From today on is the king

Chapter 855 854. Prologue to the Transaction
In Toronto, which is icy and snowy, there are two worlds inside and outside the house. You wear short sleeves inside the house, eat Haagen-Dazs, and the snowplow outside the house is dispatched every hour.

Alonzo Mourning is discussing the future with his agent David Falk. For Mourning, there is still a long way to go in life, but the future of the NBA can already see the tail.

"Alonzo, Pat Riley and Steven Price have all contacted me. They are the most suitable for you and the team most willing to take chips." David Falcao said to Mourning.

After returning from Mourning, the Raptors were open to trading Mourning, allowing other teams to contact Mourning's agent, such as obtaining authoritative materials such as medical reports.

After suffering from kidney disease, comeback, misdiagnosis, confirmed viral kidney failure, and kidney transplantation... After four consecutive years of illness and turmoil, Mourning finally recovered, but his beard has also turned white, and he will only turn 35 years old in February next year. The injury brings more than just being unable to play, the anxiety and sense of despair for the future are the most difficult to bear.

But at any rate, he recovered. In the 8 games after his comeback, Mourning averaged 23 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocks per game in 2.5 minutes of playing time per game.

Mourning asked: "David, do you think it's better for me to go to the Heat or the Eagles?"

"In terms of probability, the Eagles have a better chance of winning the championship. They have two players who can win the MVP." David Falk replied.

"Wow, David, I remember that kid refused to meet with you. Didn't you drop your phone in anger?" Mourning exclaimed, obviously David Falk's answer surprised him.

"Alonzo, you are not an agent. You don't know what business is. That kid knows better than you." David Falk seemed completely indifferent to Liu Mang's refusal to meet with him two years ago.

In the final analysis, this is all business. Now Liu Mang's agency is thriving. There are nearly [-] NBA players under him, which is almost catching up with David Falk's agency.

Back then, David Falk had more than 100 players, and the NBA was almost an "inner league" of David Falk's own agency. However, since the cooperation between Jordan and William Wesley broke David Falk's monopoly, David Falk's influence in the NBA began to collapse. By the 90s, it was no longer a dominant player.

David Falk is now helping Sprewell and Eddie Curry find big contracts, and there are not many teams to give face. Juwan Howard's [-] million yuan contract back then was too impressive.

Building a good relationship with Liu Mang is a good thing for David Falk, who has been a vampire in the NBA for 20 years and is now disgusted by many managements.

"Fortunately, I don't understand. If I thought I knew everything and insisted on staying in the Hornets, I wouldn't have a salary of [-] million to pay for medical treatment when I get sick." Mourning laughed.

"That's why I like you Alonzo the most. You won't interfere in things you don't understand." David Falk also smiled and continued: "In addition to the high probability of winning the championship, there is another factor in choosing the Eagles. The Eagles are not short of money. They are willing to accept the option of trading. Steven Price does not need us to give up the remaining four months of salary. Pat Riley asked me to negotiate a buyout with the Raptors."

"Pat Riley has always been like that, he won't spend an extra penny." Mourning has already guessed the price if he chooses to go to the Heat.

"Then Alonzo, would you rather go to the Hawks or the Heat?" David Falk asked.

"I don't want to be a substitute for O'Neal. Anyone can do it. A 19-year-old can do it, but O'Neal can't." Mourning replied decisively.

"Okay, I'll call Steven Price... wait, I'll answer the call." David Falk just took out his phone when it rang.

David Falk went to the bathroom to make a phone call. Mourning was reading in the living room. After a while, Mourning saw David Falk come out with regret on his face.

"What's the matter, David, what happened?" Mourning asked strangely.

"Oh, Alonzo, it seems that I have to change my suggestion, let's go to the Heat!" David Falk rarely thought about the players.

"Why?" Mourning was even more surprised, "The Eagles don't want to trade me?"

