When pride still matters

Chapter 568 Flowing Power

"If this is really Frye's last game for the SuperSonics, how should we remember these six years? I believe that this period is the most glorious period in the history of Seattle professional sports. Frye not only kept a team that was on the verge of relocation, but also raised the team's cultural influence, economic benefits and honors to an incredible height. Don't cry for the coming summer, because we once had the best team and the greatest players in the world!"

The Seattle Times sang an elegy for the Sonics dynasty with an affectionate article titled "Don't Cry for Them."

The New York Times explored the place of the Supersonics dynasty in NBA history.

There is no doubt that the 2007-2013 SuperSonics dynasty was not as good as the 1990-1998 Bulls dynasty, and it certainly could not surpass Bill Russell's eight consecutive championship dynasty.

However, given the origins and development of the Sonics dynasty, a more pressing question is how to define Yu Fei's reign from 2005 to 2013.

In terms of time span, the Supersonics dynasty is comparable to the Bulls dynasty, and in terms of the number of championships, it is also on par with the Bulls.

The problem is that Yu Fei has changed teams, so his supporters call this honor "The Only Empire".

Only when Yu Fei is present can the empire win; without Yu Fei, the dynasty and the empire will no longer exist.

Well-known media figures have begun to miss the Supersonics dynasty.

Several ESPN experts praised Yu Fei in different ways.

Data analysis expert John Hollinger has demonstrated through data that Yu Fei is the best in NBA history in all aspects, which is beyond Jordan's reach. Even Chamberlain from ancient times was not as good as Yu Fei after stripping off the filter of the times.

Zach Lowe, who gradually replaced Bill Simmons at ESPN, wrote in the article: "Fry Yu has given his all for Seattle. We will never see a superstar in his prime leave a two-time championship team and join a team that finished at the bottom of the league last season. He returned in the name of salvation, and whether it was sincere or not, he fulfilled his promise. The Supersonics' position in Seattle is unprecedentedly solid, the new arena in the city center will be put into use before 2016, and four everlasting championship banners will always hang in the Seattle sky. This is real-world heroism, and such a thing has never happened before, will never happen again in the future, and will never happen again."

Almost every media person in the professional basketball circle wanted to take this opportunity to take advantage of Yu Fei's traffic.

Yu Fei’s mouthpiece will naturally not be absent.

For many years, Mark Stein has regarded himself as "Fry Yu's man". He could get first-hand information about Yu Fei and entered the locker room like one of Yu Fei's own when the Bucks and Supersonics won the championship. He witnessed almost every championship of Yu Fei.

At this point, Yu Fei's cooperation with Supersonic seems to have come to an end, so Stein naturally has to lend a hand in public opinion.

In order to clarify the whole story of Yu Fei and Clay Bennett, Stein, contrary to his usual practice, spent several days writing a long article explaining what happened.

This was not Stein's specialty; his favorite news was short ones where readers could understand what happened within a minute.

But to explain how Yu Fei and Bennett went from being close friends to being strangers, he would need to write a traditional long-form news report like his predecessors who have already retired from the media industry.

Despite stepping out of his comfort zone, Stant still performed the task brilliantly.

As soon as his article came out, Bennett became the target of public criticism.

Even though the Sonics' top management has repeatedly refuted the news as untrue, fans at least know one thing, that is, Stein can represent Yu Fei himself under certain circumstances.

This article cannot be published without Yu Fei's consent.

Bennett, who had already angered the public and the people because of his various actions, suddenly turned from a heroic boss into a rat crossing the street.

No matter where he showed up in Seattle, he was booed.

The fans don't want to hear explanations or apologies. Durant was traded, Bosh and Jordan were let go, and now Yu Fei is leaving. How could a team that won four championships in six years be so unpopular?
Bennett had no way to defend himself and could only silently endure the backlash of the evil power he had caused.

Now he no longer expects Yu Fei to stay.

But Yu Fei actually did this before leaving, which made him unable to even say a word of blessing to the other party.

The two sides have severed their ties of friendship and are now mortal enemies.

Bennett did not write an open letter like Dan Gilbert did back then, saying "I should have kicked you away back then. Who the hell needs you? We will win the championship before you!" to see Yu Fei off. He was considering that no one was on his side now.

