Volume 1 Western Cowboy Chapter 79 This special move is too stupid
The draft is over and the fate of the 2004 rookies has been settled.
In China, many fans may not understand why the Supersonics traded Wayne immediately after selecting him.
After all, at that time, fans' understanding of the NBA was very limited, and they were not very clear about many of the NBA's rules and regulations.
Therefore, some media took advantage of the situation and published eye-catching but illogical news such as "Wayne was abandoned without even playing a game".
It was not until that evening that CCTV-5 launched a special program specifically for Wayne's draft, which explained the reason why Wayne was traded.
"Initially, the Pacers wanted to draft Wayne, but they didn't have a high enough pick, so they asked the SuperSonics to help them draft, and then they switched back."
Teacher Xu Jicheng could only explain to the fans in this simple and easy-to-understand way because those tabloids were really capable of inciting hatred.
As for Wayne himself? After the draft, he attended several press conferences.
Some faced Chinese reporters, some faced reporters from Jingshui City, and some faced reporters from Indiana.
Although he is the 12th rookie, Wayne's level of attention is no less than Howard and Okafor.
This is probably what is called market dividend.
After finally finishing all the work, Wayne also met with the Pacers' uniform staff.
By the time Wayne returned to his hotel, it was already one o'clock in the morning.
"Oh, participating in a draft is so tiring. What should I do in the future?" Wayne lay on the bed with extremely heavy eyelids.
What does it feel like to be a professional player?
I will be playing in the Pacers jersey next season.
Well, it was indeed a little unexpected. A month ago, he was still watching the Pacers' Eastern Conference Finals on TV .
It wasn't long before I became one of them.
Speaking of which, those guys on the Pacers... Artest, O'Neal Jr., I wonder if "Martial Saint" Jackson will come.
Because in the original history, Harrington, the bargaining chip the Pacers used to trade for Jackson, was used to exchange for Wayne himself.
If the "Martial Saint" finally came in another way...
Wow, none of these teammates are easy to deal with, they are all talented!
Who knows what will happen if I play with this group of people. I might get elbowed down during training.
"Harden's tragedy is going to happen to me earlier than expected?" Wayne couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine.
Oh, and there was also the infamous Palace of Auburn Hills incident that established Artest's historical status.
On the surface, the Pacers were a strong contender for the championship, but after the fight, the main players were suspended, Miller retired, and the team basically began to rebuild.
Didn't people often say that in Wayne's previous life, that fight destroyed Miller's last chance to win the championship?
To be honest, Artest can be considered an epoch-making player.
He pioneered the way of playing from the No. 1 position to the audience seats!
No one understands versatility better than Artest.
Wayne has some understanding of the current Pacers.
It must be said that they do have the strength to compete for the championship.
Artest was sixth in the MVP rankings last season and was also the best defensive player, O'Neal was third in the MVP rankings, Harrington was second in the best sixth man rankings, and Miller still has a little gas in the tank.
The Pacers are really strong.
A team that can win 61 games is no joke.
In the original history, if there hadn't been the Palace of Auburn Hills incident in the 04-05 season, it's hard to say how far the Pacers would have gone!
That season was indeed quite a pity.
But now it’s different. With Wayne, the Pacers’ 04-05 season might not be so terrible.
People often say that there are no ifs in life, but Wayne's life now has ifs.
"Well, if the impact of the Auburn Hills fight wasn't that great or didn't exist at all..." Wayne touched his chin, thinking that the Pacers and himself might be able to achieve great things!
Although Artest and O'Neal are not suspended, they may not be able to start.
But as far as Wayne knows, last season Harrington was the sixth man for the Pacers, and his playing time, shots and points were all among the top three in the team, more than Miller, and no different from a starter.
If you can take the sixth man position, you won’t have to worry about not having opportunities to show your abilities.
Under such circumstances, if I can help the Pacers realize their dream...
My goodness, let’s not talk about anything else, those guys from the class of 2003 must be jealous!
Better than 03 Super Platinum!
This is an opportunity to compete for the championship. How many NBA stars have worked hard for more than ten years but still cannot win the championship.
Not to mention more than ten years, in Wayne's previous life, didn't you see that old Carter played for more than twenty years and had no chance to win the championship.
Look at Karl Malone, who finally formed a team in the last years of his career but still failed to win the championship.
Ma Long is considered good. Although he has no championship, he has established his historical status.
How about Webber? When people mention the topic of "the best power forward in the NBA" in the future, how many people will still remember him?
If Webber could win a championship, would he be so disparaged?
Opportunities to win the championship don't come often, so Wayne feels he must seize it.
Don’t say that winning the championship as the sixth man is not valuable. Ginobili played as the sixth man most of the time in the Spurs, but no one would say that the Spurs’ championship had nothing to do with him, right?
And you won't be the sixth man all your life.
This opportunity must be seized, must be seized!
Whether it succeeds or not is another matter, but at least you have to try!
"By the way, now is not the time to think about these things." Wayne shook his head and didn't think about it anymore.
He hasn’t even received the reward he received after becoming a first-round pick!
He opened the system and clicked on the backpack. The diamond-level "Man of Steel" badge and the A-level lottery package were lying there quietly, waiting for Wayne.
Wayne first received the "Man of Steel" badge. As described, the badge would prevent Wayne from suffering major injuries.
But I didn't say I wouldn't get hurt.
This actually makes sense. If Wayne can't even get hurt a little bit, doesn't that mean he's Superman?
The kind where even a bullet can't penetrate the skin.
Then why bother playing basketball? Just wear your pants outside and play until you reach Mars!
Minor bumps and bruises are inevitable, and Wayne should be thankful that he has not suffered a devastating blow.
