Champion Rules

Chapter 356, Part 352: The Pinnacle Sanctuary (Seeking monthly votes!)
After the trade was completed, the Knicks immediately waived Lamar Odom.

Even though it was essentially spending $890 million to buy a puff of air, James Dolan didn't hesitate for a second.

He knew very well that this expense was insignificant compared to the health of the locker room.

Besides, men like him and Lin Qi, who are rich, single, and shrewd, don't spend hundreds of millions every night.
A mere 890 million is insignificant.

This deal has received varying ratings from different media outlets.

Fox Sports gave the trade an A rating because Vince Carter is a decent player who can contribute immediately, and the Knicks also got a first-round pick, even though it would be difficult for them to use a later draft pick to select a player like Wilson Chandler who is on the verge of becoming an All-Star.

However, ESPN only gave the trade a C rating, explaining: "For a team aiming to continue winning championships, the Knicks' wing is currently very weak. You can't expect Vince to play 30 minutes every night, and you can't expect second-year Jimmy Butler to shoulder the starting responsibility."

Both sides have their reasons for their ratings, and the true value of this trade can only be determined once the new season begins.

In any case, Lynch has temporarily solved one of his problems.

But during this offseason, many people's worries remain unresolved.

Last season, the Detroit Pistons, which underwent a complete overhaul from owner to management, already had the idea of ​​rebuilding.

Trade rumors surrounding Carmelo Anthony have been rampant.

Detroit fans have been unwilling to believe the rumors are true, as no team would trade a legendary player who won two championships with his team in the first two years of his career.

But now, this plot twist that Detroit fans find hard to accept is becoming a reality.

According to Woj, several Western Conference teams are actively contacting the Detroit Pistons to explore a possible trade for Carmelo Anthony.

These teams include the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Memphis Grizzlies.

This matter had nothing to do with Lynch, but it still sparked some heated discussions about him.

Charles Barkley said on the "NBA Insider" program, "This trade completely widened the gap between Lynch and other top stars of his age."

"LeBron James was actively traded by the Thunder this summer."

Dwight Howard was abandoned by Orlando.

Reports indicate that Dwyane Wade will not re-sign with the Heat in 2014.

Now, even Melo, who won two championships for Detroit, is on the market.

Only Lynch continues to bask in the boundless love and respect of his fans in New York.

This is the answer this era has given; the difference between him and others is crystal clear.

Entering their ninth season, most players begin to encounter their own career crisis.

Transfers, abandonment, the erosion of time—all sorts of problems and challenges followed one after another.

Only outstanding achievements and numerous honors can keep these troubles at bay.

After bringing back the gold medal from London, Cameron Anthony arrived in New York.

He longed for the taste of Lynch's restaurant, and every summer he would eat a meal cooked by Wu Lan herself.

Lynch entertained him, and of course, they talked about the deal.

Do you know where your next stop is?

Cameron Anthony, who was eating, shrugged: "Do you really have to talk about this now, you idiot?"

"What's wrong with talking about this? It's not something shameful."

“No,” Melo’s expression turned serious, instantly turning bitter, “This is a shameful thing. Detroit thought I was worthless, that I couldn’t lead the team to success anymore, and that I wasn’t fit to be a cornerstone player. That’s why I was put on the trading block. Tell me, what is this if not a disgrace?”

He took a swig of wine, and the burning sensation seemed to calm his anxiety somewhat.

He looked at Lynch again, his gaze sharpening: "But this won't defeat me. I won't give up competing with you. I'm sure I can beat you one more time before you retire."

"Oh, then you'd better hurry."

“Of course I will,” Cameron Anthony said, clearly oblivious to the underlying meaning in Lynch’s words. “I will do it very soon.”

It's clear that this year's Olympic gold medals are a gift to these old rivals.

It gave them a glimmer of light in the pitch-black "Lynch Hell".

Judging from their various statements after returning to North America, they have regained their enthusiasm and are eager to bring Lynch down.

Moreover, nowadays, whoever can break Lynch's reign will become a legend.

Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway had similar opportunities in the 90s.

