Champion Rules

Chapter 283, Page 279: You Can Never Question Elgin Baylor (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
As disappointed as Thunder fans are, so too is Under Armour.

The Under Armour LeBron 1 had just rolled off the production line when controversy surrounding LeBron James began!
That was absolutely perfect sniping!

In the crucial final possession of the game, the entire Thunder team was pushing forward with all their might, but LeBron James' decision to stand alone at the midfield line with his hands on his hips sparked considerable controversy.

Even if Scott Brooks wanted to take the blame, he couldn't, because even a idiot like Doc Rivers couldn't have come up with such a stupid tactic. It definitely has nothing to do with the coach.

Faced with the controversy, Under Armour's PR team, with limited media resources, could only offer a feeble explanation: "LeBron was tired after a long season."

Clearly, Under Armour's public relations capabilities are less than one-tenth of Nike's.

The season is indeed very long; the density of the NBA's schedule is considered abnormal in the world of professional sports.

But this season has only just begun with six games played!

Just before the game, LBJ said that his recovery ability was as fast as Wolverine's.

A man can't say he'll kill you tonight, only to collapse panting after just six thrusts.

Under Armour's PR stunt was so poor that they couldn't even get a clear answer from LeBron James.

As it turns out, in the world of competitive sports, no athlete can enjoy preferential treatment indefinitely unless they keep winning.

LeBron James once wove the dream of becoming the greatest of all time with Nike's powerful public relations machine.

But now, Under Armour can offer him very little help in this regard.

Ultimately, LeBron James' influence is waning.

Without the support of top-level performances on the court, and more importantly, without the media giant Nike, it is almost impossible for him to replicate his original trajectory and become the most popular basketball star of the 21st century.

Lynch had practically crushed him.

Lynch is now genuinely worried that LeBron James's public relations campaign is fast-forwarding to the next point: "This might be LeBron's last year, so you guys better cherish it!"

To be honest, the poor performance of Under Armour's PR team was beyond Lynch's expectations.

I knew Under Armour would produce poop, but I didn't expect it to be this bad.

It would be so easy to whitewash this match; even Lin Qi could come up with an excuse at will.

"Lynch only dared to stay with the Knicks, while LBJ always dared to step out of his comfort zone, which is a manifestation of courage!"

Isn't this much better than saying "LeBron is tired after a long season"?

After defeating the Thunder, the Knicks were given a three-day break without games.

Flip Saunders took the opportunity to give the team a day off, but Lynch clearly couldn't fully enjoy the short break.

With only a month left before the next labor negotiations, Lynch will need to meet frequently with the players' union to prepare for the next round of talks.

It's not like Lynch can just show up empty-handed a month later, one foot on the negotiating table, shouting, "Give me a raise, you guys, or I'll deal with you!"

And then you expect the bosses to obediently give in?

This is labor-management negotiation, not a truce agreement signed by high school students.

On his first day back in New York, Lynch met with members of the players' union in a private room at his own restaurant.

Initially, Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter suggested meeting at Lynch's house, but Lynch did not want Derek Fisher to enter his house.

Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher were teammates on several occasions starting in 1996, and their relationship was fairly amicable.

But he never invited Fisher to his home.

That means that, in terms of his private life, Kobe Bryant never trusted Derek Fisher.

Kobe's caution was justified; in the NBA, caution is never wrong. Because even your own mother isn't necessarily safe, let alone your partner.

Although Lynch was single, he instinctively rejected the idea of ​​letting someone like Derek Fisher into his home.

Inside the private room, Derek Fisher first gave Lynch a general overview of the investors' current conditions.

"Their core demands are actually twofold: they want a hard salary cap and to reduce the original 57% share of basketball-related revenue to 47%. We tried to keep the percentage between 51% and 53%, but the hardliners led by Michael Jordan wouldn't budge an inch."

Lynch was puzzled: "Did we do something wrong? Why do we have to reduce our income to 51%-53% instead of maintaining it at 57%?"

“That’s impossible,” Billy Hunter waved his hand, his tone tinged with helplessness. “No concessions whatsoever, and the negotiations will only reach a stalemate. The owners have also calculated that as time drags on, disputes will arise within the players’ union.”

