The Bulls are only 13-37 in a shortened season, but they aren't the worst teams, the Grizzlies and Clippers are even worse.

It's a pity that the Bulls finally won the champion, and compared with the Grizzlies and Clippers, the Bulls are more in line with the interests of the league.

The Grizzlies are located in Canada, and although the Clippers are in Los Angeles, they have never played because the owner is too picky, but they have been pressed by the Lakers, resulting in a low attendance.

Compared to the Grizzlies and Clippers, David Stern is more expecting the Red Bull to draw the No. 1 pick.

Chicago is the third largest city in the United States, and although it is not as prosperous as New York and Los Angeles, the gap is not huge.

In addition, it is also related to the Bulls' ball market, because Jordan retired not long ago, the Bulls still have a strong basketball atmosphere, even if the record is poor, but still maintain an excellent attendance.

In addition, the management of the Bulls is relatively good, and perhaps the team's record is closely related to Jordan, but if the management does not help, the team will definitely drop the chain.

The third-largest city in the United States, the ball market is ranked at the top of the league, can better develop the commercial value of players, and has an excellent history, which may be the reason why the Bulls won the top pick.

There's no doubt that the league wants the Bulls to pout!

Stern is also helpless, after a shrinking season, the credibility of the league has been questioned, and the influence is not as good as before.

After the lottery meeting, David Stern sat in the president's office, looked at the report in his hand, and sighed softly.

This is a report of the Finals ratings, and Stern has watched it many times, and every time he sees it, he feels bad, and at the same time desperately seeks to change and restore the influence of the league as soon as possible.

This time in the finals, because both sides are strong defensive teams, the pace is slow, and the defense is iron-blooded, resulting in a plummeting in ratings, with an average rating of only 7.6%, compared with last season, not even half of it.

The highest-watched NBA Finals TV game was set by the Bulls and Jazz in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals, with a staggering 22.3% viewership and 35.89 million viewers.

The 1997-98 Finals were also the best-watched in NBA history, with an average rating of 18.7% per game and an average of 29.04 million viewers per game.

At the same time, it was also the lowest Finals rating since 1982, while the all-time low was 6.7% in 1981.

In addition to the ugly style of play, it is also related to the fact that the Spurs have too much advantage, and this pair of interior combinations, which can be called the first in the history of the league, has played an extremely destructive role in the absence of Ewing for the Knicks.

Since the game lost its suspense, it naturally lacked attraction to the audience, and the ratings could be imagined.

At this point, Stern put down the report and picked up another report that listed the ratings for the Western Conference Finals.

Surprisingly, the Western Conference Finals averaged more viewership than the Finals, extremely close to 10%.

"For the audience, there is no suspense in the Western Conference Finals, why are there such high ratings?"

Looking at the ratings above, this thought came to Stern's mind, but in fact, he already had the answer in his heart.

"Denver is still too small!"

Stern muttered to himself, thinking a little more.

If it's a native American player, Stern doesn't have much to think about.

In the United States, it is easier for local stars to become famous, as long as the strength is enough, it does not need to spend much effort to promote, even in small cities, it can also drive the popularity of the team.

However, overseas players are different, especially Asian players, who have a slower rise in fame in the United States, but they have improved very quickly in their respective countries, and if they are strong, they can even radiate to neighboring countries.

It can be said that both have their own advantages.

Stern has been working hard to develop overseas markets, with the Asian market being the top priority.

In 1989, the 47-year-old Stern came to China for the first time and wanted CCTV to negotiate to broadcast NBA games.

At that time, according to the system of receiving foreign guests, after applying for approval step by step, Stern patiently explained to CCTV leaders what the NBA is, whether the broadcast can be charged or not, etc., after waiting outside the CCTV gate for more than an hour in the spring cold...... Until CCTV agreed to broadcast it.

Since then, the NBA has officially sent a free game highlight from the capital every week, and has to pay out of its own pocket to have CCTV's broadcast team broadcast the All-Star Game and the Finals live. This seemingly loss-making deal has also built a deep fan base for the NBA in the world's most populous country.

So on the issue of treating Chi Liang, in order to maximize interests, Stern naturally hopes that Chi Liang will go to the big city team, and it is best to become the only core!

The next day, Chi Liang went to the stadium to train again, and this time a reporter wrote a report specifically for this, which attracted widespread attention.

After only a few days of rest, Chi Liang started training, his own strength is very strong, but he is still working so hard, which undoubtedly increases the fans' expectations for him.

Since the Nuggets were eliminated, most of the staff have begun to take vacations, and the Pepsi Center has been rented out.

With such a large stadium, it usually costs a lot to maintain the operation of the stadium, so it is naturally impossible to be idle, and it is often rented out to hold some activities, such as training matches, concerts, magic shows, etc.

Unlike the Pepsi Center, due to the small size of the venue, the training hall is rarely rented out, so naturally it has not been affected much.

But compared with the past, there are only a few staff members left in the training hall, and they are all cleaning staff, not to mention physical trainers, and there is not even a shadow of a trainer.

After a busy season, in addition to the team management, both players, coaches and trainers have taken a rare vacation and will not go to the training gym easily.

In the past half a month, Chi Liang's right index finger has recovered most of it, and it has not had much impact on training.

Of course, the premise is that the training volume is not too large, otherwise there is a possibility of aggravation or even recurrence.

Even if there is no trainer, Chi Liang's training has not been affected much, that is, there is no one to assist in training.

Without the assistance of a trainer, Chi Liang can only focus on training shooting, layups and exercise equipment, and at the same time, he also wants to get into training as soon as possible, and will participate in the Olajuwon training camp in a few days.

This offseason, Ji Liang's goal is very clear, hoping to further improve his shooting percentage while mastering more offensive skills.

The reason for participating in Olajuwon's training camp is nothing more than to enhance the ability to score under the basket, especially the inside footwork and back-to-back singles skills.

It is also for this reason that Chi Liang also wants to further strengthen his strength and enhance his physical confrontation ability, so that he can better strengthen his advantages.