novelhk Chapter 233 Three Brothers of Gambling, Drugs, and Alcohol! The Biggest in League History
Chapter 233 Three Brothers of Gambling, Drugs, and Alcohol! The Biggest in League History
Chapter 233 The Three Brothers of Gambling, Drugs, and Alcohol! The Greatest Crisis in the History of the Alliance is Born!
The day after the draft, Lin Tian waited for Pelinka at his home.
Before Pelinka could even speak, Lin Tian preemptively declared, "A maximum of five countries and ten cities. I'm not going to a single one more! And the entire trip will be extended to a month. This year, even if I die, I won't risk my life like you did last offseason!"
"But Lin, your third signature shoe is about to be released. I think we can beat Michael again this year! As long as the promotion is done well, and as long as we go to more places, we will definitely retain our title as the best-selling shoe of the year!"
"Dream on! I can become the sales king without going to so many cities." Lin Tian didn't give Pelinka any face at all, and said directly, "I said I'd go to 10 places a month, so it's 10 places a month! You go and make the arrangements. If you try to sneak in some personal agenda this time and secretly increase my workload, I'm going to quit!"
"Then we'll see who's worse off."
After making his harsh remarks, Lin Tian looked at Pelinka, who had a bitter face, with satisfaction and said, "Also, isn't your work as an agent going very well? I've already introduced Chris to you, can't you focus your energy on other people?"
"You're my most important boss, everyone else combined isn't as important as you." Pelinka could tell that Lin Tian wasn't planning on working himself to the bone or traveling the world this summer, so he could only surrender and say, "I'll arrange it. Five countries, ten cities, that's all. I'll take care of it!"
"Oh, by the way, Chris, I sent him to Cleveland to team up with Kemp. Both of them are power forwards, and both play with the ball facing up. They're definitely incompatible!"
"If you want him to come to Indiana, next summer is your best chance! By the way, is your Charles retiring next year?"
"Then you'll have to ask Charles." Lin Tian said that he didn't even know where Barkley was having fun in the world, so how would he know when Barkley would retire? But seeing how he ate and indulged himself after winning the championship, Lin Tian felt that this guy might have to retire next season.
"Also, you'd better call Chris. He went completely crazy when he found out he was going to be sent to Cleveland, which is even worse than Sacramento. He almost fired me on the spot! If I hadn't promised him that he would only play here for a year and then you guys would take him to Indiana next summer, I think I would already be unemployed."
"Do you think it was easy for me? I really went to great lengths to make sure Chris didn't fall in love with his new team, managing to get the Wizards to send him to this godforsaken place, Cleveland. Then I risked my life to convince Chris to stay in Cleveland for another year!"
"Honestly, besides Cleveland, you really can't find anywhere else that you could play here for a year and still not fall in love with the city! This city is absolutely awful! It's run-down and rotten. Compared to it, Indiana is like paradise!"
"I'll play now." Lin Tian looked at Pelinka, who was playing the victim there, and he really didn't expect this guy to be so ruthless. He sent Webber directly to a small village like Cleveland and even paired him with an inside partner, Kemp, who was 100% incompatible with Webber.
All I can say is that Pelinka is much more ruthless than I am!
"Chris, are you alright? I'm with Rob, and he told me about your situation." After the call connected, Lin Tian got straight to the point and explained his purpose.
"Things are going pretty well for now. Sean and I are getting along well. We're in New York right now. Are you coming to Yaolin? Seriously, Sean really knows his stuff! He's such a fun guy. I think we'll become good friends and buddies!"
The sounds coming from Webber's side were quite loud, clearly from a nightclub party in New York.
Lin Tian knew very well that given Weber's current situation, he didn't need to say anything to him, because Weber definitely wasn't in the mood to listen.
So Lin Tian said into the phone, "Okay, Chris, you can play now. Contact me anytime if you have any questions!"
"No problem, Lin! No problem! As long as you can guarantee I'll leave Cleveland next summer, I'll do anything!"
"Anything is fine?"
"Of course! Even Sean doesn't like Cleveland, but there's nothing he can do, Cleveland offers just too much! Otherwise, this guy would never have stayed in Cleveland for even a single day!" Webber said, then suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Hey! Wen! Hey, over here! It's me, Chris! Look at our old buddy, look who this is!"
