On July 1, 1999, the NBA's free market officially opened.
Affected by the shortened season, the settlement time at the beginning of the month in previous years was also extended.
Throughout July, teams could only sign rookies and release players, and no trades could be made.
However, on the day of the draft, the Magic sent away Horace Grant, which had already made many sports media see some clues:
"The Magic is going to rebuild? Will Anfernee Hardaway be traded?"
In the 1998-1999 season, Anfernee Hardaway played a total of 50 games, which was very rare without any injuries, but his statistics declined sharply.
Of course, the commentators could see that Anfernee Hardaway was no longer at his peak, and when they thought of the decision to choose one of the two, they couldn't help but secretly mock the choice of the Magic management.
Although the shark who traveled west to the Lakers was fishing continuously, he still played dominantly.
The title of "the strongest inside player in the league" is not nonsense!
Lee got the news earlier than others.
The Nike got the news that Anfernee Hardaway was no longer in the Magic's plan.
Mark Parker was going to be promoted again.
The general manager of Nike would become the vice president of global footwear in a while.
Lee just became a member of Shinnick Hills Golf Club last year on Bloomberg's recommendation.
After paying a hefty membership fee, he only came once.
Located on Long Island in Southampton, New York, the course design is a model of links style.
As one of the oldest golf clubs in the United States, in addition to hosting open tournaments, it is also an important social venue most of the time.
In addition to Mark Parker, there were Ann Miller from Sullivan Law Firm, Catherine Benko from Deloitte, and people from JPMorgan Chase.
This was considered a gathering of executives.
Several ladies were chatting and laughing about life gossip.
After Mark Parker swung his club continuously, he talked to Lee about the internal situation of the hook:
"Sports stars and pop singers are somewhat similar. The former may go downhill because of an injury, and the latter may become outdated after a few songs if they can't keep up with the trend of the times."
"Lee, pay attention to injuries. Anfernee Hardaway failed to achieve the expected goals, and the subsequent series of publicity resources will be reduced."
Anfernee Hardaway's resources were eaten up by Lee, and the second brother of the Nike was completely changed.
Although his golf skills are terrible, Lee always wears extremely professional clothes when playing golf, white T-shirt, light gray trousers, and standard swing movements, but the balls he hits are not good to look at.
"Will his signature shoes be changed next year? I think the new technology is very good!"
Lee's signature shoes are currently the only one among all the stars on the Nike side that uses "spray" and "bubble" technology.
Hearing Lee's inquiry, Mark Parker nodded.
This is also the reason why Hardaway is not liked internally.
The first generation of signature shoes obviously sold very well, but the changes became worse and worse.
Sneakers can indeed bring safety, but it is simply a daydream to expect a pair of shoes to avoid injuries.
Everyone gathered together not to discuss business cooperation, but mostly talked about life.
After noticing Lee's investment and more than two years of observation, Lee, who did not take the "nouveau riche" route, also became a "high-quality customer."
Mark Bartelstein winked at Lee, indicating that this gathering was a good harvest.
Blue sky, white clouds, green grass, Lee no longer talked about work, and simply gossiped with everyone.
After becoming famous, black stars have to support a lot of "partners", and when encountering some social events, they have to pay attention to the correct skin color and strive to speak for the black community.
Michael Jordan did not do well in this regard.
He was also very low-key after retiring.
When he participated in the show, he mostly introduced his life.
As a new generation of stars, the 96th class has officially stepped onto the big stage.
Allen Iverson experienced the playoffs this year, and Kobe Bryant has become the core of the Lakers' perimeter.
Although the achievements of the two are far behind Lee, as they finished their rookie period, they received the same maximum salary contract.
Charles Barkley suffered a big loss last season, losing more than half of his US dollars and not winning the championship.
The new players who have bird rights this offseason are about to sign big contracts.
Perhaps thinking of his own bumpy career, "The Bread Truck" complained about the treatment of young players when participating in the TNT program:
"I don't understand the current league. Young players who have not achieved any achievements can also sign contracts worth tens of millions or hundreds of millions?"
"This was unimaginable in the past. How much money did we make back then?"
"There are no results, but sponsors are chasing to give money. I don't think this is a good thing!"
Barkley said a lot in the studio, and it can be summarized as:
"Most young players don't deserve a maximum salary!"
