Champions Creed

Chapter 297 Chapter 296: The former helper has become the biggest threat (asking for monthly tickets)

Roger once again defeated his fellow No. 1 pick Webber, and Michael Jordan was not surprised by the result.

He was teammates with Chris Webber for a year, and he knew very well that guy had no chance of becoming a true superstar.

Mentality? Chris Webber's mentality is indeed a problem, but he has not even reached the stage of competing with others in mentality.

In Michael Jordan's eyes, Chris Webber's ability has already reached his ceiling.

As a power forward, he neither has strong enough scoring dominance nor defensive influence to change the game.

Webber has only five games in his career where he has scored 5+ points, and his defense has only been decent until this season, far from excellent.

As for the so-called splendor and organization, they are just icing on the cake.

If glamour could make a living, the Kings wouldn't have traded white chocolate for Mike Bibby.

As a power forward, Chris Webber's dominance is even less than that of Karl Malone.

Even though Karl Malone has basically lost his popularity, the discussion of the best power forward is between Webber, KG, Duncan and even Rasheed Wallace. But in fact, except for Duncan, the others can't be compared with Malone at all.

If you look closely at Karl Malone's achievements and games, you will find that he is only weak in front of Roger. The difference between him and those great names is that he has never encountered a good finals opponent.

Nike actually expects Webber to do something that even someone as strong as Karl Malone can't do?

They really lost their minds.

You can't expect an incompetent guy to beat Roger by using the Princeton system.

Roger has proved that he can break away from the influence of the Sharks to win the game, break away from the control of Steve Smith to win the game, break away from the control of Steve Smith to win the game after Scott Pippen is old, and break away from the seven-second offense to kill the opponent.

What about Webber? He couldn't even keep Stephen Jackson at bay. That's the difference between the two.

Michael Jordan looked at the kid next to him and realized that this was the one who could really help Nike turn around.

After watching the game, LeBron James did not comment on either side, but told Jordan: "They both played great enough, but victory often belongs to only one person."

Since this summer, 16-and-a-half-year-old LeBron James has become Michael Jordan's guest of honor.

He was invited by Jordan to train with a bunch of AJ's NBA players, and he was often photographed having dinner with Michael Jordan. Today, it was just another ordinary "date night" between Jordan and him.

Because Michael Jordan is now a minority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and often stays in Cleveland, his closeness with James goes far beyond the original timeline.

People didn't think there was anything wrong with a high school student receiving such treatment. After all, No. 23 was already a nationally renowned super basketball star.

He led his team to a perfect victory in his freshman season, something Roger did only in his senior year.

And as you know, Roger and Jordan didn't even make the school basketball team as freshmen in high school.

He successfully defended his title in his sophomore season and became the first sophomore basketball player in Ohio history. The following summer, he attended Roger's training camp and was on par with this year's top pick, Kwame Brown.

The New York Times believes that James should have participated in the draft in his sophomore year of high school, even if he did so he still had a chance to become the No. 1 pick.

ESPN sent a team to follow and film James' senior season to collect footage for the documentary. Before this, only superstars like Jordan and Roger had this treatment.

He can dunk like Vince Carter, pass like Magic, hit three-pointers like Roger, control the game like Michael Jordan, and charge like a football star.

He is simply omnipotent, and all the words of praise in the English world have become clichés when applied to him.

Although he is young, he already has a famous nickname: The King.

So, Michael Jordan trusts his own judgment.

Michael Jordan has always had high hopes for James. He had long hoped to select James in 2003 and change the fate of the Cavaliers.

Now, Jordan expects more from him.

He is not only responsible for reviving the Cavaliers, but also for reviving the Nike brand.

If Reebok's signing of Roger in 1993 was the greatest signing in the history of sports brands since 1984.

Nike's signing of LeBron James in 2003 would be the greatest signing in the history of sports brands since 1993.

Michael Jordan believes that the only thing he is missing from becoming a godfather-level trader is LeBron James.

As long as LeBron James becomes a member of his camp, as long as MJ and LBJ appear on the same stage in 2003, all the downward trends will be reversed.

Of course, even Jordan, whose career achievements were cut in half by Roger, would not deliberately try to please a high school student.

