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Chapter 240 When the King is Crowned Again, When the MVP Award is Uncertain (Two Chapters in a Row!)
While everyone was feeling overwhelmed by Howard's situation
Durant and Harden couldn't believe that this guy actually had the mood to go shopping.

"Let him go," Durant said firmly. "No matter what he can bring us, I don't want to play with a teammate who has no sense of responsibility."

Although, at the core of his personality, Durant does have a cowardly side and a tendency to choose to escape.

But it must be stated that Durant should be mentioned.

Durant is definitely a highly competitive player.

After all, if he weren't aiming to be a winner, why would Durant have chosen to "join if you can't beat them" and "dismantle if you can't win"?
Therefore, when Durant learned that Howard still had the leisure to go shopping, Durant's disgust and aversion to Howard reached its peak instantly.

And what about Harden?

Although, compared to Durant, Harden has never been one to express his opinions within the team.

But as a player with an equally strong competitive spirit, Harden's feelings at this moment are roughly the same as Durant's.

“We’re worried about his future, but he can go shopping without a care in the world,” Harden said. “A teammate like that, are you sure he can help us fight the Messiah?”

And Iguodala, who originally wanted to apologize to Howard and persuade him to stay, changed his mind after Howard was photographed shopping by the media.

Only James.

As a shrewd player, James almost immediately sensed from Howard's tone during the interview that Howard's desire to leave wasn't as resolute as James had imagined.

James understands perfectly well that, to put Howard's words in reverse, it means that as long as the Knicks can give him the respect he deserves, he can stay.

So now comes the problem.

Does the Knicks need to keep Howard?
At this moment, reason tells James:

necessary.

Why is it necessary?
Putting aside the negative impact Howard had on the Knicks, he is indeed one of the few interior players in the current era who can match Qin Yue in terms of mobility and physique.

In addition, there's still that same problem.

Given that Howard actively chose to be traded, can he really bring the Knicks a center of the same caliber in return?

If not, then the Knicks must consider whether the price they would have to pay to keep Howard is worthwhile.

James knew very well that what Howard wanted in terms of respect was simply to design more low-post isolation plays for him and to make him do less dirty work and tiring work on the court.

In James's view, as long as Howard is willing to play serious defense, the Knicks are not unable to meet the demands of this "giant baby".

Moreover, ever since the game was turned around in last year's Finals, James believes he has quite a bit of experience in "parenting".

Although, in this Knicks team where even LeBron James has to work like a dog, James dislikes Howard's childish behavior more than anyone else.

But in that instant, his strategic thinking and emotional intelligence told James that if he could find a way to keep Howard and win him over with sweet words, he could succeed.
Let's look at it from another angle.
Due to his personality, Howard, who is naturally on the opposite side of Durant and Harden, will inevitably become his future powerful ally.

In James' eyes, players like Howard, who can be appeased with a little sweet talk, are much easier for him to win over than Harden and Iguodala, who are loyal to Durant.

So, at another internal meeting of the Knicks' team committee, James started to pull the strings.

In the meeting room, after explaining the pros and cons of Dwight Howard's future to Durant, Harden, and Iguodala, James said, "The decision is now in your hands. If you agree to let Dwight stay, I'm willing to act as a mediator."

Upon hearing this, Iguodala hesitated and said, "If KD agrees to let Dwight stay, I can apologize to him in person."

And what about Durant?
When the ever-loyal James believed that Howard should stay, even though Durant was extremely disgusted with Howard, Durant still decided to give James face.

Don't ask
The question is, how can anyone not love James when he's twisting the rope so diligently?

"But Brown, you have to tell Dwight that from now on he has to play seriously instead of getting into arguments with his teammates all the time," Durant said to James.

James nodded and smiled, "Don't worry, 'KD,' I will definitely convey your request."

……

Just as James had guessed.

Howard's decision to request a trade immediately after his falling out with Iguodala was clearly just an act of spite.

