Chapter 369 [The Strongest Team in History!] (Ending)

At the end of the 2010-2011 season, the Bobcats won three consecutive championships, but the players were not happy and all of them were unemployed.

The NBA is in danger of being shut down.

David Stern has pushed for both sides to accept the "hard wage cap" clause after talks resumed. The league said the move was to save salaries. In the same month, it was also reported that the management wanted to significantly reduce the salary of players and the maximum length of the contract in the new collective bargaining clause negotiations, including cutting the current collective bargaining clause in which the player's income does not exceed 57% of basketball-related income to no more than 45%, which means that the average salary of players will fall by about 21%. In this regard, the president of the players' union, Los Angeles Lakers guard Derrick Fisher, said that it was unacceptable. Negotiations between the two sides broke out unhappily.

The two sides negotiated in New York for about two and a half hours, and finally the two sides officially confirmed that they could not reach an agreement. According to the regulations, the league will be officially shut down starting July 1 EST.

When the league shut down in 1998-1999, there were only 50 games left in the regular season, and everything from player wages to the advertisements they endorsed was affected, resulting in a loss of $600 million. On top of that, many players don't stay in shape well when they don't have the ball to play, which eventually leads to a dip in form at the start of the season and eventually leaves the NBA. The second is the team. Their main source of income is ticket and sponsorship and local broadcasts, and the loss of 32 games has affected all three. The resulting frustration with the team, which led to a drop in stadium attendance, was also a legacy of the shutdown. Finally, there is the alliance. As the main body of NBA operations, including TV broadcasts, sponsors, franchise products and other aspects of revenue have been affected, and the league ultimately lost as much as $1.5 billion.

And the shutdown that the league is likely to experience today will be far more harmful than the 1998-1999 season. This is a lose-lose situation for both employers and employees. This comes after NBA commissioner David Stern announced that the league has earned as much as $4 billion this season, and if it is shut down next season, the league will lose at least $4 billion. At the same time, the negative impact will be incalculable.

Many of the players have said they will play overseas if they eventually stop playing. However, for most players, playing overseas is far less influential and less rewarding than playing in the NBA. Except for some big-name players such as Hayes and James, who have a market for overseas players, other players may face a situation where they will not be able to play or take a significant pay cut.

If you want to keep swinging, a pay cut is a must. Many NBA owners expressed dissatisfaction: "Why is the team playing so badly, and xx's salary is higher than Hayes's?" ”

Because of his short time in the league, Hayes's salary is indeed lower than that of other top-paid players, for example, Kobe's salary in the new season is nearly twice as high as Hayes's. The strength is not as good as Hayes, which will inevitably make people feel uncomfortable.

In the end, the two sides compromised. The new season has not shrunk either.

Players agreed to set the hard salary cap at 48 percent of basketball-related revenue, down 9 percentage points. By this calculation, if the league were to earn $4 billion a year and players get a share of it, each team would face a $64 million salary cap.

The NBA league will adopt a local revenue share model similar to that of the baseball league.

The main reason the players eventually compromised was that the public did not have much sympathy for NBA players, who had guaranteed contracts and earned two to three times as much as football players.

This year, Durant's contract expired together with Landry, and the Bobcats kept Durant with a high salary of 48 million for five years. Although other teams offered higher contracts, Durant, who has become an All-Star, stayed with the Bobcats out of loyalty to the Bobcats.

Landry signed with the Kings on a mid-level contract.

Hayes also jumped out of his contract, but instead of a transfer, he took a pay cut to re-sign with Bobcats. Otherwise, it will not be easy for the Bobcats to keep Lopez and Gasol next year, and the Bobcats will also welcome a big man, that is, Yao Ming, who will become a free agent.

In addition to playing in the NBA, Yao Ming also has to participate in national team competitions. Because of overwork, he suffered injuries for two consecutive years, and his form declined seriously, and he could only score 13.2 points and 7.2 rebounds last season. He turned down the Hawks' contract extension, joined the Bobcats as a full-time mid-range, and made a statement that he was willing to play with the Bobcats until he retired. Yao Ming's arrival has turned the Bobcats into China's home team, which is what Chinese fans want to see the most.

Hayes didn't have the ability to be a prophet, and he never picked a good rookie for the Bobcats, but it didn't matter. Because the Bobcats don't need a draft. After three consecutive championships, the success of Grant Hill and Jason Kidd attracted more powerful veterans who wanted to hug the Bobcat's thigh and win the championship. However, if you want to join the Bobcats, you still have to queue up, and the strength of the Bobcats' 15 people is not bad, and there is no vacancy at all. Even Dorrell Wright, the most marginal player who was traded for the Heat that year, also ushered in a big explosion last season.

The Bobcats have always been competitive for the championship.

In the 2011-2012 season, the Bobcats swept the Heat 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals, and then defeated the Mavericks 4-1 in the Finals to successfully defend the title.

In the summer of 2012, Derrick Rose's rookie contract expired and he opted to move to the Bulls. The Big Three of the Heat Team also broke up in depression. Their combination proves only one thing, that it is impossible to beat the Bobcats in team basketball with star play. James is said by experts to be the most overrated star, and he has not tasted a win against Hayes in several years, whether it is the Cavaliers or the Heat. His stats are better than Hayes' every year, but he hasn't won an MVP other than the All-Star Game.

When James first debuted, it was expected that he could surpass Jordan, and now he has surpassed Malone and Stockton to become the unluckiest superstar in NBA history. Wade already had a ring in 2006, and James is likely to retire empty-handed.

