The longest river

Chapter 230 Decision Three

The 2002 NBA Draft continued at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Compared to last year's bustling atmosphere, this year's draft, even though it was still held in New York, was extremely quiet.

Because the quality of this year's rookies is even worse than that of the 2000 draft class.

Yao Ming's early entry into the draft put the Rockets, who held the number one pick, in an extremely awkward position.

Because the most popular candidate for the number one draft pick this year is Jay Williams, a junior at Duke.

Williams was named to the All-American team for two consecutive years and won the Naismith Award, Wooden Award, Associated Press Player of the Year, ESPN Magazine Player of the Year, and CBS Player of the Year, winning every award a college player could win.

Moreover, he averaged 20+ points per game during his three years at Duke, leading the university to an impressive record of 95 wins and 13 losses, and was selected as a reserve player for the US team in the 2002 FIBA ​​World Championship.

With such a resume, he's more than qualified to be the top pick in a year with a relatively weak draft class.

Unfortunately, he is a 1.88-meter point guard, and the Rockets already have Francis on their roster.

Moreover, other teams are aware of the Rockets' predicament and are all looking to make a quick buck in a trade.

Ultimately, the Rockets chose to make a trade with the Knicks, sending their number one overall pick to the Knicks in exchange for the Knicks' number six pick this year and a top-three protected first-round pick in 2003.

The Knicks' previous starting point guard was veteran Mark Jackson, whose contract expired this summer, so their selection of Jay Williams was perfect.

Holding the second overall pick, the Bulls selected Mike Dunleavy Jr., son of Trail Blazers assistant coach Mike Dunleavy and future general manager of the Warriors.

The Warriors selected Drew Gooden, a power forward born in Oakland and who played for the University of Kansas in college, with the third pick.

The Rockets used their 6th pick to select Nene Hilario, the future one-tested warrior.

The Trail Blazers were very active in the draft.

Last season, Yang Shuai did not attribute the defeat to the lineup and injuries, but everyone knew where the problem lay.

Therefore, strengthening the center position has become the Trail Blazers' top priority.

However, similar to last season, Whitchter's trade attempts were repeatedly thwarted.

Because other teams also know where the Trail Blazers went wrong, they are afraid that if they send their interior players to the Trail Blazers, the Trail Blazers will be able to return to their peak.

Even during the draft, teams tacitly selected their best interior players in advance.

Ultimately, it was the Wizards, last season's trading partner, who helped the Trail Blazers out. The Trail Blazers used their 25th pick to package Sura, and in return, they received the Wizards' 14th pick and Jahidi White.

The Wizards were willing to do this because, on the one hand, Lue's arrival at the Wizards did indeed help Yao Ming lead the team better.

On the other hand, they also wanted to deal with White's contract.

White was the team's starting center before Yao Ming arrived. He had three years and over $16 million left on his contract, so it would be a waste to use him as a substitute.

Ultimately, the Trail Blazers used the 14th pick to select Tayshaun Prince, a junior player from the University of Kentucky, ahead of the Pistons.

Prince doesn't have much offensive talent, but he has outstanding defensive talent. With his excellent wingspan and good speed, he was known for his defense in college.

The Trail Blazers traded Sura because they valued this very quality in him.

Moreover, sending Sura away also makes room for Reid to start in the new season.

Right after the draft ended, Ray Johnson told Yang Shuai something: Cavaliers general manager Fratello wanted to meet with Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai finally agreed to work with the former Cavaliers head coach who had once helped him.

The two sides met in a private room at a local Portland coffee shop.

Fratello began catching up with Yang Shuai for a while.

He stepped down as head coach of the Cavaliers in 1999 and then joined the team's management.

“In the summer of 1997, I strongly recommended that Wayne and Mr. Gund sign you, but unfortunately they didn’t listen to me at the time.”

He also talked about some past events, and how he decided to move into management to gain more power after that, which he eventually achieved.

"Hansen, Cleveland needs you."

After a series of preambles, he revealed the purpose of his visit.

Gund wanted to sell the team because he couldn't see a future with the Cavaliers. If Yang Shuai could go to the Cavaliers, then the Cavaliers' future would be bright.

Yang Shuai's resolve softened.

Unlike James, who was born in Akron but claims to be the son of Cleveland, he lived in Cleveland after time-traveling and led Cleveland High School to a championship.

The members of HARK Corporation all came from Cleveland, which he considered his second home.

Now that his hometown is about to lose an NBA team, he must be feeling quite emotional.

He left the team just after they lost last season, which was something he simply couldn't do.

