a sure thing.

The specific transactions are handled by the brokerage firm's experts and professional real estate managers; any interior modifications he wants are also handled by professionals who help with design, planning, and construction, so he doesn't have to worry about it.

A few days later, Yi Shui had just paid the deposit and signed all the contracts... That very night, his purchase of a house in Manhattan was exposed by the media.

New York fans went wild, and bar and nightclub owners thanked him.

After the Olympics, New York fans' love and expectations for the Yi River have increased even further!
8场比赛，合计175分、67板、27助攻、13抢断、29盖帽，场均21.9分8.4板3.4助攻1.6抢断3.6盖帽，投篮命中率44.9%，三分命中率38.4%，罚球命中率80%。

Both their offense and defense have made them wildly popular with New York fans.

Even so, there are still media outlets that can find something to say.

An ESPN columnist commented, "Playing well in the Olympics doesn't guarantee success in the NBA. Two years ago, Milicic performed like a superstar in Japan, but he's still a bust in the NBA."

These remarks were quite malicious and sparked heated discussions and debates.

However, this time Bartelstein did not use media resources and also kept Dolan and Walsh from making their move.

"I believe in Brook's ability. Let these doubts continue to ferment and raise people's expectations. No matter what the expectations are, they will all become our wealth the day Brook steps onto the court."

After this three-way meeting between the player, the team, and the agent, Yi Shui's assessment of the agent was refreshed—not only greedy, but also a gambling addict.

But he liked this approach.

As September drew to a close, Yi Shui, who spent all his time at Madison Square Garden, saw his teammates gradually returning to the team and starting training.

His teammates had differing opinions when they saw the number one draft pick.

David Lee greeted Yi Shui normally, offered some advice on what it's like to be a big star in New York, and they exchanged contact information.

When Yi Shui saw the address, he remembered that this was a rich second-generation, an "old money" man living in the Upper East Side.

Da Q is like a clown. He competed with Yi Shui in a three-pointer contest. After winning, he banged his head and laughed wildly. After losing to Curry in a three-pointer contest, he collapsed in the corner, looking like a salted fish who had lost his dreams.

Nate Robinson greeted Yi Shui warmly and offered to treat him to a meal.

However, after getting to know him for a few days, Yi Shui realized that she hadn't gained any deeper understanding of Little Potato, who was actually a very social person who knew how to manage relationships.

There were also players with less favorable attitudes, such as the versatile center Harrington and Daniels, one of the former Dallas duo.

Curry, who has more contact with the NBA, reminded Yi Shui and Chalmers not to get too close to the two, as they are involved in organized crime.

There are also 3 people with rather unique attitudes.

Du Hong treated the three rookies like an older brother, showing them care and concern. In a media interview, he stated that he would become the team's locker room leader and change the team's atmosphere.

Yi Shui expressed his anticipation, saying he would be happy if he had such a teammate.

Wilson Chandler, a fellow player from Yishui University, beat Yishui in the competition for the conference's best freshman in his freshman season, and now he is also a competitor to the number one draft pick, Yishui.

Jared Jeffries always has a deadpan look on his face and loves to give pointers to others. When Yi Shui challenged him to a solo match, the guy refused without hesitation, admitting he couldn't beat him. He admitted he liked to talk big, and then continued to talk big. Yi Shui was helpless against his stubborn attitude.

There were three other teammates, Tinsley, Eddie Curry, and Jerome James, whom Yi Shui hadn't seen until the team's assembly day on the 25th.

However, on assembly day, the team officially announced the signing of its 15th player – former Hornets center Chris Anderson!
(End of this chapter)