Champion Rules

Chapter 234, Section 230: Trouble for League Fans and Players (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
As John Hollinger stated, the defending champion's dominance has not diminished in the slightest.

Just like last season, the Knicks started the season with a winning streak.

As his dominance continued, Lynch's influence also continued to expand.

Since the beginning of this season, New York fans have noticed an increasing number of square Chinese characters and fiery Latin symbols dancing amidst the dazzling jungle of advertisements at Madison Square Garden.

This is not an isolated case. Looking across the thirty temples of the Alliance, from the East Coast to the West Coast, similar "international orders" are overflowing.

The NBA is shedding its North American identity and transforming into a truly global international league in an unprecedented way.

And everyone knows who brought such enormous international influence to this alliance.

Since Hank Biasati, an Italian-Canadian, entered the NBA in 1946, the league has always had international players.

But Lynch was the first player to truly bring huge international influence to the league.

Yao Ming may have been a pioneer in the Chinese market, but Lynch not only brought the Chinese market to Europe, but also revitalized the entire continent.

In the past few years, the NBA has sent the New York Knicks to Europe to play preseason games.

The mere mention of Lynch's name is enough to turn every stadium in Europe into a frenzied vortex of crowds.

Lynch's pure white Real Madrid spirit, carried on his back, and Pau Gasol's Barcelona flame, flowing through his veins, have transformed every Knicks vs. Grizzlies and Knicks vs. Lakers clash on the Iberian Peninsula into an epic battle of national derby.

He enjoys considerable fame in Europe and has a loyal following of true fans.

Although he is not of European descent, he has been hailed as the most dazzling exotic gem in the crown of youth training by that fertile basketball soil.

In conclusion, Lynch is one of the few players in NBA history who is truly popular worldwide.

He made the league more money, thus becoming very important in the league.

Last season, his courageous voice during the controversy surrounding LBJ's alleged moral blackmail of the entire league into removing his number 23 jersey earned him a badge of respect among the players.

Since entering the NBA, Lynch has been the focus of attention, and as expected, he has become a highly influential figure among fans, the league, and players.

However, some players started with extremely high expectations but ended up declining, becoming a problem for the league, fans, and the player community.

Derek Fisher, slumped in the top-of-the-line leather back seat of his Cadillac Escalade, glanced unfocusedly at the neon-lit forest outside the window, a forest dominated by Lynch’s massive advertisements.

Even Shaquille O'Neal at his peak and Kobe Bryant now didn't have this much advertising density in Los Angeles.

Derek Fisher twisted his short, thick neck and turned to a bespectacled Black man sitting next to him: “This is ridiculous, Billy, as if the whole of New York is shining for Lynch.”

For a fleeting moment, Derek Fisher felt an overwhelming urge to play in New York.

There's more attention and star power here than in Los Angeles, and most importantly, the Knicks players' girlfriends are all stunning.

As a dedicated veteran, Derek Fisher's primary role in the league is playing basketball, while his secondary roles are president of the players' union and "executive officer for addressing the needs of players' families."

He loves this side job, even though his teammates' girlfriends or wives aren't necessarily very pretty.

But that feeling of "not feeling bad about pedaling when someone else's bike stands up"—no, that feeling of helping others—is really addictive.

Beside him, Billy Hunter took off his glasses, his smile filled with pride and self-satisfaction: "It's an exaggeration, but it's all because of people like us who protect the players' interests. Even a superstar like Lynch needs us."

At that moment, Derek Fisher, president of the players' union, and Billy Hunter, executive director of the players' union, were piercing through the Manhattan skyline on their way to the NBA headquarters at 645 Fifth Avenue.

The labor agreement signed in 2005 will come to an end in the summer of 2011.

As an agreement concerning important rules of the entire alliance, it is certainly impossible to wait until the day before the deadline to start negotiations on a new agreement.

Tonight, they are here to have their first contact with NBA Commissioner David Stern and several NBA owners representing the will of capital regarding the new agreement.

Both parties need to understand each other's needs before they can engage in in-depth negotiations.

The wheels rolled over the dappled sunlight, heading not towards a building, but towards the negotiating table that would determine the next decade of the NBA.

When Derek Fisher entered the conference room, he found that the number of people sitting under the crystal chandelier was three times denser than he had expected.

He saw Cavaliers owner Daniel Gilbert whispering to other owners, his eyes seemingly burning with venom.

He saw Michael Jordan, who had previously represented the players in labor negotiations, smoking a cigar, but this time he was sitting at the negotiating table, completely overturning his previous role.

David Stern politely shook hands with Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter, then gestured for everyone to sit down.

"Gentlemen, everyone is here. So, let's begin. First, we need to reach a consensus on some of the most basic agreements."

Derek Fisher is brimming with confidence, thanks to Lynch's influence, which has led to a surge in viewership over the past two years.

