When pride still matters

Chapter 569 An irresistible condition

"Arne, what do you think of the quality of this year's draft class?"

"Shit."

Tellem said simply.

Yu Fei smiled, and Trem thought that the other party agreed with his point of view.

In fact, what Yu Fei was thinking was, should he recommend Triumph to choose Antetokounmpo based on their years of friendship?

Yu Fei only thought about it for a moment before making a decision.

Regardless, he and Tellem have a deep relationship over the years. Regardless of whether he will eventually play for the Clippers, Tellem's success in dealing with Sterling and bringing him down - and the reason for all this is precisely because Sterling racially discriminated against him - this sincerity deserves to be repaid by Fei.

"If you don't know who to pick, try to get Giannis Antetokounmpo."

"The Greek?"

Tellem has also heard of this "Greek Freak". As the overall talent this year is really weak, all teams hope to discover potential new stars overseas.

Giannis has long been on the radar of ESPN draft expert Chuck Ford, and NBA teams have also conducted detailed investigations on him.

The results of the investigations of various teams are similar: Giannis's height, athleticism, and multi-positional ability shown in lower leagues are very attractive. But his skills may not work in the NBA.

In addition, whether he can adapt to the fierce competition in the NBA and whether he can maintain his health and athleticism after gaining weight are all unknown.

There are many "geniuses" every year, but there is only one Kevin Durant among ten thousand geniuses. Even if the rest behave like Durant in high school, they will be considered successful if they can become a full-time blue-collar worker like Kevon Rooney in the NBA.

Yu Fei's vision for the draft has always been accurate, and there are often rumors that this GOAT is secretly manipulating the team's draft decisions, but Tellem knows this very well.

It was Yu Fei who suggested the Bucks select Kevin Martin. Later, during his time with the SuperSonics, he suggested Presti select DeAndre Jordan at a low pick. Later, the introduction of Patrick Beverley and Danny Green also had his shadow. These players have proven themselves without exception.

The most exaggerated thing is that under his advice, Reebok recruited most of the rising stars of the younger generation.

Tellem couldn't help but believe in such a vision for the draft. As soon as he returned, he instructed the scouts to focus on the Greeks. Not only that, he also arranged draft tryouts for the Greeks.

This is his job and the only thing he can do before the team finds a new owner.

It's still early days in Donald Sterling's racial discrimination case, and the final stages are just being finalized.

The Clippers entered the auction process.

As Stern was approaching retirement, he didn't expect that he would have the opportunity to personally eradicate Sterling, the cancer that had penetrated deep into the league.

In the early 80s, after Jerry Buss bought the Lakers, he also encouraged his friend Sterling to buy an NBA team. As a result, one of them bought the Lakers and the other bought the San Diego Clippers. Who would have thought that the Lakers, with Magic Johnson, led the era and made a fortune in Los Angeles, while Sterling could only watch Bill Walton, who played one game and rested ten games, and the Clippers rot together.

The football market is sluggish and attendance is dismal. What conclusion has Sterling come to?
Should I work hard to transform this team? No, of course it's a matter of the environment. It's obvious that San Diego is a bad place with bad feng shui. Neither the fans nor the local government support the team. If they don't move away, will they go bankrupt?
That was the 1982-83 season, which was undoubtedly an underrated year in NBA history. People in later generations only remembered the invincible 76ers' "FO-FO-FO" in the playoffs that year. In fact, the labor-capital negotiations that lasted throughout the regular season had already torn apart the competitiveness of many teams. The management insisted on introducing a salary cap, while the labor side refused to do so. In this chaotic situation, Sterling announced that the team would move to Los Angeles without the league's permission.

Stern, who had not yet taken office at the time, was furious, but what he was most afraid of at the time was the introduction of a salary cap. He really had no time to deal with the Clippers, so the matter was left unresolved, allowing the other party to succeed in their strategy of acting first and reporting later.

