The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 142 He got a bargain
The real estate project has already begun, and half of the remaining investment team has gone to Shanghai, where each of the two has invested US$20 million to establish Tangjia Real Estate Company.

On the 28th, Tang Bei suddenly received news that Reggie Lewis, the Celtics' new core player, suffered another heart attack while practicing shooting at Brandeis University in Boston and could not be saved, passing away.

This news startled him.

Looking into the treasure chest, there were only 13 Dongwang Buxin Pills left, including the one that was left over from the original 100.

He immediately contacted Liu Yumin, hoping she could recommend an institution that could test the ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine. Liu Yumin recommended the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences to him.

He spent 1100 yuan to have the research institute conduct a complex test on the heart-nourishing pills, but the results disappointed him.

"It seems I can't do it myself; I can only rely on the treasure chest reward."

The institute's test report showed that there were three unidentified substances in Buxin Pills, all of which are plant-based ingredients, but their specific categories could not be detected and they are not among the currently available Chinese medicinal materials.

Regarding investments, after some consideration, Tang Bei and Jia Bao decided on their second investment project.

The second project chosen is in the manufacturing industry. Current policies encourage foreign investment in the manufacturing sector, which is conducive to promoting the development of domestic manufacturing.

Specifically, the electronics industry is the best option. Currently, Shenzhen and Tianjin offer preferential policies of two years of tax exemption and three years of tax reduction for foreign-invested electronics companies, making it the perfect time to enter the market. The investment team recommends investing in the electronics industry.

The home appliance market is currently very large, and most households across the country have very few home appliances, such as VCRs and televisions, which are in short supply.

The domestic consumer electronics market is currently in a rapid growth phase, with demand for electrical appliances increasing at a very fast pace. Coupled with policy incentives, this industry is at its best entry point for development.

At the same time, Gerber also has export channels. There are huge markets in the United States, Europe, Australia, and South America. As long as they can produce the most advanced home appliances, exporting is not a problem.

As for technology and equipment, Jiabao can import the most advanced technology and equipment from abroad, possessing financial and technological advantages that local enterprises do not have.

According to the investment team's estimates, the cost can be recovered and net profit realized within two years after production begins, resulting in a very high return on investment.

Based on the varying levels of domestic and international consumer electronics markets, the investment team recommends focusing on export trade while supplementing with domestic sales, as this would yield greater profits.

However, the country now has very strict controls on import and export trade. For example, for exports, companies need to have an export volume of US$1 million for two consecutive years to have the right to export independently. Otherwise, they can only do so through state-owned foreign trade companies. More than 90% of domestic companies cannot meet this requirement.

Currently, China's general import and export trade usually goes through foreign trade companies acting as agents, then through agents in Hong Kong or Taiwan, then through US importers, and finally into US distributors and retailers.

In this process, three middlemen earn the price difference and high handling fees, squeezing the manufacturer's profits to the minimum.

Therefore, self-operated import and export rights are very important. If you can't get them, you will lose a large portion of your profits by going through intermediaries.

The two decided to establish Tangjia Investment Company in Tianjing, each holding 50% of the shares. Tangjia Investment would then establish a subsidiary, namely Tangjia Electronics.

Tangjia Electronics invested a total of US$60 million, with each of the two investing US$30 million. They temporarily established two factories, one for color TVs and the other for washing machines, with three production lines in each factory, for a total of six production lines.

Among them, three production lines for color TVs will be introduced, ranging from 13 to 32 inches, with each production line capable of producing two sizes of TVs.

These three production lines, plus a 15% technology transfer fee, will cost $4500 million and produce 65 color TVs annually.

Regarding washing machines, after some discussion about whether to introduce front-loading or top-loading washing machines, it was ultimately decided that all three production lines would introduce front-loading machines.

Because the domestic production of top-loading washing machines has reached more than two million units, while the production of front-loading washing machines is only more than two hundred thousand units, and only Little Duck Group produces them.

The price of drum washing machine production lines and technology is also much cheaper than that of color TV production lines. The total cost of the three production lines and technology transfers was just over ten million US dollars.

