When pride still matters

Chapter 247 Arabian Nights

After Yu Fei expressed his stance, the Bucks' management was panicked for a while.

If the Bucks, who seem to be in a good situation, have any nightmare, it is that there is a problem with Yu Fei's contract renewal.

The loss of Yu Fei to the Bucks may be more serious than the loss of Kareem Jabbar.

When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was playing, the league's commercial development was far less developed than it is today, and most teams were operating at a loss. But now, the league's model of making money by promoting young stars and then selling them to the world is very mature.

Yu Fei can definitely bring major changes to the Bucks' football market like Jordan, provided he stays here long enough.

However, they never expected that they would encounter difficulties before contract renewal negotiations with Yu Fei began.

Yu Fei asked the management to first renew the contracts of Sprewell and others, and then he would start talking about his own contract renewal.

At this point, they could only bite the bullet and go talk to Sprewell.

Although Sprewell was still among the elite last season, Bucks management believed that was his last dance.

Sprewell's decline was predictable.

Therefore, they are not planning to offer Sprewell a big contract.

However, considering Sprewell's contribution to the team, it would be too cruel to just give him a mid-level job and just want to get rid of him.

After careful consideration, the Bucks offered Sprewell a three-year, $3 million contract, with the third year as a team option.

Not to mention that this contract is only guaranteed for the first two years. Whether it can continue to take effect in the third year depends on the team's face. Sprewell himself doesn't like this amount alone.

When the Bucks management represented by Larry Harris felt that they had shown sincerity, Sprewell said sarcastically: "This little money is not enough for me to support my family."

"Spree, $2400 million is enough for anyone to support their family," Harris Jr. said.

But Sprewell decisively refused.

This puts the Bucks' contract extension plan into a deadlock.

In their view, giving Sprewell 3 million for three years is a clear premium.

If Sprewell had any sense, he should accept it and make a difference for himself and the team.

But no one is satisfied with money.

Even those Ford rich people who regard money as a number, the value of their lives is reflected in making that number bigger and bigger.

After Sprewell rejected the offer of $3 million over three years, Harris Jr. immediately contacted Yu Fei and informed him of the situation.

Little Harris thought that Yu Fei would be on their side because of this.

After all, 3 million for three years is a reasonable offer in their opinion.

But after hearing this, Yu Fei only said one sentence: "If Spree does not renew his contract, I will not renew his contract."

"Fry, I understand your feelings, but you should focus on the future." Harris Jr. said, "If we use 1/3 of the salary space on a 34-year-old person, we will not be able to get anything in the free market. A powerful reinforcement.”

Yu Fei retorted: "No matter whether we have space or not, we will not be favored in the free market. It's okay for you to deceive the fans with this rhetoric. Don't come here to say it. I still say the same thing, Spree renews his contract Yes, I will renew the contract!"

The news that Yu Fei and Sprewell were bound spread quickly.

For those role players whose futures are unclear, Yu Fei's statement is of great significance to them.

But that doesn’t include everyone. For example, Ray Allen, who has no worries about renewing his contract despite also ushering in a contract year, is not so happy.

Ray Allen doesn't have to make as much noise as Sprewell, because even if he doesn't say a word, the team will obediently give him a maximum salary contract.

It's his business whether to sign or not. The team must give him a new contract.

Sprewell's refusal of a new contract made him frown.

Because he knows the amount of the contract.

3 million US dollars in three years. Although it is not a maximum salary in the tens of millions, it is still higher than the quasi-maximum salary for the middle class.

He couldn't understand why Spree refused? Does he think he can stay young forever and enjoy a maximum salary contract forever?

This was impossible and he should face reality.

What made Ray Allen unhappy was Yu Fei's statement.

Yu Fei asked the team to renew Sprewell's contract before he would renew his contract with the team.

This is a threat and a direct manifestation of the players' power over the management. And, this is no longer a small battle in the draft.

In the past, the team could waste several low-ranking draft picks on him and select the person of his choice, as long as he was happy, but now, the team must consider the future.

Ray Allen doesn’t know why Yu Fei did this. He only renewed his contract after Spree renewed his contract? Why is he acting like Sprewell is his biggest helper?

Ray Allen was convinced that Yu Fei had never supported him or anyone else in this way. Yu Fei used one sentence to elevate Sprewell's status to a level higher than others, which Ray Allen couldn't bear.

Just like Yu Fei said to Mark Stein "This is my team" on the night of last season's title defense, Ray Allen does not believe that anyone can truly own the team. The boss is only responsible for paying salaries, and the core players are responsible for leadership. , but the team belongs to everyone.

