The arrival of Chris Paul gave the Clippers the cornerstone of winning the championship, but at the same time, it also put forward requirements for the Clippers to strengthen them.

Especially after losing two offensive points in a row, Chris Carman and Eric Gordon, the Clippers actually suffered a lot of losses on the offensive end alone.

Reinforcements need to be controlled by salary space and luxury tax. With Paul's arrival, the space on the Clippers suddenly became crowded.

Of course, the culprit is Mr. Ruan Er Niu, who has just won the "brute bull clause" after the labor negotiations.

In the long-lasting labor negotiations, two major clauses were officially born.

One of them is the "Rose Clause," which states that a player who completes his rookie contract will receive a salary cap of 30% of the team's salary cap (a 5% increase from the old contract) when he signs the second contract of his career.

The entry threshold for this clause is: MVP selection in the first four years of his rookie contract, or two All-Star Game selections, or two All-Star selections.

However, it wasn't Derrick Rose who was named after him who got the first gains, but Kevin Durant of the Thunder (mentioned earlier).

The other is the "Brute Bull Clause", which is basically designed for Erniu, which specifically refers to the fact that a player can get a maximum salary contract of 35% of the team's salary cap (a 10% increase from the old contract) when he signs the second contract of his career after executing his rookie contract.

Since the inception of the NBA, there have been only a handful of people who have been able to meet this clause: they have been elected MVP at least twice in the four years before their rookie contract, or won at least two FMVP trophies, or won at least three All-NBA teams.

All three fit the bill, as he has been the league's No. 1 player over the past few seasons. It was because of an injury last season that he briefly withdrew from the competition for the league's signature.

According to the supplementary terms of Erniu's previous contract renewal with the Clippers, due to the impact of the "Brute Bull Clause" that had just been introduced, Ruan Erniu's salary suddenly exploded.

He occupies the salary space of the salary cap because the bird right still does not change, and in the 11-12 season, it is still 200% of last season's contract, that is, 10.88 million meters, but his maximum salary contract worth 90.3 million meters for 5 years has instantly become the league's highest salary of 26.24 million meters for 5 years.

From the beginning of the 11-12 season, the salaries for the next five years are: 21.84 million meters, 23.38 million meters, 25.2 million meters, 26.6 million meters, and 29.4 million meters.

You must know that in 2011, it is far from the era of the future with an annual salary of 40 million, Ruan Erniu is the first person in active service, but his salary is indeed too terrifying in the current view!

This is also the fundamental reason why the owners of various teams in the league did not continue to prevent the Clippers from getting Paul after preventing the Lakers from getting Paul.

Everyone knows too well the temper of Donald Sterling, even if he is willing to pay a little luxury tax in order to open the Celestial Empire market after getting the Celestial Empire people, but the fact that Kraft Nguyen's terrifying salary allocation is on the face of death, no one can change it.

Chris Paul's contract salary in the 11-12 season is 16.36 million meters, and the total salary of the pickle girl group in the 11-12 season alone reached 38.2 million meters.

You must know that the salary cap for the 11-12 season is only 58.04 million meters, according to the league's regulations, 48% of the total income is the "salary cap", and 55% of the total income is the luxury tax threshold.

The luxury tax threshold for the 11-12 season should be 66.5 million yuan, of which the pickled girl combination has accounted for 57.44%.

And that's not all, the contract that really gave the Clippers a cold stab came from the free market, or to be precise, from the Golden State Warriors, who just got Jerry West as an advisor.

They made an offer for the Clippers' restricted player DeAndre Jordan on a four-year, $43.04 million poison contract.

"He's driving up prices!" said Neil O'Hill angrily slammed his fist on the table.

According to the relevant regulations, he must make a choice within three days whether to match the contract, and Uncle Huang also has the right to birds, or that sentence, the salary cap is completely sufficient, but the threshold of luxury tax is getting closer and closer.

Ruan Erniu calmed down this time, and from the moment Klay Thompson was intercepted, he expected that the Golden State Warriors would definitely cause trouble for the Clippers.

Whether it's price gouging or just needing supplies, it's the Clippers' turn to make a choice.

In the team meeting, Chris Paul, who just joined, also participated in the discussion.

