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Chapter 98: Earthquake-prone NBA (6100-word chapter, begging for monthly subscription!)
The scene of Qin Yue triumphantly returning with the O'Brien Cup and FMVP trophy has become the most grand and lively scene in Oakland in recent decades.

In competitive sports, athletes who always meet the expectations of fans are often deified by local supporters and their own supporters. As the Messiah in the hearts of Warriors fans, Qin Yue is no exception.

In the Bay Area, Qin Yue has begun to take on a godly status - he is to the Warriors what Jordan was to the Bulls. For example, the Warriors, whose market value had not increased much for many years before he joined, are now the most valuable team in the NBA besides the Knicks and Lakers. In the latest league team market value rankings, they ranked third with $4.5 million.

Historically, in Qin Yue's memory, Joe Lacob completed the acquisition of the Warriors for US$2009 million around 4.5.

But now, it is 2006 and every inch of land is valuable.

Because usually, you have to pay extra money to acquire a profitable team like the Warriors.

So, although Warriors owner Chris Cohan still doesn't like the way players treat him, he has gradually come to understand why this culture of superstars dominating the team has formed in the NBA.

As long as it can bring the team a steady stream of wealth and victory after victory, even the team owner must give three points to the star player.

This is a right that Kylian Mbappe dreams of having in the future football world, but in the NBA since the Jordan era, this culture has become the unspoken rule of the entire league.

In a sense, Michael Jordan did change the original underlying logic of the NBA and the operating rules of the basketball world. Therefore, even though Qin Yue has shown the potential to become a "little gangster", he still respects Jordan, the "old gangster".

After all, without Jordan's pioneering work back then, how could NBA players in later generations gradually get rid of the situation of being treated like slaves, and even be able to walk up to the negotiating table and manipulate the team behind the scenes?
"Our championship parade is scheduled for the 25th. We also have a second-round draft pick this year. Do you have a favorite player?"

Shortly after returning to Oakland with the Warriors, the "drunkard" Mullin found Qin Yue alone.

Hearing this, Qin Yue, who knew that the Warriors had lost their first-round picks in 06 and 08 in exchange for Artest, smiled and said, "You can choose whatever you want. I believe in you."

2006 was a famous year with few draft picks.

Qin Yue's understanding of this year's rookies only stopped at a few people.

Moreover, the Warriors' 56th pick in the second round this year is destined to make it difficult for them to find a real bargain.

At present, the Warriors' championship team is basically in their prime - especially after renewing their contracts with Dunleavy and Richardson, their room for maneuver in the new season will become smaller and smaller. Therefore, if nothing unexpected happens, the Warriors will spend an extremely peaceful summer while retaining the championship team.

In addition, after a year of getting along, Qin Yue, who has established supreme authority in the Warriors, has always cooperated happily with his teammates, so he has no reason to break up and reorganize this defending champion.

"Then I will try to bring back two pieces of the defending champion puzzle for us in the free agent market."

Qin Yue vaguely remembers that Chris Mullin would sign Matt Barnes to the Warriors this summer in his memory.

This is a tough, lanky, quality role player who can defend multiple positions on the court.

And most importantly, in this treacherous league, Barnes has always been known for his loyalty and courage.

Throughout his career, Barnes, who has always been known as a tough guy on the court, basically only punches for his teammates.

If you are his opponent, Barnes will make you extremely annoyed.

But if you are his teammate, Qin Yue has basically never seen any of Barnes' teammates say bad things about him.

"Do you have Matt Barnes on your free agent list?"

However, to be on the safe side, Qin Yue deliberately asked Mu Lin.

Hearing this, Mullin smiled and said, "He will be my first choice. I like his style very much. I think his temperament fits our 'gangster' culture very well. So, what do you think of him?"

Qin Yue shook his head and said, “No, I admire him too.”

"Great minds think alike. Don't worry, when I sign Matt, I'll tell him that our Messiah appreciates him."

Although historically, Mullin left the Warriors on the eve of the Warriors' rise due to Cohan's sale of the team and conflicts with his colleagues, his vision during the years he took over the Warriors was indeed commendable.

Whether it was his heavy attack in the free agent market or his use of his relationship with Bird to recruit capable players from the Pacers, both made the Warriors fans on the eve of their rise fully feel the joy that the playoffs brought them again.

In this life, with the help of this butler, Qin Yue can completely relax his mind and enjoy the indulgent life before the upcoming championship parade.

Of course, although the Warriors' lineup framework has been basically determined and remains unchanged, they must solve the issue of head coach selection in the new season.

