Champion Creed-Chapter 954 - 312: You and I have at least one common goal (ask for monthly votes!)_2

This is James Dolan.

After entering the office, James Dolan explained his recent behavior to Roger: "As employees of the company, they need constant reminders to stay aware, always know what they should be doing. I don’t know why they’re all so afraid of me. As long as an employee is diligent and competent, there’s nothing to be afraid of, right, Roger?"

Roger smiled without saying anything. Yes indeed, the gentlemen of the 19th century felt the same about black slaves.

James Dolan has a persistent old farm owner vibe about him, most of the old money on the East Coast carries this scent.

It’s quite an impressive first meeting. With this guy’s temperament, even if he told his secretary "I’m really angry right now", Roger wouldn’t find it strange.

Seeing Roger silent, seemingly uninterested in the topic, James Dolan quickly got to the point. After asking the secretary to make coffee for Roger and Fleisher, he began to paint a grand picture in the office.

"You know, this is the most prosperous city in the world. Here, you can easily score valuable endorsements like Michael Jordan. In this city, your every move will become the focus of the world. If there is any city in the world that suits you, it must be New York. Welcome to New York, Roger."

This picture was painted quite large, depicting Roger as if he were Superman from DC Comics.

Your every move becoming the focus of the world? Then Roger probably needs to blow up Madison Square Garden with a bunch of beepers.

Roger and Eric Fleisher didn’t want to hear such empty talks. The commercial value of a professional athlete is built on victory, not on the market.

You may say LeBron James’s commercial value was inflated by Nike and Los Angeles, but he has four championships. It doesn’t matter if they’re individual championships or team ones, four is four. Moreover, he indeed won at least one championship with every team he joined.

If LeBron James hadn’t won a single championship or joined a team without gaining anything, could he still be so hyped?

Wasn’t the "Decision" in 2011 made because things couldn’t be faked anymore?

So you see, even the most savvy marketer like LeBron James needs victories and championships to support his branding.

Michael Jordan did get a lot of endorsements in New York, and what was the result? He retired the following year.

Did Carmelo Anthony’s commercial value rise after coming to New York? No, his influence was not even as great as during his time with the Nuggets!

Therefore, whether a player has commercial value is decided by achievements, not the market.

The market merely adds the icing on the cake. If Tim Duncan could win championships in New York, he would definitely be more popular. But if Zach Randolph came to New York, the New York market would be worthless to him.

Roger came to New York for the commercial value, but he’s more concerned about winning opportunities.

Yet James Dolan doesn’t mention it at all.

He knows how to paint a handsome picture; this tyrant isn’t as "stupid" as the legend says. In fact, upon careful consideration, James Dolan is quite clever. His smartest move was hiring the Baby-Faced Assassin as the Knicks’ general manager in 2003.

Since then, no New Yorker has cursed James Dolan’s mother anymore, because everyone fervently curses Isaiah Thomas’s mother.

Can you say this isn’t a smart decision? You just need to say whether it solves the problems fundamentally or not.

Roger still didn’t respond to him, so James Dolan continued talking.

"As for helpers? Don’t worry, we’ll pick Yao Ming with the No. 1 pick. Some compare him to Shawn Bradley; hum, it’s foolish beyond reasoning. If you’ve watched Yao play, you know how extraordinary he is. We firmly believe you and Yao are the next greatest duo in history, New York’s glory belongs to you."

Eric Fleisher didn’t beat around the bush. As the agent of the most successful basketball player on this planet, he feels completely qualified to ask this question: "Yao is great, but in terms of strengthening, draft or team personnel, my client needs some authority. You know, I just want to ensure my client won’t be impacted by off-court reasons and lose his dominance."

James Dolan’s eyebrows obviously twitched; he was about to frown but realized that might cause Roger to leave, so he tried hard to control his expression.

"Of course, Roger certainly has authority," the control freak replied with a smile.

"Really? As far as I know, that’s not your style; you’re known for meddling in team operations. Since we’re here, we need an honest conversation, not just a perfunctory ’of course there’s authority.’ Don’t you think, Mr. James Dolan?"

Being questioned, James Dolan glanced at Roger behind Eric Fleisher. Since the negotiation began, Roger had been silent, with no expression, just sitting there coldly.

What’s his attitude? Dolan couldn’t capture it at all.

Sometimes, capturing a player’s attitude is far more important than capturing an agent’s attitude.

Sometimes, having a direct conversation with a player is more efficient than a lengthy discussion with an agent.