In the Knicks president's office, Dave Charcot slowly put the microphone back on the landline, a little stunned.
Just now, Stern called him, talked nonsense, and told him tactfully that the Knicks were right to pursue Old K last season, but it was a pity that Old K chose to stay in Phoenix. If the Knicks had
If Si succeeds in pursuing Old K, he will be very happy to see Old K return to New York.
"What the old man means is that he wants us to pursue O'Neal?"
As the president of the Knicks, he certainly knew the news about O'Neal, so although he was surprised by Stern's attitude, he quickly understood what the other party meant.
After being eliminated in the playoffs last year, he chose Nelson. The old coach immediately proposed to trade Ewing for O'Neal, but was rejected by the management. Now Ewing is still very dissatisfied with Nelson and is forcing the management to
Change head coach.
In fact, this matter has become very serious now. Ewing and a group of players not only forced the management to change the coach, but also completely ignored Old Nelson in the locker room. Old Nelson has lost control of the team.
Fortunately, this matter has not been exposed yet, otherwise there would have been an uproar.
However, now his impression of Ewing is not that good either. He actually led a group of players to force him into the palace, which made him very embarrassed.
"Replace Nelson or...Ewing?" Hesitating, he immediately began to weigh the pros and cons.
If Wang Tiejun hadn't been around, he would have thought about this issue for a long time and had difficulty deciding. He would have even preferred to keep Ewing and fire Nelson, because there are only three super centers like Ewing in the league.
But because Wang Tiejun's sudden emergence made the entire alliance aware of the dominance of a giant beast, he only considered this issue for half a minute before making a decision.
The Knicks are different from other teams. Other teams have the position of general manager. This position is responsible for the construction of the team, including player transactions. But in the Knicks, there is no such position now. He, the president, is responsible for team construction. Once
When he made a decision, he made a decision on behalf of the Knicks.
In the past, when he couldn't make a decision, he would ask other management for their decision. But if he makes up his mind, that won't be necessary and he can make his own decision.
Of course, if it fails, he must bear all the responsibility.
After thinking carefully, his hand reached for the landline microphone in front of him.
…
At this time, at the Orlando Magic headquarters, general manager Pat Williams was crossing notes on paper.
The paper was full of names, including the names of the entire Lakers team. He wanted to circle a few of the most desired people on it, the most suitable people for the team, and use them as bargaining chips for the transaction.
At this moment, the assistant opened the door and said: "Sir, the phone number is Mr. Dave Chacot, the president of the Knicks."
He was startled. It was almost time to get off work at this time. Why did Knicks want him?
"Could it be that they also want O'Neal?"
He nodded and motioned to his assistant to pick up the phone.
"Hello, Mr. Charcot, this is Pat Williams." He picked up the phone and said politely.
"Hello, Pat, I'm Dave."
"Okay Dave, who are you calling?"
"Pat, let's make a long story short, do you want Ewing?"
"What?"
Pat Williams almost dropped the microphone in his hand.
Who is Ewing? He is the most comprehensive technical giant among the three super centers. He has been dominating the Eastern Conference for many years and is famous.
"You want to trade Ewing for O'Neal?" he asked immediately.
"If you agree, you will immediately get a super center who is still in his prime." Dave Charcot said in a seductive tone.
After Pat Williams took a long breath to calm himself down, he began to make a deal in his mind.
O'Neal has definitely been traded and cannot be kept. That's for sure. So how can the trade be more beneficial to the Magic?
There is no doubt that the team definitely needs a center who can help Hardaway without threatening his status.
So, is Ewing a good fit?
In terms of strength, although Ewing is 33 years old, he is still in his prime, perhaps at the end of his prime, and he is definitely capable of helping Hardaway.
And Ewing's age should not threaten Hardaway in the next few years. One is like the setting sun in the west, and the other is like the rising sun in the east.
If Ewing continues to stay with the Knicks, he may not accept a supporting role, but after being traded, his mentality will definitely change, and he may be able to accept this change in status.
And with Hardaway by his side, Ewing also has a chance to win the championship, doesn't he?
Thinking of this, he picked up the piece of paper on the table again with the names of Lakers players written on it.
Whether it is Divac or Eberle, they are far inferior to Ewing. Even if Ewing is at the end of his peak, he can still crush them.
…
"What?"
