radicalducati Chapter 405 The Lin Tian Clause? No, it's the birth of the God Clause!
Chapter 405 The Lin Tian Clause? No, it's the birth of the God Clause!
In addition to the sign-and-trade rule change, Stern also announced a clause that was absolutely groundbreaking, even overshadowing the "Michael Jordan Rule" and almost causing it to be ignored!
「若一名球员在过去5年内曾夺得最少3次或连续两次MVP、4次或连续3次总冠军，4次或连续3次入选年度双一阵容，此球员在续约时，全联盟拥有此球员鸟权！即全联盟皆可以鸟权价格与此名球员商谈合同！」
"However, the player's original team still retains the first-time renewal option and the right to match the offer!"
"Furthermore, when this player renews his contract, the current salary rules will be disregarded, and negotiations will be based on his current salary. Any luxury tax arising from the new contract reached on this basis will be doubled!"
This clause really shocked the entire league!
Is this guy insane?
This is the first thing everyone thinks of!
too crazy!
For example, according to the existing collective bargaining agreement, players like Lin Tian and Garnett who signed contracts before the 98 labor dispute would not be able to negotiate a contract extension based on their exorbitant salaries for the final year of their contracts after those contracts expire!
Because the collective bargaining agreement stipulates that a veteran with more than 8 years of service can sign a contract with a maximum salary of 30% of the salary cap, which is a starting salary of around 1500 million plus a maximum annual increase of 10%, and a maximum contract length of 5 years.
In other words, regardless of whether Lin Tian, Garnett, and other players' final year contracts are $3500 million or $2800 million, when they negotiate new contracts, their original teams can only offer them a maximum salary contract with a starting salary of $1500 million and a total value not exceeding $8500 million over 5 years.
This is the standard contract rule stipulated in the 98 labor agreement!
But now that this rule is in place, it means that a player who meets the above conditions...
Okay, there's only one person in the entire league who meets this criterion right now: Lin Tian!
This means Lin Tian will be able to negotiate a contract with any team in the league for up to 5 years, with an annual increase of 10%, starting at a salary of 3277 million, while also ignoring the salary cap.
In other words, if a crazy person really makes an offer and offers a full contract with a 10% annual increase, then Lin Tian will have the opportunity to get a 5-year contract worth over 2 million US dollars, and his annual salary in the last year will even be close to 5000 million!
Meanwhile, the salaries of all other players during the same period were basically no more than 2000 million.
In fact, more than half of the teams in the league now have a total salary of less than $5000 million.
too exaggerated!
This clause immediately sparked a frenzy of discussion and a huge uproar throughout the basketball world!
Initially, this clause was called the "Lin Tian Clause," since he was the only player in the entire league who met the requirements. However, as the discussion progressed, it was discovered that throughout history, only two players have met the requirements of this clause.
Lin Tian and Jordan.
So, the clause was quickly renamed.
God's Clause!
Absolutely God's terms!
Apart from the very top players in NBA history, no one else has ever had the opportunity to use this clause.
Of these three requirements, only the last one is something that a few people can meet. The other two are incredibly difficult to achieve on their own, but what about all three together?
It really is just Lin Tian and Jordan!
too difficult!
Immediately afterwards, everyone realized that since Jordan was no longer eligible, this thing was simply a special clause exclusively for Lin Tian!
Furthermore, this isn't even a benefit for Lin Tian, it's a benefit for the alliance!
Double the luxury tax!
If some crazy team manages to acquire Lin Tian, the luxury tax that team pays every year will be an astronomical figure!
It's important to know that the league's luxury tax is split equally among all teams! Many smaller teams even rely on that luxury tax to help them out!
This clause means that all 28 teams in the league without Lin Tian can get a share of the money! They can all benefit from it! They can all become beneficiaries of this clause!
This is probably why almost all bosses wholeheartedly agree to this clause.
After all, 90% of the teams know that Lin Tian is unlikely to come to them. Since he is unlikely to come, why not take advantage of the extra money we can get?
It is rumored that even Pacers owner Simon did not strongly oppose or protest this clause.
This guy agreed.
As for the reason for agreeing?
Everyone believed that this guy had most likely reached some kind of secret agreement with Stern.
Given the Pacers' financial situation this year and their decision to let Carter go, if any team were to offer Lin Tian a 5-year, $2 million contract, they would definitely not follow suit!
