Champion Rules

Chapter 395, 391: The Ruler Has Never Changed His Name (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
David Stern's legendary career came to an end with a touching embrace with Hakeem Olajuwon.

The entire basketball world was gripped by sadness because, after David Stern, Lynch would also be retiring.

A glorious era for the NBA will come to a complete end after the 13-14 season.

This also means that Adam Silver faces enormous challenges right from the start of his term.

Previously, David Stern had warned him that if Lynch retired due to dissatisfaction, signing his next television broadcasting contract would face significant obstacles.

At the time, Adam Silver didn't take it seriously.

He didn't believe Lin Qi had the courage to retire at the peak of his career.

As it turned out, he severely underestimated Lynch's decisiveness.

Lynch has the guts to do whatever he believes is right.

There is no doubt that negotiations for a new broadcasting contract will run into trouble, as the basketball reality show is about to lose its most popular regular cast member.

Nevertheless, Adam Silver still held a glimmer of hope for negotiations, wanting to market his "egalitarian" strategy to television stations.

If teams from small markets could win championships, and if a new champion team emerged every year, fans all over the United States would feel extremely involved.

At that time, the league's popularity will reach new heights.

But before negotiations even began and before any new strategies could be conceived, real troubles had already erupted.

Following Lynch's retirement announcement and the Cavaliers' unexpected selection of Anthony Bennett with the number one draft pick, the basketball world has dropped another bombshell.

TMZ, an entertainment news website owned by AOL, released a recording of Clippers owner Donald Sterling having a heated argument with his girlfriend.

In the recording, Donald Sterling strongly criticized his girlfriend for posting a photo with Magic Johnson on social media.

"You can sleep with Black people, you can bring them home, you can do whatever you want. My small request is that you don't post photos of yourself with your Black friends online, and you don't bring Black people into my games!"

It's not hard to imagine the uproar such remarks would cause in the United States.

This is like publicly questioning the gender of a boy in the United States in 2025, or publicly questioning why Snow White is an ugly black woman—it's a highly wrong and inappropriate act.

Numerous star players have publicly condemned the Clippers' owner, and countless Clippers players have declared they will refuse to play for the team.

Michael Jordan also unusually took the initiative to stand in front of the media:

"As a team owner, I am obviously disgusted that a fellow player would hold such a morbid view. As a former NBA player, I am utterly outraged."

"Remarks like Donald's have no place in the NBA, or anywhere else. I'm appalled that such ignorant views still exist in our country, in our highest level of sports league."

Elgin Baylor, who played for the Clippers for 22 years, finally had a chance to shine:

"I've said it before, Donald has a typical Southern plantation owner mentality when it comes to the Clippers. He once told me that he wanted the Clippers to be made up of a bunch of poor black kids from southern Africa and a white head coach."

My salary had been $350,000 a year since 2003, and it had never changed. Shortly before firing me, Donald gave the white head coach (Mike Dunleavy) a four-year, $22 million contract.

Now you should understand why I sued him for wrongful dismissal back then, right?
During my time with the Clippers, Donald never showed me any respect.

Even Obama, who was in Alabama at the time, came out to condemn it, saying, "Ignorant people want to spread their ignorance."

This is definitely the biggest scandal in the league since Kobe Bryant's "Shaq also had body maintenance" incident.

Adam Silver made a swift decision: even though Donald Sterling immediately apologized, he and the NBA still tried to force him to sell the team and strip him of his franchise rights through legal proceedings.

Of course, this complex process is bound to take time.

The alliance will be plunged into huge controversy and chaos for the time being.

Under these circumstances, Adam Silver initiated a new round of television contract negotiations.

The old broadcasting contract expires in the summer of 2016, and Adam Silver hopes to sign a television broadcasting contract worth more than three times the current amount, totaling approximately $240 billion.

If this goal is achieved, the NBA salary cap will increase significantly, player salaries will enter a new era, and team revenue will rise accordingly.

However, the first round of negotiations did not yield ideal results.

Deloitte's "2013 Sports Fan Insights Report" shows that 90% of Gen Z viewers prefer to watch games featuring Lynch. These young viewers do not spend long periods of time watching multiple live TV or online games, but rather selectively focus on events featuring superstars.

They believe that the unsuccessful negotiations for the NBA television contract are directly related to Lynch's impending retirement.

After learning that Adam Silver's first-round negotiations had failed, Bill Simmons immediately posted some GIFs of controversial calls against the Knicks last season on his social media, along with the caption:

"Adam is forcing his best star out of the league, his small team rise strategy is ideal, and he wants all fans across the United States to feel involved in the championship race."