"No," David Falk took out his laptop from his briefcase, opened the mailbox, clicked on it after receiving the email, and turned the screen to Mourning, saying, "The Eagles are too young and unstable. Take a look at this."

Mourning curiously looked at the screenshot of the news in the email, and couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Kwame Brown? The parallel importer? No, no, no, he is already the No. [-] center in the Eastern Conference, hahahahaha...David, go to the Eagles, buy out the remaining months of salary with the Raptors, hahahaha..."

"Huh?" David Falk didn't expect Mourning to react like this...

……

……

At noon on November 2004, 11, an ESPN TV interview was broadcast.

"I should be the starting center of this All-Star, because I am very strong, very strong!"

"You said O'Neal? My God, I beat him 4-1 in the finals! You all saw that without Kobe passing him the ball, without Kobe deliberately shooting the ball to the basket and bouncing it into his hands, he couldn't do anything."

"Ben Wallace? Didn't you see how I swept him in the playoffs last year?"

"I score more points than Ben Wallace, rebound more than O'Neal, and have a better record than all the centers in the East, and there is no center with better statistics than me. My field goal percentage is 60.00%, ranking first in the league. This is a shooting percentage that O'Neal and Ben Wallace will never get. I am the No. [-] center in the East, and I should be the starter for the All-Stars!"

"..."

"..."

……

Kwame Brown rants in Liu Mang’s exclusive interview, mainly targeting Shaquille O’Neal and Ben Wallace, who are regarded as the No. 26 and No. 7 centers in the Eastern Conference. Ratliff has performed well this year, averaging 5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 25 blocks in 7 minutes per game, which is not much different from last season. Ratliff's popularity has plummeted, and there's little competitive threat.

Liu Mang's nonsensical answer to Kwame Brown's interview, in addition to Kwame Brown declaring himself the No. [-] center in the Eastern Conference, he also brought Kobe fans along by the way, completely unreasonable to rub Kobe's popularity.

On the 19th, ESPN Sports Channel broadcasted an exclusive interview with Kwame Brown on the noon news, the newspaper in the afternoon also published this interview, and ESPN officials also released the video and written reports of this interview, Kwame Brown became popular instantly!
……

……

"Kwame! Tell me what you think?"

"Ace made me do this..."

"Ace? Can you and Ace be the same? How did you learn to mess around like this with Ace? Do you really think you are the No. [-] center in the Eastern Conference? You %#%￥%￥%...don't fight tonight! Go call Nazl and Ace over!"

After Coach Kruger saw the news, he immediately called Kwame Brown to the office and scolded him.

Kwame Brown now feels under Liu Mang's evil!

He himself didn't know how he said those words to the reporter at the time. In fact, after he finished the interview and the reporter left, he thought of what he said according to the script Liu Mang gave him, and his legs went limp.

Now I regret it even more - the boss cheated me again!
Just when Kwame Brown was about to cry, the door of the office was pushed open.

Coach Kruger looked at the door angrily, and found that it was the boss, so he could only put down his anger and ask, "Boss, what's the matter, you want to teach this bastard Kwame a lesson?"

"Teach Kwame a lesson? No, no, no," Price said with a smile, "Lon, Mourning is willing to take the initiative to buy out the contract with the Raptors and join us with a basic salary."

"Ah? Why? Boss, didn't you say that Falk was unwilling to buy out?" Coach Kruger immediately put Kwame Brown's matter aside and asked curiously.

Price pointed to Kwame Brown and said: "Falke said that Mourning wants to come and teach Kwame, and he appreciates Kwame."

"..." Coach Kruger glanced at the poor Kwame Brown, not knowing what to say.

The scene was embarrassing for a while. After a few tens of seconds, coach Kruger said to Kwame Brown: "Kwame, go and prepare for the game tonight. Don't call Nazr. Call Ace over here. I have something to discuss with the boss."

"Uh... ok..."

