Champion Rules

Chapter 316, Part 312: It Doesn't End There (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

The New York Knicks retained DeAndre Jordan and Wilson Chandler with two $4000 million contracts.

Such an aggressive contract renewal strategy has left all teams feeling helpless.

According to historical patterns, the summer after a team wins three consecutive championships should be a summer of exploding salaries and inflated ambitions among role players.

The Knicks "rightfully" lost several key players, which led to their decline.

Even without a three-peat, many teams that have just won a championship face this kind of problem.

As a result, the New York Knicks did not play by the rules at all.

When everyone thought it was a karaoke-style decision-making dilemma, James Dolan made a bold move:
"You, you, and you all, sit down!"

Since winning the number one draft pick in 2011, this is the second time the Knicks have broken the so-called "natural law".

This has caused concern among outsiders, as the Knicks seem to have a solid foundation to continue their dominance in the league.

After re-signing DeAndre Jordan and Wilson Chandler, the Knicks quickly announced the appointment of Mike Malone as the team's new head coach, replacing Flip Saunders.

Although Mike Malone's temper was a drawback, Sam Presti chose him because he was already quite familiar with the players, had solid coaching abilities, and enjoyed a certain level of prestige in the locker room.

For a team that has already won three consecutive championships, bringing in a new coach is not necessarily a good thing.

If a coach hasn't even won a championship, the players are unlikely to respect him.

From this perspective, Mike Malone is actually a safe choice.

The player successfully renewed his contract, and the new head coach has also taken office.

However, Steve Nash's retirement and Goran Dragic's refusal to renew his contract inevitably caused the Knicks to lose two key players.

This gave Chris Paul the feeling that he had an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Chris Paul certainly felt regretful about missing the opportunity to team up with Kobe.

Before the trade was called off, Chris Paul had a long phone conversation with Kobe Bryant, discussing their future plans.

Although he has never even played in a conference finals game in his life, Chris Paul has already won five championships over the phone.

He believed that as long as he and Kobe worked hard together and lived a good life, paying off the loan would be just around the corner.

However, Chris Paul wasn't too disappointed when he was eventually traded to the Indiana Pacers.

He knew this was a team with potential, a team with resilience, and a team with a winning culture.

The Indiana Pacers have never needed a super roster to achieve success.

All it takes is a competitive leader and a group of daring and determined lieutenants for this team to make a name for itself and stir up a storm.

The yellow here is different from the opulent gold of Los Angeles.

The yellow color here represents the unwavering sweat and blood shed on the cornfields.

With a team like this, I could also be one of the championship contenders.

He was well aware, of course, that the entire East was shrouded in the shadow of Lynch’s iron-fisted rule.

But the Knicks, having lost two key players, have begun to decline, and Kyrie Irving is ultimately just a rookie.

This gave Chris Paul a lot of confidence, and he was confident that he was there to break the East's dominance.

CP3 believes the East is brimming with benefits and opportunities.

Unlike the Western Conference, where strong teams abound, the gap between the eighth and first place teams in the West may not be that large.

There are only two or three strong teams in the Eastern Conference each season, and the gap between the top teams and the teams behind them is enormous.

The abundance of weak teams and the vast disparity between the strong and the weak are precisely the essence of this "bonus".

If Lynch were in the Western Conference, CP3 firmly believes he would still be a top star. But two consecutive seasons with 70 wins? That's practically a pipe dream.

Now, CP3 no longer needs to envy Lynch.

He also wants to come and personally reap the benefits of the East!

Even the Knicks, who lack a point guard, might benefit from this next season!

Strengthening? That's impossible.

Because of years of paying luxury tax, the Knicks have lost their mid-level exception under the new collective bargaining agreement.

If they want to sign players on free agency now, they can only do so on minimum contracts.

What decent players do you expect them to sign on minimum contracts?

The lack of a point guard is indeed troubling the Knicks.

Sam Presti searched the free agent market but couldn't find a suitable backup point guard within the minimum salary range.

The key challenge is that, although the Knicks can only offer minimum salaries, they currently have high requirements for their backup point guards, and it's not enough for them to just be "qualified".

Kyrie Irving is an excellent passer and enjoys sharing the ball, but he's not a true point guard.

When a team needs a stable rhythm and a steady approach, and when rookie Kyrie Irving's performance fluctuates, a true passing and ball-handling master must step up immediately.