Small businesses operate with integrity. When it comes to spending money, the Pacers can't compare to teams like New York, Portland, or Los Angeles.
With four championships already under their belt, the Simon brothers have amassed an untold fortune and numerous accolades.
He'd just have to accept it, even if he had to hold his nose!
What can you do if they don't acknowledge it?
When Stern conveyed this clause in the meeting, he didn't give anyone a chance to refuse. He was conveying and informing, not discussing or deliberating!
What else could Simon do but happily accept the benefits promised by Stern and wait for Lin Tian to leave so he could get a share of the luxury tax?
As for Lin Tian? He felt it was no longer a big deal. Frieza had said to Kakarot, "Your fighting power of 18 is impressive, but mine is 53."
Now that Frieza has completed the first stage of his transformation, he says to Piccolo and the others, "Each time I transform, my strength increases by 2-3 times. My current power level exceeds 100 million! And I can do this transformation twice more!"
Even so, Frieza is still hiding his ultimate transformation, a 100% full-power state!
Crushing, dominating, and utterly crushing them!
It was just awesome!
If you can make money and earn more money, what's there to be unhappy about?
Originally, after receiving this contract, Lin Tian's annual salary would have been at most 1500 million, but now he's going to work his way up to 3300 million starting salary and close to 5000 million ending salary.
Even though this was bound to happen to Lin Tian himself, Lin Tian still found it crazy and unbelievable.
But aside from being crazy and unbelievable, there's just one feeling.
Cool!
The sheer exhilaration of crushing the entire league!
However, Lin Tian's joy didn't last long, because less than two hours after the terms were announced, his phone rang.
"Two hundred million over five years? I can't give you that, Lin! My family elders would kill me! If someone else offered you that price, I'd lose you again. God! Damn Stern, why did he have to do this now? He just doesn't want me to be with you!"
Dolan's voice was trembling with tears. His acting was so exaggerated that even without Lin Tian pointing it out, Dolan couldn't hold back and burst out laughing halfway through his sentence on the other end of the phone.
"James, what exactly are you trying to tell me?"
"Los Angeles people are known for being rich, but that old man in Buss is a complete pauper. I'd be surprised if he offered me $2000 million a year!"
"The only one who can compete with me in this league is Paul Allen. That old man does have a little money, but I think Stern came up with this whole thing because he was sure you wouldn't go to a small place like Portland."
"If you don't get to the point, I'm hanging up!"
"Fine, fine, fine, I just wanted to tell you that 200 million over 5 years—if it weren't for that damn double luxury tax, I could grit my teeth and provide it to you, but now, that's absolutely astronomical!"
"What I'm trying to say is that 2 million over 5 years is impossible, but 1.5 million over 5 years is definitely no problem! If I continue to save money in the next two years, the money I save over those two years won't be so outrageous if you spread it out over time!"
"I believe no one can offer a better price than me. See you in two years!"
Lin Tian could tell from Dolan's excited tone that this guy was absolutely certain of victory and believed he couldn't escape.
I can't get 2 million over 5 years.
That's a bit of a pity.
However, Lin Tian didn't think too much about how much he would get in two years.
Stern has already provided specific terms, so there's no need to worry about not getting paid!
This so-called "God Clause" has been discussed for a long time in the basketball world. This clause can really have a positive impact on the interests of owners and players!
The bosses were calculating how much money they would spend to acquire Lin Tian and make a killing, while the players were calculating how they could meet the terms and earn much more money than before!
This clause also briefly overshadowed another announcement Stern made—
That's the China Summer Pre-Season Tournament, which has been in the works for many years but has never been held!
On October 20th, the Pacers and Nets will travel to Beijing and Shanghai, respectively, for two preseason games!
This is the first time the NBA has held a game outside of North America, and it's also an experiment for them: to hold a formal game like the preseason overseas.
Many people speculate that holding the preseason games overseas is just the beginning. If everything goes smoothly, Stern might even move the regular season overseas as well! Even heavyweight games like the Christmas Day games could potentially be held overseas!
For example, how about a Mavericks vs. Nets game in Berlin or Madrid?
Or perhaps a Pacers vs. Lakers game would be held in Tokyo?
Or perhaps the preseason doesn't necessarily have to be between two NBA teams. Could an NBA team play against a popular local team in a preseason game?
In short, Stern has taken another important step toward his goals and dreams of globalization and world-class development!
