The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 207 The Dynasty Has Nothing to Do with Me
At six o'clock, a convoy of luxury cars arrived at the Peninsula Hotel, with Chen Long driving a Range Rover leading the way.

Tang Bei and Jia Bao came down with four bodyguards and four maids, a total of ten people.

A wealthy Hong Kong businessman was kidnapped a few years ago. The kidnapping cost tens of millions of US dollars. He has been missing for several years and is presumed to have been sunk at sea.

Tang Jia Seven Stars Security Company advised the two to be careful in Hong Kong and to keep bodyguards with them at all times.

"Oh no, one table isn't enough," Chen Long said anxiously.

"I'll book another table, that should be fine." Hong Jingshen took out his phone.

"We don't have enough cars either," Chen Long said anxiously.

“You’re confused. This is the Peninsula Hotel. Just ask the hotel to help you arrange a car,” Hong Jingbao said.

"Big brother, please take care of this for me. They're here, I'm going over there," Chen Long said hurriedly.

"You good-for-nothing," Hong Jingbao said irritably.

"She has such a great presence!"

Mei Yanfang stared blankly at Jia Bao as she approached gracefully.

Lin Fengjiao said enviously, "I wonder if she's wearing her wedding rings. I really want to see."

“Gillian, those rings are still on display in Saudi Arabia; the media reports on them frequently,” Mei Yanfang reminded her.

"Oh, then I won't be able to see it this time," Lin Fengjiao said regretfully.

At this moment, Tang Bei and the others walked over, and Chen Long quickly went up to greet them with a smile, saying, "Master Tang, it's been a long time."

"Master Chen, you're too kind."

Tang Bei shook hands and said, "This is my wife, Elena Garbo Nemur. Garbo, this is Chen Long."

"Hello, Madam Tang," Chen Long said hurriedly.

"Hello, Mr. Chen," Jia Bao said politely.

Hearing that Jia Bao spoke Mandarin, and quite well at that, Lin Fengjiao and Mei Yanfang, who were in charge of entertaining her, breathed a sigh of relief.

Their English wasn't very good because they were all self-taught and spoke Hong Kong-style English. I was worried we wouldn't be able to communicate.

Chen Long introduced Tang Jili, Hong Jingbao, and others, and the two sides exchanged greetings.

"Master Chen, let's go," Tang Bei said.

Chen Long said awkwardly, "Master Tang, I'm sorry, I need to ask the hotel to arrange a few more cars. Please wait a moment, it will be fine soon."

"No need, we've already notified the hotel to make arrangements," Tang Bei said with a smile.

"Really? That's great."

Chen Long smiled awkwardly, but breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother, have you ordered the table yet?"

After Tang Bei and the others got into the car, he ran to Hong Jingbao's side and asked in a low voice.

"It's settled. They finally cleared out a table for us and put it in a big bag," Hong Jingbao said in a low voice.

"That's good."

The Peninsula Hotel arranged four cars, and together with Chen Long and his group's luxury cars, the convoy of more than a dozen vehicles quickly left the hotel.

The hotel is located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It is accessible via the Cross-Harbour Tunnel through Victoria Harbour to Aberdeen Deep Bay in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island.

After getting off the bus, the group boarded a shuttle ferry.

"That's the seafood restaurant?"

Jia Bao watched the Jumbo Floating Restaurant getting closer and closer, full of curiosity.

The seafood restaurant has three floors, is at least 20 meters high and 70 or 80 meters long. It is a Chinese style that she really likes, and it has a completely different feel from luxury cruise ships. The ship is full of lights and is very unique. It was the first time she had seen such a restaurant, and she really liked it.

Once on board, they entered a large private room with two tables set up. After they arrived, they ordered their food, which would take some time.

Tang Bei and Chen Long started to find common ground in martial arts, and they were able to get along well.

Lin Fengjiao and Mei Yanfang sat next to Jiabao and began to introduce her to the history of Jumbo Floating Restaurant.

All three women speak good Mandarin. Lin Fengjiao, being from Taiwan, speaks Mandarin even better than Mei Yanfang. Jiabao and Mei Yanfang are at about the same level.

After all the dishes were served, Tang Bei and Chen Long ate and chatted. After a while, Chen Long invited him to attend the North American premiere of Rumble in the Bronx again.

He said, "Master Chen, I definitely have no problem participating. However, it would be best if your premiere were on a day when I don't have a match. Once the schedule for next season is released, I will give it to you, and you can choose the one yourself."