However, since Wayne now only has three badge equipment slots, in order to equip the "Man of Steel", he must remove one from the existing ones.
Just as Wayne was still struggling to decide which badge to take off temporarily, he saw another item in the badge description.
"The highest level diamond badge can be equipped directly without occupying an equipment slot!"
"This is fucking worthy of being a diamond!" Wayne was shocked. The additional functions of this diamond badge are really amazing.
So, if Wayne has the opportunity to train the purple "Big Heart Killer" to diamond in the future, he can free up another equipment slot?
It smells so good!
According to the logic of the system, it may be because a person can train all the badges to the diamond level, then this skill is equivalent to being deeply rooted in the player's bones and can be used without additional equipment.
Wayne said he likes this system, which seems reasonable but is actually very perverted!
Well, he completely forgot that he was still complaining about this broken system a few days ago, saying that it was too expensive to buy krypton gold and that the upgrades were too slow...
The nature of human beings is double standards.
With this "body of steel", Wayne can also increase his weight gain without worrying about injury.
After getting the badge, Wayne couldn't wait to open the A-level lottery package.
If I could draw an item that gives me strength +10, I would be so excited.
"Wait." Wayne sat up in bed.
As usual, I went to the bathroom and washed my face.
After opening the lottery package, Wayne finally saw the words "special moves"!
He finally has a special move to equip!
But after a closer look, Wayne was dumbfounded.
"What the hell is this..."
Wayne recognized the words in front of him.
But when put together, Wayne didn't know how to understand it.
“Special Move: Karl Malone’s Elbow (Silver, Upgradable).
Effect: Slightly increase the damage of elbow strikes, and slightly increase the deterrent effect on the opponent after elbow strikes. "
"Where's Olajuwon's footwork? Where's Kobe's fadeaway? At worst, you can do Chairman Yao's hook shot. Karl Malone's iron elbow is actually a special move! It's outrageous!
You call this a basketball skill? Will there be a silver cannon punch in the future? "
Wayne was surprised. This special action was really fresh and unconventional.
And the coolest thing is, this thing can be upgraded. Do you know?
What? Encourage me to elbow someone harder?
Wayne wordlessly accepted the special move and equipped it.
I haven't even reported to the Pacers yet, but the system has already prepared all the "weapons" I need to get along with my teammates?
Well... you are so considerate ...
Fortunately, there is an incredible "Man of Steel" badge as a consolation, otherwise Wayne would be so angry that he would die.
Forget it, just use it for self-defense.
Early the next morning, Wayne said he was going to take his parents out for some fun.
But Schwartz told Wayne regretfully: "I'm afraid you don't have that much time, Wayne. Since last night, you have become a professional player. So tomorrow afternoon, I have arranged for you to meet with Nike."
"Nike? Signing a sneaker contract so soon?" Wayne really didn't expect this to happen. It's only the second day after the draft. Isn't it too early?
As a fan in his previous life, Wayne did not understand this point thoroughly .
Signing a shoe contract now is considered normal time, not early at all. Many rookies sign shoe contracts before the draft begins.
Signing after the summer league is considered late.
For example, Howard, the No. 1 pick this year, announced a three-year, $30 million endorsement contract with Adidas a week before the draft.
For major sporting goods companies, signing rookies, especially lottery picks, requires fierce competition.
Because you never know who among these young people will become the next “hit”.
As long as you can bet on one of them correctly, the rewards will be immeasurable.
Therefore, major sporting goods companies are adopting a wide-net strategy to recruit rookies, especially lottery rookies.
I would rather sign a bunch of wrong ones than miss out on the right one.
When sports brands sign rookies, there are always risks, and the risks are always huge.
But the competition is so fierce that we have to spend money even at the risk of losing money .
Reebok's stock market plummeted last year because it failed to get the talented player from Akron.
Of course, it must be said that Reebok did not take no action at the time. They were closer to Mousse than Nike.
But in the end, Reebok discovered that they were being used as a tool to raise prices.
It's simply shrimp and pig heart.
"Well, time is indeed tight. After all, you are very popular. Don't worry, I will give you a few days off before the summer league, so you can have fun with your family.
But now, we have to resolve the shoe contract issue.
To be honest, I want to create an atmosphere that you are in demand.
You negotiated with Nike the day after the draft. Do you think Adidas and Reebok would be anxious? And come to you with a bigger contract? "
After listening to Schwartz's explanation, Wayne smiled.
Sure enough, brokers are the best liars in the world.
Schwartz does look kind, but then again, how can he deceive people if he doesn’t look kind?
This game is set up so that each link is linked to the next.
"Well, I'll follow your instructions for the next few days, Mr. Schwartz."
"Just call me Jeff, Wayne. By the way, regarding your first sneaker contract... do you have any psychological expectations?"
Schwartz's question made Wayne speechless.
He has worked on large projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Moreover, sneaker contracts are not like NBA contracts, which can be roughly guessed.
The difference in sneaker contracts between different people is beyond imagination.
James signed a 7-year, $90 million contract with Nike last year, a price that is considered sky-high even in 2020.
Also the No. 1 pick, Howard only gets 30 million for three years this year.
Is there a lower price? Of course there is. Simmons, who was later defended by Jenner, only signed with Nike for 5 years and 12 million.
Yao Ming, who has the Chinese market and the status of the No. 1 draft pick, signed a 7-year, $50 million contract with Reebok.
You see, the offers that the four top draft picks received were very different.
There is no standard for sneaker contracts, and they are not like the NBA which has various restrictions.
As long as you have money, you can spend as much as you want.
"Well...how much do you think I can sign?" Wayne had no idea and could only push the question back to Schwartz.
"As for me... I'll try my best to make you get something similar to this year's top pick." Schwartz smiled confidently.
He is about to start demonstrating his business abilities.
