no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 289 Xu Yong’s Choice

When Xu Yong said these words, the excitement on the faces of the bosses could not be hidden at all. When Xu Yong came back, their shrinking wallets could finally grow again!

But after the excitement, the atmosphere in the office suddenly became weird. The bosses looked at Xu Yong as if they were looking at a huge gold mine, their eyes glowing green, showing uncontrollable greed and desire.

The biggest difference between Xu Yong and Jordan's first retirement is that he is now a free agent.

When Jordan came back, he still had a contract with the Bulls, so he could only return to the Bulls.

But Xu Yong has already completed his contract with the Bulls, and Raunsdorf wanted to continue to execute the last year of his contract, but Xu Yong declined.

This means that Xu Yong has no restrictions now and can go wherever he wants.

This doesn't make these bosses jealous. If Xu Yong can be signed, then the market value will return to two years ago, and doubling it will not be a dream.

Tatum was a little sad at this time.

Because Xu Yong’s return will involve two big issues. One is the issue of where to return, which is bound to be an open and covert struggle;

And the other one is how Xu Yong returns.

The reason why Jordan's return to the Bulls was so smooth was because there was no concept of a [salary cap] at that time.

But now, even if each team reduces expenses before the season, there is no team that can sign a maximum salary naked.

Because the league also has a minimum salary cap, which is the poverty line. If you don’t fill it up, you will have to make up for the shortfall. This is why some teams sign contracts even though they know they are premiums. A premium is always better than nothing. Turn the money over to the league.

Therefore, there are only two possibilities for Xu Yong to return in the middle of the season. One is that other teams can use the signing space. This is not easy, and it also directly excludes many teams;

The other option is that Xu Yong takes a salary cut and returns on a one-year contract.

But the second option will inevitably arouse opposition from other bosses, because Xu Yong joins an already competitive team, which directly undermines the principle of fair competition.

So when the meeting was over, Tatum took Xu Yong to his office to drink tea before the bosses could.

There was no need to say thank you to Xu Yong for recommending him to be the president, because the relationship between them was no longer maintained at the level of such polite words. After making Xu Yong a cup of coffee, he sat down and chatted The question of how Xu Yong returns.

"I'm not someone who likes to take shortcuts." Xu Yong's answer gave Tatum reassurance.

Xu Yong is essentially an old-school player.

When Xu Yong came out of Tatum's office and walked to the corner of the passage, he found an old acquaintance waiting for him there.

Before Ballmer bought the Mavericks, Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen was the richest owner in the league. Now, Ballmer has replaced Allen.

They are both Microsoft bosses, but Ballmer is worth nearly 100 billion, ranking first in history. Otherwise, he just bought a big toy when he bought Mavericks.

Xu Yong knew that other team owners would definitely look for him, but he didn't expect that the first one would be Ballmer, and he would occupy such a [favorable] position.

When they reached the entrance, there were other bosses waiting, but when they saw Xu Yong coming out with Ballmer, they all had no choice but to change the time.

Xu Yong followed Ballmer to a nearby coffee shop and chose a private room.

"I want to cooperate with you." Ballmer's first words after sitting down successfully attracted Xu Yong.

Because what he said was [cooperation], not signing.

"I have two options." Ballmer continued to arouse Xu Yong's interest.

"The first is that you play for the Mavericks and when you retire, you become a shareholder of the Mavericks. Of course, you can also be the head coach if you are interested."

Shares, when he heard the word, Xu Yong took a serious look at Ballmer and understood what he meant by cooperation.

Many team owners in the NBA are not the same person. After all, such a big business cannot be handled by one person under normal circumstances, so in a general sense, the owners of any team are the major shareholders.

Of course, that's not all. For example, Ballmer has strong financial resources and he is the only owner of the Mavericks.

But now in order for Xu Yong to join, he made a promise first.

This can also be understood as a pie, but this pie can be seen.

Because the NBA team itself is only a small part of the assets for Ballmer, he will not be reluctant to part with Xu Yong.

And from a business perspective, Xu Yong's joining will definitely increase the Mavericks' assets. Even if Ballmer's shareholding drops from 100% to 80%, the future growth in wealth will definitely be greater than the increase in value of the 20% shares.

"The second option is to become a shareholder of the Mavericks first, then come back at your own opportunity, and still become a shareholder of the Mavericks after you retire."

"It's not that I doubt your current state, but you have indeed not played for more than a year. Michael is a lesson learned from the past. The second is a more secure plan." Ballmer added.

Worthy of being the former CEO of Microsoft.

This was Xu Yong's first reaction after hearing Ballmer talk about the two options.

Cue Jordan also said that Ballmer really considered a lot of details.

Not only what he said, but also the issue of salary space.

As mentioned before, no matter which team Xu Yong joins this season, that team will need to clear salary space, and it will be very difficult. If not, the team will need to be dismantled.

After all, in the middle of the season, there are only a limited number of teams with room for big contracts, and the Lions will seize the opportunity after all.

But if it is a new season, it will be much easier to handle.

Xu Yong can also use the time when he is the boss to train and find his condition, so as not to make a hasty comeback and fail like Jordan did.