Hosts Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith both held back their laughter, and nodded on the surface, but suddenly changed the subject:
"Charles, do you want to play with Lee? Maybe this way you can win a championship!"
As soon as Kenny Smith finished speaking, Barkley immediately denied it loudly:
"No, I don't like the Knicks! I don't want to play with Lee either. I will win the championship!"
Ernie Johnson took over the conversation with a smile at this time, and the director also played the Rockets' recruitment advertisement by the way:
"Charles, maybe the Rockets don't think so. You should take a look at this!"
Some are road advertisements, and some are city murals.
Cartoon images of Lee, Barkley, and Olajuwon appear on them.
Lee is in the middle, with two veterans on both sides.
Behind him is a cartoon image of the Rockets taking off.
There is also a line of text below:
"Hey! Lee, Houston always welcomes you!"
Barkley was stunned, and then he almost exploded.
Obviously, the Rockets didn't take him seriously and didn't tell him about this.
Kenny Smith, the former championship point guard of the Rockets, grinned at this time:
"Charles, although I think Lee will definitely stay in New York, if you form a team, maybe you can really win a championship!"
"."
Barkley, who was slapped in the face, almost called the Rockets on the spot.
Did they consider his feelings?
"Lee is indeed worthy of a maximum salary, or rather, the new labor agreement limits his salary!"
"But I don't think other rookie players are qualified to get big contracts. Only by making a name for themselves can they make money. That's my opinion!"
Barkley simply changed the subject and automatically ignored the Rockets' recruitment.
The treatment of the outdated star made him feel a little sad.
The two people on the side stopped teasing Barkley and got back to the point:
"If the parent team cannot provide a satisfactory contract, there will always be other teams that offer a maximum salary."
"Charles, times have changed, and renewal is inevitable. Players will age, and now is the era of the young!"
Kenny Smith's sigh made Barkley on the side shake his head.
Barkley still insists on his old fashioned views.
He does not believe in "the future is promising" at all.
Ernie Johnson has received a reminder that many fans have arranged advertisements.
For a while, he could only sigh:
"After two consecutive years of dominance in the playoffs, I think many teams will recruit Lee."
"No one will refuse a young MVP. Of course, I also want to see Lee stay with the Knicks!"
Philadelphia also joined in the fun of recruiting free agents, and simply put up a poster with Lee and Iverson standing back to back:
"The strongest backcourt in the league!"
Milwaukee did not consider the feelings of Cassell, who joined the team, and a cartoon poster of Clay Lee, Ray Allen, and Glenn Robinson appeared on the roadside:
"The strongest trio in the league!"
The Mavericks, who selected Wang Zhizhi in the draft this year, did not forget to show their presence.
On the huge highway advertisement, they put up an image of Lee wearing a cowboy hat:
"The cowboy will rise completely!"
Soon this activity spread to all teams.
Regardless of whether they could sign a contract, they had to take advantage of the hot spot.
The Spurs, Lakers, Bulls, and Pacers in the league did not join in the fun.
These days, people pay attention to old rivals, and brotherly basketball is not popular.
Defeated opponents want to fight back.
The Knicks replaced the posters of Clay Lee and Willis Reed outside the arena early:
"Inheritance! King of New York!"
Although teams cannot trade in July, the recruitment ceremony must keep up.
The Magic's new head coach, Doc Rivers, also brought his staff to New York to visit Lee.
Perhaps he also wanted to hang up, so Rivers gave him chicken soup.
As a rookie coach, Rivers can only show his sincerity.
Whether it's acting or doing it for the management, in short, the future chicken soup master has indeed shown a thirst for talent.
Returning to his Manhattan apartment on the evening of the 3rd, Mark Bartelstein shook his head and said with emotion:
"This guy will definitely succeed. Many players like such a head coach!"
Rivers' thick chicken soup at dinner was impressive.
Although it was not attractive to Lee, for those grassroots players who are eager to make a name for themselves in the NBA, chicken soup is the best catalyst.
Lee suddenly remembered that Rivers seemed to have won the league's best coach award next season, and joked for a while:
"Maybe Ray is suitable to play under his coaching. George Karl doesn't seem to be easy to get along with."
The situation within the Bucks is not very good.
Glenn Robinson is not a self-disciplined player, and George Karl is not a pure chicken soup coach.
