Champion Rules

Chapter 119, Section 115: His integrity is admirable, but his intelligence needs improvement (Seeking monthly votes!)

I first met Lynch at his home on Long Island.

That was a scene I'll never forget; it was incredibly luxurious. When I stepped on the brakes in front of the cast-iron, ornate gates hidden among palm trees, I thought the navigation system had mistakenly led me to the entrance of some park.

The intelligent video access control system was flashing a deep blue light, and through the camera I could hear Lin Qi's lazy voice: "Just drive in, coach. Remember to avoid the east lawn; my peacock is molting."

As the wheels rolled over the French limestone driveway, twelve gardeners were trimming the enormous English rose garden, and the fountains reflected rainbows under the summer sun.

Well, contrary to the rumors, there are no scantily clad maids in his villa.

After parking the car, an astonishingly large swimming pool stretched out in front of the mansion. Floor-to-ceiling windows slid open to either side, and the young man in the silk robe waved to me, then suddenly loosened his belt and leaped into the shimmering pool, swimming directly in front of me.

As water splashed onto my custom-made suit, he had already grasped my fingertips, which were frozen in mid-air, with his wet right hand.

Then he told me, “Want to try my sauna? Or we can talk about how to get the championship banner flying again at Madison Square Garden.”

He was very direct, incredibly confident, and possessed a unique kingly aura. Coupled with his tall stature and perfect muscle definition, even the devils of hell would be afraid of Lin Qi.

Honestly, at that moment I felt as if I could see Caesar walking down Mount Aventino, with the marble steps trembling beneath his feet.

We talked a lot that day, and when we talked about basketball, he completely changed.

He's serious, he's hungry for the championship, and he's definitely not the kind of guy who's content with just one title. Even though he just won the championship, breaking the 33-year shadow that had hung over New York, he hardly talks about the previous season; his conversations with me are always focused on the next championship.

This almost obsessive desire to win amazed me—he was clearly already at the pinnacle, yet he still stared at his prey in the distance like a hungry lion.

As night fell, we drank some alcohol. He had a lot of alcohol stored up because he hardly touched alcohol during the season and stored it all up until the offseason.

We drank rakia, a fruit brandy imported from Serbia, which he told me is a specialty of Serbia. He explained that almost every Serbian meal begins and ends with rakia.

Because it was so easy to drink, I underestimated the strength of the liquor. I embarrassingly vomited on his beautiful lawn as I was leaving. I tried to hold it in, but the acidic stomach acid still surged up my throat and forced through my clenched teeth.

Hahaha, I realized I'd made a damn mistake, but Lynch just patted me on the shoulder, not angry at all: "Coach, next year when we're spraying champagne in the locker room, you'd better come in a little later."

I detected an undeniable certainty in his playful tone, as if the ribbons for next year's championship parade were already wrapped around his fingers.

I must say, it was an impressive first meeting.

I couldn't sleep all night after that meeting, not only because of the lingering effects of the alcohol, but also because I was wondering what would happen if I worked with such a great guy.

I can't wait to work with someone like him; I think we'll succeed.

—Sports Illustrated interviewed Philip Sanders about his first meeting with Lynch.

One day after the Cleveland Cavaliers announced Larry Brown as their new head coach, the New York Knicks also officially announced Flip Saunders as their next head coach.

This was the result of discussions between Sam Presti and Lynch.

Philip Sanders' most notable characteristic is that he has no notable characteristics.

He is a balanced, steady, and moderate head coach.

He's a coach who can maintain a minimum standard but can't raise the ceiling.

The huge gap between his regular season winning percentage and his playoff winning percentage is enough to prove this point.

Initially, Lynch did not think Philip Sanders was a good candidate.

But then I thought, the task of raising the ceiling could be handed over to assistant coach Mike Malone.

Although this young teaching assistant is somewhat inexperienced in actual combat command, his expertise in offensive and defensive system design has already shown the potential to become a top-level tactical master.

To accelerate Mike Malone's development, Sam Presti deliberately created space for him to practice with a highly compatible coach like Flip Saunders. The mild-mannered Saunders could tolerate Malone's straightforward and tough style, and at the same time, he could solidify the team's locker room atmosphere with his excellent team cohesion.

Marbury and Cassell have both worked with Flip Saunders, and they can help the new head coach integrate into the team quickly.

Therefore, Flip Sanders became the final choice for the New York Knicks.