Montgomery will officially bid farewell to the Warriors after the championship parade.

The Warriors need to choose a suitable head coach for their young battleship.

Originally, Mullin's favorite candidate was his former mentor, Nelson.

But now, old Nelson is no longer the best candidate.

Qin Yue has read the chronicles of the Warriors, and he knows that the current management of the Warriors is in a delicate balance.

Because he successfully completed the Warriors' restructuring last season and brought back the championship trophy for the Warriors after an absence of 31 years, Mullin, who is currently the most powerful person in the Warriors management, can still suppress President Rowell, who has always put the interests of team owner Cohan at the core.

But once old Nelson joins the team, this delicate balance will be broken in an instant.

If Qin Yue remembered correctly, the decline of the Golden State gang in his memory was due to old Nelson's desire to gain more power in the Warriors.

As a result, Mullin, who was gradually sidelined, had no choice but to leave due to his master-disciple relationship with old Nelson.

But Mullin's departure has made President Lowell the only one in charge and completely disrupted the balance of the previous Warriors management.

Just like people, every team in the NBA is a very complex structure.

Under the premise that this Warriors team has every chance of continuing to compete for more championship trophies, Qin Yue does not want this balance to be broken, and he does not want Lowell, who has always had a bad relationship with the players, to have the final say.

In addition, the Warriors' offense certainly needs to be adjusted, but compared to the offense.
What they need more is a head coach with a balanced offense and defense to coach their defense.

During this year's playoffs, the Warriors, who have been adopting a strategy of blocking the restricted area, have exposed their weaknesses on the outside.

NBA teams are not fools. Since the Warriors are not without weaknesses, they will definitely address the problems exposed by the Warriors in the new season through personnel adjustments, enhanced training, or tactical drills.

Therefore, no matter how many advantages Nelson has, he is not the best candidate for the defending champions.

And considering that even Mike Montgomery can lead the Warriors to win the championship
The Warriors are destined to choose a young coach who is not afraid of taking the blame as their successor.

after all
Apart from Nelson, who had to be invited by Mullin to become the head coach of the Warriors, the only well-known coach who has publicly expressed interest in the position of head coach of the Warriors is Larry Brown.

Larry Brown, who had just been fired by the New York Knicks, said in an interview: "The Warriors have many talented players, especially Messiah. If you hand him over to me, I am confident that I can help him grow into the most outstanding player in the NBA within three years."

three years?

Who the hell needs three more years? Qin Yue is now the most outstanding player in the NBA!
"In my opinion, they still have a lot of problems to solve. For example, their defense, and I happen to be an expert in this area. As for their three-pointers, I think they do have too many unnecessary three-pointers. I believe that under my coaching, they can improve this problem."

Don't let this Warriors team shoot three-pointers?
Wouldn't Qin Yue and Davis be exhausted to death in every game?
In short, both Mullin and Qin Yue agree on Larry Brown's desire to "pick peaches":
——Let him get lost as far away as possible with his **theory!

In the absence of a suitable candidate for the time being, Mullin plans to select a young, energetic head coach through public recruitment who is good at communicating with players (mainly without making Qin Yue angry).

On the 25th.

Qin Yue, who had been indulging himself since his triumphant return from Miami, participated in the team's championship parade with the entire Warriors team.

After 31 years, the Warriors won the championship again. Millions of fans wearing Warriors jerseys lined the streets. (Note ①)

The Warriors' championship float departed from Broadway at 11th Street. On the day of the parade, some fans even gathered at 5 a.m.

In order to ensure the smooth progress of the parade, the local government also temporarily increased the number of subway services to ensure transportation.

When the championship float turned right onto Grand Avenue, Warriors fans once again shouted "We-Believe" in unison.

Then, turn right onto Harrison Street and head toward Lakeside Drive. The rolling golden waves on the scene made all Warriors players feel unprecedented pride and honor.

"Even if I die now, I will die without regrets!" Davis, who has been actively interacting with fans, said with tears in his eyes.

"This is one of the reasons why I love the sport of basketball!" Artest, wearing a championship hat, said when the championship float arrived at Lakeside Boulevard.

Since Qin Yue, Richardson, Dunleavy and Murphy, the four core players of the championship, were all selected by the Warriors themselves, they were also the four most popular stars when the championship float finally arrived at Oak Street - this is an honor that Davis and Artest cannot exchange for no matter how much they emphasize their contributions to the Warriors.

Because the above four championship backbones represent the DNA of this Warriors team.

In the NBA, not every team values origin and bloodline, but the Warriors are a team that has always emphasized DNA culture.

