Champion Rules

Chapter 272, Section 268: LeBron is here (Seeking monthly votes!)
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Under Armour have been increasingly linked with LeBron James lately.

This time, LBJ and his makeshift team did not hold a nationally televised event to announce his decision.

However, as a player who creates his own online presence without any prior traffic, LBJ still posted a message on social media:
“The future is promising!”

Lynch continued to give it a thumbs up.

LeBron James's script is so similar every year.

The offseason holds great promise for the future.

LeBron James wins the NBA championship in the preseason.

LeBron was honing his skills during the regular season.

The team lost in the playoffs, but LeBron didn't.

The offseason holds great promise for the future.

The LeBron Formula has officially been declared closed-loop!
Although this was the only trick LeBron James used during the offseason, it has to be said that it was indeed effective.

This summer, LeBron James' popularity was second only to Lynch.

He has received far more attention than he has achieved.

Lynch can understand Jerry West's decision; Logo definitely believes he can reinvent LeBron James.

Back in the 90s, Shaquille O'Neal was not considered a winner before joining the Lakers, and was also subject to controversy and criticism.

The world criticized his high salary demands, accusing him of indulging in pleasure, lacking the ambition of a great player, and being careless despite his top talent.

But when he joined the Lakers, at least in the early stages of his Lakers career, he listened to Jerry West's advice and teachings and began to focus more on basketball and winning.

With the addition of that exceptionally talented young man with cauliflower-like hair, the OK duo was born.

The Los Angeles Lakers have established the only dynasty in the 21st century to date.

With such successful experience, Jerry West naturally felt he could also help LeBron James transform.

People question LBJ's character, his integrity, and his mentality.

But his talent is undeniable.

Putting everything else aside, in terms of physical coordination alone, LeBron James is a legend.

Most professional players would find traveling awkward, but LBJ, with his massive physique, can still handle traveling so smoothly and naturally, which puts him ahead of 99% of players.

Therefore, if LeBron James's mindset can be changed, he could indeed deliver outstanding performances that match his talent.

The choice of logo is perfectly reasonable, and has its own logic and basis.

But Under Armour's choice of LeBron James completely baffled Lynch.

It feels like opening a loot box in a gacha game, knowing full well that there's nothing there, but still opening it anyway!

With that endorsement fee, they might as well sign a few more pretty models wearing yoga pants to shoot ads; that would be a much bigger and more effective way to spend money.

Despite LeBron James' promising future, this crazy offseason has not come to a calm.

On his way to business events, Lynch saw a major transfer completed almost every day—no, almost every half day!
Just 24 hours after LBJ posted his "promising future" update, Chris Bosh officially announced that he had joined the Chicago Bulls via sign-and-trade.

The Chicago Bulls traded their first and second-round draft picks from 2011 to acquire their long-desired All-Star power forward.

Next season, the Chicago Bulls can field a rotation lineup featuring Derrick Rose, Kyle Korver, Luol Deng, Chris Bosh, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Kurt Thomas, and Ronnie Brewer.

This is undoubtedly highly competitive.

Good news! Derrick Rose finally has a powerful team to take revenge on Lynch.

Bad news: Tom Thibodeau will be the Bulls' head coach next season!
The team had no idea how many players would make it to the start of the playoffs!
Shortly after becoming the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, Tom Thibodeau called off his engagement to his fiancée.

The reason is that he believes love will only affect his basketball career.

He couldn't hold onto another kind of ball if he put down the basketball. So he chose to put down the other kind of ball.

This guy, who's obsessed with basketball to the point of madness, has made up his mind to turn the Chicago Bulls into a championship contender.

His coaching philosophy is very simple: if one donkey can't win the game, then use five!

The news of Chris Bosh joining the Chicago Bulls essentially means that LeBron James's hopes of playing alongside him have been completely dashed.

Shaquille O'Neal immediately posted on social media: "O'Neal, the future is uncertain again."

The ending was ironically complete with a few crown emoji icons.

Chris Bosh arrived in Chicago on the afternoon of the day he signed the contract, and the Chicago media immediately posed a rather pointed question the moment the "Ostrich King" stepped off the plane.

"What made you give up LeBron and choose Derrick?"

Chris Bosh took off his sunglasses, smiling easily: "Sorry, you seem to have presupposed the wrong premise. In fact, it was never a choice."

He put his sunglasses back on, then roared like Tim Duncan had done back in the day: "Chicago, get ready to win big!"

LeBron James was furious about Chris Bosh's comments.

Just the night before, he was on the phone, passionately pleading with Chris Bosh to mediate and persuade the Thunder to sign both of their "unparalleled duo" at the same time.

As a result, Chris Bosh turned around and went straight to Chicago.

