June 26, the second day after Min Congda came to Los Angeles in 2009.
He got up early, washed up, put on new clothes, and went downstairs to have breakfast in nearby Chinatown.
Before going to bed at night, I thought about sleeping in and getting up at three o'clock in the morning.
As a result, his regular schedule caused him to be unable to fall asleep after opening his eyes at seven o'clock.
Although he didn't sleep much, he was in a happy mood because he didn't have to rush to work.
Contrary to Min Congda's imagination, Chinatown is not a crowded Chinese-style market, but more like a domestic "special tourist area".
There were not many people in Chinatown in the morning. The back of the big archway of "Luo Zhi Jing Hua" was empty, with only a few people walking around in a hurry.
Passing by the bronze statue of Mr. Sun Yat-sen, Min Congda walked around and looked at it twice. He thought that the bronze statue was too small, and the American Chinese were really stingy.
Many shops on the street were closed, but it was easy to find an open morning tea shop. Min Congda was the first customer in the morning.
The boss had a typical southern Chinese face and was young. When he saw Min Congda coming over, he just raised his head and asked, "What are you eating?"
Min Congda said: "Shrimp dumplings, barbecued pork buns, egg tarts, siu mai, rice rolls, and stir-fried beef river. Come and make me a bowl of tea."
The boss stood up and said, "Wow, boss, how many days have you not eaten? Do you need to eat so much for one breakfast?"
Min Congda didn't eat well all day yesterday, and his stomach had already reached his chest.
"Hurry up, boss, your chest is touching your back, don't worry about not paying."
While the boss was making breakfast, he said, "I'm not worried about not giving you the money, I'm worried that you won't be able to finish the meal and waste it! Boss, your accent is from mainland China, right? You speak Chinese so standard."
"Yes, you also came here from the mainland to live?"
"Of course, I've been here for Xi Nian. How about you, boss? Where do you work? Judging from your appearance, you must be working in a company."
Min Congda was wearing the trousers and shirt custom-made for him by the system. He shaved and fixed his hair in the morning, looking very handsome.
"Ahem, that's right. You are a manager."
The boss brought over the barbecued pork buns, shrimp dumplings, and siu mai in the steamer.
"Manager, you can call me manager in any position now. My cousin was asked to hand out flyers, and he was called sales manager."
Min Congda didn't explain much and started eating first. He was really hungry and swallowed the shaomai and shrimp dumplings in a hurry.
The boss brought over the fried beef river. The shrimp dumplings, barbecued pork and siu mai had already been eaten.
"Wow, boss, you are really hungry. Come and eat slowly. You will be satisfied with our fried beef dumplings. There is also black tea to relieve your tiredness. Don't choke."
After the meals were served, the boss returned to his seat, turned on the TV set on the counter, and watched the news, which was sports news.
"...The Los Angeles Clippers selected Stephen Curry from Davidson College with the first overall pick in yesterday's draft, instead of the highly anticipated Blake Griffin. Clippers media director Rob Ray Chele said that this is the personal decision of their new general manager Smart, who appreciates and likes Stephen Curry..."
Yesterday, the Clippers' selection of Curry was obviously big news. Several news stations were broadcasting it, and Min Congda happened to see it.
Min Congda was very satisfied with Rob Richele's "blame-shifting" speech, as he wanted this effect.
After reading this news, the restaurant owner said loudly: "Oh, this Clippers is really hopeless. If you don't choose players like Griffin, why choose Curry? Hey, this is a bad team. It's a bad team for thousands of years." Team."
Hearing what his boss said, Min Congda felt very proud. It seemed that he had made the right choice.
He drank the red tea and said, "Boss, do you usually watch basketball?"
The boss said: "Of course, Cantonese people love basketball very much. There is a league in our village. The United States is still a country of basketball. I think people here love baseball and football more, and not so many people watch basketball."
"Which team is your favorite?"
"Me? Of course I like Furen in Los Angeles, but maybe I also like this bad guy from the Clippers. He can't even pick the No. 1 pick, and he's scolded on the forum!"
"Forum, what forum? American or Chinese?"
"It's from China. Goupu Basketball Forum. Everyone on it is talented and speaks well. If you are interested, you can check it out."
Min Congda felt a little familiar when he heard the words. He seemed to have heard of this forum. It was indeed a sports forum. Because some hot social events had been on the hot search, it turned out that it existed in 2009.
“I’ve never been to this forum, what are they saying on the forum?”
"What else can I say? The Clippers are stupid. It is a waste to choose a guard who is not much thinner than a talented forward who has only been seen in twenty years."
"They also said that Stephen Curry will be the most watery No. 1 pick, even more watery than Olowokandi!"
"I also said that with a body as small as Curry's, he would definitely be knocked apart if he couldn't last even one season in the NBA!"
"When the time comes, I will leave Los Angeles with the reputation of being the most unlucky champion."
The restaurant owner retold the posts and replies he saw in the forum with added detail. Min Congda was a little embarrassed after hearing this, and felt a little sorry for Stephen Curry.
Bringing this skinny little guy to Los Angeles, with the reputation of being the No. 1 pick, there will be disaster if the so-called moral mismatch is not matched, and it may affect his entire career.
I sighed in my mind and thought, "Be more relaxed when negotiating the contract in the afternoon, and be friendly to him. It can be considered as compensation for him."
After finishing breakfast, Min Congda patted his chubby belly, checked out and paid. The system prepared a start-up capital of US$200 for him, otherwise he would not even be able to afford food.
