After dinner, Chen Yu didn’t leave.
They still hadn’t discussed business.
The women gathered together to gossip, while Chen Yu watched the game in the living room with the Kolangelo father-and-son duo.
Today, the Phoenix Suns were on the road challenging the Heat.
"This TJ Ford is pretty fast," Brian muttered.
Ford had returned to the team and made his comeback around the same time as Wade, after undergoing a single-door laminoplasty.
He first returned in the last game against the Spurs, getting 8 points and 5 assists. In this game, Big Van Gundy couldn’t wait to have him start in place of Alston.
Chen Yu nodded silently.
Just now, facing Hardaway, TJ Ford had suddenly accelerated while dribbling down the court and just blew right past him.
That first step was just too fast!
Chen Yu had noticed it back at the potential training camp. He was the type of player who didn’t need a complex crossover; he could just power past you with pure speed. Visually, he seemed a lot faster than even Iverson.
And his feel for the ball was unbelievably good, allowing him to pull off all sorts of incredible moves while breaking through at high speed.
He was daring, too. His playstyle was particularly flashy and unpredictable.
Most importantly, he wasn’t some reckless hothead who just blindly charged ahead. As a point guard, he never forgot his main job; even when pushing the ball at high speed, he would keep an eye on his teammates’ positions.
On the television, after getting past Hardaway, TJ Ford leaped high into the air, hanging for as long as he could. He waited until O’Neal was already coming down before tossing the ball up for a bank shot.
"His style of play is too hard on his body. I’ve already warned him about it, but I don’t know if he listened," Chen Yu said.
Don’t be fooled by his height. His listed height is 183 cm, but his real height is barely 180 cm. Still, his vertical is terrifyingly high.
Back at the potential training camp, Chen Yu had personally witnessed him pull off a 720-degree spin dunk during a scrimmage that was so spectacular it made your scalp tingle.
He could get level with the rim with a casual jump.
That kind of explosiveness and speed could be considered historic.
But his injury history was a huge risk, even after the surgery.
That was why Chen Yu had once advised him to change his playstyle, drive to the basket less, and add a mid-range shot.
The kid would beat his man at the high post and then just barrel toward the basket.
But if he chose not to drive, he could easily opt for a pull-up jumper. It would achieve a similar result and be incredibly helpful for extending his career.
Charging in like that all the time, an accident was bound to happen sooner or later.
Besides, his shooting had never been good; he really needed to work on it.
A player in the NBA who can only drive is destined to not go far.
Brian nodded in agreement, then sighed. "Anfernee is starting to slow down, too."
’No kidding,’ Chen Yu thought.
Hardaway was already past his 32nd birthday; he wasn’t young anymore.
As someone who once had one of the best first steps in the league, he definitely wouldn’t have been beaten so cleanly if he were in his twenties.
Fortunately, with Chen Yu looking out for him, his speed hadn’t declined too drastically. Plus, his experience and skills were at their peak, and often, experience was enough.
The first quarter ended with the Phoenix Suns leading 29 to 22, a 7-point lead.
No matter how fierce TJ Ford was, the Heat and the Phoenix Suns were not on the same level.
The camera cut back to the studio.
The TNT trio always had the attitude of enjoying a good show and not minding a bit of drama. It didn’t take them two sentences to turn the topic to Ma Long.
Barkley said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I heard that when a reporter interviewed Stockton, Stockton said he didn’t believe Ma Long would do something like that. Then I called Rodman, and he told me he didn’t believe Ma Long would do something like that either."
"So you all can stop talking about it. I don’t believe Ma Long would do something like that either. He definitely didn’t do it."
Kenny Smith, playing the straight man, widened his eyes and retorted, "If Ma Long didn’t do it, then who did?"
Barkley slammed the table and yelled, "Who knows? Anyway, it wasn’t me!"
His expression was exaggerated to the extreme, leaving the three of them—Chen Yu included—silent in front of the television.
Because after the incident came to light, that was exactly how Ma Long had responded to reporters, flatly denying it with the words, ’Anyway, it wasn’t me.’
"Chen, what are your thoughts on this matter?" Old Kolangelo asked, rubbing his temples.
They were finally getting to business.
Chen Yu glanced at the two of them, then said, "If it were up to me, I’d kick him off the team. Buy out Ma Long’s contract directly. As for that female intern named Hunter, let the legal department handle her. Oh, and the person who fired her should be fired too."
Discussing who seduced whom was pointless now.
But it takes two to tango. The fact that this Terry Hunt was able to quickly leak the story to the media and then file a lawsuit after the incident clearly meant she wasn’t blameless either.
Paying five million isn’t realistic. Just let the team’s legal department handle the specifics.
The main issue was Ma Long. In Chen Yu’s opinion, they should just buy out his contract and fire him, end of story.
Brian was taken aback and quickly said, "Chen, isn’t firing him a bit of an overreaction?"
Among these NBA players, not being able to keep it in their pants wasn’t an isolated incident; it was just far too common.
Chen Yu ignored him and looked at Old Kolangelo.
Old Kolangelo pondered for a moment before saying, "Chen, Ma Long is a great help to the team. And as a team, if a player gets into trouble, isn’t it a bit much to fire him immediately?"
So far this season, Ma Long had been leading the bench unit, averaging 7.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 11 minutes of playing time. His performance was still quite good.