In fact, if Jordan hadn't completed a three-game winning streak later, the half-season of his comeback would have been a textbook failure.

"I respect any choice you make. The important thing is that you are back. Even as an opponent, I am extremely happy about this matter." When the two of them finished talking and were about to leave, Ballmer stood up and said to Xu Yong, And smiled and hugged Xu Yong.

Yes, Xu Yong is back, and the NBA story can start again.

Xu Yong stayed in New York for two days. He was not idle, but his boss kept looking for him. It can be said that he was busier than the biggest star in Hollywood these two days.

In the end, he called Schwartz and then returned to Chicago.

If I continue to stay, I'm afraid I won't be able to escape within half a month.

After returning to Chicago, just in time for the Bulls' offseason, Xu Yong invited Butler to have a meal at the manor.

"Senior, why are you free today?" Butler was still a little surprised. Xu Yong is now an NCAA assistant coach and spends most of his time in Tempe.

"How are you doing recently?" Xu Yong did not answer, but asked while eating.

"I am confident that we will definitely lead them to the finals this season!" When talking about the team, Butler's eyes suddenly lighted up.

Although he fell at the last moment last season, his self-confidence has been unprecedentedly improved.

Because of similar experiences, the media has been comparing him to Pippen, but the reality is that Pippen failed in the conference semifinals when he led the team in 1994, and there was also negative news about the "1.8 Seconds Incident". But he led the team to defeat the stronger Raptors.

And you have to know that the Bulls traded him in the middle of the season last season, and Aldridge spent less than half a season with the Bulls.

This season, the Bulls made targeted reinforcements in the offseason and signed Rose back. Butler's ambitions are not overconfident.

Looking at Butler's longing eyes in front of him, Xu Yong couldn't help but feel a little ripple in his heart.

It was like a piece of art being created in front of him. If he reached out to touch it, he would most likely break it to pieces.

……

January 1th is destined to be an extraordinary day for basketball fans around the world.

Because on this day, two major earthquake-level events occurred in the alliance.

The first thing is that Xiao Hua announced his resignation as NBA president and will be replaced by Tatum.

This news is very exciting, because if nothing else, just the fact that the introduction of spinach has made the league a mess has already made the fans extremely unhappy with him.

As for Tatum, who took over, because he always smiles and makes people feel very approachable, fans are not resistant to him.

And the first thing Tatum did after taking office was to cancel the [vertical takeoff rule] again.

This move means that the league will experience pain again, but fans' favorability towards Tatum has skyrocketed, because during the canceled season last season, although the game was ugly, fans loved watching it.

But in general, compared to the first thing, the second thing that really makes fans excited is the second thing, because Xu Yong announced his return to the NBA on his personal social media. His content was very concise: "It's Time." arrive)

Immediately after the official broke the news, Xu Yong will end his short career as an NCAA assistant coach and return to the NBA as a team shareholder.

And the team he joins will be the Mavericks.

In the past few days, basically except for the Thunder, the remaining 29 teams have contacted Schwartz. Even if there is a lot of overtax, as long as Xu Yong nods, they will do their best to clear out salary space.

But after meeting Butler, Xu Yong finally chose to accept Ballmer's proposal. If he chooses to return to the Bulls, the Bulls will definitely need major changes. At least one of Adams or Aldridge needs to be sent away to have salary space, and Butler will most likely choose to leave in the future.

This is almost tantamount to rebuilding the Bulls, which is not what he wants to see.

In contrast, going to Dallas not only avoids this, but Ballmer's offer is also very attractive.

It can be said that Ballmer made Xu Yong think about his life after retirement in advance. This short retirement also made him realize that he can't live without basketball in his life.

So if there is such an opportunity, he needs to seize it.

And compared to Abel Pollin, the owner of the Wizards at the time, Ballmer was obviously more trustworthy.

Of course, there is another solution, which is to have Raunsdorf give up his equity like Ballmer did, but if this were possible, Jordan would not have had to choose to be the small owner of a small market team like the Wizards. .

Major media reported the news immediately, and social media also collapsed due to the news.

On the streets of Dallas, fans took to the streets to celebrate Xu Yong's joining.

The valuation of the NBA has also begun to surge, and many peripheral industries around the NBA have also recovered.

What's more direct is that the tickets for the Mavericks' home game against the Spurs on January 1 have been sold extremely high.

Although, Xu Yong is still only the small owner of the Mavericks, and even fans are not sure whether he will appear at the scene.

But this is Xu Yong’s influence.

After retiring for more than a year, his influence has not diminished, and fans are even more looking forward to seeing him.

A world in which only former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was injured was reached.

So, it’s time to talk about the current status of the league.

Compared with two seasons ago, there are still some big changes.

The biggest change is the Warriors.

Last summer, Rich Paul once spoke out, suggesting that the Warriors management should trade Green for a blue-collar center, but Curry once again stood up to speak out for Green, but in the end nothing happened.

But after entering the season, the Warriors' record gradually returned to normal and hit a historical record of 73 wins. The contradiction was once again covered up.

But as they stopped in the Western Conference Finals, the conflict completely broke out. James knew that it was impossible for Green to leave with Curry, so he chose to leave.