Clearly, teaming up with LeBron James in Oklahoma City wasn't that appealing to Chris Bosh, and it wasn't enough to motivate him and his team to go through the trouble of reopening negotiations.

The key point is that Chris Bosh wants to sign a contract for at least three years.

Give Derrick Rose three years, and he will still stand there representing the pride of Chicago.

But give LeBron James three years, and you have no idea where he'll end up!
The Ostrich King doesn't want to gamble his precious future on a teammate who could potentially stage a "Decision 3.0" at any moment.

Half a day later, another blow followed: Amar'e Stoudemire announced that he had joined the New Orleans Hornets.

Since Steve Nash left, Amar'e Stoudemire has had impressive statistics but has been unable to make any breakthroughs in his career.

He knew perfectly well that only by teaming up with a superstar point guard again could he simultaneously achieve both high stats and victories.

Amar'e Stoudemire also considered LeBron James' offer, but ultimately declined.

If you give Chris Paul nine seconds, he might have already launched an attack.

But if you give LeBron James 9 seconds, he might already be called for a traveling violation.

The truth is cold and cruel: LeBron James's reputation has been completely extinguished by the devastating defeat in Detroit.

There is now a general consensus in the league that teaming up with LBJ is a risky and low-reward option.

A day later, Dwyane Wade finally signed a contract with the Miami Heat, returning to his old ways.

Lynch once called his best friend and said, "No matter what kind of sweet talk Pat Riley gives you, just tell yourself, don't fucking accept a pay cut!"

Then The Flash took a pay cut to renew his contract.

His speed was entirely focused on his physical body, while the reaction speed of his cerebral cortex neurons was practically non-existent!
Of the top five picks in the 03 draft class, only Dwyane Wade and Darko Milicic have yet to earn a max contract throughout their careers, and Dwyane Wade shouldn't even be on this awkward list.

But soon, Lynch found out why Dwyane Wade was willing to take a pay cut to renew his contract.

Just half a day after Dwight Howard stayed in South Beach, the Philadelphia 76ers management suddenly made a bid and completed the deal.

They agreed to trade Andre Iguodala in exchange for Paul Pierce and a 2014 first-round draft pick.

The Philadelphia 76ers simply couldn't stand Andre Iguodala, this guy who's the opposite of LeBron James. His thought process is completely contrary to that of today's NBA superstars.

He clearly has the ability, but he's obsessed with impersonating Scottie Pippen.

He loves defense and is passionate about passing and connecting the ball in basketball, but he has no interest in finishing plays or playing the leading role.

He prefers to quietly do dirty and tiring work rather than live in the spotlight.

It's important to understand that Scottie Pippen only had to do the dirty work while playing alongside Michael Jordan. In Houston and Portland, his desire to be the team's leader was incredibly strong.

Even though Andre Iguodala is the 76ers' best player, he refuses to be in the spotlight.

Pat Riley doesn't understand the mentality of "good players who don't want to be the boss," but he has to admit that these "high-quality parts" are precisely the screws tailor-made for the championship blueprint.

The Philadelphia 76ers don't want to waste any more time on Andre Iguodala, but his contract is expiring soon, and many teams want to wait until he becomes a free agent before making a move, unwilling to give up any trade assets.

In this way, the Miami Heat swayed the 76ers with Paul Pierce and draft picks.

They completed what could be described as a magnificent "trade-in".

Their small forward position has been replaced by a younger, tougher defensive player who is better suited to a supporting role.

While the strategist did indeed find an excellent teammate for Dwyane Wade, Lynch still has to say that his decision to take a pay cut was foolish.

LeBron James may not necessarily encounter his Dwyane Wade in every timeline.

But Pat Riley will inevitably encounter that helpless calf in any timeline.

Including Ray Allen's residence in New York and Gerald Wallace's settlement in San Antonio...

The big fish that were highly coveted in the transfer market have been devoured in the blink of an eye.

The Detroit Pistons, who got involved too late because of LeBron James, became the biggest loser of the offseason, and in the end, they didn't even manage to snatch Carlos Boozer.

All Joe Dumars can do now is scavenge role players from the "leftovers market" to patch things up.

LeBron James is in a similar situation to the Pistons, with his options narrowed down to a pitiful two: the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Portland Trail Blazers.

LeBron James glanced at the bold statement "The future is bright" on his phone screen—he was full of confidence just days ago, but now he felt like he had a thorn in his side.

He slumped onto the expensive leather sofa, a cold sense of bewilderment gripping him.

The future can be expected?

Beneath Lynch's overwhelming dome.

What can we expect from his future?

The noise in the transfer market has gradually subsided, but Kevin Durant's inner drumbeat is getting more and more chaotic.

Scarlett Johansson—the goddess who haunted his dreams—had just escaped the confines of marriage when she quickly fell in love with another Hollywood "veteran," Sean Penn.

