I'm really strong in basketball

Chapter 112 Liu He comes to New York
While Liu He was applying for a trade, another big event happened to the Lakers.

O'Neal's team applied to the Lakers for an early contract extension and wanted a five-year, long-term contract.

In fact, in the summer of 2003, O'Neal just signed a three-year contract worth $3 million. This contract still has two years left, so there is no rush to renew the contract.

So why is O'Neal's team in a hurry?
Because they realized that the 32-year-old O'Neill has still declined this year, and he no longer has the dominance of previous years.

In this era, big men, especially super-weight big men like O'Neal, will reach their final peak around the age of 32.

By next year, no one can guarantee what kind of state O'Neal can maintain.

So O'Neal's team wants to take advantage of this year, O'Neal still has the strength to seek the last big contract of his career.

In fact, in another time and space, O'Neal did the same thing.

However, O'Neill failed to win the championship that year, coupled with the previous scandal of "injury during working hours, of course you have to take care of it during working hours", Old Buss refused.

"The Lakers can't pay $33 million a year for a fat guy who is about to turn 3000!"

The old Bass directly rejected O'Neal without any sympathy, and it became the fuse that forced O'Neal to leave the Lakers.

But now, things are different.

O'Neal won the championship this season.

O'Neal has more bargaining chips and capital to negotiate a new big contract.

So it's really hard to say what the result will be this time.

However, according to the information Liu He received, the contract renewal negotiations did not go smoothly.

Old Buss didn't directly reject O'Neal this time, but he didn't agree directly either. Instead, he felt that O'Neal asked too much and wanted to talk again.

O'Neal's contract renewal was blocked.

Liu He's deal has made progress.

It was mentioned earlier that James Dolan made an appointment with Liu He. Liu He rejected Dolan's recruitment because of Knicks general manager Isiah Thomas.

Dolan said nothing at the time.

But the next day, the Knicks broke the news that the team fired general manager Isiah Thomas, who had just been hired in the summer of 2003.

Liu He just saw the news and received a call from Dolan.

"I have fired Isiah. In addition, I plan to hire former Lakers general manager Jerry West, what do you think? And the head coach, I contacted Mavericks head coach Don Nelson, and he said very I am willing to coach you. Although his contract with the Mavericks has not ended yet, I can afford the liquidated damages. What do you think? If you are not satisfied, just say whatever you want, and I will dig it out for you! It doesn’t matter if you spend more money."

Liu He was speechless.

James Dolan is really rich and powerful!
But his operation also made Liu He feel full of sincerity.

"I am at your service, Mr. Dolan!"

What else can Liu He say?

Not long after, the Knicks first signed Jerry West as the team's new general manager.

Subsequently, the Knicks signed a big contract with the old Nelson who left the Mavericks to serve as the team's new head coach.

After a series of operations.

Liu He contacted the Lakers and said that if possible, he would prefer to go to the Knicks.

Kupchak also said he would prioritize the Knicks.

For the Knicks, Jerry West was bombarded by Isiah Thomas as soon as he took office.

Isiah Thomas felt that West had taken his job.

West just responded calmly: "I don't have time to talk about this. I am really busy this summer. The Knicks are such a mess, even I feel a headache!"

In a word, kill Thomas directly.

The mess was not left by Thomas.

Thomas became furious and attacked West even more frantically.

But West stopped talking to Thomas and formally requested a trade from the Lakers.

This also verifies West's statement that "this summer is really busy" from the side, proving that the mess is really a headache for him.

The fans found that West did not respond, but he also slapped Thomas in the face, which was harder than responding to him.

As expected of West, his skills are indeed profound, and Thomas is not something that Thomas can provoke.

Thomas obediently shut up.

But West dialed the phone: "Mitch, give me Liu He, and others can choose whatever they want!"

Kupchak on the other end of the phone was a little nervous. He had been West's assistant before and knew how powerful West was.If Buss hadn't been afraid of West's abilities, how would he have had the chance to become the Lakers' general manager.

Facing West, Kupchak was habitually nervous, and he didn't dare to play with the little plans he had planned in his heart.

"You've got to at least give us a Stephon Marbury, plus Dikembe Mutombo."

In fact, the old Bass said that it would not be a loss for Liu He to trade Marbury, and it would be even better if he could earn Mutombo.