At this moment, Yu Fei had complete control over public opinion and had no moral guilt. He had fulfilled every promise he made when he came to Seattle six years ago. It was Bennett who let him down.

For this reason, it is impossible for Bennett to respond publicly to Yu Fei.

All he can do is endure it silently and hope that something big will happen in the NBA so that this period of time will pass.

As a result, something really happened that was enough to grab everyone's attention.

Yu Fei's former agent, Arn Tellem, officially became the general manager of the Clippers last summer. He originally planned to use the connections he had accumulated over the years to make great strides in his new position.

As Yu Fei will become a free agent this summer, Tellem has set his sights on him. He noticed that the relationship between Yu Fei and Seattle owner Bennett has been breaking down, and he believes that it is only a matter of time before the two go their separate ways. Therefore, Tellem suggested that owner Donald Sterling prepare in advance and plan to make a move in the summer to dig Yu Fei from Seattle. He even suggested that if necessary, he could promise Yu Fei's family a share of the team, because with Yu Fei in charge, the Los Angeles market will bring several times the return.

However, when Sterling heard that he might need to give up some of his shares, he became worried. After all, Yu Fei even turned his back on Bennett, who had always obeyed him. If he really gave him shares, would the Clippers still be named Sterling?
For Sterling, he doesn't need the team to achieve good results. Over the years, even if the Clippers have a bad record, they have always had fans supporting them. Even if the attendance rate ranks last in the league, he can still live comfortably with the annual dividend income. What's more, the league has now changed the profit-sharing system, and big money-makers like the Lakers have to share profits with poorly managed teams. As a result, Sterling is even more reluctant to take the risk of introducing Yu Fei, even if it means the team is expected to improve its record.

Therefore, he rejected Tellem's suggestion on the spot. Tellem couldn't understand, so he analyzed the pros and cons of introducing Yu Fei to Sterling from a professional perspective. However, Sterling didn't listen at all. He was unable to refute due to lack of professional knowledge. He became angry and exposed his true nature. He roared: "I would rather be at the bottom every year than have that ungrateful 'cleaning worm' come to my team!"

Tellem was stunned. He didn't expect Sterling to make such blatant racist remarks, and the target was the league's top star. Thinking of Yu Fei's contribution to the league and their long-term friendship, Tellem was furious, but he had no idea what to do. So he decided to report Sterling to the league.

However, he had no evidence.

Incoming commissioner Adam Silver told Tellem: "Nobody likes Donald Sterling. If there was hard evidence, we would kick him out of the league immediately."

From that day on, Tellem lived a life like a spy. His focus was no longer on the daily affairs of the general manager, but on collecting evidence about Sterling, a recognized racist.

Finally, he found a breakthrough from Sterling's lover Stiviano and obtained a lot of evidence. As the season was coming to an end and everyone's attention was focused on Seattle, Tellem suddenly submitted the materials he had collected for many days to the league, completely detonating this "mine" that had been buried for decades.

The outcry was overwhelming, with almost every employee who had worked for Sterling coming forward to accuse him. The league acted quickly, first issuing a statement against any form of racism, then directly condemning Sterling.

Soon after, Stern convened a shareholder meeting to vote on whether to ban Sterling for life. The vote was passed on the spot, and within a few days, Sterling lost his seat as a shareholder in the league and his team shares were frozen. After the season, the Clippers will be forced to sell the team, and Sterling will always be regarded as the ugliest owner in history, in addition to receiving billions of dollars in auction proceeds.

The incident progressed so quickly that even Bill Simmons couldn't help but complain on Twitter: "Clay Bennett is such a failure. The most ironic thing is that he can't even be ranked first in the ranking of the worst active bosses, because Donald Sterling is the 'monument' he can never surpass."

When Yu Fei heard about this, he felt completely confused.

The Clippers were probably the last team he would join.

Because of the existence of Donald Sterling.

But suddenly, Sterling was dealt with.

Moreover, this matter is closely related to him?

Yu Fei recalled that during the season, Tellem did talk to him and hinted that the Clippers might pursue him, but Tellem should know that the Clippers were the team he least wanted to go to.

As a result, Tellem can’t solve the Clippers’ problems, but he can solve the root of all their evil.

The Clippers thus became an option to consider.