He sighed: "That's the truth, and the players aren't a united front. Many would rather compromise and accept a lower share than bear the greater losses caused by the season being suspended."

After figuring out what others want, the next step is to figure out what you want.

The most deadly threat at the negotiating table is always internal division.

Lynch reiterated the core demands of the workers: players' share of total basketball-related revenue must remain at 57%, and the soft salary cap system must not be shaken—this is almost a direct confrontation with the proposal from the owners.

Faced with the stalemate, Lin Qi remained confident. He knew he would make ample preparations before heading out to negotiate.

He needs the players' union to find some data experts, leverage their network to seek the possibility of intervention from the Federal Mediation and Mediation Service, and then make full use of his enormous media influence to lay the groundwork for public opinion.

Finally, Lynch told Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter some shocking news:

"Before coming here, I used my personal connections to gather several of the league's top agents and have an in-depth exchange of ideas."

I feel it's necessary to inform everyone of my backup plan if things truly come to a point where there's no other choice."

Lynch paused for a moment, looked around the room, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "I may lead the dissolution of the players' union."

Just as Lynch had predicted, everyone present reacted with a mixture of shock and confusion, their expressions as dramatic as Hakeem Olajuwon's first encounter with LeBron James learning the Dream Shake.

Billy Hunter was the first to suppress his shock: "Lynch, what exactly do you mean?"

Lin Qi clearly outlined the framework of the subsequent plan, but this did not reassure the people present, whose expressions remained tense.

Derek Fisher reacted particularly strongly: "Theoretically it's feasible, but it's a dangerous plan; no one in the entire history of North American sports has ever done this!"

Lynch shrugged: "I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush. Like I said, this is just a backup plan for extreme circumstances, assuming there's no other way out."

Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter were nervous not just because the dissolution of the players' union would cost them their jobs, but because Lynch actually had the power to dissolve the union.

Dissolving the union requires a player vote, and if Lynch performs well in the next round of negotiations, he will have the support of most players. After all, his demand has always been to maintain the current 57% revenue share, which is what all players want to see.

This means that although Lynch does not hold an official position in the players' union, he has effectively taken control of the organization.

Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter understood that from then on, they had to fully cooperate with Lynch in negotiations and eliminate any personal biases.

Otherwise, the unions they serve might face annihilation.

This is a plan to appease the investors, and also a form of internal deterrence.

The first step to being tough on foreign countries is, of course, to be tough on domestic ones.

If you want to show your strength to the outside world, you must first cleanse your internal affairs.

Lynch knew that Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter also had their own ulterior motives.

Derek Fisher, who has close ties with David Stern, hopes to leverage the impact of this incident to pave the way for a future position in the league's upper echelons. Billy Hunter, on the other hand, has been using his position to place his friends and relatives in positions within the players' union.

Lynch was telling them today: "At least in this negotiation, you'd better focus solely on the players' interests."

The meeting didn't end badly, but Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter's views on Lynch were completely overturned.

Initially, they used Lynch as a highly influential tool to help them achieve their plans.

But now, they've become Lynch's tools!

After everyone left, Lin Qi leaned back in his chair, exhausted, and let out a long sigh.

He loves competition, enjoys playing basketball, relishes the feeling of defeating opponents, and enjoys leading his team into battle.
But nowadays, as a superstar, simply playing basketball is clearly not enough.

He has to manage his locker room well, and he has to take the lead in advocating for the players' interests.

It's already difficult enough to control a team's locker room, and now the Knicks have a whole host of problems of their own.

The conflict between DeAndre Jordan and Tyson Chandler, Ray Allen's aloofness and DeMar DeRozan's taciturnity—sometimes when Ray Allen and DeMar DeRozan were alone in the locker room, Lynch even felt as if they didn't know each other.

Now, he also has to lead the players' union in negotiations with those seasoned investors.

But Lynch knew that this was not a choice, but a responsibility he could not escape.

He will never be the guy who stands with his hands on his hips near the midfield line.

Wu Lan brewed a cup of hot tea and walked into the private room, somewhat incredulous that the basketball boy was now discussing adult matters.

"How's the team?" The woman's gentleness never changed.

"Not good. DeAndre and Tyson used to be quite close, but now they don't even talk to each other anymore. Let's not even mention the team anymore."

