Chapter 241 240. Boss, can you please not go to the next negotiation?
Zhang Yang was shocked by the Big Three of the Lakers. He returned to the training ground and practiced all day. In the evening, he went home to take a shower, changed into formal clothes, and went to a restaurant in the city to have dinner as scheduled with Jordan.

Jordan was very formal when he invited people to dinner alone, and Kobe was similar. Zhang Yang didn't know whether the latter were imitating the former, or whether all rich black people had this hobby.

But let’s not talk about it, when Zhang Yang was doing those seemingly pretentious and useless etiquettes, he felt his heart calm down and his thoughts became clearer... Perhaps this is the real purpose of these etiquettes?
After eating a little, the two began to chat.

Jordan: "What do you think of our deal?"

Zhang Yang: "It's better than expected. When Arn and I talked about this, we both thought it would be good to get a starter and a first-round pick. I didn't expect to get a stable backup pitcher. It's a pity that the first round pick was not in 08, but in 09."

At 10 o'clock in the morning, the league approved the trade between the Bobcats and the Grizzlies. The Bobcats sent Gerald Wallace to the Grizzlies in exchange for Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, and the 2009 first-round draft pick. Gerald Wallace signed with the Grizzlies in a sign-and-trade deal, signing a sub-maximum contract with a starting salary of US$1361 million and a total of US$6 million over six years.

Jordan laughed and said, "We discussed with them for two days, all about Cardinal, the tough backup pitcher. The Grizzlies sent away a lot of players last summer in order to play badly, but they didn't expect that they didn't even get the second pick when they were last in the draft, and they didn't expect to have the opportunity to trade for Parker and Gerrard. They cherish their only remaining high-quality substitutes and don't want to give up any of them.

We also want their 08 draft pick. They signed Milicic, but they haven't got five starters yet, and there's almost no one on the bench. The combination of Parker, Gasol, and Gerrard may get at most 5 wins in the first year, and may not even make the playoffs in the West. If they get the 45 draft pick, they may get a lottery pick. Free agents may wait until these three of them perform well before they are willing to join. They may have to show results in the second year, and their 08 draft pick will not be too high.

Unfortunately, they refused at the beginning and were only willing to give the first round in 09, but we got Cardinal back because of that.”

After Milicic's rookie contract expired, he failed to reach a contract extension with the Magic. The Grizzlies offered him a three-year, $3 million contract to sign him, giving them a starting center with decent strength.

Zhang Yang heard in the afternoon that the Grizzlies signed Milicic with an annual contract worth 700 million US dollars, and felt that it was a pity for the Serbian center.

In the first two and a half years of his career, Milicic only played 555 minutes with the Pistons. What does this mean? Perkins played 11 minutes in November and December last season.

In this case, Milicic can still grow into a starting-level center after escaping from the Detroit dungeon.

After winning the championship, Jumaine Jones did not stay with the team, nor did he stay in the NBA. La Liga Barcelona snatched this top open shooter with an offer of 4 million euros for 800 years.

This is his after-tax salary, which is more than what he would get as a full middle-class salary in the NBA. He will never be able to get the full middle-class salary in the NBA no matter what.

Zhang Yang: "45 wins? Then the Grizzlies will definitely not make the playoffs. It's a pity that they didn't get the first-round pick in 08. But we are much better than the SuperSonics. They lost Lewis and got nothing in return."

Zhang Yang laughed as he spoke, and Jordan also laughed out loud.

The Lakers sent out peak Odom, super potential Bynum, and two first-round picks who might be ranked high in a few years, to form a Big Three, which shocked the basketball world and stole all the limelight.

Not many people discussed the trade between the Bobcats and the Grizzlies, the Grizzlies signing Milicic didn't make any splash, and even the Bulls' buzz for getting Yao Ming was snatched away.

But there was one signing that made a name for itself and became a hot topic among the media and fans.

Lewis joins Magic for 6 years and $1.1 million!

