NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 168 The Impact of Trading Rumors (Daily Chapter)

The All-Star weekend in Oakland gave Starks a chill.

The "road home" was harder than he imagined. Starks didn't like the Bay Area. He missed life in New York and liked the atmosphere of the Knicks.

In New York, there are old fans who support him, and everyone in the team gives him face. But in the Warriors, Starks just feels like he's lost, and no one new to him is willing to listen to him.

Antawn Jamison is the future of the Warriors, and Starks, who is at the end of his career, is not in the team's plans.

On February 2, the last day of the All-Star Weekend, near noon, while Li You was still participating in sponsor activities, Ewing and Oakley were also gathering at Starks' home.

Starks rented an apartment not far from the Oakland Arena. His wife and children were in New York, and he didn't call it home.

"As I expected, Grunfield was not going to be traded to the Warriors at all."

"Even if it's a draft pick, the team will not give up the current lineup. Unless the Warriors trade for Dudley, there is no chance."

Oakley was sitting on a chair drinking coffee. He had been practicing intensively for two days and could only rely on this thing to refresh himself.

Dudley's playing time has been compressed and his salary is US$710 million. No team is willing to take over. Even if the Knicks are willing to give away their draft picks, this matter is still out of the question.

Ewing was quite energetic at this time, as he was so old that he fell asleep from exhaustion in the middle of the night last night.

The Gorillas would like to see old friends return to the Knicks, a team currently filled with mostly new faces:
"It's a good thing that John is back in the team. Kukchi is also unstable, but one of our own will work hard for the team!"

Kukic, who was born in the Bulls, did not receive much welcome in the Knicks.

And Kukic, who has won a championship, has no interest in getting close to the old guys.

Every fool knows who is the future of the team, and the outdated Ewing cannot scare Cook.
Oakley didn't say anything more. Since he learned that the Warriors planned to trade Starks, Ewing didn't receive a call and there was no news in the media. The old guy knew that Li You must have said "No".

The general manager will communicate with the core players. If Li You doesn't nod, there is a high probability that this matter will not be accomplished.

The three of them actually knew this in their hearts. Starks had not been notified until now, so the result was self-evident.

Talking about the championship hurts feelings. We didn't make it clear, just to make it easier for them to meet each other in the future.

Looking at Ewing's round, fat face, Starks sighed secretly, Big Brother is over:

"It may still take some time, but I don't have high hopes anymore. The Knicks will win the championship this year."

"."

Vince Carter once again proved his talent to the world through his stretch dunk.

Before the start of the All-Star game, Carter had absorbed all the heat.

In the 98 New York All-Star Game, the slam dunk contest was too boring. At the suggestion of fans, the league finally canceled this individual event.

This year's slam dunk contest made everyone feel the long-lost passion again.

It’s not that individual competitions are bad, it’s that the players in recent years have stretched their hips!

On the evening of the 13th, the All-Star Game was about to begin. After the fan activities in the afternoon, several newcomers participating in the All-Star Game for the first time became familiar in front of everyone.

Grant Hill was still polite and casually chatting with everyone in the locker room.

Mutombo, who had already tied his feet and changed into a Hawks jersey, was still praising Carter's performance in the dunk contest:
"I promise to God, your dunk will never be inferior to Michael's dunk. It's so exciting. This is definitely the most exciting dunk contest in recent years!"

Mourning also supported his big brother and joked along:

"It's hard to imagine that there will be players in the future who will surpass this slam dunk contest. I will treasure the video and look it up twice when I have time!"

Carter, who has an unassuming personality, just smiled and accepted the compliments. On the other hand, Reggie Miller was still pretending to be cool and making sarcastic remarks:

"This year's three-point contest is too ugly. Maybe I should agree to the league's request!"

Everyone knows how to react in hindsight, and everyone laughed. Only Iverson's face darkened, and he pursed his lips and said nothing. Miller was so angry.

