Originally, Liu Dong wanted to stay at home for a month and then fly directly to Canada, but a phone call from the United States made Liu Dong have to take a flight to New York in June!
Fortunately, he has his own private jet, which makes his time much more convenient.
After resting for a night in the Manhattan mansion he won from Andrew Morgan when he last came to New York, Liu Dong welcomed a new guest outside his door early in the morning!
"Hello, boss!"
Looking at the young man behind the door, Tim Thomas quickly bowed and saluted.
As the general manager of the New York Knicks, this is the second time he has met this young Asian owner who just bought the team last year. I am afraid that the entire NBA is like him, who is indifferent to his team.
It’s still the first one! I’m afraid it’s also the only one!
"Please come in!"
"Thanks!"
Following Liu Dong, Tim Thomas walked in. The luxury in the living room was not beyond his expectation. After all, this is Manhattan, the most expensive area in New York. However, the area inside the villa made Tim Thomas
I'm secretly shocked, but this just shows that the young boss is rich, and this is undoubtedly good news for the future of the Knicks!
Sufficient money is really important for competitive sports!
"Sit down! I just arrived in New York yesterday, and I didn't prepare anything to drink here. It's a bit rude!" Liu Dong said.
"You're welcome!" Tim Thomas said quickly.
To be honest, he was still very nervous when he faced Liu Dong today. Because in the 2001 season of the NBA Basketball League that just ended, the Knicks' performance was really bad!
30 wins and 52 losses in 82 games. Although it is slightly better than the bottom teams such as the Houston Rockets with 22 wins and the Chicago Bulls with 21 wins that have lost their glory, the improvement is quite limited. They also did not enter the playoffs and are in the league.
Bottom!
If you were any boss, even if he didn't care about the NBA, he probably wouldn't watch the assets in his hands depreciate all the time!
"Boss, this is the plan I put together to rebuild the team!"
In order to save his precarious position as general manager and avoid losing his job, Tim Thomas quickly handed over the team reconstruction plan he had worked hard to compile during this period to Liu Dong's hands.
Because now he has a relationship with a basketball team, and his acquaintance with Ivanka Trump is also because of basketball. Therefore, Liu Dong has gradually learned a little about basketball, a ball game!
Moreover, because the New York Knicks are his own team, on his way to New York this time, he also read some team history about the Knicks!
It can be seen that this team, which once created the miracle of winning eight games in 1999, has gone downhill after the retirement of its star player 'Patrick Ewing'. The meritorious players in the past have been scattered, and now they are scattered.
Can't even make the playoffs!
Although Liu Dong doesn't mind how much money the New York Knicks can make him, what he can't stand is that this team always loses money to him.
"Larry Brown? Is this the new coach you plan to invite for the Knicks?" Liu Dong asked after flipping through the information.
"Yes, boss! Larry Brown is a famous coach in the NBA. Not long after he first coached, he was elected the ABA Coach of the Year three times. In 1980 and 1988, he led the college team to win the NCAA twice.
Champion. In 2000, he became the coach of NBA All-Star Weekend Eastern Conference All-Star team. In 2001, he led the Philadelphia 76ers to the finals. And was elected as the best coach in NBA! Today, Larry Brown is famous for his relationship with Philadelphia 76ers star Ivor
Sen! If we can provide a superior contract, I believe he will be moved!"
Looking at Larry Brown's information, Liu Dong nodded. Judging from his resume alone, Coach Brown is much better than the current Knicks coach Don Cheney! Therefore, for Tim
.Liu Dong has basically agreed to Thomas’ suggestion!
"Where are the players? What are you going to do with the 19 New York Knicks players?" Liu Dong then asked.
"This...!" After pondering for a while, Tim Thomas continued, "Boss, regarding the players, I think the team's coach will have the most say in the future!"
Liu Dong can also accept this explanation, because the style of work he has always pursued is that professional people do professional things! Therefore, he, who is not highly educated and not good at company management, has handed over the management rights of all his companies.
Feng Jianhui, Yang Ke, MBAs from these famous business schools!
"You told me before that this year's draft will start soon, right?" Liu Dong said.
"Yes, Madison Square Garden is on June 26, three days before the start time! But the picks we drew this time were not very good, we only got the No. 7 pick in the first round. And the No. 7 pick in the second round!