Although Flip Sanders has officially joined the Knicks, the strategic plan for summer recruitment was first proposed by assistant coach Mike Malone.

Lynch's terrifying help defense ability is well known. During last season's training, Mike Malone also discovered Lynch's talent in intercepting passes. After acquiring Eric Snow's stealing talent in the later part of the season, Lynch did indeed show amazing passing anticipation ability on the training field.

Mike Malone wanted to turn Lynch into a pure help defense forward, completely dismantling the opponent's offense through endless switching, sweeping, and steals.

However, the limitations of the current squad make it difficult to fully realize this idea for the time being. Although Nazir Mohammed and Kurt Thomas are tough players, they are limited by their size and have never been able to create enough deterrence in the penalty area. Ultimately, they cannot be considered strong rim protectors.

Not everyone can perform like Ben Wallace, using his small forward height to deliver top-tier rim protection.

Therefore, Lynch had to take on some of the rim protection duties, which seriously limited his strategic value as the ultimate defensive weapon in modern basketball.

Mike Malone needs a center who allows Lynch to go out and sweep without worrying about rim protection, a guy who can set up the last line of defense under the basket.

If the system can be implemented, the Knicks' defense could be even better next season.

Therefore, General Manager Sam Presti's task is to find a strong rim protector with sufficient size, excellent shot-blocking instincts, and mobility, which is the top priority of this summer's recruitment efforts.

Of course, during the arms race of the 2006 offseason, the defending champion Knicks' rivals showed a stronger desire to make signings.

After all, they are now the challengers, and the most aggressive challenger among them is the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In July, after the free agency market opened, Larry Brown brought Tayshaun Prince to Cleveland as promised.

Prince wasn't initially very interested in Cleveland because LeBron James was there, who also firmly held the small forward position, and Prince didn't want to swing to the power forward position.

In the dark era of defense, it was practically suicidal for a player of Prince's size to play the power forward position.

But Larry Brown told Prince that LBJ was willing to play shooting guard.

“He can play all five positions. He’s very unselfish. You can play whichever role you like, and I know how to maximize your abilities. You just need to defend him, catch his pass at the right place and time, and success will be within your grasp.” So the Cavaliers signed him to a 5-year, $4000 million contract—because Prince had always been a substitute in history, and his value wasn’t that high.

Following that, Sam Presti brought good news: the team is close to acquiring Pacers star Jermaine O'Neal.

With the Artest-Peja trade proving to be a complete failure, and after being swept by the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Pacers have decided to rebuild completely.

They have already traded Peja to the Hornets and are now preparing to deal with Jermaine O'Neal, who only played 51 regular season games last season and has begun to be plagued by injuries.

Jermaine O'Neal's trade value isn't high. Although he still had superstar-level ability last season, his contract is too big. His annual salary next season will be nearly 2000 million, and this contract will not expire until 2010.

This deterred most teams from even attempting it.

However, the luxury tax has never been an obstacle for James Dolan. He once paid the luxury tax for the league's bottom-ranked Knicks, so it's only natural that he invests more now for the defending champions.

Sam Presti's strategy is also clear: seize the moment as much as possible.

Jermaine O'Neal's massive contract, which runs until 2010, will certainly impact the team's future, but they can't afford to be hesitant or timid about the future during the championship window.

If you can't even grasp the present, what's the point of talking about the future?
Jermaine O'Neal's huge contract can be dealt with in the future, but the championship window won't stay open forever.

Because Jermaine O'Neal held a no-trade clause, Sam Presti informed Lynch to prepare for recruitment, and Lynch was willing to cooperate.

Although Jermaine O'Neal was completely outplayed by Lynch in last season's playoffs, Lynch admitted that O'Neal would be quite useful as a teammate.

Last season, Jermaine O'Neal was one of the few players that Lynch was willing to hug after everything was over, because he was indeed very resilient.

As a result, Jermaine O'Neal directly rejected Sam Presti's invitation to meet, emphasizing that he would absolutely not go to New York: "If a trade happens, I will exercise my veto power! Listen, I cannot join a team that just beat me in the playoffs last season!"

Yeah, that's pretty old-fashioned.

In fact, this is also why Lynch likes Jermaine O'Neal.

While the internet was flooded with news of Jermaine O'Neal's refusal to join New York, McDonald's All-Star MVP Kevin Durant was probably secretly laughing.