Once completed and put into operation, Tangjia Electronics will be the largest and most advanced Sino-foreign joint venture private electronics company in China.

At the same time, they applied to the government for self-operated import and export rights. Given Tangjia Electronics' investment scale and the sales channels that Jiabao can provide, an annual import and export scale of 100 million US dollars should be easy.

This year, another foreign company entered the electronics industry, with its factory also located in Tianjing. This company is Tianjing Samsung Electronics, which invested 30 million US dollars in a joint venture with Tianjing Communications Group.

Samsung provides the technology and equipment, while Tianjing provides the factory and labor force. The main purpose is to resell the products back to South Korea and earn foreign exchange through exports.

The company is currently under construction and is expected to start production in 95. Initially, its products will be video recorders, not televisions.

However, the project approval process may take a considerable amount of time, as projects under $30 million require local approval, while projects over $30 million require approval from relevant central government departments.

During his time in Beijing, Tang Bei signed seven endorsement deals, ranging from electronics to insurance and aviation, and received endorsement fees comparable to those of top domestic celebrities.

In this era, top-tier celebrities in China only earn 300,000 to 500,000 yuan for endorsements, and there are no truly top-tier celebrities in the country yet.

Although Gong Li has reached this level, his price is not as high as that of the Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong, only half of theirs. Tang Bei is on the same level as the Four Heavenly Kings, averaging three to five million RMB per year.

He received 30 million RMB in endorsement fees and nearly 5 million USD in the first year, so his actual investment in Tangjia Electronics was 30 million RMB and 25 million USD.

He still has $10 million left and needs to prepare to pay taxes. He earned more than $20 million from several endorsements in the United States last time. Even if Garbo can help him avoid taxes, he will still have to pay a lot of taxes.

After staying in the capital until early August, Jia Bao took Tang Bei on a tour of the whole country.

The girl's first stop was the Tianshan Desert, where she wanted to find the White-Haired Witch. So Tang Bei took her to Zhangjiajie.

"Wow, is this the Tianshan Mountains?"

"Yes, that's Tianzi Mountain, or Tianshan for short."

"It's so beautiful! But why isn't there a desert?"

"It must be due to climate change, right? After all, it's been several hundred years."

"Wet Tiger, on which mountain does the White-Haired Witch cultivate? Is it Tianzi Mountain?"

"How would I know? Why don't you ask someone?"

"Hehe! Wet Tiger, you're always fooling me."

"Haha, where am I kidding you? I'm just asking you, isn't the scenery here beautiful?"

"I've decided, my next stop is the Tomb of the Living Dead. I'm going to find Little Dragon Girl and ask her for advice on how to have a forbidden love."

"OK, let's go to Jiuzhaigou tomorrow."

What kind of place is Jiuzhaigou? Is the Tomb of the Living Dead there?

"OK."

"Wet Tiger, if you keep trying to fool me, I'll cut you into pieces."

"Ha ha……"

The two didn't return to Beijing until late August.

The paperwork for the courtyard house has just been completed and the property has been transferred. Finally, we have a place to stay in Beijing.

However, we still can't move in because the interior is still under renovation. We can't move in this year; we can only move in next year.

The renovation and alteration must not damage the house, and the exterior cannot be changed in the slightest, because this thing is a cultural relic.

Every year, a sum of money must be spent on repairs. If repairs are not carried out for many years, relevant departments will issue protection orders, and there may even be administrative penalties. In serious cases, civil and criminal liability may be imposed.

He wants to convert the seven rear rooms in the fifth courtyard into a gym and lounge, which will be sufficient.

The fifth courtyard was converted into an open-air martial arts training ground and basketball court. The basketball court is only half-court, but it's enough for practicing shooting.

Renovation and alteration require application procedures; otherwise, construction cannot begin, and the construction process must be subject to supervision by the cultural relics management department.

Fortunately, it was agreed upon when I bought it that the seller would help with the application, and the procedures were approved quickly.

The renovation is the biggest expense. The Tangbei cultural relics management department found an ancient building renovation designer and planned a renovation budget of 200 million RMB, which should be enough.

