warrior godfather

Jeff Austin suddenly nodded, and nodded:
"Then I will contact Nike and Under Armor now. It is not so easy to change from 10 years to 5 years. We still need to talk about it carefully. We can't delay it any longer and affect Stephen's preparation for the new season."

After finishing speaking, he was about to get up and leave. Zhang Yu raised his left wrist, glanced at his watch, and said:

"Don't be so anxious. It will be 12 o'clock in half an hour. Let's go have a meal together and get busy in the afternoon."

Jeff Austin was taken aback for a moment, then sat down and said with a smile:
"Okay, there is no rush at this moment."

Just now, he was full of thoughts about negotiating Curry's sneaker endorsement contract as soon as possible, but he forgot how rare it is to be able to make friends with rich people like Zhang Yu and Mark Baum.

Several people chatted for a while, but the topic turned to the trading market, which is not surprising. They are not team owners, shareholders, general managers, agents, and stars. No matter what topics they talk about, they will eventually turn back to the NBA. .

Larry Riley said:

"Ronan, Yi and Danny have already negotiated a contract extension. Yi is paying 900 million for three years, and Danny is paying 800 million for three years. The contract can be signed at any time, and Hassan has renewed his basic salary for 3 years."

The salary cap announced by the league for next season is $5804.4 million, and the trigger line for the luxury tax is $7030.7 million. The mid-level special case, those who exceed the luxury tax will receive a mini-middle class special case of $500 million, and the team that does not reach the salary cap will receive a small middle-class special case of $209 million.

The largest contract being implemented in the Warriors is Chandler's four-year 4 million. No other player has an annual salary of more than 4400 million, so he got a small middle-class special case of 257.5 million.

However, in the signing of Yi Jianlian and Danny Green, Larry Riley did not use this special case of the small middle class, but directly used the space to eat the contracts of Yi Jianlian and Danny Green.

Whiteside signed a two-year non-guaranteed basic salary contract with the Warriors before. His performance improved last season, but his overall strength is still relatively poor, so he can only sign a basic salary extension contract.

The Warriors have Chandler, they only need him to play the No. 5 position for more than ten minutes per game, and he can also play in the five small lineups at critical moments, so they don't have to look for another center.

Now many teams in the league are unwilling to spend more money on the 5th position, but use basic salary players to support the position of the backup center, especially the strong teams, try to save money as much as possible and spend it on guards and strikers.

Zhang Yu nodded and said:
"Very good. It seems that the communication between me and Yi has worked. After returning from Miami, we will sign the contract... Where is Jeremy? How is his contract renewal going?"

Larry Riley had a look of embarrassment on his face:

"Jeremy's contract extension has not been negotiated. His agent is very firm. He has to sign at least 3 years and 2000 million yuan. There is no way to talk about it. I contacted Jeremy, but he said that his contract extension Negotiations were froze when the broker had full authority to represent him."

"Since we can't reach an agreement, let's not talk about it. Let's talk about it next year. There is no rush at this time." Zhang Yu said.

It’s not that Jeremy Lin is incompetent for the position of the Warriors’ backup point guard. The upper limit he can accept is the full middle-class salary of $500 million. Since Jeremy Lin wants to pursue a big contract, he will play for another year, and then next year. There is really no agreement. Let's get together and hang out.

Larry Riley breathed a sigh of relief:

"I have informed Anthony and Tony's agent that I will not renew their contracts. Anthony has contacted other teams. The Timberwolves seem to be very interested in him. Tony's agent said that Tony likes the atmosphere of the team and wants to continue. Win a championship, but I hope you can give him more playing time next season, after all, he is in a contract year."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly:

"I see, you go back and tell him to let Tony practice three-pointers, but don't put down the defense. I will increase Tony's playing time on the basis of not affecting the team's tactics."

"Okay." Larry Riley nodded.

Mark Baum joked:
"Ronan, you are busier than me. You have to worry about so many things when you are on vacation. Listen to me, don't be the head coach, be the boss, make some investments, watch the ball, and enjoy life, okay? ?”

Zhang Yu shook his head, smiled lightly and said:

"You don't understand my fun. What is the meaning of the financial market? It is nothing more than earning more and earning less. It is challenging to coach a team to compete for the championship. Do you think everyone is like you and thinks about money all day long?"

"It's as if you treat money like dirt. Without money, can you buy the Warriors? Without money, can you renew players? Without money, can you build a new arena?" Mark Baum sneered.

Zhang Yu smiled and said:

"I really don't have the money to build a new arena. How are you doing in Japan?"

