Basketball: The Chosen Victim

Chapter 317 Lao Zhan wants to turn back his prodigal son? !Cleveland fans say who are you!
December 12th was another Christmas Day game, and the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland was packed with people.

The fans had proud smiles on their faces, not only because the Cavaliers were leading 35-47, but also because the opponent in this Christmas game was the old rival Miami Heat.

"In just six months, the Heat have completely lost their ability to compete with the Cavaliers!"

In the live broadcast room of the sports channel, Yang Yi sighed.

"No, except for Wade who can compete with Irving, the Heat's players in other positions are at least one level lower than the Cavaliers!"

Yu Jia on the side answered.

"Yes, saying these words may make some James fans uncomfortable, but in fact, James' skills are too rough and there is no way he can be compared with Wu Di!"

Yang Yi smiled, but was refuted by Wang Meng:
"Yang Yi, I remember you didn't say that before, haha!"

While a few people were chatting and laughing, on the court, Wu Di dribbled the ball across the center line. Facing James' defense, he made a sharp In&Out connection and misdirected the probing step, instantly nailing James behind him. Haslem came over, and Wu Di raised his hand to throw. Board, Jordan dunks alley-oop!
35-49!

A set of fancy moves instantly made the audience burst into violent cheers!

The Cavaliers played too easily and didn't take the Heat seriously at all!
After changing sides and fighting again, James obviously wants to regain his position.

He used his special skills... and asked Hawes to come over to pick and roll, but Wu Di took a step behind Hawes and blocked his breakthrough route.

Seeing that James' breakthrough was blocked and he had no chance to pass the ball, he had no choice but to raise his elbow and take the shot himself!

Wu Di didn't even reach out to block the shot when he heard a bang!
The basketball hit the frame and Love easily picked up the rebound. James sighed.

His shooting percentage was too low, especially once the Heat fell behind, but if he had chosen to break through just now, facing Wu Di's defense and Love's subsequent double-teaming, it would have been difficult for him to get an advantage.

"Many fans say that James has made great progress this season, but judging from actual performance, it is obviously still far behind!"

Yu Jia explained, Yang Yi thought so:

"Yes, we are not being harsh. The main reason is that the standard of the NBA has been raised. If James wants revenge and breaks out of the Eastern Conference, he must continue to improve!"

Wang Meng laughed and mocked:
"You can't return to the Cavaliers as some media have said recently, right?"

Everyone burst into laughter instantly. Although James did not explicitly say that he was in a group, the ridicule was already full!
However, after laughing, Yu Jia said:

"But having said that, if James really wants to return to the Cavaliers, with the Cavaliers' current salary space, it is really possible!"

Wang Meng adjusted his glasses and looked shocked:
"It shouldn't be possible, right? After all, James is a superstar who has won the MVP. With the current Cavaliers' lineup, even Grandma O'Neal can win. What's the point of James going back? The league won't allow it... right?"

Yang Yi held his chin and analyzed:
"Don't say it yet, don't say it yet! James is a native of Cleveland! Cavaliers fans have won two championships in a row. I guess their anger has dissipated. If James can perform the drama of the prodigal son returning to his hometown, I'm afraid I really can’t say whether I will pay the bill..."

Wang Meng opened his mouth so wide that he could fit an egg in. He always thought that the news from the media was just for ridicule. Unexpectedly, Yu Jia nodded frequently and continued his analysis:
"That's right, the NBA is a business league after all. What I just said was mainly because of the fact that the Heat's lineup will basically miss the finals..."

Yang Yi seemed to have thought of something and added excitedly:
"Yeah! For Riley, it's better to rebuild as soon as possible while you have leverage now, and trade James for some players with potential!"

"The worst thing about the Cavaliers now is the players with potential. It is difficult for the Cavaliers to retain these players in the future, such as Butler, Thomas, Green, etc... Just like Beverley, the salary cap is limited to There it is!"

But Wang Meng waved his hand quickly:
"Wait a minute! Your main premise may be wrong! Are you looking down on James too much? If I were James, instead of trying to win a championship on salary, I would return to the Cavaliers for a second team-up? This is too cheap..."

Yu Jia smiled and said:
"According to common sense, this is indeed the case, but it is James after all, so none of us can say for sure!"