"Of course, thank you so much," Chen Long said happily.

Tang Bei asked curiously, "Who in Hollywood did you invite to the premiere?"

Chen Long said helplessly, "I don't know many stars in Hollywood, just Sylvester Stallone. He said he's a fan of mine and is willing to attend my premiere."

This is a crucial moment for my renewed attempt to break into Hollywood. I'm confident about Rumble in the Bronx, so I can't make it too shabby. If we don't have enough people, I'll have to bring a few friends from Hong Kong to make up the numbers.

Tang Bei smiled and said, "I'm not very familiar with those Hollywood stars. We're not in the same circle. I do know a lot of people, though. I'll throw a party before the premiere and introduce you to them."

"Really? Master Tang, come on, let me toast you. I'll drink this, you can drink as you like." Chen Long quickly poured himself a full glass of wine and downed it in one gulp.

Tang Bei doesn't usually drink alcohol and isn't addicted, but he can drink a lot. He's big and can easily drink two or three bottles of strong liquor (over 50 degrees).

Moreover, after taking the medicines rewarded by the treasure chest, his physical condition is now better than before, and his alcohol tolerance is even more unpredictable.

Today he drank 38-degree Zhuyeqing liquor, which is lower in alcohol content than Fenjiu. He estimated that he could drink this liquor for a long time.

"Let's do it, everyone!"

He raised his glass to the other men, poured it into his mouth, and then gestured with his glass to everyone.

This cup was probably only about eight qian (a unit of weight), no bigger than his finger, and it wasn't even enough to wet his throat with a cup of wine.

"Dry."

"Done."

Hong Jingbao, Yuan Biao, and the others quickly raised their glasses and downed them in one gulp.

"The cup is too small and not satisfying, shall we get a bigger one?" Tang Bei said after drinking two more cups.

"Big cup, big cup, change to a big cup."

Chen Long could tell that Tang Bei had a good alcohol tolerance, so he braced himself and quickly called over a waiter to change everyone's drinks to two-ounce glasses.

Tang Bei, holding a small two-ounce cup, said, "In our area, we usually drink from large bowls, about half a jin (250ml) per bowl."

He raised his glass and said, "Come on, everyone, let's drink to Master Chen's movie for great success in America!"

After saying that, he downed another 100ml of liquor in one gulp, finally managing to moisten his throat.

"You'd drink a two-ounce cup?"

Chen Long, Hong Jingbao, and the others' mouths twitched repeatedly. They exchanged glances, all feeling that they were likely to get very drunk tonight.

Yuan Biao, in particular, regretted it.

An hour later, apart from Tang Bei, Chen Long and all the other males were lying on the floor, as was Mei Yanfang, who was fond of wine.

"I only drank two bottles, how come I can't handle it anymore?" Tang Bei said regretfully, his face slightly flushed.

Over the next two days, Tang Bei attended two brand-sponsored business events and two parties in the evening, where he also met a large group of Hong Kong celebrities. On the third day, he flew to Singapore.

On the 26th, the Heat suddenly announced that they had reached an agreement with Pat Riley, who will serve as the Heat's president of basketball operations and head coach.

In addition, Pat Riley's contract is for 10 years and $4500 million, and Arison will buy two mansions owned by Riley in Los Angeles and New York.

Mickey Arison was extremely interested in Pat Riley, and not only offered him a big contract and spent a fortune to buy a mansion, but also gave up 5% of the Heat's shares, and will give up another 5% of the shares during the contract period.

He also lent money to Pat Riley so that Riley could use the money to pay the tax on his first 5% stake.

After signing the contract, Pat Riley resigned from the Knicks via fax.

This immediately sparked dissatisfaction from the Knicks, as Riley's contract was not yet finalized. Although the Knicks were interested in acquiring Phil Jackson because of Jordan, they could not tolerate Pat Riley's behavior and publicly announced that they would file a complaint with the league.

Subsequently, the Heat and Knicks reached an agreement to trade Pat Riley for $100 million in cash plus the Heat's 96 first-round pick.

The Heat also have an unprotected 96 first-round pick from the Hawks, which is more valuable than their own first-round pick.

The Tang couple received the news while traveling in Southeast Asia; Eric Fleischer called to inform them.

Fleischer said, "Pat Riley's annual salary with the Knicks was $150 million, and the management offered him a $300 million extension, which is double the salary."

"But he asked to be the president of the Knicks and also wanted 10 to 20% of the shares. The Knicks didn't agree, but the Heat did."

