Champion Creed-Chapter 945 - 309: San Francisco? New York? (Please vote for monthly tickets!)_3

He can’t just watch himself come here voluntarily and yet not win a single championship.

From the moment the Lakers Big 3 was formed, it meant that not winning a championship was a failure.

After Grant Hill finished speaking, the therapy room fell into silence.

A few minutes later, O’Neal spoke: "I’ll do my best in defense, as for that bastard, I’m not counting on him at all."

After speaking, O’Neal turned and left.

Kobe remained silent for a few more minutes, finally standing up to pat Grant Hill on the shoulder: "You’re right, we need to stop the internal strife first."

Then he left too.

Grant Hill sat alone on the therapy room bed, staring at his hands.

This was the Los Angeles Lakers’ final desperate fight.

Meanwhile, Erik Fleisher was making full preparations for Yao Ming’s draft.

In the earlier completed lottery draw, the New York Knicks successfully secured the No. 1 pick.

Many media outlets called it "God’s second frozen letter to New York."

Tonight, Erik Fleisher took Yao Ming to New York for a workout, alongside Nick Collison who had scored 33 points and 19 rebounds in the championship game of March Madness a month ago.

One could say that Nick Collison represented the highest readiness level of American homegrown centers in this draft.

The Knicks knew Yao Ming had potential, but they didn’t know what he could do now.

As a result, in 15 alternating low-post one-on-one drills, Yao Ming held Nick Collison to 5 out of 15, while he went 11 out of 15.

The latter part was only because Yao Ming tired and missed a few shots.

In low-post one-on-one battles, the super center who nearly had a 30+20 game in the NCAA finals seemed like he couldn’t play in front of Yao Ming.

The Knicks were very satisfied with Yao Ming’s performance, noting he had both readiness and potential. They were now convinced that wasting the No. 1 pick on anyone other than Yao Ming would be a crime.

After the workout, Knicks GM Scott Layden chatted with Erik Fleisher.

Most topics revolved around Yao Ming, but as they talked, Scott Layden suddenly said: "Erik, have you ever wondered what would happen if the two greatest Chinese players teamed up on one team?"

This was an unmistakable hint that New York’s ambition this summer wasn’t solely Yao Ming.

Erik Fleisher wasn’t surprised by the question, waving it off: "Today we’ll only talk about Yao, talking about Roger would need an appointment. The next team discussing Roger with me should be the Golden State Warriors, they’ve already scheduled with me for a long time."

"The Warriors? You don’t actually believe a Russian can succeed in the NBA, do you? He doesn’t understand the NBA at all, if Roger goes to San Francisco, it’s simply a waste. I’ve heard another Russian is planning to buy Chelsea, huh, when will they buy the Statue of Liberty? Even if they buy the Statue of Liberty, they don’t understand what true freedom means. Russian money isn’t omnipotent, you should be aware of that, Erik."

"Russians? No, no, no, that’s not the point. While Russian money isn’t everything, Roger is. Success depends on where he is, not who owns him. I will talk to you about Roger, Scott, but not now."

Though not explicitly stated, New York had always been one of Erik Fleisher’s backup options.

In fact, New York was one of the two places he thought Roger had a relatively high chance of going.

This team was completely owned by James Dolan, with no shareholder conflicts, and had a market comparable to Los Angeles.

The other likely place was San Francisco, if the Warriors stayed in Oakland, it would be one scenario. But with the Russian’s promise to build a home court in San Francisco, the Warriors’ influence would be entirely different.

Additionally, the Warriors were also wholly owned by that Russian tycoon, with no messy shareholder disputes.

But Mikhail Prokhorov had one significant advantage over Dolan: if James Dolan was still a businessman, then Prokhorov was a genuine basketball fan, who might spare no expense for victory, much like Ted Turner did before.

San Francisco? New York?

Well, whichever place prospers, Los Angeles must first endure a disaster.

-----------------

The impact is significant, but we’ve already solved the more troublesome issue than the Atlanta Hawks, we’re unprecedentedly strong, and we have a great chance to bring the trophy back to Los Angeles—Grant Hill discussing the impact of OK’s relationship on the game.

I just want to win, so as long as that person can help me win, I don’t care who I pass to.—Kobe when asked if he would pass to Shaq.

Defense is nothing complicated, and it’s not like I’ve never had outstanding defensive performances!—Shaq discussing his defensive attitude in the finals.

Don’t listen to those three losers bragging. When it’s all over, Roger will become one with the four championship banners behind him, becoming an immortal legend of Atlanta. Los Angeles? You can see them as steps to Roger’s entry into the hall of immortality, a beautiful step, but just a step after all.—"Atlanta Journal-Constitution."