I fell in love with Toutiao and became the GOAT.

Lin Bei didn't take Dan Fagan's anger seriously at all.

To put it bluntly, the relationship between him and this agent was purely based on naked self-interest from beginning to end, with absolutely no human touch whatsoever.

He couldn't possibly sacrifice his own interests for Dan Fagan.

Especially regarding the sneaker contract, Lin Bei had already made up his mind that it would be best to sign a short-term contract first.

Although he plays center now, he can also play small forward and power forward.

The main reason he's currently focusing on the center position is that the Warriors are short of players at that position.

Before the suspension, there were only two centers, him and Ekpe Udoh; after the suspension, there are only him and Bogdanovic.

Now that Bodog is out of commission, he's getting more playing time.

For the other two positions, as for power forward, he definitely can't compete with David Lee.

At the small forward position, Dorell Wright is no match for him.

Although Wright's ball-handling offense is stronger than his, the Warriors don't have a great need for Wright's offense; Curry and David Lee, both 20+ point scorers, are enough.

The Warriors prioritize defense for their small forwards, and Lin Bei's defense is far superior to Wright's.

He could easily switch to small forward and become a starter there as well.

But in this Warriors team, the small forward position is far less important than the center position.

Mark Jackson's tactical system included a significant portion of the offense being facilitated by the center.

As a primary center, he's practically a core player for the Warriors.

In addition, he has "developed" a bunch of finishing skills under the basket. A simple statistic: half of Lin Bei's points this season come from three-pointers, but the other half come from under the basket.

After returning from suspension, two-thirds of his points came from the paint.

If he didn't play center, his average points per game would be at least half less.

For the sake of tactical importance and higher average points per game, Lin Bei still has to fight tooth and nail for the center position.

But in the future, his position will definitely be gradually moved outwards.

Outside players are very good at selling shoes. In at most two seasons, Lin Bei will be able to get a top-tier shoe contract.

The sneaker contract is a commercial endorsement, and Dan Fegan gets 20%, but he can only get it for the first year.

He could pocket $500 million from Under Armour's annual offer of $100 million.

But now, Lin Bei is only willing to sign a two-year contract at most.

If it's a short-term contract, Under Armour will definitely have to lower the price.

Lin Bei estimated that after negotiations, Under Armour's final offer should be between 4 million and 5 million over two years.

Even if we take a conservative estimate, Dan Fagan's commission will plummet to $50.

It's only half of what it used to be, no wonder Dan Fagan swore at the end of the phone call.

……

The next day in San Antonio, the Warriors faced the Spurs at the AT&T Center.

It will be very difficult to play against the Spurs, who were the top team in the Western Conference this season in the original history.

But Lin Bei was a little excited because his opponent was Duncan.

After taking the court, he stood at the center circle logo position, facing Duncan.

In 2012, Duncan was still teetering on the tail end of his prime, and the Spurs now primarily use him at center.

Before the opening tip-off, Old Deng stared blankly at Lin Bei.

He wasn't really interested in Lin Bei; he just wanted to win the jump ball.

Lin Bei was different; he was very curious about the legendary Duncan.

After the referee beeped, he tossed the basketball into the air above the stadium.

Lin Bei leaped up and slapped the basketball to Curry.

Curry quickly pushed the ball across half-court, but at the top of the arc, he didn't see Lin Bei's screen.

Without Lin Bei's cover, Curry was still a little unaccustomed to it, staring wide-eyed as he searched for Lin Bei's location.

Where are they?

Immediately, he saw Lin Bei sit down on Duncan in a low position.

Curry: "?"

He was a little confused about what Lin Bei was doing. Was he trying to get into position in the low post and then go for a one-on-one attack?

The problem is, this guy doesn't have any low-level skills, does he?

Or is it that, just like how he suddenly had a breakthrough and developed a passing ability before, he's now also developing a low-post one-on-one skill?

Curry then moved to the side where Lin Bei was, creating an opening, and then pretended to make a bounce pass to send the ball to the low post.

Upon seeing this, Lin Bei quickly retreated.

His move to claim the position was twofold: first, to test his newly acquired talent, "City Wall," and second, to tease the stern-faced old man, Deng.

In the former case, he felt the power of the [Talent: City Wall], which indeed greatly enhanced his lower body strength.

Even the experienced and physically strong Duncan was easily blocked behind him.

Lin Bei figured that if he were to face Al Jefferson and Gortat again, he wouldn't lose in the paint.

Beyond the three-point line, Curry watched Lin Bei retreat and gave him a series of "..." looks.

Lin Bei quickly withdrew from under the basket and drove to the top of the arc to set a screen for Curry.

Curry stepped aside and charged in.

Tony Parker couldn't keep up, and Kawhi Leonard, another expressionless forward for the Spurs, rushed out.

Kawhi Leonard is also a rookie, and his position with the Spurs is not secure, mainly because his shooting is not yet consistent.

But his defense was already great; one help defense directly stopped Curry.

Without a second thought, Curry stopped abruptly, faced Kawhi Leonard, and pulled up for a mid-range jumper.

With Kawhi Leonard's long arms interfering, Curry's mid-range shot missed with a thud.

But Lin Bei, who had returned to the basket, suddenly leaped up, grabbed the backboard in mid-air, and as he fell, he slammed it down with a powerful dunk.

With a loud bang!

At the start of the game, Lin Bei grabbed an offensive rebound and scored with a putback dunk.

Playing on the road, the Warriors' bench instantly erupted in cheers.

Little Potato was especially excited, waving the towel wildly and shouting, "Whoosh, Best, great shot!"

On the court, Lin Bei, who had just scored a putback dunk, clenched his fists and tensed all the muscles in his body as soon as he landed.

He turned around and refused Curry's high-five.

He turned to Duncan and said directly, "Feeling the energy of the young generation, old Duncan?"

This is trash talk. Although Lin Bei is not a trash talk enthusiast, there is a saying in the NBA that whoever can exchange trash talk with Duncan is a true trash talk master.

This is a great achievement, and Lin Bei's goal in this game against the Spurs was to achieve this.

He stared at Duncan with expectant eyes.

Duncan showed no expression, only glanced at Lin Bei, then turned and retreated to the baseline.

Lin Bei shrugged. This achievement was indeed quite difficult.

With a putback dunk to start the game, the Warriors took a 2-0 lead.

Subsequently, on the defensive end, Lin Bei held off Duncan in the paint.

He didn't front Duncan; for him, Duncan only showed his defensive talent and continued to trash talk when he had the ball.

But during this Spurs offensive surge, the ball never even got past Duncan's hands.

A few passes and cuts on the perimeter by the Spurs created an opportunity, and Danny Green, the starting shooting guard, raised his hand and hit a three-pointer.

Swish-!

The Spurs came from behind to win 2-3.

In another offensive possession for the Warriors, Lin Bei ran to the low post and sat on Duncan's butt.

Curry understood that Lin Bei was trying to mess with Duncan's mentality. He didn't consider passing the ball, but instead faked a drive, pulled back, and unleashed a three-pointer.

Clang!

The basketball slammed against the rim, and Lin Bei immediately began to box out for the basket.

Duncan, ever the shrewd strategist, simply turned sideways, avoiding a direct confrontation with Lin Bei.

Although you can't win the battle for position, you won't lose it either.

With the score close, Spurs power forward DeJuan Blair rushed out and grabbed the rebound.

Lin Bei looked at Duncan, realizing that he had given Duncan a chance to retaliate.

But Duncan turned and rushed to the frontcourt, completely ignoring Lin Bei.

"This guy, does he really have absolutely no emotions?"