Jordan: "The Magic refused to give O'Neal a $11 million contract 1.1 years ago, but now they are giving Lewis $ million. Their fans are going crazy. This contract has just been signed, and the Magic fans are calling it a garbage contract."

Zhang Yang: "The Sonics are probably also laughing at the Magic. They seem to have given up discussing a sign-and-trade deal with the Magic. If they sign-and-trade, Lewis' starting salary will be a maximum of 6 million for 1.26 years. The Sonics may be worried that the Magic will regret not signing him, and then there will be no fun. I saw before that the Sonics' offer to Lewis was 5 million for 6000 years."

Jordan: "Five years and 5 million is not worth it. Stojakovic only got 6000 million for five years. Lewis is far worse than Peja."

Zhang Yang hesitated to speak: Who will pay Batum, who averages 9 points per game, 5 million for 1.2 years in the future?

But they haven't given it to me yet, so I can't get close to them and use my ultimate skill, which is a pity.

Talking about this, Jordan said: "I have already negotiated with Emeka to renew his contract in advance. Nazr and Patrick have also completed their contract renewals. Paul's rookie contract still has two years left. We don't have to worry about our core lineup in the next few years."

As he spoke, Jordan handed Zhang Yang the documents handed over by his female companion, which contained copies of several contract renewals.

Zhang Yang looked at it and felt an itch on his back. He said, "An early contract extension for 6 years and 9900 million? Why not million? This is driving Michael, who has OCD, crazy."

Jordan: "Our team's first billion-dollar contract must be yours."

Zhang Yang: "Ah? Thank you."

Jordan: What kind of answer is that? No surprise, no emotion at all?

Well, Jordan put himself in the same position and thought about it, and felt that he would not be surprised or moved, and even felt that it should be so.

Really, it’s better not to say it.

Forget it, let's change the subject. Jordan said: "First Yao joined the Bulls, and now the Lakers. Your road to defending the title may be more difficult than mine was back then."

Zhang Yang: "I was worried that Yao Ming's move to the Bulls would cause a chain reaction, but the chain reaction still happened."

Jordan: "No, it was our championship that created a chain reaction. Yao and you are actually in a competitive relationship. He needs to maintain his commercial value and must have the strength to truly compete for the championship, otherwise his commercial value will definitely plummet.

When a team like the Bulls appeared, Kidd and Garnett also became anxious. Kidd is 34 years old and Garnett is 31 years old. At this age, no one can say when they will suddenly collapse. Kobe needs help, so it is normal for the three of them to choose to stick together.

The Nets and Kidd both made it clear that they wanted to break up. If the Nets could trade Kidd for a top trading asset like Odom, the Nets would definitely do it. When they were trying to sell Kidd, the Magic were only willing to give Nelson, the Mavericks were only willing to give Harris, and the Raptors were only willing to give Ford. Although these players are young and have potential, I think even at their peak, their strength will not be as good as when Odom first entered the NBA. The Spurs wanted to trade Parker for Kidd, but Kidd refused to go to the Spurs.

Garnett can opt out of his contract after next season, and he has a lot of say in where he wants to go. Bynum is so talented, as long as Garnett wants to go to the Lakers, the Timberwolves can only agree, and they can't get a better core for the team.

It was bound to happen from the moment we won the championship."

Seeing Jordan's attitude of giving orders, Zhang Yang wanted to say: Do you love Pippen so much? Give French Pippen 1.2 million...

Zhang Yang thought for a moment and said, "I heard that Garnett and Kobe have a very good relationship and often train together in the summer. Kidd has also reached an age where he is willing to put aside his pride and play as a supporting player. Have we created two formidable opponents for ourselves by winning the championship?"

Jordan: "That's right, just like when I came back and won the championship in 96, Barkley, who had always been dissatisfied with Olajuwon, chose to hug Olajuwon's thigh."

