Champion Creed
Chapter 108 - 108 068 Goodbye Tony my forever friend_3

108: 068: Goodbye Tony, my forever friend_3 108: 068: Goodbye Tony, my forever friend_3 This scene undoubtedly left those Nike-affiliated media trying to smear Roger red-faced, perhaps in their mouths, Roger is worthless, but now everyone’s honest bodies precisely illustrate Roger’s value.

Hard cash doesn’t lie, if Roger were really that awful, those teams wouldn’t be making such crazy offers for him.

The Dallas Mavericks were willing to trade the newly-acquired Jason Kidd and Jim Jackson for Roger.

But Krause refused, after Michael Jordan’s return, the Bulls didn’t need that many guards.

He needed big men, he needed forwards, he needed something that could contend with Olajuwon.

The SuperSonics came knocking again, they continued to push out Kemp, but the trade target had shifted from Pippen to Roger.

Krause counteroffered Payton plus Kemp.

Kemp was good, but he was just a chip for trading Pippen.

To trade for Roger, they had to raise the price.

The SuperSonics refused this counteroffer, keeping at least one of Kemp and Payton for themselves, otherwise the trade made no sense.

The Los Angeles Lakers also came knocking, they faxed a list of their team roster to Krause and added a note: “Take your pick”.

Krause laughed, the Lakers seemed generous, but what value could you pick from a pile of trash?

Ceballos?

Divac?

George Lynch?

Give me a break, trading Roger for them, what’s the difference from giving him to the Lakers for free?

The Milwaukee Bucks were close to finalizing a trade, they were willing to directly pull out “Big Dog” Robinson and Vin Baker.

Krause felt that this was the kind of chip that matched Roger’s value, he was ready to accept the offer and report it to the league.

But the next day, the Bucks suddenly withdrew the trade.

Because many media believed, if going to Milwaukee, Roger would likely not renew with the Bucks in the summer of 1995.

Reebok played their trump card, their media campaign worked, they successfully scared off the Bucks, which had neither exposure nor competitiveness.

Not just the Bucks, many teams that learned of this were hesitant about Roger.

Many teams were willing to empty their coffers for Roger, but not for a Roger they could only use for one year.

Krause immediately realized, he didn’t have that many choices.

Roger’s player option seriously limited the trade’s flexibility.

First, his trade target had to be a team Roger was willing to go to.

Second, the team must have sufficient chips.

Counting it all up, there were very few teams that met the criteria.

The calls Krause received gradually lessened, and the trade came to a standstill.

He needed to make a decision quickly, or it would seriously affect the team’s following reinforcements.

At this point, the Orlando Magic presented their offer.

Chris Webber, the guy who also wanted to escape his cage, was laid out on the negotiation table.

He had just made a statement in an interview a few days ago: “I’d rather play basketball with a dumb pig than spend another second with Shaq”.

Krause naturally did not want to accept this offer; first off, Krause felt rookie Webber was not worth a straight swap for the fourth pick, Roger.

Webber had talent, but his performance in his rookie season left much to be desired.

The guy might still be salvageable, but he might not be.

Krause did not want to gamble Roger for such an uncertain X-factor.

Furthermore, the Orlando Magic had Shaq, and they were also in the East.

To be frank, Krause was afraid of a Roger and O’Neal partnership!

He was scared of that combo in his heart!

Although the Magic had only made it to the first round last season, Shaq’s power had already shocked the world, and Krause was even more aware of how strong Roger was.

Even with Jordan’s return, Roger + O’Neal posed too great a threat to the Bulls.

So he rejected the Magic, and the negotiations once again hit a deadlock.

Watching the trade delayed indefinitely, Jordan was running out of patience, he complained to Falk, “What the hell is that idiot doing?

The free agency market is a race against time!”

Falk understood Jordan’s meaning, if Krause hadn’t decided yet, he would urge that guy.

Just then, the Magic upped their offer.

And their new offer left ’94 first-pick Chris Webber humiliated.

The next day, Krause received another call from Pat Williams.

On the phone, Pat Williams’s tone was extremely reluctant, “Chris Webber, Nick Anderson, plus…

first round picks of ’95, ’97, ’99!

But I remind you, Jerry, this is the final offer!”

Chris Webber hated the Magic management, this humiliating offer made him seem worthless!

As ’94 first pick, trading for ’94 fourth pick, yet he had to include a teammate averaging 19 points a game as the second scorer and three first-round picks.

It wasn’t even a salary-matching trade, but the Bulls had several player contracts expiring this season, so they just had the space to take on Anderson.

In this scenario, the trade did not need to match salaries.

But the “Orlando Sentinel” put it well, “That’s Roger’s value!”

They expectedly ran a poll: “Is it worth going all-in for Roger?”

97% of fans chose it was worth it.

Pat Williams knew all too well, this offer was too bold.

But a word from Shaq’s agent forced his hand: “Shaq said, if you can’t keep your promise, if the team can’t give it their all in this trade, then he might reconsider his relationship with the team.”

Meaning, if the trade didn’t happen, Shaq might not renew in the summer of 1996.