Yes, even during the Chris Cohan era.

In Qin Yue's memory, the reason why Biedrins could become the captain of the Warriors and be loved by Bay Area fans in the future was precisely because he was personally selected by the Warriors.

On the championship float, Kwame Brown's expression could only be described as envy, jealousy and hatred as he looked at Jarrett Jack, who was selected by the Warriors in exchange for a draft pick in the 2005 draft.

That's right, even substitutes like Jack and Biedrins were more popular with fans than Brown, the main center, on the day of the championship parade.

This is called the "root".

People without "roots" will certainly not die like flowers, plants and trees.

But at this championship moment, Warriors fans will definitely prefer players with "roots". Of course, being selected is not the only way to get "roots" in an NBA team.

Because when participating in the draft, except for those top talents who have been booked in advance, no player can control his own destiny, so playing for a team for a long time is also a way to gain "roots".

In the NBA, "roots" are important, and "roots" are not important.

For example, if you can really establish a true dynasty in different cities after changing your "roots" every time (three consecutive championships), then in the future, there will be "great scholars" who will debate for you.

You'll even get "roots" in all of these different cities.

But if every time you change your "roots", your great dynasty, which needs no further explanation, is not a dynasty in the true sense, and even the championships you have won are the "*champions" that O'Neal calls "worthy of being marked with an asterisk", then you are destined to become a mercenary in the eyes of others.

And this time.
The "root" will then bite you back.

In the NBA, players without "roots" basically cannot escape the fate of "an unknown old age".

At the championship parade, Qin Yue, who was hand-picked by the Warriors, already felt the unprecedented pressure.

He has already achieved godhood in Oakland, and now the entire Bay Area worships him as a god.

This is a deep love, but also an invisible pressure.

In Miami, he seemed to have taken off the heaviest crown for himself, but in fact, that heavyweight crown had always been on his head.

Mike Montgomery officially bid farewell to the Warriors after the championship parade.

Richardson and Dunleavy, who have each received big contracts, plan to take a good rest this summer.

Artest and Davis also want to take a vacation before starting summer training.

Biedrins will return to Latvia as the country's first NBA champion in history - if you don't return home when you are rich and powerful, what is the difference between that and walking at night in gorgeous clothes?
Jack will return to Georgia Tech to complete his unfinished studies in order to become a business major as soon as possible - a promise he made to his mother before running for president.

As for Kwame Brown?

He must successfully complete the weight loss goal set by Qin Yue this summer, otherwise in the new season, he will be traded to Minnesota because he steps into the Warriors training hall with his left foot (right foot) first.

The championship parade came to an end, and as teammates began their vacations, the whole world seemed to quiet down for a moment.

At the suggestion of Tim Grover.
Although he was extremely eager to seize the time to continue improving himself before working as a slave for the NBA and major sponsors, Qin Yue also had to go through a period of boring and tedious adjustments first.

As a person who has experienced this, Grover knows very well that Qin Yue, who had just finished the finals, is currently in a state of extreme fatigue.

"Your height and weight determine that your competition load is far beyond that of ordinary people. I know you are eager to continue to dominate the NBA, but even Michael Jordan would not start training immediately after playing the finals."

Hearing this, Qin Yue was puzzled and said, "But in the relevant reports I have read, it said that Michael would immediately start training after each finals."

Grover rolled his eyes at Qin Yue and said, "That's just Michael's rhetoric to fool the media."

For this purpose, Grover also told Qin Yue an interesting story about Jordan.

That was the story after the Bulls won their first championship in 1991.

Jordan, who had just finished the finals, immediately found Richard Elkinas, a shareholder of the San Diego Sports Center, and played several high-stakes golf games with him.

"That year, Michael didn't return to training until he lost a total of $125 million."

$1991 million in 125! ?

No wonder Jordan has a nickname called "God of Gamblers" in the NBA.

"I wouldn't recommend any intense training until late July, but if you want to stay in shape, you can do hundreds of shots a day."

Just a few hundred shots, can that be called training?

This was definitely the easiest "homework" that Grover had given Qin Yue since he met him.

However, considering that with Grover's assistance, Jordan had basically not suffered any serious injuries throughout his career, Qin Yue still obediently followed Grover's arrangements.

There was no choice. Even though he didn't want to continue indulging himself, since this was the price of becoming great, Qin Yue could only obey with tears in his eyes.

On the 28th.

The annual NBA draft is held in the theater at Madison Square Garden.

Qin Yue, who was busy indulging himself, didn't care about this year's draft.