"Has Mickey Arison lost his mind?"

Tang Bei couldn't understand what the Heat's owner was thinking. Wasn't the Japanese the most shrewd? The Heat already had two championships. Was Pat Riley really that important to the Heat?
Eric Fleischer said, "I think there are several considerations, the first being Pat Riley's basketball operations."

"What, the Heat haven't made any money in the last two years?" Tang Bei asked.

Eric Fleischer said, "It probably won't be a big profit. Arison has never been very satisfied with Billy Cunningham's abilities. Bringing in Pat Riley is probably to strengthen the Heat's operational capabilities."

"Secondly, there's Pat Riley's commercial value, and then there's the fact that the Heat are newly formed and need someone with such great prestige to lead the team."

He was actually right; Mickey Arison was willing to pay such a high price precisely because of the above considerations.

Billy Cunningham isn't capable enough. He should have been making a lot of money like the Bulls in the last two years, but he hasn't made much.

Furthermore, he believes that after the Heat's two consecutive championships, there will be major turmoil due to Tang Bei's contract extension, and the team needs Pat Riley.

As the boss, he was reluctant to pay a huge price for a player like Tang Bei, because once that door was opened, it couldn't be closed, and the sacrifices would be endless.

If a luxury tax is introduced next season, Tang Bei alone will have to spend tens of millions of dollars more per year.

Even with an annual salary of only $1500 million, plus a 100% luxury tax, that's $3000 million in expenses.

If a $2500 million annual salary is offered, then $5000 million would have to be paid annually for each Tang Bei player.

All the money the team earns goes to players like Tang Bei. No matter how many championships the Heat win, he won't make any money. He's just doing all the work for these star players.

So even if Tang Bei won two consecutive championships for the Heat, he was still just a player, and he didn't think it was worth it.

In this labor negotiation, he firmly supported the introduction of a luxury tax, aiming to use this rule to limit the salaries of star players.

He treated Pat Riley as a partner, believing in Riley's abilities and that they would bring him greater rewards.

On the 28th, the 95 NBA draft began at the Sky Dome in Toronto, Canada.

This is the first time the NBA draft has been held overseas. Due to the league's expansion, two new Canadian teams will be added next season: the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies. Both teams will participate in this draft.

After several rounds of labor negotiations, no agreement has been reached. Now, the media believes that the NBA may enter a lockout phase after the trade window opens following the draft.

Eric Fleischer appeared at Sky Dome, flanked by number one draft pick Joe Smith and high school student Kevin Garnett. This year wasn't a particularly strong draft class, but there were still some promising rookies, and these two young men under his wing are both incredibly talented.

"Hey, Eric."

David Falk, who had arrived earlier, came over to greet him.

Hey, David.

Two of the NBA's top agents stood together and chatted, and soon the topic turned to Jordan and Tang Bei's contract renewals.

Many NBA owners and general managers who were interested in Jordan and Tang Bei would frequently glance over here, intentionally or unintentionally getting closer to the two.

"Eric, hasn't the Heat offered you and Don a contract that satisfies you yet?" David Falk probed.

Eric Fleischer shrugged and said, "Neither Don nor I are in a hurry. After our contracts expire next season, we'll be free agents and have more control."

"So are we."

David Falsey also said.

"Ha ha!"

Eric Fleischer laughed twice. "We're not in a hurry because we need to go for a three-peat. Are you and Jordan really not in a hurry? If we wait another year, Michael Jordan will be another year older."

“Hey, Eric, David.”

At that moment, the Heat's new president and head coach Pat Riley, and general manager Lewis Shaffer walked over.

After exchanging pleasantries, Shaffer tentatively asked, "David, has Michael's contract not been finalized yet?"

David Falk smiled and said, "The Bulls are still considering it, but I think Michael deserves that kind of contract."

Eric Fleischer laughed. As long as Jordan's contract was secured, he could help Tang Bei get a similar contract from the Heat.

So he immediately chimed in, "I think so too."

David Falk and Eric Fleischer exchanged a knowing smile, their unspoken understanding unspoken.

Pat Riley and Lewis Shaffer suddenly realized they were wrong and shouldn't have come.

Shaffer said awkwardly, "Eric, the league is very likely to be suspended, and the contract renewal with Tang may have to wait for a while."

“It’s alright, we’re not in a hurry,” Eric Fleischer said with a slightly cold expression.

If the Heat don't show Tang respect this offseason, he will try to persuade Tang to leave the Heat when his contract expires next year.

