The rest is just noise

As the December schedule progresses, the Knicks have officially opened negotiations for an early contract extension with Shawn Kemp.

Kemp's agent Tony Dutte came to New York.

As always, Elgin Baylor faces the player's agent first, and Louis is the driving force behind the scenes.

The first negotiation between Baylor and Dutt was tense.

As Kemp's representative, Dutt hopes that Kemp's contract extension will be a long-term contract extension with an annual salary of more than 5 million.

The reason is simple. Ewing previously signed a three-year, $20 million contract extension.

This contract once again ranks Ewing as the league's highest-paid player.

As the youngest player among the Knicks' main players and the player with the most potential for improvement, Kemp is fully qualified to receive a core-level maximum salary.

Dutt's asking price makes Baylor's attempt to push Kemp's contract extension below 4 million ridiculous.

In the first negotiation, both parties broke up unhappy.

"I'm prepared for the worst," Dutt declared.

The information Dutt released gave reporters the wrong signal.

What is the worst case scenario?

Leave the team? Apply for a trade? Or wait until the summer and join the free market to ask for a price?

Dutt apparently brought his bad feelings to Kemp at the negotiating table.

Kemp is a simple man, he is easily provoked.

December 5

Kemp scored 32 points and 9 rebounds in 29 minutes against the Bucks.

Two days later, the Knicks challenged the SuperSonics away. Kemp destroyed Seattle's penalty area, grabbed 9 offensive rebounds in a single game, and converted 7 offensive rebounds into secondary offensive points. He scored 39 points, 16 rebounds and 4 rebounds in a single game.

Block data.

“Is Shawn Kemp the No. 1 power forward in the league?”

The New York Times praised Kemp to no end after the game and ignored Barkley's existence.

There is a saying in diplomatic negotiations: What a soldier can't get on the battlefield, don't expect a diplomat to get it at the negotiation table.

This sentence applies to contract renewal negotiations in professional sports.

If players don't show their worth on the field, agents can't ask for high prices.

Kemp's two consecutive 30-point performances gave Dutt a boost in confidence.

"I think Sean is the best No. 4 in the world. He is more athletic than Ralph Sampson. He is faster and quicker than Charles Barkley. Moreover, he is improving every year." Du

Te ambitiously said, "For such a player, the amount of the maximum salary can reflect the team's respect for him."

"Obviously, New York doesn't respect Sean."

From that day on, the negotiations between Baylor and Dutt increased from an annual salary of less than 4 million to more than 4 million.

This number basically identifies Kemp as the third star player on the team.

Although the Knicks have many stars, only Wilson and Ewing have an annual salary of 4 million.

The fourth and fifth negotiations between Dutt and Baylor both stalled at the annual salary of 4.4 million.

There is only one reason. Benjamin Wilson's annual salary is $4.5 million. If Kemp's annual salary exceeds Wilson, to some people, it is like saying that Kemp is the Knicks' second star.

"You think Sean is worth more than Benjamin?"

Baylor always asked Dutt that.

Dutt asked: "Is Patrick Ewing worth that much?"

"All I know is that Shawn Kemp is not worth that much money!"

Baylor, overwhelmed with anger, said something that made Dutt change his expression.

"I really didn't get the sense from Elgin Baylor that he had any respect for Sean."

Dutt is still the same as before, always going to the media whenever negotiations are unfavorable.

"He said to my face that Sean didn't deserve the maximum salary."

When Louis led the team back from the away game, Kemp came to see him personally.

"Coach, I want to know if I'm worth the maximum salary!"

At the time, Louis didn't know Baylor said this.

His answer, of course, was: "You are one of the most deserving players in the league."

"If that's the case, why wouldn't Elgin give me a max contract?"

It’s not like Kemp didn’t know that Louis was Baylor’s superior.

Baylor doesn't give Kemp a maximum salary, doesn't it mean that Louis thinks the same way?

Louis believed Camp didn't test his ideas.

Kemp came to him and said these things, all at the instigation of his agent.

Dutt knows that if he continues to argue with Baylor, there will be no results until the contract renewal window closes.

Rather than being in a stalemate, it is better to find the rightful owner and make it clear.

"I will ask him about this matter." Louis smiled.

After the plane arrived, Kemp did not go back to the Blue Palace with everyone. He wanted to meet his agent first.

Louis allowed him to leave alone.

On the way back to the Blue Palace on the bus, Ewing proposed a bet seemingly as a prank: "Do you think Sean's contract extension will be bigger than Benj's?"

The bet was proposed without Kemp's presence, allowing others to do as they pleased.

"Can't you?" said John Seeley.

Ewing looked at Wilson provocatively: "I bet $50,000 that Sean's contract extension will be bigger than yours."

