Don't talk trash to him.

Chapter 224 Pacers, you call this a rebuilding team!
Shaquille O'Neal, born in 72, is now 36 years old.

He was well aware that he had reached the end of his career.

This year, he and Jason Kidd couldn't even defeat the Pistons' "Big Four", and he was very aware of this.

At this juncture, hearing about Kobe winning the championship and seeing the media's public opinion turned him into a clown.

He knew that he had to seize this last moment of his peak period.

The idea of ​​seeking amnesty from the Nets had just popped into his mind, and he could no longer suppress it.

Billy King's reaction when he heard that he wanted to be pardoned hurt him again.

Although he was mentally prepared, he really didn't expect that Billy King would agree so readily.

He is really old!

Once again, Shaq realized this.

Both sides had this intention, so the negotiations soon entered the tug-of-war stage.

It is a well-known fact that Billy Jean is an honest man. It is always others who cheat him, but he rarely gets to cheat others.

Shaquille O'Neal had 4 million left on his contract. In the end, the two sides reached an agreement that the Nets would pay 1450 million each year over two years, for a total of 2900 million to buy out Shaquille O'Neal's contract.

This way the Nets can save $1100 million and no longer have to worry about sending Shaquille O'Neal away.

It just so happens that they are planning to use the 11th pick in this year's first round to take Brook Lopez.

This is a traditional center position player with very good skills and unlimited potential.

The Nets' scouting team is very optimistic about him.

Originally, after he was selected, Shaquille O'Neal was also going to be sent away.

Compared to giving up the draft pick and sending Shaq away, the current approach will obviously make the Nets lose less. -- There is no other way. When the Nets traded for Shaq, he was the main contributor to helping the team reach the Eastern Conference Finals, but now Shaq O'Neal is eliminated in the first round and will be 37 years old next year. Players who are too risky often need to pay a high price to be traded.

The negotiations were finalized and the news soon spread in the media.

Most media outlets were saddened when they heard that the former "No. 1 player in the league" was pardoned by the team.

You know, Shaquille O'Neal was the "No. 1 player in the league" back then, but now he has fallen to the point where he has been pardoned by the team.

Coupled with the light of Kobe's recent championship, Shaq's situation seems even more tragic.

However, the Cleveland media immediately gloated: "This day will come sooner or later. No team can tolerate a player with a bad attitude like Shaquille O'Neal!"

"He still thinks he's a superstar back in the day, that's his biggest problem!"

"It's proven that without Kobe, he is nothing!"

Shaquille O'Neal's already firm determination became even stronger after he saw the ridicule from the Cleveland media.

The Cleveland media's comments are naturally blamed on LeBron...

Just wait and see!

Let’s see who is the one who is not doing well without whom!

The outside world is actually also very concerned about Shaquille O'Neal's movements after being pardoned.

Shaquille O'Neal at 2 million isn't attractive, but with a significant pay cut, he's still very tempting.

Shaquille O'Neal did not take immediate action after being pardoned.

He is also waiting for the Pacers to deliver the news he wants to hear.

Now the outside public opinion tends to believe that Suwan will leave the Pacers.

And if Suwan left the Pacers, then what would be the difference between him joining the Pacers and American soldiers going to fight in the Korean War and the Vietnam War?
He wants to join Su Wan's team, no, it's the team that has Su Wan!

In fact, he is quite inclined to think that Suwan will leave the Pacers and join a new team. In this case, he should be considered to have joined.

And it doesn’t count as “clinging to someone’s thigh”!
Of course, if Suwan finally decides to stay with the Pacers, there will be no problem at all for Shaquille O'Neal to join.

The Pacers fell in the Eastern Conference Finals last season and didn't even make it to the Finals. In the eyes of outsiders, this team has entered the "dynasty sequelae" stage and will only get worse year by year.

This is how the outside world views the Pacers right now.

There seems to be no problem.

In his first season back from injury, O'Neal definitely did not perform at his peak level.

Artest's departure caused problems on the wing defense.

The defensive quality of the "small lineup" has dropped several levels as these two people left and one was injured, and it can no longer be considered a trump card.