Marbury averaged 21.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game in the playoffs this year. He is still one of the few top players in the league.Although Marbury has more troubles off the court, there are too few outstanding first positions these years, not to mention that Marbury is 27 years old and he is in his prime.Still very fragrant.

In the playoffs, Mutombo averaged 12.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in 1.3 minutes per game. He is very suitable to be a substitute center.

This season, the problem of the Lakers' weak inside substitutes has been exposed many times.

Mutombo can just reinforce the inside of the Lakers.

"no problem!"

West said directly.

Kupchak: "..."

He originally thought that West would refuse, but West agreed without even thinking about it.

Kupchak, who thought he had made a profit, hesitated for a while, and couldn't help thinking: Am I at a disadvantage?
There is no way, West's prestige in Kupchak's heart is so high that it almost has a shadow.

The framework for the deal is already in place, but the deal is still not that easy to complete.

Liu He's child labor contract is too cheap, with his annual salary next year being only $97.

As for the Knicks, Marbury's contract for next season alone will exceed tens of millions of dollars.

Coupled with Mutombo, it is completely unmatched.

So the two teams still have to talk.

During this period, the 2004 NBA Draft was also held at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The quality of this year's rookies is very good.

The top pick is Dwight Howard, who can be replaced by James in the future, and was selected by the Magic.

Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Sean Livingston, Devon Harris, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala, Al ·Jefferson, Josh Smith, JR Smith, Delonte West, Kevin Martin, Tony Allen...and a series of potential rookies.

But none of this has anything to do with the Knicks.

Because the Knicks don't have a first-round pick at all.

However, Jerry West traded Nazr Mohammed for the Spurs' 28th pick in the first round and selected Brazilian actor Anderson Varejao.

Varejao was originally selected by the Magic with the first overall pick in the second round, and was later traded to the Cavaliers. He became James' teammate and the mentor who taught James to flop.

It's a pity that he is now cut off by the Knicks.I don't know if James can still learn the skill of flopping in this life?
But for the Knicks, it is indeed a profit.

In the first few seasons of his career, Varejao has grown into a good blue-collar insider.However, after 10 years, it gradually became useless due to injuries.

It can only be said that Jerry West's vision is still vicious.

Then with the 14th pick in the second round, the Knicks still selected Trevor Ariza.

Ariza is a wing player with good defensive strength and average offensive end. He has not even developed his three-point shooting ability at this time.

Of course, these two choices were the result of discussions between West and Nelson, and Liu He was also consulted.

Everyone knows that the Knicks will be Liu He's team next season.

It was with Liu He's consent that Dolan signed West and Old Nelson.

West and Nelson Sr. also expressed their importance to Liu He.

……

Then on July 7, the NBA trading market opened.

This summer, the NBA is destined to not be peaceful.

In the first minute of the trading market, a transaction occurs.

The Lakers sent Liu He, Gary Payton, Devin George, and Karl Malone.

Get the Knicks' Stephon Marbury, Mutombo, Vin Baker, and a future first-round pick, a first-round pick.

This 7-man deal shocked the entire league.

No one expected that Liu He's deal would be so big in the end.Of the seven players traded, except for George, the other six are or were All-Stars.

Of course, the real subjects are Liu He and Marbury.

Mutombo, Vin Baker, Malone, and Payton are all veterans.

Payton's stats with the Lakers shrunk significantly last season, and he was blown away by Billups in the Finals, which means he is a role player.

Ma Long seems to be more oily, but how many years can he continue to play at the age of 41?Moreover, he was plagued by injuries last season, and it is uncertain when he will return in the new season.

Before the deal was concluded, Liu He found Ma Long and Payton, and asked the two old guys.

"I'm getting old, isn't it good to stay in Los Angeles for the elderly? Why do you follow me around?"

Unlike the previous life, Malone and Payton failed to win the championship. Malone sadly retired and Payton fled to Boston.

But now, the two old guys have won the championship and fulfilled a lifelong dream.

Ma Long smiled: "Staying in Los Angeles, is that a pension? I'm afraid I will live a few years less!"

The three looked at each other and laughed in unison.

Today's Lakers are shrouded in the shadow of the battle between Kobe and O'Neal every day, which is too difficult.

Malone has endured for a year for the championship. Now that he has won the championship, he naturally doesn't want to endure it anymore.

Ma Long said again: "As you know, I'm close to No. 1 in the NBA's total scoring list. Liu, when I'm on your team, you have to help me break this record!"

