NABC Chapter 373 Mr. Qiao, all encounters are reunions after a long separation.
Chapter 373 Mr. Qiao, all encounters are reunions after a long separation.
According to the agreement reached between labor and management in January 1999, the union's annual wage cap and luxury tax are determined by the union's revenue in the previous year.
That is, 48% of the team's average revenue is the salary cap, while 55% of the revenue is the luxury tax threshold.
To put it simply, if a team's total salary is below the salary cap, it can use the cap space to directly sign free agents. Once the salary cap is reached, the team can only use various exceptions to sign free agents or use Bird rights to re-sign existing players.
If a team exceeds the luxury tax threshold, every penny spent thereafter must be paid to the league! This money will then be divided equally among all teams that did not pay the luxury tax at the end of the season!
Meanwhile, the league has another rule: the poor guy line!
If the luxury tax is intended to prevent owners in big cities from spending money recklessly and causing the league to lose its balance, then the "poor man's line" is aimed at owners in small markets who are too frugal, causing their teams to lose competitiveness and affecting the league's reputation.
The "poor man's line" is 80% of the salary cap. If any team's salary expenditure falls below this figure, then that team must make up the difference and then distribute it equally among all its players! It's kind of like giving the team's players an extra bonus!
After calculation, the salary cap for this season is $4800 million, the luxury tax threshold is $5500 million, and the poverty line is $3800 million!
As for the Pacers' salaries?
Lin Tian $2280 million, Webber $1275 million, Miller $900 million, Ben Wallace $600 million, Christie $600 million, Brad Miller $400 million, Carter $300 million, Harrington $140 million, Best $170 million, and this year's rookie Parker $70 and Arenas $30!
In addition to these players, there are four minimum-salary players, such as Mills, to fill the team's roster. Their total salary is approximately $3.2 million!
As a result, the Pacers' salary this season has reached $7100 million!
The luxury tax paid reached $1600 million! Just a tiny bit more than the limit set by the bosses!
Of course, Bird still has time. He could easily trade away a less capable role player and then sign another player on a minimum salary, thus saving the team millions of dollars in luxury tax!
Because of the luxury tax system that the league will implement this season, many teams have chosen to reduce salaries to avoid the tax! As a result, the total salaries of many teams have decreased. For example, the Lakers reduced their total salary to $5400 million by letting Rice go and not renewing his contract!
Teams like the Mavericks, Suns, and Nets also employed similar tactics! The total salary for many of these teams ultimately fell between $5300 million and $5400 million! It was incredibly clever!
With many teams cutting costs, the Pacers' $7100 million investment seems rather conspicuous!
Their total salary is third in the league! Only behind the Knicks with $7600 million and the Trail Blazers with $8400 million!
But the owners of the other two teams are Dolan, the most extravagant spendthrift in the league, and Paul Allen, one of the most extravagant bosses in the league and one of the owners of Microsoft!
These two are truly rich and unafraid to spend money!
The Pacers' Simon brothers obviously can't compare to those two in terms of wealth, but fortunately, they have good results! The team is in the stage of striving to become a true dynasty team!
Although they spent a lot of money and it hurt their wallets, they are definitely the most respected team owners among all the teams!
As for Dolan and Allen?
Heh heh, one is a terrible team that's likely to be a lottery pick, and the other is a pushover aiming for the first round of the playoffs! These two lousy teams have spent so much money and still managed to do so poorly. The Simon brothers must feel a bit more at ease about spending money!
But it's just a balance.
If they really renew Carter and Harrington's contracts next year, they won't be able to afford the expenses. After all, the combined annual salary of these two is at least 2000 million, plus the luxury tax, so the Pacers will have to spend an extra 4000 million every year for these two!
Sorry to bother you!
I really have no money!
Under these circumstances, both the Pacers and the entire league are very clear about one thing—
That terrifying Pacers team, the Pacers team that won the championship three times in the past four years, this is their last year!
They'll definitely disband the team by next summer!
Moreover, the one leaving will be Carter, the team's current second-leading scorer!
Its daybreak!
Without Carter, this team certainly won't have that terrifying firepower anymore!
Lin Tian: You're overthinking it!
After Carter leaves, our firepower will only become more terrifying!
As for the reason?
