Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 99 99. High-level meeting
The next day, Luke slept until the afternoon before being awakened by the rapid ringing of the phone.

After winning the championship last night, the excited Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor immediately booked the most luxurious hotel in Minnesota, which also caused the entire Timberwolves to get drunk from top to bottom.

And the head coach Luke, who is the first hero to win the championship, naturally bears the brunt. Round after round of toasts makes Luke lose early, and Luke even has no memory of how to get home.

Hearing the rapid ringtone of the phone, Luke picked up the phone unconsciously and found that it was the general manager McHale calling.

Closing his eyes and lying on the bed again, Luke said in a half-dead voice after answering the phone: "Hello."

"Lu, you haven't woken up yet. You've slept for a long time. I thought you should wake up at this point. I didn't expect that I overestimated you."

Hearing Luke's voice on the other end of the phone, who was obviously still half asleep, General Manager McHale teased Luke in a good mood.

"I shouldn't bother you, but you know, we are different from players, and I'm afraid I'll have to work for a while before the plan is made."

"Before you joined the team, you expressed to the owner Glenn that you hoped to participate in the team's construction. There will be a high-level meeting at six o'clock tonight. The whole team hopes to hear your suggestions."

"Especially Boss Glenn. He trusts you far more than me now, and he also asked you to come tonight. He is eager to hear your opinion on next season."

Since Luke led the Timberwolves to successfully win the championship trophy this season, owner Glenn Taylor's trust in Luke has almost exploded.

In addition, several transactions and signings by Luke in the middle of the season have benefited the team a lot, so after winning the championship, the management is already eager to learn from Luke some ideas about the construction of next season.

After all, during the offseason this year, the contracts of many Timberwolves players expired. It is okay to talk about fringe players like Mark Madsen, but the key is that "Madman" Sprewell and veteran Karl Malone are all heroes of the championship. On the other hand, we still need to listen to the personal opinions of head coach Luke.

After all, it will be head coach Luke, not general manager McHale, who will lead the team to the game next season.

"Okay, got it." Luke replied powerlessly lying on the bed.

After hanging up the phone, Luke sat up and rubbed the sides of his forehead that were a little sore, then went down to the kitchen and took out a glass of milk from the refrigerator.

"Hiccup~"

After drinking a glass of milk, Luke felt that his state was gradually recovering. Even though his brain still felt like it was going to explode, he was obviously much better mentally.

"Hey, it's a mistake to drink." He picked up a piece of clothing and put it on his body. Luke didn't care if it was the same as drinking last night, so he opened the door and set off in the direction of the arena.

…………

"Lu, you're finally here. I want to call you again to make sure you've turned around and fell asleep again. Come on, sit down." As soon as he opened the door and walked into the meeting room, General Manager McHale rushed to greet him. .

Glancing up at the wall clock, Luke realized he was a full 25 minutes late.

"Sorry, everyone, I was a little late last night because I drank too much." Luke sat next to McHale apologetically.

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm to blame for this incident, I didn't inform you earlier, I shouldn't have woken you up today, but Karl said before that he planned to retire, Latrier's contract is about to face negotiations, these things need to be looked at did you mean."

"At present, so many eyes are staring at the outside world. Based on Latrier's performance last season, if the team does not settle this matter as soon as possible, the pressure to renew the contract may be very great."

Before the general manager McHale could speak, Glenn Taylor, who was sitting in the main seat, spoke first.

Seeing owner Glenn Taylor's personal attitude towards head coach Luke, many high-level executives exchanged glances behind their backs, not knowing what to say for a while.

Everyone knows that since owner Glen Taylor bought the team, the Timberwolves have experienced ups and downs in recent years. They were even disqualified from the draft by the league a few years ago because of the "Yin-Yang Contract Incident", and they were once ranked at the bottom of the league.

For the Timberwolves, this championship is the first championship in team history since the establishment of the team, but for the owner Glenn Taylor, it contains too much effort and helplessness.

After all, unlike most team owners, Glen Taylor is not only a successful businessman, he is also a loyal basketball fan!

"Don't persuade Karl for the time being. The reason why Karl was willing to pay to join the team last season was for the championship."

"Now that the championship ring is in hand, there is a high probability that Carl will not come back to play again. Carl is getting old, and it's time for him to take a good rest."

"Latrier naturally wants to renew the contract, but considering that Latrier is 35 years old this year, the specific details of the contract should be handed over to general manager Kevin, who is always more professional than me in this regard."

Tapping the table with his finger, Luke first handed over the contracts of the two heroes who won the championship last season. As for the details of the negotiation between the team and the madman, Luke did not intend to intervene.

Even though boss Glenn Taylor and general manager McHale are very friendly to themselves now, there are some things that can be done and some things that cannot be done. It is definitely not a good thing to stretch your hands too far.

"Madman" Sprewell was definitely one of the contributors to the Timberwolves' championship last season, but in any case, the Madman is 35 years old this year, and the contract of the Madman must not be too big in terms of age.

In other words, the Timberwolves in the offseason will also have room for reinforcements, using the title of the defending champion to make a fortune in the free market and prepare in advance for the next season's road to defending the title.

The only bad thing is that Garnett's [-] million contract renewal with the team is too huge. Even if the Timberwolves have some room for reinforcement in the free market, they can only offer a full middle class at most.

This is also thanks to the Timberwolves being able to renew the Madman on the salary cap, otherwise it would be difficult for the Timberwolves to have room to maneuver within two years of Garnett's contract.

As for the league stars who choose to test the waters of the free market, they are destined to miss the Timberwolves, so Luke's reinforcement focus should still be on the draft, and the free market depends more on luck.

"Okay, I will get in touch with Latrier tomorrow about the contract extension." Luke's words made General Manager McHale nod in response.

"Actually, the team's main means of strengthening this season is through the draft. Now it's mid-June, and there is less than half a month left before the draft. The free market and trade matters can be put aside first."

"The team's draft pick is relatively late, but you don't have to worry about this. People-watching has always been my strength. I have already arranged for the draft. I just need Kevin to provide me with some help."

This year the Timberwolves hold a total of two draft picks. Since the Timberwolves had the first record in the league last season, the Timberwolves' first-round pick will be the 30th pick in the first round, which is the last in the first round.

The second-round pick is the 76th pick in the second round traded from the 15ers, which is the 45th overall round pick. This pick is still relatively late, but it is enough for Luke.

After all, Luke is the "eye of God" born for the draft!
This year's draft will be held in New York's Madison Square Garden on June 6, and the draft will be broadcast live to 28 countries and regions around the world through ESPN TV in the United States.

In a sense, this year's draft conference is absolutely attracting attention, even if the biggest No. [-] pick is a "waste dog" named Andrew Bogut!
But before that, the Timberwolves will hold a championship parade in two days. According to the owner Glenn Taylor, this time we must walk around Minnesota, so that everyone can feel the charm of the championship!

For this reason, Glenn Taylor also spent 200 million US dollars alone as the security of the championship parade and the cost of occupying public resources. From this point, it is not difficult to see how much Glenn Taylor attaches importance to this first championship in team history.

It's even been rumored through the grapevine that Glenn Taylor plans to erect a statue in Luke's image in recognition of Luke's contributions to Minnesota.

After Luke found out about this matter, he directly rejected it. In Luke's own words: "I'm going to make a statue of me before he's dead?"

In fact, Luke was not very interested in the championship parade two days later. He only planned to show his face that day to experience the atmosphere and go home early to rest.

Luke's current attention is all focused on the upcoming draft. For Luke, the draft is the top priority that directly affects whether the Timberwolves can defend their title next season! !

(End of this chapter)