Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 177 The Dust Has Settled! Lin Tian Assembles the Avengers

Chapter 177 The dust has settled! Lin Tian assembles the Avengers!

"Do you think it might be Auerbach knocking on the door this time?" Lin Tian stood up with a smile, walked to the door amidst the expectant gazes of the two groups, and opened the door of his house.

"Robert, what are you doing here at this hour? So disappointing." Seeing Pelinka standing at the door, Lin Tian complained irritably, "Now all that's missing is Auerbach, can you even get the old man here?"

"Bring them in? Almost there?" Pelinka looked at Lin Tian with a puzzled expression, then said, "I came to tell you about the Celtic situation. Auerbach just called me and asked me to come to your house right now to give my regards to the delegations from other teams."

"As for him, he said he's not coming. Unless we're sure we're going to join the Celtics, we don't need to look for him. He gave up on pursuing you this offseason. As for the reason... he said he couldn't bring himself to argue with so many younger players."

"He's kidding me," Pelinka said with an absurd expression as he walked into the house. "According to him, representatives from the Lakers, Knicks, and other teams are all at your house meeting with you right now? How is that possible? We all had appointments made, how could they suddenly show up at... f***ing!!"

"Jerry West? Patrick Ewing? Magic Johnson?!"

Pelinka was stunned.

Are these people really here?

Before he could recover from the shock, the Spurs trio and the Indiana stars, who had been watching the commotion from the second-floor corner, also came down the stairs and casually took up their respective spots. The four teams, a total of 10 people, occupied one corner on each side of the living room, forming a standoff.

This time, it was Lin Tian and Pelinka's turn to go upstairs to the second floor and enter a room to discuss their strategy.

"This...you called them all here in advance?" Pelinka said, feeling like his CPU was about to burn out.

"Am I an idiot? Calling four groups of people to my house at the same time? Do you think I'm not afraid they'll cause trouble and tear my house down?" Lin Tian spread his hands and said, "These guys probably got your message and immediately took the first flight from their cities to come here."

"And then, it turned out like this."

"How did the talks go?"

"The talks were great. Every team offered me terms that I couldn't refuse. The Knicks even sent me a 'RBQ' (a derogatory term for a player who is easily defeated) to vent my frustration. Do you think that's enough sincerity?" Lin Tian said somewhat resignedly, "Why don't you go down and let them start playing? Whoever survives to the end, I'll go with them."

"Now I understand why Auerbach said he was giving up," Pelinka shook his head and said, "He knows all too well how these guys in the league behave! He must have guessed that all the teams would come to your place in advance to discuss things with you, and he definitely didn't want to lower himself to compete with the younger players, so he gave up."

"Bullshit about being afraid of losing face, you still don't understand Auerbach." Lin Tian said disdainfully, "Bird was trained by him, do you think Bird was afraid of losing face? To put it bluntly, Auerbach knew that the Celtics had no advantages whatsoever except for the empty title of 'the greatest club in history'."

"In terms of city size, living environment, team roster, salary cap space, and contract amount, the Celtics are at a complete disadvantage. They are simply no match for the other four teams. And the Celtics' so-called team culture, which they are most proud of, is terrible. I am an international player, and that's the last thing I care about."

"After learning that we would be meeting with a total of five teams, Auerbach immediately conducted an assessment. After determining that he had no advantage and little chance of winning, the guy simply put on a show of magnanimity."

"It would not only showcase his elegance but also be a strategic retreat, potentially sparking a different kind of curiosity in us and giving him a sliver of an opportunity. If he succeeds, he'll definitely make a killing; even if he fails, he'll save on a plane ticket from Boston to Chicago."

"That old fox doesn't do anything he's not sure he can win! If the Celtics get this year's number one draft pick, see if that old guy flies to Chicago immediately and begs me to team up with him!"

"Achoo!" Auerbach, far away in Boston, suddenly sneezed, then shook his head helplessly: "No money, no star players, no complete system or roster. Let those kids fight for Lin. It seems the Celtics' revival still depends on the rookies!"

"Fuck! That damn Stern, if that old fox had given me this year's number one pick, I could have rebuilt the team in no time! And that brat Popovich! He had such a great package—the third pick plus the sixth pick—and he wouldn't even trade the number one pick, damn it!"

As Auerbach spoke, he pushed the document he was reading in front of him aside, closed his eyes, and began to rest.

The document contained two scouting reports, and at the top of each report were the names of two different people—

Vince Carter!

Paul Pierce!

Back in Chicago, Lin Tian and Pelinka saw that the four groups of people downstairs were determined not to leave until they got an answer that night, so the two of them went back inside to analyze which team to choose.

"For money and fame, go to New York or the Lakers; if you want to team up with a rising star center of roughly the same age, go for the Spurs." Pelinka stroked his chin and said, "Looking at it that way, it seems the Pacers might be the first to be eliminated?"

"Let the Spurs be eliminated first," Lin Tian said. "A team with two big men is bound to be a bit slow. And I suddenly remembered that Popovich's teacher was that stubborn old man Larry Brown. If Popovich learns even a third of Brown's stubbornness and rigidity, then playing under him must be very boring."

"But he also studied under Don Nelson for a few years." Pelinka had clearly done a lot of research: "If he can learn the madness of Don Nelson's three-point shooting, then playing under him seems like a good option."