How long can the Bobcat Dynasty last?

Jason Kidd retired with two championship rings and contented. Chauncey Billups signed with the Bobcats at a veteran base salary when his contract expired. Every year, there is a group of veterans who want to join the Bobcats with a low salary, and the Bobcats do not need to be drafted or pay luxury tax to ensure the integrity of the roster and the strength to impact the championship. It's an honor to be a part of the Bobcats.

Five consecutive championships, six consecutive championships, until ten consecutive championships...... Due to the aging of the players, the Bobcats' regular season record began to decline, and they began to decline to third, but they still used their experience to reach the finals and won the championship with a 4-2 victory over the Mavericks in the finals.

The Bobcats have met the Mavericks six times in the finals. No matter what star the Mavericks buy or how much effort they put in, it is the Bobcats who win every time.

A lot of big things happened in 2018.

Mark Cuban sells the calf. At the press conference, his face was always gloomy. "I've had enough," he said. I used to love basketball and I always tried to hope that my team could win championships. But basketball is full of painful memories. The Mavericks had a chance to win a championship 10 years ago, and that was when I should have done anything to bring Hayes to the Mavericks when he left the Rockets, but I gave up this opportunity to build a dynasty. ”

Because of the financial problems of the original owner Johnson, Michael Jordan was fortunate enough to become the big boss of the Bobcats in 2012. Today, he is named one of the most successful owners in NBA history. It was he who personally persuaded Hayes to join the Bobcats.

Mike D'Antoni and Jeff Van Gundy were awarded Meritorious Coaches. became the best coaching partner in the league.

Kevin Durant averaged 28 points and 5 rebounds per game in the 2018 Finals, completing his transformation from a helper to a superstar in his first Finals MVP. And Roy, who made the Trail Blazers give up on Durant back then, has retired two years ago due to a knee injury.

Brook Lopez has been selected to the All-Star Game multiple times, and who is stronger between him and Kevin Love or Blake Griffin has been a topic of discussion. Looking at the data, those two are stronger, but Lopez has won too many accolades. Since he entered the league, he has been winning championships, known as "Champion Talent".

Durant, Lopez, and Hayes make up the strongest Big Three in NBA history.

In 2018, it was finally time for Chinese giant Yao Ming to retire. His physical condition can no longer keep up with the rhythm of the NBA game, and he signed a contract with Bobcats with a base salary, playing a few minutes per game, and can only score 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds.

At the press conference, when a reporter asked Yao Ming about the retirement of his jersey, Yao Ming laughed.

The reporter asked: "Are you so happy because you have a ring on your hand, you are the undisputed first person in Asian basketball, and you can enter the NBA Hall of Fame in the future?" ”

Yao Ming shook his head and smiled: "Neither." Chuck was the king of the ball, but my jersey was the first to be retired by the Bobcats. It felt like he had robbed him of a first. ”

What's so fun about retiring early? However, for a person of Yao Ming's stature, it is already a miracle that he can play until 2018.

We have to mention Corona Azubuc, who is also very popular with the Bobcats. As Hayes said back then, he's been with the Bobcats. Every season is a substitute and every season can make a difference. By 2018, he had earned the reputation of "god-level dragon set". Of course, this nickname was given by fans later, and the nickname that accompanied him throughout his life was "Xiaotian". (Azubuuk: "Why is it going to end, I'm still so tragic......")

What about Hayes? He's going to play a few more seasons. His stats show no signs of slipping at all. His strength is smaller, his speed is slow, his shooting is still accurate, his passing is still sharp, and he can still easily score a triple-double.

Experts agree that Hayes has a long career ahead of him, as he never relied on superhuman physicality to play. He's the strongest triple-double king in history, and it's only a matter of time before he overtakes "Big O" Robertson.

People have always wondered why Hayes is so good, especially passing, if Hayes can play until the age of 40, the league's total assists record is probably his.

Why Hayes's passing was so good, he knew the answer. His reflexes are faster than others, and unless one day his reflexes slow down and he can't see the movement of his teammates, and his assist ability will decline, then he will consider retiring, otherwise it is not impossible to play until he is 50 years old.

As for the accolades, Hayes has received too many. There are a bunch of trophies in the house. In addition to being a player and singing, he also unexpectedly won an Emmy when he made a cameo appearance in a TV series. His awards will increase in the future, and he already has 11 championship rings, only surpassing Russell.

I remember when I first entered the league, there were always people who liked to find fault with Hayes, because Hayes's stats were not the most beautiful among stars.

Back then, people said Hayes would only rely on his teammates to win. "The game is for five people," Hayes said. ”

After 10 years, the statistics of the stars have decreased, and no team coach will simply arrange the tactics for one person, and the team's tactical play is becoming more and more reasonable. All the people who played basketball started saying, "The game is for five people." ”

Hayes has changed the league.

On this day, Hayes was preparing to take a plane with his two wives, three sons and one daughter to Venice, Italy's "water city" for a vacation. He received a phone call just before the plane took off.

"Chuck, it's me. My contract has expired. How is it that the bobcat is still 15 people? Didn't you say it's better to leave me a spot? ”

"I'm on the plane, let's talk when I get to Venice. There will be a place for you, rest assured" Hayes laughed and hung up.

"Who?" Taylor asked.

"It's LeBron, he wants to hug his thighs......"

[Dedication]