The Chinese basketball players finally finished their month of training . It had been a month of torment .
"Finally, I'm done with those meals . I feel nauseous whenever I think about them . "
"I don't know how I got through this month . I got up earlier than chickens do, went to bed later than chickens do, and ate worse than chickens do . . . "
"Actually, the food was not bad . We had fish, meat, eggs, and vegetables . It was just that American cooks aren't good at cooking . They only boiled the food or baked it . If we had a Chinese cook, the food might've been decent . "
In the front of the bus, the head coach of the team, Chenggong Sun, listened to the complaints of the players and sighed .
They complain after such little hardship . A lot of NBA stars eat such diets for more than ten years . Our players lack self-discipline, Sun thought, irritated .
Overall, Changgong Sun was satisfied with the effect of this training period . Although it was only a month, most of the players had gained weight . This increase in weight came from muscle, not fat .
Chinese basketball players were generally thin; many looked like thin bamboo poles . Because of this, muscle growth had always been very important for Chinese basketball players . However, the training that most players received in China was ineffective at increasing muscle . Of course, some players lacked self-discipline . They were not very concerned about their diets . They drank beer and ate BBQ or fried foods every day . There was no way they could gain muscles .
In the United States, the training environment was different . Dai Li's standard for physical training was a lot higher than most Chinese physical trainers . Moreover, the training center of the Clippers was flanked by the sea on one side and a village on the other . It was impossible to get anywhere without a car . If the players lacked self-disciplined, the environment forced them to behave .
"We will be going to Europe for a warm-up game soon . I hope to see the effect of this month's training very soon . " Sun looked at his watch and thought of something else .
"Yesterday, Coach Li flew to New York to participate in this year's NBA draft . The Clippers have the 20th pick in the first round . I wonder who they will pick," Sun said to himself .
. . .
The NBA draft was being held in New York . Almost all of the head coaches and team managers of the 30 teams in the NBA were present .
A Clippers' staff member hurriedly walked to Dai Li's side . He whispered, "Coach, the Kings want our second round pick . They are willing to pay cash, or trade their second-round draft pick next year . "
"It seems that the Kings have someone in mind . " Dai Li thought about it for a moment and said, "Then we should exchange draft picks with them . We will trade for their second-round draft pick next year . "
The second-round draft picks, especially after the 40th pick, had always been seen as irrelevant . Teams in the NBA often used the second round to show goodwill towards other teams .
The Kings were cashing in on this goodwill . They took a second-round draft pick from the Clippers . From the perspective of the Clippers, it was worthwhile to use a second-round draft pick to gain favor with the Kings .
The first, second, and all the other top draft picks were concluded . It was as the media had predicted . In fact, on the day of the draft, the top three picks had already been determined and the teams wouldn't risk choosing anyone else .
Starting with the sixth-round draft pick, teams started to deviate from what the media had predicted they would do . Gradually, players outside the green room were selected . This meant that there would be players in the green room who fell out of the lottery .
In the NBA drafts, there was a so-called "green room . " It was not really a green room . It was a privilege given to certain rookies . Players who had been selected to be in the "green room" could be accompanied by relatives and friends to watch the draft . In general, the NBA invited at least 14 rookies into the green room . These rookies were basically in a lottery .
After the top 19 rookies were selected, it was finally the Clippers' turn to choose .
"I heard that the head coach of the Clippers is very interested in Kelz-Kumar from the University of Utah . I think the Clippers will definitely choose him!"
"That's not necessarily true . Kumar was predicted to be picked at either the end of the first round or the beginning of the second . It's a bit wasteful to choose him with the 20th pick . "
"I think the Clippers spread the rumor that they were interested in Kumor to lower Ronny's contract renewal price . Both Ronny and Kumar are frontline players after all . "
"I heard that Ronny asked the Clippers for $150 million for five years . He is really daring . He sees himself as an all-star . "
"Yeah, if I were the Clippers, I would not agree to that price . That price will scare other teams away from offering him a contract . If he asked the Clippers for $150 million for five years, then other teams would have to offer him a four-year salary of 120 million to recruit him . In that case, it would be better to recruit an actual all-star player . "
There were a lot of discussions . Kelz-Kumar was there . He had a nervous expression on his face . From time to time, he looked at the Clippers . He was worried that they might not choose him .
Finally, the President of the NBA, Adams, came to the stage and announced their pick .
"The 20th overall pick from the Los Angeles Clippers is Kelz-Kumar!"
When the applause rang out, Kumar stood up excitedly, took the Clippers' hat from the staff, and put it on his head . He jumped onto the stage and shook hands with Adams .
The general managers and coaches of every team started to talk again .
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"The Clippers really chose Kumar . Is this a front?"
"It's really a waste to choose Kumar with the 20th pick . After all, there are still a lot of good forwards who are better than Kumar that have not yet been selected . "
"The Clippers are bent on lowering Ronny's contract renewal price . I don't know if Ronny will insist on the $150 million for five years after hearing this news . This is going to be entertaining to watch . "
. . .
Hawaii .
Ronny was on vacation in Hawaii . Due to the time difference, the NBA draft began in the afternoon in Hawaii . Ronny was enjoying the sun, the sea breeze, and the delicious fruit .
Bikini-clad girls walked around the beach and made Ronny happy and relaxed . He even started to think about whether to approach a hot girl to buy her a drink .
His mobile phone started to ring . It was a call from his agent .
"The results of the draft came out . The Clippers really chose Kelz-Kumar," the agent said straightaway .
"What? They chose a forward!" Ronny became uncomfortable . He felt betrayed .
The agent continued, "Obviously, the Clippers are not just trying to lower the price . They are really looking for someone to replace you . "
"A rookie player would have trouble just lasting in the NBA . He won't be able to replace me!" Ronny said without hesitation .
