This Forward is Not Serious

Chapter 477 I’m here to be Pippen!

In the blink of an eye, the curtain fell on the free market.

Aldridge joined the Spurs for 84.1 million in 4 years;

Leonard signs a 5-year, $90 million contract extension with the Spurs;

Reggie Jackson re-signs with Pistons for 5 years and 80 million;

Dragic re-signs with Heat for 5 years and 86 million;

Draymond Green re-signs with Warriors for 5 years and 85 million;

Brandon Knight re-signs with Suns for 5 years and 70 million;

…

Compared with Durant joining the Nets, these actions did not cause much waves.

However, Durant joining the Nets will have subsequent consequences.

Because the league received reports from many teams that the Nets had private contact with Durant before the free market opened.

But such reports went nowhere.

Because Durant is under contract before the free market opens, he will only be considered a free agent after he breaks out of the contract.

Moreover, the deal between the Nets and Thunder was not reached as soon as the free market door opened.

These factors ultimately led the league to drop its investigation.

Of course, even if the truth is slapped on the face, some people will still question it.

Although they may be right to question this time, there is no evidence!

And just before they could recover from this, another signing by the Nets once again caused fans to fret.

David West jumped out of the last year's player option with the Pacers, worth 12 million, and signed a one-year, 3 million contract with the Nets!

Then, this led to heated discussions among fans, and the Nets were reported again.

This time the league announced an investigation in a high-profile manner.

Because this involves another sensitive word: Yin-Yang contract. .

The yin and yang contract between the Timberwolves and Joe Smith was severely punished, which also caused the Timberwolves to stagnate and even fail to recover to this day.

If the Nets do the same thing, they will face heavy penalties.

And the alliance’s nominal grounds for investigation are also very strong.

Who would give up a 12 million contract and sign a 3 million contract?

Even if it is to compete for the championship, there is a limit.

However, the results of the investigation showed that there was really no quarrel between the Nets and West.

Because West is really here to win the championship!

In fact, West had been in contact with the Spurs before this.

But the Nets showed greater sincerity. Walken Dean called West many times to persuade him before signing West.

And not long after West signed, the deal between the Nets and the Lakers was officially announced.

The Nets signed Chandler to a four-year, 52 million contract, and then sent him to the Lakers to get Ariza and Tim.

While other players have not yet been determined, the Nets' main lineup and core rotation for the new season have been basically determined.

Starting line-up: Bradley, Ariza, Durant, Lin Ying, Jokic.

Rotation: JR, Covington, Turner, West, Mahinmi.

Moreover, after the Nets have made these operations, theoretically they still have 11 million salary space to operate, and then there is a mini-middle class.

This is really the whole league watching Walken Dean show off his skills.

Even though Walken Dean is having a hard time squatting in the general manager's office, other teams in the league are staring at him now.

This kind of opportunity is hard to come by and cannot be envied.

Just when the free agent market is coming to an end, the Nets' last few signings are being reached one after another.

The biggest one concerns the point guard.

The Nets did not renew Barbosa's contract, but instead reached a four-year, $30 million contract with former Spurs guard Corey Joseph.

This signing is a bit surprising, because Joseph's performance with the Spurs is not very outstanding, and his three-point shooting is not stable, but his salary is close to Ariza and Bradley.

However, Joseph has what Warken Dean values, defense and stability.

Joseph's defense is above the league level, and his assist-to-turnover ratio is high.

The Nets already have JR on the bench, and the substitute point guard needs to be relatively stable and reliable.

Of course, another thing that will be overlooked is that Joseph is also from the University of Texas!

Warken Dean likes this thing about the University of Texas players, and they have a blowout this season!

Counting Joseph, Lin Ying, Durant, and Augustin, there are already 4!

Of the last three spots, one was given to Chris Anderson by Walken Dean, one was given to "Old Prince" Prince, and the last one was given to Seth Curry.

Anderson is Karl's favorite inside man, and he has worked conscientiously as the third center for the Nets in recent years.

Prince's contract with the Knicks has just expired and he is a veteran chasing a championship.

Seth Curry's words were an unexpected signing, because Walken Dean finally had a trial training, and Curry's three-point performance impressed him.

After the rotation lineup is basically decided, what the bench needs are functional players.

What Lin Ying and Durant need most is someone who can shoot three-pointers.

Moreover, the Nets signed Curry for a two-year, 2 million basic salary contract, so the risk is very low. As long as Curry can provide some help at certain specific moments, they will make money.

In this way, Warken Dean quickly cut through the mess and quickly determined the Nets' lineup.

Point Guards: Bradley, Corey Joseph, Dinwiddie

Shooting Guard: Ariza, JR, Seth Curry

Small forward: Durant, Covington/Turner, Prince

Front: Lin Ying, David West

Center: Jokic, Mahinmi, Chris Anderson

This lineup includes super giants, 3D players, scoring masters, three-point shooters, basically everything you can think of.

Moreover, many of the forwards can swing at the third and fourth positions, which is very suitable for the game needs of the old Karl.

Even in terms of salary, this lineup is only over 90 million.

The luxury tax for the new season is 80 million, and this is only 10 million over the cap. Compared with the past few seasons, he is much healthier!

In addition, many of these contracts are cost-effective long-term contracts, and the lineup is also very stable.

It can be said that Walken Dean put a lot of effort into building this lineup, but of course he was basically exhausted.

Living in the office for so long, and this is not just a matter of making phone calls, he also arranged many trial trainings. Curry and Joseph were both signed by him after trials.

He needs to rest for a while before he can recover.

…

One week after the end of free agency, the Nets held a press conference for new players.