Therefore, the range of options available in the free market becomes very narrow.

Sam Presti is like someone who can only afford fast food but wants to go to a luxury restaurant for the finest abalone.

TJ Ford? He has speed when it comes to speed, and he has organization when it comes to organization.

Delonte West? He was pretty good when he played, but his downsides were that he often didn't play and liked to act like a dad to his teammates.

Nate Robinson? Aside from being slightly better at dunking than Stephen Curry, there's not much else he can offer.

There aren't many available minimum-salary point guards on the free agent market, and Sam Presti has been so busy looking for one that he's lost all interest in ball handling. If this issue isn't resolved soon, not only will the Knicks be in trouble, but his personal family life might also be in jeopardy.

While Sam Presti was in a terrible predicament, Lynch's trip to Japan was still going on.

As in previous years, even though it was the off-season, Lynch would still do systematic training after each day's activities.

This summer, his main focus is on improving the consistency of his "drift jump shot".

After the conclusion of last season's finals, the system reward "task settlement" arrived as scheduled.

As the team's leading scorer in every round of the playoffs, Lynch successfully unlocked the "drifting shooting talent" of Jason Terry, the best sixth man.

As a chaotic player who once outmaneuvered LeBron James in the Finals, the Jets are proficient in shooting skills in all situations.

Even when facing someone with LBJ's face, he can get hard and ejaculate instantly; he's not picky at all.

After acquiring this talent, Lynch could clearly feel that his body balance had improved when he was drifting and shooting.

This made him absolutely love the feeling of drifting jump shots.

Although for Lynch at this point, any further technical improvement would be icing on the cake.

But he still refused to slack off in training; he enjoyed the thrill of becoming stronger.

Moreover, a basketball player can never have too many mid-range shooting skills.

The more ways you can control the situation, the more control you have. The training session had just ended when agent Misco Raznatovic rushed over, phone in hand, a deep worry etched on his face.

Lin Qi sighed; this guy had been under too much stress lately.

He was always worried that Lin Qi would have some unpleasant scandals in Japan.

“Listen, Misco, the people I took photos with yesterday are a special team of teachers who have made outstanding contributions to education worldwide. Their professions may be somewhat unusual, but I was just taking photos with them, and it won't have any impact on my public image. I would absolutely, positively, never date them privately.”

As everyone knows, I'm an honest man who doesn't even have a wife; I wouldn't do that.

“No Lynch,” Misco Raznatovic said, still frowning, “Yao and Brandon Roy have both retired. It’s really a bit sudden.”

He turned his phone screen toward Lynch, where several eye-catching push notification titles appeared.

Lin Qi was taken aback; this was indeed somewhat sudden.

Last season, Yao Ming played consistently for the Spurs. Although he occasionally rested, he did not suffer any devastating injuries.

But at the press conference, Yao Ming frankly stated:

“My body can no longer withstand this level of competition and intensity. I live on thin ice every day, worried that I won’t be able to stand up after the next jump. The doctor told me that if I want to spend the rest of my life taking my children to the park instead of sitting in a wheelchair, then it’s time to end it all. I think it really is time to end it all.”

Ultimately, his career did not reach the ending he dreamed of—"If I beat Lynch and win the championship, I will retire immediately."

As for Brandon Roy, Lynch recalled that last year he was a strong, promising supernova.

Whenever Lynch led the Knicks to Portland, he always ran into trouble because of Brandon Roy.

As a result, just one year later, this guy, who was full of unlimited potential, suddenly lost all his future.

Severe injuries led him to choose retirement and to be waived by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Yao Ming was still competing for the championship with the Spurs last season, and Brandon Roy was a top-three shooting guard in the league last year.

But they certainly didn't realize at the time that it would be their last chance.

Opportunities always seem to end abruptly.

Across the ocean, European league MVP Milos Teodosic also saw the news of Yao Ming and Brandon Roy's sudden retirement announcement.

At this moment, he is on his way to the airport.

Three hours later, he will fly to Moscow to accept the offer of 570 million euros over three years.

NBA?

Next time, definitely next time.

Although he won the EuroLeague MVP last season, he did not win the final championship.

Once he leads his team to the European championship on his own, he will definitely go to the NBA.

How can that be called an excuse?
LeBron James assuming his teammates are wide open when he's facing zero double-teams is just making excuses.

It's a fact that Milos Teodosic hasn't won a European championship since leaving Lynch.