The young man who is standing obediently in front of Lin Tian right now, listening to his lecture, is the best answer!
A future scoring machine, Gilbert Arenas, the first "Holy Gun Ranger" of the league, who once scored 60 points in a single game and had a season-high average of 29 points per game!
Tony Parker, the "French Speedster," was once the league's most capable penetrator and finisher, boasting the highest field goal percentage under the basket among all perimeter players!
"Play well, train hard! As long as you work hard here, you'll definitely have a chance!" Lin Tian patted the two men on the shoulders and said, "Gilbert, we've known each other for a long time! With me here, you can rest assured, you'll definitely have a chance to prove yourself! Prove that those 28 teams that didn't draft you were all idiots!"
"Don't worry, boss! I'll fight like my life depended on it! I'll completely crush everyone in front of me!"
"Tony, we're both international players, we all need to adapt to this environment! Don't worry, with me here, you'll definitely integrate into the team quickly! I have high hopes that you can become my number one backup! At the same time, I also believe that you can become one of the top point guards in the league!"
"You'll definitely be a part of both the All-Star team and the All-NBA team!"
After having a good chat with the two newcomers and getting them all fired up, Lin Tian then brought Harrington and Carter over.
Both of them are in the final year of their contracts, and it's almost certain that they won't stay with the team after this season.
"Play well, for your big contracts, for the honor of a three-peat!" Looking at the two guys, Lin Tian got straight to the point: "If we play well this season, can play to our full potential and win a three-peat..."
"Think about it, Vince, you can definitely land a top-tier salary with ease! As for El, I think you should set your goals higher, how about aiming for a multi-million dollar annual salary?"
Carter and Harrington's eyes lit up at the thought of making a fortune. Seeing their excitement, Lin Tian continued, "But what I mean is, I don't mean you two should recklessly inflate your stats for a big contract!"
"If you guys become selfish this season and start thinking about your contracts, I guarantee your stats will only get worse!"
"But you also know me. As long as you stay calm, I guarantee you'll reap rewards next summer! I'll even tell Larry that I fully support your team selection, and if necessary, the team can use a sign-and-trade to help you join the new team you want!"
"But the premise of everything"
"We will try our best!"
Carter and Harrington nodded and turned to leave, followed by old Miller.
"What do you want from me?"
What are you doing here?
Upon seeing the other side, the two simultaneously uttered a profound question.
Lin Tian shook his head and said, "Vince, that idiot, I told him to find Brad, why did he bring you here!"
"Then why did you look for Brad?" Miller asked, somewhat curious.
"Upholding the responsibility of a leader, at the beginning of training camp, I made sure to have a proper talk with everyone, so they could understand their role and play the game the right way!"
"So I can't come? Aren't I 'everyone' on the team?" Miller pouted, plopped down in front of Lin Tian, and said, "Come on, what's the difference between me going first and Brad going first?"
"There's no difference, but I don't want to talk to you." Lin Tian shook his head and said, "What's the point of talking to you? Are you confused? Hesitant? Are you filled with uncertainty and fear about your career? Are you confident enough in yourself? Are you worried about your next contract? Would you play selfishly for the sake of stats?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Miller looked at Lin Tian like he was an idiot. "You're just wasting your time on this kind of nonsense?"
"It's just a bit of a waste of time when facing you, but everyone else loves it! They all say it's the best thing they've ever seen!"
"Our team's unity and fighting spirit depend on me! As for you, you old bastard, old scumbag, old fox, old fox, old fox..."
"Alright! Are you never going to stop?" Miller stood up and said, "Drop that 'old' off! I'll go find Brad for you!"
After Miller finished speaking, he turned and left, unwilling to say anything more to Lin Tian!
The following day, Lin Tian barely participated in training. Instead, he spent the day in his office having a good chat with each player, helping them resolve their inner conflicts and frustrations, easing their emotions, and ensuring that everyone could enter the preseason and regular season games in the best possible condition.
After all, everyone knows that for a team to truly become a dynasty and achieve a three-peat, the most difficult part is winning the third championship!
Because when you become the king of the league for many consecutive years, and when you are making a run for the championship for the third consecutive year, all sorts of things will come your way and become stepping stones on the road to the championship!
Injuries, fatigue, the desire to win, talented players being poached by big contracts, the aging of key players, and excessive pressure after consecutive victories.