Fratello said a few more things, but that didn't change Yang Shuai's mind, and he could only leave dejectedly.

Perhaps this is fate. The Cavaliers had many opportunities to acquire Yang Shuai, but ultimately they could only regretfully miss out each time.

After seeing Fratello off, Johnson suddenly asked Yang a question.

"If we had won the championship last season, would you have considered returning to Cleveland?"

"Maybe."

Although it was a hypothetical situation, Yang Shuai gave a fairly affirmative answer.

"What if you help Portland win the championship again later?"

Johnson then pressed further, asking if he had helped arrange the meeting between Fratello and Yang Shuai because he also hoped Yang Shuai would consider going to Cleveland.

Yang Shuai smiled at Johnson, but did not give a reply.

Because no one can predict the future, and Gund has already decided to sell the Cavaliers, there's no point in him going back if the Cavaliers are no longer in Cleveland.

However, perhaps one day in the future he can return to Cleveland to form a new NBA team, which would also fulfill his previous desire to be a manager.

After the draft, the door to free agency will open.

It was at this time that Whitsit approached Yang Shuai to discuss extending his contract early.

There are two types of early contract extensions: one is to extend the contract directly on the existing one, and the other is for Yang Shuai to opt out of the contract and sign a new contract with the team.

But neither of these two options is actually suitable for Yang Shuai.

Because the new labor agreement stipulates a maximum salary, Yang Shuai's current maximum salary is more than ten million yuan less than his old contract.

Furthermore, if he signs a new contract next year, he will still have the right to refuse a trade (playing a full 8 years in the NBA and serving a team for 5 years), so there is no reason for him to renew his contract early at this time.

"We are prepared to buy out Sean's contract."

Whitsit was not surprised by this result, and he then went on to talk about Camp.

Kemp couldn't lose weight at all last season, and he became meaningless to the Trail Blazers.

A buyout can save the team some money and also free up playing time for other players.

Having acquired White in the previous deal, I can now give the freed-up time to the other party.

Yang Shuai no longer had high hopes for Kemp.

Some people are rushing to go bankrupt, and you can't stop them even if you want to.

"By the way, how's the team doctor situation going?"

Compared to Kemp, Yang Shuai was more concerned about the team doctor.

Because he now uses his own medical team, he didn't pay much attention to the team doctor aspect before.

However, Billups' injury last season made him determined to change this persistent problem for the team.

“I spoke with Mr. Allen, but he hasn’t given me a reply yet.”

Replacing the team's medical staff may seem like a small matter, but it actually involves a lot of issues.

Take the Phoenix Suns as an example. The reason their team medical team is so good is because they are part of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).

Their prowess stems less from their medical skills and more from their advanced technology.

For example, the Suns were the first team in history to use cryogenic chambers to relieve fatigue.

The Portland team's medical team is also directly linked to local hospitals.

However, speaking of Allen, he was rarely seen watching games at the Rose Garden last season.

However, the Portland Sports Daily occasionally reports on their presence at Seahawks games.

It seems that Allen's passion for basketball has faded after the Trail Blazers completed their dynasty, silencing all those who doubted him.

Now, football is Allen's new interest.

The NBA free agency market officially opened on July 1st.

After dominating Europe, 25-year-old Manu Ginobili officially joined the Spurs. Together with Parker who joined last season, the "GDP" combination that Yang Shuai was familiar with has officially emerged.

The Trail Blazers have also been very active in the free agent market.

They opted not to re-sign Avery Johnson, choosing veteran Tim Hardaway over Mark Jackson and signing him to a minimum-salary contract.

At the same time, they used their mid-level exception to sign former Spurs player and former rival of Yang Shuai, combo guard Antonio Daniels.

On the inside frontcourt, they also signed Chinese player Mengke Bateer, who joined the NBA last season, to continue stockpiling physical defenders in preparation for potential matchups against the Pacers.

They also renewed contracts with Walter Williams and veteran Terry Porter on minimum contracts.

The Trail Blazers' roster for the new season is basically complete.

Point Guards: Billups, Mark Jackson

Shooting Guards: Reed, Antonio Daniels, Terry Porter

Small Forwards: Yang Shuai, Walter Williams, Prince
Power Forwards: Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Willis
Centers: White, Okur, Collins, Battier
As teams gradually strengthen their squads, discussions about relocating teams are also underway.

However, it wasn't the Cavaliers, but the Hornets.

Besides the Cavaliers' future prospects, another important reason why Gund wanted to sell the team was that the Hornets had already set an example.

