NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 350 The disbanded Lakers (daily chapter)
On Monday, July 2004, 7, ESPN broke the news that the Lakers planned to sell O'Neal.

The league's top center was traded, and the free market, which was still in the frozen period, suddenly became lively.

O'Neal's salary next season is US$2770 million. Most teams will naturally have to strain their muscles and bones after taking this contract.

Risks and opportunities coexist. Although O'Neal's performance in the finals was mediocre, everyone can see that as long as he can get the ball to the low post, the fatter Shark can still finish efficiently.

There is a high probability that the team will not consider this player during the rebuilding period. After the rookie contract ends, there is no telling what state the young O'Neal will fall into.

Combined with the age structure of the Knicks, the young team is overdrawing its future, which is betting that the team can win the championship in the next three years.
Every team naturally knows that the Knicks will not always win. There is indeed an opportunity in recent years, but it is not easy to replace O'Neal. The Lakers are waiting for a price at this time.

From the perspective of efficiency value, during the regular season, O'Neal's PER was 24.4, which dropped to the level of Kobe Bryant and was somewhat behind MVP Garnett.

But in the playoffs, O'Neal's data began to rise, and his efficiency value continued to improve, reaching 24.8.

Although there is still a gap from his previous peak state, the data proves that O'Neal still has considerable dominance in the playoffs.

After this news was exposed, it was a slap in the face of the previous Lakers management. Buss was really trying to make a big deal in his last interview!
Although he was ready to be traded, O'Neal was a little embarrassed after the news was released.

"What we should be discussing is which team in the West will challenge the Knicks, maybe Tim Duncan will make it to the Finals again."

Salary space is a problem. Marbury is still asking for a maximum salary contract, and there are not many teams that can afford him with the salary cap.

"."

When she returned to the hotel suite, it was already close to 23 o'clock. Milinda was wearing pajamas and still surfing the Internet on her laptop.

"Under the leadership of Kobe, maybe the Lakers can still enter the playoffs, but it will be difficult for him to lead the team to the finals."

Due to Kobe’s extremely hip-stretching performance in the Finals, Charles Barkley has equated Kobe with Iverson:
"The Lakers don't have O'Neal, and the players they exchanged are ordinary players, so Kobe's leadership performance should be close to the 76ers' record."

"Whether it is O'Neal or Kobe, it will be difficult to appear on the finals stage again in the future."

Charles Barkley confidently started predicting the future, he just had to say, "Kobe Bryant is an inefficient brusher."
Iverson has been plagued by injuries in the past two years, and his hips have indeed stretched. Considering that Kobe's statistics in this year's finals are very close to Iverson's, Kenny Smith rarely did not refute:
"Chuck has a point, but I think the Lakers will make it to the Finals again!"

Charles Barkley did not want to discuss this topic too much and said seriously to the camera:

"This is my opinion. Kobe Bryant is just an ordinary All-Star who is good at expressing himself. He cannot lead the team to compete for a championship."

The press conference was held like a song and dance performance, without talking about the content, and the pressure was very high.
When Li You and GM's current CEO Rick Wagner took the stage together, some Chinese sports media realized that basketball only occupied a small part of the theme of this Asia trip.

GM used a Hollywood-style press conference to launch new cars, and the Associated Press and other media naturally followed suit.

Unlike ESPN, the trio was more discussing whether Kobe could hold up the Lakers after O'Neal left.

Li You hugged the other person and briefly reminded him that he had said this several times, but Wagner, who had just become CEO, would not listen to his opinion.

Leonard didn't take it seriously. In his opinion, it was Li You's first time coming to China, and the branch's research was more reliable.

Leonard, who has brown hair with a 40-part comb, is a typical white American elite. He is over and has not gained weight.

Most teams in the Western Conference are looking forward to the disintegration of the Lakers, and the Eastern Conference has already lost.

During the Suns period, Marbury's performance in leading the team was really poor, and it was the same with the Nets before.

“Chinese food is still delicious.”

