Champion Creed
Chapter 710 - 710 245 Never before has the best player of today been such a natural question asking for monthly votes!

710: 245: Never before has “the best player of today” been such a natural question (asking for monthly votes!) 710: 245: Never before has “the best player of today” been such a natural question (asking for monthly votes!) The 2000 All-Star game represented a new beginning.

The league had entered a new era, and the All-Star roster was joined by many fresh faces.

At this year’s Oakland All-Star game, you wouldn’t see Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Olajuwon, or Patrick Ewing.

Instead, names that had only become familiar to people in recent years, such as AI, Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, Ray Allen, Michael Finley, Rasheed Wallace, and others, took their place.

In the East, a full seven players were selected to the All-Star team for the first time.

The West’s All-Star starting lineup had also almost completely changed.

Whenever the All-Star roster undergoes a major shakeup, it indicates the arrival of an era change.

Well, this time was an exception.

Because that guy who had already achieved brilliant honors in the previous era was still very young.

So whether an era change had arrived had to depend on whether the still youthful number 14 would agree or not.

Although many people wanted to grab the AMVP this year, once Roger declared “Tonight, there will be a battle,” there could only be one hottest contender for AMVP.

Roger arrived in Oakland surrounded by the aura of “top five greatest of all time” as described by Bill Simmons.

The entire San Francisco Bay Area trembled at his arrival.

The area had never been so engulfed in basketball fever; the Golden Gate Bridge, that old Hollywood disaster movie star, was jammed with traffic every single day because everyone in San Francisco wanted to drive to Oakland to see Roger.

Chris Cohan, owner of the Golden State Warriors, envied the star effect that Roger brought and could imagine how happy Ted Turner must have been when Roger had landed in Atlanta.

How wonderful it would have been if that could happen to the Warriors.

Chris Cohan’s life was not easy, despite driving luxury cars, living in mansions, and changing female companions five times a day.

His life was anything but easy.

As a cable TV magnate, he had sold his company for more than 200 million dollars in 1998.

Now, the Golden State Warriors were his biggest assets.

But the Warriors were losing money.

When Cohan took over the Warriors, he wanted to move the team to San Francisco.

Though San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose all belong to the San Francisco Bay Area, the three areas have very distinct labels.

San Francisco is wealthy, Oakland is poor and chaotic, and San Jose is a mishmash.

If the aim was to make money, San Francisco would be the best location.

Chris Cohan wanted the Warriors to “de-base,” as the consume power and the rich were definitely more plentiful in San Francisco.

The Warriors could increase ticket prices and sell more season tickets if they moved their home base there.

Moreover, moving the team to San Francisco could further enhance the Warriors’ commercial value and acquire more sponsorships.

But not only was the relocation plan blocked, Cohan had also spent 140 million on renovating the home stadium for the Warriors.

What was even more annoying was that he was battling a 160 million US dollar tax evasion charge in federal court.

Now he needed money, needed cash, and the Golden State Warriors were his biggest source of revenue.

Sadly, the Warriors weren’t performing well.

So, watching the tremors that Roger’s arrival in Oakland caused, Chris Cohan couldn’t help but fantasize that if a star of Roger’s caliber came to Oakland, he would instantly turn losses into profits.

How blissful that would be.

The star effect that Roger brought shook Chris Cohan to the core, prompting him to take a gamble; this coming summer, he decided to put all his chips on the free agent market to bet on one or two superstars.

There were plenty of big fish in the free agency market this summer: Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan, Allan Houston, Roger…

Okay, although Roger would become a free agent, Chris Cohan really couldn’t think of any reason for Roger to leave Atlanta.

He said he would build a dynasty in Atlanta and definitely wouldn’t leave before then.

He’s not someone who breaks promises.

How would people view him if he left after failing?

How would he maintain his status as a superstar?

No person with a sense of honor would do such a thing.

But even excluding Roger, securing one or two of the other stars would activate the Warriors’ market.

Chris Cohan so wished that the shock brought by stars could become a daily occurrence for the Warriors.

If the Warriors still couldn’t recover, then Chris Cohan would have to brace for the worst-case scenario, which was to sell the team.

Yes, that Russian was always eager to join the fray, and he had money, waiting for a chance to get in the game.

So selling the team was also an option.

Roger’s arrival had changed a lot.

The day after the All-Star game, Roger still enjoyed the sensation of being adored by the world.

Every commercial event he attended would become the most crowded place in all of Oakland.

Only in the evening did Gisele Bundchen finally get to spend time with Roger.

Roger and Gisele Bundchen went to the scene of the Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest.

Any seasoned basketball fan knew what was going to happen at the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest.

Roger wouldn’t miss the chance to watch a UFO flight on-site.

Indeed, Vince Carter blew up the court, saving the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, an event that had been on life support.

Every dunk he produced during the contest could be considered iconic.

The 21st century’s second dunker lived up to the hype.

The end of the Slam Dunk Contest left the fans wanting more, and it also made them look forward to tomorrow’s All-Star game even more.