Rebirth of Hayes Cyclone

Chapter 12 [Back to back is tiring, high salary is hard to earn]

Yao Ming was named the best player in the game where the Rockets slaughtered the Mavericks at home.

他今天的发挥堪称完美，上场32分钟，投篮15中11，罚球10中10，32分12篮板4助攻2盖帽。

查克－海耶斯同样有不错的发挥，36分钟，投篮14中8，三分球1中1，罚球5中4，21分7篮板7助攻1抢断。

Alston also performed well, with 11 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists, almost winning a triple-double.

McGrady, another leader of the Rockets, played only 21 minutes and scored 8 points and 3 assists.Fortunately, this does not affect the Rockets to win.

Hayes was in a great mood, the Rockets won, he also got good data, and he didn't lose face in front of Taylor Swift.As soon as the game ended, Taylor Swift waved to him from the stands. Hayes said a few innocuous words to the interviewing reporters, and then bypassed the crowd to chat with Taylor Swift. The reporter took pictures.Hayes' "Affair" was very enviable, and Azubuike couldn't help shaking his head and sighing in his heart, silently protesting why a flower was stuck on Hayes.

After the game, Jeff Van Gundy once again publicly praised Hayes, pointing out that Hayes is one of the most stable players on the Rockets, with only one turnover in two games.What's even more rare is that he has 5 assists in two consecutive games, showing a high basketball IQ and passing skills.And Battier, although his data is not obvious, but he knows what he should do on the court.Without him defending Nowitzki, the Rockets would not have won so easily.

"Big Mouth" Charles Barkley also said in an interview with USB TV after the game: After this game, the NBA player he is most optimistic about now is Chuck Hayes. He believes that Hayes has a solid defense and comprehensive offensive methods. , is the most suitable player to inherit his mantle.What Hayes has to do is to be more ruthless, to strengthen the control of rebounds and the ability to attack in the low post and play back.

Barkley's appreciation is currently the biggest affirmation of Hayes from the outside world.

Hayes sent Taylor Swift home first, took a shower and changed clothes, and soon went out again.The Rockets ushered in the first "back-to-back" game of the season. The Rockets will take a flight to Oklahoma City overnight to challenge the New Orleans Hornets in the same division.

What is "back to back"?
Generally speaking, "back-to-back" means that the team played away games for two consecutive days, and they were in different cities!This competition system is a great test of the team's physical fitness and strength!

Back-to-back battles are synonymous with thorns everywhere for any team; for players, they undoubtedly face sinister repeated challenges.There are more than 400 players in Nuoda NBA, with different emotions, sorrows, sorrows and joys, but what is certain is that no player would like to play back-to-back games, let alone back-to-back away games. This is not a test of victory or defeat, but a test of luck. .No matter how strong a team is, its strength will be greatly reduced if it is exhausted.

In addition to the high intensity of confrontation, the biggest feature of NBA games is that the schedule is very tight.

In order to avoid physical exertion on the road, NBA teams usually fly overnight to their next destination after a game.In the United States, it takes more than an hour to fly from one city to another if it is close, and even more than four hours if it is far away.If there is no chartered plane, it will simply kill the player.Although the Rockets are not as generous as Mavericks boss Cuban, buying a special plane, they are also constantly improving this "supporting service".

It is definitely more comfortable to have a private plane, and the most important thing is convenience.First of all, you don’t have to wait for the plane, you can get on it when you arrive; and you don’t need to check in your luggage, there is a dedicated person in charge, as long as the players go to the boarding gate, someone will ask you if you have any luggage to check in, and you don’t even need to issue a luggage tag, because Everyone has a special rocket luggage tag with their names written on it, which is always hung on the bag.Take turns throwing things up and you're done.

After playing the Hornets, the Rockets can only rest for one day. They will rush to Memphis to fight the Grizzlies on November 11, and they will play back-to-back against the Eastern Bucks on November 8.Playing three away games in four days is a devil's schedule.

