no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 285 Conditions

If the request to modify the [vertical jump rules] only caused controversy, then Xu Yong's announcement of retirement really caused a stir in the basketball circle.

Is this the second time that the NBA's Great Recession triggered by Jordan's retirement will happen again?

No, it may even be bigger, because Jordan was already 30 years old when he retired, and Xu Yong was just 27 years old this year.

This seems to be only three years away, but it is the three years at the player's peak.

Especially since Xu Yong has just become a god, and with his Chinese background, the impact his retirement will have on the world of basketball is unimaginable.

At this time, what Barkley originally joked in the commentary box became reality.

That night, everyone who saw the news experienced a sleepless night.

Of course, some people never went back to sleep at all.

Xiao Hua was really confused. With his way of thinking, he couldn't understand why Xu Yong chose to retire because of a rule, because this was not like a choice that an adult would make.

You must know that this will not only have a huge impact on the NBA, but will also cause immeasurable economic losses to Xu Yong.

But just like he couldn't understand that Xu Yong would use that method to ask for the cancellation of the "vertical takeoff rule" before, he couldn't understand it this time, but he also had to deal with it.

After sitting in the office all night, Xiao Hua asked his assistant to contact Xu Yong, and then got on a plane to Chicago early the next morning.

Not long after, he saw Xu Yong in Xu Yong's manor, who was enjoying the cool on the grass and petting the tiger cub.

Seeing the arrival of a stranger, the half-human-sized tiger turned its head and roared at Xiao Hua, which frightened Xiao Hua, who was already pale as a sheet of paper, and subconsciously backed away. step.

Xu Yong comforted the little tiger, and then asked someone to bring Xiao Hua a chair.

"Is he the tiger that Shaq gave you?" Taking advantage of this moment, Xiao Hua started talking with a smile.

Xu Yong glanced at Xiao Hua and shook his head.

Xiao Hua knew a lot about his affairs, but unfortunately it was still just hearsay.

He had already sent the previous [King] back to the zoo where he was born. There were his kind there, which could be regarded as releasing him back into "nature". But this was just his newly adopted tiger, which was a wild rescue. of.

The reason why I chose this kind is because it retains its wild nature. When it grows up, it will not need to go to the zoo, but can return to the real nature through training.

"Does it have a name?" Xiao Hua then performed a series of dramas with a white face but as thick as a city wall.

"Joke." Xu Yong replied. He hadn't had time to name this little tiger before, but now it has.

"Joker? Nikola Jokic?" Xiao Hua asked unexpectedly.

Xu Yong looked directly at Xiao Hua this time, making Xiao Hua laugh sheepishly.

Yes, except for guys like O'Neal, who would name Tiger after his teammates?

This question is really from the kind of person who doesn’t have too much brain.

However, Xu Yong did not explain too much. After all, Joke translated into Chinese means joke.

Of course, Xiao Hua wouldn't think that way, because Xiao Hua's official translation should actually be called Silva.

At this time, Xiao Hua's stool was moved over, and after a brief conversation to shorten the distance, at least in Xiao Hua's eyes, he also talked about business.

"You know that I have always supported you. I have emphasized the importance of your opinions in the committee before." Xiao Hua tried hard to explain.

Xu Yong is also trying hard not to laugh, because these words are even more false than what Xiao Hua said to him on the phone before.

Tatum vividly restored Xiao Hua's righteous speech in the league committee demanding to maintain the authority of the league.

"I have a brand event in half an hour." Xu Yong reminded.

Xiao Hua's mouth twitched, but he immediately put on a smile and said: "I think the league committee will agree to cancel the rules, as long as you withdraw your decision to retire."

Xu Yong looked at Xiao Hua in surprise, not because of the news Xiao Hua brought, but because Xiao Hua knelt down much faster than he expected.

However, it is not incomprehensible. After all, his retirement will have a huge impact on the league. With Jordan's lessons learned, those bosses don't want their newly bulging wallets to shrink again.

