Jim Bass Ambition

Chapter 174 Agreement
"Mitch, you said that I sold Derek. Isn't this decision a bit hasty?" The appointment time with Pelinka has not yet arrived, and Jim and Kupchak are chatting in the office.

As one of the team's oldest players, Fisher entered the league with Kobe, and he is one of the few players who can talk to the withdrawn Kobe.Generally speaking, the team needs such a locker room mediator, especially the Lakers have had frequent personnel changes in the past two years, and a large number of new players have poured in.

Although the former locker room lubricant Brian Shaw was hired as an assistant coach, after all, the staff cannot completely replace the players. For example, in the game on the court, Fisher even dared not pass the ball to Kobe who was about to fight, which Shaw could not do. .

"When you made a decision, you didn't ask our opinion. If I answer 'yes' now, what can I change? Well, now is not the time to discuss these things. I understand your approach. Over the past few years, I have also gotten used to your way of thinking, 'Anyway, the contract expires and you can't keep it, so it's better to trade early to get some assets back.' That's right? But you don't know the mentality of players facing these things, because you Never played." Kupchak finally seized the opportunity to complain about Jim.

"You are someone who has played ball, tell me what's the problem here?" Jim didn't lose his temper as Kupchak expected, but asked seriously.

"When I was playing, Kareem was the same way, couldn't communicate at all, but Ervin was a warm person, he seemed to be friends with everyone. But now the situation is different, Kobe and Dwyane's positions overlap , not like Kareem and Irwin in tandem... To get away, what I want to say is that players don't want to be treated as commodities. Although this is a commercial league, I don't deny that some players play for Make money, but there are also some people who really love to draft their team and want to give everything for the team... Oh, Rob is here." Kupchak stopped his speech.

Pelinka stood at the door, waiting for Jim to signal before entering the office.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, they quickly got to the point.

"I'm very happy. Both of my clients have performed well in the Lakers, especially Dwyane. I can cooperate with him. I would also like to thank Mr. Buss for your reminder." Pelinka smiled , but just didn't make the first move.

"Robo, I will talk about the thank you later. The problem we have to solve today is mainly Kobe Bryant's contract renewal. Arne Teran should have mentioned it when he transferred Kobe's partnership to you. We once reached a verbal agreement on a 7-year $1.36 million contract extension, this year will be the last year of Kobe’s contract, I want to make sure now, is this agreement still valid?” Jim is not in the mood to argue with Pelinka .

"In principle, my client does not object to this offer, but the situation may change. I haven't communicated with Kobe recently. You know, it is impossible for him to accept a plan like signing first and then changing." Although young and Not long after he became a professional agent, Pelinka in his previous life single-handedly planned Boozer's rebellious incident, which is definitely not a good thing.

"Sign first and then trade? Do you think I will sign first and then trade for Kobe? Didn't Arne Tellan tell you that there is a trade veto in this contract? As long as Kobe doesn't want to leave the team, no one can take him Trade away!" Jim was very dissatisfied with Pelinka's slippery attitude.

"Listen Rob, I know your concern. We can all see that Dwyane has a bright future. Do you think Kobe and him are on the same team, and the two will restrict each other's development? Or do you think Eddie Jones? No, Kobe is not Eddie Jones. The coaching staff will find a way for the two to coexist, just like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Don't you expect Such a scene? I hope you can have a good communication with Kobe, of course, when the team returns to Los Angeles, I will have a face-to-face talk with him.” Before Pelinka could answer, Jim directly stated his His mind was nothing more than worrying that the two of them would compete for time. After the data dropped, the contract would be lowered by the unscrupulous boss.

Here Jim is sparring with Pelinka, and the Lakers are a guest at Madison Square Garden, and they challenge the Knicks in back-to-back away games.

The team's back-to-back rotation plan was eventually stranded. After Karl Malone fought hand-to-hand with Ben Wallace for a whole game, he still started the game. The Knicks player against him was Kurt Thomas.

Although his physical talent is far inferior to that of a bunch of animal insiders, Kurt Thomas wins in his diligence, precise half-shots, and tenacious low-post defense. Power forward position.

The Knicks also signed Dikembe Mutombo, who had a disappointing performance with the Nets last season, to fill in the interior that has been empty since Ewing left the team.

As a result, Mutombo's performance is still disappointing. Facing Garnett, who has a range of three-point range and a nimble body, the old African mountain can only be "immovable as a mountain" and is treated as a wooden stake. , Received 3 fouls in just 2 minutes.

Instead, Clarence Witherspoon, who came off the bench, played a good role in defending Garnett.

Knicks owner Dolan has always been ashamed of the title of "New York Gangster", thinking that the ugly and iron-blooded style of play of Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy is tarnishing the sport of basketball. The goal is not just to win, but to win beautifully, just like the Lakers did back then.

After cleaning up Sprewell, the team's backcourt was played by Shandon Anderson and Howard Eisley. The two were mediocre and not good enough to start. Cheney also ignored the boss's request. Although the iron-blooded defense looks ugly, it can win a few games anyway. On offense, relying on Alan Houston alone, the Knicks have no capital to compare with others in scoring.

After Clarence Witherspoon came on the court, although Garnett was not as active as before, Witherspoon also did not have the deterrence of Mutombo's penalty area. Devastated and suffocated, Kobe continued to break through dunks, leaving Stan Lee on the sidelines speechless.

The Knicks quickly gave up resistance. For the Lakers, the good news is that Malone can get off the court earlier.Although breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's total scoring record is a huge achievement, with Malone's status in the arena, he can't do things like scoring points on the opponent's bench during garbage time.

125 to 103, the Lakers went on a killing spree in New York, with 7 players scoring in double figures.

(End of this chapter)