After Li You and Larry Bird were interviewed by NBC reporter Jim Gray, they returned to the locker room and heard everyone laughing.

He fist bumped with everyone with a smile, and then Li You said with a smile:

"The strongest frontcourt in history. Seriously, we are in trouble!"

Before Larry Bird could speak, Reggie Miller immediately took over:

"Strengthen your shooting. If you don't make a shot, you will lose. There is a high probability that we will not be able to grab the opponent's rebounds."

Several rookies did not speak to express their views. There is no real No. [-] position in the Eastern Conference's starting lineup.

He has a huge disadvantage in terms of height. After all, Mourning is considered a short center, and with three tall men on the opposite side, it is really difficult for the starting lineup to withstand the opponent's low attack.

Larry Bird would not say anything discouraging, he clapped his hands and simply encouraged:

"Use our advantages, even the big guys on the opposite side can't stop us!"

The Oakland Arena was packed tonight. The halftime show of this year's All-Star Game was more down-to-earth and invited some big-name singers.

Martina McBride in country music, LL Cool J in chanting, Montel Jordan, Mary J. Blige.

The Def Jam record company is also in New York, but Li You really doesn't appreciate the chanting music. He is an acquaintance of the hip-hop singers in New York.
Many people buy tickets not only to watch the game, but also to watch the halftime show.

When the players from both sides came on the stage, in addition to the on-site DJ shouting along, there were also cheerleading girls on both sides who acted as the atmosphere group and jumped up and down.
When introducing Li You, who was the last to appear in the Eastern Conference All-Star Game, he was obviously different from other players:

"The youngest MVP in the NBA, two-time FMVP winner, 6 feet 4 inches tall, Clay from the Knicks—Lee!"

"Wow!"

Hearing these titles and cheers, the starting lineup of the Western Conference All-Stars lost their smiles.

Wearing a blue Knicks training uniform, Li You came on the stage with a smile and high-fived everyone in the Eastern Conference All-Stars, then stood at the back of the team.

After the singing session ended, the atmosphere in the arena became even more heated.

When the players from both sides were warming up, the director frequently showed the camera to the core players of both sides. The "strongest frontcourt in history" attracted much attention.

Magic Johnson, who is chatting and laughing with his friends from time to time, also steals the spotlight.

In the NBC commentary box, Doug Collins was still praising the Western Conference All-Star frontcourt combination:
"If a team has such a frontcourt combination, I even think they can achieve what the Celtics achieved back then!"

"Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan will make the penalty area airtight. Even if they pass them, there will still be O'Neal inside and under the basket."

"Kidd and Kobe on the outside are also a backcourt combination with excellent defense. This lineup is perfect!"

Bob Costas looked at the Eastern Conference All-Star who was obviously shorter in height and could only encourage him:

"Lee and Iverson can definitely respond on the offensive end, but their impact on the defensive end is too small."

"As for Carter and Grant, unfortunately, they really can't deal with big men. The difference in size is too big."

"But I believe the Eastern Conference All-Stars will play a beautiful offense!"

As the referee called the players from both sides to the center of the field, the cheers on the scene became louder and louder.

When O'Neal saw Mourning on the opposite side, he couldn't help but smile confidently. When he jumped the ball, he easily moved the ball to his own half.

After Kidd took control of the ball, he quickly advanced to the left wing, and Li You led the defense symbolically.

O'Neal immediately passed halftime and asked for the ball in the low post on the left. After receiving Kidd's pass, he released the ball with his right hand and took a step toward the basket. He pushed away Mourning and succeeded in an easy throw.

Phil Jackson looked at O'Neal who was retreating with a smile. His mission tonight is to give the AMVP trophy to the Sharks.
In the Eastern All-Star backcourt, Li You and Iverson both wore white home jerseys and were "fully armed" with white arm guards.

On the opposite side, Kidd and Kobe were wearing elbow pads, still wearing Michael Jordan's classic look.

