Pirates: I am Six Eyes Sukuna, the strongest one

From July 1, 1998 to January 20, 1999, the long lockout finally ended!

This 204-day lockout has become the longest lockout in NBA history.

If David Stern hadn't issued an ultimatum a week ago: If negotiations cannot be reached within 10 days, the entire 1998-1999 season will be completely cancelled. Then this lockout may be longer!

If the entire season is cancelled, the boss as the capital side can bear it, but the players as the labor side really can't bear it.

It's not just a matter of money. Even if we don't talk about money, I don't know how many players will ruin themselves just by being away from the NBA-level professional basketball system for a year and a half!

You know, guys like Han Yi who train all the time during the offseason can't be said to be rare, it can be said that there are almost none.

Kobe Bryant is traveling freely in Asia with great interest, switching freely between playing big ball and playing small ball.

Iverson went to Hong Kong to promote sneakers, O'Neal sang in the recording studio, Rodman and Malone played wrestling matches...

Of course, some players were very plain and simple. Vin Baker, Derrick Coleman, and Shawn Kemp, three gluttons, successfully ate themselves into balls in these 200 days...

Finally, with the direction of everything being about money, the lockout finally ended.

For the labor side, the biggest benefit is that through their efforts, the minimum salary of NBA players has been raised by 10%, and the Bird clause that the bosses hate has been retained.

For the capital side, the biggest benefit is that they finally established a luxury policy in 1999, and at the same time became the first sports league in the United States to limit the maximum salary cap for players. In the newly signed contracts in the 1998-1999 season, the maximum maximum salary was controlled below 15 million.

Of course, those who have already signed super-large contracts, such as Kevin Garnett and Patrick Ewing, are not affected, but the newly signed maximum salary is not allowed to exceed this number!

The biggest benefit for teams in small markets is that the restricted free agent system has returned to the NBA.

New fans only know that in 1996, the then top center Shaquille O'Neal broke off negotiations with the Magic due to salary reasons, and eventually went west to Los Angeles with a contract worth over 100 million yuan.

But what they don't know is that the reason why O'Neal was able to successfully leave his parent team as a free agent was because the NBA at that time was in the period when the restricted free agent system was abolished.

If there was this system in 1996, would O'Neal want to go to Los Angeles? Don't even think about it. Even if you are unhappy, the Magic will match it.

At least you will make a fortune through O'Neal in the way of signing first and then trading, instead of watching O'Neal go west through the free market as in history, while the parent team gets nothing.

The schedule for the 1998-1999 season has been released. The regular season game cycle is from February 4, 1999 to May 6, 1999, with a total of 50 regular season games.

The Christmas game that has passed was naturally cancelled, and the All-Star Game was also forced to be cancelled.

Although many people are dissatisfied, and many people are questioning whether the players' union is too weak, the smart team has been preparing for the new season in an orderly manner in the last 20 days before the start of the regular season.

For example, training camp, such as trading.

For Auerbach, last season was a season of experimentation and trial. The results are not important. The important thing is to confirm whether Han Yi, who he spent a lot of money to get, can really become the core of the future Green Army.

In the last season, Han Yi has used terrifying data and team records to show that he is the real god of the Celtics in the future. Although Han Yi is not yet 22 years old, if the Celtics do not strengthen, it will be a great waste of Han Yi's peak period!

Han Yi, who averaged 40+ points per game in the playoffs last season, eventually lost to the Chicago Bulls. Although he said that he would continue to get stronger, he took all the responsibility for the defeat on himself!

But everyone knows that Han Yi has engraved the words "I need more help" on his forehead.

As for the shortest free market period in NBA history, all team managers are inevitably highly nervous. With such a short time for reinforcement, the so-called inspection work cannot be carried out at all. Even the tryout can only be shortened to one day, because if the tryout time is longer, the player may be signed by other teams without tryout!

The biggest seller's market in the NBA this year is naturally the defending champions of last year, which were officially rebuilt with the announcement of Michael Jordan's retirement.Chicago Bulls!

Because there is no Jordan, Scottie Pippen, who was a free agent, chose to join the Rockets for 5 years and 77.5 million.

And Dennis Rodman fell at the feet of Jeanie Buss and chose to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Except for these two uncontrolled free agents, Jerry Crowder said: There is no one on the current Bulls who is not for sale!

All players in the team are waiting for the price. As long as you come up with enough money and enough chips, you can choose the three consecutive champions!

And this is very attractive to all teams who want to win the first championship in the post-Jordan era.

Because Jordan dominated the entire 1990s, for other teams besides the Bulls, what is the feeling of winning in the finals?

Except for the Rockets who "stole" two consecutive championships when Jordan retired, other teams really don't understand.

Although the championship experience is very mysterious, you can't believe it if you don't believe it.

Although Auerbach has now resigned as the general manager of the Celtics due to his age, he is still actively running everything for the Green Army as the real boss behind the scenes.

Red Cardinal, who did not miss any Celtics game last year, certainly knows what the Celtics need most!