“Sure,” Wu Lan followed his lead, then suddenly changed the subject with a smile, “How about we talk about something else? When will I be able to hold my grandson?”

"Uh," Lynch said tactically, taking a sip of water. "Ahem, how about we talk about the team instead?"

Just as he caught his breath, Lynch's phone rang again. The caller ID showed the name of the team's general manager, Sam Presti.

He asked Lynch if he would be interested in watching Duke rookie Kyrie Irving play with him in a few days.

Lynch was somewhat puzzled: "What you're doing is the same as Kevin Durant looking at Scarlett Johansson's iodine-exposed photos, just for the sake of eye candy."

Sam Presti laughed: "It might not just be a feast for the eyes, who knows if a windfall will fall from the sky?"

Considering that watching O'Sullivan's match would help Reebok sign him, Lynch agreed: "If I have time, I might as well go."

After hanging up the phone, Sam Presti put in eye drops, put his glasses back on, and buried himself in a thick stack of scouting reports.

Although the New York Knicks are a team aiming to build a dynasty, they have never stopped meticulously studying potential rookies.

Currently, it appears that the Knicks have absolutely no connection to the high draft pick in 2011.

But the late first-round draft is also worth watching.

Furthermore, with high draft picks, who knows who will have them until the very end?
2011 was generally considered a weak draft year, and many teams would trade their draft picks in such years.

Therefore, Sam Presti will not overlook the draft because of the Knicks' record.

Ultimately, Sam Presti has not forgotten his and Lynch's Manhattan Project!

The core of the Manhattan Project was to combine championship contention with rebuilding, extend the Knicks' championship window as long as possible, and maximize Lynch's dominance.

Then, the ultimate goal is to break the three-peat!

In the modern basketball environment, a three-peat seems to mark the end of a dynasty.

An aging roster, changing player mentality, rebuilding, salary negotiations—all sorts of things make it difficult for modern teams to win three or more consecutive championships.

That's why Michael Jordan is so great.

But Sam Presti believes that this constraint is not unbreakable.

It's as if, before this, people thought that 72 wins in a single season was an insurmountable record.

But the New York Knicks not only surpassed them, they surpassed them for two consecutive years.

Since the Knicks could trample on the myth of 72 wins, and even repeatedly crush it.

Why should the length of a dynasty be limited by a mere "three consecutive"?
The Manhattan Project was an ambitious blueprint for breaking down barriers.

The New York Knicks are now clearly facing numerous problems.

He remains confident that the team can win the championship this year.

But what about next year?

What next?

He must keep a close eye on these rookies, and he must complete the rebuild before it becomes an urgent task.

If he can't help a player like Lynch surpass Michael Jordan, then he'll be letting himself down the most in his career!

Sam Presti continued to study the game footage of the 11 draft class and figured out how to climb up the draft picks.

Lynch drove home alone, pondering how to fulfill his responsibilities.

A three-peat is never easy, let alone surpassing it.

On his way home, Lynch overheard Stephen A. Smith discussing recent trade rumors on a basketball radio program.

Elgin Baylor is on the list.

The Los Angeles Clippers are actively shopping their 2011 first-round draft pick, and they have received offers from more than eight teams.

Because legend Elgin Baylor believed that the 2011 draft class lacked top-tier talent, and given that the Clippers were unlikely to secure a top-three pick, they were neither worth keeping nor worth discarding.

Although the 11 draft class was widely considered to lack top-tier talent,
When Elgin thought this draft class wasn't worth paying attention to, that was precisely the time when team managers should have been watching closely.

You can question a scout's judgment, but you absolutely cannot question Elgin Baylor's eye for talent.

Lin Qi listened to the teasing on the radio and shook his head with a smile.

Elgin Baylor is definitely a guy who won't make a mistake in the draft.

You just need to follow the opposite direction of him, and you're sure to reap great rewards.

For some reason, Sam Presti's words kept echoing in Lynch's mind.

"It might not just be for eye candy; who knows, maybe something good will fall from the sky?"

Lynch became even more interested in Kyrie Irving a few days later.

To be precise, he was more interested in Sam Presti's plans.

(End of this chapter)