When pride still matters

Chapter 346 The debt has been paid off

On the night the Bucks won the championship, Sports Illustrated sent a neat team to gain access to the locker room and take a photo of the Bucks' starting lineup.

Yu Fei, Martin, Bell (Granger), Aldridge and Kwame Brown sat in a row, wearing championship T-shirts with the Bucks logo.

"I can't believe it," said Rick Riley, one of Illustrated's columnists. "You won four championships in five years, but the first two championships were with completely different lineups than the last two championships."

Yu Fei said: "I'm always here."

Riley asked jokingly: "Will you still be here in the future?"

"I don't know." Yu Fei laughed, "But our spirit will last forever."

This photo appeared on the cover of the final issue of Sports Illustrated in June, which read: The Bucks are undoubtedly a dynasty team, but the question is, will the owner of the dynasty leave his throne?

The 2006-07 season is over.

But before the exciting free market begins, NBA teams must devote 2007% of their energy to the highly anticipated 100 draft.

On the first day after the finals, Kwame Brown came to Yu Fei's house. He had only one thing.

"Do you really want to go back to Seattle?"

Sprewell did not say that he would follow Yu Fei like Bell and Brown did.

Moreover, due to the emergence of young players in the Bucks in recent years, coupled with the addition of immediate combat capabilities such as Barry and Bell in the free market, Sprewell naturally lost his starting position.

Yu Fei doesn't mind bringing Brown with him because they have a tacit understanding. Moreover, Brown is excellent as a Kafeng and a pie man, and is a good helper in rebounding and assisting.

Sprewell left.

Not only is Yu Fei likely to leave the team, but the contracts of the main players who won two consecutive championships with the team, such as Kwame Brown and Raja Bell, have expired. At the same time, in the rotation, Sprewell, who signed a premium maximum salary contract a few years ago, faces team options this summer, and the Bucks will most likely not implement them. Another important rotation, Brent Barry's contract has also expired. It’s due. They could lose half their main roster and rotation.

If Yu Fei is still there, the Bucks may pinch their noses and accept the last year of the contract, but if Yu Fei is not there, whether it is for salary space considerations or cost-effectiveness considerations, the league's famous premium contract will end. , it would be most cost-effective to negotiate another veteran's basic salary with Sprewell.

That evening, Sprewell also came.

He came to reminisce.

"With your condition, it won't be a problem to play until you are 40." Yu Fei asked, "Don't you think about it again?"

But the veteran's basic salary is not enough for Sprewell to support his family, so he would rather retire.

"You still have one year on your contract," Yu Fei reminded.

"Da Fei, if you hadn't been here, I wouldn't have come to Milwaukee at all, you know right?"

Yu Fei became James who left Miami in 2014.

This season, Sprewell averaged 14 minutes per game, scoring 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist. However, he still has some skills in defense. The change in role has allowed him to increase the proportion of three-point shooting training, so The three-point shooting percentage has also reached a career peak in the past two years.

Poor Duncan, will being blown away by Kwame become an argument for black fans to argue that he is not worthy of being the number one power forward in history?

Yu Fei nodded.

"Frye, I believe I can still do some big things with you," Bell said. "Whether it's Milwaukee or Seattle, I can help."

If taking Brown away was purely out of loyalty between the two, then Bell is another story.

The Bucks are destined to have a relatively big shock this summer.

"They're not going to execute the third year of the contract," Sprewell said.

"To be honest, this matter has not been determined yet." Yu Fei said, "The season has just ended and we haven't started talking about it yet. We won't know until we finish talking."

It can be said that, regardless of his excessively high contract, Sprewell is still a very useful veteran.

"So wherever you go, I go, any problem?"

"Laga, I hope you will think more about yourself." Yu Fei said seriously, "Now is a good time to sign a big contract."

There's a reason Jermaine O'Neal can't stand him.

Yu Fei asked: "When will the negotiations start?"

Bell was selected for the first defense for two consecutive years and shot 40+% from three-point range. He can be said to be the league's top 3D player.

"NONONO`~~" Brown shook his finger confidently, "In the finals, Tim Duncan couldn't do anything to me, so my status has been improved and I am now the number one center in the league."

The madman didn't make it clear, but Yu Fei knew exactly what it meant.

What Yu Fei didn't expect was that Laga Bell also came that afternoon.

With Duncan's low-key style, there is a high probability that he will not respond directly, so this matter may really be concluded by Brown's one-sided words.

Afterwards, Kevin Lin and Lawson came over: "Arn's side has been negotiated."

Yu Fei invited him to have dinner at home. Before leaving, Sprewell said: "I'm probably going to retire."

If he follows Yu Fei, he may get a mid-level contract, but for top role players, they are still role players. The glory of the championship is certainly valuable, but in the end, the ultimate goal is to prove oneself on the championship team. For a raise?

"As long as you tell me where you will be then, my agent will naturally fight for a contract for me." Bell said, "I don't care about this."

If he leaves, it will have a major impact on the Bucks.

Yu Fei joked: "I think no matter where I go, they will not refuse to join the number one center in the Eastern Conference."

People at the time didn't know how James would lead a team that had just won the No. 1 pick to success, but the Cavaliers quickly gave the answer. They will trade away the No. 1 pick who cannot be cultivated, and then clear the salary cap so that James' people can move in.

Yu Fei believes that Brown will go around saying that he defeated Duncan in the finals.

Based on Bell's performance in the past two seasons, even if the Bucks don't offer him a big contract, other teams will.

Sprewell snorted: "No, I will never get a minimum salary."

Sprewell is 37 years old this year and is a veteran in every aspect.

Lin Kaiwen said: "July 7st."