Because Mullin had already made the decision to sell the Warriors' second-round draft pick.

but.
Who would have thought that at the beginning of this year's draft, an earthquake-level deal would instantly shake the entire basketball world?

The Houston Rockets and the Seattle SuperSonics officially completed the deal for Chinese player Yao Ming.

At the moment the deal was confirmed, Holden Schultz, who was in charge of the team, waved a document in his hand and said, "The history of the Supersonics has been rewritten at this moment!"

In this deal, the SuperSonics will send their newly selected Italian No. 2007 pick Bargnani, as well as their team players Vladimir Radmanovic, Luke Ridnour, Robert Swift, Mickey Moore, Vitali Petapenko, Rick Brunson, plus their first-round draft pick in 2008 and second-round draft pick in , in exchange for Yao Ming and Chuck Hayes from the Houston Rockets.

This is a deal in which the Supersonics had to suffer a heavy loss at the hands of the Rockets in order to acquire Yao Ming at the current point in time.

But this was only the first shock the Supersonics brought to the basketball world on the day of the draft.

By taking advantage of the draft, the Seattle SuperSonics immediately reached a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Garnett.

Seeing this, some people may ask, given that Yao Ming has already been traded to the Supersonics, does Stern intend to not stop the Supersonics' upcoming trade for Garnett?
The answer is that Stern can't do anything about it.

In Qin Yue's previous life, Stern was able to prevent the New Orleans Hornets from trading with the Lakers because the New Orleans Hornets had been placed under the trusteeship of the league at that time. Therefore, the league was able to intervene in the Paul deal for basketball reasons under the trusteeship.

In fact, if the league could really manage transactions between teams, how could the Cavaliers be robbed by the Lakers in the 80s and allow the Lakers to become the team that won the championship and held the No. pick?
David Stern is only the league president. Unless a team is placed under the trusteeship of the league, he has no right to interfere in transactions between NBA teams.

Of course, if Stern had known in advance that Schultz would dare to play such a big game,
Then he must seriously consider whether to let the Supersonics win the No. 1 pick this year.

But since the result is already determined, Stern can only admire Schultz's bold and generous move.

At the draft, the second earthquake-level deal soon came out.

The SuperSonics will send their All-Star forwards Rashard Lewis, Reggie Evans, Danny Fortson, Damien Wilkins, Ibrahim Kutlui, Mike Wilkes, a 2006 second-round pick, a 2009 first-round pick, and a 2010 second-round pick in exchange for the Timberwolves' All-Star power forward Kevin Garnett.

All-Star for All-Star - Although Lewis's star quality cannot be compared with Garnett's, considering that Garnett has been forcing the team to quit for a whole season and he only wants to go to the SuperSonics, this is also a fair and honest deal at the current time point.

"Don't you watch the news?" Evans asked curiously, looking at Qin Yue who looked calm in the East Bay mansion.

Qin Yue shook his head and said, "What's so good about it?"

Qin Yue knew very well that his appearance would inevitably trigger a series of butterfly effects.

NBA general managers will never be indifferent to the rise of the Warriors.

So, isn't it the new version of the Big Three consisting of Yao Ming, Garnett, and Ray Allen?
Why make such a fuss about it?
"your phone."

"Who's calling?"

"Your good brother, Carmelo Anthony."

Seeing this, Qin Yue took the phone from Evans and was almost deafened by Anthony in the next second.

"I want to request a trade! I can't stand it! Is this fucking Western Conference still a place for us to play? Check the news! The Lakers have also made a trade with the Grizzlies! No, I'm going to request a trade to the Warriors tomorrow!"

On the phone, Anthony's tone sounded so impetuous and broken.

And what about Qin Yue?

He certainly wouldn't pay attention to the joke Anthony made to him on the phone about requesting a trade.

After all, even if Anthony wants to come to the Warriors, the Warriors have to have bargaining chips to exchange for him. You know, Anthony is still in the rookie contract period. The Warriors can't use him to exchange for Anthony, right?
Does Mullin still want to stay in Oakland?
At this moment, Qin Yue asked with interest: "Did the Lakers also trade with the Grizzlies?"

Then, after getting a positive answer from the phone, Qin Yue asked Evans to turn on the TV.

"Why are you only curious about the Lakers?"

"Because if they have always been a weak team, then if I go to Los Angeles as the defending champion to bully the weaker teams in the new season, wouldn't that just be a blatant stat-boosting exercise?"

……

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Note ①: The reference data here is the Warriors' championship in 15. According to historical records, there were more than one million people participating in the parade.

(End of this chapter)