"Tim Thomas said slightly anxiously.
With two No. 7 picks, it is obvious that the most promising top players this year will have nothing to do without them. Of course, there are also things about hidden gems in the ocean, but it all depends on luck!
After listening to Thomas's words, Liu Dong pondered for a moment and turned over the information in his hand. After reading it, he put it aside. He didn't know any of these players, and it was all in vain!
As for how to choose, it’s up to the future Knicks coach to decide!
"Since you plan to invite Larry Brown to become the team's head coach, have you had any contact with him before?" Liu Dong said.
"Not yet, I want to listen to your opinion first before making a decision!" Tim Thomas said obediently.
Liu Dong is quite satisfied with his answer!
No boss likes his subordinates to make their own decisions on crucial personnel appointments, unless they have agreed beforehand!
"I don't have a problem. You go to talk to him first, listen to the other party's conditions, and tell me when you come back. If it's not too outrageous, then agree to him!" Liu Dong said after a brief thought.
"Yes, boss, I understand!"
Tim Thomas said excitedly.
Liu Dong's agreement made him feel encouraged, and at the same time, he felt nervous since he came in.
…
Two days after Tim Thomas left Liu Dong, USA Today, the largest circulation magazine in the United States, broke the news that New York Knicks head coach Don Cheney, who had just taken office last year, was dismissed.
And the person who took over the Knicks coaching position in his place was Larry Brown, the former Philadelphia 76ers coach who was fired because of a disagreement with the star Iverson!
Although the New York Knicks did not disclose Larry Brown's salary at the press conference, the team's internal staff broke the news that Brown, who had just taken office, received a five-year, 25 million contract!
Moreover, on the first day that Brown took office, the New York Knicks' official website posted a series of player transaction lists. Not only were the "patron saints of the water cooler" such as Shanton Anderson and Michael Dolick on the list.
, even All-Star players like Latrell Sprewell appeared on the transaction list!
Although the main player of the Black Eight lineup in 1999 is now 32 years old, apart from being a bit bad-tempered, he is still very good and has very deep playoff experience!
If he hadn't directly shouted out an annual salary of 10 million U.S. dollars and openly opposed Larry Brown in front of the media, maybe he would have been retained out of consideration for the playoffs!
Of course that’s not possible now!
"If so many people are eliminated at once, what will happen to this year's competition?"
Looking at the transaction list of as many as 13 people in the report, Liu Dong frowned.
The New York Knicks currently have a total of 19 players, and now more than half of them have to be cleared out. This is really a complete teardown and reconstruction!
"Boss, none of these people are in my plan. Rather than keeping them on the bench, it's better to free up the salary to trade players that suit us!" Larry Brown insisted.
Looking at the gray-haired old man with a serious face in front of him, Liu Dong nodded, "Well, since you are the coach of the Knicks, I will stick to the bottom line when it comes to player selection and will not interfere with your work.
!But I want to see improvement in the team's performance in this year's game. You don't need to win the championship right away, but we must enter the playoffs. Can you do it, Coach Brown?"
"No questions?" Larry Brown said without hesitation.
Seeing the strong confidence on his face, Liu Dong nodded with satisfaction. He liked confident people.
"So, let's take a look at this year's draft. We only have two No. 7 picks. As the coach of the Knicks, Mr. Brown, do you have any good goals?"
"have!"
Saying that, Larry Brown took out four photos from his carry-on bag!
"Ming Yao, like you, the boss, is a Chinese. He is 7 feet 6 inches tall and possesses enviable talents. Although his body is a bit thin now, he has good speed, has flexibility that many centers do not have, and he can shoot.
His skills are very good. Seeing him reminds me of 'Big Dream' Olajuwon! I believe that with a little training, with Yao's talent, he can become a top center talent comparable to Olajuwon. Unfortunately,
We got the No. 7 pick, and the hope of signing him is slim!" Larry Brown said with a pity on his face.
Looking at the familiar yellow face in the photo, Liu Dong had never thought that there would be a compatriot of his in this NBA draft. If possible, he also hoped to sign him to his team.
But unfortunately, looking at the overwhelming news about the other party on the Internet, Liu Dong understood that unless he got the No. 1 pick, there was little hope of signing the other party.
In the NBA, center talent is always the most scarce and the easiest target to compete for. (To be continued.)
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