The three of them laughed meaningfully, but after laughing, Yang Yi had an intriguing expression:
"And another factor that the Cavaliers management has to consider is Wu Di's contract renewal!"

"Even if James wants to return to the Cavaliers and Riley wants to rebuild the team, will Woody agree?"

Speaking of this, Yu Jia also adjusted his glasses:
"Yes, judging from Wu Di's performance, he will definitely not renew his contract in advance now. After all, it is not necessary. He can definitely wait until next year to get a bigger contract. Based on this, the Cavaliers management must consider Wu Di's attitude. Is it worth it? Take the risk..."

Wang Meng pointed his finger:
"Yes, if James and Wu Di break up, it will really be like losing the watermelon and picking up the sesame seeds!"

Yang Yi deeply agrees:

"Indeed, the signing of Bynum by the Cavaliers management during the offseason proves that their vision is very limited. If they try to influence Wu Di now by making stupid moves, that would be crazy!"

……

95-119, the Christmas war came to an end, the Cavaliers won by a big score!
James scored a triple-double of 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, and Wu Di scored 45 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. They seem to have their own merits, but in fact, just look at the plus-minus values ​​of both sides, -18 and +15, and you will know James's performance. How serious is the data water injection?

"Wu's performance is amazing. He deserves the MVP and FMVP. The key is that he is not yet 25 years old..."

At the post-game press conference, James praised Wu Di's performance to reporters with bright eyes:

"In fact, I have listed him as a role model for me to learn from. Yes, you heard it right. Although I have been in the league longer than him, there is no doubt that his talent is unprecedented, even better than Michael's. Be high..."

Being praised so much by his opponents, he was still the "chosen son" who had once been unruly and unruly and could not be retained no matter how hard he tried. The reporters in Cleveland raised the corners of their mouths when they heard that!
The accompanying Miami reporters had very ugly expressions, even a little humiliated!
But James kept talking:

"Although it may sound uncomfortable to some people, but I love to be honest, Wu Di has completely changed the rules of the game!"

"As far as I know, all the teams in the league are studying and learning the Cavaliers' style of play, and we are no exception..."

James turned into the number one dissenter and played a modest persona. But on the other side, at the Cavaliers' media conference, Wu Di responded very rudely when he heard James' flattery:
"I'm not familiar with James, and he doesn't understand me! And as far as I know, he's just a traitor to Cleveland! He probably just wanted to make up for the fact that he lost consecutive games in the playoffs by saying those things..."

Wu Di exposed James' hypocrisy with just a few words. His words were so serious that the Cleveland reporters who were already in high spirits instantly returned to their senses!

However, what Scott said next made Cleveland reporters break out in cold sweat:

"I'm very happy that Wu Di is so sober. In fact, this is purely a sugar-coated bullet from LeBron!"

"I can responsibly say that LeBron definitely has no good intentions when he says this! As a former dynasty player, my experience tells me that the most difficult difficulty to overcome in the third championship is the mentality!"

"If you indulge in the praise of your opponents, you will be praised invisibly! In fact, we still have a lot to improve. Not to mention the Bulls in the 90s, even the old rival Spurs. If we relax our mentality, we may not be able to Defeat them..."

The two masters and apprentices spoke directly to each other, showing no signs of relaxing at all, leaving no dignity for James!

The media is also happy to exaggerate the tense atmosphere between the two sides, and publicize James's hot-faced and cold-backed deeds, losing people and losing again!
However, some of the media controlled by Nike forcefully defended James, praised James for his good moral character, generously praised his opponents, and criticized Wu Di and Scott.

It’s just that laymen watch the excitement, and experts watch the door. The next day, Jordan, who saw the news, called and teased Wu Di’s attitude:

"What did I say before? When you want to win three consecutive championships, your boss will create difficulties for you even if there are no difficulties!"

Wu Di was also speechless:

"How did you know it was Gilbert?"

He received inside information in advance that Gilbert was indeed in contact with James!
The source of the news is none other than his pet, the number one Zhan Chui who once published "Irreplaceable", columnist Silin.

The news that James is returning to the Cavaliers is not groundless. Gilbert is already seeking to trade with the Heat before the trade deadline, exchanging Love and Thomas for James, or DeAndre Jordan and Butler!

James' public relations team has already contacted Celine and started asking her to publish relevant press articles to build momentum for James' return!

