NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 155 Top Party (Daily Chapter)
On August 1999, 8, after the free market officially opened, a big deal finally appeared that sparked heated discussions.

The Magic sent Anfernee Hardaway to the Suns in exchange for Pat Garrity, Danny Manning, a 2001 first-round pick and a 2002 first-round pick.

Compared with the Hawks sending Steve Smith to the Trail Blazers two days ago, the Magic's deal almost announced that the team will be completely ruined next season and officially enter the reconstruction period.

Although the media and fans in Orlando often complained about Anfernee Hardaway's glass physique, when they saw the "Jordan successor" being traded, they couldn't help but curse the management.
However, the Magic's management has always been tough and did not make any remarks after sending away Anfernee Hardaway. This can be regarded as a signal to the outside world:
"Hardaway is no longer good. We will make a profit on this deal!"

While many football commentators were still discussing the transactions in the past few days, Li You had already arrived in the town of Chappaqua, New York.

This small town in Westchester County is about 40 miles from New York City. It has a small population but beautiful natural scenery and rich history and culture.

Going back a bit, the two previous owners of the white house also lived here. The place is not big, but the reputation is not small.

August 8th was his birthday, but the private party was officially held on the 19th.

The theme of the birthday party that day was "The White House Owner's Favorites", which specifically included his favorite food, music, movies, sports stars, etc.

There were nearly 200 people invited. Except for some big names, most of them were celebrities and celebrities.

Friend Harvey Weinstein provided a luxurious villa as a venue for a private birthday party.

After experiencing a major crisis in his life, the owner of the white house urgently needs a political show to stabilize himself and others' emotions.

On the afternoon of the 7th, after going through strict security inspection, Li You, who was wearing a dark blue formal suit, finally got to see what a party on the top floor looked like.

Everyone present was wearing formal attire, and the service staff were all pretty girls with good looks.

The morning is a gathering of big shots, and the afternoon is a happy time for everyone.

Li You has actually seen the owner of the white house often in the past few years. He was invited by the owner of the white house when Connecticut won the championship and the Knicks won the championship.

But those were all formal occasions, and this was the first time for a private party.

PepsiCo President Enrique waved to Li You immediately after seeing him.

After gathering around a few people, Enrique immediately joked about Li You:

"Last year we made the right choice to sign Li. If it were changed to this year, we might not even be able to afford the advertising fees!"

Everyone laughed, and Disney CEO Eisner took over the conversation:
"Li, we can work together if we have the opportunity. Young people nowadays like you very much!"

"."

Regardless of whether the other party was sincere or not, Li You could only smile and accept.

In addition to some big shots, Li You also saw celebrities in the entertainment industry. The radiantly white Nicole Kidman, wearing a white dress, was accompanying Tom Cruise and chatting with everyone.

Li You was sensible and didn't come forward to say hello. After all, Tom Cruise was much shorter than him. On this occasion, he still needed to take care of the other person's emotions.

Nicole Kidman quietly raised her eyebrows at Li You as a greeting. After the last party in New York, the two had not seen each other for more than half a year.

Denzel Washington was talking to Spielberg, and when he saw Li You, he waved and said hello.

Many Hollywood stars came, and the great singers Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Cherry and others were also around to chat.

More business leaders are surrounding today's protagonist. For the melon-eating masses, scandal is a big deal, but more upper-class people don't care about it at all.

Failure to take care of your belt is not a big deal at all. If the Xiang Party did not make a high-level warning, perhaps this matter would just go unnoticed.
After the party owner came on the stage, he simply expressed his thanks, then waved and greeted everyone, and started talking cordially.

Coming to Li You, this person was even in a mood to care about his LSAT exam:

"I know you are a genius and your memory is very good, but the LSAT is not easy. If you want to go to law school, you have to take it seriously!"

"You have to try your best in everything. This is my experience during the exam!"

Seemingly unaffected by the scandal, the two still behaved like a loving couple, taking turns to chat cordially with Li You.
The highlight of the birthday party was an animated short film produced by Harvey Weinstein and voiced by Robin Williams.

The content of this short film shows the life experience of the owner of the White House in a humorous and ironic way. It not only contains many jokes, but also recalls the highlight moments of this person.

The short film quickly aroused laughter and applause from everyone present, which also made tonight's protagonist a little embarrassed, but Li You felt that the other party must have been prepared.

Singer Cherry sang one of the host's favorite songs for tonight's party.

Chewy Cherry, who wore a tight black dress that night, also handed the microphone to the singer during her performance.

The two hugged each other closely, showed off their singing skills, and then danced together, which soon aroused cheers and applause from the audience.

The party lasted for a long time, and towards the end of the night, the couple, who seemed to have recovered from the scandal, expressed their gratitude to all the participants:

"This was the best birthday party of my life and I was honored to have so many friends and family, I love you all!"

The large-scale private birthday party show was a complete success. Looking at the old actor, Li You felt speechless for a moment:

"Apart from the fact that the top-floor party has more ingredients and celebrities, the rest is no different from an ordinary celebrity party."

