warrior godfather

Chapter 726 Doing That Will Only Harm You
San Francisco, June 6, eleven o'clock in the morning.

The grand championship parade was held on time, and Warriors fans gathered from all over the world to celebrate the birth of the Warriors dynasty.

This is the largest championship parade in the past few years. Zhang Yu's budget is as high as 200 million U.S. dollars, which is more than 120 million U.S. dollars more than last year.

At least 200 million people participated in the parade that day, and fans in Oakland and San Francisco were moved by the news, providing the hottest atmosphere for the coronation ceremony of the Warriors' dynasty.

The lucky ones from all over the United States and more than 30 countries also arrived in the Bay Area a few days before the parade. The Warriors will bear all their round-trip, board and lodging expenses, and provide translators for foreign fans.

A professional travel agency is in charge of this aspect. The fans stay in three-star hotels. Although they are not luxurious, they are far beyond their expectations.

Many people think that after coming to the United States, they can only live in ordinary hotels. After all, so many people live in star-rated hotels, which is also an extremely expensive expense.

But Zhang Yu didn't mean to save money at all, and arranged the best conditions for the Warriors fans.

These fans toured the Chase Center together, played in San Francisco for a day or two, then participated in the championship parade, and then stayed in the Bay Area for a day to visit the Oracle Center, the former home of the Warriors, before leaving the United States.

After they went home, they were full of praise for this trip to the Bay Area, and they have been the most loyal fans of the Warriors ever since.

And as more and more lucky ones disclosed the details of this trip to the Bay Area on the Internet, many Warriors fans were moved and honored even if they did not win the lottery, and neutral fans were moved by the Warriors' human touch. Became a Warriors fan ever since.

In addition, those lucky fans who won signature sneakers of Warriors stars such as Curry and Clay and Warriors peripherals also received their prizes shortly after the championship parade.

They used videos, pictures, etc. to post their prizes online, and fans of other teams were envious.

And because Huaxia has so many fans who won the lottery, it became popular.

Many ordinary people who don’t watch the NBA know that there is a Warriors team in the United States. After winning the championship, they give the fans crazy gifts. The owner is Chinese, and the head coach of the team is very generous. , also played for the Warriors.

They began to be interested in the Warriors, and some of them took the initiative to learn about the NBA and the Warriors, and gradually became fans of the Warriors.

Those who did not turn into fans also planted a seed in their hearts, knowing the existence of the Warriors and becoming potential fans.

The popularity of the NBA in China has further increased, Tencent is laughing from ear to ear, and other companies are also traffic to the NBA

Very hot eyes.

Alibaba, ByteDance, Migu, and Weibo have launched actions to seek cooperation with NBA Huaxia and seek the NBA's short video rights in China.

Not to be outdone, Tencent started negotiations with NBA Huaxia in advance, hoping to obtain a truly exclusive digital media copyright in the next copyright cycle.

Tencent hopes that on all digital media platforms such as PC, mobile, social media, OTT, and mobile news aggregation platforms, there will be only Tencent-based partners.

Tencent's ambition is obvious. It wants to gather all NBA video resources, avoid any diversion, obtain more traffic, and on this basis, maximize the income scale of paying members.

But this is certainly not in line with the NBA's goal of broadly increasing its international influence. In order to maximize communication and expand cooperation, the league does not want any company to own all copyrights.

As the popularity of the NBA in China continues to rise, all parties have also launched fierce battles. The conditions are getting higher and higher, and the league is paying more and more attention to the Chinese market.

It's just that Mark Tatum, who is in charge of the NBA's global promotion business, is not in a hurry to make a decision.

He seems to be waiting for something, waiting for the best opportunity to negotiate with these companies.

……

When the popularity of the Warriors in China continued to rise, Zhang Yu took a short rest for a day and then got busy again.

The draft is about to begin, and the Warriors' draft goals have not yet been determined.

After the championship parade, Zhang Yu was finally free, and Riley immediately found Zhang Yu and discussed the matter with him.