It happened to be the first day after the Bucks' championship celebration.

Before that day comes, teams around the league still have a lot of work to do.

First is the trial.

Kevin Durant was revealed at the combine in Orlando that he couldn't bench press the minimum weight, which seemed to cast a shadow on his No. 1 pick prospects.

And Oden showed the potential of a great inside man in the trial.

However, what depresses the Oden camp is that Seattle, both officially and privately, prefers Kevin Durant, known as "Frye II". What weighed even more heavily on Oden was the rally surrounding the SuperSonics training base.

"Save our Sonics!"

"Save our Sonics!"

"Save our Sonics!"

The group of fanatical fans chanted, holding a P and looking like Yu Fei wearing a SuperSonics jersey, as if with some indescribable expectation.

They believed Frye would be back here.

They simply believe.

This made Oden understand that there was no way he could win the No. 1 pick from Durant.

But that might be a good thing for him.

"Saving our Sonics" is too heavy a mission. He is still young and he doesn't feel he can bear the weight.

But why do they think KD can handle it?

That guy can't even bench press the lowest weight.

Oden shook his head and decided to rush to the next stop, which was also his last stop and the most likely stop - Boston.

Although many people say that he looks like Bill Russell's uncle, they don't mind, after all, that is Bill Russell.

"Oden or Durant" was the trial question of the 2007 NBA Draft.

But the Bucks don't need to ask for answers, because they are not even qualified to touch these two people.

However, the No. 8 pick can still allow them to make good reinforcements in the draft.

Popular lottery picks in this position include Joakim Noah, Spencer Hawes, Arsi Law, Brandon White and this year's hottest international player - China's Kong Yi.

Moreover, Kong Yiyi is very willing to play for the Bucks because Yu Fei is here.

He is not only the totem of Asians, but also the pride of all yellow-skinned people. He is also a master-level cake feeder. If he can come to Milwaukee, it will be of great benefit to the development of Kongshangyi.

This is also the reason why Kong Yiyi actively participated in the Bucks' trial training.

On this day, Yu Fei also came.

The Bucks' management is very pleased. This shows that Yu Fei still cares about the team's draft. Maybe the situation is not that bad?

But Yu Fei came over and whispered a few words to Kongshang Yi, giving enough hints.

Then, the Bucks went from being the team that Yi Yi most wanted to join to the team that he least wanted to join.

After that, Yu Fei no longer asked about the Bucks' draft.

The Bucks' management became nervous again, and they couldn't help calling Yu Fei for advice.

Yu Fei's answer was: "This is not my job. You can decide for yourself."

At this point, the Bucks' management confirmed Yu Fei's intentions and concentrated on the draft, eventually locking in Kong Yi, Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah.

All Yu Fei has to do is wait, wait for the championship celebration to come, wait for the end of June, and wait for the negotiation to come.

But at the same time, the NBA's most important market and the most historic market have reached a crossroads of destiny.

After the season, Kobe returned to his hometown.

This day was an ordinary day, but he sprained his foot during training, so he limped toward the parking lot, but met a group of young people on the road.

They were shouting.

"Kobe, are you okay?"

"Fry wins again, you will never catch up with him!"

"What's wrong with your feet? Even if it's like this, you have to keep training. You have to do this if you want to catch up with Frye!"

This scene stung Kobe.

Because last year, after the Lakers were eliminated by the Suns, he was also limping, and then he met his old friend Donnie Hill.

Hill asked Kobe: "What happened to your foot?"

"I'm no longer a young guy, Donnie." Kobe replied. "I have to adjust my rhythm from time to time. This is the wear and tear brought on by long seasons in the NBA, but don't worry, I will be fine, Lakers." It will be fine too.”

Karl walked Kobe to the team bus and took a photo with him. In the photo, Kobe's loneliness is obvious. The reason why he still can't win despite trying so hard is because he doesn't have enough helpers. But he still looked forward to the future, but one year passed. The Lakers are still treading water.

Now, encountering a group of irrelevant fans in his hometown, Kobe couldn't help but talk to them. He first criticized the team's young center Andrew Bynum, and then questioned whether the actions of the Lakers management in recent years were correct. Really aiming to win the championship, and then accuse Jerry Buss of being a liar, he is the "scapegoat" in the O'Neal trade⑴, and if the Lakers cannot bring him quality help this summer, he will apply for a trade.

This news instantly excited sports reporters across the United States. The Lakers, who had been silent for two years, finally remembered their circus attributes.

"Kobe Bryant requested a trade" suddenly became a national hot topic.

At the same time, after the Boston Celtics went from "Celtics glory" to "Celtics shame", they got the top two picks as they wished.

It's tryout season.

General manager Danny Ainge was sternly organizing his notes until his assistant said, "Danny, Greg is here."

"Take him to see our history museum first," Angie said. "You know what to do."

The assistant nodded: "I will record his emotional changes."

The assistant walked away, and Angie tapped his fingers on the table. He was thinking, and he was brewing emotions. There should be no mistakes in this year's draft.

Then, he opened his eyes and looked at the wall of his office. There were championship posters from 1981, his first year with the Celtics; and the fiasco of 1983, Bill Fitch's bastard masterpiece; The 1984 champion, the sweetest champion; the 1986 champion, the greatest champion.

Then, the 1986 draft pick, Len Bias;

1987 draft pick, Reggie Lewis;

Rick Pitino’s divine presence;

Paul Pierce's knife wound.

Is there an end to doom?

Angie's eyes fell on Auerbach's photo.

If there is an end to bad luck, it must be this year. The Celtics have spent the past 20 years paying off all their debts.

⑴Kobe really did it.

(End of this chapter)