Basketball Terminal

Chapter 70 The Madman
Later, Li Wei did endorsements for the chicken carcass shop and the mobile phone repair shop, posing with the owner while holding a chicken carcass and a mobile phone, and having the photos made into billboards displayed at the shop entrances. He charged $6000 per instance, subject to tax.

When Chen Lihua found out, she scolded Li Wei for being spineless, saying that he would accept such an endorsement and that it would become a black mark on his past when he became famous. Li Wei, however, didn't care and said that it wasn't his black mark on his past, but rather the path he had taken.

Li Wei only chose these two shops because the owner of the Shenyang Big Chicken Frame shop was from the same hometown as Chen Lihua and had helped Hongle Laundry when it was facing its most difficult time. The owner of the mobile phone repair shop was the father of Li Wei's high school classmate, who was Li Wei's only friend during high school.

No matter how successful a person becomes, they must repay the favors they owe. Besides, Li Wei hasn't even taken off yet; right now, he only earns a little over ten thousand dollars per match. Earning twelve thousand dollars for taking two photos is equivalent to a match, so it's not a loss.

Having tasted the benefits of fame, Li Wei saw an increasing number of such one-off endorsement deals coming his way, and he would consider them as long as they weren't long-term, contractual commitments. It was precisely because Li Wei was willing to swallow his pride that Flushing eventually became his domain.

On the evening of the 26th, the entire Nets team traveled to San Antonio on a chartered plane, arriving early the next morning. In the early morning, San Antonio airport was shrouded in mist. The players disembarked directly from the plane and, along with their luggage, took a shuttle bus to the terminal.

Large luggage items are handed over to the equipment manager, who will arrange everything, including shoes, jerseys, towels, some training equipment, electronic devices, etc. Players carry their own small personal belongings, pushing suitcases, just like tourists.

Li Wei carried very little luggage; it could all fit in a hiking backpack. He was still sleepy, having not slept well on the plane, and needed to go back to the hotel to catch up on his sleep. Suddenly, someone hung something around his neck. Li Wei looked up and saw it was a large, heavy shoulder bag.

DeAndre Jordan, wearing a black baseball cap, chuckled and said, "Buddy, it's your turn to carry the bag." Li Wei was taken aback. Why was it his turn to carry the bag?

DeAndre Jordan explained, "You're already a full member, and on away games, the youngest, newest player should be carrying the bag."

In many professional teams, it's true that rookies and junior players have a tradition of carrying bags, buying water, and giving cigarettes to veteran stars. Li Wei did this when he was a professional player in his early years; he would buy cigarettes for others, and if he didn't have enough money, he would make up the difference himself, otherwise he would be bullied in the team and wouldn't get the ball in training or games.

Later, Li Wei himself became a senior player and never let the younger players on the team carry their bags to buy water, because he knew it wouldn't be pleasant for them. Although it's a tradition—if you're bullied today, you'll be the one bullying others tomorrow, passed down from generation to generation—Li Wei didn't agree with it.

In the past, newcomers would buy cigarettes, hand out water, and carry bags for their seniors, and the seniors would also look after the newcomers, helping them out when things went wrong and teaching them techniques and passing on their experience offstage. So carrying those bags was worthwhile.

But as time went by, it slowly changed its meaning, turning into bullying of younger generations by older generations. The bullied daughters-in-law eventually became mothers-in-law and then bullied the next generation.

In the early days of the NBA, player movement was limited, and seniority was established within teams, with junior players serving senior players, and senior players protecting junior players. Now? Many rookies with explosive commercial value are already senior players upon joining a team, and it's uncertain who serves whom. This old rule is gradually becoming less applicable, and everyone is treated as equals.

In a few cases, the two knew each other from the same school, and were upperclassmen or underclassmen. Or, the younger player might want to learn something and take the initiative to get closer to the older player, buying him water, carrying his bag, or ordering him a brothel.

