In the evening, Min Congda went to a dinner date with Adam Silva at a well-known Italian restaurant on Fifth Avenue in New York.
The reason why Silva chose the Italian restaurant was because he took care of Min Congda's wife Ada. Both of them brought their significant other tonight. It was a small family gathering for four people.
Ada had a big belly and followed Min Congda into the restaurant wearing a low-key black loose skirt. She looked a little nervous.
In the past two years, Ada's identity has changed too quickly. In her early years, she was just an intern secretary next to Min Congda. Unexpectedly, she has climbed all the way up to now, and has been directly promoted to the wife of the general manager and the wife of the assistant president.
Ada is only 26 years old this year, which is still very young. She is still uneasy about this very formal high-level family dinner. In the past, she had only seen such social activities in movies and TV series.
"Smart, I'm a little scared." Ada whispered.
"Oh, don't be afraid, Silva, what's there to be afraid of? You used to call the president's office all the time." Min Congda comforted his wife.
"It feels different. I think...in that kind of social situation, everyone has their own words. I...I'm afraid that I will say the wrong thing and embarrass you."
Ada knew that Silva would invite Min Congda to dinner tonight, and there must be something important to discuss. Ada was afraid of getting involved in this kind of tit-for-tat.
Min Congda gently held Ada's hand and said: "No, you are my pride, and I am lucky to have you. You will never embarrass me. Don't worry, if you feel nervous, just talk less No one dares to embarrass you."
Her husband's comfort made Ada feel a lot more at ease. As long as she was with Min Congda, Ada felt that no difficulty was insurmountable and no dilemma was difficult to face.
What's more, what Min Congda said is right. Ada often went to the league office to call the president. Silva also called Ada. They knew each other.
Silva also brought his wife Maggie Grace to the party tonight. Like Ada and Min Chongda, they just got married this year, and Grace is also pregnant.
In this way, the two pregnant women had a lot of common topics, which suddenly bridged the gap caused by the age gap.
Unlike Ada, Grace is not a practitioner in the sports industry, but an interior decorator, and her understanding of the NBA remains at the stage of ordinary fans.
So when Min Congda and Silva talked about some matters within the alliance, Grace was not very interested. Instead, she pulled Ada to talk about parenting.
Of course, when his wife was around, Silva and Min Congda would not talk about too in-depth topics. Silva very friendly talked to Min Congda about some work essentials of the referee business, the focus of the work in the next one to three years, and also Making fun of all the referees in the league.
For example, Dick Bavetta, who has just retired and is a performance fanatic, will be nominated for induction into the Hall of Fame this year. Silva said that Oscar owes him a lifetime achievement award and that he should leave his handprint on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
It is also said that Joe Crawford suffers from mania and a performative personality. He always wants to create some famous scenes on the field and steal the spotlight, hoping to find himself a suitable job after retirement - such as at the New York Circus. The group acts as a clown.
There is also the retired Steve Jarvie, a master of troublemaking and a typical representative of self-respect. There will always be some problems in games with him officiating, and then he will come forward to solve them very well.
He seems to be a troubleshooter and a master of court control, but the problem is that if he didn't control the court before, the two teams may not have conflicts, and then he will naturally have no chance to perform.
The two chatted happily and made several well-known referees suffer, including of course the referee Foster who was dunked by Min Congda in a popcorn bucket.
As the older generation of famous whistles such as Bavetta, Crawford, and Javier gradually wither, Foster has become one of the "old whistles" in the current league, calling many important and key games, and also It caused a lot of controversy.
He is known for his toughness. Coaches and teams across the league have a dual mentality of disgust and awe for this cold-faced white man with meticulously combed hair. However, Min Congda's shocking dunk undoubtedly made his majesty shake. discounts and has since become one of Foster's biggest weaknesses.
Once a player mentions the word "popcorn" during a game, Foster may give him a T directly or take good care of him in the next game.