"Wen?" Lin Tian asked curiously, "Wen Baker is here too?"
"Yes, Lin, I just saw Wen. Okay, I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going to have a couple of drinks with Wen! Anyway, remember what I said, Lin: find a way to get me away from Cleveland as soon as possible! As soon as possible!"
Weber hung up the phone abruptly after saying that, and then went off to play something else.
Clearly, the happy life in New York has allowed this guy to temporarily forget the pain of having to play in Cleveland next season.
I'm so happy here, I don't miss home at all!
Lin Tian was plotting against Webber, who was probably the NBA's most illegitimate child and went bankrupt because of it, Vin Baker, an alcoholic whose body shape deteriorated and performance declined rapidly due to drinking, and Webber, who had been found to be drugged in his car by the police on multiple occasions.
In addition, the three brothers shared a common hobby of going to the gambling table for a few rounds.
Good heavens, they've got gambling, drugs, and alcohol all in one place!
These three guys together could probably explore all the entertainment venues in New York!
Simply put, professionals do professional work!
Thinking about what these three people could do together, Lin Tian suddenly remembered something else.
I still have a bottle of that "weight-gain potion" that was leaked back then in my system! A treasure that can make someone gain 15 kilograms in a month.
A fantastic item that can turn a strong man into a meatball tank in no time!
Then, Lin Tian realized that this offseason was much longer than other offseasons, and if the season wanted to continue, it would be a long time before it could resume.
Thinking of this, Lin Tian decisively used the weight gain drug on Webber. Anyway, this guy's goal was to make the Cavaliers unhappy with him and trade him after the next season, or even in the middle of the season. So Lin Tian would help him out!
Let these three big men in the paint—gambling, drugs, and alcohol—have a good time during the offseason. Who knows, they might even have a competition to see who gains the most weight and who gets fat the fastest!
Lin Tian didn't know how the system fed the weight-gain drug to Webber. All Lin Tian could see was that after he said he would use it, the drug disappeared from the system panel. Now, let's see if Kemp and Baker can catch up with Webber's weight gain speed.
"By the way, Lin," Pelinka asked, as if suddenly remembering something, "Are you planning to hold the summer promotional activities before or after the negotiations? The players' union president, Patrick, the executive president, Billy Hunter, and more than a dozen other players are scheduled to meet in Seattle on July 1st."
"Then we absolutely must leave before July." Lin Tian shrugged without hesitation. "I'm completely unwilling to participate in negotiations or anything like that. I can't be of any help staying here. I'd rather travel to a couple more cities than worry about that!"
"Let's visit a couple more cities! You said it!" Pelinka said excitedly, "I'll go and arrange the itinerary for you right away."
"More shit!" Lin Tian cursed, sticking out his middle finger. "Only ten! Not a single one more. I'm going to enjoy my vacation this summer! Enjoy it properly, understand?"
Pelinka shrugged, seemingly unsure of what to say. After sharing some insider news and information about the league, Pelinka didn't linger with Lin Tian and left his villa to prepare for Lin Tian's various business activities in the summer.
Three days later, Lin Tian and Pelinka boarded a plane to Europe. Lin Tian was going to promote his AND 1 third-generation personal signature series of sneakers. His trip would last about a month, and he wouldn't be back in the United States until the end of July or the beginning of August.
At almost the same time, several major events occurred in the league.
First, there's the contract extension saga between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Kevin Garnett.
Garnett signed a 7-year, $1.2 million mega-contract with the Timberwolves! This contract is widely regarded as the second-best contract in history, second only to Lin Tian's contract with the Pacers.
Of course, signing a contract isn't a big deal. The main problem is that the Timberwolves' owner happened to sell one of his financial companies at this time, which led many people to believe that the Timberwolves' owner was selling everything he owned to renew Garnett's contract!
Around this time, Forbes released a very detailed report.
The report points out that in the 1997-1998 season, 22 NBA teams suffered losses, totaling over $3 million! And of all the NBA's net revenue, player salaries accounted for over 57%!
This figure far exceeded the 48%-52% agreed upon by both parties in 1995, so the bosses objected!