For years, the Clippers seemed to exist to serve as a foil to the Lakers' greatness, as if the NBA needed the worst team in history to contrast with the Lakers' brilliance. They kept getting lottery picks, but either drafted duds or drafted talented players who almost always suffered major injuries during their rookie contracts. They made the playoffs only a handful of times over the decades.

Today, the Clippers have become basketball hell.

Even a phenomenal rookie like Blake Griffin can only bring a little box office revenue to the team but cannot improve the team's competitiveness.

All their configurations are of minimum standards, from players to coaching staff to a series of supporting services derived from professional basketball, all are maintained at the theoretical minimum level.

Even so, the Clippers often make news for unpaid wages.

Sterling doesn't need a good team because this "frugality" strategy does help him make money.

Such a bad boss was eventually cleared out from within the company.

How could Stern not be excited? He wanted to deal with the matter personally, but considering the future of the league, he realized that he would eventually hand over the position to Adam Silver, and this was a good opportunity for the other party to show his ability before taking over.

Silver is unanimously favored by the owners as Stern's successor.

Because he showed extraordinary business talent when he worked in the NBA entertainment department, he is widely regarded as a leader who will lead the NBA to new heights. However, there are some concerns about his toughness as president.

When Silver was interviewed by the media, he was often overwhelmed by some sharp questions, which was never seen in Stern.

However, dealing with Sterling is not that complicated.

The only person who might support Sterling in this matter, Old Buss, has passed away. Every owner that Silver consulted expressed his disgust for Sterling, saying, "Donald Sterling should not have a place in the league!"

So, Silver announced at a press conference that according to the relevant regulations of the NBA league, owners like Sterling who hold racist views must not only be banned for life but also be forced to sell the team because the league will never tolerate the existence of racism.

The Clippers' potential buyers immediately became the focus of media discussion.

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stands out among the wealthy people.

The league took into consideration that the Clippers have the support of a large market like Los Angeles. They can completely absorb the market that the Lakers cannot occupy and form their own strong basketball culture in Los Angeles. Sooner or later, the NBA will have its own Manchester United and Manchester City.

And such a prospect is impossible to achieve under the leadership of a stingy boss like Sterling.

Therefore, the league needs a wealthy person who can treat running the NBA as a small game. Moreover, this person cannot be hated by others and must be recognized by the bosses.

After layers of screening, Ballmer was considered the most qualified candidate.

Ballmer had already established a lot of good relationships with the NBA before this year. When the Sonics raised funds for the construction of a new arena, Ballmer provided sponsorship in his personal name; when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, he also helped the Hornets to smoothly pass the new season in various neutral venues through smooth connections. If this is to build reputation, then Ballmer has already accumulated enough reputation for himself with real money.

Not long ago, he announced that he would retire from Microsoft in the next 12 months, at which time he would focus on his favorite things, one of which is becoming the owner of an NBA team.

After the Sterling incident broke out, Ballmer contacted the league as soon as possible and was subsequently selected by Silver.

Next, it is about evaluating the Clippers' assets and deciding whether Sterling wants to leave in a dignified manner (actively selling the team) or let the league help him leave in a dignified manner (forcing the team to be auctioned according to league regulations).

Arne Trem was among the first to learn of the news.

When he learned that Ballmer would become the new owner of the Clippers, he knew that the day when the GOAT would come to the Clippers was not far away.

To this end, he took the initiative to contact Ballmer in order to prepare for the future.

Before the draft, the NBA seemed calm on the surface, but many things were already happening quietly.

The 2013 NBA Draft, which no one paid much attention to, was held as scheduled on June 6.

The Charlotte Bobcats hold the No. 1 pick in this draft.

Before the draft, TNT aired a clip of last month's lottery draw, in which Jordan's eldest son, Jeffrey Jordan, talked about how he won the lottery, claiming that he had mastered a special lottery trick.

