On June 23, 1998, Phil Jackson announced his resignation as head coach of the Bulls.
This news was just announced in the morning, and the major sports media were abuzz with the drama about the internal struggle within the Bulls, which finally ended with Krause's victory!
Although most media are concerned about the whereabouts of Phil Jackson, everyone is more concerned about whether Michael Jordan will play for another year.
"I won't play for any coach other than Phil!"
McQueen vowed to say this at the beginning, but now the Bulls have failed to complete three consecutive championships, and Phil Jackson has also left the team.
If we were to go back to the previous year again, the boomerang would hit us in the face!
Of course, the media didn't take it seriously. Everyone wanted to see McNair play for a few more years, and by the way, they laughed at the boomerang slap in the face.
General manager Krause is obviously giving eye drops to the old guys of the Bulls:
"Without you! The Bulls can still become a championship team!"
Phil Jackson may still want to stay with the Bulls, but unfortunately, Krause will not give him this opportunity. After a month of tossing, the championship coach said goodbye.
"I haven't thought about whether I want to continue coaching a team. Now I just want to take a break. I don't want to think about basketball anymore!"
"McClun's decision? I don't know. He has the right to make any decision. As long as he doesn't retire, he will still be the number one player in the league."
Phil Jackson did not feel depressed when he was interviewed by a reporter from the Chicago Tribune. He just introduced his plan calmly.
The media couldn't find Michael, so most of the sports programs were made up and made up, and each one said with certainty:
"Even if Phil Jackson leaves, Michael Jordan will still stick with the Bulls!"
It's just that this view is not recognized. McQueen's salary is too much, and the Bulls owner will most likely not want to pay.
After any team signs Michael Jordan, it will be difficult to form a lineup like the Bulls. In the current environment, the situation of Pippen, the conscience second-in-command, will not happen at all.
Before the draft, Li You also returned to the University of Connecticut to complete his last oral exam before graduation.
When he was a freshman, he submitted an early graduation application to the history department in the first semester. As planned, 120 credits did not cause much trouble to him.
After the committee composed of three professors from the history department was destined to give an excellent score, Li You had basically completed his university coursework.
After winning the championship, the Knicks received a total of 4 million US dollars in rewards, of which 2 million were provided by the NBA and the other 2 million were additional rewards given by Charles Sr.
As the highest-paid player on the team, Ewing gave up his bonus, but Li You still signed a new contract and finally received US$500,000.
Before the money was used up, he turned around and donated it to the University of Connecticut.
After an accident occurred in a snowstorm at the arena last year, there was another minor situation this year. Li You is now considered a well-known alumnus and can still exert some influence.
In mid-May, the graduation ceremony began, but Li You did not abandon the playoffs and return to school to attend the graduation ceremony like the future Vince Carter.
Even though he is very close, he needs to show a focused attitude in the team.
The weather was already a bit hot at the end of June, but the "Duck Lake" on the main campus was still as usual, with many students still having picnics and enjoying life here.
"Oh! This is such a cute little guy!"
"Can I touch it? What does it like to eat?"
A beautiful husky that attracted onlookers. The little one who is less than 1 year old is not afraid of people. Not only can he be petted casually, but he can also be led around without any problem.
Milinda was dressed in sportswear. Seeing that her pet dog almost ran away with people, she hurriedly greeted:
"Happy, come back quickly!"
Li You quietly hugged Milinda from behind, causing her to scream, and then burst into laughter in his arms.
Huqishi, who didn't look very smart, realized that his master was in trouble and ran back in a hurry.
"Is this the new family member you're talking about?"
Li You hugged Milinda and didn't let go. Girl Dabo mysteriously said she would give him a surprise. He subconsciously thought that they had won the lottery because they didn't take protective measures those few times, but it turned out to be a husky.
"Happy is very obedient and has pure blood. This is our first family member!"
"Oh~"
The little husky with light blue eyes, cute head tilt, and squeaking looks really cute.
He looks like the logo of the University of Connecticut basketball team, and his looks are just right. Many people are already planning to feed him food.
"Li, is there a party tonight? You missed the graduation ceremony!"
"How about a husky theme? Have a drink for the adorable little guy!"
More and more people gathered around "Duck Lake", and Li You simply said loudly:
"Choose a location and I'll pay for it tonight!"
"oh!!"
Tie up her hair with a red hair rope, Milinda specially combed her hair into a ponytail. When she heard the cheers from all around, she still leaned in Li You's arms.
Hearing Li You's whisper, Milinda shook her hair, her face turned red, and then she shouted with a smile:
"Happy! Come and meet Dad!"
"."
In the afternoon, the newbies of the Connecticut Huskies were eagerly waiting in the training hall for Li You to impart their "championship experience."
Richard Hamilton is the absolute core of this Huskies team. In the 1996-97 season, this player was mediocre in the team, but he made a name for himself in this year's "March Madness".
Head coach Calhoun plans to use this newbie as the core to let Connecticut win another championship. This time when he returns to school, he plans to let Li You make chicken soup for everyone's soul.