These are all internal team issues.
And there are even more external problems!
When you become a team that wins the championship two years in a row, you will inevitably become the target of the entire league in the third year! All teams will study you, imitate you, and try to figure you out.
Then the strong teams hope to defeat you as a mirror to test their own strength, while the weak teams want to take you down to make a name for themselves and prove that they are not really pushovers!
In short, the Pacers will inevitably become the target of everyone's criticism this season, and will be constantly targeted by the entire league. Every game of their regular season will be extremely difficult!
This is why there are many teams in this league that have won back-to-back championships, such as the Rockets and Bulls in the 90s, the Pistons in the late 80s, and the Lakers and Celtics before that.
Countless teams have fallen on their path to their third title! They failed to become true dynasty teams!
So, can the Pacers hold on this time?
Lin Tian believed it was possible! But he also knew that this time it would be even more difficult than before!
Since it's difficult, we need to provide mental support for our teammates!
This will give them ample preparation, so they won't be intimidated by the opponent's strength once the regular season begins!
Speaking of the regular season, the league announced the regular season schedule during training camp!
Lin Tian couldn't wait to open it and start studying it. When he saw his opponent in the first battle, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow! Wow!"
Washington Wizards!
Jordan's first game after his second comeback was surprisingly against Lin Tian!
These two former star duo and championship backcourt players met again on the court after three years. But this time, Jordan led a bottom-ranked team from last season to challenge Lin Tian's team!
This game undoubtedly attracted the attention of the entire league and even the world!
Some even said directly: The retired emperor is back! The current GOAT has to step aside!
The Christmas Day game will be between the Pacers and last year's Finals opponent, the Lakers, marking their first game of the season on Christmas Day! The winning team will receive praise from fans and a boost in confidence for some time to come!
In addition, the league has specially arranged three games that Chinese fans love to watch on Chinese New Year's Eve, the second day of the Lunar New Year, and the fourth day of the Lunar New Year!
On Lunar New Year's Eve, the Pacers will play against the Nets; on the second day of Lunar New Year, the Mavericks will play against the Nets; and on the fourth day of Lunar New Year, the Pacers will play against the Mavericks!
Three Chinese derbies in five days! For Chinese football fans, this is like Chinese New Year! Enough to make fans across China choose to stay home and watch TV instead of visiting relatives!
After all, although Lin Tian and Da Zhi had played in the Chinese derby before, firstly, they were not matched up, and secondly, they only played each other twice a year.
But now there's another second overall pick, Yao Ming, who can match up against Wang Zhizhi, and in the blink of an eye, it's become a Three Kingdoms situation!
In any case, this year is definitely the happiest and most anticipated year for Chinese football fans!
In particular, based on various sources of information, hints, and rumors, there is a high probability that the NBA will bring two teams with Chinese players to China next summer for two preseason games!
Watching the NBA right here in our own backyard! And with all our fellow Chinese fans in it!
That was so exciting!
Of course, the games have to be played one by one, and time has to pass day by day.
It's too early to talk about a Chinese derby or a Chinese summer preseason match.
For example, the Pacers still have to play preseason games after training camp ends!
For some reason, they have more opponents in this preseason than in previous seasons, unlike other seasons when they were limited to just a few teams near Indiana.
This time, in addition to the 76ers led by their preseason rival Allen Iverson, the Celtics led by Paul Pierce who just signed a 5-year, $6700 million contract extension, and the Knicks led by Houston, who just signed a 3-year, $5500 million contract with the team.
In addition to these teams near the Pacers, the league has also scheduled the Heat from the Southeast Division, the Bucks from the Atlantic Division, and the Hornets from the Central Division!
In six preseason games, the Pacers faced six completely different opponents!
Lin Tian didn't know why it was arranged this way, but it was just a preseason game, just playing around and getting a feel for the game. Even if the league arranged for them to play against the Mars team, it would still just be playing around.
Lin Tian, who was too lazy to think much, soon encountered their first opponent.
Philadelphia 76ers!
Before the game started, while both sides were warming up, Lin Tian suddenly noticed that Iverson was unusually excited tonight!
This guy not only did the extremely rare thing of running laps with the team to warm up, but he also added several extra sets of shooting drills for himself.
