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Chapter 208 The Gun Gate and the GOAT Who Was Killed by Countermeasures (First Update! Begging for Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets!)
Before the start of each season, the league holds a meeting to determine the tone for the new season.

Just a week ago, the NBA officially announced its new slogan – BIG-things-are-coming.

Considering the reshuffling of teams in the free agent market this summer, this is undoubtedly a very fitting promotional slogan for the 10/11 season.

However.
A sudden earthquake
However, this caused the league's newly released slogan to turn into a boomerang overnight.

This earthquake can be traced back to the trade involving Andrew Bynum that the Philadelphia 76ers and the Memphis Grizzlies completed this summer.

In this unusually lively summer, the trade between the 76ers and the Grizzlies initially did not cause any waves.

ESPN and many other media outlets also gave limited coverage to this deal.

Until the 76ers' preseason training camp arrived.

10 month 4 day.

During a card game following a team practice session, Bynum, with a stroke of luck, won $4000 from his teammate Crittenton.
So, after the game ended
Feeling extremely upset, Crittenton asked Bynum to return the $200 that Bynum had borrowed from Boykins during the game.

"Of course I'll return the prize to Earl, but I won't listen to a rookie like you," Bynum said arrogantly. "And you better watch your mouth!"

If Bynum had done as he said and returned the $200 prize to Boykins afterwards, the subsequent events might not have happened.

But two days later, when Crittenton brought it up with Bynum again...
Bynum retorted, "You're just a blabbermouth who can't even get a shot off. I told you, I'm not going to listen to you. Who the hell do you think you are?"

Upon hearing this, Crittenton flew into a rage and had a heated argument with Bynum.

As the argument escalated, Bynum, who joined the 76ers with a savior complex, lost his temper and said, "If you keep babbling like that, believe me, I'll shove you into a car and set it on fire."

Seeing this, Crittenton sneered, "If you dare to do this, I dare to bring a gun!"

Bynum, who had developed a habit of bullying others during his time with the Grizzlies, scoffed, "So what if you carry a gun? You think you're the only bastard who carries a gun?"

A day later, before the 76ers' team practice began, Bynum, as expected, brought three loaded guns to the team's locker room and pointed to the locker, saying, "I brought the gun you wanted. To be fair, I can let you, you bastard, choose one first."

In Bynum's view, most people would have been terrified and wet themselves upon seeing such a scene.

Unfortunately, Crittenton was no ordinary man.

The next second, Crittenton cocked a revolver with a Western movie move and pointed it at Bynum's head, saying, "Save your stuff!"

Inside the 76ers' locker room, Crittenton and Bynum pointed guns at each other.
In this incredibly tense moment, John Wall, the 76ers' rookie drafted this year, immediately ran out of the locker room as if his soul had left his body.

And Andre Iguodala, who has been the team's decision-maker for the past few years, quickly called in the team's security.

As for Bynum, who originally just wanted to scare Crittenton?
During the standoff with Crittenton, Bynum was already terrified by the possibility that Crittenton might pull the trigger at any moment.

According to Boykins, one of the victims, "Those few minutes were probably the most agonizing minutes of my life. I kept trying to dissuade Galivas from firing. Fortunately, Andrew did not continue to provoke Galivas, allowing Galivas to unleash his fury on him for seven or eight minutes, which finally calmed Galivas down."

Bynum escaped unscathed because of his habitual bullying of the weak and fear of the strong.

However, this egregious gun-related incident immediately made the Philadelphia 76ers the brightest star in the NBA before the start of the new season.

"This is what the league is all about: 'Big things are coming'! The new season hasn't even started yet, and we almost witnessed two NBA players pulling out guns and going head-to-head like in a Western movie!"

Fueled by extensive media coverage, the enraged alliance swiftly launched an investigation into the incident.

So, here's the question.
Just how badly did this gun incident, which was similar to one in Qin Yue's memory except that the protagonist was Bynum instead of Arenas, have affected?
The answer is that if this incident had occurred before the Dallas incident, it could very well have influenced the outcome of the new NBA labor negotiations.

"I told you so long ago, we shouldn't have given these players such good treatment!"