Zhang Yang: "And Barkley is even more dissatisfied with Olajuwon?"

Jordan: "No, it was hatred. He hated Olajuwon. I felt sorry for him. I thought I could beat Olajuwon head-on, but they didn't even beat the Jazz."

Zhang Yang: "You don't want to defeat the other two?"

Jordan: "I beat those two guys before I retired for the first time, it doesn't matter."

Zhang Yang: “…”

He was wrong. He never went off topic again and gave the fat guy a chance to show off.

The groundwork was almost done. Jordan said, "We can't bring in a striker as good as Gerrard this summer. We asked the Celtics for Pierce's price, and they wanted us to give Emeka in return. We refused. Pierce himself has no intention of joining us. We can only try our best to make up for the loss of small forward strength this summer."

Zhang Yang: "Pierce probably thinks that coming here is just to curry favor with us, as we just won the championship."

Jordan: “Isn’t it?”

Zhang Yang: “…”

With your attitude, no wonder people don’t come!
After complaining for a while, Zhang Yang said, "Boss, let Bernie ask other teams for prices next time."

Jordan: "Give me a reason."

Zhang Yang: "He is a little older and speaks more politely."

Jordan: I was implied!

After talking with Jordan, Zhang Yang was even more looking forward to the two opponents.

In addition to those two opponents, he is also looking forward to the Grizzlies. If the Grizzlies are patient, do not recruit players blindly, and control the salary space well, they may be able to sign Randolph in the future.

Of course, there is also the Spurs. Although Gay is a little soft, he is too precious to the Spurs. They have never had such a talented outside scorer. Duncan and Ginobili, as well as Conley in the future, can bear the pressure...

As for the Lakers' age issue.

Zhang Yang remembers that in the 09-10 season, the 36-year-old Kidd apologized to the coaches of each team for his immature remarks before the start of the season and was forgiven by the coaches. After 5 years, he was selected by the coaches again to be a substitute in the All-Star game.

That year, Kidd averaged 10+5+9+2, which means that in the previous five years, Kidd should have been selected as an All-Star every year, but no coach chose him.

Kidd was at an All-Star level for the next three years. In the 10-11 season, he still averaged 8 points and 8 assists per game.

Garnett, even after suffering a serious injury, continued his top performance into the 10-11 season, and his performance was still top-notch in the 12-13 season. He only completely collapsed after he was 37 years old.

The reason why Garnett was seriously injured was purely because of fatigue. Pierce and Ray Allen's defense can only be said to be excellent, Rondo is still young in his second and third years, and Rivers' coaching is also very interesting. The Lakers have started to play offensive basketball. The Lakers averaged 07 points per game in the 08-108 season and 08 points per game in the 09-107 season, and the points lost were also around 100 points. Even the Spurs' average points per game are constantly increasing, but Rivers goes against the trend and focuses on defense when there are good enough offensive conditions.

The Celtics' championship in 08 was impressive, but team legend Russell did not think highly of the Big Three's achievements - "I thought this combination could establish a dynasty and even win four consecutive championships, but they only won one championship for the Green Shirts, resulting in the first Bill Russell Trophy being given to Lakers players."

When the head coach becomes a Zen Master who is better at protecting the players, and the perimeter defensive teammates become peak Kobe and Kidd in his prime...

Zhang Yang ordered a few more dishes, hoping to eat more and bankrupt Boss Qiao.

...

Over the next two days, Zhang Yang trained and ate melons at the same time. This year's offseason was very lively, even more lively than the summer when he finished his sophomore year in high school.

The Lakers' Big Three continues to spark heated discussions and dominate the offseason topics.

Later, news came out that the Celtics had been trying to trade Garnett with Al Jefferson.