DeAndre Jordan clearly doesn't fit this description. The only thing Li Wei needs to learn from him is how to conserve energy on the court. Besides, you're not the team's leader. Durant, Irving, and Harden are the real pillars. They won't even let me carry their bags, so why should you?

Li Wei took off the satchel hanging around his neck and handed it to Jordan, saying with a smile, "Hey bro, I don't take things that aren't mine. Besides, it's heavy and bad for your neck. You should carry it yourself. If you accidentally break or lose it, I can't take responsibility, buddy."

DeAndre Jordan didn't take the ticket. Instead, he patted Li Wei on the shoulder and said, "Just do me a favor. The more capable you are, the more you should do."

Upon hearing "the more capable, the more work," Li Wei understood what DeAndre Jordan meant: he was afraid Li Wei's good performance would steal Jordan's starting position, so he was asking Li Wei to step in and do more work. He replied, "Wow, the more capable, the more work? Would you be willing to give me your starting position? Let me do more work?"

DeAndre Jordan looked a little embarrassed and put his arm around Viktor, saying, "Hey Viktor, you know I started as a substitute when I first entered the league, and I worked my way up to where I am today. You're still young and have a bright future ahead of you. Sometimes, being a substitute can actually suit you very well."

"You mean I should talk to the coach and tell him I don't want to be a starter anymore? I want to be a substitute and voluntarily step down?"

DeAndre Jordan clicked his tongue, indicating that it was pointless to point it out like that. It would be better if everyone just kept quiet, I'd save face and you'd save substance, why say it out loud?

Li Wei thought for a moment. If he were a player on a 10-day short-term contract, he wouldn't care about DeAndre Jordan. Starting positions and stats—what's rightfully his is his. What the coach gives me, I must seize; nothing you say will change that.

Because short-term contract players are temporary workers, there are plenty of other options. Regular players and coaches generally don't care much for short-term contract players; it's a short-term collaboration, lasting about 10 days. If you push them too hard, they might get into trouble, and you won't be able to do anything about it. If you think they're not good enough, you can just cut them.

So during the short-term contract period, Nash started Levi, and DeAndre Jordan didn't say anything. Now, however, things are starting to change because Levi has become a guaranteed contract player, creating a long-term partnership and competition between the two sides. A guaranteed contract, conversely, can also be a form of constraint.

It's relatively good for someone like Li Wei to sign a one-year minimum salary contract. If he has conflicts with teammates or coaches, he can simply leave next year and find another place. As long as he has outstanding abilities, the NBA will not lack opportunities.

On the contrary, those rookies selected through the draft and signing four-year rookie contracts seem glamorous and earn more than the minimum salary. But in reality, their contracts are much smaller than those of real stars; otherwise, they wouldn't be called child labor contracts.

Child labor contracts are exploitative; not only is the pay low, but you are also subject to the constraints of your original team in every aspect. When the contract expires, you automatically become a restricted free agent, and your Bird rights are in the hands of your original team.

Over four years, if you have a conflict with a key player or coach, you'll be benched for extended periods, denied opportunities to play, develop skills, and accumulate data. Time flies, and an athlete's youth is precious. Without statistics and performance, other teams won't make offers, and your home team won't renew your contract, potentially ruining your entire career.

Therefore, everything has two sides; stability also means constraint, and risk often comes with opportunity. Li Wei stopped and said, "DeAndre, I can give up my starting position and convince Steve to let me be a substitute. However, I must be the team's sixth man with ample playing time, and you have to guarantee me that."

Li Wei isn't obsessed with starting anymore. Starting puts too much pressure on him and is too taxing, so he prefers to sit on the bench and wait for his chance. But being a substitute requires consistent playing time, and the treatment of a sixth man isn't worse than that of a starter.

DeAndre Jordan said, "Victor, Coach Nash can hardly do without you, do you still need me to vouch for you? And of course I support you."

DeAndre Jordan thought to himself, "You're practically Coach Nash's favorite son. You go to Victor whenever you have a problem. Otherwise, why would I come to you so loudly to discuss things? You want me to vouch for you? I can barely vouch for myself anymore."

