After settling Allen's contract extension, Cole was immediately ready to meet with Channing Frye, another key figure on the team.
He was the core rotation of the team last season, and he is highly adaptable as a space inside line, and his compatibility with Nash is also very high.
But the difference between him and Allen is that he has offense!
This makes Frye very popular in the free market.
In fact, the Chicago Bulls are the most interested in him, and they offered Frye a five-year, 35 million contract.
Cole said he wanted to keep him with a five-year, 25 million contract.
But this contract has been directly rejected by Frye.
He is now prepared to increase his contract to 30 million in five years.
The negotiation did not go smoothly.
Frye values ​​this contract very much because of his experience in New York and Portland.
Moreover, he is the No. 8 pick, and coupled with his performance last season, he is not willing to accept a lower offer than the market price.
This is also normal.
Unlike some basketball novels where salaries are cut at every turn, in reality many players know that "business is just business".
When the team negotiates a contract with you, they will ask you to consider the team's situation, but when they want to sell you, they will not consider what contributions you have made.
In the end, Cole compromised.
There is no player available to replace Frye in this year's free agent market.
And because Ben's contract has expired (being laid off is still included in the salary cap), the team's current salary is very healthy.
Even if Frye is signed with this contract, the total salary of the existing players will only reach 65 million, which is not yet the luxury tax.
So you will find one thing, both Allen and Frye (5-year, 30 million contract extension in history) have received better contracts than the same period in history.
This is the player bonus brought by the championship.
If you're a Fantasy Basketball Manager, don't you have to give a few percent bonus to the abilities of your championship members?
After finalizing Frye, the Suns now have 11 players on the roster.
Point Guard: Nash, Holiday
Shooting Guards: Allen, Barbosa, Lee
Small forward: Caron Butler, Dudley
Front: Lin Ying, Frye
Center: Stoudemire, Robin Lopez
From a process perspective, this is to be expected.
Next, we only need to deal with Richardson and Hill, even if we keep the core rotation from last season.
The market for these two people is limited, so there shouldn't be much of a problem in winning them.
Then, it’s time to think about how to strengthen it.
Now he has received some news that James is preparing to form a Big Three lineup.
If the Suns really set their goal to defend their title, they will definitely not be able to stand still.
Just then, his cell phone rang.
It was a call from well-known agent Arne Tellem.
After picking up the phone and exchanging a few pleasantries, Tellem made his intention clear.
One of his players wants to come to the Suns, and he doesn't have much salary requirements.
"who?"
"Tracy McGrady."
…
New York, a manor in a wealthy area.
Knicks general manager Glenn Grunwald is chatting with team owner James Dolan about the team's summer.
Grunwald was born in Chicago but later immigrated to Canada, so he is now Canadian.
Before coming to the Knicks, he was the CEO and president of the Raptors, leading the Carter trade and witnessing the Raptors' success.
This is a straightforward, loyal and sincere person who always keeps a smile on his face.
Of course, the most important thing is that he is obedient.
This is also the fundamental reason why Dolan hired him.
"We have to choose LeBron?"
Dolan seemed a little reluctant in his words.
It sounds a little strange that there are team owners who are reluctant because of the possibility of acquiring James?
Isn’t this something that should make you laugh out of your dreams?
Normally this is the case, but because he is Dolan!
NBA bosses sit in a row, and Dolan is the only one.
The Knicks are bad, and they are bad in the hands of Dolan. The conclusion drawn by the fans is still very correct.
To put it bluntly, Dolan is a boss who likes to impose his personal preferences on the team, and the people below must implement them.
Just like the emperors in ancient times.
Whether the dynasty can change and whether the team can prosper basically depends on Dolan's ability.
But precisely, Dolan proved that he was incompetent.
However, this does not actually prevent Dolan from doing this, because even if the Knicks are last in the league, the money he earns will not be less.
And the reason why he is so reluctant is because he doesn't like James very much.
He is a standard veteran capitalist. How could he like a player who tries to influence the management and is not easily controlled?
