The rest is just noise

When I heard that Louis was coming back, the happiest person was of course James Dolan.

Isn’t it just for this moment to give Louis a free angel investment of 10 million a year in advance?

Ever since the Dolans came to New York, not a day went by without them being scolded.

Because after the Dolan family took over MSG, Louis left.

Later, Benj also left.

Then, the Knicks dynasty ended.

Although there was a brief revival for a year, Dolan soon came up with a 300 million luxury tax that was destined to leave his name in sports history. What followed was a series of farces that made New Yorkers feel uncomfortable just thinking about it.

Criticism of the Dolans is growing in the New York area.

When Dolan Sr. made it clear that he wanted to leave MSG to Little Dolan, Little Dolan became the subject of scolding.

This made little Dolan think that his father did this just to avoid being scolded.

Fortunately, despite being scolded, MSG's commercial value is one of the best, and it is simply a hen that lays golden eggs.

The news that Louis was coming back made Dolan so excited that he called Sunset Villa directly.

Louis guessed that the other party would call and prepared his words in advance.

Little Dolan made a unique offer.

100 million US dollars in 5 years.

This is Louie's presidential contract.

Today, when NBA players are no longer able to sign contracts with an annual salary of 20 million US dollars, Louis received a president's contract with an annual salary of 20 million US dollars.

Although New York has a good foundation, Louis does not want to go back.

Because that's already R.C., Baylor and Tomjanovich's team.

They have done a good job and have become accustomed to taking charge of team affairs. Now that he has gone back to seize control of the team, everyone is uncomfortable.

"Mr. Dolan, thank you for your invitation. I believe no one can offer a more generous contract than you, but unfortunately, I have already reached an agreement with other teams."

Louis could only make Little Dolan give up first.

"Other teams?" Little Dolan screamed, "How much did they pay? I'll pay double!"

"It's not about money."

"Coach Lu, I always believe in a truth, that is, if the two sides still haven't reached an agreement, it must be that the benefits delivered are not in place. This is a question of money!"

"That's not true," Louis said, "Mr. Dolan, even if I don't play for New York, I can still provide you with professional advice on professional basketball. In fact, I don't have to sign with the Knicks."

Little Dolan asked doubtfully: "Is this still possible?"

"I only provide suggestions, as to what to do is your business."

Little Dolan agreed with Louis' proposal amid doubts.

Although he thinks it is more reliable to let Louis go to New York to serve as president, what is the difference between building the team through the other party's suggestions?

One is direct command, and the other is remote command. He doesn’t have to pay 20 million or more. Oh my god, he actually saves money!

What a joy!

The second person to invite Louie back was Jim Bass.

Buss Jr. believes that the Lakers can only have one president in the past and in the future, and that is Legend Lu.

"Jim, I have no intention of returning. Coach Zhao is a very mature behind-the-scenes manager. As long as you listen to his advice, the Lakers can still remain strong."

Louis simply rejected Bass Jr.

The third team is the Boston Celtics.

Louis felt like they had made an appointment, one after another, and they were all his former employers.

Paul Gaston comes to Sunset Hills with two contracts.

One is the president's contract, worth US$60 million over five years.

The other is a coaching contract worth US$80 million over five years.

Louis refused Gaston on the grounds that he had not yet thought about what to do in the future.

Even if he has decided to come back, the third team he has played for in the past is not among his choices.

Moreover, it is really not the time to make a decision now.

Louis needs to wait until the end of this year's draft lottery before making a decision.

Since we want to organize a black-free championship team, the selection of core players is very important.

In the next fifteen years, the most suitable core for this team is Dirk Nowitzki, but the Mavericks cannot let him go.

Secondly, there are Nash and Bodiloga.

They are in a stalemate with Dallas and have no hope in the short term.

Therefore, Louis can only ensure that his team has Yao Yueban first.

Although Yao Yueban is not the core of Dirk and Bodiroga, he is enough as the inside core of a strong team.

April 18, 2001

The NBA playoffs have officially begun.

Before the start of the game, TNT announced that Louis would follow the entire series between the Heat and the 76ers.

Many people were angry, and some media even asked in newspapers: "Coach, do you ignore the Lakers, Knicks and Mavericks?"

TNT could only explain: "There are many games that are played simultaneously, and Coach Lu cannot follow up on all the series at the same time."

This means that Louis still has a choice.

It's just that he chose the Heat and the 76ers.

Because in the previous program with Auerbach, when talking about several current teams, Louis gave the Heat the highest praise.

As for the 76ers, because of Benj's presence, Louis naturally cares more about them.