He believed that as soon as Tang Bei hinted at leaving the Heat, teams like the Knicks, Lakers, and Celtics would immediately come waving their checks at him.

Pat Riley suddenly asked, "Eric, how big of a contract do you think Don should get?"

Eric Fleischer said, "Don hasn't reached his peak yet. Even if he does, he still has at least ten more years of peak performance ahead of him. For a superstar like that, any contract is worth it."

Pat Riley smiled but didn't say anything more. After David Falk left, Eric Fleischer approached and asked in a low voice, "Gentlemen, who is the Heat's target in the first round?"

The Heat have already traded away their draft pick this year. Since they didn't have a first-round pick last year, they definitely needed to trade one this year. So they did a sign-and-trade, trading Kendall Gill for the Nets' 9th overall pick.

At 27, Kendall Gill is in his prime. He was the 5th overall pick in the first round of the 90 draft and a starting shooting guard for a championship team. Trading him for the 9th pick would be a piece of cake.

Shafir glanced at Pat Riley and whispered, "The team needs a starting power forward and a starting shooting guard. We've got our eye on a power forward who's good at defense and rebounding, perfect for helping Don with the dirty work."

Eric Fleischer nodded and asked no further questions.

The talent show begins at 8 o'clock.

The Golden State Warriors handed over their envelope, which David Stern opened and then glanced at Eric Fleischer's side.

This made Eric Fleischer a little nervous, but even more so, he was filled with anticipation.

On stage, David Stern smiled and said, "The Golden State Warriors have selected Joe Smith from the University of Maryland."

"Oh!"

Joe Smith jumped up excitedly.

"awesome!"

Eric Fleischer said excitedly.

Kevin Garnett, standing nearby, looked at Joe Smith with envy, thinking to himself, "Damn it, I'm clearly more talented, why wasn't it me?"

He was quickly selected fifth overall by the Timberwolves, a very good draft position that made him very happy.

The Heat then selected Kurt Thomas with the 9th pick.

After the draft, the time quickly came to July 1, 1995, when the NBA's free agency market window opened.

The new salary cap is $2400 million, an increase of $800 million from last season.

However, due to the breakdown of labor negotiations, the league was suspended, and the NBA labor and management began another round of negotiations.

Last season, 23 teams across the league suffered losses to varying degrees, so the investors' stance this time is very firm.

Not only should a hard salary cap be introduced, but a luxury tax should also be implemented, and restrictions should be placed on rookie contracts to prevent a repeat of Glenn Robinson's demand for a multi-million dollar rookie contract.

The newly opened free agency market was subsequently closed, contract renewals with existing players were prohibited, and all teams were forbidden from providing training facilities to players.

Fortunately, the Heat had already cleared the contracts of several fringe players and role players and signed Kevin Willis.

The draft pick acquired in the Kendall Gill trade was used to select power forward Kurt Thomas, and now the front office needs to trade Kevin Willis for a starting shooting guard.

After Pat Riley joined the Heat, the Heat's management reached a consensus.

If Michael Jordan doesn't get a $2500 million annual salary, the Miami Heat will try to extend Tang Bei's contract early with an average annual salary of $1500 million.

If Michael Jordan does indeed receive a $2500 million annual salary from the Bulls, the Heat will completely postpone their early contract extension with Tang Bei and complete the trade before Tang Bei's contract expires.

Pat Riley wasn't keen on a three-peat because the first two titles had nothing to do with him, and even if he did achieve a three-peat, the dynasty's glory wouldn't be entirely his.

The NBA has entered a long lockout period, and even player agents are prohibited from negotiating contracts with teams, but private contact is unavoidable.

The Bulls and David Falk held another round of secret negotiations, but still failed to reach a new contract.

In an effort to force the Bulls to trade Jordan, David Falk stuck to a three-year, $75 million contract.

The Bulls' owner and the Heat's owner share similar thoughts: if this is agreed to, and the luxury tax is passed, they will have to spend at least $5000 million on Jordan next season, bringing the team's total salary to a staggering $8000 million.

And with Jordan giving such a huge contract, what about the other players?
Another point is, does giving Jordan such a huge contract guarantee that he will win a championship?

On July 8th, Eric Fleischer suddenly called and said, "Don, union president Simon Gerdan has reached a new agreement with David Stern."

"What kinds of things are there?"

Tang Bei asked while playing on the beach in Bali.