Iverson added extra training tasks to his own schedule!
This sounds as absurd as Lin Tian deleting all the girls' phone numbers.
Filled with immense curiosity, Lin Tian quickly walked to Iverson's side, wanting to hear what was wrong with Iverson.
"Stop playing dumb! Aren't you excited, Lin? Don't you feel especially excited this season?" Iverson's eyes widened as he looked at Lin Tian expectantly.
But after seeing Lin Tian shake his head without any reaction, Iverson immediately said with boredom, "Michael! Michael is back! That's Michael! I can match up against him again, I can beat him again! Isn't that something to be excited about? Isn't that something to do extra shooting practice, Lin?"
"I've already decided. When we face each other in the regular season, I won't rest for a single minute. I'll match up against him the entire time, constantly breaking through and tearing him apart! I'm going to make Michael question his existence, make him regret his comeback!"
Soga!
So that's what happened! Lin Tian immediately understood Iverson's meaning, and then he looked at Iverson and said, "Keep it up! Michael is already 38 years old this year! His speed, lateral movement, stamina, and abilities have definitely declined significantly!"
"Don't be afraid of him. I'm on your side, I support you. You'll definitely beat Michael up and show him that a washed-up old dog should stay in his doghouse, not come out and embarrass himself!"
"Great!" Iverson clapped his hands excitedly and said, "Kill him!"
Yes, yes, kill him!
After seeing Iverson's reaction and the feedback he provided, Lin Tian felt that he had found the right path!
Back then, I, Lin, left the Bulls and spent a summer forming the "Avengers," leading a bunch of old men who had a grudge against Jordan to get revenge and destroy Jordan's dream of a three-peat.
Since Jordan is making a comeback this year, I, Lin, have to put together another event to welcome the former king of the league back!
Lin Tian now understands why he was given six different opponents in the preseason; it was all preordained!
In the second preseason game in Boston, Pierce and Walker, the twin stars, were incredibly friendly with Lin Tian as soon as they saw him, flanking him on either side and talking about Lin Tian's fierce battle with Tyson during the offseason.
Judging from the expressions on these two brothers' faces, they clearly had a very fond memory of that match and enjoyed it immensely!
"Let me tell you, beating up a boxing legend who's making a comeback was absolutely exhilarating! It wasn't just about making money, you know? Of course, I made a lot of money too; tons of companies and brands are asking me to collaborate!"
"The important thing is, it was awesome! Do you know what kind of treatment I received at Las Vegas nightclubs after beating Tyson? Every girl in the club was lining up to sleep with me! And wherever I go, people call me 'Tyson Terminator'!"
"There are even people who want to become my apprentices and learn martial arts from me right outside my house!"
"That's great!" Pierce looked at Lin Tian with envy. "It's a pity that our boxing skills are nothing special; we can't get into the ring and can't experience the feeling and joy you have, Lin!"
"If you can't get into the ring, you can do something else! We have a Tyson comeback in the NBA, right? If you two beat him up, completely destroy him."
"Jordan!" Walker reacted quickly, his eyes lighting up!
"If we two brothers crush Jordan, beat him to a pulp! Knock him down! We'll definitely get all that extra praise and money! And countless chicks will want to sleep with us!" Pierce clapped his hands, instantly feeling wide awake!
Walker, equally excited, said, "We'll see who he guards, and whoever he guards, one of us will sit in the low post against him! We'll use our bodies to beat him to a pulp! We'll crush him into a meat patty!"
"What if he doesn't guard us? What if he guards our defender instead?" Pierce suddenly became a little worried.
"Are you stupid, Paul!" Lin Tian suppressed a laugh, patting Pierce on the shoulder. "Haven't you ever seen me play? One screen and I've got him right in front of you! If you don't want to switch, just set another screen!"
"What if he just doesn't come?" Pierce asked another stupid question.
"Then spray him! Spray his ancestral graves until they're emitting black smoke, curse his whole family, call him a homeless old dog, a stray dog abandoned by Chicago!"
"Then, you won't even need to set a screen; he'll just come over on his own!"
"But provoking Jordan isn't a good idea!" Walker was still somewhat rational at this moment, after all, Jordan's formidable reputation was still intact!