Meanwhile, Stern had been keeping a close eye on ticket sales in China.
For his first overseas tournament, and his first time playing on another continent, Stern was actually quite worried that ticket sales wouldn't be as good as he'd hoped.
What if the ticket prices are too high? What if Chinese football fans only like watching on TV and don't like watching the game live?
So, less than 24 hours after the official announcement of the match time and location in China and the start of ticket sales, Stern, unable to contain himself, called China to ask how the ticket sales were going.
If sales are really bad, we can do some discounts or extra gifts. For example, give everyone who buys a ticket a team T-shirt! It's not expensive, and it's worth it for GG!
"Sold out! Can you add two more games? The fans are going crazy! Our phones, emails, ticketing website, and even the in-person ticket queues are all overwhelmed. We simply can't keep up with the demand!"
"What? We can't add more? Then don't hold us back, things are too chaotic here! We have a lot of work to do. Contact us again if we can add more shows!"
FUXX!
The ticket price is too low!
This was the first thing that Stern, the capitalist, thought of at that moment!
Then he got excited!
It's a success! The first leg of the overseas competition is destined to be a great success!
Globalization! The NBA is globalized!
Stern was so excited he almost wanted to shout three times, "I am the king of the world!"
Fortunately, he wasn't that immature and managed to suppress those howls.
But his excitement was undeniable.
Sending these two powerhouse teams this time was absolutely the right decision!
Which team will be featured next year?
Europe is also sending teams!
However, we can't play like Huaxia Sai, where we go all out right away; we have to hold back!
Let's go back to the Nets! Let the Nets go again next year, and then we'll just pick any other team and focus on one team next year!
Leaving something to look forward to keeps the suspense going and helps the box office rise!
Stern's excitement and vision for the future speak volumes!
The Pacers, a team with a market size that is at most above average, have achieved top rankings in the entire league in terms of revenue, net profit, attention, and online search index in recent years, all thanks to Lin Tian!
Or to put it another way: apart from the Lakers and Knicks, two top-tier market earners, the most profitable team in the league, with the highest attention and the most fans worldwide, is the Pacers!
Over the years, their overseas income alone has earned them countless riches, not to mention the numerous honors they've received along the way!
Lin Tian can really help the team make a lot of money!
This is why, even knowing that Lin Tianxia's next contract will most likely start at 3000 million, there are still bosses willing to take on the deal and even willing to gamble desperately.
You can make money!
This guy can really help the team make a lot of money!
The only question is whether your market is big enough to support the traffic and profits brought by Lin Tian.
At the very least, Indiana is not a place that can support this, which is why Stern has been trying to get Lin Tian to leave and racked his brains to come up with this so-called "God Clause"!
To Stern, Lin Tian was a complete waste in Indiana!
Do not believe?
If you don't believe me, just look at the ticket sales for these two China Open matches!
Lin Tian absolutely has this level of influence throughout China and even Asia!
He is the pride of Asia and Asia's number one sports hero today!
His commercial potential has not yet been fully realized!
Tickets for the China Tournament were selling like hotcakes, with scalpers even reselling tickets for 10 or 20 times the original price. This news spread throughout the league's management almost instantly, giving them a whole new understanding of Lin Tian's appeal!
Even someone like Dolan was starting to regret offering Lin Tian 1.5 million. Dolan was worried that Lin might think he was stingy. Wouldn't that ruin his image as James Dolan?
At the same time, because of Lin Tian's sudden rise to fame, Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi, who haven't even played a single NBA game yet, suddenly became hot commodities!
You are all from the same country, so even if your business potential can't compare to Lin's, it's definitely enough for us to make a good profit, right?
Suddenly, rumors of a trade involving Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi began circulating in the league.
Not many teams inquired about Yao Ming, and many of them asked casually. They knew very well that the Nets, whether from a performance or business perspective, definitely valued Yao Ming and would not easily sell him.
But it's a different story for the Mavericks! Since Dallas has already bought Jamison, they probably won't need him!
Should I stay on the team as the third power forward or as the center?
Since we don't need it anyway, let's have a good chat and see if we can make a deal!
In no time, the Mavericks' general manager, Don Nelson, was inundated with calls from countless people offering to sign him.
Among them are many sincere and tempting offers, but for various reasons, Little Nelson is not in a hurry to put them on the shelf.
Because Cuban made a request to Nelson.