And his main contribution was on the defensive end.
Sabonis was getting older and had grown a bit complacent after winning the championship, especially on defense, where he’d slipped quite a bit. The bench unit’s interior defense needed Ma Long to anchor it.
After firing Ma Long, it wouldn’t be easy to find another veteran on the market who was so cheap and could still play.
"Chen, I know you’re angry, and he was definitely in the wrong. But we’re at a critical stage in our push for a three-peat. I still think we should prioritize team stability with that goal in mind. Let’s just have him issue a public apology, then suspend him internally. I imagine the league will hand down a punishment as well. For him, that should be a profound lesson."
Chen Yu frowned. ’He already accepted a minimum salary; would he really care about the losses from a suspension?’
What kind of lesson would he learn from a simple apology?
And it was better not to mention the league. Now that it had been brought up, Chen Yu had something to say.
"Jerry, this situation is very bad. And did you know, David is planning to introduce a rule to shape a more positive image for the league? So the league’s punishment might be heavier than you think."
Chen Yu had turned down the position of league vice president, but he still had channels to hear about the goings-on in the New York Headquarters office.
For example, Chen Yu knew that Stern was mulling over a ban, wanting to regulate player attire.
Big gold chains, loud floral shirts... they’d sit on the sidelines, and anyone who didn’t know better would think they were street thugs.
And it was all on national television. It looked terrible.
Speaking of which, the fundamental reason Stern had come up with this idea was the gradual decline in NBA ratings. More and more people were unwilling to buy tickets to watch the games in person.
A prison team like the Pioneer had long been a thorn in Stern’s side.
"What rule?" Brian’s eyes lit up as he asked eagerly.
He was always curious about the league gossip that came from Chen Yu.
A duck is the first to know when the river water warms in spring. Chen Yu’s word was a weathervane for the league’s direction, so he could prepare in advance.
Chen Yu paid him no mind, looking directly at Old Kolangelo and continuing, "Jerry, like you said, we’re gunning for a three-peat. But Brian should know that after we defended our title in the Summer, a lot of players have become complacent. The Ma Long incident is a wake-up call."
"I think we need to use this Ma Long business to remind the other players that now is not the time to get complacent and relax."
Sabonis wasn’t the only one who had gotten complacent.
Chen Yu left the team, and Nelson left with him.
Greg Davis stepped up, a new Trainer was hired, and Chen Yu also brought in Thomas Carter as the new team doctor.
But Davis had complained to Chen Yu before, saying this group of players wasn’t training hard enough.
The whole team was filled with an attitude that they were number one in the league, with a stacked roster, unbeatable, and could win the championship just by coasting.
If that wasn’t the case, would Ma Long have had the spare energy to go chasing skirts?
Think back to the first year with Ewing and Olajuwon. To make a run at the championship, they trained like their lives depended on it, maintained their condition, and were completely united. They had no energy to worry about other things.
And now? Marion, after signing his big contract, was buying one sports car after another.
O’Neal was also frequently taking leave, skipping training to go to San Francisco and New York to buy real estate and discuss business investments.
His mind was also not entirely on the game.
This was all understandable. After all, you can’t stop people from spending and making money. But they hadn’t even won the three-peat yet, and they were acting as if they already had the championship in the bag.
The waves in the league this year were not small.
The Lakers were working hard to catch up, the Spurs were still strong and preparing to make a comeback, and the King and Mavericks were certainly not content to be quiet.
On top of that, there were up-and-coming forces like the Nuggets and Grizzlies.
And over in the East, the Pistons had also come from behind and were now consistently ahead of the Magic in the Eastern conference standings.
The Pacer and the Wasp were no pushovers either.
With ill winds blowing from all directions, if the Phoenix Suns couldn’t unite as one, they might really capsize.
Old Kolangelo was starting to be persuaded. He looked at his son. "Brian, is the team really like Chen described?"
A flash of embarrassment crossed Brian’s face. "Well, it’s not as serious as Chen makes it sound."
He thought things were fine.
Anyway, they were second in the West, only one game behind the Spurs.
Old Kolangelo knew his son so well that as soon as he heard him say that, he understood the situation was definitely more serious than he had imagined.
Having been a general manager for so many years, he knew very well what would happen if the players’ minds weren’t on the game.
Besides, a team getting complacent after winning a championship was hardly an isolated case.
That’s why defending a title is hard, and a three-peat is even harder.
The Phoenix Suns had managed to stay competitive precisely because they continuously brought in veterans hungry for a championship, keeping everyone united.
"Firing him is no small matter. Let’s discuss it further. But before that, have him issue a public apology first, and then find that intern and see if we can calm this thing down."
After speaking, Old Kolangelo looked at Chen Yu.
Chen Yu wasn’t like other minority owners. He had great prestige within the team and was highly involved in its daily affairs. Therefore, Chen Yu had a certain amount of management authority, and Old Kolangelo couldn’t ignore his opinion.
Chen Yu sighed, knowing that Old Kolangelo was reluctant to let Ma Long go.
After some thought, Chen Yu nodded.
Old Kolangelo was the real boss, after all, and Chen Yu didn’t want to sour their relationship over a scumbag like Ma Long.
But Chen Yu still hadn’t expected the severe consequences that this incident would later cause.

Comments

Loading...