A player like Dio who is better at changing rhythm seems a bit dull on the offensive end because of this.

The only ones left were a few big cats and a few small cats.

Although Shaquille O'Neal's joining at this time would inevitably be criticized as "clinging to someone powerful", under the premise that Kobe won the championship, coupled with the ridicule from the outside world and the fact that Boston's "old big three" also did it, his move can only be regarded as a "hard fight" for the championship.

On June 6, the day before the draft, Larry Bird and Suwan held a press conference together.

They officially reached a contract extension, with a starting salary of 5868% of the NBA salary cap of 30 million: 1760 million, 1936.04 million in the second year, and 2139 million in the third year. So although it is only a three-year contract, the amount is as high as 3 million, nearly 5835.4 million.

Including Suwan's 1760 million, Zach Randolph's 1300 million and O'Neal Jr.'s 1725 million, the Pacers' salary cap for these three people alone is as high as 4785 million. In addition, there is Foster's 850 million and Dio's 9 million contract, a total of 6534 million.

Add to that Millsap and Nate Robinson's rookie contracts and Anthony Parker's $337 million contract, for a total of $7214 million.

The league's luxury tax line this year is 6723.75 million!
It looks like the Pacers are over the luxury tax line.

But in fact, part of the money from Suwan's contract renewal can be excluded from the salary cap according to the "Suwan Clause".

According to league regulations, after a player's rookie contract expires, the new contract signed cannot exceed 20% of the total salary cap. In order to allow the parent team to have more ability to retain players, the "Bird Clause" allows the parent team to renew the rookie's contract with 25% of the total salary cap.

The 5% in excess is not included in the salary cap.

The same goes for the "Suwan Clause". Of his 1760 million, 587 million is not included in the salary cap.

Similarly, O'Neal Jr. also has a salary of about 260 million, which is not included in the salary cap.

As a result, the Pacers' actual salary cap for the new season is only 6367 million, which is about 3 million short of the luxury tax.

Larry Bird (tactical fade-away version): What does it mean to be the “king of point control”?

Su Wan answered reporters' questions.

The reporter asked him: "Most people thought you would leave, but you chose to stay. Can you tell me why?"

Su Wan said: "Originally I thought we would win four consecutive championships. I would not have any challenges in this city. Leaving would be a better choice. I like challenges. And now the challenge has come..."

"Although it was not what I expected, we eventually lost in the Eastern Conference Finals. Jermaine was injured, Ron left, and everyone thought it was the beginning of the end of the Pacers dynasty. I am not a player who chooses to leave at this time!"

"Since we failed to win the championship, the Pacers have become a mess. I need to clean up all the mess before I leave!"

"It is my responsibility!"

To put it bluntly, if Su Wan had won the "four consecutive championships", he would not need to create a "three-year plan" for himself.

But in the end, since he failed to win the "four consecutive championships", Su Wan had to show his sense of responsibility.

This is an attitude, a spirit!
For the team owner, for the fans, and for David Stern, they all want to see such a leader.

Let me say it again, the world is full of people supporting each other!
The reason why Song Jiang could sit in the top seat of Liangshanpo was not because of his ability, but because of his business card of "timely rain" to the outside world.

Suwan stayed in Indiana to build this kind of personality.

Most people only "add icing on the cake", while "providing timely assistance" is the real warmth!

Su Wan's decision to stay at this time will only make the outside world more envious of Indiana, and when they have the opportunity to pursue Su Wan...

What kind of "snatching" drama will be staged?

Su Wan is not 33 years old, he is only 23 years old.

This is just like those politicians in ancient times who resigned when they saw the situation was not good. Do you really think that the only option they had at that time was to resign?

"Cultivating a reputation for virtue" is also a means of accumulating political capital.

Su Wan did this to show the later "Zhan Paopao" and "Du Meigen" what the correct way of "playing with character" is!

For example, right now, Suwan has clearly expressed his intention to leave in the future, but the Indiana reporters off the court are still moved.