Newcomer Jamison can't come for nothing; he must be given important roles! Dirk Nowitzki, the team's leader, is the foundation and core of the team, and his playing time must also be guaranteed. Furthermore, the team previously underestimated Nowitzki's commercial value; next season, the team will try to develop it, so his tactical role must also be preserved!
To Cuban's request, Don Nelson rolled his eyes so hard they seemed to want to jump to Mars: "These three players have almost identical playing styles, strengths, and weaknesses. How can I guarantee playing time for all three of them at the same time? Or should I just start them all? Wong in 5, Dirk in 4, and Antoine in 3!"
"Great idea! That's exactly what I wanted!" Cuban clapped his hands, indicating that his words were exactly what he wanted!
"Fuck you! You idiot, are you mentally challenged? Can't you tell I'm mocking you? Your IQ isn't even as high as my dog's. How did you manage to start a business and make so much money? By licking other people's...things?"
"I can use people however I want, and I can rotate them however I want. You idiot who doesn't even know if a basketball is round or square, shut up and stop pointing fingers and being so self-righteous!"
When Nelson realized that Cuban hadn't realized he was being sarcastic, his patience immediately ran out. He unleashed a string of profanities and rudely hung up the phone!
What the hell is this?!
Do you really think you're something special just because you're the boss?
It's bad enough that Hu's mother messed up the deal with Jamison, but now she wants me to set up this kind of formation that insults my intelligence? Is she crazy?
A three-PF lineup?
I may be a mad scientist and I do like to research new things, but I'm not brain-dead. I can tell what can be and what is nonsense.
Idiot!
However, Nelson, who was used to yelling at his boss, had no idea that Cuban on the other end of the phone was also looking gloomy.
You old geezer, you've got a taste for cursing me, haven't you? You really think you're the boss now?
I'll settle the score with you sooner or later!
In short, the season hasn't even started yet, and training camp hasn't even ended, but the entire league has quickly descended into chaos because of Stern's measures and the promulgation of new rules!
As for the reason, there's only one: everyone wants to make money!
However, neither Yao Ming nor Wang Zhizhi were traded before the start of the season. The management of the Mavericks and Nets are not stupid; they know very well that now is not the time to make a trade.
Especially for the Nets, their goal is the championship! They certainly wouldn't want to disrupt the chemistry and teamwork they've already developed at this time!
As for the Pacers, although Lin Tian was actually the key figure in this storm, the entire Pacers team was unusually quiet and calm this time. No one was foolish enough to ask Bird for a bid for Lin Tian. They all knew that would be humiliating.
The Pacers players are also wholeheartedly preparing for the new season, sweating it out in training camp.
In fact, the training atmosphere within the team this year and the players' level of attention to training are better, more focused, and more dedicated than last year, or even more so than every year before!
As for the reason?
Michael Jordan is here!
Most of the Pacers players are die-hard Jordan fans, and the remaining half are die-hard Lin Tian fans. With this group of people together, watching the team's two big shots lead the way in training like crazy, it would be a miracle if they slacked off!
They were all incredibly hardworking and dedicated!
Even Webber, whose performance has declined in the past few years, has shown an unusual level of focus, throwing himself wholeheartedly into the training camp!
This year, due to the combined impact of the World Championships and the China Open, the Pacers' training camp this year was significantly shorter than in previous seasons. Normally, a meticulous head coach like Carlisle would definitely protest against the league and Stern's mismanagement, and would most likely suggest that the league should postpone the season to increase training camp time.
But this time, Carlisle was extremely satisfied!
The team's training intensity, the speed at which the players' chemistry improved, and the things and characteristics he wanted the team to play were all displayed flawlessly!
What he originally planned to learn in a month, the players have now fully absorbed in less than half a month!
In response, Carlisle believes that Jordan and Lin Tian's insistence on not being on the same team during team scrimmages, and their fighting spirit, which made them want to beat each other to a pulp, definitely played a crucial role!
With both big shots like this, who among the subordinates would dare not work hard or train seriously?
Just go all out!
Then, with the end of training camp, the Pacers made their final roster after some deliberation!
Centers: Ben Wallace, Andre Miller, Zahn Tabak
Power Forwards: Chris Webber, Larry Ketner, Jeff Foster
Small Forwards: Michael Jordan, Doug Christie, Terry Mills
Shooting Guards: Gilbert Arenas, Manu Ginobili
Point Guards: Lin Tian, Tony Parker, Terius Edney
As is customary, Bird retained only 14 players with formal contracts, leaving one vacancy in case the team suffers injuries or if any players slip through the free agent market, so that the team can be supplemented!
