LeBron James, your house got robbed.

After finishing the beef on his plate, Chen Shuo put his knife and fork back on either side of the plate and gestured for them to start with Owen.

Irving spoke with a very serious expression:

"Chen, how long will it take to achieve your goal?"

Chen Shuo paused for a moment before speaking:

"Kyrie, pay more attention to the news next time. I said it was a 'new season' goal."

Irving was about to speak when Chen Shuo waved him off.

"Everyone has only one question."

Irving quickly realized what was happening, his excitement subdued as he picked up his knife and fork and focused on the food in front of him.

A complex emotion welled up in Chen Shuo's heart. Irving was probably the only one among these people who had seriously considered the feasibility of this goal.

He continued to call out the next name:

"Clay"

Clay's question was rather tricky, but it suited his personality.

Where is Cleveland?

He had a cocky, nonchalant attitude.

Chen Shuo was not annoyed and answered the question seriously.

"That's a good joke; I happen to know the location."

"Cleveland, in northeastern Ohio, right on the shore of Lake Erie."

Upon hearing the answer, Thompson quickly bent down and picked up his knife and fork.

His question was just to fill a spot; the subtext was that he was willing to participate in the training camp.

When Chen Shuo turned his gaze to Xiao Ka, the latter remained expressionless.

"No problem, everything is fine."

Kawhi was unwilling to ask questions, but his subsequent emphasis indicated that he was willing to follow instructions.

Compared to the previous two, Danny Green seemed impatient:

"Chen, I'd like to know what I can do for the team?"

Looking into Green's longing eyes, Chen Shuo answered, word by word:

"Always stay in your defensive position and make those damn threes."

After a pause, Chen Shuo spoke again:

"From now on, you will be the captain of the training camp, and you need to take on the responsibilities that come with it."

This North Carolina captain, despite his mediocre talent, has managed to make it all the way back to the NBA from the G League, which speaks volumes about his hard work in training.

The light in Green's eyes flashed for a moment, then quickly returned to normal. He picked up his knife and fork and silently began to eat.

"Chen, could you give me a day?"

As soon as Parsons asked the question, Chen Shuo's face darkened, and he decisively and ruthlessly rejected it.

Parsons wasn't surprised by the answer, but he felt sorry for the two hot girls who would be spending the night alone.

I really didn't mean to break my promise.

With that in mind, Parsons channeled all his energy into the food in front of him.

……

The dim light illuminated the mess of scattered plates, and the long table was empty on both sides, leaving only Chen Shuo at the far end.

Chen Shuo rubbed his fingers, pondering the team's lineup.

This rookie class includes three future Hall of Famers and two very useful pieces for strong teams.

Before the draft began, Chen Shuo had already developed a comprehensive training plan for these five players.

Having witnessed these players' entire careers firsthand, Chen Shuo is very clear about which directions to take to unleash their potential more quickly and effectively.

Apart from Irving, the other four players can all be broadly defined as 3D players in the early stages of their careers, although their emphasis is slightly different.

Kawhi Leonard is a defensive anchor on the wing, with his long arms and massive hands providing relentless pressure and extremely aggressive defense. On offense, he primarily responds with spot-up shots, along with some spot-up three-pointers and baseline cuts.

Klay is a perimeter defensive leader with the flexibility to switch positions from 1 to 3. He has full stamina, better off-ball movement, and the ability to quickly release three-pointers. He can shoot whether he has the ball or not.

Green is also an perimeter defender with a conservative style. He forces opponents into defensive traps while ensuring he doesn't lose his position. His main offensive methods are monotonous, relying on spot-up three-pointers.

Parsons is only a decent team defender; his defense doesn't drag the team down, he has good three-point shooting efficiency at the 45-degree angle, and he also has some ability to move the ball around the court.

When the lockout ends, they will surely give the league a little shock when they emerge from training camp.

However, for Chen Shuo, relying solely on a group of rookies to make bold statements in front of the camera is far from enough.

However, during this long off-season, all Chen Shuo can do is wait.

Meanwhile, at the New York Times headquarters on 45th Street in Midtown Manhattan, west of Times Square, the lights were on and everyone was busy working overtime to meet deadlines.

Compared to the news of the league's impending shutdown, even the draft had to take a backseat.

"The league claims to be losing $3 million annually, with 22 of the 30 teams losing money last season, and has proposed cutting player salaries by 40% while implementing a hard salary cap."

"The owners want the players' share of revenue to be reduced from 57% to 47%, but the players insist on at least 53%."