The reporter continued to ask: "But if you stay in Indiana, you may not be able to win the championship in a few years. This will affect your pursuit of Michael Jordan's achievements, or even lose such an opportunity forever. Don't you regret it?"

When the reporter asked this, Su Wan already knew very well that this was a reporter from Nike.

Because after this press conference, Nike's media will spread out the entire media channel to build momentum for Suwan's sacrifice of time to catch up with Jordan and his sacrifice of staying with the Pacers to clean up the mess.

At this point...

Su Wan’s influence will be further enhanced!
It is certainly amazing that a genius can bring a team three consecutive championships at such a young age.

And such a genius also values ​​friendship and loyalty, he does not come when the sun is shining and does not leave when the sun is low, so he can be described as "rare"!

The "Suwan Spirit" will also become more concrete:
Passionate, never compromise, never give up, a natural leader, the king of adversity!

Whether it is the "Jordan spirit" or the "Mamba spirit"...

The influence that Su Wan can create is not different at all.

This cannot be offset by winning three consecutive championships.

Just like someone's fans, they always emphasize data, "411", and honor, but they dare not mention the word "spiritual power".

Why is that?
Isn’t it because it has been criticized so much in this regard?

Although this person is no longer qualified to be compared with Su Wan.

But what he despised was not the man himself, but this behavior!

Su Wan would despise anyone who behaved like this, because he would not do such a thing under the same circumstances.

and so……

"Chasing Michael Jordan's achievements is what every NBA player hopes to do, but what is more important is what happens in the process. If I leave like this, even if I surpass Michael's achievements, I won't have any sense of accomplishment!"

"Besides..."

"Without me, this team has no hope, but as long as I am here... the Pacers will always be the most favorable contender for the championship, and no one can question it!"

The reporter finished asking his questions.

Then another reporter stood up, this time asking Larry Bird: "It's good news that Suwan is staying, so we want to know how the Pacers' next reconstruction will proceed."

Bird just smiled and said, "It's simple. We will select a super genius comparable to Suwan in this year's draft! So, wish us good luck!"

Just one sentence made the atmosphere a lot more relaxed.

At the same time, no further information was provided about the Pacers' subsequent actions.

Just like that, the press conference specially held for Su Wan's contract renewal ended successfully.

Those teams in the league who are eager to pursue Su Wan are just like many people's secret love, which ends before it even begins.

The media were shocked by Su Wan's choice.

Including Barkley.

But he suddenly thought of his ambition when he was young.

young people……

Is such that!

But it is precisely because of this group of young people who are full of vigor and never give up when faced with difficulties that such a vibrant alliance has been formed.

Recalling his youth, Barkley, who had been yelling "Fuck Jordan" in his mind all day, suddenly realized the fundamental reason why he guessed wrong about Suwan's choice:
Su Wan is a brilliant genius.

How could he, who is so proud and arrogant, leave just because the team is in such a mess?
On the contrary, he will find it challenging!
However, at Madison Square Garden, Donnie Walsh's eyes lit up when he heard that Suwan had only signed a 2+1 contract. It just so happened that the New York Knicks he took over were in disarray. He could accumulate some chips, and when Suwan's contract expired, he could sit at the poker table and snatch Suwan away!
He is not the only one who has the same idea, other players' general managers also have the same idea.

The main reason is that there are too many "giant" teams now.

In the East, there are the Boston Celtics, and in the West, there are the Los Angeles Lakers.

These two teams are probably the main theme of the next league championship battle.
Since they are just runners-up anyway, they might as well play badly and compete for high draft picks, select some young talents, and then use them to bet on Suwan...

Ok……

You've heard of players playing badly for the No. 1 pick, but have you heard of players playing badly for a player who might become a free agent in two years?

Well, now you see it!
The reason...

Since Suwan can stay for the Pacers for another 2 to 3 years, there is no need to worry when we get him. He will choose to run away because of poor performance. He will definitely lead the team until the final rise!
They had reason to think so, because that's what Su Wan did!

In any case, after Suwan signed this contract, he had become the biggest "big fish" in the summer of 2010.

After the press conference, Larry Bird unexpectedly received a call from Shaquille O'Neal.