Even if that person is James.
"This may be our only choice at the moment. Nowitzki will not leave Dallas, Pierce will not leave Boston, and the most important thing is that Stoudemire has renewed his contract with the Suns. Even if we can trade for Anthony,
The situation may not be much better than last season."
Grunwald said with a smile.
With Stoudemire's contract extension, the dominoes began to fall.
"So what do you want me to do?"
Dolan did not hide his displeasure at all.
"You just need to express a certain interest in James during the meeting."
After Grunwald finished speaking, he saw Dolan frown and immediately added,
"Mr. Dolan, we can form the most powerful Big Three lineup in history. The city of New York will be completely crazy. Basketball will become the theme of this city. We will usher in championship trophies one after another. Fans and media
I would say that Mr. Dolan is the best owner in the NBA."
This Canadian general manager has put his lifelong abilities to use.
Like he said, the Knicks do have a great opportunity now.
Because according to the intelligence he received, they are now the first choice of James' team.
And according to the words of Rich Paul, one of the core figures of James' team, James coming to New York means that Wade and another member of the 03 generation will also come.
At that time, it was the Big Three in New York!
As a general manager, it would be such a crazy career to do all this.
The premise of all this is that Dolan only expresses a certain interest.
It's simple, it's really simple.
As long as they don't mess up the subsequent meeting, everything will work out.
But to say it is difficult is to climb to the sky.
Because he knew that Dolan had never been very fond of James.
Dolan, nod!
First, Stoudemire's extension with the Suns really left the Knicks with no better options.
Second, what Grunwald said makes sense, especially the last sentence.
…
"You ask me what difficulties will I experience in the defending season?"
After training that day, Kobe looked at Lin Ying with an expression that said, "Are you polite?"
The Lakers failed to defend their title last season! Now Lin Ying is asking him to recall his painful experience!
Lin Ying scratched his head, this was indeed a bit embarrassing.
But the key is that he can only ask Kobe.
Because the situation of the Suns next season is the same as that of the Lakers last season. The core lineup has not changed much. They are very similar.
Crossing the river by feeling for the stones, even if you are thick-skinned, it will be of great benefit to learn some lessons.
Kobe pouted and shook his head when he saw Lin Ying's reaction, but finally spoke.
"Who called you Lin?"
Kobe finally said with a slightly doting look.
There are not many players who can resonate with his personality, let alone young players with a legacy.
"The desire to compete will be the first problem."
The first element Kobe mentioned was something Lin Ying had guessed before.
But then Kobe compared his two championship-defending seasons as an example and pointed out a key factor.
Team strength.
The original OK group was far from reaching its peak when they won their first championship.
He is improving, and O'Neal is also improving, which is actually a very scary thing.
At that time, it was only after the league designated a series of rules to restrict O'Neal that their dynasty stopped at three consecutive games.
But last season's Lakers were different. Their strength really stood still.
In that case, once the desire to compete is lost, the team's strength will be greatly reduced.
"And then there's the targeting you face."
Regarding this word, Lin Ying thought of it after the Suns defeated the Lakers in the regular season last season.
What he can think of, other teams can think of, so you can imagine the opposition the Lakers face.
Likewise, this is naturally what the Suns will encounter next season.
Other teams have studied enough about Nash and Stoudemire's pick-and-roll, but his mismatched singles, the Cavaliers' pairing of West and Bell in the finals was actually a countermeasure.
This will happen more often next season, and it won't just be in the lineup. It will definitely become a norm for Allen to double-team him.
Even more detailedly, the technical characteristics of his new FMVP will be analyzed frame by frame. By then, his offensive habits and areas of expertise may be known to his opponents better than himself.
"The last thing is state. A lot of things can change in one summer, and you may not be able to recover in one season."
If you want to ask how magical summer is in the NBA, "Rain Man" Kemp will give you the best answer.
For self-disciplined players like Kobe Linying, summer is their opportunity to improve their strength.