The Pacers' roster is indeed strong and well-equipped!
There are plenty of capable players on the inside, outside, and forward lines!
Of course, their perimeter is now a bit crowded, with several players who are very good at scoring. Carlisle's adjustment is to let Jordan play the 3 position!
It just so happens that Jordan's speed has slowed down now, and he can't keep up with the lateral movement speed when defending shooting guards. But when facing small forwards, he doesn't suffer from the physical contact!
Therefore, moving Jordan to the small forward position actually helps the team's overall operation and fluidity!
And it was precisely because of the arrival of Jordan and Argentine Jordan that, despite losing two important rotation players in the summer, the Pacers were still the team with the highest chance of winning the championship in the league!
There isn't even one of them!
There's no way around it. When a team's starting lineup includes Jordan and Lin Tian, even if the remaining three starters are Jordan's grandmother, Lin Tian's maternal grandmother, and 50-year-old Bird, people will still think that this lineup can compete for the championship!
A person's name, a tree's shadow! That's how powerful it is!
With the end of training camp, the salary cap and luxury tax threshold for this season have also been determined!
The pay cap is $5100 million, the luxury tax threshold this year is $5800 million, and the poverty line is $4100 million.
The Pacers' payroll this year has naturally far exceeded the salary cap!
Lin Tian will earn 2730 million this year, Webber 1430 million, Jordan 1200 million, Ben Wallace 600 million, Christie 600 million, Brad Miller 350 million, and the salaries of the other players are all around 80 to 150 million in base salary.
The Pacers' total payroll this season has once again reached $8000 million!
They are currently still second in the league.
To keep salaries around 8000 million, they still had to let Carter and Harrington go, and Miller had to announce his retirement in time.
Otherwise, these three guys would have to team up to take away at least another $2500 million. Even if you remove Jordan's $1200 million, the Pacers' total salary this season would still be close to $9500 million.
Hmm... even at 9500, he's still second in the league!
As for first place?
Still the pioneers!
There's nothing we can do about it; the Trail Blazers have just too many bad contracts.
皮蓬1900万，再加上1600万的拉希德、1300万的坎普、1250万的斯塔达迈尔、800万的戴尔·戴维斯、700万的安德森，700万的萨博尼斯、600万的邦奇·威尔斯和500万的鲁本·帕特森。
Although this team doesn't have a monster like Lin Tian who can earn nearly 3000 million a year, they have four players with salaries in the tens of millions.
What's even more disheartening is that among these four players who could earn over $1000 million, Pippen has degenerated into an average or even below-average starting player, and Kemp has basically stopped playing altogether, with rumors circulating that the Trail Blazers are preparing to cut him.
After being plagued by various injuries, Stoudemire's skill level has long since declined to a point where it's no longer worth watching. Sabonis, who earned $700 million a year, also announced his retirement a year ago.
With such a large roster of players and a payroll exceeding $100 million, the two most capable players on the Trail Blazers are Rasheed Wallace and Wells; the rest are basically overpaid and underperforming.
All I can say is that Paul Allen truly embodies the saying: "Foolish people with lots of money, come quick!"
With the players getting older, the Trail Blazers' goal this season has long since shifted to simply making the playoffs; as for anything else...
Get out of this mess as soon as possible, stop wasting money, and get your salary back to a healthy level quickly—that's the right thing to do!
Paul Allen's team-building efforts after taking over the team undoubtedly ended in failure. Apart from one Western Conference Finals appearance, they haven't produced any truly memorable games.
The disintegration and disbandment of this team is absolutely imminent.
Whether owner Paul Allen can learn from his mistakes and stop spending money so recklessly is up to him.
Anyway, whenever Bird and Simon brothers were racking their brains over the team's total salary and lamenting how much money they were spending, they would pull out the Trail Blazers' payroll and take a closer look.
Then they felt comfortable!
Bird even went so far as to hang a photo on the wall of his office showing the Trail Blazers' total spending this season.
Whenever he encounters troubles at work, he looks up at the sky.
Think about it: these people take so much money, yet they can't make any contribution.
That feels so good!
This world is still a beautiful place! (End of Chapter)