They defeated the Bulls, who had a god-like team, but unfortunately they couldn't beat the team that was just barely hanging on in the Finals.

They surrendered after Da Meng only twisted a few times.

Lynch's four consecutive championships were dazzling, but they also served as the best stepping stone for others.

Stimulated and comforted by the Olympic gold medal, everyone is gathering their last strength to launch an assault on that seemingly insurmountable peak.

“Good luck, Melo,” Lynch said calmly. “I would love to play you all again in the playoffs, or rather, all four of you. I want to take down all the old guys and keep suppressing the best young guys right now. That would make me happy.”

"If I really go to the West, then if we meet again in the playoffs, it might be the NBA Finals." Carmelo Anthony rubbed his hands together, showing a glimmer of hope for the first time regarding a transfer. "That would definitely be a bigger battleground than the Eastern Conference Finals."

"I hope you go somewhere good, Melo. Beating you in the Finals would mean way more than beating LeBron; it would make my career story more complete."

Lynch made it sound as if everyone else's efforts were only meant to forge his greatness.

Carmelo Anthony raised his glass: "Yes, that will make my career more complete. You climbed to your first peak by stepping on my two consecutive championships. Now, it's my turn to climb over you."

"I have a suggestion for you." Lin Qi leaned forward with an air of importance, placing all his weight on the dining table.

Carmelo Anthony also became serious: "You go ahead."

"Shave off the mustache under your nose."

"What? Lin Qi, what kind of suggestion is this?"

"You'd better listen to me, Melo. That Showa-era mustache of yours makes me think you're Japanese. Didn't Lala tell you that your current look has a retro, ugly WWII war criminal vibe?"

"Damn, it seems I really need to hire a new stylist."

Just as Cameron Anthony finished speaking, his phone rang.

Upon seeing the caller ID on the screen, he immediately turned bitter again.

"Leon, is something the matter?"
What? Okay, okay, I understand.

What? How should I answer you? Scream like a girl?
Okay, that's all for now.

After hanging up the phone, Cameron Anthony let out a long sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had finally been lifted from his chest, and his back relaxed slightly.

Lynch could roughly guess the content of the phone call, so he asked directly, "Was that Leon Ross? Where were you traded to?"

“Memphis guy,” Cameron Anthony said with a half-smile, it was hard to tell whether he was happy or disappointed with the outcome, “jumping from the Detroit recession to the Memphis quagmire, it’s the same place either way, but—”

“I think I’d be a great fit for the Memphis Grizzlies, maybe I could really shine there. See you next summer, Lynch.”
-
This was an absolutely massive trade that shook the league once again, as the Detroit Pistons sent Carmelo Anthony to Memphis in exchange for Rudy Gay, OJ Mayo, and two first-round draft picks.

Carmelo Anthony will reunite with his former teammate Zach Randolph in Memphis.

This is definitely bad news for the teams in the Western Conference.

As Carmelo Anthony said, he is a perfect fit for the Grizzlies' style.

Under Dave Joerger, the Memphis Grizzlies are known for their tenacity, teamwork, discipline, courage, and tough playing style.

What style does Carmelo Anthony, who was coached by Larry Brown, have in this timeline?

Resilience, teamwork, discipline, courage, and toughness.

The Grizzlies' biggest problem last season was that they didn't have enough outside scorers and their offense relied too much on the Grizzlies' duo of Markieff and Grindelwald.

Rudy Gay is incredibly talented, but his maverick nature has consistently contributed to his downsides.

Last season, the Grizzlies actually had a higher winning percentage when Rudy Gay was injured and out.

Because he is a player who relies too much on individual play, lacks defensive initiative, and has a weak awareness of sharing the ball.

His presence is disruptive to the Grizzlies' system.

For all these reasons, the Memphis Grizzlies have always been a team that "can make any team suffer, but has no hope of winning the championship."

With this trade, the Memphis Grizzlies have almost perfectly solved this problem.

They got rid of Rudy Gay, the most statistically spectacular liability, and at the same time, upgraded him into a superstar wing player who fits the Grizzlies' style in every way.