Yu Fei did not want to show obvious inclinations, and the season was not over yet. While the outside world was in an uproar over the Sterling incident, the first finals without Yu Fei since 2005 was in full swing. The Spurs and the Heat met again in the finals, but unlike the main timeline, the lineup configurations of the two teams had changed significantly.

The Spurs relied on their mature passing and cutting system to counter the Heat's multiple ball-holding points and full-space play. However, the Heat also had their own problems. Their overall defensive performance was poor, and many people were afraid of being targeted by the opponent's naming tactics. In the regular season, Yu Fei used the unlimited naming tactics to defeat the Heat.

The reason why the Spurs chose unlimited passing and cutting is not only because this style of play that relies on basketball IQ conforms to the aesthetic taste of every coach, but also because they lack a stable and named offensive player in their team.

Ginobili can occasionally take on this responsibility when he is in good shape, and the young Kemba Walker has potential but needs to grow further. On the other hand, Wade and Curry can effectively attack the Spurs' defensive weaknesses in the pick-and-roll offense.

However, the Spurs looked increasingly listless as the game went on, as if they had exhausted all their passion in the Western Conference Finals.

Coming to the finals, they were not facing a deserved victory, but a fierce attack launched by Miami against San Antonio after missing last year's opponent.

After four games, the Heat led 3-1. There has never been a 1-3 comeback in the history of the NBA Finals, and the Miami Heat believed that they were very close to victory.

On the day of Game 5 of the Finals, Yao Ming joked to reporters: "If we can't beat the Spurs, I won't shave my beard for a year." Although it was a joke, Yao Ming did often joke about his beard when he was young. Back then, when a domestic reporter asked him what he would do if the men's basketball team didn't make it to the quarterfinals, he also made a similar "promise."

Today, he is no longer bothered by the national team's games. In his 11-year NBA career, he is only one game away from the highest glory, and this time, he will never be soft.

On this night, the Miami team played at their best, with almost everyone performing well, especially Yao Ming who had the strongest performance.

When facing Duncan in the low post, he shot with both hands and made various hook shots easily. After the pick-and-roll, he pulled to the outside and made accurate three-pointers to make Duncan embarrassedly face a concept that he still refuses to accept - inside players also have to take a lot of three-pointers, and it would be even better if they can be more accurate than outside players.

Duncan refused to accept this concept, but Yao Ming, who had never become a superstar, understood the importance of adapting to the times. He knew that doing so would bring him one step closer to the championship. Only those who see the gap will make up for it and give 100% of their efforts to do something they don't agree with at all.

The final result did not disappoint him. The Heat defeated the Spurs 127 to 101 with a pure offensive performance and won the first championship trophy in team history. At the end of the game, Wade jumped onto the technical table and cheered loudly with excitement.

The one who finally reached the top of the 03 Golden Generation as the team leader was Wade, who was not favored by anyone at the beginning. Moreover, he is the only player in the 03 generation who has not changed teams so far. Although he had a rift with the team several times and wanted to leave, he was finally persuaded by Riley. Now, this trust has also been richly rewarded.

However, Wade still felt a little regretful. "It would have been better if it was Frye," Wade said cryptically.

That night, the Heat were partying in Miami. Yao Ming got drunk for the first time in a long time. He sent Yu Fei a text message in the middle of the night, the content of which he could not remember at all the next day: "You have experienced such a good thing eight times in the past ten years? You little bastard, why do you do this? I don't accept it!!!"

When Yu Fei saw the message the next day, he felt confused. He simply replied: "If you don't agree, just keep it to yourself."

The 2012-13 season came to an end.

This is a season that is enough to excite the league's practitioners.

The Supersonics dynasty has come to an end, Yu Fei is about to leave Seattle, and the league has welcomed a new king. The moment this new king ascends the throne, the antitrust rules that cursed the Supersonics dynasty will also take effect on them.

Starting next season, Stephen Curry's maximum salary will also take effect, and their rookie bonus will end.

At that time, four maximum salaries will become a heavy burden that overwhelms the team.

It remains to be seen whether they will grit their teeth and persevere for a whole season to defend their title like the Supersonics, or just have a quick fix and call it a day.