McHale had been pushing for the exchange of Garnett for Al Jefferson, and had repeatedly rejected the Lakers' offer of Bynum + draft picks for Garnett. However, because Garnett had been unwilling to renew his contract with the Celtics, the Celtics did not dare to complete the deal directly. But under such circumstances, McHale still refused to exchange Garnett for Bynum. It was not until Garnett informed him that he was only willing to renew his contract with the Lakers that McHale was forced to send Garnett to the Lakers.

After this incident was exposed, McHale was bombarded by the media and fans - eating the Timberwolves' food, but thinking of giving the Timberwolves' cooking pot to his old club. Al Jefferson is a very talented high school rookie, and his talent is visible to the naked eye, but the talent gap between Al Jefferson and Bynum is also visible to the naked eye.

At present, Bynum is regarded as a potential dominant center, while Al Jefferson has nothing to do with being a dominant player just by looking at his height, as the two are 7 cm apart.

Two years after Bynum entered the NBA, he grew to 215 cm tall.

Al Jefferson was said to be a high school rookie, but in fact he was older than many rookies who entered the NBA after their freshman year. He was 19 and a half years old when he was selected, and his body shape had already been formed when he entered the NBA. Bynum, a high school rookie who entered the NBA only a year later than him, was two years and nine months younger than him.

The dynamic conditions are even more incomparable. Bynum's running speed exceeds the average level of power forwards, and Al Jefferson is considered slow even when playing center.

There is a clear technical gap between the two, but this gap is far less than two years and nine months. Moreover, the second-year Bynum's defense is far superior to the third-year Al Jefferson.

Fans also dug up all the weird operations that McHale did after becoming the president of player operations for the Timberwolves, and came to a conclusion - the refrigerator once blocked a bullet for the Timberwolves owner.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why McHale could stay in the position of vice president of the Timberwolves for so long despite all his weird operations.

There was also a follow-up on the Celtics side. When Garnett confirmed that he would join the Lakers, the Green Shirts were ready to rebuild.

Originally, the Celtics planned to trade Jeff Green and Szczerbiak for Ray Allen. The SuperSonics were close to accepting the offer, but they had requirements for draft picks. However, the Celtics did not want to give them a first-round pick, so the situation remained deadlocked.

However, people familiar with the matter revealed that as long as the Celtics persist, the SuperSonics will eventually agree to the deal.

Durant averaged 5 points per game in the first five games of the Rocky Mountain Summer League, with a shooting percentage of 26%, showing his talent.

The last time a rookie who used shooting as his main scoring method performed like this in the summer league was more than a decade ago. That player was Glenn Robinson.

Originally, the Supersonics wanted Ray Allen to guide Durant, but seeing Durant's talent, he is definitely the next Jack Zhang, and he even claims to be the 206 cm version. Why do they still need Ray Allen? Keeping him will only give them more shooting rights.

But now the Celtics have withdrawn their offer to Ray Allen and put Pierce on the trading shelf, seeking to trade for a young talent.

The Sonics' deal to send Ray Allen away was stranded, so they could only sell Ray Allen again.

Experts analyzed that it is not difficult for the Supersonics to send Ray Allen away. Their requirements are not high. As long as the other party has the salary space to eat up Ray Allen and add a high-ranking rookie or multiple draft picks, it will be fine. The core requirement is not to exchange for a big contract.

But the Celtics are in trouble. They have missed the best time and the first wave of trades has passed.

This time the experts' analysis was very accurate. After the news of the cancellation of the trade between the Celtics and the Supersonics came out, Zhang Yang saw rumors that many teams had made offers to the Supersonics. Although most teams wanted to rob, the Supersonics had made it very clear that they only wanted potential rookies and draft picks, not players. Those teams still made offers with big contracts or even junk contracts, but at least there was a lot of interest.

The Celtics were in a difficult situation. Ainge's asking price was too high, and for a while, there were few people coming to the team...

Two days passed in a flash, and it was July 7th.

At 9 o'clock in the evening, Zhang Yang took a shower and lay on the bed. The NBA had been very exciting in the past week, but unfortunately the excitement did not belong to their Bobcats.

