NBA: I have 3, no D, and I can't dribble

Chapter 140 [140] Things are different now, Lin Fei and Hamilton!

The Heat's salary structure this season is relatively reasonable. After trading away Eddie Jones, who earns tens of millions of dollars per year, it has freed up some space.

Without touching the team's salary cap, they formed the Big Three and quickly rose to the championship level, becoming the biggest favorite to win the championship this season.
This is quite powerful in the entire history of the league.

As the owner of the Heat, Mickey Arison should be grateful most to Pat Riley for his foresight and strategizing.
Of course, the most important thing is the salary bonus for two second-year rookies, Lin Fei and Dwayne Wade.

After all, Lin Fei's salary this season is only more than 500 million, and Wade's is only 283 million US dollars.

But as the two have fully achieved superstar status this season, and the Heat want to renew their contracts, it will be difficult to retain Lin Fei and Wade with non-maximum salaries.
After all, one of these two guys just won the regular season MVP, and the other is a top 3D in a double team.

Mickey Arison, who was sitting on the sofa chair, said happily:

"Riley, you have been controlling the team's salary very reasonably these past few seasons, which makes me, the boss, very satisfied!"

"Now the team is finally on the rise, so don't think about saving me money next time. Even if you pay a luxury tax of 2000 to [-] million, it is completely worth it!"

"As long as the Heat can win the championship this season and Lin and Dwayne are willing to stay in Miami for a long time, then both of them will be given maximum salary contracts in advance!"

Pat Riley's deep eyes shone with wisdom, and he spoke with a slight worry:

"Dwayne should very much hope to stay in the Heat. After all, this is where his NBA dream began, and he has gained glory and status here. As long as we pay the maximum salary, there is no reason not to choose to stick to one man, one city!"

"But Lin, his thoughts are hard to fathom. In my opinion, this kid is a very ambitious guy!"

As the saying goes, some families are happy and some are sad.

Everyone on the Heat team is healthy and working together. From players to coaches, from management to owners, they all eagerly look forward to the team reaching the top of the NBA this season.

On the other hand, the Indiana Pacers, who were just eliminated by the Pistons in the tiebreaker in the Eastern Conference semifinals, are probably the most miserable and unlucky team in the league this season.

Originally, the Pacers were the favorites to win the championship this season, but the incident at the Palace of Auburn Hills had a huge impact.

Even if Ron Artest returns at the end of the regular season, conflicts have begun to arise within the Pacers. Artest and O'Neill seem to be inseparable, and Wu Sheng's state has been unstable.

Being eliminated by the Pistons for two consecutive seasons has left the players with little energy left.

The pressure on Pacers general manager "Big Bird" Larry Bird has doubled. The team's status quo has become difficult to maintain, but if they want to rebuild, everything needs to be overthrown, which is equivalent to admitting the failures of previous years.

Of course, what touches Pacers fans the most is the official retirement of the team's meritorious veteran Reggie Miller.

On the morning after the Pacers lost to the Detroit Pistons in Game [-], Reggie Miller issued a public statement on his social account, officially announcing his retirement from the NBA stage.

Reggie Miller, who was born in 1965, will turn 40 in three months. There is indeed not much gas left in his tank.

As Reggie Miller announced his retirement, many Pacers fans burst into tears. Their boss had worked hard for 18 years, but in the end he still failed to win a championship for himself and the team.

ESPN and NBA officials also publicly spoke out and reviewed Reggie Miller's brilliant career.

Reggie Miller entered the NBA in 1987 and played for the Indiana Pacers for all 18 seasons of his career. He can be said to be a representative figure of the league's "one man, one city".

He was selected to the All-Star five times in his career, and was selected to the All-NBA Third Team three times. He made a total of 2560 three-pointers, ranking first in NBA history.

Although Reggie Miller's personal resume is not rich, and he also lacks hard honors, and has not even made the second team once,
However, the title of the historical three-point champion has greatly enhanced Reggie Miller's historical status. His powerful mental attributes and the miracle of 9 seconds and 8 minutes will always be praised by fans.

Next year will be the 60th anniversary of the founding of the NBA, and the league will also select the official 60 greatest stars in history.

Many mainstream media and experts believe that Reggie Miller is definitely qualified to be selected and will be ranked within the top 40.