Hayes sat with Yao Ming after getting on the plane.In the Rockets, he still has the most common language with "Chinese fellows".Even though his skin is black, he is mostly Chinese at heart.

The Rockets plane originally had about 150 seats. In order to allow the players to get a better rest, it was later modified to only have about 40 seats left.Except for the cab, the cabin is divided into three parts.The front part is the athlete's seat, which is as comfortable and spacious as a first-class seat. Players can fall asleep as soon as they get on the plane until the plane lands.The middle part belongs to the coaching staff, and the rear part is the area for other staff members.

RVs are popular in the United States, and Hayes feels that the rocket's special plane is a bit similar to a "room machine".Because they are often in a hurry on the road, the problem of eating is naturally often solved on the plane.

Eating wasn't so great, at least for Yao Ming and Hayes.Because there will be no Chinese food on the plane.Don't think that it is a charter flight, and there are special services.Ordinary flights do not depend on whether it is the time for three meals, and they will have a better meal when the time comes, and the rest of the time will pass away.After each game, it is midnight, and there is no special recipe, and the only thing you can eat is hamburgers.

"We'll be there in a while, so don't sleep today. I have something to discuss with you." Yao Ming adjusted the chair to the most comfortable position, lying on his back with a smile like an old man.

Hayes also lay down and said with a smile, "What game experience do you want to talk about?"

"Haha, I recently discovered that NBA2006 is very interesting, and I want to find time to compete with you. I found you in free agency." Yao Ming laughed.

Hayes was speechless for a while, he knew that game, in which he was designed to be extremely weak, and it was very difficult to score a goal.

Both of them spoke in Chinese.Besides playing basketball, another hobby of Yao Ming is playing video games. No matter where he goes, a PS game console is a must.Hayes also has a childlike innocence. When the flight distance is approaching, the two often chat for a while about the experience of the game. Before they know it, they arrive at the place, and they can start to compete after entering the hotel.

After the "big storm" Katrina ravaged, the city of New Orleans was flooded. When the new season started in the fall of 2005, it was impossible for the Hornets to play their home games in the Crescent City (another name for New Orleans).That year, the Hornets and the NBA jointly announced that the team would temporarily relocate to Oklahoma City and use it as their home court for most of the time thereafter.

Oklahoma is the capital of Oklahoma, located in central Oklahoma, the metropolitan area includes six counties, an area of ​​1575.2 square kilometers, ranking 29th in the United States.

The education in Oklahoma City is relatively developed. There are 82 public middle schools, 38 private and parish-affiliated schools, 21 colleges and universities, and 9 vocational training and technical schools. More than 50 percent of Oklahoma City residents are college educated.The city's economy is dominated by agriculture, construction, healthcare, manufacturing, and mining.The arable land is about 666,300 hectares, and there are more than 32.4 farming households.The average age of the population is 26883 years old, and the average household income is $[-].

Oklahoma City has a pleasant environment and is the most populous city in the state, which is very suitable for the development of NBA teams.In 2008, the Seattle SuperSonics moved their home court to the city and changed their name to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

After getting off the plane, the Rockets stayed at the hotel and had a rest overnight.On the second day, I went to the local Ford Center Arena to do adaptive training.

Hayes is not used to this kind of tense flying competition.He slept late and didn't even eat breakfast. The next day he still felt very tired and had no appetite.He couldn't help lamenting how difficult it is to mix in the NBA, that is, only black people can maintain a good competitive state if they are in good health and as strong as a cow.

The game against the Hornets is only the first of the Rockets' three back-to-back games in November. For the team, physical fitness will accept a small test.Especially Yao Ming who just scored 11 points in a single game. He is tall and consumes the most.

A team must play at least 82 games per season. What kind of exercise intensity is this?If it weren't for the support of the high salaries of the US imperialists, I am afraid that the thinking of many local players would have deserted.

This is indeed the case, no one can have too much money.