"What does it feel like to hit that slam dunk? That's so cool, Lee!"
"Nine three-pointers in a single game in the finals, a record for three-pointers in the playoffs. This performance is really incredible. No one can play like you in the past!"
"Lee, which players will the Knicks draft this year? Will the collective bargaining agreement affect next season?"
Hamilton was the last to ask the question. He planned to participate in the draft this year, but encountered labor agreement issues and the advice of head coach Calhoun, and finally chose to stay with the team.
Seeing everyone's curious eyes, Li You answered everyone's questions with a relaxed expression:
"A sure-shot dunk? Maybe it's more of a sense of accomplishment than an ordinary kill."
"Shooting three-pointers is a very common offensive method. A three-pointer is one more point than a two-pointer. If you are sure of it, of course you must choose a more efficient offense."
"Richard, if you plan to participate in the draft next year, don't worry about the collective bargaining agreement. In any case, it will only be suspended for a year at most!"
"Coach Calhoun's suggestion is correct. If you play in the NCAA for another year, you will gain more. As for the Knicks' choice, that is not something I can know."
Due to the ongoing labor dispute, current NBA players do not plan to participate in the 1998 Men's Basketball World Championship in Greece.
Therefore, the American Basketball Association plans to continue to use college teams to handle competitions, and Hamilton has been invited.
"Pay attention to your shot selection. In many cases, shooting posture is not important. After all, for a good shooter, it is enough to be comfortable and successful."
"Give up some inefficient long two-pointers appropriately. Of course, you don't have to think about these when the game is anxious. This is just a suggestion for dealing with some other games. Believe me, this will be beneficial to your performance!"
Seeing Hamilton nodding excitedly, Li You also patted the opponent's shoulder to show encouragement.
Head coach Calhoun is very happy. If Ray Allen hadn't been busy with AJ brand activities recently, he even planned to let both of them go back to school to make chicken soup together:
"Lee is right! Don't be biased against three-pointers anymore. The facts tell us that as long as you put the ball into the basket, anything is possible!"
Everyone listened to these chicken soups and nodded for a while. The Connecticut Huskies are currently a jump shooting team. If they want to compete for the championship, Li You has set an example for them:
"No matter who the opponent is, just throw it!"
On June 24, 1998, the NBA Draft was held as scheduled at General Motors Plaza in Vancouver, Canada.
The NBA league is officially suspended, but at the draft, David Stern was not affected in any way and still hosted the event with a smile.
Due to rule restrictions, the two foreign teams were still unable to obtain the first pick. Therefore, this year's No. 1 pick was ultimately won by the Los Angeles Clippers.
With excellent vision, the Clippers finally chose the 2.13-meter center Michael Olowokandi.
The Vancouver Grizzlies, who received the No. 2 pick, selected Mike Bibby;
The Denver Nuggets, who received the No. 3 pick, selected 2.11-meter center Reev Lafrentz;
The Toronto Raptors, who received the No. 4 pick, ultimately selected Antawn Jamison;
The Golden State Warriors selected the popular Vince Carter with the No. 5 pick;
Soon the Warriors made a trade, trading Carter and cash to the Raptors in exchange for Antawn Jamison.
This deal made the Raptors fans cheer loudly, and everyone loved Carter's dunk!
The Mavericks selected Robert Traylor with the No. 6 pick;
The Kings selected Jason Williams with the No. 7 pick;
The 76ers selected Larry Hughes with the No. 8 pick;
The Bucks selected Dirk Nowitzki with the No. 9 pick;
Soon the Dallas Mavericks also made a trade, sending the newly drafted Robert Traylor to the Bucks in exchange for Pat Garrity and Dirk Nowitzki.
The deal didn't attract much attention, and the Celtics subsequently selected Paul Pierce with the 10th pick.
So far, the top 10 rookies have all made their debut.
Since the Knicks' 1998 first-round pick was traded to the Raptors, the Raptors then sent this first-round pick to the Rockets.
It's just that after trading, this is just the 29th pick in the first round. Basically, there is a high probability that he will become a member of the atmosphere group.
After the Nuggets selected Tyronn Lue with the 23rd pick, they quickly sent the future championship coach and Tony Barty to the Lakers in exchange for All-Star point guard Van Exel.
When it came to the second-round pick, the Knicks also began to operate on their own.
The 38th pick in the second round came from a trade with the Celtics, and the Knicks ultimately selected DeMarco Johnson.
Then, the meat-shield power forward and a 2000 second-round draft pick (from the Celtics) were traded to the SuperSonics;
Rashard Lewis, who had always hoped that the Rockets would select him, was completely heartbroken when he fell to the 32nd pick and was selected by the Sonics.
In the end, he was told that he had been traded to the Knicks. Rashard Lewis had mixed emotions. After all, the Knicks' style of play was not suitable for him.
While many fans were still discussing the trade between the Lakers and Nuggets, Rashard Lewis, who is well-known but not recognized by anyone, couldn't help but comfort himself:
"New York is good, at least it's a championship team!"
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(End of chapter)
