NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 25 The Friendly New York Press

On July 1996, 7, the Lakers officially signed Shaquille O'Neal.

Before the Lakers kept cleaning up the salary space, the media knew that the team had made big moves, but they really signed the Sharks, and they were still dumbfounded.

7 million dollars in 1.2 years, under the pressure of dollars and Jerry West, the Sharks finally left the Magic.

The combination of Anfernee Hardaway and O'Neal failed completely. The two had reached the finals in 95.

But with the return of Michael Jordan and the Bulls' rise again, the high-flying pair fell apart.
Of course, O'Neal's choice to leave is also related to the choice of the Magic's management. After Mourning and the Heat signed a seven-year $7 million contract, the Sharks felt that their worth could not be lower than the opponent.

However, the management of the Magic did not pay attention to O'Neal's ideas, and believed that Anfernee Hardaway was the real core of the team.

In addition, the local media and fans fanned the flames, bringing up the old things again, mocking O'Neal for always being swept out. As a result, Sharks Journey to the West no longer played in the East.

This deal has aroused major and great repercussions. The topic of ESPN and TNT in recent days is what kind of results the Lakers can achieve next season.

In addition, most of the media sang praises for Jerry West's operation, and the media in New York picked up the lemon at this time, and then, as usual, began to turn over old accounts
"Maybe we should make a change. Patrick Ewing is the reason why the team's performance can't go further!"

The New York media Cha Lemon is also related to the previous Michael Jordan trade rumors.

There are gossip that the Knicks are actively recruiting Michael Jordan and offering a super contract, but on the 13th, Michael Jordan issued a brief statement:
"I am very happy to continue to play for the Chicago Bulls, and I hope to help the team win another championship!"

With 3014 million US dollars a year, Mike Jordan got the highest one-year contract in the sports world at this time. Of course, this is indeed the reward he deserves.

The Knicks may be just a tool for Michael Jordan's team to raise prices, and the other party has no plan to come to New York at all.

Living in Manhattan for almost a month, Li You can be regarded as fully aware of the energy of the New York media
As the largest media market in the United States, many local TV stations, radio stations, and newspapers in New York will pay attention to the dynamics and performance of the Knicks.

MSG, a cable network dedicated to the Knicks and other New York sporting events, has exclusive rights to the Knicks, providing fans in New York with pre-game, during-game and post-game programming.

Shows like "Knicks Game Night" and "Knicks Overtime" are beloved by New York fans.

In addition to MSG, WNBC, a branch of NBC in New York City, will also report some news about the Knicks. During the playoffs, some celebrities will be invited to comment.

The ratings of programs such as "NBC 4 Sports" and "Sunday Sports Final" are also very good.

WFAN, a radio station located in New York City, is the first radio station in the United States to broadcast sports programs around the clock. As the official broadcast partner of the Knicks, it is also playing non-stop during the offseason
In addition to TV stations and radio stations, there are also a lot of print media:

The New York Times, a national newspaper with great influence in the United States, has a professional sports page and will always leave some places for the Knicks.

"New York Post" is an urban newspaper. The content of the newspaper is light and humorous. Most of them are headlines. The sports section also includes the Knicks.

"Daily News" and "News Daily" also change their patterns to comment on the team every day, and the weekly "Village Voice" and "Sports Illustrated" will also report special news about the Knicks.

The Lakers signed Shaquille O'Neal, and the New York media began to crusade against Patrick Ewing!

It’s no wonder that Ewing has a bad relationship with the New York media, and whoever is repeatedly belittled by media consumption will not have a good face.
On the morning of the 20th, after having breakfast, Li Youzheng was looking at the "New York Post" in his hand with relish:
"Knicks' Pretty Boy: Clay-Lee's Charm!"

The reporters in New York were indeed professional, and they took pictures of Li You and Mi Linda walking around Central Park together.

The whole article is basically ridiculing Li Youzhong for being useless, even though he hasn't played a game yet, the New York media who have recently picked up on Lemons will not let Mengxin go, and they will gossip without distinction.
And the sentence he said in an interview at the draft: "College basketball is no different from the NBA" has also been brought up again, and has been ridiculed repeatedly in the past few days!

Looking at these newspapers and programs, Li You finally regained some familiarity, and those articles with party headlines made him feel even more cordial!

"These articles are still not interesting enough. They should make a bet and eat something. This will be more effective. I'm starting to like New York media!"

Unable to surf the Internet, Li You's source of happiness is reading newspapers and magazines of this era.

Mark Bartelstein shook his head helplessly when he heard Li You's words.

At first, I was worried that Li You would not adapt to life in New York, but after a few days of observation, I realized that my worries were unnecessary:

"It's good to adapt to life in New York. The media in Chicago is similar to that in New York. Don't care what they say. As long as you play well, you can shut up these guys."

Li You just smiled, he really likes to read these made-up news reports:
"There are some problems with the trainer. The few people who accepted the invitation are more focused on strength training. This is not what I want!"

How to train scientifically and how to adjust the diet structure is indeed a technical task, but in the unique environment of this era, most of the current trainers have not met Li You's requirements.

In this regard, Mark Bartelstein has no good solution. At present, the most famous personal trainer is Tim Grover. As Michael Jordan's personal trainer, he is the most famous in the industry.

"Perhaps, you need a follower-type trainer. In a few days, I'll help you find some suitable candidates!"

"Li, don't go to the amateur field to play, I have arranged for you a membership in the New York Athletic Club."

Mark Bartelstein was afraid that Li You would be bored, so he went to places like Locke Park to exercise his body
Li You readily agrees, he is not interested in pretending to be X in the so-called holy place of street basketball.

Ralph Alston, who has recently become famous, is about to become the king of streetball, but this title is useless.

In the NBA, none of those fancy moves are used, and the offense has to obediently give the ball to the low-post big man as required.

At the end of July, Li You received good news from the big man Travis Knight.

The Bulls had no intention of signing Knight after selecting him with the 29th overall pick, and he was released soon after.

After tossing for more than half a month, the Lakers finally picked up the big white man.

"I almost thought I was going to run out of balls. It was a nightmare experience! I still don't understand why the Bulls drafted me and gave up!"

During the phone call, Knight seemed a little excited, and Li You comforted his old teammate:
"Everything is in the past. Los Angeles is a good place. When playing away games, I can rely on you!"

After finishing the call, Li You looked at the newly bought rainbow-colored Moto-Mola StarTac in his hand, and expressed nostalgia again:

"A classic flip phone that weighs less than 100 grams. It's a good deal for $1000!"

　Thank you book friends for your collection ￣﹣￣
　　
　
(End of this chapter)