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Chapter 145: If loyalty is not absolute, it is absolutely disloyal (5K, begging for monthly subscription)

"I understand how Ron feels, but I will never forgive his actions."

Looking at Chris Mullin, the general manager of the team who came to him the first time after he got angry with Artest, Qin Yue said this.

Although through Mullin, Qin Yue roughly understood Artest's mental journey of not being able to get any commitment from the Warriors management this summer.

But in Qin Yue's opinion, this is still not a reason for Artest to treat his injury as a joke and use it to threaten the team.

What's more, was Artest threatening the team?

That's clearly revenge on teammates!

In the history of the NBA, is there any team whose second-in-command would be so stupid as to do something like this when the team is on the road to a three-peat?
Oh, it seems there is.

But that's not important;
Since there is already the case of that idiot Scottie Pippen, what's the difference between Artest's doing this and deliberately embarrassing Qin Yue?
Did Qin Yue make a promise to Artest beforehand? Did he give him a hard warning? Did he repeatedly emphasize that he must have that damn surgery during the offseason? If so, then Artest, who was still so stubborn, wasn't he telling his teammates that he had never trusted them?
Qin Yue was very disappointed with Artest.

He thought Artest could create a great career with him.

But now, there is no longer any room on the Warrior ship for a first mate like him who does not trust the captain.

In addition, through Mullin's narration, Qin Yue also roughly understood why Rowell, the team president who was responsible for the contract renewal of the Warriors players, was always reluctant to push forward the contract renewal with Davis and Artest.

Because Lowell, who always considered things from the perspective of team owner Cohan, never thought about keeping Davis and Artest from the beginning.

Although the appearance of Qin Yue in this life has greatly affected the development trajectory of history, it is similar that the team owner Cohan is now ready to sell the Warriors.

The only difference is that the emergence of Qin Yue has caused the Warriors' current market value to far exceed the same period in history, and it is far from reaching its peak.

This puts the current Warriors team in a very embarrassing situation.

On the one hand, the Warriors have to maintain the strength of their lineup as much as possible in order to retain themselves.

But on the other hand, the Warriors also have to maintain a good salary cap space before the team's market value reaches its peak.

Qin Yue has read relevant news reports.

According to the speculation of those economic experts, the Warriors' market value peak in recent years will probably come around 2009.

Therefore, assuming that he successfully renews his contract with the Warriors and signs that super-max salary, in order to avoid the team paying a huge luxury tax before and after the market value reaches its peak, the Warriors will have to give up Davis and Artest.

why?
Because in the NBA, for a major event like selling a team, no one can guarantee that the sale can be completed smoothly without a year or two of delay.

During this period, if the salary space is not cleared, it is conservatively estimated that Cohen will have to pay at least $100 million in luxury tax to maintain the Warriors' lineup.

In the first decade of the 21st century, $ million would not be a small sum no matter who you are.

And as per convention, in order to give latecomers more room to operate, NBA team owners will often try to keep the team's current salary in good condition before selling the team.

After all, if you take over a team that has to pay tens of millions of dollars in luxury taxes every year.
No matter who it is, they will definitely deliberately lower the offer in the future negotiations with Cohan.

Even if this team has Qin Yue.

When you have to spend a huge amount of money to buy the team, considering that it will take a long time to get your money back and you will have to pay a huge luxury tax for the team, how could you be willing to accept the sky-high price offered by Cohan instead of choosing to reduce costs by bargaining during negotiations?
It is true that there are super-rich people in this world who don't feel sorry for spending billions of dollars.

But how can Cohan guarantee that the buyer who is willing to offer the highest price in the future will be the richest one?
And all this time, Cohan lost far more than $100 million.

Therefore, from the perspective of President Lowell, since the cost of keeping Artest and Davis is so high, why keep them?

This is the dilemma facing the Warriors right now.

