warrior godfather

Chapter 312 Ruthless (6000)

November 11, New York, NBA headquarters.

In the president's office, David Stern looked at Adam Silver with a livid face, and said in a low voice:

"Billy Hunter really said that?"

Xiao Hua's complexion was also very ugly, and he said softly:
"Yes, his wording is very harsh. If the league does not agree to the request of the players union, the player representatives and the executive committee of the union will reject our proposal, and will dissolve the players union and file an antitrust lawsuit against the league."

David Stern sneered:
"Hehe, they are dreaming! We have anticipated this before and are prepared, they cannot succeed!"

Xiao Hua nodded in agreement. In August, the league had already sued the players to court and filed a lawsuit in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York, requesting the court to prohibit the players from challenging the lockout based on the antitrust law. The circuit court review, in addition, the league also petitioned the court: When the players union is officially dissolved, the player's contract is also annulled.

If this request is approved, then if the players union is dissolved, the league has the right to declare that all player contracts are void and cannot be enforced, because the player contract is part of the labor agreement, the labor relationship is terminated, and the player contract does not exist.

Of course, the players can raise objections, saying that the dissolution of the union does not mean that the employer has the right to terminate the individual labor contracts of the players.

But in the United States, the NBA is not the only one that has had a lockout. In some recent antitrust lawsuits about the NFL and NHL, the results are all favorable to the employers.

If the league finally wins the labor contract dispute, the players will suffer losses of up to billions of dollars.The existing system of the league is also facing collapse, because all players will become unrestricted free agents.

There is no doubt that the players can't afford such a loss. They have to rely on playing to support their families, and the team owners have other industries, which they can afford more than the players.

David Stern got up slowly, walked slowly to the floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking the busy Fifth Avenue below, his eyes flickered, and he remained silent.

Xiao Hua knew that David Stern had entered a state of thinking, and stood quietly by the side without making any sound.

After a while, David Stern spoke slowly:
"Tell this news to Michael, Dan Gilbert, and Robert Sarver...well, as well as Jerry Bass and James Dolan. Remember, it's enough to simply paraphrase, without any tendentious description."

"Jerry Buss and James Dolan?" Silver froze for a moment, then asked, "Don't you need to put pressure on them? They have always advocated making concessions to the players so that the lockout can end as soon as possible. Do you want to talk to Michael first?" After they pass the air and reach a consensus, tell them about it, which will reduce a lot of differences."

David Stern shook his head slowly and said:

"Adam, I appreciate your sharp reflexes, but we can't make decisions on behalf of the bosses, let them argue, our job is to negotiate well, not to make decisions, this is the boss's league, not ours ...Go ahead, the players union will definitely make moves in the future, we must hurry up."

"Okay, I'll do it now." Xiao Hua's complexion changed a few times, but he didn't say anything, just nodded in agreement, and exited David Stern's office.

David Stern didn't look back, he kept looking down on the Fifth Avenue outside the window, overlooking the bustling flow of people on Fifth Avenue.

"How many NBA spectators will there be?" He muttered to himself, his voice imperceptible.

……

Charlotte, North Carolina.

"Fack! These sons of bitches are greedy!"

A dark-skinned, bald-headed middle-aged man threw the phone on the round table, made a crisp "clang" sound, and cursed non-stop.

"What's the matter, Michael, the players union is messing up again?" A short, middle-aged white man came over, sat down opposite him, and asked with a chuckle.

This is a vast golf course. Even in winter, the vast lawn is still green as usual. There is a quiet lake in the distance and evergreen pine forest next to it. The environment is beautiful.

The two were sitting in a luxuriously decorated lounge, wearing loose bathrobes, with cigars in their mouths, puffing.

The bald middle-aged man snorted coldly:
"Adam Silver called me just now, saying that the player representatives want to dissolve the union and initiate an antitrust lawsuit against the league."

The middle-aged white man said in surprise:
"What? Don't they know this will cancel the season altogether? Are they trying to kill themselves?"

The bald middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and said with a sneer:
"Of course they know, but they don't care. They are all stars, have received big contracts, and can fully afford the consequences, and those middle-class and low-level players cannot object to this proposal, because their reasons are fair and for the players. Fighting for interests as a whole... Hehe, in fact, they only want to get a bigger contract, and they don't care about the life and death of those small players, and they don't care about the life and death of us bosses!"