Charlotte Hornets owner George Sheen was notorious in Charlotte, and fans wanted to force him to sell the team. Sheen's choice was to relocate.

The relocation plan was finalized last season, and the Charlotte Hornets will no longer exist in the new season, replaced by the New Orleans Hornets.

The reason this relocation went so smoothly was because of the alliance's involvement.

The league promised to rebuild an NBA team for Charlotte for the 2004-2005 season, which successfully appeased Charlotte fans. However, after this incident, Cleveland fans became increasingly anxious.

Unlike Sheen, Gund is a Cleveland native and it's impossible for him to relocate, making the Cavaliers' sale inevitable.

When August arrived, the story unfolded.

Oklahoma City tycoon Clayton Bennett has assembled a consortium that has reached an agreement with Gund on a takeover plan, and the Cavaliers are expected to relocate to Oklahoma City next season.

The Oklahoma City Cavaliers are about to be formed.

However, after this news broke, Cleveland fans were immediately enraged.

They were powerless to stop the trade, but the league treated them differently, making no commitment to build a new team for Cleveland.

This anger translated into real events, with large numbers of fans gathering outside the Gander Arena to protest, and some radical fans even gathering outside Gander's mansion.

Moreover, such events are not one-off occurrences, but rather occur continuously.

As mentioned before, losing an NBA team out of nowhere would have a huge impact on the local economy, given the backdrop of industrial decline and a continued drop in employment in Cleveland.

Not only fans, but also ordinary citizens know that once the Cavaliers leave, the future will be even more difficult than it is now.

This put enormous pressure on the league.

Just as the incident continued to escalate, two uninvited guests arrived at Yang Shuai's home, which surprised Yang Shuai.

To be more precise, Yang Shuai wouldn't have been so surprised if they had come alone, but when they came together, Yang Shuai knew that things were definitely not simple.

They went to Yang Shuai's backyard and sat at an empty round table.

After Johnson made them coffee, Yang asked Johnson to leave as well.

"Yang, are you interested in going to Cleveland? I'm not talking about this season, but later."

Stern got straight to the point.

Yang Shuai did not answer, but instead looked at Allen on the other side.

After seeing Allen nod, Yang Shuai realized that although the problem was somewhat similar to that of Fratello before, it was clearly different.

"I need to know more details."

Yang Shuai looked at Stern, who then provided more details.

The situation in Cleveland has escalated to a point where it's no longer just a matter of negative impact on the NBA.

Keeping the Cavaliers in Cleveland has become something the league must strive to achieve.

The immediate problem is that Gund has lost confidence in investing in the Cavaliers, and there are currently no local wealthy individuals or even conglomerates willing to take over.

Therefore, the Cavaliers are likely to face league trusteeship now.

Yang Shuai was no stranger to the term "league trusteeship".

Historically, the Hornets were once taken over by the league, which gave rise to the topic of "Kobe and Paul playing together," a topic that fans love to discuss.

To put it bluntly, the so-called trusteeship is just making the league committee the temporary owner of the team. In that state, the team has little autonomy and will be targeted to death by other teams.

If the league cannot find a local owner willing to take over the Cavaliers, or other investors willing to keep the Cavaliers in Cleveland, the Cavaliers will gradually fall into an abyss.

This is something no one wants to see.

However, there is another way: to give the Cavaliers renewed hope.

However, for Cleveland now, it's no longer a situation where simply giving them a star player can turn things around.

Instead, we need to instill a tremendous sense of hope, just like Allen erected a sculpture for Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai, who helped Cleveland achieve its first breakthrough in high school basketball and is a native of Cleveland, is the most suitable candidate.

"I have some interest, but not many."

Yang Shuai spoke the truth.

Just like his attitude towards Fratello before, having lived in Cleveland for many years, he also doesn't want to see the Cavaliers leave.

However, after the HY brand became independent, he also needed to consider the issue of his own influence.

The Trail Blazers are now a championship contender, and although the challenge has increased, they still have a chance to start a new dynasty in Portland.

But going to Cleveland brings too much uncertainty.

If he cannot lead the Cavaliers to a championship, his influence will inevitably be affected.

However, Stern became excited upon hearing that Yang Shuai was interested.

He then presented new conditions.

"First of all, we will not force you to play for the Cavaliers forever. You just need to go there and play. When the Cavaliers' value increases, new investors will inevitably rush in. After that, you are free to choose to go or stay."

"Secondly, if you want to leave, I will help you go to the team you want to go to, even if you want to return to the Trail Blazers."