Considering that the Bobcats had just selected the talented Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with the third pick in 2012, which was known as the "big year for the draft", and that McGee's rookie season was extremely poor, being able to get the first pick in the 2013 draft is indeed a good consolation prize.

It's like a person who likes Coca-Cola buys a Pepsi can, and after opening the can he finds out he's won a prize: another one.

It's really exciting, isn't it?
Since the Bobcats have a clear direction, they won't be like the Cavaliers in the main timeline who didn't know who to select with the No. 1 pick and ended up making a big mistake on the spot.

The Bobcats locked on to Nerlens Noel from the start. After all, Noel is the only lottery pick in this draft who seems to have All-Star potential.

So, when Stern announced the name of the last NBA draft pick in his nearly 30-year career as president at the last draft he presided over, he was still booed endlessly by the audience.

Draft expert Jay Bilas pointed out that Noel is an outstanding 7-foot athlete, but his scoring ability is poor and he had to use crutches on draft night.

Such a player actually became the undisputed No. 1 pick in the draft.

Almost all GMs are missing last year's draft where it seemed like they could not make a wrong choice even with their eyes closed.

ESPN frontline reporter Shannon Battier asked Noel a powerful question: "Kareem Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, how does it feel to be mentioned with these names?" Noel, who has the same hairstyle as Akagi Gang, was unwavering: "No pressure."

This was the best scene of the night.

At least the No. 1 pick in this generally recognized weak draft year is very courageous.

After that, the Magic, who had the second pick, chose Victor Oladipo, the Hornets took Otto Porter with the third pick, and then CJ McCollum was still selected by the Portland Trail Blazers.

After that, he went all the way to the 11th pick in the first round.

This is the Clippers' pick.

After studying the Greek monster for many days, Arne Trem decided to accept Yu Fei's suggestion and take a big gamble.

Almost every scout admits that Giannis Antetokounmpo's theoretical ceiling is higher than Noel's, but no team will bet on him with a lottery pick. Because the level of the games he participates in is too low, the skills he shows are likely to be mirages, and such a player is most suitable for betting in the middle and late stages of the first round.

However, the rookie Tellem actually used the lottery pick to win the Greek monster, which really surprised his colleagues.

This also ended the last suspense of the draft, and the only suspense.

Next is the whereabouts of some potential stocks.

New Zealand center Steve Adams was selected by the Jazz;

Kelly Olynyk was selected by the Raptors;

German youngster Dennis Schroder was selected by the 76ers;

Tim Hardaway Jr. was drafted by the Lakers;

French Spider-Man Rudy Gobert was selected by the Nuggets and then traded to the Nuggets in exchange for cash and a 2014 second-round pick.

The rest is not worth mentioning.

This was Stern's last draft.

When he first took the stage in 1984, he presided over one of the greatest draft classes in NBA history.

And when he retired, he was sent off by a draft class that looked awful.

The contrast between before and after is really touching.

But this was not Stern's last moment.

His last moments were in January 2014, when he retired.

However, the final moments of the Supersonics dynasty are approaching.

Yu Fei's next club has not yet been decided, but Clippers' prospective owner Steve Ballmer has already agreed to meet with him in early July.

The meeting was organized by Arne Trem, at which time the two sides would hold formal negotiations.

Yu Fei had a decent impression of Ballmer, but he would not judge a person based on his impression, because he also had a good impression of Bennett.

Only after negotiation can you know what the other party is thinking.

Now that the decision is imminent, Yu Fei needs to do the same thing according to the process that James used when he returned to the Cavaliers. This is necessary public relations.

Therefore, his team has been making preparations in all aspects in June.

On July 7, people from Yu Fei's camp published a farewell letter in the name of Yu Fei in The Players' Stand and The Seattle Times.

Fans had anticipated this moment.

When it happened, they couldn't do much more than bash Bennett.

The Seattle media chose to send their blessings, and fans expressed their gratitude to Yu Fei in various ways.