Especially when James took the initiative to apologize to Howard, realizing that he shouldn't have put too much pressure on him before, he noticed that Howard's tone immediately softened.

So James changed the subject and said, "Dwight, I'm not here to persuade you to stay, but if possible, please let me analyze your current situation for you."

Objectively speaking, James' subsequent analysis of Howard was rational and accurate.

In James's view, it is true that Howard was indeed an All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team center for the past two or three seasons.

But after being kicked out by the magicians.
If Howard is immediately labeled as an outcast in the Knicks, is he sure he can still maintain his current status in the league?
Furthermore, compared to Orlando Multimedia, which has limited energy.

If the New York media believes that Howard ruined their championship hopes, how will Howard maintain his position in the NBA from now on?

Under James's analysis, as Howard, whose IQ was not high enough, gradually calmed down, the giant baby who was sulking for the sake of sulking suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and said, "What you said makes a lot of sense, but what should I do next?"

What should I do?
At that moment, James didn't tell Howard what he should do, but instead analyzed Howard's current situation from another perspective.

"Dwight, do you really think that after you retire, your historical ranking will be above Kwame Brown's?"

"Who is Kwame Brown? What makes him so special?"

"Just because he has four championship rings, and in recent seasons he has averaged close to a double-double."

In James' eyes, Howard, who is also a defensive center, has no advantage over Brown except for his age.

Even though Howard has more individual accolades than Brown.

"Don't you understand, Dwight? Even the most impressive statistics are just fleeting moments. If you can't win a championship ring, you'll probably be seen as someone who isn't even worthy of carrying Kwame Brown's shoes in people's eyes in the future."

Under James's reprimand, Howard finally began to realize the seriousness of the problem.

Although it's a bit far-fetched for LeBron James to say something like "even the most impressive statistics are just fleeting moments."

But there is no denying that every word James said at that moment resonated with Howard.

of course
James's advice to Howard at this moment stems from the fact that statistics are destined to be a burden.
It is only right that he, who has always been selfless, should take responsibility for his teammates.

Seeing that Howard had been completely fooled by him
James then added, "Dwight, you know what? To convince everyone to accept you back, I basically offended all my teammates." "Brown."

"In short, as long as you are willing to stay, believe me, I will definitely help you actively fight for the respect you want."

"Brown, what else can I say?"

The next second, Howard, who was deeply moved by James, said, "I'm willing to stay."

It's obvious that Howard has been completely fooled by James.

Even to the point of.
Howard had originally decided that he wouldn't stay if the Knicks didn't give him a core role in the paint, but he had completely forgotten about that.

James, who successfully persuaded Howard to stay and helped the Knicks weather the storm, undoubtedly became the biggest winner in this farce.

Against Iguodala.

“Andre, you don’t need to apologize to Dwight,” James said. “We all know why you threw that punch. Even if you were 1% wrong, Dwight is responsible for the 99% of his stupidity.”

Against Durant and Harden.

“KD, I know you all don’t like Dwight,” James said calmly, “but in the NBA, some people can be teammates who win games together, even if they can’t be brothers.”

The team's management and coaching staff were in a complete mess.

Without exaggeration
James, who helped the team overcome difficulties, has quietly gained the absolute trust of the team's management and coaching staff.

现在
In the eyes of his teammates, James is a perfect leader who would do anything to win the game.

In the eyes of the team's management, James is a trustworthy figure who can act as a lubricant to resolve internal conflicts within the team.

If you don't understand, just ask. If this kind of LeBron James isn't the rightful leader of the Knicks, then who is?
That's right, even Durant himself probably didn't notice.
James's influence within the Knicks has gradually surpassed and replaced his.

From the very beginning, those who joined the Knicks had to bow their heads under the eaves.

To this day, they hold absolute power.

When LeBron James officially celebrated his 27th birthday at the end of the year, he and his team welcomed the new year. This king, who had lost his crown, re-crowned himself in his own way off the court.

