Healthy basketball, starting from eating the old Lakers F4

On the third day after Duane and his team returned to Chicago, the Bulls completed an early contract extension with Jokic, signing a four-year, $4 million contract.

After all, it is the maximum salary for rookies, and there is a cap on the contract amount. It is impossible for him to directly reach an annual salary of 40 million like Curry.

However, these days, a rookie can get a contract with an annual salary of nearly 30 million after completing his rookie contract, which is also exaggerated.

As early as ten years ago, Durant's rookie maximum salary was more than 10 million.

Then it was not until recent years that it received 20 million, and then another 30 million.

All we can say is that those who plant trees will enjoy the shade.

If it weren't for Jordan, no one in the league would have been able to get a contract worth 10 million, 20 million, or 30 million.

From the perspective of commercial influence, the entire league combined is not as good as Jordan.

It has to be said that Duane came at a good time.

There is no Jordan in this era, so Duane has won 10 championships, 8 FMVPs, and 5 MVPs.

It is also because of the dividends of the times that Duane has been able to maintain the highest salary in the league for the past five or six years.

He became famous all over the world as the ruler of the NBA and the face of the NBA.

Having said that, the NBA is a commercial league, and for players playing in this league, everything is about money.

Fundamentally speaking, no matter how impressive the statistics are or how many championships you win, it’s all about money.

Now that the Bulls have given Jokic enough money, Jokic naturally won't have any other ideas.

Besides, as early as the previous All-Star Weekend, Curry and Durant had already done enough favors for Jokic.

After returning to the team, Jokic was very clear in his mind that the team's next goal was not to make the playoffs, but to help Curry win the regular season MVP.

Jokic has already got a big contract, so he is willing to sacrifice some data and spend a lot of effort to help Curry realize his dream.

If the team needs it, Jokic is willing to use all his strength to help the team reach a higher level, and then work together with other teammates to continue to move forward towards the goal of winning the championship again.

Once Curry won the regular season MVP, the Bulls won four consecutive championships.

For Jokic, this is undoubtedly a debt of gratitude to Curry and Durant.
By then, I will be debt-free and will have no worries or regrets even if I am traded to another team by the Bulls management during the offseason.

Of course, this is just Jokic's personal opinion.

The Bulls management still trains Jokic as the core, otherwise they would not have completed the contract renewal so early this season.

Looking at the Bulls management's operations over the years, only stars with real potential and value will be cherished by them, and will have their contracts renewed early and be held in the hands of the management.

As for ordinary stars, they are either let go by the Bulls for nothing or they complete trades with other teams in advance. Some of them even just provide qualification quotes during the offseason, which shows the market situation.

The Bulls management has been cold-blooded enough in the past two years. Now they can show their warm side to Jokic so early. This is enough to prove how much the Bulls value Jokic and how great Jokic's potential is.

Back to the topic, after the Bulls completed the contract renewal with Jokic, the atmosphere in the Bulls locker room became more harmonious.

The second half of the regular season will begin soon.

In the following games, not only Jokic significantly reduced his personal shot attempts, but so did Durant.

At the beginning of almost every game, Curry, as the leader of the Bulls, takes the ball and attacks first.

When Curry was targeted and restricted on the defensive end, Durant and Jokic stepped up to help Curry share some of the ball-holding work and scoring pressure, and then used their own shooting threats to create more opportunities for Curry who was running without the ball.

Curry did not disappoint Durant and Jokic. In almost every game, he kept running back and forth on the court like a perpetual motion machine.

In the second half of the regular season, except for the worst teams, all the teams defended more seriously, but Curry was still able to find open shooting opportunities with his excellent off-ball running.

Durant and Jokic are indeed a good match for Curry, after all, both of them can pass the ball.

In addition, after several seasons of getting along, he is more familiar with Curry's running patterns and rhythm, and knows that he should pass the ball to Curry at the right time and place.

It is also because of Durant and Jokic's full support for Curry, coupled with Curry's historical level of ability to combine with and without the ball, that Curry's average points per game soared during the period at the end of February, and unsurprisingly he once again won the honor of Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

At the same time, the Bulls' record did not decline because of helping Curry to improve his stats. On the contrary, because of Curry's outstanding competitive state and the harmonious and friendly atmosphere of the team, they played better and better.