Louis paid attention to the Heat because he saw a very rare quality in this team.

Since the 1986 Celtics, he finally saw a team where every player faked before taking a shot.

In terms of stardom, the Heat are not as good as other championship teams, but if the data of basketball IQ can be visualized, the Heat are definitely the highest.

Duncan is basically one of the players with the highest golf IQ in the league.

Liu Yuqing is the number one off-ball shooter in the modern era, which also means that his tactical literacy and golf intelligence are top-notch.

Schrempf is a semi-bankrupt version of an aging Bird.

As Petrovich got older, he lost the fierceness of his youth and became more enchanting in his playing style.

Let’s not talk about Wang Zhizhi’s fake moves. He is the most comprehensive offensive insider in Chinese history. At the same time, he is also one of the highest golfers.

When the Heat got into shape, it was as if Louis saw the 14 Spurs from his previous life grafted onto them in parallel.

Passes are blown by the wind, tactical movements are like precise machines, everyone is pursuing better opportunities, and there are as many fake moves as hair.

Watching the Heat play is a pleasure.

In the first round, the Heat faced the Pistons. Liu Yuqing became the scoring leader in the series with an average of 24 points per game, helping the Heat sweep their opponents 3-0.

"I have never believed that the person who killed the Dream Team in the Olympics was Jiang Duo." Duncan complimented with a "shocked" look on his face, "Now I believe it, he is the real deal."

Maybe it was because the game was so smooth that Liu Yuqing would also joke: "The only reason why I am in good shape is that I refused Tim's head-touching action. His hands are poisonous."

Duncan echoed: "Yes, anyone I touch will turn into a fire-breathing dragon and burn the press room to ashes."

If watching the Heat's game is enjoyable, then watching the 76ers' game is completely painful.

Louis began to wonder if Phil Jackson had any plans to let Benj play point guard?

"People all over the world know that Benj can play point guard, but unfortunately, Phil doesn't know that."

Louis criticized Jackson harshly because his lukewarm coaching style is getting the 76ers into trouble.

In the first round, the 76ers were the only championship team that did not sweep their opponents.

They played four games with the Bucks and finally advanced to the semifinals relying on Sam Cassell's three-pointer.

Louis expressed regret: "If this continues, Philadelphia will not go far. All successful teams will find their way out in the playoffs, and I didn't see any way out in Philadelphia's game. They are like lost.

The pride of lions, let alone hunting, can’t even find a water source.”

In the semifinals, the 76ers who have lost their way will face off against the Knicks who have never lost themselves in the playoffs.

The Heat, who are first in the Eastern Conference, will face the challenge of the Cavaliers, who are fourth in the Eastern Conference.

Louis believes that the four teams that advance to the conference finals will be the Lakers, Mavericks, Heat and Knicks.

He really doesn't see a chance of winning with the 76ers.

Now that we're in the playoffs, Jackson can't hide it, he has to make a few moves to appease the team's morale.

But what people see about the 76ers is still a mess of chemical reactions and a bad understanding.

A team like this can eliminate the Bucks through hard power, but against a team like the Knicks, which is always strong and strong, they really have no chance.

As expected, the 76ers were defeated by the Knicks in six games in the semifinals.

It wasn't until the sixth game that Jackson asked Wilson to play point guard. As a result, Wilson made 8 turnovers in the game, whether due to poor condition or some other reason. The GOAT, who was still at his peak, played a game that made people question whether

A poor performance that qualifies him for the special dog position.

After the game, Jackson said: "Benj has been playing with a serious finger injury since the start of the playoffs."

Louis doesn't like players who use injuries as an excuse for failure, but Wilson may really be affected by injuries.

In this series, he performed very sluggishly, averaging only 24 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game, while shooting 44% from the field.

This is quite rare in his career.

On the other side, the Heat eliminated the Cavaliers in five games, and the Lakers and Mavericks also advanced smoothly. Everything was as Louis expected.

The night after the semifinals, the NBA held the 2001 lottery draw.

David Stern played a joke on Louis.

The night before the lottery, Louis met Stern in Los Angeles and the two had dinner.

Stern asked Louis, what kind of team would be better for Yao Yueban to go to?

"The team that doesn't have a history of racial discrimination is the best," Louis said.

As a result, the Boston Celtics won the No. 1 pick in the 2001 NBA draft.

Well, Yao Yueban did go to an NBA team that can be said to have no history of racial discrimination, but he went to a city where racial discrimination is still common in American society and has become a consensus!

more importantly.

I just turned down two contracts from them!

Louis stared at Isiah Thomas on the TV with a stern look, and he was so happy that his head tilted with laughter.