"I can no longer be strict with myself. I have to give other people some opportunities. Well, this year I decided to enjoy life."

As a brand spokesperson, Li You, who was wearing a black formal suit, certainly wouldn't say that this car is not suitable for the Chinese market after he took the stage.

After a day of excitement among football commentators, the response from the market was mediocre. Different from what was discussed in previous ESPN programs, the appeal of the league's number one center does not seem to be very high.
On Tuesday the 6th, TNT programs also began to follow suit and discuss the impact O'Neal will have on the league.

On July 7, after arriving at BJ, Li You only rested for one day and attended Cadillac's press conference held at the Imperial Ancestral Temple in the Forbidden City that evening.

Shanghai General Motors also had a lot of people here. General Manager Chen Hong didn't expect that Li You would follow the locals to this extent.

The Lakers hoped to get an All-Star through the O'Neal trade, but things went counterproductive, and the Sharks for Duncan could only appear in a dream.

As if she had seen some interesting news, Milinda giggled, and after being kissed by Li You, she said angrily:
"Athletes can't drink, right? I just realized that you don't seem to be strictly controlling your diet either!"

Since taking over the endorsement, this cheerful brand general manager has had a good relationship with Li You.

The small space and high fuel consumption were not mentioned at all. Li You just introduced the driving experience and boasted about the handling and power.
When it was getting dark, most of the invited media reporters gathered around the CTS car surrounded by lights. Li You, who was being interviewed, laughed so hard that his cheeks became sore after blowing the whistle.

"Los Angeles is very attractive to free agents. There is Stephon Marbury on the free market this year. As long as they operate properly, the Lakers can still remain competitive."

Li You picked up the big girl who was deliberately teasing him, making her smile coquettishly. When he walked to the bathroom, he said proudly:

However, the content of the press conference was actually planned by China General Motors, and Leonard and Wagner were only responsible for nodding.
"Large-displacement cars with small space and high fuel consumption are actually not suitable here. To be honest, don't expect the Chinese market to save the stock price. This is my opinion as a friend."

In contrast, the effect of Kidd joining the Nets was immediate. Although he led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals and was swept by the Knicks, his results were much better than Marbury's.
Ernie Johnson thinks about this year's free market situation and feels that it will be difficult for the Lakers to do anything.

The simple webpage made Li You uninterested. At this time, Facebook was simply a bankrupt version of QQ Space in his memory.

"Kobe is not an MVP-level player. Although he works hard to prove himself, his strength is still far from it."

After entertaining the guests, everyone from General Motors gathered together and exchanged cups. Li You accepted everyone who came.
In the end, everyone drank so much that their tongues swelled a few times, but Li You still didn't feel drunk. General manager Chen Hong drank so much that his brain was in a daze. After the drunkenness surged, he only heard:

However, brand activities took up most of the time, and Li You could only let Milinda and Old Mike move around freely.

Standard Mandarin allowed Li You to seamlessly integrate into the scene. After completing the X-playing task, when he came backstage, General Manager of General Brand Mark Leonard hugged Li You and praised loudly:
"You did so well, Lee! I knew postponing the conference for a month was the right decision!"

Amidst the sound of X, the evening press conference ended successfully. The last group of people went straight to BJ Hotel, and there was a celebration dinner afterwards.

Not many people asked about the price, he was not as popular as expected, and there were fewer teams than expected to trade veterans.

The General Administration of Sports arranged for Li You and his party to stay in BJ St. Regis, which is closer to Tiananmen and convenient for travel.

This will not affect the friendship between the two. He is just a high-level worker. Even CEO Wagner is the same. If the stock price falls, he can no longer handle it. At worst, he will go to Washington for help.

“When I get back to Greenwich, I’ll be ready to sunbathe and fish!”

Looking at Li You who was a little drunk, Milinda snorted in her arms. She didn't believe the wine talk.

The two of them tossed around until midnight. After 1 o'clock, Li You, who was full of energy, still didn't feel much sleepiness.

Unlike the 20-year-old girls at home, Li You still prefers to talk to mature girls.

