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Chapter 286 - 142. Why is Boss Joe not being penny-pinching anymore?_3

Chapter 286: 142. Why is Boss Joe not being penny-pinching anymore?_3

The Bobcats also joined the bidding war, offering the highest bid...

Zhang Yang was surprised when he heard that Joe had offered Peja a 5-year, 70 million US dollar contract; how had the boss become so generous?

But on second thought, boss Joe was frugal because the team itself wasn’t making money. He eventually made over a billion US dollars with the Bobcats, which was from the team’s appreciation in value. Ticket sales, broadcasting rights, sponsorship deals... they barely made any money from these, and it was said they often had to pay out of pocket for salaries.

This time it was different; the team was making money, and quite a lot of it, especially since the Rockets failed to make the playoffs last season. Many sponsors that had circled the Rockets, looking down on this ’bottom-feeder’ team, had jumped ship to them.

Under such circumstances, Joe would certainly be willing to spend money to make the team stronger. The better their results, the more they could earn.

As for Peja, setting aside the issue of a potential decline during tough games, any team that acquired him would instantly move up a notch in strength. Plus, his style of play would integrate smoothly into any offensive system; he was just too versatile.

As for their Bobcats lineup exploding after signing Peja... that would be a problem to consider after snagging him; better to seize the opportunity first.

Unfortunately, the Bobcats were the first to be rejected; Peja did not give them a chance to worry.

In mid-July, Peja turned down the renewal with the Pacers, the Lakers, Jazz Team, Clippers, and Grizzlies, accepting a 5-year, 65 million US dollar offer from the Hornets.

From this choice, it’s clear that Peja might play softly, but he had a backbone; determined not to go to rival teams like the Lakers or Jazz Team.

He wouldn’t join teams like the Clippers or Grizzlies, which made low-ball offers with an annual average of just 10 million.

He also wouldn’t join teams like the Bobcats, where his role after joining couldn’t be assured.

The Hornets lacked a main scoring guard-forward and offered a suitable bid that won Peja’s favor.

The Bobcats just failed to have their bid accepted without earning anything. The Pacers traded Artest to get half a season’s usage out of Peja; they really took a loss on that one.

Their head coach Rick Carlisle expressed dissatisfaction with this trade during an interview, grumbling that Larry Bird refused to trade Artest for Ray Allen.

Larry Bird, being the broad-minded person he was, immediately responded to the news—"As a head coach, one should not casually question the general manager’s trade decisions; this is not conducive to team unity."

Sports analysts speculated that Rick Carlisle’s tenure with the Pacers wouldn’t last long.

The last time Bird gave a similar response, a year later Isaiah Thomas was fired, and Carlisle was his replacement.

By late August, Zhang Yang turned his attention to the FIBA World Championship hosted by the island nation.

Before August ended, the Chinese national basketball team was eliminated...

The older generation of Chinese perimeter stars had retired from the national team after the Athens Olympics two years prior. This year Yao Ming led an entirely new backcourt: Liu Wei, Sun Yue, Wang Shipeng, Zhang Qingpeng, Chen Jianghua... Yao averaged 25 points per game and became the championship’s scoring leader, but it wasn’t enough to carry the team.

On September 1, in the semi-finals, Team USA lost again, defeated by the Greek Team, missing the finals for the third consecutive world tournament.

During the Athens Olympics, with Duncan and Iverson on the team, the loss was attributed to the rookie class of ’03, so they were not to blame.

But this time, both Duncan and Iverson refused to participate in the World Championship. With James, Wade, and Anthony jointly taking the role of captains, James claimed in an interview before the championship that this time he had more suitable teammates, they were a real team, and they were certain to win the championship...

However, Anthony bled during the semi-finals, scoring a game-high 27 points, yet it wasn’t enough to fill the holes his teammates dug.

Not only did Anthony have to take the fall with his teammates, but he also took criticisms alongside the other two captains.

On September 3, the Spanish Team defeated the Greek Team, and Gasol lifted the World Championship trophy, clinching the MVP. He couldn’t overcome Nowitzki in the club scene, but in the national team, he dominated over Nowitzki, leading the team to a victory of over 20 points against the German Team, and claiming the world champion title that Nowitzki had long desired.

With the World Championship over, the new NBA season wasn’t far away.

On September 10, Bonzi Wells couldn’t sit still after turning down a 38.5 million US dollar deal and signed a 2-year, 5 million US dollar contract with the Rockets.

When Zhang Yang saw this news, he sighed at the thought process behind it...

But before he could finish sighing, he saw a piece of news that left him dumbfounded.

After signing Bonzi Wells, the Rockets boldly declared that they had brought in a superstar capable of blowing up Duncan, and with Yao Ming, McGrady, and Wells on the team, they were the top favorites for the championship next season.

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Today I’m a bit caught up, the update is a tad short, I’ll try harder tomorrow~ asking for monthly votes!