In early September, Tang Bei prepared to return to the United States.

Tangjia Real Estate Company has already bought several commercial plots of land in Lujiazui and is currently building several commercial buildings, which they plan to use for rental income once completed.

Tangjia Electronics wanted to introduce technology and equipment, and Jiabao's parents used a lot of their connections to reach an agreement, saving a lot of construction time.

However, Tangjia Electronics' project approval procedures have not yet been completed, and the Ministry of Electronics Industry is still reviewing them.

On September 3, Eric Fleischer, who had returned to the United States, informed Tang Bei that the league had introduced two new competition rules.

First, the joint defense was legalized.

Second, the three-second rule.

After explaining the two rules, Eric Fleischer said, "Don, zone defense can double-team off-ball players, and you will face early double-teaming in the new season."

"Then I need to practice my shooting more," Tang Bei said.

"Yes, we need to practice our mid-range shot."

"What about the three-second rule?" "This rule is relatively advantageous to you on the offensive end. It can relieve the defensive pressure in the paint, and the defending team cannot pile too many defenders in the paint to prevent you from entering the paint."

"Of course, you'll also lose a lot of your defensive threat because you can't stay in the paint all day long anymore."

"In general, the legalization of zone defense is to limit you, while the three-second rule is for balance, so as not to affect the offense too much."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing, Jordan is in trouble."

"What could have happened to him? Did he lose money gambling?"

"Well, Tang, you guessed right. He's currently embroiled in a gambling scandal, and it seems like all the media outlets are attacking him."

On September 8th, Tang Bei went back to his hometown to take a look. The main structure of the house was not yet completed and would take another two or three months before the renovation could begin.

The house is a villa in a modern style, five stories high. The third, fourth and fifth floors are all single-level apartments. There is an elevator shaft, but no elevator has been installed. In this day and age, rural areas often experience power outages, and there is a fear of problems during power outages.

Land management is not strict now. His front and back yards together cover a little over one acre. The villa occupies 700 square meters, with a 200-square-meter front yard and a nearly 100-square-meter backyard.

Before leaving, he donated two million yuan to Huanghuadian Township, mainly for the construction of a main street in the township and a cement road from the township to Yijie Village.

He donated one million yuan to the village's primary and secondary schools, not in cash, but to build two two-story classrooms and a two-story office building, as well as some learning and sports equipment.

Before leaving Tianjing, I went to see Tang Ning.

The little girl has adapted to the sports school environment. Her studies are so-so, but she trains very hard. However, when she sees Tang Bei, she looks all up, like a little puppy.

"Sister Jiabao, you can't keep an eye on my older brother, he's doing all sorts of terrible things..."

He doesn't like his own older brother, but he's very affectionate with his future sister-in-law, clinging to Jia Bao's leg and refusing to let go.

“Headmaster, she is too young. Please take good care of her.”

Before leaving, Jia Bao left the sports school a Citibank cash check for $100,000, saying it was for Tang Ning's living expenses.

"living expenses?"

The principal stared at the $100,000 check, his hands trembling and his eyes wide with disbelief. He thought to himself, "I have to treat Tang Ning like a living ancestor."

Tang Ning stared longingly at the check in the principal's hand, then glanced at Jia Bao. "Sister-in-law, are you stupid? Why are you giving it to him? Give it to me! Give it to me, and I can make the principal call me 'sister'!"

On the afternoon of September 10th, Tang Bei and Jia Bao arrived in Los Angeles.

After the Eastern Conference Finals, he did not give any interviews to the media. When he appeared a few months later, he was immediately surrounded by a large number of media outlets.

A large number of reporters were waiting at the airport in advance, and rushed up to them as soon as they appeared.

"Tang, what are your expectations for the new season?"

"I hope I never encounter a referee like Crawford again. You can call my fouls, but please don't call three fouls on me in two minutes, especially in the crucial Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals."

Do you believe that the legalization of joint defense is a restrictive rule targeting you?

"possible."

Do you think it will limit you?

"I don't know now; I'll have to go through competitive training to find out."

