When pride still matters

Chapter 494 When the opportunity comes (Unity)

The quarrel between Yu Fei and Jordan started the day.

This is also a microcosm of the entire meeting.

Seeking common ground while reserving differences? In the face of direct interests, it is difficult to reach consensus.

The quarrel between Yu Fei and Jordan became more and more fierce, and when they were about to start fighting, people from both sides came over to calm them down.

"I still say the same thing!" Yu Fei said, "If you can't make your fans willing to buy tickets to watch the game, look for your own reasons. I ask some people to ask themselves, is your team worth it? It is worth the time and money that fans spend every year to watch the game live.”

Jordan was furious.

The Bobcats' unpopularity in the Charlotte area goes beyond poor management.

First of all, Charlotteans have a greater sense of belonging to the Charlotte Hornets, the predecessor of the New Orleans Hornets. Since becoming the big boss, Jordan has wanted to inherit the legacy of the Hornets in Charlotte.

But the problem is, the Hornets didn't disband, they just moved away.

They are still called this name in New Orleans, so the Bobcats can't tell the locals that they are the Hornets.

Secondly, Jordan privately admitted that there were certain problems with the team's management. They failed to select anyone who could revitalize the ball market in the draft.

And that's the key.

Yu Fei keeps saying that these money-losing teams have operating problems and cannot attract fans to the stadium, but the question is, aren't the reasons why other teams lose money the same?

Is this a business issue? This is actually a problem of too few Yu Fei and too many NBA teams.

Without a facade like Yu Fei's, it would be impossible for the ball market to be stimulated, let alone to create a prosperous professional sports economic effect like the Sonics.

However, Yu Fei opened his mouth and blamed all the blame on their money-losing bosses, which was really unacceptable to Boss Qiao.

Stern took control.

"Fry, Michael, calm down," Stern said. "Today is not a labor negotiation. We are just communicating with each other. The boss has the boss's difficulties, and the union has the union's ideas. Let's exchange opinions. Although the problem is not It will be resolved today, but effective communication can lay a good foundation for our future negotiations.”

As for the players union, Yu Fei was tough on Jordan and angrily criticized the money-losing boss for poor management, which made Fisher and Billy Hunter excited.

As the leader of the players' camp, Yu Fei's full support can be compared with Oscar Robertson, who did not hesitate to call for a strike for the welfare of NBA players.

With such a commotion today, Jordan, a player traitor, has completely lost his status in the hearts of Fisher and other union leaders.

Now hearing what Stern said, Fisher responded coldly: "Our idea is very simple, which is to increase the benefits for middle and lower-level players on the basis of the existing CBA agreement."

"Dream!" Jordan is not only the boss of a small ball market, but also one of the NBA bosses with a weak foundation. The current situation of operating at a loss has made his scalp numb. If the benefits for players are to be increased, then his Still having trouble getting through life?

His mood had been greatly stimulated by Yu Fei, and when he heard Fisher's words, he even screamed out in stress.

"What kind of boss are you if you don't have money?" Yu Fei mocked, "Listen to my advice and sell the team. You don't deserve to own it."

At this moment, Jordan can be considered to have formed a spiritual resonance with the deceased Abby Pauline.

As an ambitious young owner, Jordan's leap from player to owner is one of the things he is most proud of. He vowed to prove that he could win the championship as the boss, but now, they are facing a serious survival problem, and Yu Fei, the bastard, is still sarcastic.

"No one can tell me what to do."

Jordan said coldly.

"Perhaps you can listen to the improvement plan after our research?"

Stern knew the players union wouldn't back down, so it would be best to let them know the owner's demands directly.

"Tell me."

Stern spoke slowly.

In fact, Fisher and Hunter can probably guess what the boss wants.

However, they thought that the bosses just wanted to take a step forward. Unexpectedly, their demands were fulfilled in one step, completely eliminating the dispute.

For a long time, the history of struggles between NBA labor and management has revolved around the same topic, and that is money.

Initially, players are in an absolutely weak position. They threatened the league to recognize the legitimacy of the players union by going on strike, and ultimately succeeded. Later, they went on strike to demand that the NBA protect players' daily lives and post-retirement allowances and medical care, and they succeeded again. That was in the 70s. Since then, the NBA has begun to expand rapidly in terms of commercialization, and the owners have always been at a disadvantage. It wasn't until 1983 that the owners finally couldn't take it anymore, as Magic and Moses Malone each signed huge contracts, and the momentum showed no signs of slowing down. If this development continues, the NBA will become the Chinese Super League in the United States, focusing on gold and dollar basketball.

