On January 14, 1999, the day after Michael Jordan officially announced his retirement from the Bulls at a personal press conference, this news became the headlines of all major newspapers.
"Michael ended his legendary basketball career!"
"Michael said goodbye and the Bulls thanked the fans."
"Michael leaves basketball, but basketball never leaves him."
"Michael has retired, but his spirit will always be with us."
"Bye, Michael!"
The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Sports Illustrated and other print media have published articles.
Most articles praise McDuck's impact on basketball and culture, while also analyzing his possible careers after retiring.
Of course, there are also naysayers who swear that McQuack will return to basketball after taking a year off.
Radio and television did not miss this hot spot. Various channels immediately announced the news of Maikou's retirement, and then analyzed the reasons for his retirement:
"The salary is too high and the Bulls owner won't play anymore."
The hot news is not only McDuck's retirement, but also the players union's compromise, which has also caused many old stars and agents to complain:
"We were so eager to vote that we didn't even look at the new collective bargaining agreement carefully!"
"Players should understand what their vote means. Many players' opinions are not respected!"
"You should read the agreement carefully and read it with a lawyer. For professional issues, you should leave it to professionals before you decide whether you should vote."
Most of them complained anonymously. Only the hot-tempered Kevin Johnson took the initiative to speak out. 179:5, half of the players approved the collective bargaining agreement.
But in fact, many players don't care about the specific content of the collective bargaining agreement at all. They just have no money and are worried that the season will be cancelled.
At this time, Mark Bartelstein was in Li You’s new home, cursing that there were moles among the players:
"What a stupid compromise! You only see immediate benefits. You have to be restricted after the rookie contract ends. If you are selected by a small ball market, don't expect to leave."
"Shet! This is the most outrageous vote I have ever seen. We lost tens of millions!"
For agents with talented young players on their hands, the new collective bargaining agreement is a money grab.
Moreover, in the future, after signing a rookie contract, new players will become restricted free agents after playing for three seasons.
As long as the home team matches, there is no way out. This is also a situation that agents don't want to see.
Players cannot circulate and cannot go to big cities to play, which has seriously damaged the interests of agents.
Li You also fully understood the new labor agreement at this time. He would not become a restricted free agent, but he would be restricted by his length of service.
The maximum-salary player salary for years 0 to 6 starts from 9 million. With the Larry Bird clause, the salary increase is 12.5%.
Coupled with the 6-year contract limit, the maximum salary contract can only be a little over 70 million yuan.
The loss made Li You feel heartbroken. What made him even more helpless was that the Players Association did not even apply for special terms for talented players!
The management would not take the initiative to propose it. The bosses were eager to save money. As a result, the players union muddle-headedly compromised.
Kevin Garnett is really winning. The rookie's salary is basically the same as that of a superstar who has played for 10 years.
In the 1998-99 season, the salary cap was US$30 million, and Garnett alone accounted for less than half of it. This situation really makes Li You envious.
As for the team being unable to strengthen, it has nothing to do with the players!
"Fortunately, I received enough sponsorship. I knew that this would happen during the voting. The president saw that there would be internal conflicts."
At this time, Li You could only lean on the sofa and sigh, the burning wood in the fireplace crackled, and Mark Bartelstein was not in a high mood. This loss was a bit big.
The two discussed the precautions for the endorsement, and Mark Bartelstein left quickly.
The Bucks changed their head coach and George Karl took over. Mark Bartelstein was worried about Ray Allen and planned to fly to Milwaukee to observe the situation within the team.
Ivana did not participate in the conversation. As soon as she came out with the prepared snacks and fruit plate, she saw that Li You was the only one left in the living room and collapsed on the sofa.
The six-bedroom villa on Valley Road here in Tarrytown was bought by the blond white rabbit for Li You with a lot of effort.
Set on 1.5 acres and with a built-up area of 5,200 square feet, this colonial-style villa has a grand foyer with vaulted ceilings and a fireplace in the living room. The master suite also has a fireplace and balcony.
Since her birthday in October, Ivana has started tidying up the house, remodeling the kitchen and adding a home theater.
The underground whiskey cellar has not been touched. Overall, the house still retains a sense of history.
1.2 million U.S. dollars is considered a mansion in Tarrytown Town. Ivana, who is already a grown-up girl, sat next to Li You and asked in a low voice:
"Are you losing a lot? It feels like Mark is going crazy!"