Hayes is no exception. When he was just reborn, he thought that $66 was already a considerable fortune.In order to keep a basic salary of 66, he is willing to throw his head and blood for the team.After knowing the salary level of the NBA and playing a few good games, he began to feel dissatisfied with the basic salary of 66.In the whole team, only Novak and Azubuike have lower salaries than him. He feels that as a starter, his performance should be worthy of a higher salary, at least he is also a middle class.

Hayes chatted with Jeff Van Gundy about it.Van Gundy is a good friend. He revealed to Hayes that the Rockets executives may ask him to discuss contract renewal in advance at any time, and found a relatively complete 2005-2011 new labor clause for Hayes to read, saying that it would help him understand. In the embarrassing position you are in, make a good plan for the future.

In addition, Jeff Van Gundy also put forward his own views: "No matter what plan they propose, I suggest that you don't need to renew your contract in advance, and wait until the end of the season to talk about it. If the Rockets get good results, you play again. Gorgeous data, you can be in a favorable position in the negotiation."

"Didn't you say that the boss would not be willing to pay the luxury tax?" Hayes also thought about delaying until the end of the season. He didn't want to leave the Rockets, but it was difficult for the Rockets to renew his contract with a high salary.

"Don't worry about this. When the time is right, I'll give some harsh words to the uniform team. What you have to do is to play well, show results, and increase your persuasiveness." Jeff Van Gundy said with a serious expression: "I I also hoped that you could renew your contract with a lower salary, but now I figured it out, since we are friends, I shouldn’t speak for the Rockets leadership and let my friend suffer financially. Yao Ming’s China has a lot of influence, and they earned so much Too much, it’s time to spit it out.”

"I will try my best to fight, what are you going to say?" Hayes asked.

Jeff Van Gundy thought for a while, then said in a deep voice, "I'll just say...he's leaving, I won't stay."

"Oh hoho...you remind me of a person named Hei Nan." Hearing these words, Hayes was so moved that he almost wanted to make a blood alliance with Van Gundy and sworn brothers.

"Well, a high salary is not so easy to earn. Anyway, I think it will be difficult for you to stay in the Rockets and get a high salary." Jeff Van Gundy said with a sigh.

There are indeed players with high salaries and low abilities in the NBA, but such players are only a minority after all. Many NBA team owners prefer to find ways to squeeze the salaries of role players.

This is the main contradiction in the NBA league, which has always existed and has intensified. In the summer of 1998, arduous labor negotiations between the players union and team owners culminated in a general strike that nearly ruined the NBA.

Team owners believe that player salaries are so high that teams are paying more than they earn.Therefore, the team owner asked to re-sign the contract and set up a "hard salary cap", that is, to limit the salary of the players and reduce the salary in disguise.

For their own benefit, the players refused to sign the new agreement, so the team owners announced the closure of the stadium.The players took the team owner to court, demanding that the team owner still have to pay the players during the closure.But the judge's final penalty was in favor of the bosses.

On October 1998, 10, the owners decided to cancel all preseason games, and three days later, the first two weeks of the regular season were called off.

On December 12, league commissioner Stern announced that the entire season might be canceled.

Until January 1999, 1, the union proposed the final contract.Two days later, the owners accepted the players union's offer.The crisis was resolved only one day before the NBA voted on whether to announce the cancellation of the entire season.That season, each team played only 4 regular-season games, known as the shrinking season.Since then, the NBA has struggled at the box office and on television, taking a long time to recover.

Players want the time of signing to be extended, and owners must want the contract to be shorter.The alliance has to choose a compromise, so the labor agreement has always been an agreement that both labor and management are not satisfied with.

As the saying goes: Man dies for money, bird dies for food.This is especially true in the United States.

The root of the conflict between the NBA's labor and management is still the issue of money.The players union and team owners are striving to maximize their own interests, and they all want to get some benefits from the new agreement.And so disputes arose.