Li Wei said, "You support me now, but what if Blake Griffin comes to the team? Will you still support me then?"

Blake Griffin was recently bought out by the Detroit Pistons. Insiders say Kevin Durant and Max Marks are recruiting Griffin to further expand the Nets' bench depth, according to gossip from McCallian.

DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin played together for many years with the Clippers, forming the iconic duo of Lob City. If Griffin arrives in Brooklyn, Reeves' playing time will definitely be affected, forcing him to plan ahead and garner support.

Theoretically, DeAndre Jordan is a die-hard Griffin supporter. If they could bring him to their side, the "Big Three" would likely resemble Jordan's. But if DeAndre Jordan isn't supporting his old friend Griffin, what's the point of us supporting each other?

The complex relationships involved left DeAndre Jordan somewhat bewildered; he couldn't process it and kept thinking about what would happen if Blake Griffin came.

"Hey, hurry up and make a decision. As long as you don't take sides when there's competition, that's fine. I want a fair competitive environment. If I'm not as skilled as others, I can't take up much playing time."

DeAndre Jordan didn't realize who Li Wei was mocking, but he felt that Li Wei's words made sense. He just needed to remain neutral and not take sides. As for how to arrange the time, it was up to the coach.

"OK, I promise you, if Blake comes to the Nets, I will remain neutral and not interfere with the coach's schedule."

"I do not believe you."

"What? You don't believe me? If you don't believe me, what's the point of me saying anything! Do you want me to swear an oath? Or sign a contract?"

DeAndre Jordan had verbally promised to join the Dallas Mavericks, but was ultimately blocked at the door by his Clippers teammates, leaving him with a dark history of "betrayal" and staying with the Clippers.

A few years later, when his contract expired, DeAndre Jordan went to the Mavericks, but by then things had changed. Jordan was no longer at his peak and could no longer rely on his abilities.

From that time on, he began to rely on personal connections and relationships with star players to secure a job with the team.

"Find a middleman, then we'll form an alliance and hold a ceremony."

"Heavy gift crab! Victor, I've discovered you're the craziest guy on this team, the craziest!"

A new patient arrived at the Brooklyn mental hospital, and everyone thought that a normal person had finally arrived, but in reality, he was crazier than anyone else.

As it turned out, DeAndre Jordan actually agreed, and then Levi brought in Kyrie Irving. Levi really has a good eye for people; if he had approached anyone else, whether it was Harden or Durant, they would never have agreed to such an absurd thing.

But Kyrie Irving, upon hearing from Levi about the alliance ceremony, became interested. After arriving at the hotel, they went to Irving's room. Levi went downstairs to buy a pack of cigarettes, three bottles of beer, an ashtray, and some rice from the kitchen. They each lit a cigarette.

The smoke alarm was removed. Following Li Wei's instructions, the three of them held cigarettes and circled around, worshipping the gods in all directions and making vows. They then put the cigarettes into an ashtray filled with rice, placed it on the table, and bowed in worship.

"We don't ask to be born on the same day, month, and year, nor do we ask to die on the same day, month, and year. We only ask to play ball well together, support each other, unite as one, and never betray each other!" After saying this, the three of them finished their beer in one gulp, crushed the cans, and threw them into the trash can.

After all that, they really managed to intimidate the two haters, and the three of them formed an alliance, deepening their friendship.

Back in his room, Li Wei calmed down and thought about it, realizing he might have acted a bit crazy. However, the relationships within the Nets were indeed complex—players, coaches, managers, owners—it was a chaotic team where everyone was an outsider. Taking sides with any of them was wrong, and not taking sides at all wasn't an option either; ultimately, it came down to having the ability.

Here, you must first establish your worth and not be swayed by other factors. Why couldn't Jeremy Lin take root and flourish in New York? Injuries, bad luck, and exclusion from teammates were all reasons. You must first establish yourself in the cracks and strive for the most sunlight before you can grow into a towering tree.

(End of this chapter)