The white skin that couldn't be held was still changing shape in her hands. Milinda snorted twice, held it in her arms and whispered:
"I thought for a few days that maybe we should accept help from Roger Stone. If there are really big profits coming in next year, he should be able to help."

"The 'sheriff of Wall Street' will not believe our market behavior. All he needs to do is doubt. The political shape of New York may change in the future."

"I got a lot of news at Skadden that everyone thought Spitzer would be elected governor."

Under the dim light, Li You couldn't put it down because of his fair and smooth skin. After being kissed, Milinda quickly hummed again, and then she hit Li You twice with rapid breathing:
"We will discuss it with Bobby when we return to Greenwich at the end of the month. I don't want to waste time now."

Sensing the big hand on her waist, Milinda gave a bad laugh and quickly straightened up and twisted her body. This was her favorite knowledge:
"Ha! Don't blame me if your legs get weak during tomorrow's activity!"

On July 7th, there will be a brand activity of Hook at 8:19 at the Capital Stadium.

Due to the excessive enthusiasm of fans during Michael Jordan's China tour, some activities were canceled for safety reasons.

After Li You arrived at BJ, he learned from the previous lessons and directly scheduled the event at the city basketball stadium.

An early notice was given, and the tickets were sold out. Although seats were temporarily added, there were not many safety hazards.

Although Li You hoped that the ticket price could be cheaper, as the news leaked that the national team was participating and the event included a public training session, the price of scalper tickets suddenly skyrocketed.

One is willing to fight and the other is willing to suffer. This kind of thing is difficult to prevent. Li You still underestimated the fanatical star-chasing attitude of young people. The atmosphere at the scene was even more violent than Madison Square Garden.
Hook is also a sponsor of the Chinese men's basketball team. Originally, this event was only for fans, but Harris responded positively after leading the team back from training in the United States.

Harris couldn't clearly explain the expectations of the Chinese media. The domestic idea of ​​hiring him as the head coach was to allow Yao Ming to perform to his fullest.

After all, Harris has a rich resume and is more suitable to coach the high-level Yao Ming than domestic coaches.
It's just that since Silver Fox took over the team, he has always been questioned by the Chinese media, and they have repeatedly argued about the roster issue.

Coupled with the expectations for the 08 Olympics, Harris talked a lot, but it did not dispel everyone's desire for medals.

Tomorrow is the first game of the BJ Four Nations Invitational Tournament. Taking this opportunity, Harris plans to let Chinese reporters understand the gap between men's basketball guards and the world's top guards.
Half an hour before the event started, Yao Ming was signing autographs to enthusiastic fans, and everyone in the men's basketball team was also enjoying the treatment of a superstar.

The current director of the Sports Bureau is Yuan Weimin, who created the glorious moment of the Chinese women's volleyball team and made great efforts for the Olympic bid. Although he has a mediocre reputation in the industry and is about to step down, he received Li You's arrival very well.

Matt Parker also followed Li You. He and Nike staff were currently counting the attributes of fans and assessing their influence in general.

This is related to the amount of Li You's lifelong contract. Business is business. No matter how good the personal relationship is, things must be done according to the contract.

There was a clear smile on Yuan Weimin's face when he arrived, and those who didn't know thought he had received a kickback.
"Do you feel the enthusiasm of Chinese fans? Fortunately, we learned our lesson this time and communicated the organized activities in advance. You are more popular than Michael Jordan!"

"Li You, what do you think of the strength of this Chinese men's basketball team?"

Yuan Weimin, who was smiling and complimenting, suddenly asked about the men's basketball team. Li You, who was wearing a white training uniform, boasted very naturally:
"The strength is very strong. If you work harder, it won't be a problem to get a medal!"

Hearing these words, the staff of the General Administration of Sports all laughed. Everyone was carrying the sedan chair, and everyone liked to hear good things.

Before the event started, nearly 2 people had packed into the Capital Stadium with temporary extra seats.