They demanded renegotiation, a redistribution of revenue, and measures to curb star player salaries and slow the rate of salary increases. They also demanded a hard salary cap, the elimination of the Bird exception, and protection of owners' interests.
A hard salary cap is a set number that no team can exceed under any circumstances. Adopting a hard salary cap can effectively limit players' salaries and save owners money.
The NBA currently uses a soft salary cap, which means that although there is a number that teams are not allowed to exceed, each team can, according to various rules and regulations, allow the team's total salary to exceed this number.
This is why, in an era where the salary cap is less than 3000 million, Jordan could earn 3000 million, Ewing could earn 1800 million, and many others could earn more than 1000 million.
After the employers made their move, the workers were naturally not to be outdone, and they quickly organized a counterattack.
In Seattle, several representatives from the labor union, led by Ewing and Billy Hunter, held a meeting.
No one knows the specifics of the meeting, but everyone knows that after the meeting, the workers gave their bottom-line requirements for the new collective bargaining agreement.
First, the salaries of minimum-salary players must be increased. The current minimum salary in the league is only $27, which is too low and must be increased significantly. Second, the Bird exception must be retained. Third, no form of hard salary cap should be accepted. Finally, and most importantly...
The salaries of top-paid players cannot stop increasing; every season, player salaries must increase by more than 10%!
In fact, it is clear from the demands and requests made by both the labor and management sides that they are not on the same page at all, and their demands are completely opposite. One side wants to make more money, while the other wants to save money. If both sides continue with this idea, then there is really no room for negotiation.
Then, both labor and management showed their tough side.
They all declared that they would not back down an inch and would absolutely not back down.
The two sides have significant differences, are taking a hard line, and are both prepared for a protracted conflict.
Left with no other option, the league headquarters announced a formal lockout. Starting from midnight on July 1, 1998, all teams ceased all activities, including renewing player contracts, signing new players, holding training camps, and organizing commercial events.
The impact on the players is also enormous.
The league and USA Basketball reached an agreement to remove all NBA players from the upcoming World Championship, including Gary Payton, Tim Hardaway, Glen Rice, and others, who will not be allowed to join the new Dream Team, also known as Dream Team IV.
Of course, without the support of NBA stars, this team, hastily assembled by selecting players from the NCAA and the Continental Basketball League (CBA), can only be called Team USA, not the Dream Team.
At this time, fans across the United States spontaneously condemned the owners and the league for their inhumane and "evil" actions! The players, on the other hand, only wanted to represent their country and win a championship, but their opportunity to serve their country was directly and brutally taken away, which was obviously unfair.
Two-time All-Star, Cleveland Cavaliers' star point guard, and former Dream Team IV member Brandon said, "The Athens World Championships might have been my only chance to represent the United States in my lifetime, but the US basketball team, without any coordination, preemptively reorganized the national team. They took everything from us!"
"In that case, let's unite and see it through to the end!"
Up to now, the players are incredibly united, and public opinion overwhelmingly supports them. For the labor side, now is definitely a very good time to negotiate!
But when they suggested meeting face-to-face again, the investors said: "Unless you accept their terms, we have nothing to talk about."
Furthermore, the investors stated directly: If you don't listen to us, then we won't play anymore. Eight teams, including Charlotte, Milwaukee, Denver, and Dallas, even stated directly: If we continue to lose money like this, we will disband our teams and withdraw from the league. Let whoever wants to play, play!
Seeing how ruthless the owners were, coming out with such a powerful move right away, the players didn't hold back either. The players scattered and went about their business.
For example, Jordan started to focus on playing golf, and he found that it suited him better than baseball. Shaq finally started making his own movies and recording his own albums. Kobe enthusiastically embarked on his first world tour and even had a clever chance encounter with Lin Tian in Italy.
In addition, Iverson also came to Hong Kong and had his first friendly interaction with Chinese fans, which solidified his status as one of the most popular players in China for the next decade.
Malone joined the UFC and seriously took up wrestling, even arranging a fight with Barkley, and the two had a good match in the ring.
Well, the most noteworthy is Wyman Tisdale, who played so-so in the NBA and could barely be called a star. This guy, who was deciding whether to retire, officially started his jazz career and achieved great success in the music industry, becoming the NBA's recognized best and most professional jazz singer.