When all the young players didn't achieve much, everyone might still be laughing and playing exhibition games, but this time the All-Star situation was different, and Kidd was not at all perfunctory in leading the defense.

There was only Mourning under the basket, and everyone else spread out and quickly stood up outside the three-point line.

Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand at the top of the arc, slowed down and suddenly stepped on the air. After a quick "scissor step", he suddenly leaned forward and accelerated.

The flashy action immediately caused a burst of exclamation from the scene. Kidd hurriedly slid to the right and rear. The two bodies collided. Li You immediately stopped suddenly, blasted the ball vigorously on the spot and quickly changed direction.

Near the free throw line, Kidd was first hit by Li You's strong ball protector and suffered a hidden loss. When he tried to adjust his center of gravity with a sliding step, Li You had already broken through with his shoulders. In the blink of an eye, he was already in the paint with three strides. got up.

O'Neal was closest to the basket, moved quickly, and jumped to help defend.

It's just that Li You broke through too fast and took off too close to the basket. Oriel, who couldn't take off fully, found that after the aerial confrontation, Li You grabbed the ball with his right hand and easily dodged his block.

Amid the second exclamation of the fans, Li You twisted slightly in the air, completely dodged the block, twisted his body, and threw the ball toward the backboard with his right hand!
"squeak!"

The ball went in after the buzzer sounded, and the basketball fell accurately into the basket after hitting the board high.

The beautiful goal immediately made the Oakland Arena ebullient.

On the bench, Mutombo immediately stood up, leading the crowd to applaud and cheer loudly.

He received a foul at the beginning, and O'Neal did not complain to the referee. He just watched Li You smile and make the free throw with his eyes closed, and he was so angry that he cursed secretly.

Oakley and Ewing, who were sitting in the front row, both grinned. This has almost become a regular scene for the Knicks to mock the Sharks!

The fans also cheered loudly. No one likes to see the two sides tacitly understanding each other.

Doug Collins in the commentary box also laughed. When he saw O'Neal taking the initiative to ask for the ball, he immediately said loudly:
"It seems that Shaq is going to work early. If he doesn't double-team, this will not be good news for Mourning."

Although Li You tried his best to interfere with Kidd who came to the right wing, Mourning also cooperated with the half-circle defense, but Oriel suddenly moved deftly to the basket, and Kidd took advantage of the situation to send a lob pass.

Mourning caught the ball from a too deep position and had no choice. He watched O'Neal grab the ball with his left hand and immediately made a round arm slam!
"boom!"

The rim was pulled loudly by O'Neal, showing the great power of this dunk. Li You pretended to be X. Mo Ning, who was almost dunked, let out a sigh of relief.
Soon the two teams showed completely different playing styles.

Li You and Iverson can burst and pass, Carter and Hill have super athletic ability, and the Eastern All-Star team has continuously bombed the basket with alley-oops for a period of time!

The Western All-Stars, who were completely serious, naturally gave the ball to the inside frequently. The short forward could not withstand Duncan's impact.

Garnett, on the other hand, continued to rush for offensive rebounds and suppress the transition offense of the Eastern All-Stars.

The two sides fought fiercely, and the angry Mourning would even choose to foul when O'Neal was blocked.

Li You cut in at 45 degrees from the left and immediately threw the ball to the upper right side of the basket before breaking through to the blocking area.

Carter, who slid down the baseline and cut in first, jumped up and fished the ball in the air, easily completing a reverse back dunk!
"Wow!"

The fans were still cheering loudly, and Kidd quickly hit the ball from the baseline. From the right wing, Kobe caught the ball and broke through. Looking at Iverson's defense, he threw the ball directly in front of the basket.

Garnett, who was cutting in, also jumped high. After catching the ball with two balls in the air, he immediately slammed the basket!
Both sides were going back and forth, and no one was throwing three-pointers. The players all knew that fans still like to watch dunks and dribblers. The defensive intensity was slightly reduced, and everyone took turns showing off.