However, when the story of Yao Ming and Brandon Roy came crashing down on my mind like a thunderbolt, and when I thought of Lynch's earnest invitation and questions before he left, that deep-seated longing could no longer be quelled.

Should I really continue waiting?

People always think that opportunities are always there, but in fact, the choice that stands in your way right now may be the last rope that fate throws at you.

Milos Teodosic stared at the approaching airport terminal outline outside the car window, his fingers suddenly clenching so tightly that his knuckles creased his trousers.

"Stop the car!" he shouted sharply.

The driver was clearly stunned: "What?"

"I said, stop the car! I'm not going to the airport!"

"Milos, the flight is about to depart."

“I don’t care!” Milos Teodosic interrupted him rudely, his eyes fixed on the ever-growing terminal building ahead. “That plane bound for Moscow isn’t my flight.”

The moment I said those words, the tangled mess that had been building up in my chest for so long seemed to be cut open by a sharp blade, and an unprecedented feeling of relief washed over my entire body.

Ten seconds later.

Beside Lynch, Misco Raznatovic received a long-distance international call.

Hearing the slightly breathless yet incredibly clear statement from the other end, a hint of surprise flashed across his face before a smile spread across it.

"You've made up your mind? Great, no problem. You don't need to worry about anything else. I'll handle things with CSKA Moscow. Minimum salary? No, no, no, I can't let you take a minimum salary in the NBA. Like I said, you don't need to worry about anything else."

After a few simple words, the most renowned basketball agent in all of Europe hung up the phone and excitedly punched Lynch in the chest.

“Lynch, tell Sam that he no longer needs to rummage through North America’s garbage for a point guard.”

Lynch could roughly guess what had happened; a vague yet strong premonition was about to emerge.

But he still wanted to confirm one more time: "Is it Milos? Isn't he going to Russia?"

"No, he's coming to New York. He wants to go with you, just like he did in Madrid, to conquer another country!"

The following day, the Phoenix Suns unexpectedly announced that they had signed last season's EuroLeague MVP Milos Teodosic to a three-year mid-level contract—a contract whose value in one year was already close to the total value of CSKA Moscow's three-year contract.

The transaction then took place.

The New York Knicks traded Goran Dragic to Phoenix in exchange for Milos Teodosic and the Phoenix Suns' 2013 first and second round draft picks.

Because of years of paying the luxury tax, the Knicks are not eligible to sign mid-level contracts this summer and can only strengthen their roster with minimum contracts.

But this sign-and-trade deal not only gave the Knicks draft picks, but also cleverly secured last season's European MVP with a mid-level exception contract!

Finally, the grand Manhattan Project found its last piece of the puzzle.

Despite being hampered by the new rules, the New York Knicks still managed to strengthen their roster!
At this point, the team's roster for next season is basically complete.

For most players, a three-peat is already the pinnacle.

No, for most players, four championships is already an insurmountable ceiling.

But for Lynch, his greatness was just beginning.

From aspiring to wear the crown to shining like the stars, he has experienced much.

But he still wanted more than that.

What he wanted was for the mountain to never set.
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Did you see the photos of Lynch with his teachers during his trip to Japan? I really want to see them make a movie together; it would definitely have a high artistic element. —The most liked comment under the post with the photos of Lynch with his teachers.

You know, Milos has always been my brother, that guy is incredibly strong. I mean, we're real brothers, not the kind of brothers who fight over stats and then deliberately only score 5 points in a game. — Lynch talking about his good friend entering the NBA.

Milos looks like he's 41. Can you imagine the Knicks playing next season? A rookie so old his feet barely leave the ground, a bunch of veterans and rookies with their heads at the rim—it's just too dramatic. Anyway, welcome, Milos. —Stephen A. Smith discussing the addition of the European MVP.

Players with excellent passing and ball-handling skills undoubtedly have a significant impact on the game; there's no doubt about that. — Kenny Smith refuting the argument that "Miloš Teodosic couldn't make a difference in the NBA."

Now, the Knicks have two first-round picks in both 12 and 13, and Sam Presti has once again unknowingly amassed a large number of draft picks. I've said it before, most general managers in this league aren't actually that smart. — Charles Barkley praising Sam Presti's moves.

If he's so good, how come we've never heard of him? — Chris Paul's assessment of Milos Teodosic.

(End of this chapter)