The middle-aged Caucasian man put away the cigar, picked up a cup of hot coffee on the table, took a sip, and said with a smile:

"Michael, didn't you do that too? What do you say to Pauline in the Wizards? If it doesn't make a profit, you sell the team—is that the line?"

When the bald middle-aged man heard the words, his face was a little unnatural, but soon became normal, and said:

"I was still a player at the time, and of course I had to fight against the unreasonable labor agreement. Now that I am the owner of the Bobcats, I can't think about things like before."

The middle-aged Caucasian man put down the coffee in his hand and said with a half-smile:

"As expected of the god of basketball, he is ruthless on the court, and he is also relentless in the mall."

The bald middle-aged man, that is, Michael Jordan, said lightly:

"I'm just fighting for my own interests... What about you, James, the players union is so aggressive, do you still consider stepping back?"

The white middle-aged man, James Dolan, the owner of the New York Knicks, thought for a moment, shook his head and said:
"No, I can accept their reasonable demands. New York has a huge ball market. No matter how the labor agreement evolves, the Knicks will not lose money, but the player union is too much, and I can't work for them."

A smile appeared on Jordan's face:
"You are right, we are the bosses, we must defend our own interests!"

He picked up the coffee in front of him, raised his glass to James Dolan, and drank the warm coffee in one gulp.

James Dolan responded with a smile, also picked up the coffee in front of him, raised the bone china cup nondescriptly, and took a sip.

When they put down the ceramic cups, two waitresses with good figures and beautiful faces came silently, and with flawless gentle smiles on their faces, they took the cups away, and looked into the eyes of the two with undisguised fiery love. color.

……

Florida, Miami, Basketball Acceleration Camp.

The training hall is filled with the squeaky sound of sneakers rubbing against the ground, the bang of basketball slapping on the floor, and the crisp sound of basketball passing through the hoop.

The Warriors players are being divided into two groups, scattered in two complete venues, and under the guidance of Ron Adams and Silas, they are conducting offensive and defensive tactical training respectively.

As a simulated opponent, the trainer takes positions according to the requirements of the two, while the Warriors players practice their tactics little by little. Silas and Ron Adams will stop from time to time, and they will demonstrate in person to guide everyone's position selection and running time.

Half an hour later, Silas looked at his watch and said loudly:

"Take a break for 10 minutes and continue training later!"

After his words fell, the Warriors players all relaxed, walked to the sidelines and the basketball hoop, sat down on the folding chairs, and relaxed in their own way.

Curry sat next to Green. He wiped his sweat with a towel and asked in a low voice:

"Drummond, did you see that letter?"

Green was stunned for a moment before reacting and said:

"You mean the open letter from the players union?"

"Yes, that's the letter." Curry nodded, and said with some concern, "The union said that it will no longer represent the players' rights, will no longer negotiate with the league, and even disband directly. I don't know what will happen to the labor negotiations next." How to develop, can we still play games..."

Green grinned, took a gulp of Gatorade, and said nonchalantly:

"Don't worry, this is just a way for the union to put pressure on the league. They can't really dissolve the union. Those stars dare not do this. If the union really dissolves, they won't be able to 'represent' all the players. When the time comes , There is no need to continue the labor negotiations, and there will definitely be many players who compromise, which is definitely not what they want to see."

After Green finished speaking, Curry nodded slowly, with a dazed expression on his face, and then he looked at Green in surprise:
"Drummond, I didn't expect you to see it so thoroughly. I always thought you were the kind of person with a lot of nerves. You just play basketball and don't think about these complicated things."

Green feigned anger and said:

"Hey Stephen, are you saying I usually act stupid?"

Curry knew his character, and said with a smile:
"Of course, even in the training game, you always look fierce, yelling at every turn, every time you lay up, you have to call Andewan, you really don't look like a smart person."

"Hahaha..." Green Curry's description made him laugh, and he stopped after a while, and said in a deep voice, "Man, you know, my height is not even 6 feet 5 inches (2 meters) , but I have to fight with opponents in the interior every day. If I don’t put on a fierce look, no one will take me seriously. Everyone dares to challenge my defense... My growing experience from childhood told me, I have to be a tough guy, a villain, to get a foothold in the big lane, you know? I'll never be a gentleman."

After he finished speaking, he shook his finger and laughed at himself.

The smile on Curry's face faded, and he fell into silence. He never thought that Green, who was very emotional on the court, had such a rational and calm side. teammate.