As for players' union president Patrick Ewing, he was caught by a reporter while partying at a New York nightclub. When the reporter asked him what he thought about the lockout, Ewing had 100 ways to respond, but he chose the worst one.
No one knows if he was drunk or genuinely that stupid, but after his historic statement, relations between the players and management plummeted. And most importantly for the players, Ewing's words successfully cost them the support of the fans!
Originally, during this lockout, fans supported the players in getting the compensation they deserved and stood on the same side as the players. However, after this statement, the fans realized something.
That is: this shutdown is essentially a war between billionaires and millionaires and multi-millionaires. These little Karamis don't need to support anyone; they can just watch the show!
With just one sentence, the workers lost public support, and the employers hardened their stance even further!
This statement, which almost changed the entire history of the NBA, was: "It's true we make a lot of money, but our expenses are also huge. We need to make even more money!"
A seemingly ordinary sentence could reverse public opinion, infuriate investors, and bring the entire alliance's negotiations to a complete standstill.
At this moment, David Falk, who had always hoped to have a greater say in the league and craved more power, stepped forward.
He began contacting various agents, threatening the league that if it didn't grant the players' request, he would create a new league where all the players would play!
He urged the league to restart negotiations as soon as possible so as not to affect the new season's games.
It's important to understand that at that time, Falk was absolutely powerful in the league, wielding enormous influence. Veteran stars like Jordan, Reggie Miller, Mourning, and Ewing, as well as young stars like Allen Iverson, Marbury, and Kittles, were all his players.
If he were to turn against the alliance, it would obviously be another devastating blow to the entire alliance and its investors.
At that time, Lin Tian was playing one-on-one with Kobe in Italy. Lin Tian never expected that he would meet Kobe in Milan by such a coincidence, so they simply went together and spent a few days there, and then practiced together a few more times.
However, one thing that annoyed Lin Tian was when he asked Kobe to show him around Milan and let him see the local customs and culture.
Kobe patted his chest and declared, "Leave everything to me. I grew up here and know Milan like the back of my hand. I guarantee you'll have a great time."
Seeing that Kobe, who was not even 20 years old, was so savvy, Lin Tian nodded in satisfaction. No wonder he was called 105! No matter how obsessed he was with basketball, when it came to things that men like, young Kobe was still very cute and knowledgeable!
Then, Lin Tian was completely dumbfounded.
On the first day, Kobe took him to three amateur basketball courts, saying they were the best places to play basketball in Milan and even Italy. Together with Lin Tian, they thoroughly thrashed the Italian amateur players. Then, on the second day, Kobe took Lin Tian to three soccer fields, saying that Milan players often played there, and they might even run into members of the Italian national team!
Seeing Kobe's fanboy-like expression, as if he were waiting to bump into some Italian national team players and get their autographs, Lin Tian, who had absolutely no interest in or knowledge of football, simply lay down on the grass.
To be honest, the grass in Italy is so comfortable to lie on, it's soft and fragrant, and much more fun than playing football!
Then, on the third day, Kobe said that streetball players from several cities near Milan heard that the two of them were here, so they gathered dozens of people, who were basically the strongest and most skilled streetball players in all of Italy, and all of them came to Milan to challenge them to a duel.
Seeing Kobe's expectant and eager look, ready to show off his skills and crush the weaker opponents, Lin Tian was too lazy to play along. He simply grabbed Pelinka and ran away, the two of them flying towards Paris.
unlucky!
If Lin Tian ever runs into Kobe again, he should pretend he doesn't know him, no matter what. Does this idiot have no other hobbies besides playing basketball and soccer?
When did this guy meet Vanessa again? I need to hurry up and get him to meet his own good wife, so he can get a taste of how wonderful girls are and continue to hang out with her in the future.
Otherwise, Lin Tian has already considered breaking off his friendship with Kobe. Who would want to play basketball with him all the time and bully weaker opponents?
These so-called amateur players from Italy could be easily crushed by any few guards of fringe NBA level. Yet Kobe seemed to enjoy beating them up and was quite happy.
Lin Tian even suspected that this guy might not actually love playing basketball; he just liked to bully others.
Probably!
After saying goodbye to Kobe, Lin Tian flew around the world for more than half a month, during which he bumped into several basketball stars who were conducting various business activities around the world.