The problem is, this isn't something Adam Silver can simply do. Many team owners don't even want to win a championship.

Look at Donald Sterling; he reminds us just how absurd and incompetent some of the franchisees in this alliance are.

Under the management of these people, some teams simply cannot win the championship.

How can Adam Silver ensure that every team wins the championship? By directly manipulating the games?
As true basketball fans, what we love is the brilliance of superstars and the fierce competition, not the so-called 'balance' that he deliberately and forcibly creates.

Last season he tried to 'balance' the Knicks' strength, but this 'balance' only created the illusion of a highly competitive league; fans can tell the difference between a good basketball game and a bad one.

Adam Silver painfully realized that his situation was worse than he had anticipated.

But what can he do now? Beg Lynch not to retire?
This sounds unbelievable, but it's the only way.

The general manager, dissatisfied with Lynch's years of dominance in the league, dialed Misco Raznatovic's number.

He wanted to talk to Lynch, hoping to rebuild their relationship.

But Misco Raznatovic told him, "Lynch is not in the United States right now; he's on vacation. And he doesn't want anyone bothering him."

“Tell Lynch that I have something important to talk to him about. About his career, about the league. It doesn’t have to be in person, even a conference call will do.”

Adam Silver believed that as the new CEO, he should at least have some prestige.

Lynch couldn't possibly reject himself outright.

He had to say a few words to himself.

But on the other end of the phone, Misco Raznatovic's reply was almost arrogant:
“Lynch told me that he has nothing to talk about with anyone regarding his career. He doesn’t need anyone, and those who need him to achieve their goals have nothing to do with him. I’m sorry, Mr. President, but I really can’t help you.”

The busy tone of the phone being disconnected became the most blatant mockery of Adam Silver.

Just ten minutes later, Lynch retweeted Bill Simmons' post and added the following caption:
"It's clear the alliance wants to control the situation. But tell me now, who is really in control?"

These words were like a resounding slap in the face to Adam Silver, even through the screen.

He knew this was Lynch's response to his earlier phone call.

Anger instantly overwhelmed his reason, and he almost instinctively wanted to resort to his usual weapon—a fine!
But as soon as the thought popped into his head, he burst into laughter, overwhelmed by a huge sense of absurdity and powerlessness.

A fine? For Lynch?

A person who can hang up on even the alliance president's plea for peace and is too contemptuous to even bother explaining? This insignificant "punishment" is nothing short of the biggest and funniest joke in the world in front of this king who controls everything.

It's like trying to extinguish an erupting volcano with a water gun. It's utterly pointless and only makes people laugh.

The cold reality has frozen Adam Silver: he is highly likely to permanently lose the league’s most prominent superstar, and he is highly likely to be unable to successfully negotiate a new television broadcasting contract.

He finally understood who the real ruler was in this basketball empire he thought he was about to take over.

The rulers of the alliance have never changed their names.

But by the time he realized all this, it was too late.
-
As July arrived, amidst a series of unexpected events, the 2013 NBA free agency and trade market officially opened.

The first big fish in this summer's free agent market is Dwyane Wade.

Lynch's prediction came true; Pat Riley would never give Dwyane Wade a max contract.

People have misunderstood Donald Sterling because, in terms of "Southern plantation owner ideology," he doesn't even rank in the top three in this league.

Look at Pat Riley, then look at Tom Thibodeau. They never said anything detrimental to Black players, but their cold-blooded decisions and actions speak for themselves.

When Dwyane Wade learned that Pat Riley was still unwilling to give him one last chance to sign a max contract, his "lightning-fast" reaction ultimately led to his great disappointment.

He rejected an offer from the Miami Heat, marking his first foray into the free agent market in his career.

This triggered a series of butterfly effects.

Dwyane Wade's departure will change the landscape of the league, and in addition, the Miami Heat have decided to completely rebuild.

This means that Pat Riley will also not renew Andre Iguodala's contract—Andre Iguodala is like a beautiful gown designed by a master, but only the most perfect model can bring out the value of this gown.

If Dwyane Wade, this "perfect model," announces his departure, the Heat will completely lose any reason to keep this "dress."

For a time, Andre Iguodala became a highly sought-after player for teams vying for the title.

His popularity in the market even surpasses that of Wade.

Dwyane Wade is generally a core player, and he doesn't fit into every team.

Furthermore, his declining physical function and competitive state are also worrying.