He whispered:
"That's right, your defensive awareness is so good, and your passing is also very creative, how could you be a reckless..."

Green noticed the change in Curry's expression and said with a smile:

"Let's not talk about this, I am looking forward to the opponent treating me as a fool, and they will pay a heavy price for it... What we need to do now is to practice hard and prepare for the new season."

Curry nodded and said:

"I hope the new season can start soon. To be honest, after training for so long, I'm a little annoyed."

Green nodded in agreement:

"Me too, I don't think I'll ever vacation in Miami again, I'm tired of the beach and the seafood."

"But those owners are very stubborn, and now the players union is about to be disbanded. Even if they don't really want to disband the union, they are putting pressure on the league. Both sides will not back down. Can the labor negotiations really be properly resolved?" Curry sighed.

Green shrugged:

"You have to ask the coach. He is the boss. He must know the attitude of the league."

Curry shook his head and said:
"No, the boss is different from those bosses who only care about money. He wants to lead us to the championship, and he has no interest in labor negotiations."

Green laughed:

"That's right, he's completely different from a bad guy like Jordan."

When Curry heard the name, his face suddenly became ugly, and he whispered:

"Yeah, who would have thought that Michael Jordan would become like this. I loved watching him play when I was young..."

In this labor negotiation, Jordan is the representative of the hardline owner, speaking for 10 to 14 small and medium-sized teams. He hopes that the players will get 50% or 47% of the BRI (NBA basketball-related income), which is different from the players' original enjoyment. The 57% share is very different, which caused strong dissatisfaction among the players.

Even as the labor negotiations gradually advanced, Jordan's attitude became more and more tough, and he only wanted to give the players 37% of the BRI share.

The irony is that when the NBA was shut down in 1998, Jordan’s huge contract of 3000 million US dollars was the main object of criticism from the management. He himself was the leader in fighting for the interests of the players on behalf of the group, helping the players maintain the rights to enjoy 57% of the BRI .

But now, he wanted to smash the achievements he had achieved so hard back then with his own hands.

Many players bluntly expressed their disappointment with Jordan, thinking that he was ungrateful and a "hypocrite". He did not deserve the title of "God of Basketball". Paul George said on Twitter: "He should have been the first to stand on our team behind us, but he stood in front of us."

Nick Young also wrote on Twitter: "I will never wear Jordan shoes again. I can't believe what I saw and heard about Jordan today."

However, only role players and rookies publicly expressed their dissatisfaction with Jordan. Higher-level stars and superstars, out of various concerns, did not publicly express their opinions on Jordan's behavior.

But there is no doubt that Jordan's image has collapsed in the minds of players.

Green snorted coldly:
"I understand his behavior. Jordan is the owner of the team. Of course he wants to make more money, but he has forgotten how he got here. He has completely forgotten his past! He does have what others can't. As good as he gets, but he'll never have my respect—even if he doesn't give a damn about it."

Curry nodded heavily and said:
"You are right. The god of basketball, Michael Jordan, is dead. I will always remember Jordan as a player, but Jordan as the owner is just a businessman, a businessman who only has money in his eyes!"

"Okay, let's continue training!"

At this moment, Silas' voice came, and Curry and Green put down the things in their hands, got up and returned to the field, and devoted themselves to training.

……

Bay Area, Oakland, Oracle Center.

In a conference room, Zhang Yu and Larry Riley were sitting on one side of the long table. Jonathan was quietly waiting in the corner, waiting for Zhang Yu's orders at any time. Opposite Zhang Yu, sat a gray-haired, high-nosed, deep-eyed, facially A middle-aged Caucasian man with a very tough silhouette.

Zhang Yu smiled and said:

"Mr. Wiltz, thank you very much for accepting the invitation of the Warriors and taking time out of your busy schedule to come to Oakland."

The middle-aged man with gray hair and a tough face crossed his hands, resting on his chin, and said with a smile:

"No, it's my honor. To receive the invitation from the famous coach Z, I certainly won't neglect, and Phoenix is ​​not far from Oakland, so it won't take me too long."

Zhang Yu waved his hand and said:
"Mr. Wiltz, you can just call me Ronan. As a coach, I do have some reputation, but in terms of running the team, I am just a novice. You are the senior. Your reputation is spread throughout the league. Every year, the All-Star Over the weekend, I'll be thinking of the tremendous contributions you've made to the growth of the league."

The smile on the middle-aged man's face became a little thicker, and he said:

"I just have some qualifications, I can't be anything, call me Rick..."