Although Ray Allen has gained a core position in the Bucks, he still feels uncomfortable.
Mark Bartelstein, who has been busy negotiating contracts for the two these days, shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly:
"This is the difference between you and Ray. Only by controlling the locker room can you play better. After all, basketball is for five people."
"I have always suggested that he leave Milwaukee and go to a team that really wants to win the championship. He needs to be not only a tactical core, but also a locker room leader."
"Unfortunately, these suggestions were not adopted. The NBA is different from college basketball. There has never been pure basketball here."
"."
On July 5, at the Tarrytown Training Center, Lee met the atmosphere group members signed by the Knicks in this year's draft.
The 29th pick selected Leon Smith, and the big man Todd MacCulloch was selected at the 46th pick.
The Mavericks traded Leon Smith with
Gordan Giriček, the 40th pick, and the 2000 second-round pick.
Since Giricek, the Croatian guard, will not land in the NBA, this year's atmosphere group has been supplemented by one person.
General Manager Grunfeld has been bargaining with the Bulls recently, and the two sides have not been able to reach a complete agreement.
The main disagreement is on the draft pick.
When Sprewell knew that he was going to play for the Bulls, he agreed immediately.
He wanted to rebuild the team, and he would be the boss if he went there. Chicago is also a big city!
The Bulls plan to send Toni Kukoc and Ron Artest away.
The salary of the two alone cannot make up the difference, and the draft pick and some cash must be added.
The opposing general manager Krause tried to use scraps or third-party transactions to complete the deal, but the Knicks firmly disagreed and only wanted the draft pick.
In theory, if Sprewell joins the Bulls, coupled with this year's No. 1 pick Elton Brand, the team's performance will definitely improve; but there are always exceptions.
General Manager Krause is afraid that the player will not be interested, and then continue to play badly, giving the Knicks a high draft pick for nothing.
"This miser, this is an All-Star guard, he's obviously making a lot of money, but he's still trying to negotiate!"
After almost a week of arguing, Grunfeld was a little impatient.
Everyone knew about the deal, and he couldn't help but complain to Lee.
As the Knicks won consecutive championships, Grunfeld's office was also upgraded.
Lee looked at the new sofa and new chairs, turned his head and asked curiously:
"Does the other party want to add a protection clause?"
Grunfeld nodded helplessly, thinking of Krause's stingy face, and said helplessly:
"Top 5 picks, the draft pick will be postponed, shit! There is an All-Star guard on the outside and the No. 1 pick on the inside, and he is actually worried that the Bulls' performance will not improve!"
Sprewell's ability is beyond doubt, and this is recognized by the entire Knicks team.
Even if there is a problem of low efficiency when consuming a large amount of ball rights, most guards in the league are like this.
Lee's efficiency is unique among guards, so Sprewell joining the Bulls is definitely a huge combat power supplement.
Lee didn't have much impression of the 2000 draft.
He only remembered that the Nets selected Kenyon Martin.
In 2001, the player who impressed him the most was Kwame Brown.
He didn't get much useful information, and he didn't know whether this trade was a win or a loss.
Looking through some draft reports, some memories suddenly came to his mind.
He couldn't help but smile.
Lee finally whispered:
"Maybe the other party's worries are reasonable, but after Sprewell joins the Bulls, maybe the results won't improve much."
"There should be a lot of big players in the next two years. I think it may not be a bad thing to postpone the draft pick."
The scouts had already marked out the potential players in recent years.
Grunfeld had been watching for a week, but he still couldn't find a satisfactory big man.
The Knicks need to find the next Ewing, and the team needs a big man!
This is the consensus of the management.
After all, the gorilla is old, and Ben Wallace is too short.
They say they don't care about the Lakers, but everyone knows that Los Angeles may be the biggest opponent in the future.
Grunfeld looked through the scout report again, and frowned after reading it.
There was still no big man he liked.
However, considering Lee's offensive attributes, Grunfeld reluctantly marked a few big men, and finally said jokingly:
"Let's hope that the Bulls will continue to play badly!"
"By the way, Lee! Remember to remind Pat to stay in shape!"
Thinking of the gorilla who went straight to Atlanta to celebrate the party these days, Lee subconsciously supported his forehead:
"Three consecutive championships, Pat will find motivation"
....
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