The game is played at a fast pace, and even though the Western Conference All-Stars have three big men, all three can run with it.

At 6 minutes and 56 seconds into the first quarter, Phil Jackson took the lead in requesting a timeout and the rotation began.

The turning point of the game also began to appear at this time. The rotation lineup after the debut, on the Eastern Conference side, Reggie Miller and Glenn Robinson were working hard.

The Western All-Star team still has a bunch of big men at this time, including David Robinson, Karl Malone, and Rasheed Wallace, and the backcourt has become Stockton and Gary Payton.

Li You, who had returned to the bench, felt helpless for a moment when he saw the big man on the opposite side making fast breaks like a tiger.

Grant Hill was very open to the outcome of the game and noticed that the score was overtaken. Instead, he laughed and joked on the bench:

"Big men can also play fast breaks. This year's opponent's lineup perfectly restrained us."

"In terms of running and jumping ability, the opponent is not inferior to us by much. Li, enjoy the game!"

Li You shook his head helplessly. Iverson on the side also didn't want to lose, so he simply suggested loudly:
"We play faster and add more three-pointers in later games. Just like Miller said, as long as we can make the shots, we can still win the opponent."

Miller's suggestion was very good, but he took the lead as soon as he came on stage.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was fixed at 1:28, with the Western Conference All-Stars leading by 34 points.

Karl Malone and Stockton are here to make trouble, but the three big men, David Robinson, Chris Webber, and Rasheed Wallace, have no intention of letting go.

Michael Finley is also very motivated, and Gary Payton is still thinking about giving Li You a chance to fight against that.
Mutombo was unable to defeat four opponents with two fists. There were too few big men in the Eastern Conference All-Stars, and he was quickly defeated by his opponents.

Beautiful basketball sometimes cannot win the game, and Li You and Iverson's flying cakes sometimes cannot be converted into points.

The game was lively, and as the backcourt rebounds began to be taken away by the opponent, Li You knew that there was a high probability that he would be disappointed tonight.

If you fail to make a shot, there is a high probability that your opponent will score points steadily. In the end, the big men in the Western Conference had the last laugh in this lively All-Star Game.

At 131:137, the Eastern All-Star team, which failed to fill the hole, had no choice but to lose.

蒂姆-邓肯15中12，拿到24分14篮板4助攻1抢断1盖帽2失误；

奥尼尔20中11，拿到22分9篮板3助攻3盖帽4失误。

When commissioner David Stern announced that the two would share this year's All-Star Game MVP, Duncan and O'Neal both had smiles on their faces.

After the two held the cup together, O'Neal, who was in a good mood, began to pretend again:

"My goal this year is to win two more trophies. The All-Star Game trophy can be given to Tim!"

"."

出场26分钟，16中10，三分线外6中3，罚球5中5，28分4篮板7助攻2抢断2失误，李佑依旧打出了高效表现；

同样出场26分钟，艾弗森16中9，三分线外3中2，罚球5中4，拿到了24分2篮板7助攻2抢断3失误。

Seeing the business exchanges among the people in front, Iverson was a little envious, and suddenly whispered to Li You beside him:
"Shet! With more playing time, we can win the game!"

On the opposite side, Duncan played 35 minutes and O'Neal also played 31 minutes. Phil Jackson did not play egalitarianism like the Eastern All-Stars.

Li You shrugged. In an exhibition game, everyone gave Larry Bird face:

"It's just that I can't make a shot. If I score a few more three-pointers, the game will be completely different!"

After the All-Star Game, all the sports commentators changed their tune:

"Big men with excellent athletic ability are the future of the league!"

The media in Los Angeles even boasted about Shark’s performance:

"O'Neal's era is coming!"

No one will doubt this statement. Regardless of the team's victory or defeat, O'Neal's current dominance at the basket is the first in the league.