He thought that when he made a name for himself in the league, Scarlett Johansson would naturally notice him as a rising basketball star.

He rehearsed that scene countless times in his mind: when she arrived at Chesapeake Energy Arena, he would lock in the victory with a devastating three-pointer, then turn around and give the goddess his signature smile. Wouldn't that make her swoon?
But now, he's really worried that Scarlett Johansson is already showing her pregnancy while he hasn't had a chance to show his skills!

Last season, as a third-year player, he was already one of the best individual players in the league.

Selected to the All-NBA Team, became an All-Star starter, and ranked second in scoring.
The only thing he lacks now is victory.

He needs more dazzling achievements to increase his visibility.

So, Kevin Durant wanted to train.

He wanted to improve himself, and instead of wasting time being a troll online every day, he wanted to do something more meaningful.

He immediately called Stephen Curry, knowing how hard-working his teammate was.

In situations like this, you can only turn to him, because if you turn to James Harden, you'll spend the entire summer indulging in a life of debauchery under the neon lights of nightclubs.

Stephen Curry on the other end of the phone was very enthusiastic: "Training? You can wait until August and join me at Lynch's training camp. Have you heard of Michael Jordan's Breakfast Club? This is the Breakfast Club of the 21st century!"

Kevin Durant shook his head: "Man, I don't think Lynch likes Nike's brand ambassadors. Besides, I don't know him well."

"Lin Qi welcomes anyone who wants to improve; everything else is secondary. Besides, you still have me. Don't underestimate my position in this small group! If I say so, Lin Qi can't refuse!"

"Thanks, bro. Could you ask around for me?"

After hanging up the phone, Kevin Durant habitually checked his phone and saw a news item that made him even more uneasy.

According to Wojnarowski, LeBron James is very close to signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder!

If any other reporter broke this kind of news, Kevin Durant wouldn't even bother to look at it.

But you can interpret Woj's revelation as a confirmation that this matter is already a done deal and the official announcement is just around the corner.

Kevin Durant is eager for success and needs his team to win to prove himself.

But if LBJ joins the team, will the success ultimately be attributed to him or to LBJ?

He didn't want to face this existential question too soon, but reality had shoved itself at him so bluntly.

Moreover, Kevin Durant doesn't think highly of LeBron James.

LBJ was just a very talented loser, nothing more.

If he wants to lead this team, should we follow him?

The phone rang abruptly, piercing Kevin Durant's thoughts. It was an unfamiliar number.

KD answered the phone, and Lynch's voice came from the other end.

“Kevin? I’m Lynch.”

Hello Lynch.

"Stephen just begged me to let you join the training camp, saying he'd kneel outside my house for the whole summer if I didn't agree. For the sake of Long Island's environment, I have to consider this offer. Do you really want to come?"

Kevin Durant:
Stephen Curry, you really know how to make asking for help sound so powerful!

"Can I?"

“Of course,” Lynch answered crisply, “provided that you can’t be lazy. I don’t accept people who just coast along here.”

"Thank you, Lynch, for sending me the time and location. I will arrive on time."

The moment he hung up, before he even put the phone down, Stephen Curry's name eagerly lit up on the screen.

That signature, slightly smug voice immediately rang out:
"Everything's settled, bro. I just told Lynch that if Kevin can't come, then I won't come either! Lynch will agree to let you join the training camp soon. I told you before, I have a certain say in this little group!"

"Oh right, thank you so much, Stephen. Let me ask you a question: why is Lynch willing to train with his opponents? If we get stronger, isn't he afraid of losing?"

Stephen Curry chuckled, "Huh? Scared? If he didn't even have that much courage and magnanimity, could he still be the greatest player in the league right now? If a coward says he's a great player and leader, he's definitely lying."

Suddenly, Stephen Curry's voice rose sharply, filled with incredulous exclamation: "What? Honey, I'm on the phone! What did you say? Oh my god! Damn it! Kevin, turn on the TV! Watch the news!"

"what happened?"

"LeBron James has officially signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder! And it's a 2+1 contract! We'll be working with him for at least two years!"

In stark contrast to the almost boiling excitement on the other end of the phone, Kevin Durant's reaction was unusually calm.

He simply and slowly moved the phone away from his ear, his gaze lingering on the unknown distance with a complex expression.

The news of the signing was like a boulder thrown into a deep pool.

The water splashes violently.

But it did not stir up the waves he had expected.

At this moment, what occupied his mind was far from joy or frustration.

Only a chaotic and bewildering void remained.

LeBron is here.

Is this a piece of incredibly good news, or the bad news that Pandora's box has been opened?
The future is uncertain.

But the future is becoming increasingly uncertain.

(End of this chapter)