"You mean...you're going to join the Pacers?"

He knew that Shaquille O'Neal had been pardoned.

But he never expected that O'Neal actually came for Suwan and the Pacers.

It shouldn’t be!

What has Su Wan done to him?
But think about what the media said after Kobe won the championship...

"Big Bird" also understands it a little.

how to say!

There are many kinds of enemies. A "nemesis" like Suwan can only defeat "middle-aged and elderly sharks". The media will only think that Shaq is old, but will not deny his past achievements.

But it’s different when Kobe wins the championship.

The most fatal thing is not that he won the championship before Shaquille O'Neal.

The most fatal point is...

He won the championship, but Shaq didn't. So the saying "Shaq is nothing without Kobe" is true.

Even his championship MVP will be questioned!

This is what Shaquille O'Neal couldn't stand.

If some media in the future really say that Shaquille O'Neal is not worthy of winning the "Three Consecutive Championship MVP", he will have no way to defend himself without the fourth championship.

If you understand this, you will understand why Shaquille O'Neal is so anxious to win the championship.

"But man, you know the relationship between you and Su Wan, I can't just agree to this!" Bird directly pointed out the key to Shaq joining the team, "This matter must be approved by Su Wan, so... do you understand what I mean?"

Shaq smiled shrewdly and then called Su Wan.

In the end, Su Wan didn't answer.

But Shaq was not discouraged and called Su Wan again.

This time, Suwan finally got through. Before Shaquille O'Neal could speak, Suwan spoke first: "Sorry, Shaquille, I thought you dialed the wrong number. In order to avoid embarrassment for both of us, I chose to hang up directly. You should understand, right?"

Shaquille O'Neal was begging for help, and his tone was as flattering as it could be: "How could that be, Su Wan, even if you hung up on me a hundred times, I wouldn't care, this is the best punishment for me!"

"Since you said so..." Su Wan hung up the phone again.

Shaquille O'Neal took a deep breath.

To be honest, he knew that this was a difficult thing to do, but he didn't expect Su Wan to be so disrespectful to him.

but……

For the championship, for the championship!
Shaq!

To prove that you can win the championship without Kobe, put aside all your unhappiness and pride!
He called Su Wan again: "Look, man, like I said, I won't be angry."

Su Wan didn't hang up this time: "Okay, Shaq, tell me why you called me. I think we are not just casually chatting, right?"

"It's like this... Sue, you know Kobe has won the championship, and I want to win it, too. I think with you here, I can definitely win my fourth championship in my career!"

What Shaquille O'Neal originally wanted to say was, I'll help you deal with Kevin Garnett and Perkins.

But the fact that Su Wan hung up on him twice made him realize how much Su Wan hated him.

He believed that if he really said that, Su Wan would immediately say, "I don't need it!"

Then hang up directly.

So he changed his stance.

Since you have decided to be a whore, what is the point of having a chastity archway?
threw!

Shaq lowered his posture and spoke out about his dilemma.

Su Wan asked, "Why should I help you?"

Shaquille O'Neal said, "Think about it, Sue. LeBron didn't win the championship with me, but I led him to the Eastern Conference Finals! But if you win the championship with me, wouldn't that make LeBron inferior again? I'm afraid the Cleveland media will regret it even more by then!"

O'Neal also accurately grasped what Su Wan was thinking.

He has two major hobbies:

Not only did he win the championship, he also surpassed Jordan, and he also "slapped" Cleveland in the face.

O'Neal's proposal made Su Wan feel that this was something worth trying.

He also knew about Shaquille O'Neal's pardon, and now he also knew the reason why Shaquille O'Neal was pardoned.

To be honest, it feels pretty good.

He relented.

Shaquille O'Neal hurried to find Larry Bird happily.

When "Big Bird" heard Su Wan give in, he also breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew very well that if Shaquille O'Neal was willing to come to this team, it would definitely be a great help.

While the two sides were discussing the contract details, Bird still had a "mini-mid-level salary" that he hadn't used, worth about 3 million. Shaquille O'Neal originally wanted to join the Pacers even if he had to take a veteran minimum contract. Now that he heard that Bird was willing to give him a "mini-mid-level salary," he was very moved.