Andre Iguodala fits into almost any lineup. During his years with the Miami Heat, although the team's record didn't achieve much breakthrough, Andre Iguodala's performance was undeniable.

The Heat's inability to break through is not entirely Iguodala's fault, since it is Wade who is responsible for leading the Heat to break through their ceiling.

Andre Iguodala has done his best in the role he plays.

The Brooklyn Nets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs are all vying for this versatile second-in-command.

The Spurs, who performed exceptionally well last season, were the first to be excluded because they could not offer Andre Iguodala a salary that would satisfy him.

The Brooklyn Nets were quickly eliminated, and Andre Iguodala expressed concern about "playing with LeBron."

He doesn't believe LBJ is a championship-caliber leader.

Thus, before Dwyane Wade, Andre Iguodala found his home.

Just three days after the start of the free agent market, the NBA officially confirmed a trade.

The Miami Heat traded Andre Iguodala to Oklahoma City in a sign-and-trade deal, receiving Thabo Sefolosha, Gerald Green, and Reggie Jackson, whose contracts were expiring.

Without a doubt, this was an effort by the Oklahoma City Thunder to successfully disrupt Lynch's "retirement tour".

Although Andre Iguodala's long-range shooting consistency is about the same as Sabo Sefolosha's.

But in terms of size, defense, passing and ball control, experience, and locker room leadership, Andre Iguodala is the better player.

His frontcourt defense, led by Serge Ibaka, will be a key weapon for the Thunder against Lynch next season.

ESPN writer John Hollinger gave the Thunder's trade an A grade, believing that Andre Iguodala is the final piece of the puzzle to complete the Thunder.

"Andre's contribution cannot be reflected in the data, which is the most fascinating thing about basketball. Although I am a data enthusiast, basketball is not a sport that can be fully explained by data."

Andre can significantly improve the Thunder's defense. He's a great Swiss Army knife player, an excellent one-on-one defender. Andre is the kind of player you can build a defensive system around.

Andre can inject firepower into the Thunder's offense; he is an underrated passer.

Andre is also a leader, and we all know he is highly respected in the Heat's locker room.

The young Thunder need just such a true leader.

Andre will not have any integration problems; he can fit into any team.

I think that after everything we've been through, we can finally say that the league has welcomed its strongest Oklahoma City Thunder team yet.

John Hollinger's analysis is spot on, as Andre Iguodala demonstrated his leadership in his first interview after joining the Thunder.

When the topic inevitably turned to Kevin Durant, who was still struggling in the vortex of public opinion, he did not shy away from it at all, but instead faced the storm head-on as a protector.

"Anyone still criticizing Kevin Durant should see a psychologist; I'm willing to pay for it."

Kevin is exceptional; in NBA history, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better scorer than him.

I just hope Kevin puts himself in the right place, does the right thing, and doesn't care too much about public opinion. You don't need to prove anything to anyone, because no matter how well you do, there will always be people who criticize you. Even Lynch didn't have everyone's support.

So, block out the noise, focus on your own journey, and we will surely succeed.

On camera, Iguodala's tone was resolute, and his remarks greatly encouraged KD.

After so many years, someone has finally spoken up for him in public.

With high morale, KD is absolutely confident that the team will be able to disrupt Lynch's retirement tour next season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder's official social media also released the team's slogan for next season, which is very clear in its implications:

"I won't play a supporting role!"

The biggest difference between Lynch's and David Stern's farewells lies in...

Everyone was willing to lay out a warm farewell red carpet for David.

As for Lynch, most people would try to stop him.
-
Dwyane Wade returned to his hometown of Chicago, where the Bulls offered him a three-year maximum contract. You might not believe it, but this is Dwyane's first, and very likely last, maximum contract of his career. — Chicago Sun-Times

The Brooklyn Nets traded Paul Pierce's expiring contract for Kevin Love, and with all of the Miami Heat's core players leaving this season, they have completely cleared salary cap space and officially begun their rebuild. With Kevin Love as a superstar, will LeBron James become an obstacle to Lynch's retirement tour? —The New York Times.

Billionaire Steve Ballmer is very close to acquiring the Los Angeles Clippers. —Los Angeles Times

Major television networks have refused to offer the NBA a television broadcasting contract worth over $200 billion. Perhaps Jimmy Butler's famous quote can now be returned to Adam Silver verbatim: "You fucking need Lynch!" — Stephen A. Smith on a program discussing the negotiations for a new broadcasting contract.

(End of this chapter)