"To avoid a shutdown, the labor and management sides met again for negotiations on June 30, 2011."

"Players' union executive director Hunter said he advised players to prepare for a lockout."

The San Antonio Spurs, who just finished the draft, are also busy.

Message after message was delivered to Popovich and Buford.

"The Cavaliers snatched Leonard away; they rejected any trade offers."

Buford's last hope was also dashed.

"Danny Green was also snatched away by the Cavaliers. His agent said that Green will return to the Cavaliers next season."

Popovich is starting to get restless.

For teams unwilling to pay the luxury tax, scouting players like Green who play in the Development League is crucial.

By offering a minimum salary contract of $80, they can acquire a player with rotation potential to enrich the team's roster.

Just as Popovich was getting angry and annoyed, new news came:

"Chip was also poached by the Cavaliers."

Why are you everywhere?!

Popovich flew into a rage, his brow furrowing as if he wanted to devour someone.

Buford, who clearly knew about this beforehand, quickly explained to Popovich:

"Don't worry, Chip is just taking on side jobs during the holidays, and the boss has given his approval."

Popovich was still furious, spinning around in a rage, vowing to make the Cavaliers pay in the new season.

……

This protracted tug-of-war continued until August 31, when the two sides returned to the negotiating table.

Union president Derek Fisher stated, "If we cannot reach an agreement, everyone will suffer losses, and I think everyone has always understood that."

Adam Silver stated, "What I would say is that we are not divided on the urgency of reaching an agreement."

However, negotiations broke down again, and the wage cap structure remained the main point of contention between the two sides.

Owners want a hard salary cap, while the players' union wants to maintain the existing structure.

Chen Shuo didn't care about this, his eyes glued to the screen.

On screen, Klay Thompson caught the ball and shot immediately, without making any adjustments, sinking ten consecutive three-pointers, all of them swishing through the net.

This video has been circulating for some time, becoming a refreshing change from labor disputes during this boring and long off-season.

Chen Shuo had anticipated this, which is why he released training camp videos one after another during this period to gain a surge in viewership.

Most fans are already fed up with this long and tedious soap opera.

With no Summer League to watch, these are the only ways to learn about this year's rookies.

Varejao's personal Twitter account was very thoughtful, not only releasing the video but also providing carefully edited clips for each player, along with accompanying captions.

This quickly helped these players make a good first impression among the fans.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this was a move by the Cavaliers, but since there's no evidence and it doesn't affect their own interests, no one will investigate it further.

Across the ocean.

[Negotiations between labor and management break down; NBA may cancel preseason games]

Hupu (a Chinese sports forum) pinned the post about the labor negotiations to the top of its page, but not many fans paid attention to it.

With Yao Ming announcing his retirement and Yi Jianlian potentially returning to the CBA, many fans will have to find a new team to support.

The Cavaliers seem like a good option, especially since they have a Chinese general manager.

He has 24K pure Chinese blood, grew up in China, and retains Chinese citizenship. These facts alone are enough for fans to recognize him.

Moreover, Chen Shuo made some bold statements to the camera after the finals, which attracted a lot of fans. Whether they are haters or fans is not worth delving into.

During this offseason, a large number of fans flocked to the Cavaliers' fan forum, and the most popular posts were videos of the training camp.

Domestic fans also uploaded these videos to Hupu (a popular Chinese sports forum), sparking a huge discussion.

Watching one video after another, fans suddenly realized that accompanying the team and players as they grow and watching a new world unfold before their eyes has a unique kind of fun.

For a time, Cavaliers fans were divided into four distinct factions.

Some people like the aloof and expressionless Kawhi Leonard, while others prefer the haughty and arrogant Klay Thompson.

The most popular players are Kyrie Irving, who dribbles like a butterfly, and Chandler Parsons, the "handsome and skilled" first-generation player.

Only the North Carolina captain remained relatively unknown, with almost no fans.

In the following period, the gradually released videos became the most popular topic of discussion among fans.

On the other hand, labor-management negotiations are not progressing smoothly.

On September 23, the NBA canceled its training camp and preseason games, which were originally scheduled to begin in October.

On October 10, the first two weeks of the NBA regular season were canceled.

On November 18, all matches were cancelled until December 30.

On November 14, the players' union dissolved and filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA the following day.

On November 15, all matches were cancelled until December 15.

On November 26, the players and owners reached an agreement to end the lockout.

On December 8, a new labor agreement was approved, officially ending the shutdown.

The long offseason is finally over, and the real show is about to begin.