I have to say, this trick of dove occupying the magpie's nest is really amazing!

Gilbert needs to be checked and balanced, and the arrival of James can not only check and balance Wu Di, but also add a new gimmick of "the prodigal son returns to his hometown" to the Cavaliers' three consecutive championships!
What's even more incredible is that this trade is something the Heat want. After all, if you wait until the summer, James will become a free agent. If the Heat do not form a lineup that can compete for the championship, James will really leave the team as a free agent. of!
After all, this is not the previous life. The Heat's Big Three have not won a championship. Riley had expected it in advance.

There is no resistance from the league. After all, Nike, a big financial backer, is behind the scenes. When the dove takes over, the James fans will even boast that three consecutive championships will be James' achievement!

"Haha! How do I know? Young man, you are so offensive by asking! Don't forget that I have created two three consecutive championships!"

Jordan laughed and said:
"Do you want to know how to solve this problem? If so, I will send a private plane to pick you up in Charlotte, and we can talk in detail!"

Wu Di shrugged:

"I already have a solution...wait a minute, old guy, you don't want to recruit me, do you?"

Jordan laughed even louder:

"Haha! Isn't it possible? Don't refuse yet. What Gilbert can't give you, I can give it to you! Team shares, building a team with you as the absolute core..."

Seeing his attitude, Wu Di couldn't refuse resolutely, so he had to use the excuse of his unexpired contract and restricted free agency to delay. But after hanging up the phone, thinking of what Gilbert had done, he couldn't swallow it. Tone!

Over the years, he has been worried about the knight!
In addition to the two championships, the Clippers were traded in exchange for Jordan, Davis, and the No. [-] pick, the Timberwolves were traded in exchange for Love, and Irving, Butler, Thomas, and Green were selected in the draft...

However, Gilbert took all of this for granted!

Even further, he felt that Wu Di had overstepped and overshadowed him!

If he didn't have this idea, Gilbert wouldn't have gone out of his way to recruit Bynum, let alone secretly recruit James!

To put it bluntly, Gilbert wanted to prove that the reason why Wu Di was so successful was because he rewarded Wu Di with food!

However, if this were the case, then Jordan would not try any other way to recruit Wu Di!
When Gilbert recruited Bynum last season, Wu Di only put pressure on him to stop the deal, and he did not retaliate because of his old relationship.

But it later turned out that Gilbert mistook his kindness for weakness, and mistook good words for good words!

But this time, he won't tolerate it anymore!

He would let Gilbert figure out who was rewarding whom!

Thinking of this, Wu Di dialed a phone number:
"Silin, send out that article!"

……12月28日，第一轮全明星的投票结果新鲜出炉，吴迪以91万票的绝对优势位列榜首，比No.2杜兰特的57万票足足多出了34万票！

What also makes Cavaliers fans happy is that Irving and Love's voting rankings are not low this time, and the Cavaliers hope to reach the top three starting All-Stars!

However, the whole world’s attention was attracted by an article written by Silin——

"Nowhere to Go"!
The article begins by revealing that James wants to return and is even secretly seeking a deal with the Cavaliers, citing potential specific trade personnel.

Immediately afterwards, there were questions about why James kept taking shortcuts?
Why do you always want to be in a group?

In order to recruit James, the Heat had overdrafted their draft picks until 2015, and most importantly, they gave Wu Di to the Cavaliers!
But in exchange, it was James' betrayal in advance? !

In addition, this Cavaliers team, not to mention the new addition of James, even O'Neal's grandma has a high probability of winning the championship!

What does this kind of return mean to James, even if he wins a championship?
And now everyone knows that the Cavaliers are Wu Di's team!

LeBron, can we have some backbone?

Finally, here’s the point. It’s not that James has nowhere to go, it’s that James has nowhere to go!

They were full of hope that James would be able to realize his shame and then be brave, and be self-respecting and self-reliant, but what happened in exchange for James' "Decision 2.0"?
Stop telling stories about the prodigal son returning to his hometown, it’s all bullshit!

It’s just for your own commercial value!
James put down his face and returned to the Cavaliers to be the second child. James and others are too embarrassed to fan the Cavaliers again!
"Nowhere to Go" is causing a stir again!

