Champion Creed
Chapter 443 - 443 169 I seem to have said this to someone else too Vote for monthly pass!

443: 169: I seem to have said this to someone else too (Vote for monthly pass!) 443: 169: I seem to have said this to someone else too (Vote for monthly pass!) “What would happen if this rule really passed?

Mr.

DeVos and I would certainly do our best to avoid the luxury tax.

Of course, discussing these matters now is still premature.

We’ll delve into these details only if the league’s basketball-related income used for paying player salaries exceeded the agreed-upon 48% next year, thereby triggering labor negotiations,” he said.

Roger didn’t know how to evaluate the situation.

John Gabriel and the team had already made their stance clear through this interview: They were not going to pay the luxury tax.

Although the luxury tax rule wouldn’t be implemented until the ’98-’99 season, the day would inevitably come.

By then, everyone would have to face a very real question: Can you win a championship without paying the luxury tax?

Of course, you can.

But since the introduction of the luxury tax rule, only the Spurs have really managed to achieve that.

The Warriors?

They just got lucky with Curry’s underpaid contract.

The blue-collar champions, the Pistons?

Sorry, they did pay the tax the year they won the championship, but it was very little, just $760,000.

It’s fortunate when the rewards are proportional to the costs.

There are plenty in NBA history who have paid the substantial luxury tax year after year and still haven’t managed to win a championship.

The New York Knicks paid $45 million in the ’06-’07 season, which meant they spent a total of $160 million on salaries and luxury tax that year for only 33 wins.

Roger didn’t continue to dwell on the relationship between the luxury tax and winning championships.

He did not want any factors to disrupt what he was currently focused on.

The team’s condition was great, although Shaq had left, the team’s cohesion was strong.

Fortunately, no signs of weariness from the game appeared among the Magic members.

Everyone had a strong desire for the third championship.

People can get comfortable with victory and then become complacent.

They relax in training, in their diets.

However, this hadn’t happened to the Magic.

Perhaps everyone sensed this was their last dance, so they cherished it even more.

And in the recent games, Dominique Wilkins had been performing great.

He didn’t just actively compete for rebounds and work hard on defense, but also took some of Shaq’s shooting responsibilities in his absence.

In the three games without Shaq, Wilkins scored 15, 18, and 21 points, respectively.

Roger never thought he would one day come to appreciate Wilkins.

As long as the team maintains this state, the Knicks definitely won’t be able to catch up.

After the game against the Clippers, Roger went to New York to attend a charity dinner.

Such dinners were opportunities to increase influence and exposure.

As the spokesperson for several brands, the brands wanted Roger’s influence to be comprehensive, not limited to just basketball.

Therefore, this wasn’t the first time Roger was arranged to attend such a dinner.

Walking the red carpet and facing the dazzling lights that could blind one’s eyes, Roger entered the banquet hall.

Inside, he saw someone he wasn’t particularly close to, but could at least converse with, and walked toward him.

The man noticed Roger first, smiled, and waved at him.

“Do you know, Roger?” Olajuwon said, with his petite and pretty wife by his side, looking at the man in front of him who he wanted to defeat the most, “You really look disheveled.”

“What?

Does the outfit not look good?

I think it’s pretty sharp.

The only thing that felt out of place to me was these glasses, but my stylist insisted I wear them,” Roger replied, removing the glasses that made him look like an affected intellectual.

“No, your look tonight is outstanding; you resemble the protagonist from a movie I saw.

What’s the name of that Hollywood Asian star?

Right, John Lone.

But haven’t you noticed?

You’re one of the very few male guests who walked the red carpet alone today.

As a superstar, going to such an event by yourself is quite abnormal,” Olajuwon said.

“I’ve had some girlfriends before, just so happens I don’t have one right now.”

“You’re very clever, Roger.

You know when to do what.

The biggest difference between you and us is that you avoided many detours when you were younger.

Still, I have to tell you, sometimes you need to experience the sweetness of life a bit more,” Dream said, glancing at his young and beautiful wife.

It was clear he truly enjoyed life’s “sweetness.”

Roger wanted to remind Dream to be moderate and take care of his body, but considering it might ruin his mood, he didn’t say it out loud.

Instead, he began to pitch Dream’s business.

“If you and your lady watched a movie along with my wine, life could be even sweeter.”

“How could I refuse you?

I’ll have my agent place an order.

You have a unique way of advertising, Roger.

I believe George Karl would feel nauseous at the sight of red wine right now,” Olajuwon said.

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“By the way, Roger, have you heard?

The next labor agreement, the league seems to want a salary cap.”

The conversation shifted into a direction Roger least liked.

He was tired of topics related to labor negotiations recently.

Moreover, he didn’t feel that he had enough influence to change anything at the moment.

But Roger was a polite person outside of competition, so he played along: “I heard, the league is preparing to set a so-called maximum salary to limit superstars’ bargaining power and then introduce a rookie wage scale.

Future rookie salaries will be tied directly to draft positions, and each slot will have a fixed salary.

This avoids situations where newly drafted rookies immediately demand a hundred million-dollar contracts.”