During the chance encounter with Iverson in Hong Kong, Iverson insisted on treating him to a meal. That same night, Lin Tian witnessed Iverson casually scattering banknotes throughout the bar.
Then Lin Tian also saw at least 3-4 of Iverson's little Karami, who were being intimate with the girls next to them while secretly sticking out their feet to step on a few Franklins, and then finding an opportunity to stuff the money into their own pockets.
At this rate of spending, if he doesn't go bankrupt after retiring, who will?
Lin Tian didn't bother with Iverson's extravagant spending habits; he couldn't control him anyway, so as long as Iverson was happy.
After finishing his trip in Hong Kong, Lin Tian, as usual, went home and enjoyed a few days of leisure, spending time with his father and grandfather. After resting, he returned to the United States.
It was already August 5th, and as if he knew Lin Tian's itinerary in advance, Lin Tian received a call from Ewing as soon as he got off the plane.
"Lin, we're going to negotiate with those damned bloodsuckers from the investors the day after tomorrow! You need to come too; we need someone with enough influence to back us up!"
"I'm not going." Lin Tian rejected Ewing's suggestion without even thinking. Anyway, the NBA would definitely not be suspended indefinitely and would resume sooner or later.
In addition, after more than a month of mutual cold war and statements and demonstrations in various media and channels, the relationship between the labor and management sides has long since reached a freezing point!
Both sides hate each other to the extreme and are unwilling to back down even a step. At this crucial moment, both the labor side and the capital side still feel that they have the other side completely under their control and that they are the other side's bread and butter!
When both sides have this mindset, this negotiation is unlikely to succeed or make any progress!
Lin Tian even believed that the reason why the two sides restarted negotiations at this time, besides being considerate of Stern, was actually to vent their anger!
Yes, it's about venting anger, arguing, and insulting others, not about reaching a new agreement.
At least until both sides suffer and realize that compromise is the only way to achieve a win-win situation, this new labor agreement is unlikely to make any progress.
Therefore, suddenly intervening at this time would be a thankless task. Ewing's decision to send Lin Tian at this time was definitely not for the sake of having an additional important player to make the negotiations more efficient. This guy simply thought that Lin Tian was better at arguing and cursing, and wanted Lin Tian to help him curse.
Sure enough, after Lin Tian made a clear rejection, Ewing, who was unwilling to give up so easily, didn't offer Lin Tian any bargaining chips that included things like contributing to the league's restart, becoming a player leader, or leaving a lasting legacy.
"Let's go and give those bastards a piece of our minds! Lin, I'm giving you absolute authority. Say whatever you want to them! How about it? Opportunities like this don't come around often! Think about it, there are a dozen or even twenty billionaires, maybe even multi-billionaires! A chance to openly argue with them isn't a rare thing!"
From this guy's blatant attempt to entice Lin Tian, you can tell what Lao Fang's mentality is this time: he won't back down an inch, whether you want to talk or not, he doesn't care!
"No, I have other things to do. Good luck, Patrick, keep it up." Lin Tian doesn't have any manic disorder that makes him feel good only by trash-talking. Taunting people on the court can be beneficial, but arguing in negotiations is practically useless except for spewing some saliva!
After hanging up the phone with Ewing, Lin Tian returned home to continue resting.
This offseason is long, and he's not in a hurry at all.
He has plenty of time this year.
Then, on the afternoon of August 7, Lin Tian received some bad news that he had expected.
The first negotiation between the labor and management representatives since July 1, held at a New York law firm, ended in discord!
In the morning, the two sides were having a pleasant conversation, exchanging demands and arguing back and forth, which was a serious negotiation.
But in the afternoon, when the labor side stated that the players needed to be guaranteed a 10% annual salary increase and that the team owners were required to pay and compensate for the losses incurred by the players' inability to participate in various team activities over the past month, the owners suddenly became furious.
What followed was an indescribable verbal sparring session that lasted for several tens of minutes. It was hard to judge who won or lost in this crazy exchange, but in the end, the investors' representatives stood up angrily, declared that they would not talk anymore, and then walked straight out of the law firm, ignoring Stern's attempts to stop them.
Stern, who once vowed not to trim his beard until the league returned to normal operations, now had a full beard. With the investors leaving on their own, the old man's face showed signs of exhaustion.
too tired.