In last season's Finals, Lynch created a spectacle that had not been seen since "The Last Dance" in 1998.

Of course, you can't say that only the two teams participating in the finals benefited from the high viewership ratings of the finals.

Ultimately, the surge in viewership for the Finals indicates that the league is becoming more popular.

Therefore, he felt that the negotiations would not encounter any problems.

He confidently took the lead, setting the tone for the most basic agreement:
"We are willing to maintain player salaries as a 57% share of basketball-related revenue."

As soon as he finished speaking, Daniel Gilbert's cold laugh pierced the air like an icicle.

Michael Jordan's expression was serious, and every tap of his fingertips on the table seemed to be a blow to Derek Fisher's confidence.

David Stern's eyes gleamed slightly behind his glasses: "Derrick, before you arrived, the team owners' representatives had already reached a preliminary consensus—"

He spoke slowly, but each word was like a steel ball striking a porcelain plate.

"For the long-term stable development of the league, they want to adjust the player distribution ratio."
47%.

Derek Fisher's eardrums were ringing, as if he had been suddenly hit on the head while helping a player's family.

47%?

He even suspected that he heard wrongly.

He certainly didn't expect the two sides to reach an agreement on the first day, and he certainly expected the investors to bargain.

But it dropped directly to 47%?

It's as unbelievable as Lynch suddenly scoring only 8 points in a single game in the Finals.

Derek Fisher froze completely, his short, thick neck seemingly cast into concrete, his cerebral cortex a stark, unsettling blank.

It felt like his defense.

He confidently rolled up his trouser legs, steadied himself in a horse stance, and slapped his hands in the air to make a warning "slap slap" sound.

While everyone else was making layups, he just stood there, frozen in place.

The more experienced Billy Hunt reacted faster and demonstrated his toughness:

"This is absurd!"

Lynch created value approaching that of MJ, bringing huge revenue to the league. But now, you're going to cut player earnings by a full 10%? That makes no sense!

Daniel Gilbert, who had been suppressing his anger, tore off his facade of decorum and slammed his fist on the table:

"Lynch only made money for the New York Knicks. What about small teams like us?! Who the hell cares?!"
Think about it, I've spent countless sums of money running the Cleveland Cavaliers. I renovated the arena, I brought in new players, and I poured all my heart and soul into the team.

The results of it?
Suddenly my star player left!
And they even put on a nationally televised program to announce this news and humiliate me!

If I squandered LBJ's talent without doing anything, then he could do the same.

But you can all see it clearly—I have absolutely devoted myself to LeBron James!

You want a reason?

Then tell me, what kind of bullshit logic is this? Someone like me, who puts his heart and soul into running the team, deserves to have a gun pointed at his head by LeBron James?

The media has grandly proclaimed LBJ's betrayal as the beginning of an era of player empowerment. It is foreseeable that stars in small-market teams will follow LBJ's example and renew their contracts more often in the form of 1+1 or 2+1.

In fact, this has already begun.

This trend of forming super teams is sweeping the league, with more and more stars from small-market teams flocking to big cities in an attempt to create super teams. This is undoubtedly a fatal blow to the league's competitive balance.

This is completely unbalanced for our small market.

To survive, and to manage the team with such difficulty, we had no choice but to cut costs!

Derek Fisher now understood why the negotiations had gone so poorly from the start.

LeBron James' "Decision" controversy this summer provided Daniel Gilbert with an excellent excuse to disrupt labor negotiations and a window for him to vent his personal desires.

He really didn't understand why LBJ and Lynch, who started from roughly the same point, had such a huge gap between them now.

If LeBron James had faced the problem like a real man instead of staging that public "decision" farce...

This labor dispute might not be so difficult today.

Derek Fisher waved his hand:

"Listen, LeBron's actions have indeed hurt the Cleveland Cavaliers. But we can't just cut players by 10% based on the excuse that 'it might spark a trend of forming super teams'!"

This is absolutely unacceptable. What we need is sincerity and concessions based on mutual understanding. We can find a mutually acceptable figure, and then gradually…

Before Derek Fisher could finish speaking, Michael Jordan, sitting across the negotiating table, stared intently at the Lakers guard with his hawk-like brown eyes.

Even after retiring for many years, the intimidating power in his eyes still sends chills down one's spine.

He waved his hand impatiently, rudely interrupting Derek Fisher.

Then, in an unquestionable, icy tone, he struck the players' union president, word by word:

"This is what we want, and we are not going to make any concessions on this point."

"Either accept the offer or leave."

At that moment, Derek Fisher felt as if his brain had been struck hard by an invisible hammer.

This was the second mental shock he suffered at the negotiating table tonight.

During the 1998 collective bargaining agreement negotiations, Michael Jordan appeared as a player leader and took a tough stance to fight for the players' interests.