Mark Bartelstein, who was born in Dalmore, was able to chat with the blond white rabbit. Li You rested his head on Ivana's lap and sighed in frustration:
"Maybe a few houses were lost, but it was a big loss this year."
Thinking that the stocks Li You bought did not rise much, Ivana suddenly laughed out loud, and was soon hugged into her arms.
The blond white rabbit, who already knew the taste, turned slightly red, leaned into his arms, and then leaned into Li You's ear and whispered:
"How about we open a hotel if we have the opportunity in the future? We will definitely make money!"
Romantic Daddy is preparing to divorce Vixen recently. Ivana is in a good mood and starts to think about the future, preparing to take the route of her biological mother.
Li You didn't think about it that much, and he was so considerate that he didn't stop his movements:
"That's indeed a good suggestion. Well, I seem to have gained some weight!"
"."
The players union formally compromised, which also heralded the opening of the free market at this moment.
The popularity of McNuckle's retirement has also begun to decline. Without the 6th championship, without The Last Shot, and three consecutive championships at once, the legend has been reduced a lot.
The 1999 All-Star Game in Philadelphia was also canceled, and the regular season officially started in early February.
Many players began to complain about the too-intensive schedule again, but Li You felt that this was all caused by himself. If you surrender too early, you will be squeezed.
The Knicks training camp has opened, and Li You has been living here recently in the new training center in Tarrytown, so he no longer has to worry about traffic jams every day.
No matter how the collective bargaining agreement changes, the Knicks actually don't care at all. As long as they have bird rights, they can extend the contract.
On January 15th, the new training center made everyone on the Knicks team feel comfortable when they checked in. This facility is the only one in the league!
In the locker room, everyone was chatting with each other. When Larry Johnson saw Li You, he couldn't help but exclaimed:
"Oh! Shet! Don't tell me you actually went to boxing during the offseason!"
Visibly growing in size, Li You showed off his muscles, put on his training clothes, and responded nonchalantly:
"It's been half a year, and this is the result of the high-stakes knife training session. Bro, how was your offseason?"
"It's been half a year, and this is the result of the high-stakes knife training session. Bro, how was your offseason?"
Larry Johnson was a little proud and also showed off his muscles:
"Not bad, at least after winning the championship, Converse arranged many activities for me!"
Both of them are sponsored, and in general there is no loss at all. Li You's salary this season is US$1.02 million, Charles Sr. is not stingy, and the Knicks still choose to pay his salary in full.
Since the weather in New York became cold, Oakley flew to Miami to enjoy life. He hasn't seen each other for more than two months, and the old guy hasn't gained weight yet, and he has maintained a good figure.
"There is definitely a mole! Half of the players didn't vote, so we shouldn't compromise!"
Oakley was still complaining loudly about the voting, but the old guy wasn't worried about the contract. He was just unhappy that the black brothers had no bones and surrendered too early.
Alan Houston is the most Buddhist. He accompanied his wife and children to play around during the offseason, and did not spend the winter in New York, but there are traces of training on his body:
"Future rookies will be miserable. After the first contract, they will still be restricted. Although they are guaranteed, I don't think this is a good thing."
Under the new terms, Alan Houston would not be able to leave Detroit. He particularly disagreed with this provision.
Ewing is still dealing with the players' union matters and did not come to report today. Everyone also knows about the gorilla becoming a fat ball. It's hard for the big brother to enjoy life early and have nothing to say:
“What’s wrong with playing basketball all your life in New York, winning a championship and enjoying life?”
After the start of the new season, Ewing will most likely use games as a substitute for training.
Several people came to the training ground. Oakley looked around and didn't see Starks. He couldn't help but muttered in a low voice:
"Why hasn't John come yet? Don't tell me he's lost!"
Division championship and championship flags were hung around the arena, and the jerseys of Li You and Ewing were hung on the sidelines like the famous players.
The brand new venue also made the atmosphere team excited and chatting non-stop.
Assistant coach Thibodeau began to arrange for the players to undergo simple physical tests. Jeff Van Gundy on the side couldn't help nodding. Generally speaking, the players are in good condition!
Especially seeing that Li You's speed and agility didn't seem to decrease after gaining weight, Van Gundy was completely relieved.
On the first day of registration, everyone mainly took physical tests and visited the new training center.
Since the free market had just opened, many people were anxious. Van Gundy encouraged everyone and ended the training session early on the first day.
Assistant coach Don Chaney was very satisfied with the players' condition. He took the simple physical test data and said with a smile:
"I knew that Li would not relax his demands on himself. He would definitely become a superstar!"