But if you leave, you still have to leave, and the Bird clause is still required.

The Warriors can only cooperate with James at this time, because if they don't cooperate, they will not only lose James after exceeding the salary cap, but they will also have no reinforcements.

The end result is that James started his fourth and perhaps final basketball journey with a four-year contract through a sign-and-trade: school district basketball.

What the Warriors received in return from the Lakers was Reggie Jackson and a trade exception worth $1200 million.

In addition, the Warriors also signed Cousins, who was not available in the contract market due to serious injuries.

So although the Warriors are not the [Five-Star Warriors] that Xu Yong knows, they are still strong.

Then there's the Raptors.

The rise of Antetokounmpo has made DeRozan's situation with the Raptors somewhat awkward.

Especially when he performed poorly in the playoffs last season, Antetokounmpo publicly questioned the former team boss on the sidelines.

This led the Raptors management to finally choose to trade DeRozan away from the team.

In the end, DeRozan's next team was, yes, the Mavericks.

The first time Ballmer took over the Mavericks, he fully demonstrated what it means to be inhumane.

He directly gave Jokic a five-year, 5 million maximum salary extension contract in advance.

But when it comes to dealing with Leonard, he doesn't have the patience that Cuban has.

Or you can also understand that Cuban is willing to sell the team, and Leonard's lack of playing time in two seasons is an important reason.

Your core team has been unable to play, which makes it a bit difficult to play.

So after communication, Ballmer finally chose to trade Leonard.

Leonard and DeRozan swapped clubs, which was pretty much what Xu Yong remembered.

After the trade, the Mavericks have the core lineup of DeRozan and Jokic. Even because Jokic's big contract will not be implemented until next season, they have also made enough reinforcements for role players.

But perhaps because he knew in advance that Xu Yong would come back, he was not in a hurry to introduce the third core, but just built a lineup around the dual cores.

So the general situation of the league this season is that in the Western Conference, the Thunder are the strongest as the defending champions, followed by the Warriors and Mavericks.

In the East, the Raptors have performed strongly since Leonard returned this season and firmly occupy the first position.

However, the Cavaliers and Bulls are also chasing fiercely behind them. Taking into account the rising numbers and the still competitive Celtics, the situation in the East is much more complicated than that in the West.

On the day when his return was confirmed, Xu Yong had actually arrived in Dallas.

Ballmer personally picked him up at the airport.

He was joined by team general manager Nelson Jr. and this season's new head coach Mike Malone.

After Cuban sold the team, the original meritorious head coach Rick Carlisle's contract just expired. He also chose to leave the Mavericks and go to Indiana, where his dream began, to coach.

Malone, as the Bulls' first assistant coach, was poached by Ballmer with a high salary because of Jokic's relationship.

When they met, Ma Long seemed very excited and gave him a big bear hug.

Xu Yong also had an indescribable feeling.

Bulls, Mavericks, Jokic, Malone, although he has moved from the east to the west, the surrounding environment is still so familiar.

Because there were other things to be busy with later, Ballmer left first after picking up Xu Yong and leaving the airport. Nelson, Malone and Xu Yong went to his temporary residence together, which was a building away from the Mavericks home court. The American Airlines Center is only a mile and a few blocks away.

This was specially arranged by Ballmer before. Nelson even took out a general arena card that Ballmer asked for. Xu Yong can go to the arena at any time.

The only thing Xu Yong feels now is silky smoothness, the kind of silky smoothness where all possible trouble spots have been taken care of.

The reason why a boss can become a boss is reflected in many details.

It was also at this moment that he confirmed that his previous choice was right, because compared to the battle of wits and courage with Raunsdorf, this cooperative relationship was obviously more comfortable.

When everything settled down, as soon as Nelson and Malone were sent away, Jokic stood at the door carrying a new tea set. Next to him stood DeRo who was smiling as if he was the happiest person in the world at this moment. Thumbs up.

"Boss."

The first moment he saw Xu Yong, that familiar title blurted out.

Xu Yong was startled for a moment, then smiled and stretched out his hand to signal them to follow him into the house.

……

Attached: Speech on social media after the crash recovery (partial, click the comment area for more).

"Why did Xu go to Dallas? Shouldn't he go back to Chicago? Xu is sorry for the fans in Chicago who once supported him!"

"In eight years, he brought five championships to Chicago and brought the Bulls to the same level as the Celtics and Lakers. I just want to ask, who did he feel sorry for?" A comment from "KBforever".

"Ha, I just want to see if Xu can succeed in the west after eating so many benefits from the east!"

"I think it's pretty good. The last person who really enjoyed the benefits of the Eastern Conference has gone to Los Angeles to retire. Now it's time for Western fans to experience what a current basketball god is."

"I really like Xu's choice. It's time to challenge these strong teams in the Western Conference. When will Xu play?"

"Brothers, I'm back! I can finally watch the NBA again!"

"Although it is a pity that Xu could not be one person in one city, if he can prove himself in two places, I think it will definitely be a different legend."

"Yes, I also think this time is just right, so what exactly can Xu play? Ask online, urgent!"

(End of this chapter)