The two couples chatted about topics of interest and had a great time. Ada watched Silva and Min Congda chatting happily, and her worries were relieved a lot. She catered to Grace more actively, hoping to help her husband. Careers provide good social connections.
The relationship between Min Congda and Silva was actually very good in the early days. When Silva first took over, he and Min Congda reached a joint cooperation, using Min Congda's destructiveness to reshuffle the alliance.
However, with the failure of the Clippers boss replacement, Min Congda's refusal to intervene in the internal affairs of the Lakers Buss family, and conflicts on other issues, the previous cooperative alliance between the two gradually collapsed.
Of course, on the surface, the two still maintain a friendly relationship. Everyone is drinking and drinking, and the atmosphere at the dinner table is very harmonious and warm.
At this time, Grace suddenly covered her mouth. She gave Ada a look, and Ada understood that Grace must be suffering from morning sickness.
So the two of them helped each other to the bathroom to settle things, touch up their makeup, and then give Silva and Min Congda some private space to chat.
As soon as the two ladies left, the atmosphere at the dinner table immediately cooled down. The smile on Adam Silva's face disappeared. His originally thin face looked longer, and the eyes behind his glasses flashed with a cold light. He looks like a shrewd Jew.
"Smart, your departure from the Clippers really caught me off guard. Why didn't you stay in Los Angeles and come to New York?"
"I've explained that I'm tired of my job with the Clippers and I want to change tracks."
Min Congda did not tell David Stern, although Silva knew in his heart that it was Stern who carried Min Congda here.
"Change a track? You can go to another team, the Lakers, Timberwolves, Kings, etc. Coming to the league office is not a good choice. It's too difficult to display your talents here."
"How do you know if you don't try it? And you know, the relationship between me and the referee is still very good."
In the absence of the woman, the conversation between the two became tit-for-tat. It was obvious that Silva did not welcome Min Congda's arrival.
He hoped that Min Congda would be able to quit despite the difficulties and serve as the general manager of another team. Wouldn't it be nice to build a team and win a championship?
"We have a good relationship? Didn't Bozia tell you that the Referees Association is already planning a strike? They don't want to work with you."
"Strike? Didn't they do this last time? Just go to the reserve team. You are not so easily threatened, right Adam?"
The Referees Association had previously launched a strike over the issue of Min Chongda's suspension, but Silva suppressed it by using a reserve referee. By the way, Silva used this opportunity to establish his authority, purge a group of people, and further consolidate his power.
But this time the situation is different. Silva stood on the referee's side. He said: "The situation is different this year. We will have salary negotiations with the referees in August. Even the reserve referees still have to negotiate with them. Does the league want to negotiate with them?" Are all the referees right?"
Min Congda said: "So? What should I do? I just held a press conference for joining the company in the morning. You invited me to dinner tonight just to remind me that I am not qualified for this job and ask me to resign?"
Silva's voice softened and he said: "Of course I won't let you resign. I can provide you with some leisurely and well-paid positions. Or...are you interested in the position of president of the NBA Asia-Pacific region?"
Min Congda smiled and said: "I just moved from Los Angeles to New York, do you want to drive me to BJ right away? I am not a ball, and I want to be kicked around like this by you."
Silva said: "Of course I won't let you go right away. You can work peacefully in New York for one to two years to get familiar with the league's work. We will arrange some job opportunities for you to increase your qualifications and experience."
What Silva said was quite explicit, meaning that if you hang out here for a year or two, he will be sent overseas to support you with a high salary, and you should stop meddling in the affairs of the headquarters.
If it were anyone else, Silva wouldn't be so direct, but with Min Congda, the two of them were very familiar with each other, and Silva knew that Min Congda liked to be direct, so he wasn't polite.
At this moment, Ada and Grace came back from the bathroom, and the two ended their tit-for-tat exchange of opinions. Silva looked at Min Congda with questioning eyes, hoping that he would think carefully and give an answer as soon as possible.