Even though the league had not launched the superstar recruitment model in the 90s, many players were relatively loyal, but there were also very few stars who could stay with one team throughout their careers.

Stronger than O'Neal and "Skyhook" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he has also played for many teams in his career.

Therefore, Reggie Miller can consistently stay with the Pacers and gain the team's trust, which is also a manifestation of strong strength.

The Pacers have never won a championship in team history, and there have been no superstars in their ancestors, so Reggie Miller is enough to become No. 1 in the Pacers' team history.

As the historical three-point champion, after fans learned about Reggie Miller's retirement, they could easily think of stars such as Ray Allen and Lin Fei who are good at three-pointers.

Judging from the current situation, Ray Allen has made more than 1500 three-pointers in his career.
The 29-year-old Ray Allen is at the peak of his career. Playing in the league for another 5-7 years is not a problem at all. According to the three-point output of Gentleman Ray, he can complete the replacement of Reggie Miller in the fastest 5 seasons. Beyond.

In addition to Ray Allen, the second person who may surpass Reggie Miller in the total three-pointer count is naturally Lin Fei.

Although Lin Fei has only played in the league for two seasons and did not have a single three-pointer in the regular season during his rookie season, he has made more than 470 three-pointers this season.
If Lin Fei can maintain such terrifying output, he will be able to surpass Reggie Miller in just 5 seasons, which is incredible.

You must know that Lin Fei is not yet 21 years old. After he retires in his career, his total number of three-pointers will reach a quite terrifying height.

Putting it beyond the reach of all three-pointers in the league.

Only the last four teams are left in the playoffs, competing fiercely for the championship in the 04-05 season.

The remaining 26 teams in the league have already begun to focus on free agents and the draft in June.

The lottery ceremony for the 2005 draft has been completed at the NBA headquarters in New York, and the Milwaukee Bucks finally got the No. [-] pick.

The second and third picks were won by the Hawks and Jazz respectively.

If you don’t have an open mind, the 2005 draft was a proper draft year, and the favorite for the No. [-] pick turned out to be Australian Bodog.

Two well-known NCAA point guards, Chris Paul and Deron Williams, are also at the forefront of the lottery picks.As the Eastern and Western Conference finals approach, fans at home and abroad are paying more attention to the NBA than ever before.

Under the hype of various sports media, fans of each team also started quarrels on the Internet, launching discussions and "greetings."

"The unlimited switching defense of the Pistons' top five is a natural match for Klinefly's three-point shooting, and I feel that the Pistons are stronger this season than last season. It seems that the Heat have finally encountered a bad owner!"

"The only ones who can barely compete with the Heat in the Eastern Conference are the Pistons and Pacers!"

"Don't overestimate the defense of the Pistons' top five. No matter how strong the defense is with unlimited switching, they still couldn't guard Lin's three-pointer in last season's finals. Wasn't it the Timberwolves who won the championship in the end?"

"Lin has now gradually developed three-pointers with the ball. It is basically impossible to limit his three-pointers!"

"The matchup between Lin and Hamilton in last year's finals is still fresh in my mind. It's only been a season now, and I feel like Hamilton is already at least two levels behind Lin!"

"Didn't Hamilton like to beat Lin Fei with a ball he wasn't good at last year in the finals? Let him try again in the Eastern Conference finals this year. Haha, Lin Fei will definitely prevent him from doubting his life!"

"Fei Ge's three-point shooting may have ups and downs, but his defense will definitely not stretch his hips!"

"Hamilton and Lin Fei are no longer what they used to be. Lin Fei was selected to the double first team this season. What honor does Hamilton have? If I remember correctly, he seems to have never been to the third team of the All-NBA Team once! "

"Hamilton is not even an All-Star substitute. My brother Fei is the historical vote winner and All-Star MVP! You just have to know how to abuse Hamilton!"

"Hamilton averaged 10 points per game in this Eastern Conference finals, so I lose!"

Many Heat fans look down on the Pistons' scoring leader and think this guy is completely unworthy of being compared with Lin Fei.

Public opinion spread to the Pistons, and naturally the Pistons players were extremely angry and felt that their dignity had been trampled on.

