Basketball Terminal

Chapter 114 Caesar
With the Nets and Lakers' regular season games over, if Li Wei wants to compete against LeBron James again, he'll either have to wait until the NBA Finals or next season's regular season.

The Lakers are not in a good position. This injury could be a turning point in the career of a 36-year-old veteran. Anthony Davis's continued absence casts a shadow over the team's title defense.

Health is always the most influential variable in this league; without a healthy body, everything else is meaningless. The Nets are also experiencing health problems; Durant has just returned from injury, while Harden is sidelined. In the next few games, Durant and Irving will take appropriate rest to ensure the health of their core players.

Fortunately, it is precisely the Nets' Big Three structure that allows them to maintain the team's performance throughout the regular season through this rotation system. This is also why teams tend to build three-core lineups, as a single core or two stars are insufficient for long-term competitiveness.

With each additional core player, a team's margin for error increases, allowing them to cope with various unforeseen circumstances during the long regular season. However, the modern NBA salary cap and maximum salary restrictions mean that three core players are the ceiling. A team can't possibly sign four maximum or near-maximum contracts; otherwise, they simply wouldn't have the cap space to sign other players and would be forced to rely on a bunch of minimum-salary players and rookies.

Unless there is a massive increase in the salary cap like in the summer of 2016, suddenly freeing up a large amount of space, it will be impossible to build a super team with a more luxurious lineup.

Another possibility is that, like the Nets, they inexplicably picked up an undrafted player in the G League. This undrafted player was cheap, but his impact is almost equivalent to half a superstar. Especially considering the Nets' weak interior defense, Levi is particularly important. If he were an offensive player, he would be dispensable with the Nets, whose offense is already overflowing.

The interview with Levi, broadcast on Turner Television, generated a significant response, effectively piquing people's curiosity. However, the content presented on the television program did not quell this curiosity; instead, it made him even more mysterious. His demonstrations of so-called "traditional kung fu" perfectly aligned with Americans' fantastical imaginations of the Far East, linking him to figures like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, thus stimulating market interest.

More endorsement deals came knocking, and this time Li Wei didn't refuse. His previous collaboration with Luyou had been very successful, and advertising endorsements were indeed lucrative. Luo Ping helped him select a partner, choosing Leeann Chin Restaurant. This Chinese restaurant originated in Minnesota, and since Li Wei was going to Minnesota the day after tomorrow for an away game, he was invited to visit the company headquarters to discuss cooperation.

Luo Ping arrived before Li Wei and completed the preliminary preparations. On April 12th, Li Wei and the team arrived in Minnesota, and Luo Ping had already made his preliminary preparations. According to Luo Ping, Leeann Chin had contacted him more than a month earlier, expressing his desire to collaborate. However, like most companies interested in collaboration at the time, he had doubts about Li Wei's performance and reputation, so the offer was modest and the terms were very demanding.

For example, they might ask for long-term contracts, several years in total, involving a series of advertisements and photoshoots with no time limit, and the option to use his image permanently. Li Wei completely ignores these kinds of contracts. "I'm a high-potential stock," he thinks, "trying to tie me down for a pittance? No way." Most of the contracts Li Wei received previously were like this; they were all from people trying to take advantage of him as an angel investor.

As time went on, Li Wei's performance became increasingly consistent. Coupled with his appearance on the "Inside the NBA" program and his outstanding performance leading his team to a comeback victory against the Lakers, Li Wei's popularity was on the verge of exponential growth. At this point, businesses couldn't sit still and started to get involved. It's like buying stocks; if you want to buy at a low price, you can't. Now that prices are rising steadily and it looks like the main upward wave is about to begin, wouldn't you want to buy in at a high price?
Large manufacturers, especially those in the sporting goods sector, are maintaining their strategic focus. They have large operations and numerous star athletes under their wing, so we'll have to wait and see. Major Chinese sporting goods companies, wary of the current environment, Sino-US relations, and the previous Mo Gu incident, are also hesitant to act for the time being, fearing unforeseen changes.

However, some small and medium-sized manufacturers don't care about such things. They don't think long-term; they just want to grab a piece of the action as soon as the traffic picks up. For example, Luyou spent a million yuan to hire Li Wei as their advertising spokesperson and ran ads on various platforms, which brought a near-bankrupt factory back to life and caused its revenue to skyrocket. Although it's only temporary, and in the long run, if the product isn't good, it will still fail, but for them, it's already a very good investment.