Min Congda thought to himself that it seems that David Stern and Adam Silva are not as harmonious as they appear on the surface, and the struggle has never stopped.
Especially in the past two years, there must have been major differences between the two sides on the direction of the NBA's future. Silva did not fully adhere to Stern's philosophy, but tried to take another path.
Stern originally thought that Silva was a person he trained and would inherit his spiritual will to some extent. He did not expect that this guy would become the stooge of the major shareholders so quickly. The league was moving towards complete gambling and capitalization. Slide away.
Of course, all this requires a process, and the summer of 2015 is undoubtedly a very, very critical node, a fork in which path the NBA will take.
In August, the league will conduct labor negotiations with referees. In September, the league will hold a board meeting to discuss whether to legalize gambling and determine its strategic path for the next ten to twenty years.
Min Congda realized from Silva's attitude that his arrival would have an impact on the future direction of the NBA. He is definitely an immeasurable heavyweight chess piece.
The amazing thing about Min Congda is that he never underestimates himself with average-to-low intelligence. Once he realizes that he is important, he will push his nose and face to maximize his importance.
This is exactly the same as his coaching style.
"Silva, this bitch, knew that I would ruin his plan when I came, so he tried every means to threaten me and make me out."
"Since you invited me into New York without any real benefits, you want me to leave casually without even a door!"
If Stern is familiar with the Three Kingdoms, he should know that his move to transfer Los Angeles general manager Min Congda into the league office was a sign that as early as 1,500 years ago in China, there were attempts to recruit border generals to Beijing to quell chaos in the palace. But in the end it was too big.
Min Congda's coming to New York from Los Angeles is comparable to Dong Zhuo's coming to Beijing. He has been here for a long time. How could he leave so easily without doing something?
"Mrs. Silva, choosing an Italian restaurant tonight is a really, really good idea. I used to have an Italian restaurant in Los Angeles, and the pizza in the restaurant was outstanding." Min Congda took the initiative to chat with Grace.
"Oh, I know, I know, is it the Red Head Boots Restaurant? It's quite famous, but I heard it's closed? What a pity, I haven't tasted the delicious food there yet."
Grace knew that the owner of the Red Head Boots restaurant died violently and then closed down.
"Indeed, it was a tragedy, but luckily I found the murderer for Ada's uncle. You know, he was a little gangster who wanted to make a name for himself. He killed people casually for the sake of his reputation. He used a bomb to kill Christopher who was parked on the roadside... I later saw him with my own eyes... He wanted to escape at the time, but he was too late, and his upper body was blown into a honeycomb, making him almost unrecognizable..."
"Oh, it's terrible, it's so terrible." Grace shook her head, and it could be seen from her eyes that she didn't want to continue this horrific topic.
Ada also lightly kicked her husband, hoping that he would stop saying these inappropriate words.
Min Congda continued: "But the first thought in my mind at that time was that I must avenge him, for my friends, for the people who have friendship with me. So I gave up a lot of energy, I paid some price and with the help of the FBI, I caught the murderer. You know how unreliable the Los Angeles police are. But I insist that this is the traditional loyalty of our Chinese people. I am somewhat similar to the Italians in this regard. This is also the reason why Ada and I got together. I heard that some people would call Italy European China, and I think there is some truth to it."
Min Congda's words were recognized by Ada's eyes. Min Congda's emphasis on feelings and loyalty was indeed very much appreciated by Ada.
And these qualities can be said to be increasingly rare in the capital-led, ruthless NBA league.
As for Silva and Grace, they are both Jewish, and the word "loyalty" rarely appears in their life lexicon.
From Min Congda's words, Silva has already heard the answer, "We are not on the same path. I will not leave my current position. I will work for Stern."
Silva sighed inwardly. He knew that he would never be able to get rid of this guy who looked like brown sugar and smelly shit. He had to have a good fight with him.
(End of chapter)