The owners began to shift from defense to offense, forcing the players union to agree to introduce a salary cap through a season of secret warfare. After more than ten years of development, the bosses have discovered that although the salary cap is good, it also has too many bugs. Isn't this loophole of unlimited player maximum salary too outrageous? In order to solve this shit mountain code, the NBA shut down in the summer of 1998. The boss has succeeded again. Now, they have set their sights on another BUG that must be fixed, which is the problem of uneven income distribution between labor and management.

They believe this is the reason why the teams have been losing money year after year.

But they're asking for more than just a reduction in players' earnings quotas.

Several new requirements put forward by Stern are:
Under the new collective bargaining agreement, players will receive 47%-51% of basketball revenue each season; an NFL-style hard salary cap will be introduced;

Eliminate various provisions outside the salary cap (including Bird Rights);

Each contract is only guaranteed for a maximum of four years;
Once this new collective bargaining agreement is passed, all player contracts in the league will have to be re-signed.

"Why don't you just do it and cancel the free agency system?" Fisher asked with a smile, "Let's go back to the 60s."

Each of these new requirements added by the league accurately hits the G-point of the players union.

From a historical perspective, every one of them is worthy of a shutdown.

This time, I mentioned it all in one breath. Didn’t you want to forget it?

Yu Fei inexplicably thought of Lu Xun's famous saying "Chinese people are the most particular about moderation." In fact, the truth reflected in this sentence is a classic negotiation technique. First put down a condition that the other party will never agree to, and then talk slowly.

Yu Fei believes that this is what the alliance plans now.

He also knew that his work for today was done.

His role is to confront player traitors like Jordan who have turned themselves into bosses, and the rest of the professional stuff will be done by professionals.

Today's meeting seems to be a ventilation, but in fact it is the league giving an ultimatum to the players union.

The old collective bargaining agreement is set to expire in the summer of 2011, but the league doesn't want to wait until then.

"In the past five years, the league has lost $5 million." Stern said sternly, "We cannot claim that the NBA is the best basketball league in the world while suffering huge losses. This situation must end!"

Fisher said uncompromisingly: "The losses were not caused by us, and we will not bear the consequences of poor management for our bosses."

The two sides broke up unhappy.

Stern is preparing to hold a press conference to let people know that the differences between labor and management are serious.

SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett didn't know why there was such a big disagreement on the scene.

"Do we have to take such strong action?"

Such soft words come from a strong man from the Northwest like Bennett, which makes people laugh.

What annoys Jordan the most is that the bosses of these big markets neither contribute to the collective bargaining agreement nor want to cede any benefits. Now that Bennett said such conciliatory words, his anger emerged again.

"If you damn big bosses were willing to share the profits, we wouldn't have to do this!"

Jordan said angrily.

"Profit sharing?" Bennett looked at Stern, "Is that what I understand?"

Stern had a close personal relationship with Bennett. Seeing his old friend's wary look, he smiled and nodded: "That's right, Clay, it's just what you think. If you big bosses who make money are willing to work with the little ones, The teams in the market share the profits and we won’t have any problems.”

That's why Clay Bennett was the only boss in the meeting.

Because he does not understand the deepest contradictions in labor disputes.

That is the contradiction between the huge difference in commercial value between big cities and small cities.

Now, Bennett understands everything.

The Sonics brought him hundreds of millions of dollars in profits a year. This money was a lot of money to him, but what if the money was divided into thirty parts? That's nothing.

Why should the money earned by his team based on its strength be given to a poor guy like Jordan?
"The players' profit sharing is indeed too much money." Bennett knew exactly which side he should be on. "I fully support the league's decision!"

After the meeting, Fisher sent text messages to other stars and truthfully told them what happened today.

The union needs these stars to unite to put pressure on the league.

So, in just one day, NBA stars went around protesting the league's breach of contract and expressed their disgust at the unreasonable proposals.

James said: "If necessary, we will fight like Dr. King. The Union does not want us to be our own kings, we want to fight for the kingdom!"

After the scandal broke out, Clay Bennett was introduced as the owner's representative and said in an interview that they would "hold off" on moving forward with new proposals.

This does not mean that they have softened their stance, nor does it mean that they will stop trying to do whatever is necessary to change the structure of the NBA's current collective bargaining agreement.

It's a slow-down strategy, but it works.

The stars thought the pressure was successful, but experts from the players union knew that things had just begun.

After this incident, Yu Fei had a general understanding of the potential shutdown crisis.

His conclusion was that the 2011 lockout was likely to happen with or without him, but if the lockout had to happen, from a player's perspective, he felt the sooner the better.