Or in other words, the bosses' attitude towards Xiao Hua is completely different from that towards Stern. Stern led them to expand their territory, while Xiao Hua was just a tool they put on the table to make money.

It wasn't that Xiao Hua wanted to kneel so quickly, but that he had to kneel.

If he doesn't kneel, the bosses can find someone else to kneel.

"Mr. Xiao Hua." Xu Yong suddenly used the honorific title, which made Xiao Hua a little flattered. He thought Xu Yong had changed his mind and also looked a little happy.

But Xu Yong's next words made the joyful look on his face disappear: "Do you think retirement is child's play?"

Xiao Hua's face turned red. He came here just because he thought Xu Yong's retirement was too trivial.

"Of course there is no room for change in anything." Xu Yong suddenly stood up at this moment, and the little tiger jumped off his lap.

Xiao Hua also stood up, glancing at the little tiger from the corner of his eye, keeping a safe distance.

"As long as the alliance can agree to two conditions." Xu Yong looked at Xiao Hua.

"Two conditions?" Xiao Hua immediately turned his attention to Xu Yong after hearing this.

His inner thoughts at this time should be similar to those of the characters in TV series: Not to mention two conditions, twenty can be negotiated.

"The first one is to cancel and give up cooperation with the gambling company in the future."

But the first condition Xu Yong asked made Xiao Hua choke.

He had worked hard to win the spinach company, and now the bosses were all opening their mouths and preparing to eat the meat, but Xu Yong now asked him to take the meat away? Then the bosses are not allowed to eat him!

"It seems I don't need to say the second one." Seeing Xiao Hua's reaction, Xu Yong already signaled that Xiao Hua could leave first.

Not to mention how tangled Xiao Hua's expression was at this time, because this condition was too fatal.

Seeing that Xiao Hua didn't move, Xu Yong turned around and prepared to leave.

"Then, what about the second condition?" Xiao Hua said almost through gritted teeth.

Hearing this, Xu Yong turned around and said, "You will know when the first one arrives."

After saying that, Xu Yong didn't care about Xiao Hua's reaction and left directly.

Xiao Hua's chest rose and fell violently behind him. He felt the same now as James did at the time. Xu Yong didn't know how to respect people!

After getting into the car, Xiao Hua sat in the back seat and closed his eyes to rest, but his mind was a mess.

He couldn't say that he gained nothing when he came to Chicago this time. At least he got a choice, but this choice was like choosing one of two cups of poison. In fact, no matter what choice he made, he couldn't make the right choice. When he opened his eyes and looked out the window, he didn't know when the weather had turned gloomy.

While they were talking, some important figures in the league also responded to Xu Yong's decision to retire.

"The vertical takeoff rule is a rule that should never exist." Kobe posted a personal status on social media.

"In fact, we have to admit that the existence of this rule makes scoring easier." Pat Riley also expressed his position in the interview.

"I am definitely an opponent of this rule. What we need is not that damn shooting competition!" A. Smith also questioned loudly on the show.

Most of these celebrities chose to remain silent before, after all, that meant confronting the league, but now, they are obviously using this method to force the league to change the rules, and then want Xu Yong to take back his decision to retire.

Of course, this is actually a more euphemistic way, and there are more direct ways.

"Damn it, no matter what Xu proposes, promise him, we can't lose him!" Buckley roared loudly on the show.

"I have said before that we cannot lose Xu. We have all experienced something like that once, and we all know what it means." Bird also emphasized what he said in the interview, but it was different from the previous tone. It was completely different, this time it was extremely serious.

"Why did the league choose to ignore the voice of the first person? What he mentioned is exactly the right thing. We cannot live without Xu." Durant is the only active super giant to express strong support on social media.

The pressure from public opinion is unprecedentedly huge this time, because Xu Yong's influence has increased year by year in the past few years and has reached an unprecedented level.

After finishing the brand activities, Xu Yong did not return to the manor because there were already many people waiting for him to see him.

No need to guess, they must have persuaded him to give up retiring.

Xu Yong went to the villa in the city center.