Mark Baum was taken aback for a moment, then he came to his senses and said:

"Oh... that matter, everything is moving forward in an orderly manner, just waiting for the time to come."

Since there were others present, Zhang Yu didn't say anything clearly, and Mark Baum's answer was also vague.

Zhang Yu nodded and said:
"It should take another two or three months. Don't relax, keep preparing."

Mark Baum nodded and said:
"no problem."

Since Zhang Yu approached him at the All-Star Weekend, Mark Baum has formed an alliance with Soros. He has been shorting the yen with his and Zhang Yu's funds. He only waits for the Japanese government to continue to release water, and then close the net and reap the harvest. wave.

When the two were chatting, no one else interrupted. The three of Curry could hear that Zhang Yu and Mark Baum were talking about business matters, and they didn't make it clear that they could not participate.

Zhang Yu raised his left wrist, looked at his watch, and said with a smile:
"It's almost 12 o'clock, let's go, go to eat, go back and rest for a while, and play in the afternoon."

Everyone got up one after another, Mark Baum said with a smile:

"When I came to Miami to discuss an investment, I went to a very good restaurant. Today I will take you to try it."

Jeff Austin said with a smile:

"In the past two days, Stephen and I will negotiate contracts with people from Nike and Under Armor. If this restaurant is available, we will invite them to dinner there."

"Did you say it wrong? They should have invited you!" Larry Riley said:

"Haha, that's right..."

Curry also laughed:

"It's just right, I have to go to practice in the afternoon and eat more at noon to replenish my energy."

Mark Baum was taken aback, and asked:

"Practice? You are on vacation and you want to practice?"

Curry shrugged:

"Jimmy and Kawhi go to practice every day, and Klay and Drummond often go. If I don't go, I can't hold my head up in front of them."

Mark Baum said in surprise:
"I thought they were going to play together, and I didn't ask. It turned out that they were going to practice... You all won the championship, why are you working so hard while on vacation? It's not necessary, right?"

Curry shook his head with a wry smile, but did not answer. Zhang Yu smiled and said:

"It's true that the team won the championship, but watching Stephen sign a big contract, which one of them would not be tempted?"

Mark Baum suddenly realized:

"That's right, they are all rookies, and they can't sit back and relax after winning the championship... Let's go and eat quickly, so don't delay Stephen's afternoon practice!"

……

While the Warriors came to Miami on vacation to savor their victory, their opponents in the finals still hadn't come out of the shadow of defeat.

On Coco Walk in Dade County, a suburb of Miami, James, who had just finished a morning of hard training, got off his beloved Ferrari 599, threw the key to the servant standing aside, shook his neck, and walked into his Miami mansion.

He bought this mansion for $900 million after he came to Miami two years ago. It has 1500 square meters and is luxuriously decorated. It has 6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, and facilities such as a basketball hall, gym, swimming pool, and movie theater.

However, the basketball hall and gym in James' mansion are not professional enough. In order to ensure the training effect, he still goes out at [-] o'clock every morning and goes to the training hall for training.

After losing the finals, James only traveled to Europe for a week before returning to Miami and devoting himself to training. Even the planned trip to China was postponed.

After the Heat lost to the Mavericks last year, James still went to China as scheduled, but this year the Heat lost to the Warriors again and failed in the finals for two consecutive years. Facing the crisis of disintegration of the Big Three, James rejected all business activities. Put all the energy on communicating with Wade, Bosh, the coaching staff and the team management.

He still clearly remembers the dignified atmosphere of that small meeting on the night he lost in G6 of the finals.

In the meeting that decided the future fate of the Heat's Big Three, James and Wade, Bosh, Spoelstra and Pat Riley did not argue endlessly. Five people sat together, and the room was deadly silent. .

The loss to the Warriors this time is different from the loss to the Mavericks. That time it can be explained that the Big Three didn't get along well, but this time, the three have played together for two years, and they can't use the running-in as an excuse.

But if it is necessary to find a responsible person, it is not so easy.

Pat Riley certainly doesn't need to be blamed. He formed the Big Three, recruited a large number of well-known and experienced veterans with a basic salary, and signed Battier to reinforce the striker. He has done the best and built a With a sufficiently strong lineup, no one can say anything.

Not to mention James, his performance against the Mavericks in the last finals was very bad, but this time against the Warriors in the finals, he averaged 27.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.4 blocks per game, and his shooting percentage was 47.2%. , The three-point shooting rate is 35.4%, and the free throw shooting rate is 82.6%. He is highly productive and efficient.