Just as Jordan said, superstars, even first-class stars, would not consider the Bobcats if they change teams. It is better to stick together than to stick with the champion. If the Bulls had not used all the rookie bonuses on Ben Wallace and Yao Ming, and now the salary cap has been filled, the Bulls would be more attractive to big-name free agents than the Bobcats.

Otherwise, they also want Garnett. In Bickerstaff's words, they are willing to package Rondo, Okafor and Millsap and send them to the Timberwolves.

In that case, they might even be able to keep Gerald Wallace, and Garnett's offense wouldn't take up space in the paint.

But Garnett never considered the Bobcats at all. Gerald Wallace was the crown prince for three years, but in the end he failed to become the King of Cats and went to the Grizzlies to compete for the position of King of Bears.

Sighing that "sports stars these days are too concerned about their reputation", Zhang Yang opened the 'door to experience'.

Looking at the shooting value of 108322 and the "one" on the door, Zhang Yang silently said "start training" in his heart. The shooting value decreased rapidly and finally stopped at 8322 points. The "door" slowly opened. He felt sleepy and fell into a deep sleep...

When he woke up, Zhang Yang saw a white ceiling. He stood up and looked around... a big room! That was not the 80 timeline.

In the 10th timeline, he bought a big house? He stopped living in a hotel or an apartment? But what does the photo on the bedside table mean? A photo of him with Nash and Kobe?

He can understand taking a photo with Nash. Nash taught him a lot during the first experience. He is both a teacher and a friend. But Kobe...

The Door of Experience popped up at this time, and he read it carefully.

"In the 2011-2012 season, you averaged 25 points per game in the Finals, helped the Spurs win the championship, and won the Finals MVP.

In the summer of 12, because the Spurs failed to free up enough space, you signed a one-year, $1 million short contract with the Spurs in order to renew the contract after satisfying the Bird Rights.

During the offseason, your physical fitness has undergone a second development, with significant improvements in speed, strength, and jumping ability, and your technical skills have made great progress.

到了12-13赛季，你在首周4场比赛场均出场39分钟，拿到25.5分6.2板3.7助攻的数据，命中率达到48%，拿到西部周最佳球员奖。

But starting from the second week, your playing time was strictly controlled at around 32 minutes. At the end of the first month, your average score dropped to 22 points. After Christmas, it stabilized at around 21 points per game.

You expressed your dissatisfaction to head coach Popovich many times, and Popovich said this was for the purpose of playing better team basketball.

Based on the premise of defending the title, you tentatively accepted this statement, but in January, the Spurs offered you a five-year, $1 million contract extension, which was $5 million less than the total maximum salary contract you wanted.

You finally understand that Popovich reduced your playing time in order to lower your personal performance. The money saved by the Spurs through low-price contract renewal and collective salary cuts of GDP is not intended to be used on you.

You publicly stated without hesitation that you refused to renew your contract with the Spurs and would leave the Spurs directly after the end of the season.

Popovich tried to use public opinion to pressure you to renew your contract, but you were not affected at all. Popovich finally chose to give you a maximum salary contract, but you still chose to refuse to renew your contract.

On February 2013, 2, after the All-Star Weekend, the Spurs and the Lakers completed a deal. The Spurs used you and the expiring contract of Stephen Jackson, who was earning $17 million but averaging 1006 points per game, as bargaining chips to trade for Dwight Howard from the Lakers.

You are unwilling to renew your contract with the Spurs, and Howard is unwilling to renew his contract with the Lakers. These two teams that dominated the first decade of the 21st century have become brothers in distress at this moment, forced to exchange the future of their teams.

You come to the Lakers and what you see is a ruin.

Steve Nash was constantly injured and averaged 12 points and 6 assists per game;

Pau Gasol was forced to leave his familiar low post and averaged only 13 points and 8 rebounds per game;
Kobe Bryant achieved the highest offensive efficiency of his career when he was partnered with Nash, but when Nash was injured, he could only play inefficiently, switching between playing styles repeatedly, which exhausted him physically and mentally;

The half-time record was a dismal 24 wins and 28 losses.