Kwame Brown didn't expect to turn around!He thought he would be put on the bench by the coach. Although Muhammad did not have the peak performance of averaging a double-double in the 01-02 season, he was at the peak at the age of 28. With Liu Mang's "protection" and no minor injuries, it is still possible to give enough playing time and average 10 rebounds per game. Every season, many teams offer offers to Muhammad. In 06, Muhammad was only 29 years old after his current contract ended. It is easy to get another big contract. Playing blue-collar starting center, there is no problem at all.

But it seems that coach Kruger doesn't plan to put him on the bench anymore, and it seems that Mourning is coming to teach him free throws... Kwame Brown feels that the ups and downs of life are too exciting.

Walking out of the head coach's office, Kwame Brown jumped up with joy!
That's Mourning!

Although Ratliff is great, he is not enough compared to Mourning. Before Mourning got sick, he was a superstar who won first team, first defense, best defensive player, and king of blocked shots in a single season!
"Boss is amazing! Did he expect all of this? Did he expect that Mourning would appreciate me firing at O'Neill like that?" Kwame Brown couldn't stop thinking like this, "It's great to hang out with Boss!"

Kwame Brown rushed to the training ground: Dear boss, your most loyal brother is here...

……

……

After driving away Kwame Brown, who looked more gay than Iguodala, nicknamed "I'm gay", Liu Mang came to Kruger's coach's office and learned that Mourning was willing to take the initiative to buy out the contract and join him. Liu Mang didn't even think of it!

He remembered that Mourning should prefer the Heat.

But after thinking about it carefully, Liu Wei felt that Mourning seemed to only be able to join the Heat.

After thinking about it, Liu Mang can tell that the relationship between Mourning and O'Neill is not so good.

Originally, Mourning would serve as a substitute for O'Neal. Firstly, it was the impact of injuries, secondly, he had a house in Miami, and thirdly, the Heat in the original time and space in the 04-05 season ranked first in the Eastern Conference almost from the beginning of the season.

However, the relationship between Mourning and O'Neal cannot be very good. O'Neal and Mourning are rookies in the same class, with a No. 90 pick and a No. [-] pick. At the beginning, Mourning lost to O'Neal. Later, when the four major centers were selected, O'Neal was selected as the only center who entered the NBA in the [-]s, and Mourning lost again.

Being defeated by the same person in a row, or being defeated at a very important point in his career, and being defeated on something that cannot be changed, Liu Mang does not think that Mourning, a representative of the tough guy player in the 90s, would be willing to become O'Neal's substitute.

If it weren't for kidney disease, Mourning, who had just won Lianzhuang's best defensive player in the 99-00 season, had just turned 30 years old and should be at his peak, but he was reimbursed for the season starting in the 00-01 season.

Buyout and being waived by the team are two concepts. Laying off means paying full contract salary, and buying out means negotiating how much the remaining contract will be paid. Often, players will get a part of their salary less in a buyout.

After discussing with the boss Price and coach Kruger for a while, Liu Mang suggested: "Boss, coach, I think it's better to trade."

"Why? We can wait for Mourning to buy out with the Raptors and sign Mourning directly!" Price asked suspiciously.

"We have too many outside lines. We can take advantage of this deal to strengthen the inside lines and clean up the outside lines. Didn't you always want to make the outside lines less bloated?" Liu Mang wanted to collect draft picks again...

Coach Kruger agreed. Liu Mang said that he had too many outsiders, and most of them were first- and second-year players with talent but obvious flaws. The three players outside the 12-man roster should be mainly veterans, but the Eagles are all rookies and sophomores.

"Ace, who do you think is better to trade? If we add a rookie, we may get back a late first-round pick or a good second-round pick." Coach Kruger asked.

"Aaron or Ariza." Liu Mang's answer was very straightforward.

"Why?" Price asked curiously.

"I don't know them as well as Keller and Jose..."

It's such a simple reason, which can be seen from the difference in the surnames or first names Liu Mang used to address the four of them.

Players who are at the bottom, whether to stay or not, is just a sentence from the core of the team...

(End of this chapter)