He knew that Bird was doing this to save his face as much as possible.

After all, he is also a future "Mount Rushmore" player.

It's really sad to do this just for a championship ring.

But everyone knows that if he doesn't win this championship now, his ranking in the future will not even be higher than Kobe, which is something he will never allow!
The contract was finalized, but it won't be made public until July 7.

However, since Shaq's joining is a foregone conclusion, Larry Bird must then make some changes to the team's roster.

Zach Randolph, Shaquille O'Neal...

The addition of these two players means that the team's future playing style will change.

Moreover, the Celtics and the Lakers are currently the two most powerful teams in the league.

If the Pacers want to win the championship, they must try to limit their numbers.

As the defensive quality of the "small lineup" will definitely not improve, the Pacers' style of play in the new season must shift towards "positional warfare."

Then a high-quality point guard is essential!

Bird took a look at the players on the roster who could be used as bargaining chips in a trade.

First up is Dior.

He is better at "running battles", and he has no room to play in the Pacers' system in the new season.

And then there was Foster…

Shaquille O'Neal, Zach Randolph, and the upcoming cheaper Marc Gasol, can all replace Foster's role.

Others, including Millsap, can actually be traded.

Of course, before that, he still had to call Su Wan to inform him of his actions.

Su Wan expressed his understanding.

The so-called "dynasty sequelae" is essentially a deformed lineup or a serious aging of the average age of the lineup.

In such circumstances, a transaction is inevitable!

No one can win the championship with an aging and deformed lineup, not even Michael Jordan. Didn’t you see that a good brother like Oakley left after he said he would?
The same goes for Su Wan.

Moreover, by forcing so many inside players to stay, the result is that no one has playing time, and eventually their contracts expire, which harms the players sitting on the bench.

They are not young anymore. If they really sit on the bench until they die, there will be only one result:
That means the contract renewal will be significantly reduced!

It would be better to let them all go to other teams to become the main force and get big contracts.

Just look at Calderon. Although the Raptors' record has not changed significantly with his arrival, his record after playing last season was 14.3 points and 6.7 assists. Coupled with his efficiency that almost made it into the "180 Club", plus his championship experience, he is worth at least an 8 million contract.

The Pacers already have Zach Randolph, and now they have Shaquille O'Neal, so the Pacers' style of play in the new season will definitely be positional offense, so the number one position becomes crucial.

Suwan's vision has reached the league's top level, but his passing ability is still insufficient.

Moreover, if he is asked to organize the team's movement, it will inevitably affect his concentration on the offensive end.

So Su Wan could imagine that Larry Bird's next plan would definitely be to use the extra inside combat power to exchange for a reliable number one position.

The result was not beyond Su Wan's expectations.

The next day, the 08 draft arrived as scheduled.

The Chicago Bulls, who won the No. 1 pick with a very low probability, were delighted to select Derrick Rose.

Ok……

If Rose had not been born in Chicago, Suwan would really believe that the Bulls were lucky to get this pick.

Then the Miami Heat selected Michael Beasley, known as "Left-Handed Durant", with the second pick.

Judging from Beasley's current reputation, there is nothing wrong with the Heat signing him.

Later, Beasley also demonstrated his unstoppable scoring ability as long as he was in good form.

The only problem was that his condition was too unstable and he had no competitive spirit. He just treated playing basketball as a job and was a "drug addict" addicted to smoking marijuana. In the end, his achievements were far from the ceiling of his talent.

But again...

Su Wan never feels sorry for people who waste their talents.

With the third pick in the first round, the Timberwolves selected OJ Mayo and then sent him to the Grizzlies.

Mayo's subsequent achievements were just so-so, and he even ruined his NBA career because of doping issues.

But his template is worth mentioning. The first "Joe on, Kobe down" in the NBA was not Green of the Rockets, but OJ Mayo.

His physical talent can be seen from this aspect!

If it weren't for Derrick Rose's incredible talent, to be honest, Mayo's reputation would be enough to make him the No. 1 pick.

