the rest, only noise

Chapter 764 It seems that he is pretending to be there again

Also competing for the team's scoring title, Wilson seems to be burdened more than Ewing.

In addition to scoring, he also has to take care of the emotions of Reggie Miller and others.

Not so Ewing.

In any era, the inside line is the terminal on the offensive end, and they are responsible for the end.

Only a few centers can be responsible for both the start and the end like Walton, Sabonis, and Jokic.

Although Ewing has a lot of assists (for a center forward), Louis did not give him a hard support task.

He passes the ball when he wants to, and he doesn't pass if he feels inconvenient.

Wilson is well aware of his weight and how badly it would affect Miller if he pursued individual scoring as heavily as Ewing.

Time entered December. In order to stabilize Miller, Louis notified Baylor to contact Miller's agent to start early contract renewal negotiations.

Entering the Knicks for three seasons, Miller's scoring average has risen from 10 points in his rookie season to the current 18 points, second only to Ewing and Wilson in the team, and he hits at least 3.4 three-pointers per game.From the point of view of output and output, he is already on par with the Hornets' top scorer and the league's top scorer Dell Ellis.

At first, Miller and his agent insisted on a 10-year, $3600 million contract.

Baylor got angry when he heard it.

"What the fuck does Patrick think if this is signed?"

Wilson was No.1 in the league last season. Miller's status in the Knicks is better than Rodman's. A "replaceable" shooter is worth so much?
Louis heard about Miller's asking price, and what he thought of was not Ewing's reaction, but how Miller would regret this contract in the future.

What does a 10-year long-term contract represent?
an era;
Three TV deals, and everyone knows that a new broadcast deal equals a salary cap hike.

Signing this contract, Miller can only be happy for two or three years.In less than three years, he will find that there are many people who are not as good as him but get more money than him, and he has to hold that contract until 2001.At that time, won't he have a similar psychology to Ewing?

Ewing's contract has a player option until the seventh year, but Miller doesn't. Instead of waiting for him to make a fuss, it's better to shorten the period.

Louis specifically asked Miller to enlighten him, and persuaded him to give up the idea of ​​signing a 10-year long contract.

Miller eventually signed a six-year, $6 million early extension with the Knicks before Christmas.

Although the Knicks' salary cap can no longer fill this contract, Miller has been in the league for three years. He can activate the Bird clause, so the Knicks can sign him smoothly.

Miller's contract marked the end of the Knicks' child labor contract benefits in the Louis era.

In the past few seasons, although Ewing's big contract has occupied a large part of the salary cap, the Knicks have many rookies and their contracts are not big.

Now that the team has officially formed, the future stars that Louis selected into the team have all reached the age of signing a second contract.

No matter how the salary cap rises, the Knicks will not have extra room.

They have officially entered a new era in which they can only sign people in the free market through drafts, trades, and basic salaries.

At the same time, although Miller's new contract has tripled his rookie contract, his salary can only rank third in the team, not higher than Ewing.

This also preserved Ewing's self-esteem.

Although the annual salary is only a few hundred thousand more than Miller, it is more after all. You must know that his contract was signed in 1985.

Once Miller's contract was finalized, there wasn't as much thought about the numbers.

Before the contract extension, Miller would get angry because he couldn't catch the ball and blame Wilson. Now if he can't get the ball, he will just spout trash at the opponent.

After all, if you have money, you are afraid of something.

Christmas Eve

The league arranged for the Portland Trail Blazers as the Knicks' opponent.

The negative effects of Drexler are spreading from the field to the field.

He frequently revealed whispers in the Blazers locker room to the outside world, revealing Jordan's brutal side on the training ground to the world.

For a while, trading the glider became the most urgent thing for the Blazers.

However, Barkley in the East was temporarily calmed down by the team's big contract. Isaiah Thomas wanted to leave because he was in a team that could win, but he was still reluctant to part with his fame.

As a result, the glider has nowhere to go.

Teams that can give equal exchange chips have temporarily closed their trading channels.