Many teenagers are wearing Knicks jerseys. Authentic jerseys are not cheap, but the fans who can buy tickets to attend the event have deep wallets.

Before the event started, Li You came to the center of the venue, took the microphone, and expressed his gratitude loudly:

"Thank you all for your attention over the years, and thank you to the Chinese Men's Basketball Team for your support of the event!"

"Sports is a bridge of communication, and basketball connects us closely."

Hearing the cheers in the arena, Li You waved, paused, and then said with a smile:

"I'm just an ordinary basketball player tonight. I hope everyone can have fun and enjoy this moment!"

On the Chinese men's basketball team, Yao Ming follows suit, and Li You should be the most arrogant star in China.

Unlike the future men's basketball team, the 2004 team had many forward players, all of whom were very tall. The backcourt is Liu Wei, Guo Shiqiang, Zhang Jinsong, and Zhang Yunsong;

The frontcourt includes Li Nan, Du Feng, Chen Ke, Zhu Fangyu, Mo Ke, Yi Jianlian, Battelle, and Yao Ming.

Also training with them are Tang Zhengdong and several others. This is a young team. After 4 years, everyone is considered to be at their peak.

Maybe before the event started, some of these players still had a sense of luck, but as Li You took off his jacket and warmed up, Guo Shiqiang, who was two years older than Li You, opened his eyes wide.

Zhang Yunsong, who was the same age, looked at his arms and shoulders, and then at Li You who was warming up, and was speechless.
"Tall and strong defender", Li You may not be tall enough, but his strength is clearly demonstrated.

Zhang Yunsong, who is just over 1 meters tall, can almost be trapped by Li You. He somewhat understands that Li You can succeed in the NBA:
"As strong as an ox."

The public training sessions were naturally casual and focused on performances. After the event started, the fans sitting in the front row kept screaming in surprise.

The visual impact felt by watching the game live is completely different from watching it in front of the TV.

Li You, who was the first to follow the white team, was extremely fast. When changing direction in front of his body, his movements were large, giving people the illusion that the basketball was disappearing.
Many Chinese sports media understand Harris's ability to shoot on the move.

Battelle only needs to stand still and simply pass the ball from hand to hand at the top of the arc. After receiving the ball, Li You holds the ball in his right hand and makes an emergency stop before drifting to the right to throw the ball into the basket.
The pick-and-roll doesn't even need to be completely in place, Li You can drive straight to the basket from the center, and finally pull the stick in the air to dodge Yao Ming's block and send the ball into the basket.

During the transition attack, Li You pulled up and threw the ball more than one meter away from the three-point line after halftime, which made the fans at the scene scream.

In May, the Chinese team also had some warm-up games. Two completely different perceptions made fans suspect that they had watched match-fixing.

Especially when they saw the extremely young Yi Jianlian complete alley-oop dunks in two consecutive rounds in a positional offense, some sports reporters secretly exclaimed that it was outrageous.

An excellent defender can naturally control the rhythm of the game, and Yao Ming can't hold his nerve while running.

Fortunately, Li You saw the dilemma on the other side and took the initiative to slow down the pace.
In a 10-minute quarter, the halftime substitute easily scored 50 points.

During the halftime break, there was also a shooting charity event. Every time a participating fan made a shot, Li You donated $1.

Naturally, there will be no double-teaming in the open competition. Most of them are one-on-one. Guo Shiqiang was the hardest hit.

During the Asian Championships, facing the Korean team's full-court press, the Chinese team's backcourt performance was disastrous and they were continuously intercepted to chase points.

Li You was even able to show off his tricks twice when faced with personal defense.
The fans at the scene did not know that many people in the Chinese men's basketball team were silent during the midfield. The young people participating in the event had a good time. Every time they hit a shot, everyone cheered.

The event was a lively event, and Li You also actively interacted with the fans. The midfield event hook suggested a one-on-one meeting, but no one from the national team players responded.

Therefore, after the shooting activity, only amateur fans can appear.

Seeing Li You laughing and joking with the young people, some Chinese sports reporters couldn't help but look at each other:

"Is this what a big star is like?!"