By attending this private party, young Li You became familiar with celebrities and gained some personal friendships, which was the biggest gain from this boring party.Whether it was a crisis public relations or a reality show, in short, after this private party ended, New York’s melon-eaters fell in love with the owner of their white house again.

Although Li You was only a little transparent at this private party, the New York Times believed that his tendency was wrong in subsequent reports. After all, the Elephant Party has the final say in New York.

However, these boring news were quickly covered up by other news:

The Knicks successfully renewed Li You's contract with a six-year maximum salary contract of US$6 million.

This news was just announced, and the Lakers, Nets, and 76ers subsequently announced that they had signed their own new players with maximum salaries.

The only advantage for the rookies in the 96 class is that they don't have to play a full 4-year rookie contract. After jumping out of the contract in the third year, most of the home teams will hand over a big contract.

But compared to Kevin Garnett's super maximum salary, the contract of the 96 rookie is still almost meaningless.

On Monday, August 8, the Knicks held a press conference in Tarrytown.

General Manager Glenfield and Li You sat on the stage, and the media in the audience witnessed Li You signing his name on the contract.

Naturally, other rookie players would not receive such treatment. After all, the Knicks have a chance to win three consecutive championships. The biggest task this offseason is to renew Li You's contract. Since he has successfully achieved his goal, he naturally needs to publicize it.

Li You is in a good mood after signing the first maximum-salary contract of his career. A big contract also means privileges. His salary next season will completely surpass Ewing.

After achieving three consecutive championships, the team will also be called a dynasty team. Although the Los Angeles media has been shouting every day in the past month that the shortened season championship is too valuable, most football critics do not care about this:
"The external conditions of all teams are the same. The champion is the champion!"

Yahoo Sports also specially sent reporters to the scene today to witness Li You's contract renewal. After completing the signing ceremony, he followed everyone and screamed.

The cameras are ringing non-stop, so don’t worry about the hot sports news for the week ahead!

General Manager Glenfield also showed a proud smile. After completing this work, he held his thigh firmly.

"Lee, can you talk about your expectations for the new season? Are you satisfied with the team's operations in the offseason?"

Hearing the question from the Yahoo Sports reporter in the audience, Li You quickly and confidently answered:

"The Knicks' goal in the new season is only to win the championship. Three consecutive championships is the dream of all of us!"

"Grunfield did a great job and brought back Ron, a kid from Queens, to the New York fans, and everyone loved him."

Many New York reporters in the audience also cheered. No matter how the outside world evaluates Artest, everyone is extremely tolerant of their own people.

The reporter from the New York Post knew about Li You's itinerary, so he became a sounding board again and asked with a smile:
"Lee, did you notice Shaq's concert?"

The depressed Shark sang randomly at his concert to vent his dissatisfaction.

Sometimes chanting songs don't need to rhyme. O'Neal took the opportunity to angrily criticize the Spurs and Knicks, mocking the game between the two teams as the most boring matchup in the NBA Finals.

"Believe me, if the Lakers enter the finals, maybe Shaq will be swept again, and games without any suspense are the most boring!"

"We all know that the Spurs swept the Lakers. As a loser, what he should do is shut up and accept the reality."

In the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers were swept cleanly by the Spurs, and in the Finals, the Knicks swept the Spurs again.

The relationship between strength and weakness was obvious, and the reporters in the audience burst into laughter.

Basketball games have always been about results. Even if O'Neal chants every day, it cannot change the fact that he is often swept in the playoffs.

The New York media will not be polite. They have been clamoring for a month. It is time to fight back. By the way, I will take you to review O'Neal's career playoff journey.
The question that general manager Greenfield is asked most is whether the Knicks will add interior players.

Oakley and Ewing will be one year older next season. Short insiders usually decline as they get older. Gorilla Achilles tendons are injured and their athletic ability will be greatly reduced.

The aging inside combination has become the team's weakness, and finding the next Ewing has almost become the Knicks' top priority.

Of course, Grunfield will not disclose the internal situation of the Knicks.

James Dolan, who has just taken office, does not want to offend New York fans, so he will not send away Ewing, who has played for the team for many years, without any reason.

Although Gorilla's salary is high, the Knicks can still afford it. Although Grunfield wanted to send Ewing away, for the sake of team culture, he had to compromise in the end.

"Basketball is not just physical. Pat and Charles have rich game experience. In the playoffs, the team also needs such veterans."

"We will not trade the meritorious members of the Knicks. At the end of their careers, it is difficult for players to avoid injuries, and the team is their protection at this time."

Grenfield's answer was very appropriate, and the New York media in the audience were very satisfied.

Compared with the Bulls' team culture that likes to sell declining meritorious players, the Knicks have shown the style of a wealthy team.

Salary is not a problem, New York has money!
Li You rubbed his chin and made a slight estimate of the Knicks' specific salary for next season and couldn't help but secretly sighed.

Some memories suddenly emerged in his mind. Li You looked at Grunfield beside him and silently sent his blessings in his heart:

"After the luxury tax is officially introduced, the Knicks may not be able to withstand it."

　Thank you for your subscription support~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)