"Logically speaking, Sean's contract shouldn't be larger than Benj's." Danny Ainge seemed to be pointing towards Ewing, but in fact he was on Wilson's side. "But even a fool like Patrick can get an annual salary of 6 million. Damn it."

You know what that old bastard Elgin Baylor is thinking."

"You old bastard, if you're jealous that my annual salary is six times yours, just say it, don't beat around the bush and be disgusting!" Ewing said unhappily.

"Am I right?" Anji asked with a smile, "Why do you get 2 million US dollars more than Benj?"

Louis shouted with a gloomy face: "You bastards, do you think I don't exist?"

"Coach, tell me, how big will Sean's next contract be?"

Reggie Miller didn't take it too seriously and asked Louis directly.

Louis hit him back: "I don't know how big he is, but he is definitely bigger than you."

Hearing this, everyone cheered.

There were eight people placing bets on this bet, four of whom believed that Kemp's contract extension would be larger than Wilson's, while the other four believed that the management would keep Wilson as the second highest paid player on the team.

After all, when Miller, Stockton and others renewed their contracts in the past few years, it was considered that Wilson's annual salary was only 4.5 million US dollars and was controlled below US$4 million.

This is a reasonable number.

However, last season, Ewing and the team completed a three-year, $20 million early contract extension, which completely broke the balance.

Given that the two have similar positions on the team and their strength is unknown, Ewing's annual salary is $2 million more than Wilson's.

That gave Kemp's agent the courage to speak up.

Especially when Kemp performed well and was indispensable to the Knicks.

"Benj, won't you place a bet?"

Miller asked.

"Yeah, if you invest $100,000 in him, I believe the coach won't let Sean get more annual salary than you."

Louis really wanted to punch Miller as a dog.

This guy makes perfect sense. When he made the bet, he was betting on "Kemp's next contract will be bigger than Wilson's."

"You are too rash, how can you bet on this kind of thing?" Wilson said soberly, "When I signed that contract, the new TV broadcast contract had just come into effect. It is now the third year of the TV broadcast contract taking effect. The salary

The cap has also gotten bigger. I think it's entirely possible for Sean to sign a bigger contract extension than me, maybe even bigger than Patrick's contract."

After hearing his words, Ewing said on the spot: "I can bet my annual salary. If Sean's next contract is bigger than mine, I will donate this season's annual salary!"

Tomjanovich couldn't help but interject: "Patrick, have you heard the story of Bernard King?"

Give Kemp a bigger contract than Ewing, and then ask Ewing to donate this season's annual salary?

From an overall life perspective, this is a wonderful life.

But as long as the Knicks sign this contract, the entire management will be in disgrace forever.

Outside the team, Kemp is the third star of the Knicks. Within the team, his status in the locker room is not as good as that of Ewing, Wilson, Miller, Stockton, Stevens, Rodman... He is indeed a ball player.

It is natural for the team's starter to sign a maximum salary contract, but signing the league's top salary?

As long as Kemp signs a contract like that, the Knicks locker room will explode the next second.

If you explode half a second late, it will be regarded as the Buddha nature of other Knicks players.

"It's a bet, just don't let Sean know about it." Zhao Yuanzheng reminded.

"It's hard for me!" Ewing scanned the circle, "With so many people, who knows who's the bottom?"

Later, as Ewing said, Kemp knew about the existence of the gamble.

But it wasn't someone who secretly told him, but the media. The media actually knew about the existence of such a bet within the Knicks before he did.

This is worse than breaking the news to Kemp.

On the day of the leak, Louis called the players together.

The way Kemp looked at everyone else was wrong.

And Louis's eyes turned into sharp blades, and he swept them one by one.

"Sean, as the protagonist of this farce, what do you think?" Louis asked.

Kemp asked rhetorically: "Can I tell the truth?"

Louis raised his eyebrows and said, "I asked you to stand up, didn't I just want you to tell the truth?"

"Okay, then I'll tell you what I think about this matter."

Kemp came to the crowd like a coach.

"Disgusting! Bah! That's disgusting!" Kemp scolded his teammates dissatisfied, "My son knows that doing bad things must be done secretly, how can it be done publicly? Shouldn't you do this kind of thing in private? In private

Isn’t it possible? It has to be done publicly and widely advertised. Even if it’s not on the bus, it won’t reach the media so quickly. It’s just a stupid pig! It’s worse than a stupid pig! I’m actually the last one to know? In one sentence, disgusting

! I must have had a fucking rough time these days! Disgusting! Disgusting! You disgusting bastards! You are so disgusting!!!"

After Kemp's rant, it only took a second to adjust his mood and turned to Louis: "Coach, I'm done."

"Go to training." Louis smiled.

"OK."

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