What James did not do well is that the assists are a bit low, but this has something to do with the Warriors' defensive strategy. He also passed a lot at the last moment, but the Heat are a Big Three team, and it is impossible to expect James to do it alone. Everything, he averaged 43.8 minutes per game in this playoffs, and played the entire game several times, and he can no longer be forced to do anything.

Wade doesn't seem to need to take the blame. He averaged 23.5 points, 6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.4 blocks and 3.8 turnovers. It has a lot to do with his defensive strategy. The lack of presence in the fourth quarter is also due to excessive physical consumption, not because he dare not take responsibility.

Wade's state this season is not as good as last season. In the 10 games when Bosh was injured, he supported the team with James and overdrawn his body. It is also reasonable that his state in the finals has declined. among.

And he blasted the opposing Klay Thompson in one-on-one, but was limited by the Warriors' defense, which doesn't seem to be his fault.

Bosh doesn't have to take the blame. In the Heat's first-round series against the Celtics, Bosh averaged 15.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game, close to a double-double.

Although he didn't score much, his average number of shots per game was only 9.8, which was almost half that of James and Wade. He didn't occupy the ball and was very efficient. Played an important role in the series against the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals, helping the Heat win and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

In the finals, Bosh averaged a double-double of 16.7 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. The number of shots was still far lower than that of James and Bosh, but his efficiency was not low, and he did what he deserved.

Spoelstra doesn't seem to need to take the blame. He coaches a top-heavy Big Three team. Under the three stars, there are a bunch of players with a minimum salary. The ability of James and Wade, both stars who need to hold the ball, is already very rare.

Spoelstra led the team to the finals for two consecutive years. Although the Heat did not win the championship in the end, he has obviously completed his task.

So, why did the Heat lose?

Since Pat Riley has no problem, his disciple Spoelstra has no problem, and the Big Three is even less likely to have a problem. It can only be because the role players are not strong enough and luck is not good enough. The Heat lost to the Warriors .

No one dared to admit that the Heat lost to the Warriors because the strength of the Big Three was not strong enough. This would deny the basis for the existence of the Big Three and directly lead to the disintegration of the Big Three.

James, Wade and Bosh sacrificed their reputations, lowered their salaries, and tried their best to form the Big Three, not for the purpose of going to the Finals as a stepping stone for the Mavericks and Warriors.

They have paid too much, and the huge sunk cost makes them unwilling to give up. Even if they can't build a dynasty as they imagined, they must at least win a championship.

Therefore, the final result of the discussion at that meeting was that the team lost to injuries. If Bosh hadn't been injured, Wade would not have to overdraw himself. As long as the Big Three stay healthy, the Heat must win the championship.

The Big Three said that they will continue to hone their skills and maintain their state; Spoeltra said that he will continue to study tactics suitable for the Big Three; Pat Riley said that the team will continue to introduce powerful role players and will not hesitate to pay The luxury tax must also improve the overall strength of the team.

The Heat survived the crisis of disintegration, but there is a question in everyone's mind. Even if Bosh is not injured and the Big Three remain healthy, can the Heat beat the Warriors?
This question is destined to have no answer, but one thing, they all know that the Warriors are the youngest team in the league, and they will only get stronger year by year. Stephen Curry is the MVP in the third year of his career, and no one Knowing how shocking he will be next season, the Heat must become stronger, otherwise the disastrous defeat in this year's finals is likely to be repeated.

Therefore, after a short vacation, James immediately put himself into training. He made up his mind to practice his back and three-pointers well, so as to break the Warriors' targeted defense against him.

……

James walked into the living room and found that in addition to his wife Savannah Brinson sitting on the sofa, his manager Rich Paul was also sitting.

"Hey, Rich, didn't you come to Miami tomorrow? Why did you come today without notifying me in advance?" James greeted Rich Paul, kissed Savannah who came up, and sat down. to her side.

James and Savannah have a very good relationship. Although he often goes to nightclubs to have fun, he does it very low-key, and he will not have an illegitimate child like Wade. The most famous one may be that he was in Macau with Anthony, The news that Wade and Paul went to the massage parlour, they maintained the image of good men in front of the outside world.

Rich Paul stood up when James entered the door, showing a humble smile, and sat down again after James sat down, saying:
"I happened to come to Miami today to discuss an endorsement contract with one of my players, so I came early and wanted to call you, but Savannah said you would be back soon, so I waited for a while... ..."