But for many players, summer is for relaxation and entertainment, so role players who may have been in excellent form last season will be in trouble the next season.
And the coaching staff has no choice, because it is impossible to make temporary substitutions, so they can only slowly find ways to bring him back to form.
Even if it is really impossible to bring back the person who was replaced in the end, it is very likely that the transaction will be a failure.
The last ones are uncontrollable injury factors. The most obvious one for the Lakers in this regard is Bynum.
For the Suns, Nash, Hill, and Butler, who was reimbursed last season, are all potential risks.
After talking to Kobe, Lin Ying finally had a basic idea of ​​the difficulty of defending his title.
The challenge is great!
But just like last season, you will be motivated only when you have a challenge, and you will have a sense of accomplishment when you complete it!
"There's one more thing I forgot."
After the conversation was over, Kobe seemed to remember something more.
"A stronger opponent."
He looked at Lin Ying and said this.
Obviously, the Lakers' inadequate preparation for their opponent, the Suns, and their low strength against the Suns ultimately stopped them from reaching the Western Conference Finals.
Judging from the final score of the finals, the Lakers have surpassed the Suns and have a high probability of successfully defending their title.
A stronger opponent.
The Mavericks, a team that has been underestimated in history, although it does not have the inspiration of Butler's injury, its strength should not be bad.
There's also James and his Big Three.
Although judging from current rumors, they may not necessarily form a team with the Heat like in history, but the three of them should still play together.
Moreover, James has experienced a setback. If he changes, the strength of this Big Three team will only increase.
Thinking of this, he was really curious about where the three of them would gather.
…
According to the latest news, James has begun meetings with various teams.
Just like the plan previously provided by Rich Paul, James will successively meet with the Clippers, Heat, Nets, Bulls, Knicks and Cavaliers.
The Heat were added at James' own request.
Just when James began to meet, a very strange state occurred in the free market.
In addition to Nowitzki, Pierce, Ray Allen and other players who are determined not to leave the team, they have completed their signings one after another.
Other players, including Boozer, basically stopped signing news.
It's obvious that they are all waiting for James to make his final decision.
However, what is even more interesting is that both Wade and Bosh have successively revealed some rumors.
For example, Wade was very close to signing with the Bulls because Chicago is his hometown team.
But at the same time, there was news that Rose did not respond positively to joining forces with Wade, which left the Bulls management in the middle and not being active enough.
Another example is that both Wade and Bosh are close to joining the Bulls, and the Bulls will form an unprecedented Big Four lineup.
All in all, it's a big drama, where you can't guess what's true or false.
Then, James' meeting became the focus of attention across the league.
However, this meeting seemed to be unhurried.
And the most interesting thing is that every team that has met with James thinks James will go to them!
What a perfect player!
It's just that the fans are suffering a little bit.
Because it's like telling you something that might happen, but there is still no answer.
Just when the meeting between James and the Cavaliers ended, fans thought something was finally going to happen.
James still hasn’t made a decision!
At this time, it is already July 8th, and the players' "July freezing period" is almost over!
But it was at this time that a subversive event occurred.
Driven by "The Viper" Bill Simmons, James and his team finally agreed to announce their choice live!
The name of this show is "The De".
Moreover, this live broadcast is of a charity nature, and all proceeds from it will eventually be donated to a charity called the "Boys and Girls Club."
This news sparked a lot of heated discussions as soon as it came out.
Even though it's disguised as charity, it makes this show look like a good thing.
But for a player to announce his departure or stay in this way, this is definitely a subversive event, and the impact will be huge.
Stern was very angry after learning the news. He called Xiao Hua and asked him to contact people from James' team to stop them from doing this.
This behavior is too sensational.
Even more seriously, this is very misleading to the players, making them feel that they are in a leadership position in the league, exacerbating the already tense relationship between the players and the owners.
Xiao Hua agreed. He turned around and contacted Rich Paul, whom he had communicated with before, and gave the latter a message:
Chapter completed!