Champion Creed-Chapter 962 - 314: Unprecedented Rights (Please vote for the monthly ticket!)_3
Chapter 962: 314: Unprecedented Rights (Please vote for the monthly ticket!)_3
Kobe Bryant has been incredibly stubborn his entire life.
And Gilbert Arenas’ arrogance has defined him throughout his life until retirement.
His strength is his intense training, comparable to self-destructive figures like Kobe. He likes to blame others, but he’s not just a complainer. When he feels underestimated, he’ll prove people wrong through his sweat and actions.
But Roger doesn’t believe this helps their relationship.
Aside from Arenas and Jamison, the Warriors only have Allan Houston, who lacks leadership qualities.
That’s the foundation in Oakland. At first glance, the stats of these three look pretty, but the fact that the Warriors have not been able to win games speaks volumes.
Stats cannot represent basketball, this is a truth validated by the GOAT.
Regarding these three, Roger already has a plan.
Jamison’s scoring ability is strong, but Roger can do that himself; he requires partners who can excel in other aspects. Even Dwyane Wade is a complement to LeBron James because of his defense and passing. Scoring? Just look at the Finals scores to see if LeBron needs Wade’s help.
Therefore, in Roger’s plan, Jamison can be traded because Roger doesn’t need a second pure scorer around him.
With Gilbert Arenas’ personality, he will likely leave in the summer of 2003, just like in history, because he won’t be content with losing his ball control and submitting to Roger. Before the Arenas clause, the Warriors couldn’t afford to renew his contract at a high price.
So he’s not part of Roger’s championship plan, either. Rather than let him leave for free next year, it’s better to trade him now.
Keeping him and then experiencing a predicted series of ridiculous locker room conflicts? Forget it, it’s not worth disgusting oneself.
Allan Houston can be temporarily kept and utilized since he’s shown he can fight hard in the playoffs and doesn’t have personality issues. He’s not a good team’s star player, but he might be a good sidekick.
The Golden State Warriors have no championship foundation; everything must be rebuilt from scratch.
But Roger is not in a hurry; he chose the Warriors for a higher ceiling. As long as the owner doesn’t interfere frequently, Roger believes his plan can become a reality with the Warriors.
However, before making drastic changes to the roster, the Warriors first made some personnel changes.
The team fired the original general manager Gary Jean, intending to bring Jerry West out of retirement. Even Roger personally met with the Logo. But the old man seemed exhausted by the star conflicts and the team’s power struggles, insisting on going to the remote Memphis.
"I want to try some new challenges; I want to go to a quiet place. After all, I’m an old man now, Roger."
When saying this, the Logo had lost the sharpness of his youth, and his tone was incredibly gentle.
It was evident that the Lakers had deeply hurt the Logo.
In fact, the Grizzlies became his last position as a general manager. Though he remained in the NBA and even had a presence in the Warriors Dynasty, it was not in the capacity of a general manager; most of the time, he served as a consultant.
There was no way; Roger couldn’t just tie up the Logo and bring him in.
So the Warriors had to execute plan B, recruiting Bob Bass, who had been a general manager in the League since the ’70s.
Bob Bass’s resume is extensive, tracing back to before the ABA and NBA merger.
Having won the Executive of the Year award twice in 1990 and 1997 with the Spurs and Hornets, respectively, demonstrates his abilities. However, in the original timeline, he also made the famous Kobe for Divac trade in 1996.
Overall, Bob Bass is a general manager with connections, experience, and execution power but occasionally makes mistakes.
Such a general manager may not provide advice to Roger, but at least he can actualize the ideas Roger proposes.
After Bob Bass took over, he immediately showcased his connections, bringing in Hubie Brown, who had been a guest at TNT for ten years. Hubie Brown officially signed a three-year contract with the Warriors to instill discipline and a defensive culture in the team undergoing a soft rebuild.
Seeing the drastic changes in the Warriors’ general manager and head coach after Roger’s arrival, the original players were unsettled.
Gilbert Arenas first expressed his dissatisfaction on a radio program.
"I don’t know what happened; I woke up one day, and my coach was fired. What? Did an emperor come to the Bay Area? Everyone seems to think Roger alone can make the Warriors champions, that he can do whatever he wants. Hey, I’m also a starter on this team; Roger needs us, especially me. He can’t do whatever he wants!
Without me, Roger won’t succeed in Oakland. So you see, the team should involve me in such discussions; Roger should come to see me.
I know he has seven rings; he’s the best player in the world. But man, without me, you won’t accomplish anything, you need to understand that."
Just as Roger expected, arrogant, proud, without a doubt.
This comes from Arenas, who just completed his rookie season and played half a season as a starter.
When Roger discussed trading Arenas with Bob Bass, Bob Bass was a bit surprised: "Gilbert’s potential is quite good. Although he averaged only 10 points last season, that was due to his time as a substitute. In the second half of the season as a starter, his averages were 17 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals!"
"Oh, great, then his trade value must be decent. Trade him now, immediately."
"This..." Bob Bass swallowed, Roger made this decision as casually as choosing a girl at an entertainment venue. freewёbnoνel.com
Bob Bass suddenly remembered someone, Michael Jordan.
In the summer of 1994, when Michael Jordan was getting ready to return, the condition was to have the Bulls trade Roger.
Okay, Arenas’ rookie season performance isn’t even worthy of licking Roger’s toes, but Roger’s status in Oakland now is as significant as Michael Jordan’s then.
No, much greater than Michael Jordan!
As far as Bob Bass knows, Jordan’s negotiation with the Bulls to trade Roger happened after intense discussions with David Falk and the Bulls’ management.
But Roger? He doesn’t even need to notify Boki (Mikhail Prokhorov’s nickname in America) when he decides to trade a player; even Bob Bass’s own appointment required Roger’s nod.
This is the power granted to Roger.
No player in NBA history has ever had the power held by Roger.
Once again, the League’s power balance has significantly tilted towards the players because of Roger.
Bob Bass finally asked: "Are you sure?"
"I’m very sure."
"Okay, Roger, you’ll never see Gilbert in Oakland again."
A few days later, the Warriors made a bustling trade and signing.
They used a mid-level exception to sign Stephen Jackson, who wished to continue following Roger.
At the same time, the Warriors traded Gilbert Arenas and Erik Dampier to the Houston Rockets, receiving Cattino Mobley, Jason Collier, and Tayshaun Prince, who was just selected by Houston in the mid-first round of the 2002 draft.
Upon learning he was traded, Gilbert Arenas was utterly shocked and expressed his dissatisfaction.
"I don’t know what happened; I woke up, and my coach was gone. What? Did an emperor come to the Bay Area? It seems everyone thinks that Roger can lead the Warriors to the championship alone and that he can do whatever he wants. Hey, the team should include me in these discussions, and Roger should know that."
As Roger expected, he was even more relieved to have traded Arenas.
In a Sports Illustrated radio show, Gilbert Arenas was the first to express dissatisfaction.
"I don’t know what happened; I woke up one day, and my coach was fired. What? Has an emperor arrived in the Bay Area? Everyone seems to think Roger alone can lead the Warriors to a championship and do as he pleases. Hey, the team should involve me in such discussions if they don’t want to regret it later."
Just as Roger expected, he was glad he traded Arenas.
"Sports Illustrated asked Roger if he felt regret for doing this after arriving in the Bay Area and if he had a response to Arenas’ comments about regretting letting him go.
Roger frowned slightly and said, "I respect what Gilbert said, and we’ll see if he can live up to his words and really make us regret it."