People believe that this trade will usher in the most brilliant chapter in the Memphis Grizzlies' history.

At this point, the landscape for next season is largely set. In the West, the Thunder, with their young trio of young stars, remain a force to be reckoned with; the Spurs, having successfully transformed, are also a top-tier team; and the revamped Grizzlies are preparing for the future. All of them have the potential to contend for the championship.

The Eastern Conference is full of familiar faces: the Heat, with Flash on high alert, and the Hawks, with Dwight Howard poised to unleash their full potential. LeBron James and his money-making machine, CP3 and his background player and expressionless teammates will all challenge Lynch's dominance.

It is foreseeable that this will not be an easy season for defending the title.

With all the major trades in the league finalized and the new season approaching, Lynch's annual closed training camp, designed specifically for top stars, has officially begun.

Prior to this year, Lynch's summer training camp did not have a proper name.

The media and players simply referred to it as "Lynch's Breakfast Club".

But this year, Kevin Durant, a female firefighter enthusiast, gave the training camp a new name in a media interview:

“Yes, we participate in Lynch’s ‘Summit Sanctuary’ every year, and we make great progress every year. It’s not easy to keep up with Lynch’s training intensity. Once you’ve trained with him, you’ll know that his success is not accidental. But all the effort and sweat is worth it. I look forward to training with Lynch every year.”

This year's "Summit Sanctuary" was unprecedented, with the highest number of participants in history, covering players from three generations.

The list leaked by the media includes Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Carmelo Anthony, Milos Teodosic, Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving, DeMar DeRozan, Jimmy Butler, Chandler Parsons, Paul George, Damian Lillard, and the Thunder's "Big Three".

ESPN even joked, "Lynch's training camp team is the real dream team."

Because the number of participants far exceeded expectations, Lynch even had to temporarily expand the size of the training camp.

This is no longer a small training camp like the Breakfast Club of the 90s.

It is not a large-scale, private, high-end training camp.

Lynch never refuses to train with other star players because more people means more competition, and competition is always the best fuel for men.

While the training camp is in full swing, discussions about the new season have never stopped.

A prevailing viewpoint has been repeatedly mentioned: the Knicks should try to bring in another wing player.

Kyrie Irving and DeMar DeRozan are decent defenders, but not top-tier.

If the Knicks don't acquire a defensive-minded wing player at the small forward position, they will struggle defensively next season.

Fox Sports writer Rick Buch argues: "Linch certainly has unparalleled defensive coverage, but if Lynch has to expend more energy on defense, what about on offense? He's the greatest player of all time, but he's not an alien!"

Numerous media outlets have offered their trading advice.

Some believe the Knicks should use their surplus talent to try and trade for Luol Deng from the Chicago Bulls.

Some believe the Knicks should try to contact the Spurs to explore the feasibility of a trade for Gerald Wallace.

In almost all of these trade proposals, the Knicks' assets included one name—Jimmy Butler.

This guy, whose wingspan is as good as Blake Griffin's (the number one draft pick), had some flashes of brilliance last season and is still in demand.

Some teams might be interested in this lottery ticket that hasn't been fully scratched yet.

Although "Golden Sanctuary" practices closed training camps, and players are not allowed to go home after training but stay in hotels arranged by the organization, in this internet age, it is difficult to completely shut out external information as well.

My phone can always access the internet, and the network can always receive information.

For example, although Kevin Durant couldn't discuss bath water recipes with girls in the closed training camp, the cleaning lady noticed that his room had the most crumpled pieces of paper.

This is the convenience of the internet age; you can do things that two people can do while lying alone in your room.

Jimmy Butler, of course, could not escape the various rumors surrounding his potential trades.

To be honest, this is not what Lynch wanted to see.

Trade rumors naturally possess a corrosive quality that can shake morale; they act like a fog, making it difficult for players to see where the future they are fighting for truly lies.

Lynch is worried that such rumors will affect the team internally.

Sam Presti did test the waters for Jimmy Butler, but now all teams in the league have the same attitude towards the Knicks: they will not easily add immediate players to the Knicks.