But as soon as he entered the door, he found someone waiting for him there.

"Senior." Butler was a little excited when he saw Xu Yong coming in.

Xu Yong motioned for him to sit down first, and then went to the kitchen to get some new tea. Jokic still liked to put the new tea there, even though he had already returned to Serbia to race horses.

"Senior." After drinking a cup of tea made by Xu Yong, Butler spoke again, "You still owe me something, right?"

Xu Yong picked up the tea and took a sip. The new tea was a bit astringent, and he nodded.

"Then I'm going to honor this now and make you give up retiring." Butler then said quickly.

Xu Yong was stunned for a moment. After watching Butler put down the tea, he shook his head: "This can't be done, Jimmy."

"I know that senior has thought about me." Butler looked helpless when he heard this, but then he spoke again.

Is Butler right?

Actually that's right.

There are many reasons why Xu Yong chose to retire this time, and he was not prompted by a single reason.

The biggest and most important thing is of course Spinach's involvement in the league. Every basketball player who joins this sport has a passion for it, and so does he, and he also knows that this is the only way to prevent this. happened.

Secondly, it is also the current situation of the Bulls.

One comes from Butler's growing ambition, and the other comes from the conflict between Thibodeau and Jokic.

Let’s talk about Thibodeau and Jokic first. One is his mentor. The relationship between him and Thibodeau is very similar to the relationship between Jordan and Jackson back then. The other one was brought to Chicago by him personally.

As the season continues, the conflict between the two will inevitably deepen. By then, he will be neither helping nor helping anyone, and will be in a dilemma.

And Butler, no matter where he goes, will have a better chance of competing for the championship than staying with the Bulls.

"Jimmy, you think too much. The reason why I retired is the same as what I said." Xu Yong said with a smile.

"Really?" Butler didn't believe it.

"When did I lie to you?" Xu Yong asked.

Butler and Xu Yong looked at each other for a while, and finally nodded.

"Okay Jimmy, although my retirement is for other reasons, next season is your opportunity. I don't think I will leave you much time." Xu Yong reminded.

"I understand, senior." Butler said nothing more, then stood up and left the villa.

Looking at Butler's back, Xu Yong felt a little emotional.

Butler's character will never give up without giving it a try.

……

After returning to the New York headquarters, Xiao Hua immediately held a video conference of the league committee, and he directly laid out Xu Yong's conditions.

This made the bosses furious.

Obviously, before this, they all thought that Xu Yong was going to get the alliance to change the rules, but they didn't expect that Xu Yong had a bigger purpose.

However, no one among the bosses was in a hurry to express their opinion, because they were all weighing the pros and cons.

As capitalists, what they are now considering is that Xu Yong's retirement will bring greater losses to them, but the losses caused by giving up cooperation with Spinach will be great.

This is a fact that cannot be estimated, because the income of spinach can be predicted. After all, Xiao Hua has already negotiated the contract and the share of profit, but Xu Yong’s side cannot be estimated. No one knows what will happen if Xu Yong retires. What an impact it will have on the NBA.

"I think if I agree to him this time, there will be another time." When the bosses were hesitant, Xiao Hua added in time.

The bosses are still silent. They have all been in the business world for many years, and Xiao Hua's words cannot affect them yet.

"I have a plan." After seeing that the bosses were still hesitant, Xiao Hua continued.

"We agree to cancel the vertical take-off rule. This is the reason Xu gave publicly, so he should withdraw his decision to retire."

After Xiao Hua finished speaking, the bosses all understood what he meant. Only they knew Xu Yong's private conditions, and they could not make them public.

In this way, they have the initiative on a moral level.

Many bosses nodded subconsciously. These people are people who can turn their hands into clouds and rain. They don't like the feeling of being manipulated.

"But we still need to bear the risk of losing Xu." Mavericks boss Cuban reminded him. As a basketball-loving boss, he knows very well how influential Xu Yong is now.

"Then let's see how much we will lose by Xu's withdrawal." Knicks owner Dolan said.

(End of this chapter)