And the other side.
Qin Yue, who had officially turned 28, finally met Danny Green, the player he had been waiting for, after two and a half years of patient waiting.

If we say...
Last December, Draymond Green, who was recalled by the team from the Santa Cruz Warriors, already showed signs of becoming the best 3-and-D player in history among role players.

After entering January, Green was playing for the Warriors.
It was a fairy tale called "Grimm's Fairy Tales".

The New Year's battle will once again pit the Heat against each other.

So what if Dwyane Wade scored 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists against Draymond Green?
The post-game statistics panel showed that Green made 7 of 9 field goals, including 6 of 8 three-pointers, essentially offsetting Wade's scoring impact on the offensive end.

Then, on the 3rd, they played the Hawks away.

In the fourth quarter, Green made all four of his three-point attempts, single-handedly widening the score gap for the Warriors.

That night, Green exploded in the final quarter.
Not only did he help the Warriors, who were in mediocre form that night, narrowly escape defeat, but this defensively skilled swingman also left a very deep impression on Hawks' star player Joe Johnson during the game.

"In my opinion, Dan is a really good player," Johnson said after the game, commenting on Green's performance. "I think he's had a season that has impressed everyone."

Green's recent outstanding performance has undoubtedly made Qin Yue stand up straighter.

Especially when greeting the Warriors' front office led by Larry Riley, Qin Yue would always ask, like a "fisherman who never misses a shot," "How do you know that Dan was a rookie that I insisted on drafting at all costs against all odds?"

To this, Riley, often left speechless, could only reply, "Yes, yes, yes, I know you have good taste, okay?"

Nothing.

Even though Qin Yue's behavior of being so eager to slap the Warriors' management in the face might seem childish to some.

But since men remain boys until death.
Even the most immature GOAT is still a GOAT.

Besides helping Green, who desperately needs to prove himself, to put up even better statistics.
Qin Yue also did not forget his great "Project 411".

截至目前，逐渐通过比赛找回状态的秦岳，已经把他的五项主要技术统计分别提升至了场均34.4分14.8篮板9.5助攻3.5封盖1.6抢断。

He is widely recognized as the god of data in this era.

With the Warriors leading the league in the standings, whether Qin Yue can win the NBA regular season MVP for the third consecutive season has become the most talked-about topic among fans since the beginning of the new year.

As is well known, since Larry Bird, no player in the NBA has ever been able to win the regular season MVP award for three consecutive years.

Even someone as great as Jordan.

They also had to yield to David Stern's so-called basic law for awarding the regular season MVP.

"To be honest, I don't believe the league will award the MVP to any player other than Messiah this season."

Knowing that he had to support his boss in times like these, Brown said on his newly launched social media account, "Legendary Center Kwame Brown Takes You Through the NBA," that "In my opinion, Messiah is the only candidate for this season's NBA regular season MVP!"

"I know people are really looking forward to a new MVP."

As for Qin Yue's right-hand man, Warriors head coach Mike Malone, who always takes pride in praising Qin Yue, said: "But if the league chooses to give the MVP to someone else in the end for the sake of novelty, then I can only say that the regular season MVP award will inevitably become the most worthless award in NBA history."

In fact, Stern knew all too well that Qin Yue was still the MVP of this season.
However, to achieve a three-peat as MVP
Stern set a standard for Qin Yue, the new GOAT, that was destined to be incomparable to others.

Knowing that he had to perform better in the regular season in order to make Stern violate the basic law of awarding the MVP, Qin Yue also made up his mind.

"Mike, I need the team's support after All-Star Weekend."

"No problem, whatever you want to do, we'll go along with it."

Upon hearing this, Ma Long looked up at Qin Yue and laughed, "Even if you want to blow up the Earth with a nuclear bomb, we'll go with you."

……

PS: Two consecutive chapters with over 8,000 words each have been released (I won't be asking for votes today since I didn't reach the 10,000-word update target).

(End of this chapter)