The Blazers' approach was very professional. On the one hand, they appeased Drexler and promised to trade whenever he had the opportunity. On the other hand, they limited his playing time.In each game, the glider only plays for 25 minutes, no more than one point, and no less than one second.

He could rack up stats in those 25 minutes, and Jordan still led the team, staying on top of the scoring charts with astonishing efficiency, and at the same time, developing a three-point threat on the left and right wings.

He was getting better and better, but Drexler didn't want to help him anymore.

He's neither Scottie Pippen nor Isiah Thomas.

No, if it were these two, would they be willing to fight if the team couldn't win the championship?

Rick Pitino, whose position was in jeopardy, saw Louis with a sad face: "Lu, if it were you, what would you do?"

"I'll get out of here as soon as possible," Louie said truthfully.

Louie and Pitino have always had a good personal relationship.

Given Pitino's situation, he said it entirely from the bottom of his heart.

Even he would not want to stay in the Blazers.The interior of this team is rotten, Jordan and Drexler must be cut, and the existing lineup must be reshuffled.When Pitino took over, without a long-term plan, it was not enough to stabilize the locker room.

Since the inside and outside are already rotten, if you don't get out as soon as possible to avoid the reputation being tainted, when will you wait?
"How can it be so easy?" Pitino is very aware of Jordan's strength.

He doesn't think Jordan is worse than Travis, Bird, Sampson, and Wilson.

Which team can he go to coach a player as good as Jordan?

This is a matter of personal choice.

In the Christmas game between the Knicks and the Trail Blazers, Jordan scored only 19 points.

He took 31 shots in the game. Under the defense of the Knicks, he fell every time he layup, and someone blocked every shot.

Jordan, who didn't feel good, couldn't hit the inside. Ewing, Wilson, Rodman, Reggie Williams, and Sean Kemp, who broke the Blazers' second team, blocked 21 shots.

"Knicks remember who made them lose Game [-] of the season."

"That's right, it's a pioneer!"

"They also remember who was the key to the Blazers' victory -- MJ's 61 points."

"That's why they were so crazy tonight, they didn't accept that the same player beat them twice in the same way."

Unfortunately, Drexler efficiently scored 25 points, 24 rebounds and 6 assists in 3 minutes.

So, he had something to say after the game.

"If I took 31 shots and scored 19 points, guess what would happen?"

Drexler's words not only angered the Blazers executives, but also betrayed Jordan.

He was able to score 25 points in 24 minutes, and his hot hand feeling was an important reason, but without Jordan's feed, he would have no cake to eat.

Seeing the collapse of the Blazers, Louis became more and more emotional.

Jordan and Drexler should have entered the peak of their careers in 1991. If they could work together, even if the Lakers had David Robinson and Pippen, it would be difficult to resist the Blazers' wing group.

Jordan joined a better team than the Bulls because of Louie, but his career didn't get better for it.

He was firmly suppressed by the tragedies of the Lakers, and then when he was close to his peak, he encountered the betrayal of the second leader. As a result, the team was torn apart, and the prospects for the season were dim.

If this team is allowed to reach the Finals, Louis can only suggest that the core of the top four teams in the Western Conference retire collectively and stop playing.

From the end of November to the end of December, the Knicks remained unbeaten, playing a round of 11 consecutive victories.

"The New York Times will follow up on whether the oil price dropped first or the Knicks lost first."

The first year of the last decade of the 20th century was not peaceful.

The end of the Cold War, the reunification of Germany, the smoke of gunpowder in the Gulf, and the big news in Iraq. The Knicks, who are aiming for four consecutive championships, have exploded with stronger combat effectiveness than last season under the fierce competition within the team.

Within two months, they only lost one game. If it weren't for Jordan's astonishing 1 points in a single game, they might have maintained a complete victory.

26 wins and 1 losses

For the Knicks' current record, Louis has only one thing to say.

"26 wins can't even guarantee a place in the playoffs. When we get 81 wins and 1 loss, you can cheer again."

It seems that he was installed again.

(End of this chapter)