The mayor of Seattle called the period from 2007 to 2013 the most glorious moment in the history of Seattle professional sports. In these six short years, sports culture has become more important than ever in this middle-class city. The sense of pride and cohesion that the SuperSonics brought to the citizens cannot be described in words.

"The only thing we can be sure of is that the moment Frye left, the SuperSonics were no longer the team we knew. But when we look up, we know that his spirit will always remain in Seattle," said Seattle Mayor Greg Nichols. "The honor of four championships closely connects Frye to Seattle, and this connection will never disappear."

A few days later, Yu Fei met with Steve Ballmer at a hotel under the pretext of attending a business event.

Yu Fei's impression of Ballmer mainly comes from his past life. He knows that Ballmer is a very passionate boss who vents his emotions like an ordinary fan when sitting on the sidelines. Looking back at the years since Ballmer took over the Clippers, although the team is still plagued by bad luck, there are no more off-court scandals like the Sterling era.

The Clippers no longer give up on recruiting new players due to financial issues, but unfortunately, the championship cannot be won simply by spending money.

The meeting was very low-key with very few participants. The only representatives from the Clippers were owner Ballmer and general manager Tellem, while on Yu Fei's side, only Elizabeth Olsen was present.

Yu Fei showed his usual confidence when facing Ballmer: "I'll give you ten minutes to convince me to join the worst team in the NBA."

Ballmer smiled and said, "It won't take ten minutes. Frye, as long as you are willing to join the Clippers, I will provide you with everything you need."

"Everything?" Yu Fei's face showed distrust. "Clay Bennett said the same thing to me."

Ballmer continued: "I am not Clay Bennett or Donald Sterling. I am just a man who dreams of owning an NBA team. Now, my dream is about to come true, but I will not allow my team to inherit the shame of Donald Sterling. I want my team to be as successful as the greatest teams in history."

Trem sat aside, and he didn't need to say much. This legendary figure who once controlled the Microsoft business empire had his own set of rhetoric that moved Yu Fei.

"I know you don't want to be controlled by others like you were in Seattle. So, I decided to do this." Ballmer smiled and said, "When I acquire the team, I will transfer 10% of the shares to the person you designate. Secondly, the appointment of every department, every position, and every person in the team will be decided by you."

Ballmer said calmly: "I don't understand basketball, so I need the greatest player in history to manage my team. Frye, you can have everything except the position of owner. Now, please give me an answer, are you willing to join my team?"

Elizabeth was stunned. Even though she didn't know much about the operation of professional basketball, she knew how terrible it was for one person to decide the appointment and dismissal of all the people in a group and the direction of operation.

Looking at the history of the NBA, how many people have had such power? Moreover, Yu Fei is still a player. Even if this matter is private, it will completely rewrite the current situation.

Elizabeth gently touched Yu Fei: "Fry, what do you think?"

This Los Angeles team, although long-standing, has almost no honors. However, joining this team means that he can stay with his family for a long time and control the entire team.

Yu Fei knew that the owners of other teams would not offer the same conditions. Even if they did, their teams were not in Los Angeles.

The location was key because his fiancée and children were here, and their careers were thriving here.

After leaving the metropolis of Seattle, Yu Fei's options were extremely limited if he wanted to take his commercial value to a higher level.

Therefore, this was an offer he could not refuse.

Yu Fei smiled at Elizabeth: "I never thought that I would say this to a man who is much older than me."

After that, he looked at Ballmer and said simply, "Yes, I do."

Arn Tellem was thrilled, knowing that decades of dark history for the Clippers would end this summer.

If there is anyone in this world who can make the Clippers great, that person must be Yu Fei.

However, Yu Fei still needs to keep a low profile until Ballmer completes his acquisition of the Clippers.

However, it was soon reported that Yu Fei was selling his house in Seattle, and his Twitter account recently unfollowed the official account of the SuperSonics.

Everything was going steadily, and the SuperSonics finally lost their savior.

(End of this chapter)