"By the way, boss, what do you think the level of the Clippers' new general manager mentioned in the news is?" Min Congda asked.
"Oh, needless to say, he must be a crazy guy. Why is he still called Smart? How smart is he? I think the Clippers are going to be obsolete. They might quit the NBA in two years, so why are they still playing basketball? ah."
Although the boss was scolding him, Min Congda was very happy after hearing it and left with a smile, not forgetting to say, "I'd like to lend you some good words!"
The boss watched Min Congda leave, shook his head and said: "What auspicious words, I have always been a crow's mouth, this is also a fool's errand."
……………………
I went back to the apartment to pack and prepare, and had a simple meal at noon. In the afternoon, Ada drove downstairs to the apartment on time to pick up Min Congda for Curry's press conference.
Min Congda looked more energetic after putting on new clothes. As expected, people rely on clothes. The high-end Armani suit issued by the system greatly improved his temperament.
Min Congda's image in Ada's mind became a little better.
"All the media in Los Angeles have been contacted and they are already waiting at the press conference. Curry and his team have also set off, and Mr. Olshey is responsible for the reception. Also, Boss Sterling called and told him about the press conference arrangements. , as well as the signing of the contract, you are solely responsible for it.”
Ada carefully reported the work situation to Min Congda. Min Congda nodded and made an OK gesture without making any comments.
"drive!"
Min Congda's language is as concise as ever.
At 1:30 in the afternoon, the press conference for Curry to join the Clippers was officially held in the press hall of the Staples Center. Min Congda met the "elementary school student" he hand-picked in the draft for the first time.
This primary school student was much taller than he expected, half a head taller than himself!
"Basketball is indeed a game of giants. He looks thin and short in the photo, but in reality he is a tall man of 1.9 meters!"
"It's a good thing I chose him. That Griffin is over two meters tall and his arms are thicker than my legs. He's even more awesome."
While Min Congda confirmed in his heart that he had made the right choice, he shook hands cordially with Curry and took photos.
The press conference was already crowded with reporters, snapping photos of Curry and Min Congda.
"Thank you for choosing me with the first pick, Mr. Smart, I won't let you down."
Although his father Dell Curry is still unsure whether to let his son play in Los Angeles, Curry himself took the lead in expressing his gratitude to the Clippers for their trust in winning the No. 1 pick.
Curry is not a lawless bad boy from the slums like Francis. He is a second-generation ball player who has his own principles for doing things.
The No. 1 pick is not just an honor. From an economic perspective, the salary of the No. 1 pick is about twice that of the seventh and eighth picks. They are both green and beautiful.
Min Congda laughed when he heard this. Of course you won't let me down. The big plan starts with you.
He held Curry's big hand and said: "Los Angeles welcomes you. I just arrived yesterday. By the way, you are actually quite tall. How about your dunk?"
Min Congda remembers watching Slam Dunk when he was a kid. Sakuragi and Rukawa Kaede in it were just over 1.8 meters tall and could dunk at will.
Curry is 1.9 meters tall. If he can play center in the comics, he must be very good at dunking.
Listening to Min Congda's broken English, Curry looked slightly embarrassed and said, "I can dunk, it's not bad..."
Min Congda gave Curry the Clippers jersey No. 30, and he has been a member of the Clippers since then.
Then it entered the reporter's question and answer session, where they had to interview the Clippers management and Curry.
Reporters in Los Angeles were obviously more interested in Min Congda, the sudden airborne general manager.
"Mr. Smart, have you ever worked in the NBA before?"
"No."
"Why did Mr. Sterling appoint you as the team's general manager?"
"Uh...because I'm good."
"..."
"Mr. Smart, why did you choose Stephen Curry with the first pick instead of Griffin, who you have always believed in?"
"Uh...because I think...Curry is very good."
"..."
"Mr. Smart, what are your plans for the future of the Clippers?"
"The plan... we will be the best team in the league, the best, bar none."
After answering this question, Min Congda gave all the reporters a smile, and then moved the microphone to Curry, saying that everyone should ask Curry more questions, and don't ask me, a person who is not very good at English!
It is already very good that Min Congda can understand these questions and give responses.
How to answer this question? Could it be that he wants the Clippers to go bankrupt and become the worst team in the league?
Theoretically speaking, they are already one of the worst teams, and Min Congda's task is to get rid of this one.
The press conference was completed relatively smoothly, but the reporters obviously did not have a good impression of Min Congda.
It is conceivable that tonight the major sports media in Los Angeles will definitely write articles to criticize this mysterious Chinese manager.
Min Congda didn't care about this, and he still had to negotiate the contract next.
In the team headquarters conference room on the third floor, Olshey provided Curry with the contract offer given by the team.
"Mr. Stephen Curry, our rookie contract offer is a four-year contract worth 19 million, of which the third and fourth years are team options."
When Min Congda heard this, he thought, 19 million in four years? Dollar? That’s an average of nearly 5 million US dollars a year!
Is it possible to make money playing basketball? Curry, who has the body of a primary school student, can earn 5 million a year!
"It seems that the team's salary to the players is not a small expense. It is worth studying. It is worth studying."
In Min Congda's opinion, the money was enough, and he thought Curry and his team would happily accept it.
Unexpectedly, Dell Curry showed an angry look on his face. He slapped the table and said, "You held a press conference first and then negotiated the contract, just to lower the contract price, right? Since my son is the No. 1 pick, he is qualified to be the No. 1 pick. Contracts!"
Min Congda thought to himself, what on earth is going on? 5 million is still too little?