On July 7th, with the Chinese media reports, hooks also began to place advertisements, and Li You's name began to sweep the land.

The basketball activity was put together. Li You personally donated 25 US dollars, and his personal foundation and Hook also donated 25 US dollars. The final donation was 50 US dollars, which will be used for education in remote areas. .

For Li You, the money is not much, but it is a steady flow of money, and he does not want to be labeled as a rich man.

In a simple open training match, the Chinese media completely believed what Harris said before.

After experiencing the personal ability of the superstar, everyone no longer looked forward to the future. Before the BJ Four Nations Invitational Tournament, Harris no longer had any worries. Finally, no one asked him about the men's basketball selection and performance.

Perhaps he was a little frustrated last night. Although he did not plan to play against Canada tonight, Yao Ming still talked about last night's Open in an interview:
"There is still some gap between our basketball and the NBA, and there is also some gap between our basketball and the world's top teams."

"That is a completely different rhythm of the game. The simplest thing is that Li You knows what tactics to use in the game. After the opponent makes changes, he will command the team and make the correct response."

"And we are still stuck in the situation where the coach instructs us to make changes. Maybe we can win the game, but many times we don't know why we use such tactics."

"This is a gap in understanding of basketball. If the gap is compared to a ladder, we are on the first level, and coach Li You and Harris are on the fifth level."

"Now all we have to do is climb up."

No one mentioned medals anymore, and no one talked about the possibility of MVP.

In the past, many sports reporters stationed in the United States would praise Li You fiercely after returning to China. Without witnessing it with their own eyes, they could not understand it. After an event, they were so dissatisfied that they lost their voice.

Li You continued to attend brand events during the day, and then took Milinda to see the scenery.

There are always so many people in BJ, and the city under construction is exactly the same as Li You remembered.

Everyone who travels to China will probably climb the Great Wall. Milinda, who has frequently had one-on-ones in the past two days, is not in good physical condition. She is not shy when being carried on her back. Instead, she hugs Li You and laughs non-stop.

The people eating melons around did not affect Li You's mood. The familiar scenery when he climbed to the north eighth floor made him a little nostalgic.

Matt Parker, who was following behind, was also dressed in sportswear. His mood had been getting better and better in the past two days, and he didn't even notice that he had turned into a light bulb. He stepped forward and praised loudly:

"No wonder the revenue from overseas markets exceeds that of North America. This is a huge market."

Old Mike on the side adjusted his sunglasses, observed the surrounding situation, and then glanced at Matt Parker, shaking his head slightly in his heart. He could tell that Li You didn't like cutting the leeks here.

At 20 o'clock that night, at the Capital Gymnasium, Harris made his coaching debut.

Facing the Canadian men's basketball team, Yao Ming did not appear on the court, and the strength gap between the two sides was large. The Chinese men's basketball team led the opponent 45:24 at halftime.

In the end, Harris lived up to the fans' expectations and defeated the Canadian team 84:70.

Yi Jianlian scored 15 points and blocked 5 shots. Although he lost rebounds, his performance was remarkable.

Most of the fans at the scene came to see Li You. After the game, everyone from the Canadian team also came to the sidelines to take photos with Li You.

After leaving the Capital Stadium, a large number of fans also gathered outside the stadium. Although there was no video material of the public training session, word of mouth spread, which made the fans even more itchy.

This situation of siege made Old Mike a little nervous at first, but now he has completely adapted to it.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Old Mike waited for Li You to get in the car, touched his bald head, looked at the rearview mirror and said in a deep voice:
"Ramis, Li seems to be very familiar with this place."

Milinda, who was wearing a black business suit, nodded nonchalantly, turned to look at the scenery outside the car window, her hair rippling in front of her forehead, and responded softly:

"He belongs to me, and our home is in Manhattan and in Greenwich."

On Sunday, July 7, American sports media began to report on Li You’s trip to China. Photos of Li You posing with more than 11 people at the stadium appeared on ESPN and several mainstream media websites:
"Lee is conquering the world!"