Do you think the Suns' sweep of the Bulls in the Finals was a testament to their strength?

"of course."

"what?"

"I say yes, because it's true, and even Mr. Michael Jordan can't deny that he was swept in the Finals."

"So do you think Barkley's championship is of high value?"

"One of the weakest NBA champions in history."

"what?"

"I don't want to repeat myself, you heard me right."

"So, will you congratulate him?"

"Hey, Sir Barkley, congratulations on getting a bargain."

"Fuck you!"

When Barkley saw Tang Bei's interview on ESPN's television news, he was so angry that he burst into tears.

Tang Bei and Jia Bao spent two days in Los Angeles, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, before returning to Miami on the 13th.

The next day he went to the team, and Lewis Shaffer gave him the roster.

Center: Tang Bei (5), Matt Geiger (5)

Forwards: Glen Rice (3), Grant Long (3, 4), John Salley (4, 5), Willie Burton (2, 3), John Williams (3, 4, 5)

Guards: Avery Johnson (1), Kevin Edwards (1, 2), Harold Mina (1, 2), Steve Smith (2), Dale Curry (2)

Shafir said, "Tang, this is the 12-man roster. There's not much room left. We'll have to find fringe players to fill the remaining three spots."

"Several players left, including Brian Shaw and Bimbo Coles."

"Forward John Williams isn't very capable either; he's a fringe player, and the backup lineup for the three and four positions is a bit weak."

Tang Bei glanced at it and saw that it wasn't much different from last season, except that the backcourt had been changed to include Curry and Avery Johnson.

Shafir explained, "Curry is playing sixth man, which adds depth to our bench. Avery Johnson is playing point guard, which adds to our perimeter defense."

His ability to pass the ball to you has improved; he won't be at a disadvantage against BJ Alan Strong, he has great mental fortitude.

Tang Bei nodded, and Shafir continued, "I've spoken with Steve and Kevin, asking them to increase their investment in defense, and they've both agreed."

"it is good."

Tang Bei said, "Then the main lineup is me, Grant Long, Glen Rice, and Avery Johnson, with Steve Smith and Kevin Edwards rotating at the shooting guard position?"

"That should be the case. The rotation for the shooting guard position should be arranged according to the opponent's attributes."

Shafir nodded and added, "As for the head coach, Pat Riley didn't agree. Miami's appeal is far less than that of the Big Apple, so we can only continue to use Kevin Longley."

"We didn't play badly last season," Tang Bei said with a smile.

Shafir smiled and said, "It's more than just not bad."

"What happened to that bald guy?" Tang Bei suddenly asked.

Shaffer's face showed disgust as he said, "When Jordan didn't win three consecutive championships, the league suffered a huge loss and also faced a credibility crisis due to the issue of biased refereeing."

The referee committee and Nike couldn't save him either. At David Stern's insistence, he was fined $50,000 and banned for life.

In other words, there was no evidence. Otherwise, I think David Stern would have been tempted to send him to jail. The NBA's credibility has declined significantly since the Eastern Conference Finals.

"it is good."

Tang Bei said happily.

Shafir looked at the roster and sighed, "Tang, this is the best the roster can be for now. It will be difficult to complete the deal as planned."

I wanted to bring Rodman over, but John Salley couldn't be traded; he's too old, his contract is too big, and there's no room for him to play.

Tang Bei said confidently, "It's okay. John Salley can make our bench defense better, and we also have Dell Curry on the bench. The new season shouldn't be bad."

"I think so too."

Shaffer nodded and said, "The Bulls got Rodman, they traded Grant to the Magic, and exchanged two role players and one fringe player for buyouts to free up cap space. As a result, both the Bulls and the Magic have improved their strength, a win-win situation."

"Has the Bull found a meat shield?" Tang Bei asked.

Lewis Shaffer immediately remarked with a sigh, "The offseason has really driven up meat prices crazy. A tank weighing over 130 kilograms can earn at least $120 million a year. You can't even find a tank with better athleticism and skills for $150 million."

"So expensive?" Tang Bei was startled.

(End of this chapter)