For example, under the old agreement, when a player signed a contract with the team, the longest contract would be seven years.Such players include Kobe, the Lakers signed Kobe for 7 years at a high price of 7 million U.S. dollars, and Garnett, when the Timberwolves signed him at a high price of 1.36 million U.S. dollars for 6 years.Top players are signed for so many years, and ordinary players also have the right to sign long-term contracts.

In this way, the team owner has to prepare the salary for the players they sign, and the long-term contract, the biggest danger is that the player is injured midway, the most obvious example is Grant Hill, who was suspended for several seasons, but the team suffered Limited by long-term contracts, he had to continue to pay high salaries.This is why players like long-term contracts: it is equivalent to buying insurance.

There are many aspects involved in labor clauses, and Hayes only looked for the part he was interested in, that is, the clauses above the middle class and took a closer look.

The first is the most famous restriction clause "salary cap".

The annual "salary cap" is based on the NBA's total income in the previous year, and then 48% of this total income is taken as the total salary of the NBA team.Then take this 48% of the total income and divide it by the total number of 30 NBA teams, and the average number obtained is the "salary cap" of the year. The total salary spent by the team on the players must not exceed this figure.

However, there are plenty of teams whose total salary exceeds the salary cap and are not fined by the luxury tax. The luxury tax means that any team whose total salary exceeds 55% of the previous year's total league revenue, then the excess part is You have to pay 100% of the luxury tax penalty. For example, if this year’s salary cap is 4800 million US dollars, then the luxury tax is 5500 million US dollars, and only the part that exceeds this needs to be paid.

Why do players with the same top salary have a big difference in income?

The key is that whether it is the salary cap or the luxury tax, it refers to the player's income in the year when he signs the contract.That's the famous Larry Bird exception, which applies to "qualified veteran free agents."

If you play for the same team for three consecutive years, and you become a free agent after three years, then you are a "qualified veteran player", and the NBA allows your home team to give you the maximum contract, and the salary can be On the original basis, it rose by 12.5%, while those who did not meet this condition could only rise by 10%.Even if your increase makes the team's total salary exceed the salary cap, it is allowed by the rules, but it cannot exceed the requirements of the luxury tax.In addition, the maximum number of years for signing a contract can also be raised from the usual 5 years to 6 years.

In other words, the salaries of long-term contract players are increasing every year, and the increase is not subject to any restrictions, so many big-name players can get big contracts for 5-6 years.

Unfortunately for Hayes, he only played two years with the Rockets and does not qualify for the Larry Bird exception.In addition, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming have already received maximum salary contracts in the Rockets. If he renews his contract with a higher salary, it will definitely exceed the requirements of the luxury tax.

This is why when the Lakers formed the "F4", Karl Malone only got 100 million. It would not be a good thing if there were too many players in the team with a maximum salary, because other role players would get less money, or their level would be worse, unless like The owners in New York or Dallas are so generous they would be fined.

The middle class stipulated in the new agreement is 500 million US dollars, and each season thereafter increases by 8% of the previous season.

Hayes just took a few glances. A person's ambition will expand with the growth of his strength. Now he is a little bit contemptuous of middle-class contracts.He is going to play the game with all his strength first, and then make further plans after the season is over, mainly to avoid injuries.

As Jeff Van Gundy said, the high salaries of American imperialism are hard to come by.

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A friend in the book review commented: "Don't describe the game in a narrative way, readers will have no passion and no sense of substitution after seeing it!"

This is a good comment, and it came on time.I would like to express my sincere thanks to this friend!

I found that in terms of describing the game, there are indeed many shortcomings.Therefore, I will try my best to improve my writing style in the next chapters, and strive to make everyone read it more refreshingly and passionately.In order to change the way of writing, the update speed may be a little slower, I hope everyone understands.

I may also find time to go back and correct some of the previous mistakes. I hope everyone will not misunderstand that I am cheating clicks.

Please continue to support!

(End of this chapter)