“They set up a luxury tax, that is, a deluxe tax. That damned guy, he betrayed us,” Eric Fleischer said angrily.

Tang Bei realized he was in trouble. With the luxury tax in place, it would be even less likely for a top star like him to get a super contract.

Jordan's three-year, $75 million contract is definitely not going to happen; no owner would be willing to pay $50 million a year for a player.

Eric Fleischer said, "Don, I need to contact David Falk and the others to discuss how to deal with the Alliance. I'll let you know when I have the results."

"it is good."

Just two hours later, Eric Fleischer called again.

"Tang, I've discussed it with David Falk, Jordan, Ewing, Mourning, and David Robinson. We're going to sue the players' union in federal court, demanding its dissolution, and then file an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA."

"If the union is dissolved, who will help us negotiate with the employers?" Tang Bei asked hastily, not understanding the situation.

“It’s okay. After it’s dissolved, a new union can be formed and negotiations with the employer can continue,” Eric Fleischer said.

"Oh, okay, you represent me. I support disbanding the union," Tang Bei said.

“Don, you need to be mentally prepared. We might not win, and the chances of winning are very small,” Eric Fleischer said.

"Why?" he asked.

Eric Fleischer said, "Because stars only make up a small percentage of the league, they don't represent the interests of ordinary players."

Tang Bei was taken aback. That made sense; star players were indeed only a minority, and the majority were ordinary players.

If the league introduces a luxury tax, it will affect star players, not ordinary players.

Tang Bei and Jia Bao spent half a month traveling in Southeast Asia before returning to China. They spent three days in Xishuangbanna and then went to Jiuzhaigou.

After traveling around the country, his biggest impression was the inconvenience of transportation: the roads were terrible, the trains were too slow, and there were too few airports.

The NBA lockout had little impact on him; his and Garbo's manufacturing investments in China had already expanded rapidly and were on track.

In addition to Tangjia Electronics, Tangjia Real Estate, and Tangjia Import & Export Company, Tangjia Investment now has another company under its umbrella: Tangjia Communication Technology Co., Ltd.

Although he was annoyed that the Heat didn't want to offer him a super-sized contract, it didn't have a major impact on his life.

To be honest, if a luxury tax is introduced next season, he and Jordan earn 20 to 30 million dollars a year. With the luxury tax, the team would have to spend tens of millions of dollars on each of them every year, which surprised him.

Tens of millions of dollars, paying hundreds of millions of RMB in salary and luxury tax for a single player every year—even now, let alone in the past, he finds it somewhat unbelievable.

If he were the team owner, which employee would dare to ask for such a high salary? There would only be one outcome: fire them immediately, because he simply couldn't afford to keep them.

On August 15th, while the NBA was still suspended, Tang Bei and Jia Bao ended their vacation and returned to Tianjing.

He took out the Dongwang Buxin Pills to share with his family, saying that they were made by an old Chinese medicine doctor according to an ancient formula and had a protective effect on the heart.

The Nemurs also gave them one, instructing them to take one every other week.

After spending the day at home, he was visited by all sorts of people, so he went to the Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League to learn about Project Hope.

He has already spent half of the $1500 million he donated last time, building numerous primary schools in rural areas throughout Tianjing.

The entire Tianjing area has a population of over nine million, with more than 3,200 primary schools, over 1,000 junior high schools, and over 1,400 senior high schools, totaling more than 5,000 schools.

Of these, nearly four million live in rural areas. Following the principle of enrolling students in nearby schools, most primary schools are located in rural areas, and at least one-third of these schools are already in a dilapidated state.

In 89, the country launched the Hope Primary School Project. The cost of building a Hope Primary School in rural areas of Tianjing ranged from 80 to 150 million yuan, averaging 100 million yuan.

To build 1,000 Hope Primary Schools, at least one billion RMB would be needed.

This is just one area in Tianjing, which only covers four million rural residents. With a total rural population of one billion across the country, at least tens of thousands of Hope Primary Schools need to be built, requiring a massive amount of funding.

With his donation of $15 million, 60 primary schools have been built in just one year, and it is expected that another 50 or 60 schools can be built.

Accompanied by the Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League, the Hope Project Office, and local township governments, Tang Bei and Jia Bao drove to every Hope Primary School they had donated to build.

Each primary school has a monument at its entrance with the names of the donors, Tang Bei and Elena Garbo Nemur.

Tang Bei believes he should continue playing in the NBA because he wants to donate and build more Hope Primary Schools.

(End of this chapter)