Liu He nodded.The point of Ma Long's words is not to break the record, but to tell Liu He that you are the boss of the new team and I am willing to listen to you. Don't worry that I will cause trouble.

It's just that Ma Long's identity is there, and some things are hard to say clearly. Ma Long still has a sense of pride.

Of course, even so, Malone's mentality has undergone a huge change this year, and he is no longer the self-righteous senior who just arrived at the Lakers.

Liu He knew that the Spurs had offered an olive branch to Malone, hoping that Malone could assist Duncan, but Malone finally chose Liu He.

This love has to be remembered!

Help him break the record, no problem.

Payton said: "I left the Lakers because I don't want to be a tool man who dribbles through the half court anymore. I think I still have a little oil and can continue to play a role. Even if I am a substitute, as long as I can play a role, I am willing too."

This is a bit like Carter later.

A few years before Carter retired, he would rather go to a weak team to play a role than go to a strong team to win the championship.

The difference is that Payton has already won the championship and has no desire for a championship. Now he just wants to burn his last bit of fuel.

The current Knicks roster is:
Centers: Anderson Varejao (22), Jackie Butler (19), Burano Sandov (24)

Power forwards: Karl Malone (41), Kurt Thomas (32)

小前锋：刘河（20）、德文·乔治（27）、蒂姆·托马斯（32）、迈克尔·斯维特尼（22）、特雷沃·阿里扎（19）

Shooting guards: Allan Houston (33), Anfernee Hardaway (33), Shandon Anderson (31)

Point guards: Gary Payton (36), Mookie Norris (31)

Summer has just begun, and this lineup will definitely be adjusted.

But Liu He looked at the lineup and was speechless.

Dogs shake their heads just looking at this lineup.

Marbury can bring the previous lineup to the playoffs, which is also awesome.

Isaiah Thomas spent more than 1 million US dollars for the boss to create such a garbage lineup, which is simply a talent.

Fortunately, this guy got out.

If he continues to serve as the general manager of the Knicks, Liu He would not dare to join the Knicks with a hundred guts.

Nonsence!

Look, apart from Liu He, George, Payton, and Malone who were just traded, and Varejao and Ariza who were selected in the draft, is there anyone else available for this team?

“中投王”阿兰·休斯顿今年33岁，本赛季因为伤病就打了50场，场均18.5分2篮板2.4助攻0.8抢断，看似还有点价值。

But his contract premium of $1753 million for next season is too high to be wanted.

You must know that Kobe, the second best player in the United States, will have an annual salary of more than 1400 million dollars next season.

What's even more painful is that the time traveler Liu He knew that Houston could only play 20 games next season, and then he would be reimbursed for the season, and then chose to retire.

Then there is Anfernee Hardaway, this guy has two years left on his big contract, $1463 million next year and $1575 million the year after.

But Liu He knows that Hardaway's career has entered the countdown.

Hardaway can still play 72 games this season, averaging 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

But in the next two seasons, Hardaway can only play a total of 41 games, and the data will still shrink significantly.

Then there's Tim Thomas.

托马斯本赛季场均14.7分4.8篮板1.9助攻1抢断，有一定的价值，但是完全配不上他接近1200万美刀的溢价合同。

The Knicks' only valuable asset is Kurt Thomas.

这家伙本赛季场均11.1分8.3篮板1.9助攻1盖帽，明年年薪只有588万美刀，可谓物美价廉。

As for the others, Liu He has almost no impression in his memory. They are all players who can't play in the NBA at all.

Seeing this lineup, Liu He was really worried!

At the same time, Isiah Thomas, who had died down before, seized the opportunity and sprayed again: "The current lineup of the Knicks is really not as good as before. We were able to make the playoffs last season. This season, It can only be used as a fish belly."

"Look at Karl, he's been devastated by injuries."

"Look at Gary, he's no longer an All-Star, he's just a role player now."

"There is also Liu He, who you are looking for. He has never proved that he has the ability to lead a team alone."

"Firing me will be the beginning of the Knicks' complete decline. Dolan, you will regret it! Jerry West was once great, but he is old, too old!"

Thomas' words caused some New York fans to worry and began to question Dolan's summer operations.

When there were more and more messages, Dolan, who was originally confident, also began to waver.

Because the protagonists of the incident, Jerry West and Liu He, did not respond.

It also made many people wonder whether West and Liu He had a guilty conscience.