It's really too difficult to get a group of millionaires and billionaires to back down and give in to each other!
However, the negotiations ultimately came to nothing, ending with both sides suspending all activities indefinitely once again.
After seeing this predictable result, Lin Tian looked at Pelinka with relief and asked, "How's the matter I asked you to arrange going? Is it all done?"
"It's all settled. If everything goes smoothly, we can start your training camp on August 12th as originally planned. The people I've found all meet your requirements—super geniuses aged 12-16 from all over the United States, and absolutely top-tier geniuses!"
"but……"
Pelinka paused, then looked at Lin Tian and said, "Why do you seem completely unconcerned and indifferent about the league's shutdown?"
"Worrying and caring won't change the situation," Lin Tian shrugged. "Let the professionals do what they're good at. I'll just do what I'm good at. Just spread the word, Rob, that our training camp starts on time!"
Yes, a training camp!
This is also the thing that Lin Tian cares about and worries about the most during this offseason.
In the recently concluded season, as Lin Tian's skill levels increased and his need for experience points grew, his current demand for experience points also increased.
Simply exploiting Jordan's weaknesses and trash-talking and dominating opponents in games is no longer enough to satisfy Lin Tian's need for experience points.
For example, right now, Lin Tian has opened a season-end rating gift pack, and with the experience points he has accumulated since the last upgrade, he now has more than 12000 experience points. If it were 3 years ago, this would have been a huge sum of money, but now...
He can barely upgrade two skills at most. If Lin Tian wants to upgrade his current highest level skill, "Attack and Defense Integration," which consumes the most experience points, then those 12000 experience points will be completely depleted in no time!
His need for experience points is getting bigger and bigger!
Therefore, if he wants to continue to grow stronger and level up quickly, he must find other ways to gain experience points.
Fortunately, Lin Tian had previously gained experience points and acquired the "Quick Gunner" skill through his interactions with Seth Curry! In addition, he had also gained a lot of experience and skills from his interactions with retired stars such as Magic Johnson.
These experiences convinced Lin Tian that the people who could provide him with experience points or skills were not just current players! Retired players, players who had not yet entered the league, and even babies who had just learned to suckle—these guys could all bring Lin Tian a lot of benefits.
So, the best place for Lin Tian to quickly accumulate experience points right now, besides the All-Star Game, which is full of top-tier players and offers a wealth of experience points, is the training camp!
That would be a great opportunity to openly and legitimately gather all the top cute boys in the entire United States together!
Not to mention, Lin Tian's training camp this time is completely free!
Even if you have a good reputation, Lin Tian and AND 1 will cover your travel and accommodation expenses, aiming to be an honest and trustworthy business!
Lin Tian's reason for this massive expenditure was for one purpose: to gather all the poor families and children from slums who couldn't even afford to eat, whose families had no money left after tuition and food expenses, into his training camp!
The main idea is to leave no one behind and not miss a single one!
Whether you're rich or poor, you all have to come!
Lin Tian was already imagining what it would be like to see teenagers like Kenyon Martin, Mike Miller, Tyson Chandler, Jay Williams, Joe Jason, and Caron Butler appear in front of him a few days later.
Of course, the most important ones are the next two!
James, Anthony, Wade, Bosh, Paul, Howard, Deron Williams, Roy, Durant...
Tut tut...
It's packed with experience points and skills!
Lin Tian even felt that after this training camp, he might be able to possess LeBron James's physical attributes, Dwyane Wade's coordination, Carmelo Anthony's triple threat, Chris Paul's mid-range shot, Dwight Howard's rebounding ability, and Kevin Durant's temperament all at once...
This training camp has to be done well!
"But honestly, I'm really impressed with you this time, Lin!" Before Pelinka stood up to leave, he seemed to see the longing and innocent, expectant look on Lin Tian's face, and couldn't help but say, "I didn't expect you to be so concerned about youth basketball and so dedicated to it!"
"I really admire you so much that you're even willing to pay out of your own pocket to let young people participate in your training camp!"
"Not at all, it's all for the future of young people!" Lin Tian smiled and waved his hand, indicating that it was nothing. "We've earned so much, of course we should give back to society."