However.
No matter how many reasons President Rowell had, in Qin Yue's opinion, these were not reasons for him to be indifferent to Artest and Davis again and again without his consent.

then
Looking directly at Mu Lin, Qin Yue said, "This is my team, and I have to make the decision."

At this moment, Mu Lin glanced at Qin Yue meaningfully.

The "drunkard" knew very well that after winning two championships, Qin Yue was no longer the same Qin Yue.

That afternoon.

Team owner Chris Cohan came to the practice facility.

Although, after learning the whole story from Mullin, Cohan knew that Lowell's actions were entirely due to his previous understanding of the hint.
But right now, he had to first deal with Qin Yue, who was in extreme anger.

"What are you going to do about this?" Cohan asked, looking at Mullin.

Mullin said bluntly: "It is impossible for the Messiah to forgive Ron, so our only option is to trade Ron."

Cohan shook his head and said, "Chris, that's not what I'm asking."

Seeing this, Mullin shrugged and said, "I'm just the general manager of the team. I have no right to deal with the president of this team."

Cohan sighed and said, "If it were the Chicago Bulls back then, what would they do?"

When the Bulls were mentioned, Mullin, who was no longer sleepy, smiled and said, "You mean Jerry Krause? He will choose to trade the teammate who has the best relationship with the Messiah, then find a suitable time to sign him back, and then cut him off."①
Cohan was shocked and asked, "How could Michael Jordan allow the Bulls to treat him like this?"

"This was not the only thing Jerry Krause did to Michael that was outrageous," Mullin said.

Cohan looked puzzled and asked, "Why has the NBA developed to this point?"

Mullin asked, "You mean the phenomenon of 'players over teams'?"

Cohan nodded.

Mullin said: "Because times have changed, now is the golden age of players first."

Cohan frowned and said, "But Robert did nothing wrong."

Mullin said noncommittally: "That's true."

But after a pause, Mullin immediately added: "Then we can only trade the Messiah."

Cohan's pupils widened as he said, "This is impossible. Trade the Messiah? Do you want me to be the stupidest boss in NBA history?"

Hearing this, Mullin spread his hands helplessly and said, "Messiah said that this is his team and he must make the decision."

Seeing this, Cohan wanted to muster up the courage to say that he was the owner of this team.

But after thinking for a while, Cohan said, "Robert has served this team for twelve years. Do you think he will feel tired?"

Mullin knew that Cohan was waiting for him to pass on the message, so he stopped hesitating and said, "Are you saying that Robert's physical condition has made him unable to perform his current job?"

"He's been telling me lately that he's exhausted, physically and mentally, so I want to give him a long vacation," Cohan said.

Mullin nodded and said, "Robert has been with the team through the most difficult years. He is a well-deserved hero of the team, but considering his physical condition, he does need a long paid vacation to rest."

As a businessman, Cohan was shrewd.

The team president Rowell temporarily left everyone's sight through a long paid vacation, which not only expressed the team's determination to firmly support Qin Yue, but also calmed Qin Yue's anger.

However, the Warriors still cannot get out of the current embarrassing situation.

Because during this period when the Warriors' market value reached its peak.
Unless Cohan is willing to pay a huge luxury tax for the team and reduce the asking price in the future sales negotiations so that the acquirer will agree to continue to bear the luxury tax for the next two or three years.

Otherwise, after this season, the Warriors will have to go through a round of reshuffle and gradually reduce the number of high-paid players in the team.

For this reason, after making the decision to let Rowell take paid leave, Cohan talked to Qin Yue alone and said, "We all know that you have brought immeasurable value to this team. The team will always be on the same page with you. Don't worry, I am definitely not the kind of boss who is reluctant to spend money."

To be honest, Qin Yue can hardly remember.
This was the nth time that he had heard Cohan or someone else assure or promise him that the owner of this team was willing to spend money on this team.

It is impossible for Qin Yue to believe what the capitalists say, let alone be deceived by their sweet words.

