Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 504: Chapter 346 Debt Paid Off_2

If Fei was still around, the Bucks might have pinched their noses and accepted the final year of the contract, but if Fei wasn’t present, whether for cap space considerations or cost-effectiveness, ending this league-renowned excessive contract and discussing another deal with Sprewell at the veteran’s minimum would be the most economical choice.

But the veteran’s minimum wasn’t enough for Sprewell to provide for his family, so, he’d rather retire.

“With your condition, playing until you’re 40 isn’t a problem,” Fei asked, “Won’t you reconsider?”

Sprewell snorted: “No, I’ll never play for the minimum.”

Sprewell left.

Afterward, Lin Kaiwen and Lawson came over: “It’s settled with Aern.”

Fei asked: “When do negotiations start?”

Lin Kaiwen said: “July 1st.”

That was the very first day after the Bucks’ championship celebrations had ended.

Before that day arrived, there was a lot of work to be done by teams across the league.

First up were the workouts.

Kevin Durant made headlines at the Orlando pre-draft camp for not being able to lift the minimum weight on the bench press, casting a shadow over his prospects as the number one pick.

On the other hand, Oden showcased the potential of a great interior player during his workouts.@@novelbin@@

However, what frustrated the Oden camp was that both officials and the public in Seattle were leaning towards Kevin Durant, dubbed “Frye Jr.”

What weighed even heavier on Oden’s heart were the rallies around the Supersonics’ training facility.

“Save our Supersonics!”

“Save our Supersonics!”

“Save our Supersonics!”

Those fervent fans chanted, holding up P-signs and wearing Supersonics jerseys with Fei on them, as if carrying some indescribable expectations.

They believed Frye would return here.

They just believed it, simply.

This made Oden realize that he had no chance to snatch the number one pick from Durant’s hands.

But perhaps this was a good thing for him.

The mission to “Save our Supersonics” was too heavy, he was young, and didn’t feel he could take on that kind of pressure.

But what made them think KD could handle it?

The guy couldn’t even bench press the minimum weight…

Oden shook his head, decided to head to his next—and final—stop, also the likeliest one—Boston.

Even though some people said he resembled Bill Russell’s uncle, he didn’t mind; after all, that was Bill Russell.

“Oden or Durant” was the overarching question of the 2007 NBA Draft.

But the Bucks didn’t need to worry about it since they didn’t even have a shot at touching these two.

However, with the eighth pick, they could still make a decent strength improvement at the draft.

Hot lottery picks at this position included Joakim Noah, Spencer Hawes, Acie Law, Brandan Wright, and this year’s hottest international player—Space Easy from China.

Moreover, Space Easy was very willing to play for the Bucks because Fei was here.

He wasn’t just the totem of the Asian community but the pride of all people with yellow skin and a masterful playmaker. Coming to Milwaukee would be hugely beneficial for Space Easy’s development.

That’s also why Space Easy actively participated in the Bucks’ workouts.

That day, Fei was there as well.

The Bucks’ management felt reassured, seeing this showed Fei still cared about the team’s draft. Maybe things weren’t so bad after all?

But Yu Fei came over and whispered a few words to Space Easy, giving him plenty of hints.

Then, the Bucks turned from the team Space Easy most wanted to join to the one he least wanted to join.

Afterward, Yu Fei no longer concerned himself with the Bucks’ draft.

The Bucks’ management became anxious once again, and they couldn’t resist calling Yu Fei for advice.

Yu Fei’s reply was, “That’s not my job, you decide for yourselves.”

By then, the Bucks’ management had confirmed Yu Fei’s intention and focused solely on the draft, ultimately locking in Space Easy, Corey Brewer, and Joakim Noah.

All Yu Fei had to do was wait, wait for the championship celebration to arrive, wait for the end of June, waiting for that negotiation to come.

Meanwhile, at the same time, the NBA’s most important market and the market with the most historic significance were both approaching a crossroads of fate.

After the season ended, Kobe returned to his hometown.

It was supposed to be just another day, but he twisted his ankle during training, and as he limped towards the parking lot, he encountered a group of young fans.

They were shouting and clamoring.

“Kobe, are you okay?”

“Frye’s won the championship again, you’ll never catch up to him now!”

“What’s wrong with your foot? Even so, you have to keep training, you’ve got to do that to catch up with Frye!”

This scene hurt Kobe.

Because last year, after the Lakers were eliminated by the Suns, he too was limping before he ran into his old friend Donnie Hill.

Hill asked Kobe, “What’s wrong with your foot?”

“I’m not the young guy anymore, Donnie,” Kobe replied, “I need to adjust the rhythm from time to time. It’s the toll of one long NBA season after another, but don’t worry, I’ll be okay, and the Lakers will be okay.”

Karl accompanied Kobe to the team bus and took a photo with him. In the photo, Kobe’s loneliness was evident; he was fighting so hard and still couldn’t win because he didn’t have enough help. But he was still looking forward to the future, yet a year had gone by. The Lakers were still marking time.

Now, in his hometown facing a bunch of insignificant fans, Kobe couldn’t help but talk to them, first naming and criticizing the team’s young center Andrew Bynum, then questioning whether the Lakers management’s actions over the years were really aimed at winning championships, and then he accused Jerry Buss of being a liar. He was the “scapegoat” in the Shaquille O’Neal trade, and if the Lakers couldn’t bring him quality help this summer, he would request a trade.

This news immediately excited sports journalists across America; after two years of silence, the Lakers had finally remembered their circus roots.

“Kobe requests a trade” became a national hot topic overnight.

Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics had gone from “Celtic Glory” to “Celtic Shame” and had fortunately secured a top-two draft pick.

Now was the season for workouts.

General Manager Danny Ainge was organizing his notes with a grave expression until his assistant said, “Danny, Greg is here.”

“First, take him to see our history museum,” Ainge said, “You know what to do.”

The assistant nodded: “I will record his reactions.”

The assistant left, and Ainge tapped his fingers lightly on the desktop, deep in thought, simmering with emotion. This year’s draft could not afford any mistakes…

Then he opened his eyes and looked at the wall of his office, where there was a poster of the 1981 championship, his first year with the Celtics; the crushing defeat in 1983, Bill Fitch’s dastardly work; the championship in 1984, the sweetest victory; the championship in 1986, the greatest victory…

Then the 1986 draft, Len Bias;

The 1987 draft, Reggie Lewis;

Rick Pitino’s descent;

Paul Pierce’s stabbing…

Is there an end to this misfortune?

Ainge’s gaze settled on Auerbach’s picture.

If there is an end to misfortune, it must be this year. The Celtics had paid off all their debts over the past 20 years.”

(1)Kobe really did it.

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