The Clippers are about to change owners. Although Sterling threatened to sue the league, he is committing racial discrimination, a taboo in the United States second only to anti-Semitism. Even if he has reasons and evidence, he is unlikely to get any support.

The offseason is coming, and if the Clippers want to get through this period smoothly, they must find a new owner for them as soon as possible.

However, the Clippers’ geographical location and the fan base built up through decades of fan abuse—comparable to the fans of the national football team—have given rise to a large number of people willing to take over the team.

Wellington House, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
This is Yu Fei’s home in Los Angeles.

After the season ended, he returned here to be with his fiancée and son.

Today is the first day of the offseason.

NBA teams are busy dealing with the work at hand. The end of the season is often one of the most intensive periods of the year for management because the draft is just around the corner.

However, this year's draft class has received low ratings, with some scouts even believing it can be compared to the disastrous 2011 draft class.

The most talented Nerlens Noel was once known as "Little Anthony Davis" in high school and possessed similar defensive talents to AD, but he suffered a major injury before he had time to show his other talents.

Therefore, Noel's draft stock has become very unstable. Apart from him, this year's top rookies would hardly have reached the lottery level of talent in previous years.

In this context, Clippers General Manager Arn Tellem believed that recruiting Yu Fei was a more important task than the draft, so he visited Yu Fei on the first day after the season ended.

"Ahn, how come you have time to come to my place?" Yu Fei asked with a smile.

"To recruit the greatest players in the world, of course," Triumph replied.

"You know the Clippers are not within my consideration." Yu Fei said bluntly.

"But there are only two NBA teams in Los Angeles. Elizabeth is here, and Bufan is here too." Tellem had some understanding of Fei's thoughts. "I think you might join the Lakers. Their history is already glorious enough. Even if the GOAT joins, it's just a new member in the pantheon for them. The Clippers are different."

Tellem continued: "The Clippers were born in disgrace and destroyed in disgrace. They have nothing to boast about in the nearly 40 years since their founding. The only thing we are famous for is how bad our team is. Frye, you have left everyone in history behind, and now it's time to set a higher hurdle for those chasing you. If you can lead such a bad Clippers team to greatness, your legend will be truly impeccable."

Is it impeccable? Yu Fei thought to himself.

"The Clippers allow you to stay with your family, give you a whole new challenge and have the biggest market in the world. Best of all, it will be without Donald Sterling," Tellem added. "He's going to be gone."

When Tellem said these words, Elizabeth Olsen was also present. She was very eager and obviously hoped that Yu Fei would agree immediately. But Yu Fei did not give a clear answer immediately, but instead mentioned something seemingly unrelated: "If I had a choice, I would not leave Seattle."

Trem listened in silence.

"In Seattle, all my expenses are free because I am their hero. Wherever I go, I can feel the love of the fans." Yu Fei laughed, "I think this is what I deserve. I kept the SuperSonics in Seattle, won them a new arena worth $500 million, and made Clay Bennett, that idiot from Oklahoma, earn $100 million a year. I am their God, why should I leave? But how did things develop to this point?"

Yu Fei's eyes turned cold as he recalled those unpleasant past events.

"Because some people just don't know how to be grateful, they forget who brought these benefits." Yu Fei continued, "This taught me one thing - no matter when, don't give the initiative completely to others."

Trem caught the real message Yu Fei wanted to convey from his words.

Initiative... Initiative... How can a player take the initiative? In his six years in Seattle, Yu Fei had complete initiative for at least four years, but when Bennett decided not to pay a huge amount of money to consolidate Yu Fei's legend, this initiative disappeared.

The initiative of capital is eternal, while the initiative of labor is just a kind of flowing power. The power will only be effective when you can scare the other party or make the other party profit.

Therefore, if Yu Fei wants to take the initiative without relying on power, he must take that step - control part of the team's shares and thus gain the power to remotely control the team.

This was exactly the plan that Tellem had proposed to Sterling. It turned out that he did understand Yu Fei.

Although the alliance said it would determine the new boss as soon as possible, Tellem was not sure whether the new boss would be willing to cooperate with a strong man like Yu Fei. Now, he could only wait quietly.

However, he believed that Yu Fei was not completely uninterested in the Clippers because he suddenly talked about this year's draft afterwards.

(End of this chapter)