This is also a matter of course, a superstar like CP3 is originally an existence with his own right to speak, but within the Clippers, the pattern that originally belonged to Ruan Erniu's "Yiyantang" is being broken.

People have no foresight, but they must have near-term worries.

To be honest, Erniu is not too worried about the Clippers' luxury tax, and in the end, Donald Sterling, the guy who picks the door, has relented, and he is willing to increase his investment appropriately for the sake of the championship.

What really makes Erniu feel that there is a hidden danger is whether Chris Paul will become a new mountain within the Clippers, in fact, this mountain has been erected from the moment Paul joined the Clippers.

I don't know when, Neil O'Hill, the general manager of Erniu's life, began to favor CP3 intentionally or unintentionally, and even Steve Cole, an old handsome guy, gradually fell to the side of CP3.

Tyronn Lue is Erniu's former teammate, Natalie Nakase is also left by Erniu, and the remaining Tom Thibodeau is more inclined to Erniu, but he, a basketball maniac, doesn't understand the importance of standing on the team.

Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes, and the NBA is no exception, things on the court are often easier to do, but things off the court require more wisdom and skill.

Chris Paul wants something, Ruan Erniu is also very clear.

The top five players in the league are not willing to be completely reduced to the second leader, they also belong to Taurus, and the allusion of "two bulls raising the bar" is used here, referring to Ruan Erniu not doing things alone.

However, struggle is struggle, and things still have to be done.

On the decision to match Jordan Jr.'s contract, Ruan Erniu still reached a high degree of agreement with Chris Paul, and finally the team meeting unanimously approved the match Golden State Warriors' offer for Jordan Jr.

In the final analysis, it is indeed poison to raise an annual salary of 10 million for Jordan, who averaged only 7+7 per game last season, but the NBA is now lacking frame-protecting centers everywhere, which is also an indisputable fact, so the premium has to be premium.

So, coupled with Little Jordan's salary of 10.08 million meters in the 11-12 season, the annual salary of the "Bubble Girl King" in the 11-12 season reached 48.28 million meters.

In other words, if the Clippers don't want to go beyond the luxury tax threshold, they will only have 18.22 million meters of space left.

No, add Mo Williams' 8.5 million meters, Randy Foye's 4.25 million meters, Ryan Gomez's 4 million meters, Kawaii's 1.73 million meters, Brian Cook's 1.23 million meters, Isaiah Thomas's 470,000 meters, and Malcolm Lee's 470,000 meters.

Since then, not counting the players who may be strengthened in the future, the Clippers' annual salary this season has reached 68.93 million meters, and the Clippers have not been able to avoid paying the luxury tax, and they have not yet made up enough 15-man roster.

"Give up Caron Butler, his full middle class, we will definitely not be satisfied!" Also in the team meeting, Ruan Erniu first put forward his own idea.

Originally, before Paul was confirmed to join, Erniu and O'Hill were ready to take the Mavericks forward who won the championship.

It is said that the goods have fallen out with Mark Cuban, so the Clippers are ready to take him on a four-year, 24 million contract, and now it seems that this is simply not possible.

"I have Chauncy Billups on my side, he's been pardoned in New York, and we can get him with a veteran base salary. CP3 said.

Ruan Erniu glanced at Paul, then at O'Shill, and then said with a smile: "I have no opinion. ”

O'Hill agreed.

"Butler can't come, but we're still too weak in the No. 3 position, and we need a small middle class to make up for it. Chris, what do you think?" said Ruan Erniu.

Paul laughed and said, "Looks like you've already got a candidate?"

Erniu said: "I'm going to make a call to Yao Ming in Houston, he should have the phone number I want players there."

By the way, by the way, let's talk about our weak interior line, I would like to recommend one person here, who is also my compatriot Yi Jianlian, who has a certain long-range range and can contribute on the bench. ”

Paul hesitated for a moment, but then said, "I agree!"

In the same mountain, Nguyen Erniu, who has a dynasty and laid the foundation first, has a more obvious advantage, while Chris Paul, who has just arrived at the Clippers, obviously has not had the opportunity to occupy enough positions.