He immediately retorted to Cohan: "The team will always be on the same page with me? Now that I want Baron to stay, the team can immediately start contract renewal negotiations with him?"

Hearing this, the mask that Cohan had been wearing for a long time, showing his willingness to spend money for the team, was ruthlessly torn off by Qin Yue in an instant.

"By the end of next season, Baran will be nearly 30 years old. Moreover, he is a defender with a history of injuries. I think we should look further ahead." Look, this is the team owner who always talks about his willingness to spend money on the team.

Qin Yue did not deny that Cohan had indeed made some investments for the Warriors in the past two seasons.

But Cohen's investment is only a fraction of the money the team has earned from him in the past two years.
Is it really worth mentioning?

To put it bluntly, isn't Cohen's generosity based on the fact that the Warriors became a money-printing machine after selecting him?
However, Mr. Chris Cohan, who wanted to maximize his personal interests in the process of selling the team, obviously forgot why this Warriors team was so profitable.

Therefore, Qin Yue could only remind the forgetful team owner: "I know I will become a restricted free agent in two years, but in the NBA, no team can force a league flag that has decided to leave to stay."

……

Qin Yue's attitude finally made Ke Han feel what it meant to be anxious.

Because the premise for Cohan to maximize his interests is that the Warriors can successfully sign Qin Yue to that super maximum salary.

If Cohan chooses to continue spending money on the Warriors while selling the team, he will only lose the visible $100 million or $200 million. But if he fails to keep Qin Yue, Cohan will lose everything.

There is no doubt that it was Qin Yue's tough attitude that made Mr. Chris Cohan realize that in this league, not all star players can be manipulated.

If you want to keep me, you have to spend money on me.

If you want to make money from me, you have to spend more money on me.

At this point, Cohan could only let Mullin go to Davis' agent to negotiate with a painful look on his face.

just
Before the negotiations even started, an unexpected event brought them to a standstill.

After the holiday, Baron Davis, who was as strong as a bull, fell to the ground in his first training session after returning to the team due to a collision with his teammate Jack.

This was a physical contact that couldn't be more normal.

Even when Davis fell to the ground with his face covered, everyone thought that Davis was not seriously injured.

However.
After a preliminary examination, the Warriors' beautiful team doctor Chelsea Ryan quickly walked to the team's head coach Mike Malone and said solemnly: "Next, you have to be prepared to completely lose Baron in the new season."

"Which part of his body was injured so seriously?"

"The cruciate ligament of the left knee is suspected to be ruptured."

Hearing this, Ma Long immediately took a breath of cold air.

According to Ryan's analysis, Davis's left knee cruciate ligament rupture may be related to the Warriors playing too many games in the past two years.

In response, Malone said with a depressed look: "But in the past two seasons, Baron has missed at least two months due to injury. Logically, he should be the player with the best physical condition in our team."

Ryan shook his head and said, "That's not the case, Mike. Have you ever thought that before joining the Warriors, Baron had never participated in such a high-intensity playoff game for two consecutive years?"

Ma Long was speechless: "According to what you said, shouldn't Messiah be lying in bed right now?"

Ryan, who had already examined Qin Yue’s body, blushed and said, “Mike, people’s physiques cannot be generalized.

However, Messiah is indeed the player with the highest injury risk among the Warriors. You know, in the past two years, he played from beginning to end, and even participated in the World Championships in the summer of 06. "

The next day.

Davis' MRI results are officially out.

The beautiful team doctor Ryan's judgment was accurate.

Davis will miss the next six to ten months due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

This sudden injury not only interrupted Davis's good upward momentum, but also cast a shadow on the Warriors' subsequent three-peat.

另外
For Davis himself, whether he can still sign that decent retirement contract with the Warriors has become an unknown.

On the day when Davis's examination results came out, Qin Yue and a group of teammates went to the hospital to visit the first generation bearded man.