But this time the public opinion was in an uproar!
Since Silin has always been respected by the James fans as the number one James fan, this time she suddenly turned into a werewolf at a critical moment, but she directly put James on the fire!

Moreover, when James and Mi read it, every word was eye-catching and every sentence was heartbreaking!

Yes, if James really returns to the Cavaliers, will they applaud Wu Di?

Cavaliers fans also felt baffled after watching it. Yes, most fans have lost their anger, but James' prodigal return?
This plot is a bit ahead of its time!
The most important thing now is not to complete three consecutive championships!
What kind of plane is Gilbert doing?
Trade Love and Thomas or Butler and DeAndre Jordan for James?

Neuropathy!

Trade the heroes who won the championship for traitors and thieves?

It’s only because of your brain that you came up with such a bad idea!

Complaint letters from fans demanding the replacement of the Cavaliers boss flew to the NBA headquarters like snowflakes. Gilbert instantly became Alexander, and James was even more furious!

But there is nothing to do!

The most important thing about the entire transaction is to be quick and secretive!

Before the fans could react, the deal had been reached. At that time, the fans could only accept it!

Just like his "Decision 1.0" back then!
But now, everything is in ruins!
If he still dares to risk the world's disapproval and take the initiative to seek a deal, then James and his followers will definitely show him off immediately!

When James was upset, the phone rang suddenly, it was Gilbert:

"How could you let outsiders know about such a confidential matter in advance! Are you brainless?"

James was also furious:
"She is a die-hard Jamie, who knew she would be like this!"

Gilbert slapped his head angrily:

"Hardcore James? Pull him down! Now there are so many Dee fans in Ohio! Even my daughter is questioning why I want to destroy the unity of the Cavaliers, regardless of what Wu Dee and Scott think..."

James was furious when he heard the words:

"You still have the nerve to criticize me?! If it weren't for your connivance, would Wu Di and Scott be as famous as they are now?"

The two of them yelled at each other, but after scolding for a long time, they had no choice but to finally decide to resort to the dragging technique!

James mobilized the Nike PR Department to divert public attention to the scandalous news about the Kardashian family, while Gilbert stayed at the door and issued the strictest hush order to the Cavaliers.

Two days later, in the game between the Cavaliers and the Lakers, the Cavaliers were all in poor condition and lost to the Lakers without Kobe Bryant.

After the game, Wu Di was besieged by reporters and asked to comment on trade rumors.

Although he was issued a gag order, the price of the gag order was only $[-]. Naturally, Wu Di would not miss the opportunity to output:

"Ahem, this news is too outrageous! How could we want that traitor? Besides, what is he here to do? Be my successor? Then it's not his turn, and there's Owen!"

Wu Di said, he has decided to leave Cleveland next season, so now is a good time to lay a trap for James!
It's okay if James doesn't come, but if he comes, Immortal Guangou will have enough for him to drink from a pot!
Not only that, when Irving, who was struggling with his position on the side, heard this, he stopped worrying in an instant, and his chest puffed out and his chin raised!
He looked at Wu Di with even more admiration. Wu Di said that he was the successor, and even if James came, he would be ahead of James!

Wu Di has already spoken, now let's see who dares to have a different opinion!

As the saying goes, a scholar dies for his confidant. Owen was so moved!
After James heard the news, he almost fainted because he couldn't stand still!

Immediately afterwards, he took out his mobile phone and connected to wifi and tweeted:

"Miami is my home. I have experienced some setbacks, but I will get up wherever I fall. I will work with Wade to win the championship!"

The James fans in the comment area were in high spirits, as if James had already won the championship!
But soon, Riley called and scolded James:

"Are you crazy? You know we have no hope of winning the championship! Do you want me to trade you and Wade to Cleveland?"

“Delete the tweet quickly!”

However, it was already too late. The hard-working James fans spread James's ambitious words everywhere. Although James wanted to reproduce the law of true fragrance in the United States, such violent repeated leaps were very difficult for him to create a superstar persona. unfavorable.

But James has already thought about it, he must show this attitude, and his attitude will not affect the Heat's subsequent deal with the Cavaliers!
After all, he does not have the right to veto the transaction in the Heat. When the time comes, just say that this is the team's decision and has nothing to do with him!

And he made it very clear, get up wherever you fall. Don’t forget, he fell down in the Cavaliers!