Previously, the two had reached a consensus to trade the No. [-] pick to supplement the striker, so this time, they discussed which team to trade with and which rookie to choose after the trade.

Of course, trading is not a problem. The Warriors have the No. [-] pick, and the quality of this year's rookies is quite high. As long as the wind is released, some teams want to trade with the Warriors.

But which rookie to choose, Zhang Yu is rarely hesitant.

Riley highly recommends Tatum:
"Ronan, Jayson Tatum's physical talent may be a little mediocre, but his basic skills are solid, his wingspan is also good, his shooting is accurate, and he has the potential to become a top 3D. He is very suitable for the Warriors. Kawhi is leaving , we need a forward backup, Tatum is absolutely qualified for this role, I think he is our best choice..."

Zhang Yu showed hesitation, which is exactly where he hesitated.

Tatum is indeed the best striker in this rookie class, and his upper limit exceeds everyone's expectations, with superstar potential.

It's just... is he really the right fit for the Warriors?
Seeing Zhang Yu's tangled expression, Riley continued to persuade:
"Ronan, we really don't have a better choice. Tatum is the one with the highest floor among the hot rookies. We already have Stephen, Klay and Giannis. We don't need to cultivate superstars. Wait for him to grow up in the future, and Andrew played together in the five small lineups, I believe no one is our opponent!"

Hearing this, Zhang Yu couldn't help nodding his head slightly. Riley was right. Tatum would grow up to be the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle.

But what made Zhang Yu hesitate was never Tatum's ability, but Tatum's character.

Zhang Yu said:

"I know Tatum's potential, but he has too many isolations, and he is very sticky, the defense is not aggressive, it is completely core style of play, and most importantly, his character seems to have some ego...to be honest , I really don’t want to choose him. He doesn’t seem like the kind of person who is willing to sacrifice himself for the team. In other words, he is willing to pay for the team, but only if his data is guaranteed. This kind of person is not suitable. Warriors."

Riley spread his hands and said:
"Then who else can we choose? Tatum is the best striker, and his style of play can be changed. He plays the NCAA, which must be the core style of play, but after entering the league, it will definitely change, unless you have more Good candidate, otherwise I still recommend Tatum. After all, there are too few selfless players like Stephen. Maybe international players will be more teamy. Lauri Markkanen is okay, but he can’t defend..."

Zhang Yu's eyes brightened:
"Markanen? This is a good candidate."

Riley was taken aback:
"What? You're going to pick a white insider?"

"Can't you?" Zhang Yu smiled.

Riley frowned and said:
"Markanen's talent is relatively average. This is a common problem of white insiders. His defense may not be very good, but his shooting is good, which is another common advantage of white insiders. He should be able to develop into a good space four. , just complements Giannis, but his defense can't be counted on."

Zhang Yu said:

"His athletic ability is not bad. He can play in the fifth position and also in the third position. He doesn't take possession of the ball. He is a jack-of-all-trades player, which is exactly the type we need most. As for defense, just enough , with his size, he will definitely not suffer... Just Markkanen, you go to negotiate a deal, or let Danny Ainge come forward, we hide behind the scenes, I still need time, communicate with Kawhi, and now This is not the time for deals to be exposed."

"Okay, I'll do it now." Riley agreed.

In fact, he still prefers to choose Tatum in his heart, but since Zhang Yu has made a decision, he cannot change it. He can only put his own thoughts aside.

The next day, Wojnarowski broke the news that the 76ers will send this year's No. 3 pick, next year's first-round pick and a future first-round pick to get this year's No. [-] pick from the Celtics.

He also added that the purpose of the 76ers' move is to pick up guard Markelle Fultz from the University of Washington. As for the goal of the Celtics, it is unknown.

Fans can't help but lament the Celtics' secrecy measures. The draft is about to begin, and the name of the target rookie has not been revealed yet.

What they don't know is that Danny Ainge himself doesn't know who to choose this time. He will only get the answer from Riley after the draft starts.

At the same time, when all eyes were on the draft, Zhang Yu came to Leonard's home in the Bay Area.