"Antoine, the one you're afraid of is the 33-year-old, all-powerful Jordan!" Lin Tian waved his hand dismissively, "But what you're about to face is Jordan, who hasn't played a professional game in two years, whose physical abilities have severely declined, and who just turned 38 and is about to turn 40!"
"Jordan, who's in his forties, is almost 50, practically halfway to the grave. What's there to be afraid of!"
Jordan: How did you learn math, you bastard? I just turned 38, almost 50?
Lin Tian: My apologies! This is a unique and magnificent calculation method of our Chinese civilization, even more exciting than Mutombo's!
The Chinese age system (lunar calendar) is used to calculate age.
Choose any age you want, as long as you need!
"That's right! What's there to be afraid of! Kill him!" Walker's ambition was reignited by these words! He was determined to have a good showdown with Jordan!
Game 3 of the preseason!
magic!
After listening to Lin Tian's nonsense, Hill, who was always easygoing and refined, just smiled and didn't show much excitement.
McGrady, whose eyes were always glazed over and barely open, became noticeably excited after hearing Lin Tian's words!
Beat Jordan!
Even a 40-year-old Jordan would be very interesting!
More importantly, Jordan will definitely give an interview after the game!
"Tracy is an incredibly talented young man. His shooting, driving, and court vision are all top-notch! I think he can become the best swingman after me!"
Wow, listen to that! Look at that! Being praised by Jordan in front of all the media! What an honor!
With these fantasies and a touch of elation, McGrady turned around and went to train.
Meanwhile, Malone, who had just signed a one-year extension and decided to stay in Orlando for another year, cautiously pulled McGrady aside and said, "Tracy, let me give you a piece of advice: whatever Lin says to you, just ignore it! He's talking nonsense!"
"If you trust him, you'll definitely be framed by him!"
"No, Karl, this guy just wants me to go all out against Jordan when we play against the Wizards! He said if I can dominate Jordan, then I can make countless people know me!"
"Beat up Jordan?" Upon hearing this, Lin Tian's number one nemesis in the league, or rather, his number one defeated opponent, immediately declared that he was no longer sleepy!
The idea of beating Jordan is hilarious! Malone even forgot to stir up trouble between Lin Tian and McGrady.
"I'll set a screen for you then, and I guarantee you'll completely crush him!" Malone didn't bother guessing what Lin Tian's intentions were anymore. The words "crush Jordan" were enough to make him let down most of his guard and hatred!
"It's a deal!" McGrady chuckled and gave Malone a high five. He was confident he had no problem with it!
In Miami, Payton frowned and said, "You didn't say that to half the league, did you?"
Look at that! A seasoned veteran is different! He exposed Lin Tian's true colors with just one sentence!
"Not that many, only about one-fifth! After all, you can't play many opponents in the preseason, and I don't have that many people to face. More importantly, it would be too bad to let those rookies and weaklings go up against Jordan! They'd get crushed!"
"So the people I've found this time are all absolutely capable, and there's a high probability they can teach Michael, who's already 38, a lesson!"
"Interesting!" Payton stroked his beard. "Count me in! We'll team up against Michael!"
Mmm, that feels good!
Next, the Bucks, Knicks and Pacers each played a preseason game, and Lin Tian, of course, shared the news with everyone, telling Ray Allen, Houston and others about it. These guys who love a good show all agreed!
When they face Jordan, they will go all out and unleash 120% of their potential. Their goal is to dominate Jordan and prevent him from making the playoffs!
Yes, the ultimate goal of these young men is to completely thwart Jordan's comeback and prevent him from leading the team into the playoffs!
Let Jordan lead the team to the lottery! That idea sounds exciting and fun!
So, after a few preseason games, Lin Tian had managed to contact all the teams in the Eastern Conference, and everyone reached an agreement that there would be no restrictions or written records!
Destroy Jordan and knock the Wizards out of the playoffs!
Jordan was targeted and brutally beaten by opposing swingmen throughout the entire season!
Cool!
After contacting several star backcourt players in the East, Lin Tian took out his phone and started calling his friends on the West Coast.
"Kobe, how's it going? What? You're training?! Are you crazy? It's midnight!"
"Is it for Jordan? So that when he comes back, we can have one last good match against him and completely crush him? Great! Just as I thought. Never mind, bye-bye, you train hard!"