Because starting next season, the NBA's six-year, $6 billion broadcast contract with major cable TV stations will take effect. When trouble occurs next summer, my boss will be confident. Because the contract has come into effect, the only losses are ticket fees and advertising fees. For most teams, the dividends from the broadcast contract are the bulk of their income. Therefore, when there is a lockout, the players will lose their own income.

If there is trouble this summer, it will be different.

Once the shutdown affects the new season, major TV stations can use this to renegotiate.

This is Yu Fei's idea. He doesn't know what the players union plans.

For the union, it is best to maintain the status quo. The 57% income distribution is enough to satisfy people. Other efforts to help middle and lower-level players seek more benefits are just empty signs.

Moreover, the more Yu Fei thought about this matter, the more he felt that it was absurd for the management to ask for the redistribution of basketball revenue on the grounds of losing money.

The main loss for those teams that are losing money is that ticket revenue is not as good as expected.

Why did it fall short of expectations? Look at what the Philadelphia 76ers did not long ago.

In order to save money, they sent Iguodala to the Spurs in exchange for Caron Butler's half-season rights. If you were a fan, what would you think?
Why should fans spend money and time to support such a disgusting team?

Therefore, once a shutdown occurs, the entire league's ball market will be harmed. The fans don't care whether you lose money or not, because you won't do them any good. If the team becomes a powerhouse, their tickets will become more expensive. On the other hand, if they are long-term losers, will the tickets be cheaper? No, it’s still the same price.

This night, the All-Star Weekend officially begins.

In the Rookie Challenge, after seven years, the first grade finally defeated the second grade again.

Tyreke Evans was elected Rookie Challenge MVP.

Still, the most popular rookie of the night was the Heat's Steph Curry.

As a rising star promoted by Reebok, Curry and Yu Fei held activities together in Dallas this time.

This is just like when Reebok arranged for Iverson to take Yu Fei to do activities.

However, Yu Fei's influence now far exceeds that of Iverson.

Curry's agile style of play and lack of aggressive baby face have made him a new favorite among sponsors.

Although Yu Fei didn't do much, the paparazzi all over the event still captured his little secret.

That night, Yu Fei did not return to the hotel, but went to another hotel with a British model.

He didn't leave the hotel all night.

The next day, local tabloids revealed that the person who spent the night with Yu Fei was British model Keeley Hazell.

The next day, Yu Fei was pursued and intercepted by a group of British sports media.

"If I say nothing happened last night, you won't believe it." Yu Fei said, "But please believe me, initially, Ji Li just wanted to take a look at the tattoo on my back."

The blonde female reporter interviewing him asked: "Fry, you actually have a tattoo?"

Yu Fei blinked: "Do you want to see it?"

This afternoon, the East and West All-Star teams gathered.

Some people say that this year's Western Conference Stars team may be the most luxurious ever.

They have Yu Fei, Kobe, James, Durant, Duncan, Nowitzki, Nash
As head coach of the Western Conference Stars, George Karl is used to the role.

Since coaching Yu Fei, his team's record has been among the best in the league.

This has led to him becoming the head coach of multiple All-Star teams over the past eight years.

He considers this a blessing.

Phil Jackson had the honor of coaching Jordan and OK, so he won nine championships. But since it is luck, it will end sooner or later.

Jackson's luck has ended, but Karl feels that Yu Fei's future is endless.

He is not yet 28 years old and has already tied Jordan's honors.

The basketball world is already looking forward to the new king.

The GOAT debate is no longer as intense as last year because Yu Fei is too young.

As long as he wins another championship, he can surpass Jordan in honors. By then, how much controversy will be left?

Karl believes that he can definitely witness the birth of the new GOAT.

But recently, he has clearly felt that his situation is deteriorating.

Especially when eating, I feel more and more uncomfortable.

A few days ago, Karl suddenly discovered a small lump on his neck while taking a shower.

He thought it was fat, after all, he was so fat that he could hardly see his neck. However, he had experienced cancer and was extremely sensitive to the lumps.

He went in for a checkup before coming to Dallas.

The doctor told him that judging from his symptoms and the lumps, it looked like symptoms of throat cancer.

But until a diagnosis is made, everything is unknown.

But Karl’s heart was already hanging.

Today is the first training of the Western Conference Stars. Karl found that Yu Fei and James were hostile to each other, so he joked: "I need you to tolerate each other for two days, promise me not to fight."

"Don't worry, coach, I won't do anything casually." Yu Fei sarcastically said, "It's hard for him to tell. Who can guarantee that he won't do to me what he did to Danny Granger?"