He does want James to be a part of his camp, but he won't lower his profile.

The biggest reason why Jordan and LeBron James are close is because of Jordan's admiration for him. Even if they can't work together, Jordan still admires this kid.

Not only does he perform well on the court, but off the court, he speaks in a sophisticated, mature and humble manner, and it is a pleasure to talk to him.

Even after another 20 years, Roger's mouth will never be as good as that of 16 and a half year old James!

He has the same talent as Roger, but without Roger's domineering personality.

His understanding of the game far exceeds that of other people of his age, and Jordan agrees very much with James's point of view just now.

"You are right, LeBron. There is only one winner, so you must always try to be the winner. Cowards will inevitably be crushed to pieces in the game. This is the truth of competitive sports."

"I'll try, sir."

"Very good, I'll ask someone to take you back. Your mother must be worried. If you need anything, feel free to call me."

"Thank you, sir."

"Call me Michael."

"Thank you, Michael."

After James left, Juanita started clearing the table.

Seeing her husband looking at the Akron boy's back and reluctant to look away, she joked, "You seem to care about him more than your own son."

"I was just admiring a basketball player, Juan. I was thinking it might be wonderful to play with him."

"Wait a minute, Mike, do you really want to come back and play with him in 2003?" Juanita was a little surprised. She thought Jordan was just casually talking about his comeback.

After all, in 2003, Michael Jordan was already 40 years old.

It is not uncommon to play in the NBA at the age of 40. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was still shining in the finals when he was 41.

But at that time, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was just an ordinary starting center. Would the proud Michael Jordan be willing to be an ordinary starting player?
Jordan thought for a moment, then slowly spoke: "If we can really choose him, why not? A great player should have a great enough start. Sooner or later, he will make Cleveland a championship team. Sooner or later, he will personally end Roger's reign. And I will be the director of all this!"

Michael Jordan was very confident that Roger's reign would be ended by one person. In the destiny, that person's name must be LeBron James!
Jordan doesn't mind taking revenge on Roger as a trader, and doesn't mind ruling the league again as a trader.

There was still a year and a half before the 2003 draft, and Jordan believed that the wait was worth it. The next day, the major newspapers were not so enthusiastic about the coverage of the Hawks vs. Kings game.

Because many writers were scolded by editors after writing overnight: "Is this your fucking professional writing level? Roger defeating Chris Webber is not worth reporting at all. No one will be interested in such a matter of course! Damn it, go back and rewrite some news that can arouse readers' interest!"

So today, many newspaper headlines have become like this.

"Chris Webber breaks up with black supermodel Tyra Banks over suspected bisexuality."

"Chris is suspected to be gay, and his partner is a bald man."

"Spread the word, Chris is suspected of dating Mike Bibby!"

Chris Webber was very angry and said, you might as well report that I lost the game!
It would be even better to report that I was caught trading with a senior employee of the Gold Club in Atlanta last night. That would at least prove that my religious orientation is normal!
Mike Bibby was the last one to board the bus from the hotel to the airport. At this time, only the seat next to Webber was empty.

Bibby glanced at Webber, hesitated for a moment, and then squeezed next to Divac and Peja: "Brothers, squeeze in, there's no room."

Weber: ???
Because of these reports, the Kings locker room has experienced the biggest crisis of trust.

There is no way, only news like this can arouse the interest of fans.

In short, Roger's defeat of Weber itself did not cause much response.

It was just an ordinary victory in Roger's brilliant career.

But for Stephen Jackson, this is definitely a milestone game in his career.

The next day at training, Stephen Jackson saw Roger in the locker room and greeted him as usual.

Roger rarely talked to Stephen Jackson on weekdays. No matter what he did, he was like air in Roger's eyes.

reason?

As Roger said in preseason training camp: You're just a guy who could be cut the next day, so there's no need for me to waste my breath on you.

Today Stephen Jackson didn't expect Roger to respond to him, but as soon as he opened his locker door, he heard Roger's voice: "Good morning Stephen, although Chris is an insignificant opponent, I still have to say that you played well yesterday."

Roger just said something casual, but Stephen Jackson stood there in a daze, and after a few seconds he couldn't help but grinning.