One of these scenes is a classic one that is still frequently mentioned today.

During a negotiation, MJ, representing the players, said to Abbey Pollin, then owner of the Wizards:
"If you can't make money, you'd better sell the team. If you keep giving unsuitable big contracts to mediocre players, then maybe you should give up ownership of the team."

This statement became the best illustration of MJ's tough stance, and also made him one of the heroes in the last labor negotiations.

Reggie Miller has praised MJ more than once: "He saved the 98-99 season, and today's players should all learn from him."

But at this moment, Michael Jordan, the owner who should theoretically be the most understanding of the players' situation, has instead become the representative of the hardliners among the owners.

His attitude underwent a complete 180-degree change, becoming as decisive as his mid-range shot.

Derek Fisher swallowed hard; his presence was less imposing than Michael Jordan's.

He felt like a child who had made a mistake, trembling with fear under the watchful eyes of adults.

Daniel Gilbert immediately chimed in, "You're right, Michael! We will never back down! Absolutely!"

Billy Hunter, who fought alongside Michael Jordan in labor negotiations in 1998, spoke with a heavy heart:
"Gentlemen, Michael, this hostile attitude won't solve anything, we..."

MJ interrupted the labor representatives again, showing no mercy: "We've made our stance clear: accept the offer or leave."

The negotiations ended in discord due to MJ's extremely tough stance.

On the return journey, the back seat of the Cadillac Escalade was as silent as a coffin; Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter had lost their earlier high spirits.

They never expected that the two sides would be unable to reach even the slightest consensus on the most basic agreement.

Derek Fisher rubbed his temples and cursed, "Damn it, LeBron's negative impact is just as huge as Lynch's positive impact! Screw the chosen one!"

Billy Hunter adjusted his glasses as he looked at the billboards all over the city advertising Lynch.

“I think we were wrong, Derek.”

"what?"

"It's not that a superstar like him needs us, but that everything about the NBA needs him."

"he?"

"Lynch, the most influential superstar in the league. Unless he joins, we have no chance of winning."
-
On November 11, Lynch faced the Atlanta Hawks at home.

Last season, in an extreme environment where three teams in the Eastern Conference had 60 wins, the Atlanta Hawks still managed to win 45 games.

This is an underrated record.

With Al Horford's continued growth and the addition of former Knicks player Jamal Crawford, the Hawks are considered to have a chance to reach 50 wins this season.

Lynch never underestimated them; they certainly couldn't contend for the championship, but they were by no means a weak team.

Before the game started, Jamal Crawford, who had parted ways with the Knicks amicably years ago, greeted Lynch.

"Old buddy, we had no intention of putting a pause on your winning streak. But we won't let you have it too easy, especially our number 5."

"You mean that brainless version of LeBron James?"

"Believe me, he'll get really angry if you call him that. That guy would much rather everyone call him 'Mid-Range Handsome Guy,' he loves that nickname."

"I've got Jamal. When we shake hands at the start of the game, I'll call him the brainless version of LeBron."

Jamal Crawford shook his head. That's Lynch for you.

Even if Michael Jordan stood in front of him, he would still call him "Mr. Bald Egg".

After greeting everyone, Lin Qi continued warming up.

At that moment, he saw someone shouting his name from the substitutes' bench.

I initially thought he was just an ordinary fan, but upon closer inspection, I realized it was Derek Fisher, whose neck was so short it was almost invisible.

Lynch and Derek Fisher had no connection, but out of courtesy, he went to the sidelines.

"Derrick, what are you doing here? Did that bastard Kobe send you as a scout?"

“Billy and I were just in New York recently,” Derek Fisher introduced Billy Hunter to him, “so we came to watch your game.”

When Lynch saw Billy Hunter, he probably knew they were there to discuss labor negotiations.

So he casually asked, "Is everything going smoothly?"

"Of course, our trip went very smoothly, we..."

"I mean the negotiations, is everything going smoothly?" Lynch interrupted Derek Fisher.

"Uh, not so good, we..."

"Alright, let me shoot the eagle down from the sky first." Lin Qi interrupted him again, then turned and left to prepare for the match.

Derek Fisher shrugged: "I told you before, Lynch probably isn't interested in this. As the world's highest-paid basketball superstar, he probably doesn't care whether his salary goes up or down, because it's just a small part of his total income."

But Billy Hunter laughed: "He's just like Michael, always interrupting others and acting like he's the only one who matters. Damn, they're both bastards. But I'm really curious, who's the bigger bastard, him or Michael!"

Both starting lineups were preparing to kick off in the center circle, and Josh Smith was very excited:
“Hey Lynch, you won’t get 3035 points on me tonight.”

Lynch just laughed and didn't answer.

Off the court, Jamal Crawford covered his head.

Ok.

Josh Smith doesn't seem to be very bright.

(End of this chapter)