The battle at the Nets press conference last year was not small, and this year it will be even bigger.

Lin Ying, Durant, Ariza, Corey Joseph, David West, Seth Curry, and Prince are all a small team.

As for why Lin Ying came?

He broke out of his contract and signed a new contract with the Nets, which can also be a "new aid."

Of course, this was optional, but Lin Ying came to support Durant. He was afraid that someone at the press conference would cause trouble for Durant.

After all, this is New York. Not to mention those from ESPN, even the local media in New York like to cause trouble.

Facts also proved that Lin Ying guessed...half of it right.

Durant has indeed become the focus of the press conference, because compared to the "old acquaintance" Lin Ying, Durant is the serious "new aid".

But they didn't have much media trouble with Durant.

On the contrary, the atmosphere of the conference was even somewhat lighthearted.

Beyond what fans have said in their clamor on social media, there's a context that's easy to miss.

Lin Ying and Durant are now considered "losers".

Lin Ying [isolated], tried his best last season but failed to defeat the four All-Star Cavaliers.

Many fans who watched that series felt it was unfair.

Durant was a "lone hero" last season. He contributed to the tiebreaker in two rounds, and finally ended up being reimbursed for the season in the tiebreaker.

The combination of these two people has a strong impact, but it is completely different from the original concept of the Knicks' Big Three.

This also shows that those who criticize Durant on social media are most likely Cavaliers fans.

It's no wonder you feel comfortable when your direct competitor gets a major reinforcement.

Of course, Durant was still asked some more pointed questions, such as...

"Who will be the boss of the Nets?"

A reporter from ESPN asked Durant directly.

An important reason why the king does not see the king is that he does not obey anyone.

We are all giants in the league, why are you the boss and I the second?

Lin Ying originally wanted to take the microphone, but Durant took it ahead of him.

"I'm here to be Pippin for Lin."

What is Kevin Durant!

It’s direct!

These words also caused a commotion among the reporters in the audience.

Durant's gesture is really unexpected.

"But only Lin can let me do that."

Then Durant added another point.

This also quickly silenced the commotion in the audience.

Yes, that's Lin Ying!

If you team up with Lin Ying and let Lin Ying be Pippen, I'm afraid people all over the world will think you are crazy.

So Durant's words sounded very straightforward, but in fact there was no problem.

"Lin, do you think so too?"

The ESPN reporter then asked Lin Ying the same question.

Lin Ying originally wanted to say something, so she took the microphone directly.

"I think the combination of me and Kevin is like Olajuwon and Drexler."

Lin Ying said.

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a burst of applause from the audience.

Because this example is so perfect.

Drexler chose to look for Olajuwon after the Trail Blazers tried their best and failed to win the championship, and Durant did the same;

The season Drexler went there, because Jordan retired, Olajuwon became the first player in the league, and Lin Ying was also the first player in the league;

The most interconnected point is that Olajuwon and Drexler were college teammates, as were Lin Ying and Durant!

Moreover, this answer also avoids the question of who is the boss. It can be said to be the most perfect answer. No wonder the reporters applauded.

Lin Ying is extremely good at language arts.

By this time, almost all the questions to Durant had been asked, and the fans also turned their questions to Lin Ying.

"Lin, you just mentioned Olajuwon and Drexler. They completed two consecutive championships in Houston. Considering the ages of you and Kevin, are the Nets ready for three consecutive championships?"

This one is followed by TNT, which is regarded as "one of our own".

After he asked this question, there was a burst of laughter from the audience.

After experiencing the "who is the boss" question before, this question can be said to be quite easy.

But Lin Ying didn't laugh. He didn't think this was an easy topic.

Moreover, his answers were serious.

"I think many people don't know how difficult it is to win three consecutive championships in modern basketball. Your opponents change every season. The opponents you encounter will be very different from what you imagined, and you also have to overcome state and injuries. , fighting spirit, personnel turnover and other factors.

This is why I said before that Jordan is the GOAT in my heart. Putting aside external factors, he has won three consecutive championships twice. "

Lin Ying's words drew another burst of applause from the audience.

He has just experienced a season in which he failed to win three consecutive championships, and these words can be said to be from personal experience.

And Lin Ying is really Qiao Chui!

However, Lin Ying's expression was still serious.

"And in today's league, you have to deal with the emergence of various super teams, so for us, our goal is to win a championship first. As for more, I think the answer will naturally come in time."

The audience burst into applause for the third time.

Compared with James' "7 championships" when he first arrived in New York, Lin Ying's words are what a mature person should say.

You will feel how incredible this is. After all, Lin Ying entered the league 4 years later than James and is 4 years younger than James.

…

"Shadow, I think you're being conservative."

After the press conference, Lin Ying and Durant walked to the player tunnel together, and Durant couldn't help but say.

"What? You also want to imitate LeBron and win 7 championships?"

Lin Ying said with a smile.

"No, but I think we still have a good chance of winning three consecutive championships. I'm very confident."

Durant is confident and always likes to be straightforward.

"Kevin, even if we can do it, it's not appropriate for us to say this, because if we can't do it, we will become a laughing stock. Isn't that how LeBron's seven championships came about?"

Durant nodded, as if that was the case.

"and……"

"And what?"

"Have you forgotten what I told you about the flag?"

Durant suddenly stopped. He carefully recalled what Lin Ying said at the press conference, and then unconsciously slapped his forehead.

"I seem to know what you meant before!"

What he was talking about was what Lin Ying told him to imitate Barkley.

After hearing this, Lin Ying patted Durant on the shoulder:

"Children can be taught."

…

The next day, Charlotte.

Jordan's mansion.