Bishop of the Devil

"Everyone here, if you think the Trail Blazers need to be severely punished, please show your hands and vote!"

About four or five teams in the field raised their hands.

Seeing this voting result, Stern almost couldn't catch his breath...

There is no need to vote anymore. Most of the bosses side with the Trail Blazers and feel there is no need to severely punish Richard.

"I feel that there is no need to vote next. Then our management committee will make a preliminary penalty decision before eight o'clock tonight, and then notify each team. If there is no problem, we will make a preliminary decision on punishment at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. Zhong, the league management committee will announce the punishment results!" Stern said.

"Mr. Stern, I have a suggestion, you might as well listen to it..." Paul Allen spoke again.

"Thinking about the intensity of punishment in the Western Conference semifinals last season, I don't want Richard to be suspended for more than five games!"

"First, Richard didn't do anything!"

"Second, although this matter has something to do with Richard, you can't find any direct evidence to prove that Richard caused this matter!"

"Third, although the Blazers' profits are nothing to me, I am also a fan and I don't want to see my favorite players being treated unfairly!"

"Fourth, you must be aware of the current situation outside. We don't want to see the NBA become a racially discriminatory league. This will make us very passive!"

"You are the person we invited to help us create revenue, please always remember your role!"

Paul Allen stared at Stern with deep eyes, making Stern unable to step down...

Even a fool can hear the threat in Paul Allen's words. You, Stern, were hired by us to help us work and create benefits for us, not our superior!

Maybe some small bosses in the league will succumb to Stern's power, but giants like Paul Allen obviously don't really take Stern seriously.

If he wants, he can contact more than half of the bosses in the league to depose Stern!

But of course Paul Allen would not do this. Under Stern's administration, the NBA has developed well and created profits for them. As long as such talents are not out of control, they can be used.

…

Stern was already breaking out in a cold sweat. He was glad that he did not show too much bias in this meeting. Otherwise, Paul Allen might have changed today's meeting into a meeting to remove Stern.

After saying this, Paul Allen stood up and left directly, letting Olshey continue the meeting on his behalf. He had other things to deal with.

Seeing Paul Allen leave, Stern breathed a sigh of relief.

He now hates Richard so much that without Richard, the situation that made him lose face just now might not have happened!

"Okay, let's discuss the players' union next. They demand an increase in the salary cap and players' salaries. I think this is a scene that no one here wants to see..."

"..."

…

"David, how many games are you going to suspend them?" The meeting ended at four o'clock in the afternoon.

Larry Miller asked directly in Stern's office.

"Larry, how many games do you think Malone will be suspended?" Stern asked with a wry smile.

"I don't know, of course the less the better..."

"Yeah, less is better, but the less Malone, the less Ben Wallace's suspension will be!"

…

At eight o'clock that night, the management of each team received the penalty decision from the NBA Management Committee.

Jazz's Karl Malone suspended for 6 games!

For the Trail Blazers, Kobe was suspended for 9 games and Ben was suspended for 8 games. As for Richard...

Two games suspended!

Of course, in addition to these suspensions, there are also fines.

When Richard learned about this penalty decision from Olshey, he was also dumbfounded.

He didn't expect the punishment to be so light!

For players, suspensions represent the bulk of lost income, and fines? That's almost negligible.

In 1984-85, the league's fine limit was raised from $100 to $500. Ten years later, in 1994-95, the league raised the fine limit to $20,000.

The three Blazers were fined a total of US$60,000, which is really drizzle...

As for the income lost due to the suspension, the combined losses of the three of them are estimated to be about the same as Malone alone...

…

Richard naturally knew very well about this penalty result, and Paul Allen played a big role in it.

This also made Richard feel happy. Fortunately, he had chosen the Trail Blazers. If he had chosen the Bucks, he might have been finished this time...

…

At eight o'clock the next morning, the league held a press conference and announced the penalty decision!

Although the Trail Blazers fans are still dissatisfied, this result is much better than they imagined. At least it did not cause any damage to the Trail Blazers.

Especially since Richard only served a two-game suspension, this is even more exciting for Trail Blazers fans.

It's just a two-game suspension. Three to five days have passed. There is no need to worry!

The Trail Blazers still have a bright future, even though Ben and Kobe have been suspended for many games...

But the current lineup of the Trail Blazers is actually quite deep. Even if these two people are suspended, the Trail Blazers' strength will not drop to the point of being weak!

On the other hand, the Jazz are not so lucky!

Stockton's return time has not yet been determined, and Malone has been suspended again. Their next schedule will be quite uncomfortable!

…

All the Trail Blazers players were very excited after learning the good news.

"Kobe, you have been suspended for about half a month. Go home and have a good rest. When you come back, I will let you take on greater responsibilities!" Richard said to Kobe with a smile during the team meeting. .

Kobe looked happy and asked excitedly: "Coach, are you going to increase the number of my shots again?"

Richard waved his hand: "No, after this incident, you are no longer a child in my eyes, you are a man!"

"Men should bear their own responsibilities. In future games, I will not limit your shots anymore!"

Hearing this, Kobe was so excited that he couldn't control himself. He was finally freed from his shackles, and he finally became a serf and sang...

But along with the excitement comes a huge sense of pressure!

…

"Ben, during this period, you should also take good care of your injuries. You don't have to worry about the record. Since the Jazz are finished, it's time for us Blazers to taste the taste of being at the top of the Western Conference record list!"

Richard said to the generals with a smile.

The Jazz's record will definitely be greatly affected, and the Trail Blazers' record is not far behind the Sonics. As long as the Trail Blazers make steady progress, it really won't be a big problem to hit the number one spot in the Western Conference!