So when the knight gets up, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it!

Besides, he is going to the Cavaliers. If he makes some harsh remarks now to allow the Cavaliers to gain more chips in the transaction, it will be considered a meritorious service by then!

James' abacus clicked, but Gilbert hesitated...

Although trade negotiations are now more beneficial to the Cavaliers, don't forget why he recruited James!

The story of the prodigal son is one aspect, but the more critical thing is checks and balances!
James behaved so repeatedly that it was difficult for him not to consider that if James was really recruited, would this guy kneel down and lick Wu Di and join forces to deal with him...

After all, after recruiting, he will have fewer chips to move, and Wu Di has the die-hard support of Scott. When the time comes, James will definitely lick more crazily than anyone else for playing time!

The more Gilbert thought about it, the more frightened he became, and the more he thought about it, the more frightened he became!
He brought his concerns to general manager David Griffin, who mused:
"If we don't do anything else, why don't we just fire Scott?"

When Gilbert heard this, he immediately decided:
"No, you're fired!"

David Griffin was confused and asked at a loss:
"Boss, what did I do wrong?"

Gilbert shook his head, stood up and walked away without looking back, leaving David Griffin messy in the wind:

"Did I just say something wrong? Shouldn't I fire Scott?"

"But Scott is really useless. He can only do three things: pour chicken soup, hand the ball to Wu Di, and deal with the media. Who can replace him..."

Griffin couldn't understand why he was eliminated, just like he couldn't understand how important Scott's three goals were, and couldn't understand how stressful it was for the boss to fire a head coach who had won two consecutive championships!
Of course, if he could understand, he wouldn't be pulled out so easily by Gilbert and take the blame!
Soon, Gilbert held another press conference:

"Recently, the team's performance has been ups and downs. As the boss, I have an unshirkable responsibility!"

"It was me who failed to manage the team well and allowed some professional managers to jeopardize the team's stability. However, after I found out what happened, I immediately fired the team's general manager David Griffin!"

"The interim general manager will be Chris Grant, who is more familiar with the team's affairs..."

Cavaliers fans applauded the news and rushed to tell each other. Only James and Riley joined David Griffin's messy team in the wind!

None of Gilbert, James, and Riley can trust the other, and none of them wants to be taken advantage of by the other, so the deal will fall through!

风波暂告一段落，但心态修复却需要时间，直到2月12日全明星周末前，骑士的战绩从圣诞节时的27胜3负一路滑到了38胜15负！
Only 2 more wins than the No. 36 Pacers' 17 wins and 2 losses!

Cavaliers fans criticized former team general manager David Griffin, but James was left with envious saliva!

The Heat's record this season has improved greatly compared to last year, but it is only 30 wins and 23 losses, with a winning rate of only 56%.

Regardless of the low winning rate, it is already ranked third in the Eastern Conference!
This season, basically all teams are trying to copy the Cavaliers' style of play, which places more emphasis on space and coordination. It is a transitional period, so the winning rate is generally not high.

In this year's All-Stars, the Cavaliers are unparalleled. Wu Di won the All-Star votes, Irving was selected as the All-Star starter, and Love and DeAndre Jordan are still All-Star substitutes.

If you include half-All-Stars Butler and Thomas, the five-star Cavaliers are just around the corner!
"Only Dwyane and I are All-Stars in the Heat. Fans will know why we can't beat the Cavaliers just by looking at our strength on paper!"

James lamented over and over again. He completely ignored the fact that the Pacers only have one All-Star player, Paul George, but their record is better than that of the Heat!
He looked at Wu Di with envy, jealousy and hatred in his eyes. No matter how much he flattered Wu Di, Wu Di stepped on him hard and refused to fight at all. He was so petty to the extreme!
然而更让他羡慕嫉妒恨的还在后面，欧文在全明星正赛中17投14中狂砍31分14助攻5篮板，拿下全明星MVP！

Facing the media interview, James said with a gloomy face:
"You know, Irving is the best point guard in history. The fact that the Cavaliers can achieve today's achievements has little to do with Wu Di!"

However, it's okay if he doesn't feel bad. If he does, after the All-Star Game and the trade deadline passed, the Cavaliers' record has been improving and they have started a winning streak again!

(End of this chapter)