Rich Paul and James are good friends, but he became an agent because he completely relied on James, so he has always been very respectful in front of James, and he didn't dare to be arrogant at all.

And James still eats this. He is a person who often calls himself "The King" on Twitter and ins. He even makes others call him "The King". Chi Paul stayed together.

"Tell me, what needs you to go personally?" James asked.

"I'm going to cook, what do you want for lunch?" Savannah interjected.

Rich Paul quickly said:

"I can do it."

James laughed:
"Then you can do whatever you want. I still eat nutritious meals, the same as yesterday."

Savannah agreed, got up and walked to the kitchen. She is a very smart woman, and she will not control James's pleasure outside, nor will she participate in his basketball and business affairs. It is precisely because of her sensibility that the relationship between her and James has been maintained so well.

After Savannah left, Rich Paul said:
"Two days ago, Chris Grant contacted me."

James raised his eyebrows:
"Why did he contact you? Are there any players under your banner in the Cavaliers?"

Chris Grant is the general manager of the Cavaliers. Since James and the Cavaliers fell out, he has no contact with the Cavaliers.

Rich Paul shook his head and said:
"Of course not. He asked me, do you want to return to the Cavaliers? As long as you agree to return to the Cavaliers, he will give all his chips and build a championship lineup for you."

A sneering smile appeared on the corner of James' mouth:

"Didn't that Gilbert guy say I was a traitor? Didn't he say my departure from the Cavaliers was a 'shameful, cowardly betrayal', 'ruthless', 'self-righteous', 'retribution'? Didn't he say the Cavaliers Will he win the championship before me? What, he wants me back now?"

Rich Paul is well aware of James' resentment towards Cavaliers owner Gilbert. James has kept the open letter that Gilbert blatantly insulted him. When he feels tired, he will take it out and take a look. Filled with anger and raging fighting spirit, he devoted himself to hard training.

Naturally, he would not defend Gilbert, but only said:
"That's why I made a trip to tell you this in person. Gilbert obviously can't stand the poor results of the Cavaliers. He wants to invite you back to be the savior. The most important thing is that you can attract fans and Sell ​​tickets."

"Hehe, he thinks well!" James sneered, and said mercilessly, "Based on the current broken lineup of the Cavaliers, they also want to compete for the championship? It's ridiculous! I finally formed the Big Three, how could I go back there? Ghost place!"

Rich Paul suddenly became a little embarrassed, and said:
"You are right, but Grant also asked me to bring you a sentence. He said that Gilbert told you..."

"What did that old Gilbert say?" James asked, narrowing his eyes.

Rich Paul stammered:
"He said...he said that you have been in the Heat for two years and you can't win the championship. Heat fans only recognize Wade. You might as well go back to Cleveland. As long as you go back, he will never blame you for leaving, and the Cleveland fans will forgive you. , you are still the proud son of Cleveland, and the king of Cleveland..."

"Fack!" Before Rich Paul finished speaking, James raged, "You son of a bitch! I played for the Cavaliers for seven years. If it weren't for me, the Cavaliers wouldn't know how bad they would be today. I need forgiveness from him? I need forgiveness from Cavaliers fans?! If I hadn’t wasted seven years in that country place, I would have won a championship! Do I have to wait until now?”

He widened his eyes and slammed his fist on the sofa:

"If I had been selected by the Lakers, the Heat, or even a big city team like the Warriors, I would have won the championship! Kobe won three rings before he was 25 years old, Dwayne won the championship in the third year, and even Stephen Curry, with his baby face, also won the championship in the third year, and even won the MVP!"

"I have paid so much for the Cavaliers and sacrificed so much, and I still need his forgiveness? Dream! You tell him that I will never return to the Cavaliers, and I will definitely win the championship in the Heat! Next year, yes, next year, I will definitely I will win the championship, I will still be the FMVP, and I will win the MVP! I want that bastard Gilbert to know how wrong he is!"

"Hoo...hoo...the bastard, Shet..."

After James finished speaking, he panted heavily and kept cursing Gilbert in his mouth. Rich Paul didn't dare to touch his bad luck. After waiting for a while, he said cautiously:
"Okay, I get it, LeBron, you don't have to be too angry. The most important thing now is to win the championship. As long as you can win a championship, all doubts about you will disappear immediately..."

"Yes, that's right!" James squinted his eyes and said fiercely, "These guys who follow the wind only worship the strong. As long as I win the championship and win enough championships, I will be No. 1 in the league. You can surpass Jordan! In this way, you can contact Pat Riley again and urge him to make reinforcements. I must win the championship next season!"