At the league owners' meeting, Jordan angrily said, "Look what these bastards have done! The new season hasn't even started yet, and they've already done an irreparable damage to the image of the entire NBA!"

Clippers owner Donald Sterling told Stern in an unequivocal tone, "If I had known that the players would treat us this way, I definitely wouldn't have agreed to sign the new collective bargaining agreement!"

“What a ‘BIG-things-are-coming’! Now we’ve become the laughingstock of the four major sports leagues!” Bucks owner Herb Cole scoffed from the side.

Under pressure from team owners across the league, Stern swiftly imposed severe penalties on the two main figures in the gun possession incident, Bynum and Crittenton, suspending them for the entire season.

Meanwhile, Derek Fisher, the president of the players' union, approached Qin Yue with a look of utter distress: "Now the owners are all pointing the finger at us, what should we do?"

Qin Yue knew that the players' union was indeed in the wrong in this incident.

But for these owners who are trying to shift all the blame onto the players...
Qin Yue said, "Since these bosses are so righteous, why don't they try to use their connections to persuade the US Congress to ban guns?"

As is well known, the United States has always had its own national circumstances regarding gun control.

Therefore, in Qin Yue's view
After the gun incident, the league should consider how to establish corresponding regulations to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, rather than simply shifting all the responsibility to the players.

"Derrick, what are the players' opinions on the gun ban?" Qin Yue asked.

“According to the unspoken rules, bringing a gun to the locker room has always been our bottom line,” Fisher said. “Generally speaking, we would internally punish any player who dares to bring a gun to the locker room.”

Punishment?

Actually, Fisher was underestimating the situation.

According to past NBA practice, bringing a gun to the locker room and using it to intimidate teammates means you've decided to end your own career.

Historically, Arenas's hasty departure and Crittenton's inability to find work in the NBA were precisely because they seriously violated the common bottom line among players.

“Derrick, I completely agree with the league’s decision to punish Andrew and Galivas, as well as their proposal to implement a gun ban in the NBA locker room,” Qin Yue said to Fisher. “But we can’t let them put all the blame on us, understand?” Upon hearing this, Fisher looked troubled and said, “But once the new gun ban is passed, it also means that players will have no privacy in the locker room.”

Indeed, the complexity of gun-related incidents in history is also related to the fact that the NBA's push for new gun control laws inevitably infringes on players' freedom.

In America, where everything is sacrificed for freedom.
Compared to the harm caused by guns or even drugs, Americans have always been more concerned about whether they can continue to enjoy their original freedom.

“Derek, we shouldn’t see the new gun control bill as a deprivation of our freedom,” Qin Yue said. “It should be a deal.”

Seeing this, Fisher, who felt that it was a waste of Qin Yue's talent not to become a politician, suddenly realized and said, "You mean..."

Qin Yue said, "What I mean is, as long as the bosses are willing to work with us to take a percentage of their BRI revenue as a benefit for passing the new gun control bill, I think most players would not refuse to have a safer working environment."

As someone who's been there, Qin Yue knows that the so-called priceless freedom is often just a matter of not paying the right price.

Within the player community, both now and in the future, why are superstars always the benchmark for leading gun control, except for a small minority?

Because compared to that damn freedom, superstars are clearly more concerned about their safety.

After all, how can they enjoy the tens of millions of dollars they earn every year without adequate personal safety guarantees?

Therefore, if a new gun control bill is to be passed, the players who need to be appeased are actually the lower and middle-level players.

As for whether the owners of each team will agree to this trade?
A few days later, Fisher brought Qin Yue a reply from the league's top brass.

As it turns out, after the gun incident, the determination of the league's top officials, led by Stern, to promote a new gun ban within the NBA far exceeded that of the past.

However, a transaction is a transaction.
It is clear to the naked eye that the negative impact of this gun incident on the NBA cannot be eliminated in a short period of time.

According to Fisher, although Qin Yue had recently led the players' union to a remarkable comeback in Dallas, the owners of the league's teams are also holding back their anger.

This made Fisher feel...
The next labor negotiations will undoubtedly bring unprecedented pressure from the owners.