With the fourth pick in the first round, the Seattle SuperSonics selected an unexpected name:

Russell Westbrook: (36:45)

If the Sonics management's acquisition of Kevin Durant last year was a popular choice, then acquiring the future "Divine Turtle" this year was something no one expected and was accompanied by some doubts.

Combined with the fact that the Sonics chose James Harden with the third pick in the first round next year, it also caused controversy...

It can be seen that the Sonics' scouting system is really quite capable.

The Thunder’s future “second brother” has officially entered the league!
With the fifth pick in the first round, the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were entering a rebuilding period, chose Kevin Love.

Take a look at the names of the top five picks!
The quality is really high.

There are three All-Stars among the five of them...

The New York Knicks then selected Gallinari with the sixth pick in the first round.

With the seventh pick in the first round, the Clippers selected Eric Gordon, the future "Round Face Gordon".

Then the Nets, with the eleventh pick in the first round, selected Brook Lopez.

Until the 13th pick in the first round.

Suwan was excited. This is the Pacers' pick this season.

Larry Bird's final choice was:
Robin Lopez!
This choice made Su Wan stunned.

Still choose the inside line?

Then the big screen on site gave the instant transaction.

Seeing a large number of names suddenly appear, not only the fans at the scene were stunned, but Su Wan was also stunned.

Larry Bird specifically asked him to watch tonight's draft and told him there would be a surprise.

He really didn't expect that the surprise would be so big.

This is a three-way transaction.

And two of the parties in this transaction were very familiar to Su Wan:

The Pistons and the Nuggets!
"The Pistons sent Chauncey Billups, the 09 first-round pick and Afflalo to the Nuggets in exchange for Allen Iverson and Boris Diaw from the Pacers;"

"The Nuggets sent Allen Iverson to the Pacers in exchange for Foster, Robin Lopez and the Pistons' 09 first-round pick;"

"The Pacers sent Robin Lopez, Foster, and Diaw to the Pistons and got Chauncey Billups and Arron Afflalo!"

The 04 Finals MVP is about to join the Pacers!

After seeing the deal, Suwan quickly took out his cell phone and called Larry Bird, asking him how he convinced the Nuggets to give up Billups.

Bird was stunned for a moment: "The Nuggets didn't want Chauncey! They didn't even know that the Pistons were willing to send Chauncey!"

Then Su Wan found out that Bird was the leader of this three-party transaction.

He learned through his intelligence network that the Pistons were planning to trade Billups, so he contacted Joe Dumars to discuss the deal.

Joe Dumars told him that although they were willing to send Billups, the prerequisite was to get a star player to boost the Pistons' market.

Then Bird immediately thought of Allen Iverson.

I quickly contacted the general manager of the Nuggets, and after a few heart-to-heart talks, I immediately knew what the general manager of the Nuggets was thinking. Denver had two ideas for the summer, one was to clear out Allen Iverson's contract, and the other was to improve the weak inside line.

Kenyon Martin's condition has been getting worse every year since he was seriously injured, and they need a more solid inside line.

When Bird heard this, he immediately put forward the idea of ​​​​the steady Foster, and selected the athletic power forward Robin Lopez with the rookie pick, and added Nene, who was already on the Nuggets, to form the "New Denver Three Talls".

By the way, Allen Iverson can also be cleaned up.

The general manager of the Nuggets was very excited when he heard about this good news.

I agreed immediately.

Su Wan listened to the cause and effect and couldn't help but sigh:
The order of appearance in life is really important!
In this way, Billups, who was supposed to go to the plateau to do something big with Anthony, was intercepted and came to the Pacers.

The Pacers have a perfect player at the point guard position in the new season.

The outside world was talking about the Pacers as they completed their first high-quality upgrade before the free market opened.

But before they could finish discussing this matter.

On July 7, the Pacers announced that they had signed Shaquille O'Neal with a "mini-mid-level contract," which completely ignited the free market.

no……

What about the reconstruction?

Pacers, you call this a rebuilding team!
First update today. Please vote for me!!!

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(End of this chapter)