Time quickly came to the beginning of March, with one and a half months left until the playoffs.

Horford's injury has basically healed, but he has no plans to return in the short term.

On the one hand, the team's recent chemistry has been very good, and the team has been winning, so Horford does not need to return immediately.

On the other hand, it is also a problem of the team's ball distribution. In order to better help Curry win the regular season MVP this season, Horford can only continue to lie on the bench for a while.

Horford naturally had no objection to this, and the team would not pay him less salary during his recovery period.

More money, less work, closer to home! More is a good thing?
Of course, it’s not right to be idle all the time.

In early March, the Bulls management announced that Horford had passed the team doctor's physical examination and returned to the team.

Horford has since joined the Bulls' daily training and was on the roster for the next few regular season games, but he has been sitting on the bench like the coaching staff and has no intention of playing.

It was not until March 3, with only three weeks left before the end of the regular season, that Horford returned to the game.

不过伤愈复出后的首战仅仅打了15分钟，总共四次出手，4投2中，拿下4分2篮板1助攻的三单数据。

If the Bulls didn't want to express respect for Horford, they would not have sent Horford to start the game.

Of course, it is normal to play as a pseudo starter for the first time after returning from injury. As for injury management, it is reasonable to be careful some of the time in preparation for the playoffs.

In Horford's first three games after his comeback, his playing time was basically less than 20 minutes.

Maybe it's because Horford's playing time is better controlled, or maybe it's because Horford understands the Bulls' style of play. In short, Horford's return did not destroy the team's overall chemistry, and Horford himself did not comment much on the sharp decrease in ball possession.

Of course, as one of the star players, his proper treatment will be restored as the schedule progresses.

By early April, Horford's playing time had returned to around 4 minutes, occasionally reaching 30 minutes.

In terms of ball possession, it has increased from four or five times a game to eight or nine times. Sometimes when the player is in good form, he may have one or two more times, which is normal.

The atmosphere within the Bulls has always been good. After all, most of the players have been through thick and thin together since the beginning of the season.

Everyone welcomes Horford's return.

Of course, the key is to win.

Curry's competition for the regular season MVP did not cause fluctuations in the team's record, and Horford's return and increase in playing time and ball possession did not affect the team's record.

Under the influence of objective factors such as the Bulls' rapid improvement in performance, returning to second place in the Eastern Conference, and even rushing to first place in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls avoided or covered up many problems internally.

"Everyone has done enough for me, let's get back to normal! We have to prepare for the playoffs in advance!"

Curry may be aware of some hidden dangers within the Bulls.

In early April, he took the initiative to propose to stop competing for the regular season MVP for the sake of the team.

Of course, this is not giving up.

Curry has not given up on competing for the regular season MVP, but he is just competing with other competitors.

As for the team, Curry needs to think like a team leader.

We have been so tired recently! Considering that the playoffs are about to start, we should take turns to rest, recuperate and make adjustments.

For Curry personally, the regular season MVP is important to him, but the championship is more important to him.

As long as he has enough championship rings and FMVP trophies, the outside media will eventually recognize him and vote for him for the regular season MVP.

By the way, it was also because of Curry's insistence that the Bulls began to rest their players in the last seven games of the regular season.

Although it is a little late compared to previous years, most of the team's main players have not been consumed much, and the only one who has been consumed is Curry.

Curry has always been a runner and is now in his prime. He is in good physical condition and will not get into trouble with physical management, which will lead to his injury management getting out of control.

It is also because Curry is durable enough at this stage that the Bulls, led by Curry, advanced to the playoffs with a record of 57 wins and 25 losses, ranking first in the Eastern Conference.

Normally, a dominant championship-contending team should win 60+ games during the regular season.

However, the Bulls' situation this season is a bit special. If the league does not target them, it would not be difficult for them to win 60+ games.

Now that the Bulls have made it to the playoffs with a record of 57 wins, surpassing all the Eastern Conference teams, it actually feels a bit like a slap in the face to the league.

Therefore, it is hard to say what the scale of this year's playoffs will be.

However, the Bulls didn't care too much about it. After making it through the regular season, why would they be afraid of a five-on-eight situation in the playoffs?

In the five-on-eight game, the Bulls need to once again demonstrate the dominance of a dynasty team! (End of this chapter)