But Qin Yue from the future knew very well
If the NBA can continue to expand its influence in the coming years and sign that lucrative television broadcasting deal, then the current series of conflicts between the labor and management sides will naturally be resolved.

……

In October, due to the negative impact of the gun incident, the NBA deliberately avoided using their previously chanted slogan "BIg-things-are-coming" when promoting the preseason games.

Qin Yue, who had been given a break by head coach Malone and only returned to the team for joint training just before the start of the regular season, has shifted his focus back to the court.

10 month 27 day.

In the game where the team easily defeated the Memphis Grizzlies at home, Qin Yue officially received his third championship ring and witnessed the raising of another championship banner with his teammates at Oracle Arena.

After that, Qin Yue, who had not engaged in high-intensity training for nearly two months since the World Championships,
He quickly used his spectacular shooting performances on the court to help the league divert some of the attention from the gun incident.

Throughout November, Qin Yue's overall field goal percentage was only 45%, and his three-point percentage was even lower at 29%.

This summer, to avoid Qin Yue, who had just finished the Finals and was about to play in the World Championships, falling into a high risk of injury due to fatigue, both Ma Long and Grover intended to let Qin Yue indulge himself during the holidays.

Therefore, when the regular season officially begins, Qin Yue will naturally need to spend more time than usual to get a feel for the game.

As for the [The.Zone] badge that Qin Yue previously obtained?
I'm sorry, but given Qin Yue's performance in November, even if he has gained the right to freely enter "The.Zone", he will quickly lose the boost that "The.Zone" brings him during the competition.

The new GOAT is in a slump.

The Warriors, who dominated the league with 75 wins last season, only managed 9 wins and lost 5 games throughout November.
In an effort to find the reasons for the defending champions' losses in the new season, almost all Warriors fans online have become basketball experts.

Ultimately, this group of Warriors fans reached a consensus that
Considering that the Warriors are a team where only Qin Yue can play efficiently, the reason for their poor performance in the new season must be that the hateful Elizabeth Olsen has shut down our GOAT!

That's right. In the eyes of Warriors fans, a player of Qin Yue's caliber would never perform poorly for no reason!

Moreover, Qin Yue has always been a favorite among Bay Area fans.
Therefore, even if Qin Yue's poor performance was indeed due to his own reasons, Warriors fans should not attribute this to Qin Yue.

then
In December, after Qin Yue had spent a lot of time and effort to win over the girl he had persuaded, she accepted the invitation and appeared in the courtside seats at Oracle Arena.
Warriors fans immediately expressed their anger at the Hollywood up-and-coming actress who had shut down the GOAT with a deafening chorus of boos.

Without a doubt, this was a scene that Qin Yue had not anticipated before the start of the regular season.

On the night of the game, Olsen, who was supposed to have a date with Qin Yue, fled Oracle Arena in a disheveled state.

After adapting in November, Qin Yue, whose competitive form was gradually improving, realized that he had to use a match to protect Olsen, whom he had finally managed to win over.
The new GOAT, driven by a rage for his beloved, immediately set his sights on the Christmas Day game.

That will be a key game where the Warriors will host the New York Knicks.

"Mike, I'll try to take as many shots as possible in the upcoming games," Qin Yue said to Malone before the Christmas Day game against the Knicks, when they still had ten games to play to get back into form.

Malone laughed and said, "I support you no matter how you want to play. Anyway, our primary task in the first half of the season is to help you find your form."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yue instinctively clenched his fist.

Meanwhile...
With the first month of the new NBA season over, the league, still deeply troubled by the gun incident, has never before had such a moment of anticipation for those superstars to stage a game that can save the world in the near future.

Although the NBA is essentially a business league.

But basketball is ultimately a competitive sport.

therefore
To truly eliminate the impact of the gun incident, the NBA needs superstars to deliver performances on the court that can divert public attention.
That kind of earth-shattering, awe-inspiring competition will surely be recorded in history.
……

PS: The first update is late, but it's here! (The second update today will definitely be written very late, so I'll schedule it for 8 AM on the 29th after I finish writing it. Also, after the second update, I'll use a free chapter to update Qin Yue's ability values.)
(End of this chapter)