After driving away the others, Davis suddenly held Qin Yue’s hand and said, “Brother, don’t fight for that pension contract for me anymore, I am very grateful for everything you have done for me.

My agent has told me everything, and you know, when I learned that you were willing to confront the team owner for me, I felt that all my efforts for this team were worth it.

You may not believe it, but I am a person who cares a lot about my reputation. I don't know if I can recover to my previous state after this ligament rupture.
If you really regard me as a brother, then don't try to fight for me. I am a championship player. I love Oakland, and I love this Warriors team and you guys even more, so I only take the salary I deserve. "

"Baron, no matter how long you need me, there will always be a place for you on this team." Qin Yue said, looking at Davis with tears in his eyes, "No matter how long it takes, your locker room will be reserved for you."

Hearing this, Davis recalled the ferocious look on Qin Yue's face when he first met him during his rookie season. Unable to hold back any longer, he pushed Qin Yue away and said, "Go away, let me cry alone for a while."

……

Although he had thought in advance that three consecutive championships would not be easy to achieve, the Warriors' disastrous start in the 07/08 season still exceeded Qin Yue's expectations.

Qin Yue discovered that the Warriors had basically stepped on all the landmines that a quasi-dynasty team could step on.

Moreover, on the day after visiting Davis in the hospital, Qin Yue received another bad news.

That is Artest, who was supposed to have surgery during the offseason and would have recovered in just one or two months, deliberately delayed treatment.
Now, he will have to wait until at least February next year to recover.

This forced the Warriors, who had originally planned to trade him, to wait for a while.

Because, after learning that Artest was injured because of his own actions, those teams that were willing to trade with the Warriors all ran away and said:

"Unless Ron can prove his health, we will not take the risk of completing a deal with the Warriors."

Before Artest underwent surgery, Qin Yue took Brown to the hospital for a final visit.

And until this time.
Artest, who is still stuck in a dead end, still doesn't realize where he went wrong.

So, before leaving, Brown said to Artest: "Ron, you know, the biggest mistake you made was not trusting the Messiah enough.

For you and Baron, the Messiah was even willing to confront the team owner directly. But what about you? You chose a stupid way to solve the problem. "

After a pause, Brown added: "Ron, in this world, loyalty is either absolute or absolutely disloyal!"

A few days later, the Warriors held their annual media day at Oracle Arena.

During the shooting of the core makeup photos, Qin Yue seemed a little uncomfortable without Artest and Davis standing beside him.

Head coach Ma Long was overwhelmed by a group of reporters during the interview.

Whether it was why Artest committed suicide this summer, or the sudden long paid vacation for Warriors president Lowell, these reporters who smelled the scent of explosive news wanted to obtain first-hand information.

On the Internet, there are at least twenty-four versions of the story about why Artest committed suicide this summer.

Among them, Artest's most outrageous reason for committing suicide was
He had an argument with Bidrins because he tried to pick up soap but failed. After he accidentally slipped and fell, he felt embarrassed and refused to receive treatment.

Qin Yue knew very well that these rumors were destined to become more and more outrageous.

Just out of a last bit of respect for Artest.
Qin Yue still left the opportunity to explain the truth to the public to this former comrade who had fought side by side with him.

Perhaps, Artest will explain it from a perspective that is more favorable to him.

But in Qin Yue's opinion, this is better than being criticized by thousands of people like Pippen did back then.

This was Qin Yue's last act of kindness towards his former teammate Artest.

And now.
He will lead this incomplete Warriors team to officially embark on the journey of the new season.

……

PS: 5000-word chapter, begging for subscriptions and monthly tickets.

①: Historically, in order to tame Jordan in his early career, then-Bulls general manager Krause first traded away Rod Higgins, who had the best relationship with Jordan at the time, and then sent Higgins away again after welcoming him back. Krause himself said that he did this just to stimulate Jordan. (The above information comes from multiple biographies)
(End of this chapter)