It was the last game the Lakers played before the All-Star break against the Bucks. During the game, Danny Granger was fouled by James on a fast break.

If it was just a foul, it would be fine. Granger lost his center of gravity when he landed and injured his knee. He was later diagnosed with a grade two sprain and will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks.

"That was an accident!" James said with a cold face.

"Go tell Danny." Yu Fei said with a smile, "See if he admits the accident."

The atmosphere at the scene was tense, and Yu Fei did not let James go just because he was on the same team for the time being.

During the match, Yu Fei and James fought many times, but neither of them spared any effort.

This high degree of pertinence makes the training effect of the Western Stars team much better than that of the Eastern Stars team.

After the training, Yu Fei's team won with a 5-point advantage.

"If you are not convinced, you can continue to fight!"

Yu Fei said provocatively.

James and Kobe both want to play, but others are not interested in spending their energy on such an inconsequential competition.

Karl said: "Okay, that's it. You are in good shape. If we play like this tomorrow night, we will definitely win."

The crowd dispersed, and Yu Fei walked up to Karl and asked, "George, you seem absent-minded today."

"I'm really thinking about something," Carl said.

Yu Fei continued to ask: "What's the problem?"

"I'm wondering, what is the proportion of the coaching staff in the process of competing for the championship?" Karl surprisingly asked, "Why has no one ever said that without Phil, MJ can't win the championship?"

The answer to this question already existed before Carr won the championship.

At that time, his point of view was that if Jordan was brought to him, he could win the championship.

Yu Fei looked at him doubtfully: "What do you want to say?"

"This is a flaw, isn't it?" Karl said, "The greatest players should be impeccable. Michael used to be impeccable, but when you caught up with him, we discovered many flaws in him."

"That being said, I also have a weakness."

Yu Fei smiled and said: "Without Phil, the theory that No. 23 cannot win the championship is established. Then the theory that without you, I cannot win the championship is also established."

Carr said: "You are young, I will not be your last coach, you have a chance to prove yourself."

"George, why are you suddenly telling me this?"

"Say whatever you want." Karl said, "If you really have such an opportunity, you must seize it and don't leave any loopholes for yourself."

Today, Karl has become the kind of sentimental sissy he hates most.

"Instead of worrying about this, think about whether KD can defend his title in tonight's HORSE game." Yu Fei sat on the sidelines and watched Durant prepare for tonight's game on the court.

"He can definitely do it," Carr said. "No one can beat him in this game."

As expected, Durant defended the HORSE game that night.

Several other individual events followed.

The three-point contest and skill contest are both back-up events, and people focus on the dunk contest.

However, because James once again declined the invitation to the dunk contest after months of procrastination, there was no star in this dunk contest and there were almost no highlights in the competition process.

Nate Robinson won the dunk title three times with a few mediocre dunks.

But off the court, criticism of James was extremely fierce.

Many media regard James' repeated rejection of dunk contest invitations as the epitome of his betrayal of Cleveland and his escape to Los Angeles to join forces with Kobe Bryant.

James didn't want to be labeled as a slam dunk master. This was the reason why he had always refused to participate in the slam dunk contest. But now he couldn't explain clearly. In the end, Kobe Bryant stepped in to help him block the knife.

But Kobe was probably the worst public relations person, and he used a trick to "drain trouble into the east."

"Frye is also a great dunker, and he hasn't participated in the dunk contest, but I've never heard people accuse him of being stupid," Kobe said. "You guys are too harsh on LeBron."

This sentence reached Yu Fei's ears on the day of the All-Star Game.

"I'm not a believer in No. 23, and I don't intend to take the road of No. 23." Yu Fei mocked, "That's why people don't force me to participate in the dunk contest. However, we all know that the Lakers' No. 23 and 24 They are all believers of that person. As a believer, Kobe is very courageous. Although his slam dunk contest championship is considered the worst in history, he is still the orthodox successor of that person. As for LeBron, he wants to inherit that person. I can’t say what kind of mentality it is to have a person’s reputation and not be willing to bear the corresponding pressure.”

The All-Star Game has not yet begun, and the Western Conference Stars have a vague tendency to self-destruct.

Although their talent can crush the Eastern Conference Stars, the outside world is not optimistic about them winning the game now that the contradiction has become public.

Moreover, the All-Star Game is not important in the first place. Yu Fei and Kezhan openly quarreled with each other, but it produced a positive publicity effect.

Only one person is oblivious to the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

That's George Karl, who got the inspection report this morning.

He was diagnosed with throat cancer.

(End of this chapter)