"Third, no matter when you choose to return to Cleveland, Cleveland will get the number one draft pick that year. You can choose to work with the number one pick, or you can use him as a bargaining chip to find the right assistant you need."

"Finally, you will no longer encounter any biased referees in Cleveland."

Stern's conditions were quite blatant.

Moreover, judging from Allen's reaction, the top draft pick and biased refereeing were not secrets to the owners at the table.

Therefore, it can be inferred that Allen must have also received some promises from Stern.

It could be the number one pick that the Trail Blazers didn't make the playoffs in a certain year, or it could be like Doncic joining the Lakers, where the number one pick is given to another team and then traded for a superstar at a low price.

Business alliances are all about business.

Yang Shuai did not ask why he didn't start another team in Cleveland.

Charlotte's basketball market and economy are far superior to those of Cleveland today.

Just like the Hornets moved out of Charlotte because of the owner's issues, not because of the team's future prospects.

“Becoming a ‘hero’ in your hometown not only means a lot to Cleveland, but it also greatly enhances your influence,” Stern said, adding fuel to the fire.

"I need to think about it for a while."

Yang Shuai did not give an immediate reply.

Although Stern was anxious, he did not urge Yang Shuai.

If Yang Shuai is willing, returning to Cleveland in the future would be the best option. If not, then the only option is to go through a trusteeship arrangement and see how things go.

Stern left first, while Allen stayed a little longer.

"That 5% stake is already yours, and it won't change because of your decision."

When Allen offered Yang Shuai that contract, all he hoped for was for Yang Shuai to bring a championship to Portland. But now that a dynasty has been established, those initial offers seem cheap.

The difference between Allen and Pauline is evident in this point, which may be one of the reasons why they were able to reach different levels on the road to wealth.

"He knew about that contract?"

Yang Shuai asked a different question.

Allen smiled, said nothing, and then left.

The absence of denial implies acceptance.

This may be why Allen was willing to accompany Stern on this journey.

The Timberwolves were heavily penalized for their secret paper contracts, and if the Trail Blazers' private paper contract is exposed, it will have a huge negative impact on both the Trail Blazers and Allen.

In other words, Stern used coercion and inducement to get Allen to compromise; otherwise, Allen would not have let go of Yang Shuai, such a valuable asset, for no reason.

However, Allen's willingness to do so further confirms Yang Shuai's previous speculation that Allen's passion for basketball has indeed dwindled.

Yang Shuai returned to Cleveland the next day.

He first went to get a feel for the current situation in Cleveland, of course, by observing it from a distance while sitting in his car.

If he were to show up now, it would cause a lot of unnecessary trouble.

His observations suggested that the situation was more serious than the media reported.

Because outside the Gonde Stadium, there were many tents and even various roadblocks blocking the road.

Seeing these situations reminded Yang Shuai of the World Trade Center crash.

In the original context, because that event had a huge impact on the American economy, Jordan's comeback alleviated that situation to some extent.

But even though Jordan hasn't returned, the impact of that impact continues to grow.

So life was already difficult enough, and the thought of it getting even harder made many people realize that they might end up like the original owner, not even having enough to eat.

Yang Shuai then went home again and chatted with Lin Xiulan and the others during dinner.

They didn't raise any objections, but Yang Shuai could sense that they would be very happy if he returned to Cleveland to play.

Now that they have moved away from their original community, their lives are indeed better than before. But just like people who grew up in the countryside and suddenly move to a big city with their children, they are separated from their original social circles and have no one to talk to. Their loneliness will increase day by day over time.

If Yang Shuai can return to Cleveland, not only will they have many more opportunities to interact on weekdays, but they can also go to the stadium to watch the games every match day.

After spending about a week in Cleveland, Yang Shuai returned to Portland.

After returning home, he told Stern about his decision.

He will return to Cleveland after helping the Trail Blazers regain the championship.

There were many reasons for making this decision, but one of the most important reasons was something he never told anyone else.

After leading the Trail Blazers to a dynasty, Yang Shuai, like Jordan after completing his first three-peat, went through a "post-holiday period".

What challenges could basketball offer him?

Or to be more precise, what challenges would it pose for him to stay with the Trail Blazers?

Every player on a dynasty team will encounter many problems, and Yang Shuai is no exception; he lacks the motivation to keep going.

However, all of that vanished with last season's failure, because the challenge has returned.

Returning to Cleveland now would make that challenge even greater.

Of course, those are things for later. For him now, if he can't lead the Trail Blazers to regain the championship, then it's all just empty talk.

(End of this chapter)