……

"Boss, do you have anything to do with me?" Leonard looked at Zhang Yu, a little surprised.

He was going to go on vacation today, but Zhang Yu called him suddenly, saying that he wanted to meet with him and had something to talk about, so Leonard changed his itinerary and left the Bay Area tomorrow to go to Europe for vacation.

Zhang Yu cut to the chase:
"Kawhi, I have to tell you something, you got traded."

Leonard's complexion changed, and he said in astonishment:
"trade?"

Zhang Yu nodded slightly:

"Yes, the Celtics are very interested in you. Larry has already negotiated with Danny Ainge. He has given a very generous condition. I agreed to the deal."

Leonard stared at Zhang Yu closely, with an angry look on his face:

"Boss, is this true? You really traded me without telling me?!"

"real."

"You...boss, why? I'm obviously getting better and better. We just won three consecutive championships. Why did you suddenly trade me?" Leonard said in disbelief.

Zhang Yu said:

"Kawhi, don't you really know the reason? If it wasn't for Dennis who got in the way and insisted on forcing the palace, how could I have traded you away? You are the core of the Warriors' forward line, and your tactical status in the team is getting higher and higher. The role played is getting bigger and bigger, if I hadn't been forced to, I wouldn't have broken my own arm!"

Most of Leonard's anger disappeared at once, and he said helplessly:

"I actually don't agree with his approach, but he is my uncle, and it's for my own good. I can only listen to him..."

Zhang Yu sneered and said:
"For your own good? If he was really for your own good, he wouldn't be in such a hurry to force the palace. Last summer, when you had three years left in the contract with Qiu, he dared to force the palace. He simply didn't take me seriously. If you don't take your career seriously, how can there be such a trifling agent?"

Leonard sighed:

"Well, I don't want to make excuses for this, but Dennis shouldn't have done that, but he also said, you're going to keep me on the bench for three years and you won't let me go... Boss, it's true ?"

"That's right, that's what I said." Zhang Yu admitted without hesitation.

Leonard was startled, as if surprised by Zhang Yu's decisiveness, Zhang Yu continued:
"Because Dennis crossed the line, I will never allow any player in my team to threaten me. Anyone who dares to force the palace will have to bear ten times the price. I said that, not against you, even if It was Stephen who did this kind of thing, and I will not swallow my anger, in my dictionary, there is no such word as "weakness."

Leonard's face looked better now, but Zhang Yu didn't stop:
"Kawhi, I can say with a clear conscience that I have never treated you badly. From the beginning of the draft, your pick was much higher than expected. After entering the team, you immediately secured a position in the rotation, and then I Gave you a lot of time, honed your shooting and offense, and after Jimmy left, you replaced him as a starter..."

"During this process, I trained you according to the development path of a star from the beginning, and your ball possessions increased. After the third year, the team signed a big contract with you. At that time, you It’s just a 3D, but I believed that you would become a star, and it turned out that my vision was not wrong.”

"However, as soon as you typed out, Dennis immediately forced me into the palace. What do you think I should do? Should I swallow my anger and send you away, or should I not back down and never let you go? If I let you go, the others What do you think? They all regard the Warriors as a springboard?"

Leonard showed guilt on his face:
"I'm sorry, I just felt that I should listen to my uncle, and I didn't think so much, but I never forgot your help to me, Dennis... Anyway, I have to thank you..."

Leonard hesitated to speak, but he didn't say anything about Dennis asking him to compete with Curry for fmvp. He wanted to save some face for his uncle.

Zhang Yu sighed softly:
"Okay, Kawhi, I'm not here to blame you today, but as the head coach, I want to tell you one last thing-play well in the future, Durant is a good teammate, I believe you will become a superstar Yes. Remember, don’t listen to Dennis in everything. Doing so will only hurt you. Of course he is thinking about you, but he is not a professional agent, and he has never played in the NBA. Many times, he does things without propriety. Sooner or later, this reckless and short-sighted style of doing things will usher in a backlash, and at that time, you will have to bear it!"

(End of this chapter)