Head coach Larry Brown used this to give the players a boost, encouraging everyone to unite and use all their strength to slap those experts and fans who were not optimistic about the Pistons in the face.

The day before the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals, Lin Fei drove his newly purchased Audi Q7 to the Miami Airport and personally picked up his old teammates "Wolf King" Garnett and his family Szebiak.

The Timberwolves ended their season ahead of schedule. Garnett and Szebiak also brought their families to Miami for vacation, and were also preparing to watch tomorrow's Eastern Conference Finals G1.

Thinking that at this time last season, everyone was still fighting for the championship together, Garnett and Szebiak were filled with emotion.

"Lin, I really envy you. You have been a strong contender for the championship for two consecutive seasons. The Heat are in such good shape this year, and you have Shaquille and Dwayne to help. It seems that winning two consecutive championships should not be a problem. so big!"

Naturally, Szebiak couldn't speak clearly in front of Garnett, but his meaning was very obvious. Lin Fei's choice to leave the Timberwolves and come to the Heat was a very correct choice.

Garnett said helplessly and unwillingly: "If Lin hadn't left, maybe we would be preparing to play in the Western Conference Finals now!"

"The overall competitiveness of the team has dropped a lot this season, but the management is still quite active now. Wally and I will definitely lead the team to make a comeback next season!"

Szebiak also smiled and said to Lin Fei: "Lin, General Manager McHale has brought good news to the Timberwolves this time. We are infinitely close to trading for Ron Artest!"

"Artest is going to the Timberwolves?"

Lin Fei was also a little shocked. He did hear that after the Pacers were eliminated, Artest had a big conflict with the team, and the Pacers also tended to send away this restless powder keg.

But I didn't expect that the Timberwolves would make the move so quickly, and the two teams had basically reached an agreement and were just waiting for the off-season trade market to open.

"Artest is indeed the league's leading wing forward, and his defense is particularly strong. If he comes to Minnesota, he will indeed improve the team's overall offensive and defensive strength!"

Szebiak's eyes flashed and he said: "Lin, you have always been very accurate in judging people. You have said so. It seems that the team's trade for Artest was a very correct choice!"

Lin Fei smiled awkwardly and said: "Although this guy has strength, he also has a very hot temper. I wonder if Kevin can suppress his arrogance in the locker room!"

Garnett patted his chest and said confidently:
"What the Timberwolves need now is a beast like Ron. The team must show a tough and iron-blooded side in the game!"

"And to be honest, the Auburn Hills Palace incident seemed to discredit Artest, but in fact I found that this guy has more and more fans now!"

Lin Fei smiled and nodded: "That's true, black and red are also red!"

The Timberwolves had already used "Madman" to trade Gerald Wallace from the Bobcats before the trade deadline in February, and now they are infinitely close to acquiring Artest in the offseason.
Overall, the Timberwolves will definitely be much more competitive in the new season, which may change the pattern of the Western Conference to a certain extent.

Lin Fei couldn't help but sigh, it had been less than a year since he had traveled through time, and the butterfly effect was already unstoppable.

Then the three talked about this year's draft. The Timberwolves got the No. 16 pick in the first round and were also actively seeking to trade up.

"I watched Deron Williams play in the NCAA. This kid has great potential and is very strong. It would be great if the team could select him!"

"It's a pity that Deron is predicted to be among the top four picks in the draft. It would be too difficult for the Timberwolves to trade for the top four picks!"

"Lin, what do you think of Deron? What is his future potential?"

After hearing what Garnett said, Lin Fei had nothing to hide. It was not a bad thing to reveal some "inside information" to his old club.

After all, the Heat had already sent out this year's first-round pick when they traded for O'Neal, so this year's draft has nothing to do with the Heat.

Rather than watching several potential players be drafted by other teams, it would be better to remind the Timberwolves. After all, Minnesota also has many memories of Lin Fei.

Moreover, the Timberwolves are a team in the Western Conference. The stronger the Timberwolves are in the new season, the more chaotic the pattern of the Western Conference will be, and the greater the gap between it and the original world will be, which will have a more dramatic effect.

"Deron is of course good. He will become the league's leading point guard. There is also Chris Paul. His future achievements are likely to be higher than Deron's!"

(End of this chapter)