At Lakers headquarters, Jerry West couldn't believe it when he received the news that he had been rejected by the Magic.
Didn't everything go smoothly? Why did something unexpected happen suddenly? Did someone intervene?
He immediately informed owner Jerry Buss that the Magic had just rejected the Lakers' trade request.
"Why?"
Jerry Buss was also shocked and couldn't believe it. There must be a reason for the sudden change of heart. Who is behind this?
The Magic did not care about the Lakers' reaction. Pat Williams was discussing the O'Neal and Ewing swap deal with Knicks president Dave Chalcot.
Williams asked for the Knicks' first-round pick in 1997 because O'Neal represented the future and Ewing was old. In order to match the deal, he sent away three role players.
Chalcot refused at first, but Williams insisted, otherwise O'Neal would be sent to the Lakers. Then there was no other option. He could only agree, but added a restriction. In 1997, the first round was protected by the top three. sign.
…
At six o'clock in the evening on January 27, 1996, the Knicks and Magic announced through television media at the same time that the two parties had reached a deal, and O'Neal and Ewing swapped teams.
Once the news was announced, regardless of the reaction from the outside world, the two parties involved and their agents were completely confused.
Especially Ewing, after receiving the notice from David Frank, he couldn't believe it was true. As the star of the New York Knicks, he had contributed to the Knicks for 11 seasons, and he was actually traded?
This season, he has been having trouble with head coach Nelson. With the help of Oakley, he led his teammates to force the management to change the coach. Seeing that he was about to succeed, the management was preparing to fire Nelson and let assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy take over. The head coach, but he didn't expect that he would be traded in the blink of an eye.
"Bang bang bang..."
He had just returned home and suddenly became furious. He, who had always been very repressed, could not control his temper at all. He smashed everything he saw in front of him. His family was so frightened that they trembled and their two dogs escaped.
His agent David Frank was also very helpless. When he and the Knicks were talking about Ewing's contract extension in 1994, the Knicks wanted to get Jordan over with his help. He thought this was not bad, so
I cooperated, but I didn't expect that Ewing would be traded by the Knicks now.
As the league's top agent, he felt a little sorry for Ewing.
The last deal for Alonzo Mourning was good. Mourning was also his player. The rookie contract he negotiated for him was a big contract of 27 million, which was not worse than O'Neal and much better than the old K's rookie contract.
This time I went to the Heat, and after this year I can get a big contract worth hundreds of millions.
However, as a super center, Ewing failed to negotiate such a big contract for him. Instead, he asked the Knicks to trade him. Knowing this, he did not cooperate with the Knicks last time and signed Ewing.
The last big contract worth tens of millions could completely prevent this from happening.
Although trading is a normal thing, being traded as a super center is a denial of value and is very detrimental to Ewing. It would be better if he was traded after winning the championship like Barkley. Now Ewing has nothing.
Being traded for one championship will be a turning point in his career. If Ewing goes to the Magic, it will be difficult for him to become the core of that team.
Fortunately, the contract ended in one year, and he decided to have a good talk with Ewing to see if he wanted a big contract or if he wanted to compete for the championship.
If you want a big contract, given Ewing's current status, there should still be teams willing to offer him a big contract.
And if you want to compete for the championship, you can't get a big contract. Maybe leave the Magic and come to the Bulls to assist Michael?
Anyway, coming to the Bulls is better than staying in the Magic to assist Hardaway. Why should that kid sit on Ewing's head? Is he worthy?
…
At the same time, O'Neal was informed by his agent that he had been traded to the Knicks, and he was also confused.
"Aren't you going to the Lakers?"
"I don't know, but Shaq, New York is not bad. It is the largest market in the league. And without Ewing, you are the boss. They have enough salary space to offer you a big contract.
If not, we can leave the Knicks and go to the Lakers next year." Agent Leonard Amoto said excitedly.
After O'Neal reacted, he nodded and said excitedly: "Then go to the Knicks. That is also one of my target teams."
And staying in the east can avoid the hard work of going to the west and Old K. With his strength, he can definitely continue to dominate the east.
In addition, the Knicks' lineup is also good. They have lost nothing by trading him. It is a s His strength is still intact. He can still compete with the Bulls this season.
…
In New York, Nelson was just about to have dinner when he received a notice from the team that Ewing and O'Neal would exchange clubs and he would continue to serve as the team's head coach. This made him so happy that he was ready to pack up and leave. Unexpectedly, it happened.
this change.