Yeah, if you make that call too many times, Kobe will get completely excited and into the zone as soon as he hears he can go one-on-one with Jordan, and then he'll start training like crazy.
Oops! I wasted my phone bill!
Then, Lin Tian looked through the phone book while making calls, calling the west and then the east, and then checking again in the east to see if there were any missed calls!
In short, this job wasted almost a whole day of Lin Tian's time! What he had to do was not to miss even one star-level backcourt or forward. With Jordan's comeback this time, as Jordan's best friend in the league, Lin Tian could not let his old brother down!
We need to give him a memorable and unforgettable return gift!
Within a single day, Lin Tian assembled an alliance! An alliance that required no documents, constraints, terms, precautions, or restrictions on behavior.
This alliance has several names.
One is "Welcome Michael back to the league".
One is, "Michael, you old dog, you're washed up!"
Or perhaps it's a case of "a 39-year-old shouldn't even make the playoffs, he should just rest in the lottery."
Of course, there's also a name that Lin Tian likes the most.
"Michael, I go downstairs to buy a pack of cigarettes and I see ten men who beat you up!"
Well, last time it was Lin Tian who led his older brothers to team up and bully Jordan.
This time, Lin Tian, along with his buddies scattered throughout the league, presented Jordan with a grand gift!
How joyful!
I wonder if, when the regular season begins and the Wizards start playing game after game, Jordan will suddenly find himself the target of everyone's attacks, constantly being used as a weak point, unable to defend against those top players anymore, and getting repeatedly blown out!
I wonder if Jordan could have pulled off something new without that era?
With this expectation and anticipation for the regular season, the Pacers finally made their regular season debut!
The Washington Wizards will be playing at home in the Conseco Center!
As the first home game of the new season, the defending champion Pacers will also present their championship rings and raise their own championship banner at home!
This is the third time in four years that the Pacers have done something like this, so although the fans in the arena were crazy, happy and kept shouting, their emotions were not too exaggerated!
After all, they know exactly what it means to raise the championship banner!
The extensive program included various performances, speeches, suspenseful elements, analysis and explanation of the championship ring design concept, and detailed introductions to various aspects.
After these procedures, which were almost ignored and brought nothing but boos, the lights finally went out!
Then a spotlight shone, pointing directly at the Pacers' rising flag!
The entire venue erupted in cheers, and the audience once again unleashed their passion!
When the championship banner was raised to its highest point, the atmosphere at the entire Conseco Center reached its climax!
Then came the owner's speech, followed by speeches from the players, coaching staff, and other personnel who came forward to receive their championship rings, and a few words of acknowledgment.
And then?
Then the players quickly returned to the locker room and put their rings there. After all, they had to play the game, and no one could play with their championship rings on the bench! They could easily lose them if left there.
Besides, while they might be willing to play with rings, the Wizards on the other side certainly aren't!
Then, before either side could even warm up, a tribute video suddenly started playing on the big screen!
As for the person being honored, it is Rick Schmitz, who was just officially announced yesterday to have signed a symbolic one-day contract with the team and come to Conseco Center hoping to retire as a Pacers player!
This veteran player, who spent 90% of his career with the Pacers, was selected as an All-Star, and won a championship, has reached the point where he needs to leave!
Upon seeing Schmitz's video, the fans at the stadium immediately understood that their hero had returned!
Cheers! Wild cheers! Indiana fans never let their heroes down!
"Envious, aren't you?" Lin Tian suddenly walked up to Jordan and started chatting.
"What's there to envy?" Jordan said, chewing gum. "But you, are you ready to get crushed by me later?"
"I really hope you can still say that after the game is over."
Lin Tian was genuinely curious at this moment: when Jordan realized that he would be facing the league's top swingmen who would relentlessly try to beat him to prove themselves, could he still be so relaxed?
"By the way, after you come back and play for a year, will you retire again, return to management, and buy back your shares? Is that how it works?"
"That's how it is, but it could also be two years, depending on my condition. What's wrong? Do you have anything to say?" Jordan looked at Lin Tian, his instincts telling him that this guy was definitely up to no good.
"What I'm trying to say is, did you sign any contract with the Wizards, like a buy-back agreement, so you can retire whenever you want and return to management at any time? Instead of being squeezed dry and then kicked aside!" (End of Chapter)