"Ronny, I think we should lower our conditions accordingly . The Clippers are unlikely to give you $150 million for five years," the agent pleaded .
"You were the one who wanted me to insist on $150 million for five years . Now, you want me to lower it!" Ronny said resentfully .
"I was testing the bottom line of the Clippers . I didn't expect the management to be so determined to replace you . " The agent paused before saying, "But you can rest assured, I will continue to fight for your best interests . What do you think about $125 million for five years?"
"$125 million for five years . Although it is less than before, it is still $25 million each year . If the Clippers are willing to accept this, I can renew the contract," Ronny replied .
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. . .
"Ronny's agent has contacted us . They have asked for $125 million for five years," Xiao Yunan said .
Dai Li seethed . Now that the Clippers had Kelz-Kumar, a rookie with potential, Ronny had become less important . Dai Li thought that the $90 million off the Clippers gave him had been too much . There was no need to mention how he felt about $125 million for five years .
"Don't refuse, let's say that our management wants to have a discussion . Then we will take Ronny's requests to the press," Dai Li said .
"Why?" Xiao Yunan asked .
"$125 million for five years is an average of $25 million per year . I want other teams to know this . It will tell all those who are interested in Ronny that they need at least $100 million for four years to recruit Ronny . Do you think any of the 29 teams will offer such a figure?"
Dai Li smiled and continued . "I think other teams won't be able to offer such a high price . Ronny's request is too high . Other teams know that they can't meet Ronny's conditions, so they won't be able to offer him a contract . We can keep dragging Ronny's contract renewal for a while .
"As time goes on, each team will sign new players or renew the contracts of old players . The money they have to spend on salaries will lessen . Once other teams don't have enough money to sign Ronny, we will be Ronny's only choice . It will then be easier to drive down the price . The longer we drag this on, the better it will be for us . "
After listening to Dai Li, Xiao Yunan stared at him with a strange look on her face .
"I think you have become a worse person . I can't believe you are able to think of something like this! You didn't have the guts to do something like this when we first met!" Xiao Yunan said with a smile .
"This is not me becoming worse, this is me becoming more mature!" Dai Li shrugged his shoulders to indicate a sense of helplessness . However, he smiled smugly . "If the husband of the lady boss of Dingtian Group was dumb and stupid, he might eventually get kicked out!"
. . .
In the conference room of the Detroit Pistons, several key personnel from the management and coaching staff were discussing the Piston's approach to the next season .
"This season, we have to strengthen the team's frontline . I want to sign someone who to help us in this regard," the head coach said .
"Do you have any suggestions for a suitable candidate?" The general manager of the Pistons asked .
"The Clippers' Ronny is a good candidate . He became a key player for the Clippers last season and his stats improved dramatically . He is currently a restricted free agent . I think we can give him an offer and see if the Clippers match it," the head coach replied .
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"What do you think we should offer him?" The general manager asked .
"$80 million for four years . That should be enough . If that is not enough, we can offer $5 million as a performance bonus . His average annual salary will be more than $20 million . That should be enough to impress Ronny . The Clippers just selected a rookie from the draft . They may want to train this rookie . I think it is very likely that they will give up on Ronny and not match our offer," the head coach said .
"Hahaha! You think that $80 million for four years will impress Ronny?" The Piston general manager smiled slyly .
"$80 million for four years isn't enough? Does Ronny want a top salary?" The head coach asked .
"Of course he does! You probably didn't pay attention to yesterday's news . Ronny asked the Clippers for $125 million for five years," said the general manager .
"Oh my God . He is asking for such a high price . Is Ronny crazy? How did the Clippers reply? They certainly didn't agree," the Pistons' coach said .
"The Clippers said they would consider . " The general manager of the Pistons spread his hands and said, "$125 million for five years . That is $25 million every year . If we want to recruit Ronnie, we need to offer him a minimum of $100 million for four years . He will definitely reject $80 million for four years . Even if Ronny accepted the offer of $80 million for four years, the Clippers will match it . After all, if they are considering giving him $125 million for five years, why would they hesitate to match $80 million for four years?"
Upon hearing this news, the Pistons' head coach frowned .
The general manager said, "I suggest the coaching staff give up on Ronny . Let's talk about another target that is more practical than Ronny!"
. . .
Ronny had a 19+5+3 season when he was with the Clippers . This was impressive for a small forward . He was a restricted free agent this year . There would naturally be teams that were interested in him .
However, teams were very cautious when giving offers to restricted free agents . When they learned that Ronny had requested $125 million for five years to the Clippers, many of them backed away .
This meant that other teams needed at least $100 million for four years to get Ronny to accept . At the same time, they could not rule out the possibility that the Clippers might match the offer . According to the NBA rules, once the Clippers chose to match the offer, the Clippers would have Ronny's signing rights . The team that gave the offer would be left with nothing .
Teams that were deliberately tanking had to make sure that their record was as bad as possible . They would then get a top rookie in the draft . It wasn't worthwhile for them to sign Ronny to improve their record . They definitely wouldn't offer Ronny a four-year contract .
Although teams that wanted to buff up their strength might want Ronny, they thought that Ronny was asking for too much . It was better to recruit a veteran star player .
A team that had a chance to the championship wouldn't be interested in Ronny . They needed cost-effective players to play supporting roles to the team's superstars . Players like Ronny, who weren't all-stars but were stronger than average players, were not cost effective . He wasn't good enough to be a key player on those teams . Teams with a chance of winning would not consider someone like Ronny .
Now, Ronny had become a player on the free market that nobody cared about .Please download our sponsor's game to support us!