After seeing Pelinka off, Lin Tian checked the time and started making phone calls to call for backup!
For this training camp, Pelinka found a total of 75 children for him. If Lin Tian were to take care of them all by himself, he definitely wouldn't be able to do so. Lin Tian also didn't want his training camp to end up being labeled as irresponsible, unprofessional, and only interested in attracting popularity.
Therefore, Lin Tian had to find some helpers to assist him.
Even though it's the offseason and many people are on vacation, Lin Tian felt that getting four or five NBA players to help out wouldn't be a problem at all!
Moreover, Lin Tian has no intention of paying any money; he's going to get it all for free! He wants to make up for the money the young players spend on these free lessons!
"Ben, where are you? New York? You've gone astray too! You're not out there fooling around, are you? What? Training with Oakley? Great! I'm planning to open a training camp here, how about coming over for a few days? No problem! See you then! You're truly my good buddy!"
"Hey Charles, where are you? Panama? It's all right now."
"Hey Reggie, you're in Indiana? What? You're helping Larry farm? FUXX! Aren't you afraid your own discs will fail you and you'll have to retire early? Stop doing that crap. I have a training camp in Indiana, come help out!"
"Alan, it's me, Lin! Is your Asia trip over? What? You went to Africa again? The girls there are hot! Okay, I can't handle it, you can have your fun yourself. Remember to get tested for AIDS when you get back!"
"Kobe, I bet you're slacking off. What? You're watching Michael's videos at home? How about coming to my training camp for a few days? No time? Okay then. We have this kid here named Devin, who keeps saying he's going to beat Kobe and become the best shooting guard. I thought you'd teach him a lesson. Oh? You have time now?"
"Okay, see you then."
"Doug, how about you teach this kid what defense is?"
……
After making several phone calls, Lin Tian quickly assembled a training camp mentor lineup comparable to an All-Star game. However, he then received several unexpected phone calls.
The first phone call was actually an overseas call.
"Reporter Yang, why did you suddenly decide to call me? If you're looking for some inside story about the shutdown, then I'm afraid I can only apologize. I wasn't involved in this mess at all and have absolutely no idea what happened."
The caller was an old acquaintance of Lin Tian's, Yang Yi, a reporter from Basketball Pioneer and also the team's beat reporter for Indiana.
However, since it's the NBA offseason now, this guy should be on vacation.
"I have something else to trouble you with." Yang Yi's voice was still very excited: "Da Yao, come and talk to Lin Tian, he'll definitely agree."
"No, I don't know him. I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing and he'll get angry." A slightly naive voice came from the other end of the phone, and Lin Tian immediately recognized who it was.
He is now the rising star of the Shanghai team in the CBA league, and also the future hope of the entire Chinese frontcourt. He is known as the Chinese star with the best chance of establishing himself in the NBA after Lin Tian.
He was also the number one pick in the 2002 NBA draft.
Yao Ming.
"Is this Yao Ming? Alright, Reporter Yang, let him speak directly. Don't be polite, we're all on the same side!" Knowing who was in charge, Lin Tian was also very curious about what Yao Ming wanted to talk to him about.
Surely he's not here to ask himself if he's qualified to play in the NBA?
"Brother Lin." Yao Ming wasn't the reserved or shy type, so after a polite greeting, he got straight to the point: "Can I go to your training camp?"
Hey!
The news spread really fast.
Lin Tian thought for a moment and concluded that Yao Ming was most likely not here to train, but rather to boost his confidence!
Thinking about it, I realized that my training camp actually has quite a few promising future centers, especially one who is a very important man in Yao Ming's life—
Tyson Chandler!
In Lin Tian's memory, Yao Ming easily defeated Tyson Chandler in a training camp, and when he learned that this guy, with this level of skill, was actually a top-three potential rookie, Yao Ming's previously uneasy heart immediately settled down.
He has become very confident about establishing himself in the NBA!
"No problem, come on over! I'll arrange for you to play a few top rookies around your age from the US, give you a good run-through, and let you see just how good you really are! Oh, and I've also found a few really good active centers to help out, so you can learn from them too!"
Lin Tian had immediately seen through his thoughts, and Yao Ming was both grateful and full of admiration. He immediately said, "Brother Lin, thank you so much!"
(End of this chapter)