"Hehe, Rick, you are too modest... then shall we start now?" Zhang Yu asked.

The middle-aged man nodded, Zhang Yu casually flipped through the materials in his hand that he had read many times, and asked:

"Rick, what do you think of the current Warriors?"

This is a job fair, a job fair solely for one person.

The middle-aged man named Rick Wertz came to apply for the position of president and CEO of the Warriors.

The long resume in Zhang Yu's hand shows that Rick Wertz is extraordinary.

Rick Wertz started as a ball boy for the Seattle SuperSonics at the age of 16 and became an assistant trainer for the team that season.

After he went to college, he found a part-time job in the marketing and public relations department of the Sonics. After college, he actually entered the Sonics and got a full-time job. And won the championship with the team in 1979.

In 1982, Rick Wertz was invited by David Stern, then vice president of the league, to work at the NBA headquarters as a supervisor and became the 35th employee of the league office.

Subsequently, he showed excellent work ability and played a very important role in the development of NBA.

In 1984, David Stern was promoted to the chairman of the NBA. In the same year, under the leadership of Rick Wertz, the All-Star Weekend was born.

In 1992, under the instructions of David Stern, Rick Wertz personally formed the Dream Team and recruited superstars such as Jordan, Barkley, Larry Bird, and Magician. Afterwards, the Dream Team was shocked at the Barcelona Olympics Worldwide, the NBA has taken a key step towards internationalization.

In 1997, Rick Wertz and Val Ackerman founded the WNBA together. He personally served as the first president and promoted the rapid development of the WNBA.

In the process, Rick Wertz was gradually promoted to the executive vice president of the NBA, the chief marketing officer and the president of the NBA property rights company, becoming David Stern's right-hand man.

But he did not stand still, but sought breakthroughs in new fields. In 2002, Rick Wertz left the NBA headquarters and came to the Suns as president and CEO.

In the following nine years, he single-handedly created a running and bombing storm in the league, making the Suns become a powerful force in the West again, with a surge in market value and profits, and a significant increase in global popularity, until now.

This year, the Suns missed the playoffs, Nash was getting old, the team's lineup that had made it to the Western Conference Finals many times was also dismantled, labor negotiations ushered in, the league was suspended, and Rick Wertz also had the idea of ​​​​leaving the Suns.

It just so happened that the Warriors were recruiting the team president who had been vacant for a long time and sent an invitation to him. Rick Wertz was very interested and readily attended the appointment.

In fact, today is not a job fair. With Rick Wertz's qualifications and ability, there are a lot of teams who want to hire him as president, and they don't have to worry about work. He can come to Oakland because he is optimistic about the development prospects of the Warriors. This is also the reason why Zhang Yu's posture is so low.

And Zhang Yu knows Rick Wertz very well. In his previous life, Rick Wertz was the president of the Warriors. He took office in 2011 and retired in 2021. His operations in the past 10 years have helped the Warriors become the most successful in the world. one of the teams.

Therefore, Zhang Yu is already inclined to let Rick Wertz be the president of the Warriors. This meeting is just a discussion and exchange between the two sides on the future development direction of the Warriors.

Hearing Zhang Yu's question, Rick Wertz thought for a while and replied:
"There is no doubt that the current Warriors are one of the most successful teams in the league. They have developed well in terms of game performance, business development, and team image. Two years ago, the Warriors were still weak. The market value and profit of the team have also risen year after year, and they have reached the top three positions in the league. These are all the achievements of the Warriors after you entered the team, Ronan, and the Warriors have unique advantages in international business development. .However, in my opinion, there are still some flaws in the current operation of the team..."

Afterwards, Rick Wertz clearly pointed out the problems of the Warriors' team operation in the past two years in terms of strategy and details. Zhang Yu and Larry Riley nodded after hearing this.

Zhang Yu's energy is all on the game, and Larry Riley is not professional enough in team operation. Although the Warriors have been thriving in the past two years, there are many problems, which are now covered by the team's development momentum. Timely solutions and gradual accumulation will hinder the long-term development of the Warriors in the future.

"...The above is my rough view on the current development of the Warriors." After 15 minutes, Rick Wertz finally finished his speech.

Zhang Yu nodded in agreement, pondered for a while, and asked again:
"So, Rick, if you were in charge of the Warriors, how would you solve these problems?"

　Make up the one thousand difference between yesterday and before.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)