On Valentine's Day, February 2th, the local sports media in Oakland suddenly "unearthed" the Warriors' planned trade.

New York fans who were busy celebrating the holidays did not forget to eat melon at this time. Some old fans were very excited to see the news that Starks had the opportunity to return to the Knicks.

General Manager Glenn Field immediately issued a statement after seeing the news:

"The team has no plans to change the lineup. The Knicks are now getting better and there is a good chemical reaction between the players."

After giving a clear answer, some old fans were a little dissatisfied, and some tabloids followed suit:

"Lee blocked the deal and John had a chance to go home."

The sentimental old fans also had some complaints about this, mainly because Kukchi's performance was not stable enough in the first half of the game.

The players who don't join the team are always the best, that's the fans' point of view.

On the TNT show, the failed three-way deal was also discussed. Kenny Smith believed that the Knicks made the right choice:

"Perhaps some fans still hope that Starks can become the team's best sixth man again."

"But I think the management made the right choice, the Knicks need big men now!"

Mike Fratello also talked about the deal from a coach’s perspective:

"Kukic can enrich the Knicks' tactical play. Coach Van Gundy has designed several tactics for him, and the results so far seem to be very good."

"As a support point, Kukic is the most suitable player for the Knicks under the current conditions."

Ernie Johnson looked through the information in his hand, and then asked with a smile:
"How about the draft pick? In the 2000 draft, the scouts rated it very highly!"

Kenny Smith immediately shook his head. He also won a championship with the Rockets and fully understands the Knicks' recent situation:

"I don't think Starks' current physical condition can support the Knicks' offense off the bench."

"There are no other complicated reasons. From a basketball perspective, this is the most correct decision!"

"."

In the afternoon, as the news spread, there were some rumors claiming that it was Li You "Say No".

The sudden revelations hurt Li You's reputation, and some small media attached the "ruthless" label to Li You.

The trade not only affected the Warriors and Knicks, but the 76ers were also affected.

Larry Hughes naturally felt bad when he learned that he was put on the shelf.

Business is business and players face this situation.

In the All-Star Game, Kobe Bryant performed well, but the media in Los Angeles made a big deal:
"Kobe has grown into a top defender in the league!"

O'Neal, who won the AMVP, couldn't stand it any longer. When he returned to Los Angeles, he shouted:

"The Lakers will continue to work hard in the second half, and I will get my MVP!"

"As for the championship, the team will not disappoint the fans! We already have enough talent, and we also have the best head coach in the league!"

"."

No matter what the outside world may say, Li You is very low-key during this rare holiday.

In order to make a fortune in silence, Li You has been selling off the remaining stocks since the end of January.

The media could not interview Li You, and Ewing, Oakley and others kept talking about the situation.

On the night of February 2, the New York media finally saw a smiling Li You in the locker room.

Larry Johnson noticed that everyone surrounded Li You, and for a moment he complained in a low voice:

"Why are there such trade rumors? John's attendance this season is average, and his efficiency is also very average. Putting aside his feelings, he is no longer suitable for the current Knicks team."

"Aunt" doesn't plan to take the emotional route, and his physical condition has declined. Now he just wants to win three consecutive championships first.

Alan Houston's performance in the All-Star Game was average, but he didn't care about data issues. At this time, he said in an equally serious voice:
“It’s understandable that you want to return to New York at the end of your career!”

"But I think the team made the right choice and I support Lee!"

Sitting on the other side of the locker room, Kukic looked calm, listening to the atmosphere team gossiping in low voices. No one came to interview him, and no one seemed to care about his feelings.

When everyone came to the player tunnel and prepared to make their official debut, Li You smiled and patted Kukqi, comforting him:
"Tony, don't pay attention to those rumors and news, everyone believes in your strength!"

Kukqi smiled, feeling a little better, and then promised:
"I will try my best in the second half of the game!"

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(End of this chapter)