In Chicago, Jordan had just returned home. When he received the news, it was nothing. Whether O'Neal was in the Magic or the Knicks, he was sure of both teams.
Even though O'Neal is extremely talented, he doesn't have the lethality and deterrence of Old K, so that's nothing to worry about.
What the Bulls are afraid of is Old K's terrifying lethality in the low post, that mysterious relying on play, not ordinary ferocity. His team does not worry about O'Neal's offense.
Clifford Robinson is in good form this season, hitting the same 20-level score as last season. Although he cannot offset O'Neal's offense, with his offense and Rodman's rebounds, there is no problem at all.
…
At this time, Wang Tiejun and his teammates were having dinner in the hotel. When he saw the news on TV, he immediately sighed: "Do you know what this means? The three super centers are old."
"When you get old, you have to be prepared to be traded." Kevin Johnson nodded and sighed.
Although he is younger than Ewing, he is also older and has not maintained his condition. He practiced extra during the offseason to maintain his condition, hoping not to be traded, and even hoping to get a new big contract with the Suns.
"You guys are just sighing. One of you has just reached his peak, and the other is still the main point guard. I'm already the sixth man. Did I say anything?"
Next to him, Wilkins was even more emotional and slanderous.
Then he began to worry about the impact of this transaction on the league, and asked: "If O'Neal goes to the Knicks, it will have no impact on us, right?"
Lao Wang shook his head and said: "That is a problem that Jordan should have a headache with."
"Grant Hill is really popular this year. He has more All-Star votes than Jordan." Horry shouted at this time.
"How much?"
Lao Wang was startled. He had been focusing all his energy on the game this month and had no energy to pay attention to the All-Star voting.
Now that the All-Star voting is almost over, he hasn't paid attention to his vote count yet, let alone how many votes Grant Hill got.
"It's close to 1.3 million, which is 10,000 more votes than Jordan. Jordan has been the All-Star vote leader for so many years, but this year there will be a replacement." Horry said enviously.
"Jordan's successor, Hill's reputation is bigger than Anfernee Hardaway." Kevin Johnson also said with some envy.
The greater the reputation, the greater the commercial value. Why is the All-Star important? Because it represents a star's popularity and influence, which in turn affects the star's commercial value.
"Hill's top vote-getter? What about me?" Lao Wang asked.
Everyone was startled and looked at Lao Wang with strange expressions on their faces.
"What's going on?" Lao Wang asked puzzledly.
Wilkins smiled helplessly and said: "Old K, now that the lightning is back, you should relax a bit."
Everyone nodded. From the players to the coaching staff and management, with the current lineup of the Suns, they can reach the first place in the Western Conference because of the support of Old K.
Kevin Johnson nodded and said: "Old K, the vote leader is not Hill, but you. Your vote count far exceeds that of him and Jordan. They just approached 1.3 million votes, and you now have 1.5 million votes."
"What?"
Lao Wang was surprised.
It's not that he didn't care at all. Half a month ago, he remembered that his votes were about the same as Jordan's. Is it so much higher now?
"Old K, three consecutive 50s, seven 50s this season, your popularity has soared a lot, continuing your violent performance in last year's finals." Wilkins said with envy and admiration on his face.
He himself is an offensive maniac and a veteran superstar, but this does not affect his admiration for Old K, but not for his performance in the regular season, but his performance in the playoffs and finals. Otherwise, he would not be willing to agree to the Suns' three goals.
A million-per-year contract.
Kevin Johnson said: "If you, Mr. K, were an American, your popularity would be even higher."
"Of course." Wilkins nodded.
Lao Wang doesn't care. Now he has neither popularity nor influence. A higher popularity is just the icing on the cake. What he pursues now, like Barkley and others, is personal honor, things that can be remembered by history. He hopes
Put your own stamp on the NBA.
Picking up the mobile phone at hand, he dialed O'Neal's number and got a busy signal. He guessed that the fat man was busy at this time, so he didn't dial again and only sent a text message.
"Big Sewer, congratulations. Staying in the east was the most correct decision. If you didn't come to the west, you escaped."
"You bastard, you escaped! When Uncle Shaq kills Jordan, he will come to find you." When he saw this text message, O'Neal was furious and screamed in anger.