After joining the Lakers, when you went to the hospital for a physical examination, you also asked Kobe to go with you. Your examination showed no problems, but a lot of problems were found on Kobe's side.

Ankle muscle fatigue, Achilles tendon signs of long-term overstretching, knee muscle tension, cruciate ligament signs of overstretching, rotator cuff muscle abnormalities...Except for the waist, there are few good parts of Kobe.

After being asked by the doctor, Kobe revealed that he had been unable to complete team training since a month ago. He needed a lot of time to rest after each game, and before he had rested enough, the next game came again. He could only play directly after warming up, repeating over and over again in a vicious cycle.

Doctors suggested that the Lakers should cancel Kobe's season, otherwise his Achilles tendon, cruciate ligament, and rotator cuff might all suffer stress ruptures. If he doesn't rest and receive conservative treatment, they can only wait and see which one breaks first, and then the other parts can get rest.

Lakers new owner Jim Buss accepted the doctor's advice and forced Kobe to miss all remaining 30 regular season games.

When you were traded to the Lakers, you thought you would save the Lakers together with Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, but you didn't expect that you would directly replace Kobe Bryant and have to carry the team forward.

You are excited about this, and your goal is that Kobe Bryant can only be second after his return.

Howard being sent away and Kobe being ruled out is huge bad news for Lakers fans, but for the Lakers players, the day has dawned.

Howard is gone, and no one is complaining about this and that anymore. Kobe's injury is a huge loss to the team, but with Kobe's injury, the Lakers management and coaching staff have canceled their season goals and let the players play as they please. With two of the "Big Four" missing, the media and fans no longer have expectations for the Lakers to win the championship, and don't even think the Lakers can make the playoffs...

At the beginning of the second half of the season, you had some problems with your new team. You had a 6-1 record in your first 5 games and your record dropped to 25-33.

At this time, you encountered great pressure from public opinion and were evaluated as a "system player". It would be difficult for you to leave the Spurs.

But after the running-in period, you burst out with extremely strong fighting power.

Gasol returned to the center position and found his feeling. He averaged 24 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists in the remaining 4 games.

Steve Blake's playing time increased, and Steve Nash also benefited from it, and his health gradually improved at the end of the season.

The performances of the three players improved, and the Lakers' team offense began to function normally.

The three pitchers, Charity World Peace, Antawn Jamison, and Jodie Meeks, and the two athletic forwards, Earl Clark and Jordan Hill, performed better than before after the team's offense was functioning normally.

And you are the key to changing all this. You have top personal offensive ability of averaging 25 points per game. Although your scoring ability is inferior to Kobe Bryant's, you also have personal defensive ability at the level of the best defensive team.

Under your leadership, the Lakers won eight games in a row after a 1-5 record, raised their winning rate to 8%, and returned to the playoffs. In the last 50 games, they had an 16-11 record, overtaking the 5-43 Jazz at the last moment and making it to the playoffs with a record of 39-44 and the eighth place in the Western Conference.

You won your first Player of the Month award in March.

In the 30 games after joining the Lakers, you averaged 37 minutes per game, scored 25.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 47.2% and a three-point shooting percentage of 40.6%. You led the team to a record of 20 wins and 10 losses. You and your new teammates have severely slapped the faces of those who looked down on you.

Today is April 2013, 4, the second day after the regular season ends. On April 18, you will start the first round matchup with the Thunder led by James Harden, Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka.

Optional Mission 1: Just One Win...

Optional Mission 2: We can win a little more...

Optional Mission 3: Black Eight Miracle..."

After Zhang Yang finished reading, he focused on the last part: What the hell? The Thunder team led by Erha? Not Turtle?

(End of this chapter)