The bald young marshal took the basic data and looked at it. He kept smiling and nodded:
Height barefoot: 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 meters)
Wingspan: 201cm
Weight: 95.2kg
His weight has increased a lot compared to the previous year. Considering that in the simple test, there was still a slight improvement in the baseline return run and 3/4 sprint, the bald young coach is naturally very satisfied.
In more than half a year, Li You's weight has continued to increase, and his body fat rate has reached 9.8%. Therefore, he has indeed become a lot stronger.
If Pat Riley was coaching, this body fat rate would most likely be at the mid-to-lower level of the team, but Jeff Van Gundy didn't care about this. He just suddenly thought of Ewing and couldn't help but ask:
"How is Pat's physical condition?"
Several assistant coaches looked at each other, but in the end they said nothing and gave the bald young coach a look:
"Let's use competition as training"
When Li You returned home to Tarrytown, he received a text message from Starks during dinner time:
"I may be leaving the team, Lee, good luck to you!"
Perhaps because of a stalemate with general manager Glenfield, Starks didn't come to report at all. Li You simply replied to the message, but he didn't feel too surprised.
If it weren't for Charles Sr.'s request, except for Ewing, several old guys would have been traded, and Oakley wouldn't have signed a two-year, 15 million contract.
After all, Li You didn't say anything good for these veterans at that time, and his reaction was very dull.
General manager Glenfield knew what he was doing and couldn't move the starting lineup, so he sent away Starks, who was declining in the bench.
Although he didn't miss the old relationship, Li You didn't have any burden in his heart.
The Knicks' locker room culture is mainly composed of Starks, Oakley, and Ewing.
If you want to fully control the team, the old guys have to leave. However, Ewing is the team's meritorious service, and Oakley has won the defense. Unless these two people are extremely separated, there is a high probability that they will retire from the team.
Li You looked at the scenery outside the window, glanced at the messages on his phone, called out the simple talent panel, and checked his physical condition again:
The three new talents obtained last season are still silver, which means that the body is still growing.
The two golden talents [Allen Iverson's excellent ball sense] and [Allen Iverson's excellent physical fitness] have disappeared and been completely digested.
After switching to the properties panel, there have been quite a few changes:
Speed: 87, Defensive Agility: 93,
The improvement of the two attributes brings [Movement] to 90;
Breakthrough layups: 92, Breakthrough dunks: 85, Ball speed: 86, Fouls drawn: 87,
The four attributes have improved [Breakthrough] by one drop to 88;
Ball Control: 95, Passing Vision: 94, Passing IQ: 95, Passing Accuracy: 94,
As competition experience increases, [Organization] also rises to 95;
[Mid-range shot]: 92, [Three-point shot]: 95,
The two open shooting attributes have only increased slightly.
The four attributes of [Internal Defense], [External Defense], [Steals], and [Rebounds] have not changed at all. After two seasons, the defensive end is still average at the No. 1 position.
When Li You saw that [Stamina] was still 97, he realized that this was the limit of the golden talent.
After replying to Starks' message, he sent another text message to Ewing, briefly introducing the team's situation, and then Li You threw the phone aside.
The situation of the Knicks is a bit embarrassing. The newcomers are on the rise, and the veterans may decline significantly. Just thinking of the fat gorilla makes Li You a little worried about this season's record:
"Sure enough, excellent big men are still extremely rare."
After the Knicks training camp started, Jeff Van Gundy led everyone in step-by-step training.
Ewing officially returned to the team on the 21st, which also means that the players union is about to officially sign a contract with the league, and the new labor agreement is completely finalized.
On the morning of the 21st, Starks still did not come to the training center. The Knicks players all realized something. By noon, everyone knew the news.
The Warriors send chokehold master Latrell Sprewell;
The Knicks sent out John Starks, Chris Mills, and Terry Cummings, three for one, and successfully acquired an All-Star guard.
During lunch, everyone was also having lunch at the training center. The coaching staff was also a little surprised when they received the news.
Jeff Van Gundy, who was having a meal, suddenly felt his throat tightening when he heard everyone talking. Thinking that Sprewell seemed to have the attributes of a locker room bomb, he couldn't help but mutter in his heart:
"With only more than two months of regular season, this deal is simply nonsense!"
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Some attributes refer to the original 2K23 91 Jordan, 2006 Wade and Ray Allen during the Bucks~
The complete attributes will be added in the follow-up, and if there are no changes, the number of words will not be reduced -. -
(End of chapter)