The proposals submitted by each team were either too expensive or lacked sincerity.

Therefore, there is currently no trade proposal that has Sam Presti interested.

One morning in early September, Lynch had just gotten up when he received a call from Sam Presti.

He noted a trade request worth watching: "The Los Angeles Clippers are willing to send Caron Butler in exchange for Jimmy Butler and Khris Middleton."

This is indeed a trade the Knicks need; Caron Butler has good immediate impact.

However, his immediate combat strength is not strong enough to be particularly appealing.

Lynch declined, saying, "Let's see. I don't think we need to rush into a trade. We can wait and see how Jimmy performs in the new season before making a decision."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Qi went to the training hall as usual.

When the training hall doors opened, many people had already started practicing, and the hall was bustling with activity.

All the players who choose to come to the "Golden Sanctuary" are aiming to become stronger, so naturally they won't slack off.

Jimmy Butler also sweated it out among a group of superstars, and despite the recent rumors, his training enthusiasm has never waned.

Afterwards, Jimmy Butler silently followed the routine of stretching, running laps, massage, and specialized training, his expression calm and composed.

But when the daily highlight of the competitive training began, the sleeping "wild dog" awoke.

The moment the ball landed in the jump ball, Jimmy Butler's growl tore through the air in the arena: "I'll defend Melo!"

Carmelo Anthony got fired up and was determined to carve a bloody path through the kid's defense this time.

It was expected to be a one-sided massacre, but Jimmy Butler stole the ball from Carmelo Anthony on the very first defensive possession!
After that, he would shout every time he was on defense.

"Hey, I'll guard Kobe!"

"I'll mark Kevin, I'll guard him!"

He took turns playing against the best offensive stars, and although the talent gap was insurmountable, defeats were frequent.

But even in defeat, his defensive enthusiasm never waned.

Every second attack after being beaten, every desperate physical struggle, every desperate dive to disrupt, all silently proclaimed the same belief—this path is blocked!
Jimmy Butler didn't score, showing that his offense is still immature and rough.

But on the court, he made steals, passed, and assisted; he played the game the right way and did everything except score.

Aside from his offensive game, his progress has been remarkable.

Sweat had already soaked through his training vest, making it heavy and clinging to his body. He simply took off the vest, becoming a naked Jimiba, facing his fate bare.

Ultimately, thanks to Jimmy Butler's relentless and tireless defense, his team managed to defeat a team that boasted Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant!
Kobe immediately demanded a rematch, but Jimmy Butler's mind was clearly no longer on them.

Ignoring the shouts of the superstars behind him, he walked straight to the sidelines, his target locked on Lynch, his chest heaving violently.

He stopped abruptly a step away from Lynch, veins bulging on his neck, eyes wide open, and energy that had been building up for who knows how long exploded deep in his throat:

"Lin Qi, you will need me! You will need me!"

This is Jimmy Butler's emotional outburst regarding the various trade rumors circulating these days, and also his declaration to the entire city of New York.

Lin Qi crossed his legs and stared directly into his eyes without flinching.

Although his expression was serious, Lynch thoroughly enjoyed the offense.

He waved his hand: "You guys only played for 20 minutes, so that's only half a game at most. Go back and win another game for me."

Jimmy Butler didn't say a single unnecessary word. Like an obedient hunting dog, he resolutely turned around and walked onto the court.

In the second set, Jimmy Butler continued to perform exceptionally well.

But Kobe, Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Durant are not to be underestimated.

On the contrary, one of them spared no expense in Eagle County to maintain his health, another hooked up with host Lara Vasquez at a young age, and the third liked to drink bathwater and ate very meat.

The three league's top scorers are really serious and not holding back.

They gave Butler's team no further chances; Jimmy Butler's defeat was inevitable.

But Lynch didn't care at all about winning or losing on the court.

He had already taken out his phone, and his fingers were rapidly tapping on the screen.

"Sam, stop with those ridiculous price gouging."

We'll need Jimmy's.

"We don't need those bastard teams' 'charity'; we can solve the wing problem just the same, and the Manhattan Project will proceed smoothly."

(End of this chapter)