However, Ray Allen has never really faced his own voice.

What if he could say, "This is my team" like Yu Fei did, or take a stance of "I will only renew if he renews" on the issue of Sprewell's contract extension without worrying about upsetting the senior management?

Depending on where you are, your way of looking at problems will be different.

Yu Fei didn't care what Ray Allen thought. He didn't even ask Ray Allen about renewing his contract.

Sprewell's contract extension has reached an impasse, and now the team needs to start a long pull.

Before that, they did not forget to give Yu Fei some comfort.

Devin George, who followed Yu to Milwaukee two years ago, signed a cheap two-year, $2 million contract extension.

Later, the Buck found Yu Fei's confidant again.

Laettner's contract also expires next summer.

Since the year before last, Laettner's decline has become obvious. In the Bucks, he often had to guest star in the space five. He repeatedly collided with the most ferocious inside monsters, causing him constant injuries last season.

This made Laettner doubt his future.

He declined the two-year, $2 million contract extension offered by the team (the second year was a team option), saying he would wait until the end of the season before making a decision.

Yu Fei focused on the training of the two rookies.

Ariza's shooting is difficult to achieve quickly. Even if he practices 700 three-pointers every day, his shooting percentage is still very low.

Therefore, Yu Fei decided to practice his defense first. Since he has a good body and good talent, he must use it properly.

Yu Fei often goes one-on-one with Ariza and points out his shortcomings after defeating him.

Ariza is miserable. Although Yu Fei is not an irritable person, due to his lack of patience, if he makes the same mistake in a row, his friendly attitude will disappear and be replaced by a "you better not make me make mistakes again" "Sternness.

What surprised Yu Fei the most was Kevin Martin. Judging from the performance in the internal competition, a series of previous evaluations of him by scouts - those negative evaluations - all came true.

Although he is the second-leading scorer in the NCAA in terms of points per game, he is in a weak division and has no reference value. Moreover, his body is as thin as a 15-year-old high school student. Every time he plays in a game, he is tortured by the veterans. Word.

Yu Fei thought that Martin would thrive under the training of Sprewell and others, but unexpectedly, it was Ray Allen who dealt him a major blow.

Ray Allen always chooses to match up with Martin and then blow him up.

Whenever Martin looked embarrassed on the court, George Karl would tease Yu Fei, "Da Fei, you made a mistake this time."

Yu Fei thought that Martin would be acclimatized at first, but he didn't expect that he would stretch his hips like this.

However, looking at his body, it is understandable that he would be slaughtered like a pig.

身高有6尺7（201CM），但体重只有194磅（88KG）。

This body, let alone the NBA, may not have any advantages in college or high school.

Martin is able to thrive in the NCAA because of his superb skills on the one hand and his weak division on the other.

But it's different when it comes to the NBA. The best players here are all core-level players in the NCAA. Now is the era of the most intense physical competition.

Although Martin has always been thin, he is now too thin. Whenever someone touches him, he will become crooked, and no matter how good his skills are, he will not be able to show off his skills.

Yu Fei looked at him and said, "You need to gain at least 20 pounds of muscle before you can play like you did in college."

"Is there no other way?" Martin would rather practice 1000 extra shots every day than go to the gym to lift irons.

Yu Fei smiled playfully and said: "Yes, you can pray that before the league eliminates a weak idiot like you, a rule is suddenly introduced that does not allow defenders to touch you casually, otherwise you should be honest with me. Gain weight on the ground.”

Yu Fei admitted that he is blind about basketball history and he does not know the year when the NBA completely banned basketball.

But now it seems that the outbreak of players like Martin should be related to the introduction of the no-handling rule.

However, even if the introduction of the no-handling rule really allows Martin to take off, Yu Fei also hopes that he will gain weight.

No matter how the rules restrict defense, as long as you enter the playoffs, it is impossible not to touch you. The rules are dead. Look at how Curry was strangled in his heyday, and then think about James in his prime. How did you get hugged and thrown down when you broke through? If you are anxious, anything could happen, and a strong body is a layer of insurance for yourself.

Otherwise, even if you take off on the "forbidden" east wind, you may not be able to thrive for a long time. Your thin body will not be able to withstand the blow, and you will fall sooner or later.

Martin decided to go to the gym with Yu Fei every day to work out and receive special training from Tim Grover. After all, after so many years of fierce competition in the NBA, how could it be possible to introduce rules prohibiting defenders from using their hands? This is not a fantasy. Tan?

(End of this chapter)