Mountain Peak System: a Path to NBA-Chapter 428 - 142: This Team Has No Place for You (Single Day 11,000 Words, Kneeling for Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets!)_2
Seeing this, an exasperated Barkley retorted, "If the game allowed me to defend like I did back then, let’s see if you can still score!"
Hearing this, Jordan scoffed, "Defense like back then? Didn’t I already win a championship in front of you with an average of ’40+’ points per series back then?"
In later years, despite many fans complaining that if placed in the era of small ball, Jordan might not still be Jordan.
But after this BIG league, Qin Yue can confirm...
If Jordan were born later, even if he only drilled two-pointers, he would likely still achieve astronomical numbers under the outstanding defensive standards of the later era.
Try to imagine, in a future NBA where there is no Hand-Check rule, players are allowed to perform stepping moves with the new catch rules, and the vertical jump rule further limits the help defense capabilities of interior players...
How would you stop a prime Michael Jordan, who pounces like a cheetah and can shoot two-pointers with accuracy from start to finish?
Moreover, in his prime, Jordan did not even have the concept of a stamina limit.
The historical 86/87 season.
In a season not yet fully in the "iron and blood" era, amidst the Bulls’ fast-paced 87 possessions per game offense, Jordan completed all 82 regular-season games, averaging 40 minutes per game, and scored an average of 37.1 points.
Qin Yue does not favor the ancient over the modern.
But the reason the GOAT is the GOAT is never because of his good character, his exquisite marketing package, or the length of his career...
It’s because he is strong enough.
The inaugural BIG3 league.
Although Barkley Team eventually claimed the championship and Reggie Miller was named FMVP, Jordan, who was crowned the scoring champion with an average of 24 points, still taught this new GOAT, Qin Yue, a lesson.
Maybe one day, years and time will take away your talent.
But your skills, your experience, will never be taken away.
And only by enduring the test of time, resisting the erosion of years, and passing down all the splendid techniques to later generations, can the GOAT live up to the name of the GOAT.
...
The inaugural BIG3 league concluded perfectly, and time quickly passed to September.
During the BIG league, the Supersonics, who narrowly lost to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals last season, also completed their strengthening.
Utilizing the salary space freed up by Ray Allen becoming a free agent this summer, the Supersonic first signed "White Devil" Bi Bi, who chose to opt-out of his contract, then re-signed Radmanovic, and on Yao Ming’s suggestion, signed the ageless Mutombo.
Then, after trading a second-round pick and some cash with the Spurs for the signing rights to Luis Scola, the Supersonic contently used the "Bird rights" to re-sign Ray Allen over the cap.
Although after re-signing over the cap with Ray Allen, the Supersonic would inevitably become one of the high-salary teams paying the league a hefty luxury tax in the new season, for Howard Schultz, who owns Yao Ming...
You can’t imagine the joy he feels spending money on this Supersonic team at this moment.
This summer, Bi Bi, not wanting to sink with the Kings, had already made up his mind early to latch onto the "Northwest Three Giants".
For this reason, even though Bi Bi would lose out on the cumulative salary of up to 28 million US Dollars in the last two years of his current contract, he was willing to sacrifice it.
"You know, by next year I will be 30 years old, and my career is entering the final stage, I need to fight for my dreams once."
Bi Bi signed a 5-year contract with the Supersonic for a total value of only 40 million US Dollars.
As for Radmanovic, one of Seattle’s three musketeers of the past, he didn’t hesitate to accept a 3-year contract offered by the Supersonic, valued at 12 million US Dollars in total.
"You know, back then I was chosen by the Supersonic, and as an international player, I have long considered Seattle as my hometown, so when my hometown team extended an invitation, I couldn’t refuse it."
As for Mutombo?
Being on good terms with Yao Ming, he also had no interest in rebuilding with the Rockets after his contract expired with them.
Therefore, facing Yao Ming’s invitation, Mutombo immediately booked a flight to Seattle.
"You know, I always consider ’Big-Yao’ and myself as good brothers, and I enjoy being his backup!"
The fact shows that in the NBA, it’s not just the Warriors that have the allure for these championship puzzle pieces.
However, compared to these typical operations, the most ridiculous would have to be the Spurs selling Scola’s signing rights cheaply.
Despite in Qin Yue’s memory, the Spurs would also sell Scola’s signing rights cheaply.
But Qin Yue just doesn’t understand...how much the Spurs want to save money, to the point where they even want to save on signing Scola?
Actually, knowing that the Spurs would likely sell Scola’s signing rights cheaply again, Qin Yue originally wanted to bring this Argentine diamond under his command.
But considering the relationship between the Warriors and the Spurs—which is not quite a mortal feud, but at least irreconcilable...
Qin Yue ultimately abandoned this idea.
The Supersonic has completed its strengthening.
The Lakers will have the Gasol brothers on the inside.
Undoubtedly, the difficulty for the Warriors to achieve a three-peat in the new season has increased sharply.
However, at this year’s "Divine Selection Training Camp," aside from helping Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue adapt to the intensity of NBA training in advance, Kwame Brown, who successfully reduced his weight to 116 kilograms, also brought a surprise to Qin Yue.
As his weight continued to decrease, his body coordination gradually returned.