Although he recruited players from the Celestial Empire, Ruan Erniu also did not mean to give Ah Lian any preferential treatment.

In the free market, Allen is undoubtedly unpopular this summer.

In the years of the king, he has gradually reduced to the point of parallel goods in the Celestial Empire, especially when there are Ruan and Yao to compare, and after the 76ers, he also did not get enough opportunities in the contract year.

Allen's agent Fagan has been contacted by many parties, and only the Clippers are willing to take him on a two-year, ultra-cheap contract of 940,000 meters, and the next year is still a team option.

However, Ah Lian, who is playing in the CBA Yuedong team, still agreed.

This is a chance!

He can come back to the NBA to prove himself, and the Clippers do lack an interior player with scoring ability at the moment.

To be more specific, Allen's direct rival on the bench is only one Bryan Cook, and this is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The Clippers then signed Reggie Evans, the "rebounding maniac," with a base salary on the free market, as well as Solomon Jones, a longtime teammate of the two bulls with the Hawks.

There is only one last reinforcement seat left in the 15-man roster, and Erniu's phone has been officially dialed.

"Hi Sean, I'm Kraft Nguyen, I got your call from Yao. ”

"Hello, Kraft, what's the matter?"

"I've heard that you were very close to Miami at one point, but they ended up choosing Caron Butler.

I'm sure you must be eager to join a team that has championship expectations, and I think the Los Angeles Clippers are a good choice. What do you think?" Ruan Erniu said unabashedly.

In fact, the subtext of Erniu should be, let's go and kill the Heat team with no eyes and let them regret their wrong choice.

Erniu does have the confidence to say this, and the Clippers do have a rising atmosphere at present.

With thick thighs like Ruan Erniu and Paul, even former FMVP Chauncy Billups, who was pardoned by New York, is willing to come to Los Angeles to hug his thighs, and then counting one Sean Battier, it doesn't seem unreasonable.

To be honest, the Heat is also fighting for the championship, and with the Big Three plus Butler, their luxury tax may be close to the Lakers and Green Kai!

As expected, Battier finally readily agreed to Erniu's invitation.

9.41 million meters in 3 years, not even 10 million meters, Batman's idea is also very simple, he hopes to win the NBA championship at the end of his career.

Battier's arrival can be regarded as reinforcing the Clippers' absence at the No. 3 position.

Leonard is too young to support the Clippers' overall defensive intensity, and even though Kawaii may have an extremely high ceiling, he will need to learn from the experienced Sean Battier.

As the regular season draws closer, the Clippers' 15-man roster has been finalized:

c DeAndre Jordan, Solomon Jones

PF Nguyen Er Niu, Yi Jian Lian, Reggie Evans, Brian Cook

SF Kawhi Leonard, Sean Battier, Ryan Gomez

SG Randy Foye, Mo Williams, Malcolm Lee

PG Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, Isaiah Thomas

According to Neil O'Hill's estimates, if no changes are made to this lineup in the new season, the Clippers will have to pay at least about $6 million in luxury tax in the 11-12 season.

Of all the teams in the league subject to the luxury tax, that number is right behind the Heat, ranking fourth in the league, and even higher than the Dallas Mavericks, who just dismantled their championship roster.

When I woke up, the world was turned upside down.

Mark Cuban, who has always been generous, actually began to live a cautious life, while Donald Sterling, who has been picking on the door, bravely paid the luxury tax.

Sterling's adventurous nature certainly has a reason.

This luxury tax, after deducting the advertising revenue of the Celestial Empire that Sterling is about to take, will not give him much loss, and may even make a profit.

More importantly, the reconstituted Los Angeles Clippers do have the possibility of attacking the championship.

Raheem Sterling's calculations are not inadequate, and if he has the opportunity this year, he will challenge for the championship.

If he doesn't have a chance, when the bad contracts of Mo Williams, Randy Foye and others expire next year, he will completely recruit another batch of cheap players.

Anyway, with the three of them here, the box office of the Clippers will be fully guaranteed, and this deal will not be lost.

December 25, 2011, Christmas Day.

The Los Angeles Clippers flew away for a Christmas game against none other than the Golden State Warriors, who had caused them big problems in free agency.