Leeann Chin's chain of Chinese restaurants isn't large. Originating in Minnesota in 1980, it primarily operates in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of ​​the Midwest, with just over thirty branches—a far cry from the scale of true restaurant giants. However, their reputation and business performance are excellent, and in recent years they have been continuously expanding, opening branches in Los Angeles, Wisconsin, and North and South Dakota.

While the virus has severely impacted the restaurant industry, it has also presented opportunities for businesses with ample cash flow and sound operations to expand. Leeann Chin is currently experiencing this opportunity.

Lee Wei traveled to Minnetonka, a city under the jurisdiction of Minneapolis, where Leeann Chin's headquarters are located. At the flagship Leeann Chin restaurant, he met with CEO Mike Longley. Leeann Chin was a brand founded by a Chinese-American woman, but like most capitalized brands, she sold her hard-earned restaurant to investors and professional managers. After retiring, she moved to Seattle, where she passed away in 2010.

Conley prepared a sumptuous Chinese dinner for Li Wei, offering him samples of the restaurant's best-selling orange chicken, Kung Pao chicken, and crispy fried shrimp, while introducing the history of their products and the life story of founder Chen Li Huiqing. The restaurant industry is the largest sector in which Chinese people have established themselves in America. The Chinese people's natural talent for food has led them to open Chinese restaurants wherever they go. After all, food is essential to life; everyone needs to eat. There's also an unbreakable connection between Chinese cuisine and the NBA. It's no secret that Red Auerbach loves Chinese food, and many NBA players have a particular fondness for Chinese dishes. Yao Ming even opened "Yao Restaurant" as his own business after joining the NBA.

Li Wei had considered having his parents close the laundromat and run a Chinese restaurant in Brooklyn or Manhattan. A chain restaurant like that would have brand promotion, kitchen equipment, and food supplies, making it easier to operate than a regular restaurant or laundromat. He needed to find them something to do.

The negotiations went smoothly. Luo Ping had laid the groundwork beforehand. This guy had made great progress. He was wearing a silver-gray suit and sunglasses, looking quite respectable, a far cry from the slovenly figure he used to be on the street wearing a tattered beanie.

However, at the final step, Li Wei did not sign the endorsement contract. He said, "I am very willing to endorse you. Chinese people cannot live without the catering industry and cannot live without food. It is my honor to promote Chinese restaurants. However, I hope you can raise the price a bit more."

Mike Longley remained calm in the face of the sudden price increase; he was prepared, as price negotiation was always the most crucial aspect of any negotiation. All other conditions had been discussed, except for the price, which was unrealistic. Longley asked Levi to name a price, already mentally anticipating a 20% increase.

But Li Wei didn't offer a price, saying, "Our negotiations end here today. I have a game tomorrow afternoon, and you're welcome to come to the stadium to watch it, or watch it on TV. We'll discuss the price again after the game, and I hope to get a more reasonable price then."

Luo Ping, who was standing to the side, seemed to have something to say, but he held back and swallowed what he wanted to say. Instead, he said, "Then let's talk again tomorrow! There's no rush!" After saying that, he ended the negotiation, shook hands, and left the restaurant with Li Wei.

On the way back to the hotel, Luo Ping said, "I negotiated this price with them several times, and it's already much higher than the initial offer. However, you must have your reasons; you want to perform well in tomorrow's match!"

Li Wei nodded and said, "That's right. My performance on the field is my biggest bargaining chip. We can't sign a contract with them before the game against Minnesota. It has to be after the game."

"But what if you beat yourself up like dog shit tomorrow?"

"Then I'll just sign the contract and accept the current price. Anyway, I won't lose anything."

On April 13th, the Brooklyn Nets played the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road. The game was scheduled for 4 PM, and there were no spectators in attendance. Kyrie Irving was absent from the game, and Kevin Durant remained on the bench, waiting to enter the game in the second quarter.

So, Li Wei seized this opportunity and became the Nets' starting core player. Before the game, Steve Nash told Li Wei, "Victor, you're the core player in the starting lineup, so play up to my expectations." So, my previous performances haven't met your expectations? Cut me! Cut me!
Despite his thoughts, Li Wei remained determined to complete the mission! Tonight, Li Wei will face two number one draft picks from the Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards. There are so many high draft picks named Anthony these days, and Li Wei wants to show them who the real Caesar is.

(End of this chapter)