Anyone who doesn't know how to leverage their environment to achieve success is foolish.

During the phone conversation, Lynch mentioned Raja Bell, who refused to join the Knicks last season and suffered a miserable defeat: "Jermaine, I'm calling you out of respect. Don't be like the foolish Raja Bell."

Jermaine O'Neill spoke to Lynch in a gentle tone: "I respect you, Lynch, but if I defect, how am I supposed to explain to my kids that I groveled into the enemy's trenches like a woman after a defeat? How will they see their father? Lynch, you can break my knees, but don't even think about breaking my spine."

The pool water rippled like countless golden scales in the sunlight. Lin Qi looked at the gardener pruning roses in the distance and suddenly realized that there were many such opponents in this league, so it wasn't all that boring.

Lynch knew he couldn't change the mindset of this generation of players.

He gave up on trying to persuade Jermaine O'Neal and instead started gossiping like a friend: "So where are you planning to go? It looks like the Indiana Pacers have no chance of keeping you. Even if you're not traded this summer, you'll still be caught up in trade rumors."

“I’m going to Cleveland. They’re planning to trade me for Larry Hughes, some add-ons, and some draft picks.”

"Pfft!" Lin Qi spat out the champagne in his mouth.

If you're not coming to New York, at least go somewhere decent.

Cleveland? Will the leaders there give you a chance to shine in crucial moments?
Jermaine O'Neal explained over the phone: "Ron Artest may have his brain issues, but the Pacers came very close to the championship during our time together. And LBJ, I think he's a completely upgraded Ron Artest. Younger, smarter, more ruthless! Add the chains of Tayshaun and Coach Larry's coaching, and we'll create an even more terrifying meat grinder than the Pacers. Just you wait and see, Lynch!"

"Alright, alright, I'll wait and see."

Lin Qi shook his head after hanging up the phone.

Some people have admirable integrity, but their intelligence needs improvement.

A day later, the Cleveland Cavaliers officially announced that they would send Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, and their 2008 first-round pick to the Pacers in exchange for Jermaine O'Neal.

LeBron James immediately gave an interview to reporters: "Jermaine and I are brothers, we share the same goal, and we both have a bright future. Our goal? Of course, it's the championship. I know I haven't reached an early contract extension agreement with the Cavaliers yet. But I can assure you that my journey will never stop until the championship banner is raised in Cleveland."

This declaration greatly pleased team owner Daniel Gilbert, who suddenly felt that all the money he had spent was worthwhile.

It's a blessing for all of Cleveland that the city has such a responsible star player.

With this, the Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team to rebuild its roster and the first to step forward and challenge the defending champions.

A few days later, the trade market was still bustling, and the Chicago Bulls suddenly put Tyson Chandler, who had performed well last season, on the trading block.

The reason was that they received a contract guarantee from Ben Wallace.

To make room for Ben Wallace, they had to get rid of the young Tyson Chandler.

Sam Presti thus accomplished his task admirably.

He traded Jamal Crawford and Kurt Thomas to Chicago for Tyson Chandler, a bargain acquisition that brought in a rim protector the team desperately needed. Jamal Crawford had limited playing time in last season's playoffs due to defensive issues, and he openly expressed his desire to be traded.

He thanked Lynch for everything he had done for the children of Seattle, but said that Seattle's city hero shouldn't be unable to even get playing time in the playoffs.

Lynch has no conflict with them, but there's nothing he can do; that's the NBA. All he can do is offer his best wishes.

After trading away Tyson Chandler, the Chicago Bulls had cash on hand, and the whole city was ready to welcome back their best defensive player.

But Bulls general manager John Paxson certainly didn't know that nothing works until it's clearly written down in black and white.

A man who has sexual relations with his fiancée after giving a bride price could be sued for alkali poisoning, so what about a player who goes back on his word before officially signing a contract? Verbal promises are the least like promises in the world.

No sooner had Tyson Chandler left than Ben Wallace announced his contract extension with the Pistons and then joined the San Antonio Silver Blacks via a sign-and-trade deal.

In today's competitive environment overflowing with young talent, the Spurs, who missed out on Jason Kidd before, don't want to miss out on any more stars.

Everyone got the players they needed, leaving Bulls general manager John Paxson bewildered.

The NBA is deeper than Lake Michigan!
(Two chapters of 10,000 words are being offered ahead of schedule today)
(End of this chapter)