The scene of a packed house was so shocking that Yahoo Sports believed it was a replica of the championship parade.

Li You's influence is indeed expanding. British Sky Sports broadcast this year's finals and has also been gossiping about Li You recently.

Perhaps in order to attract the attention of Manchester United fans, the British Sun newspaper did some research on Li You's relationship history, and found out a bunch of blondes.

Many people are disgusted by Playboy, and it can be expected that some Manchester United fans will intensify their protests in the future.
Kobe Bryant has been in a bad mood recently. He has no business activities this offseason. Before the illegal invasion settlement, he has to continue to play.

Of course, this matter is almost over for Kobe. After a year of fighting and paying a large amount of legal fees, the other party will eventually compromise and choose to settle.

Although he feels sorry for his beautiful knife, what Kobe feels depressed about recently is the Lakers' trade.

It's hard to find a successor. Although O'Neal is the league's top center, it is definitely not an easy task to find a new player that both parties are satisfied with.

O'Neal said in front of the media that he would still win the championship. Kobe was naturally unconvinced and wanted to prove himself.

On Monday the 12th, Kobe dropped himself into the training hall at 4 a.m., and when he returned home at 7 a.m., he had already completed his daily morning training.

Vanessa doesn't like Kobe's recent schedule. Training at 4 a.m. is simply anti-human.
"You don't have to force yourself. Hasn't the team already agreed to renew your contract?"

"You should spend more time with your daughter. Even a basketball player should take a break during the offseason."

"Look at Li, he was attending events in China with his girlfriend."

"Every offseason, I rarely see news about Lee's training. What that book says is not true. Tim Grover must be lying to you!"

"He just wants you to pay those high training fees. My dear, you need to return to your family."

Vanessa was particularly angry when she mentioned Tim Grover, a well-known trainer. She felt that he was just cheating them out of their beauty.
After Kobe, who was eating a customized breakfast, heard Vanessa's words, he noticed the photo of Li You and the fans in the newspaper.

Seeing the photo of Li You wearing a white jersey with a bright smile, Kobe felt more and more uncomfortable. He reluctantly pulled out a smile, adjusted his mood and whispered:
"Tim Grover is Michael Jordan's trainer and I trust him!"

"Next season, I have to prove myself! Basketball doesn't lie, hard work will definitely pay off."

On July 7, as the freeze period ended, a blockbuster transaction quickly occurred in the free market:
Lakers trade Shaquille O'Neal to Heat;

In exchange for Caron Butler, Brian Grant, Lamar Odom, a 2006 first-round pick, and a 2007 second-round pick.

Once the deal was announced, it immediately aroused heated discussion among football critics.

When many teams chose to accumulate talent and prepare to defeat the Knicks, Pat Riley took action!

The Heat have always been Pat Riley's horse, overdrafting the future? The personality-rich general manager didn't care.

Pat Riley is enjoying being in the spotlight again.

As one of the most influential newspapers in the United States, the Miami Herald naturally got the news early. There was a column in the sports section that day to praise Pat Riley:

"In three years, the Miami Heat will win the championship!"

The Lakers suffered a bit from this deal. Although Odom and others reached the playoffs with Wade last season, their personal strength and influence on the game are naturally far inferior to O'Neal.

Ball commentators began to discuss whether the Heat could win the championship within three years, while the Lakers were forgotten. No one believed that Kobe led this lineup to win the championship.

Although he was a little dissatisfied with the transaction, Kobe didn't say anything. He threw himself into the training hall again. This offseason, he will complete his transformation!
Li You, who flew to Tokyo, was not in the mood to pay attention to these gossips. He was entertained by the brand and was enjoying a hot spring bath in the evening.
Holding Hua Lu in his arms, Li You felt that his physical condition was excellent and he was more energetic even though he had not trained systematically for almost a month.

Looking at the white softness that seemed to be floating, Li You immediately buried his head and said in a low voice:

"Honey, we have to get over the jet lag!"

(End of this chapter)