On July 7, accompanied by his agent Tai Lun, Liu He came to New York.

At the gate of the airport, there were a large number of Knicks fans waiting, wanting to take a look at the new boss of the Knicks.

After leaving the airport, Liu He warmly greeted the fans.

After some interaction, a fan representative came up and wanted to ask some questions of concern.

"Liu, what is the goal of the Knicks in the new season? A bad season or the playoffs?"

Liu He thought for a while, and asked without answering, "Which city is this?"

"Of course New York, the number one city in the world!"

Although the New York fans didn't know what Liu He meant, they still replied proudly.

Liu He said with a smile: "As far as I know, in addition to being the world's number one city, New York is also a holy land of basketball. Do the fans of the holy land of basketball have such low expectations for the team? It's impossible to perform poorly! My dictionary This word doesn't exist in it!"

New York fans were stunned.

In a word, they felt the arrogance of this supernova, which was exactly as the rumors said.

But immediately, the pride hidden in the blood of New York fans was activated.

A fan asked excitedly: "Liu, you mean, the team will definitely make the playoffs next season?"

Liu He nodded: "Of course! If it's in the Wild West, I really dare not say it. But in the weak East, if I can't even make the playoffs, then am I a waste? The season is over, I Retire directly!"

James:
So, I'm trash?

Tai Lun wanted to stop Liu He, but it was still a step too late.

The New York fans at the scene were completely excited, this guy is too crazy!

But this madness is just to their liking.

The boss in New York, how can he not be crazy?
Why is it not crazy to be the boss of New York?

New York, the number one city in the world, is the holy land of basketball, like no other!

But then, Liu He said again: "However, don't expect too much. Don't think about the championship for now. After all, you all know the current lineup of the Knicks."

The New York fans at the scene nodded.

The current lineup of the Knicks is indeed a dog shaking his head after seeing it, and it is considered a success to make it to the playoffs.

A championship, they couldn't even think about it.

This lineup. Isiah Thomas is all to blame, of course.

The New York fans began to scold Thomas that trash in their hearts again, and the mess left behind was really too big.

Liu He successfully dissed Isiah Thomas.

Liu He then said to the New York media on the side: "By the way, remember to tell Isiah that I asked Dolan to fire him. If you want to cause trouble, come to me! There is no need to target other people in the Knicks."

Liu He had secretly dissed Thomas just now, but now he was dissing him openly.

The boss of a team must have the responsibility of the boss.

New York fans are even more excited. The new boss in New York is really awesome.Whatever suits their appetite, it will be cooked exactly according to their appetite.

However, some smart fans realized that what Liu He said just now was "temporarily" not to think about the championship.

"So, Liu, what do you mean, we have hope to win the championship?"

Liu He just smiled, turned and left.

Then the New York fans behind them had a complete climax.

Soon, Liu He's declaration of "reaching the playoffs" and his words of "dissing Thomas" spread through the media in City One.

Isiah Thomas did not respond immediately.

But at Madison Square Garden, Mr. Jerry West waited until Liu He, and said with a smile: "Liu, you don't have to do this. Isiah's words have no effect on me."

Liu He said, "Of course I know that a small role like Isiah can't affect you, but I have to give Dolan some confidence! Only then will he feel at ease and not interfere with your work."

West laughed.

This Liu He can really talk, he seems to be satirizing Isiah, but he praised the old man again, and it is very natural, without the slightest abruptness, this horse has a solid foundation!
The key is Liu He's responsibility, helping the rest of the team to take responsibility, this is very satisfying to the old man.

Most importantly, Liu He is too smart.

Some fans think that Liu He's words at the airport are too crazy, completely reckless.

West originally had similar thoughts.

However, Liu He said that he wanted to give Dolan confidence, so that Dolan would not interfere with West's work, and let West do things freely.

Although this is the first day of their cooperation, West has anticipated that their subsequent cooperation will be very pleasant.

Another old man at the scene, Old Nelson, had been waiting impatiently for a long time.

After the two of them finished their greetings, they couldn't wait to take Liu He for a physical examination.

As a head coach, you naturally need to know the abilities of your players before you can lay out tactics, playing styles, and ideas.
A few hours later, when old Nelson and West got Liu He's physical measurement data.

Old Nelson was a little confused: "Jerry, why is such a guy selected with the 25th pick in the first round?"

West didn't know what to say.

(End of this chapter)