When Roger no longer ignored Stephen Jackson, it could only mean one thing - Roger began to treat Stephen Jackson as a real teammate.

This is the fact. Stephen Jackson has proved with his actions that he is qualified to be a formal member of the team.

Of course, this doesn't mean Stephen Jackson is safe.

His contract requires him to play the entire regular season to get the guaranteed portion, which is obviously his biggest goal this season.

Therefore, he still needs to keep working hard.

Stephen Jackson rounded out the Hawks' rotation, which kept the Hawks from losing their first game of the season until November 11.

On November 11, the Hawks played against the Detroit Pistons, and the Palace of Auburn Hills became the first place to bury the Hawks this season.

A few years ago, when Joe Dumars decided to let Grant Hill go, the former Pistons guard even received death threats.

Detroit fans believe that if Hill is released, the Pistons will experience an extremely long dark season.

But just two years later, the Detroit Pistons made a comeback.

This summer, Joe Dumars formed a combination of Hamilton, Artest and Big Ben.

This lineup does not look that strong on paper. Although Ben Wallace is a top-paid player, he is useless on the offensive end. Artest has good talent, but not to the point where people are willing to build a team around him, and Hamilton is not considered to have the potential to become a superstar.

But in the game, they even made the Pistons play more dominantly than during Hill's time.

In this era where both hand-checks and zone defenses are allowed, the defensive combination of Artest and Ben Wallace is enough to become a nightmare for all teams in the league.

Richard Hamilton is becoming the league's most efficient off-ball scorer as he focuses on off-ball offense.

In the game against the Hawks, they first pinned the Hawks down with their excellent defense, and then in the final moments, they relied on Hamilton's two mid-range shots to deliver the final blow.

Under Artest's extremely aggressive defense, even Roger found it difficult to advance smoothly. Big Ben was like a fish in water under the double-team defense rules, making full use of his mobility to cover the entire half court.

The most commendable thing is that when Ben is helping outside the restricted area, he can always return to the restricted area to protect the rebounds. In this regard, he does better than Kevin Garnett.

Therefore, although the Hawks were always able to move Ben away from the restricted area, they did not gain an advantage in the second offense.

In the end, the Pistons won the game at home with a 5-point advantage, giving the Hawks their first loss of the season.

In addition to his excellent performance on the defensive end, Artest also scored 23 points.

As the Pistons' only offensive point with the ball, Artest's touch that night largely determined the outcome of the Pistons' game.

After all, you can't win games by relying on defense alone.

Artest had a good touch today and was very proud of himself after the game: "I have Ben under my wings!"

Big Ben rolled his eyes at Artest and said, "I should have beaten you to death on the training ground!"
Ben was so annoyed with that idiot, but he still told the reporter: "Ron's performance was the key to our victory."

Big Ben and Artest formed a strange tacit understanding of mutual dislike but mutual trust.

After this game, a new opinion emerged in the public opinion circle.

"The Hawks' three-peat plan will be ruined by the stupid management's wrong decision to let Ben go, because the person they let go has become Roger's biggest problem."

As of now, the Pistons seem to be the team in the league most likely to overturn the Hawks except the Lakers, and the cornerstone of the Pistons is precisely Ben Wallace.

If the Pistons led by Big Ben finally stop the Hawks, then it will all be the Hawks management's own fault.

But Bill Simmons scoffed at this claim.

"I'm not denying the stupidity of the Hawks' shareholders. There is no one more stupid than them in this world. But unless the Pistons can find a second hard solution besides Ron Artest, they will never pose a threat to the Hawks.

You can’t expect Ron, who is a very unreliable offensive player, to shine every game.”

What Bill Simmons said makes sense. The Pistons lack sufficient quality hard-hitting solutions, which lowers their ceiling.

They will be a force to be reckoned with in the East, but toppling the Hawks? Still a ways off.

But what Bill Simmons didn't expect was that the Detroit Pistons suddenly made a deal just the day after he published the article.

They acquired Rasheed Wallace from an already chaotic Portland team.

The second hard solution point of sufficient quality was in place unexpectedly.

Roger's former helper has really become the biggest threat.

(End of this chapter)