"By the way, speaking of Don Nelson, he contacted me a few days ago. He said if you want to work with him to create a true run-and-gun era, you can contact him anytime. Dallas has sent him a coaching offer. If you're willing to go to Dallas, that would be the best. If not, he can come to your new team and coach you."

"Let's not talk about any new players or teams now, okay?" Lin Tian pointed to the door and said, "Do you want to attract two more teams and actually have a battle royale in my house?"

"So, if we eliminate the Pacers and Spurs, let's choose between the Lakers and the Knicks! If you ask me, just pick the Lakers. You like female celebrities anyway, so going to Los Angeles would be a great opportunity. Maybe you can even achieve Rodman's grand ambition of sleeping with everyone in Hollywood."

"Why would I need to be in close proximity to a female celebrity? I don't need that so-called convenience at all!" Lin Tian said, his mind racing as he considered what choice he should make.

As his mind raced, Lin Tian suddenly said, "Let's go downstairs."

"Have you made up your mind?" Pelinka exclaimed in shock. "So soon? You want to go to New York, right? Are you going to go downstairs and take Hilton straight upstairs?"

"I don't like being slept with." Lin Tian gave Pelinka the middle finger, then said, "I want to talk to each team one last time."

Upon entering the lobby, although no one spoke, the atmosphere among the others remained tense, except for Hilton's languid and lazy expression.

Seeing Lin Tian arrive, everyone's eyes turned to him. Despite being stared at by so many big shots from the alliance, Lin Tian remained calm and said, "First of all, I am very grateful to everyone for giving me such face by coming all the way to my home to discuss joining the alliance."

"But now, I'd like to ask each team one last question, and then please go home," Lin Tian said. "No matter which team I choose, I will give everyone an answer today!"

After Lin Tian finished speaking, he turned and left alone. He didn't go too far, but turned a corner and came to a room on the first floor to wait.

One minute later, Jason and West walked in.

"There's really only one question: if Shaq and I get into a fight over who's the boss, and it escalates to the point where one of us has to leave, who will you support?"

"Lin, I really want to tell you that I support you 100% and that I will always stand by your side, but... Shaq is truly the most dominant monster in history. This league will always belong to those interior behemoths."

West didn't continue speaking, but looked at Lin Tian and asked, "Any more questions?"

"That's all." Lin Tian shrugged.

"I understand. We'll be leaving Chicago tonight, but if you change your mind, the 7-year, $1.35 million contract is still valid!" West shrugged and pulled the still-unresponsive Magician out of the room.

At least in terms of displaying good manners, West did no less well than his lifelong rival Auerbach.

The second team to join was the San Antonio Spurs.

"Greg, you're very confident in your tactics, you think you're a tactical genius, right? So what if I suddenly have a different idea during the game, want to play a completely different tactic than what you suggested, and then make a mistake? What would you think?"

"I will analyze this play with you carefully after the game, and figure out what caused your mistake. I will also tell you why my tactics are better, and then get you to accept my tactics and play with them."

Popovich launched into a long, animated speech, but before he could continue, Lin Tian stopped him, saying, "That's enough, Greg. I got the answer I wanted!"

Popovich, who is always quick to react, paused for a moment, then, as if he knew something, turned around and left the room.

New York Knicks.

"Hey Lin, come to New York! Let's hook up with the hottest chicks and drink the most expensive liquor! You can't even imagine the fun in New York!" Ewing exclaimed excitedly as he walked into the room. "New York has everything you could ever want! You can do whatever you want here! I've got your back, brother, I'll protect you! Just like Michael!"

"Patrick, I have no questions for you, but I want to give you some very honest advice between friends." After listening to Ewing's words, Lin Tian said directly, "Go sign a contract that's as long as possible and as high as possible. You deserve it. You don't need to continue taking a base salary."

Before Ewing could even react to what this meant, Walsh pulled him out of the room.

Walsh knew very well that when the team's leader showed the same attitude and form as Ewing, unless Lin Tian was really just a lazy bum who only wanted to play around and had no ambition, he would never choose the Knicks.

Not to mention, Lin Tian had just rejected the Knicks.

He's already given Ewing a max contract, so where does the Knicks have the salary cap space to sign Lin Tian?

The Indiana Pacers.

Looking at Bird and Miller, Lin Tian said, "Reggie, if I decide to go to Los Angeles, would you like to join me? We can play backcourt together in Los Angeles. I'm willing to take a lower salary for you!"

"Then, we'll create a dynasty together in Los Angeles!"

"Sorry, Lin." Miller refused without hesitation: "I think you didn't understand me. I want to team up with you, but only in Indiana! I want to win a championship, and only in Indiana! I won't leave here, and I won't back down."

"If you stay in Indiana, you might never win a championship in your entire life. There are too many teams that can beat you!" Lin Tian looked at Miller and asked his second question.

"I don't care." Miller said without hesitation, "If we win the championship, everyone will be happy. If we don't win the championship, I will have a clear conscience because I have given it my all. Lin, you don't understand my feelings for Indiana. They accepted me, accepted me who was skinny, not good at dribbling, couldn't fly high, and had average defense. They treated me as the king of the city, and I can't let them down."

"Of course I know that going to New York, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, or Miami would make my path to the championship incredibly easy! But I can't do it!"

"How am I supposed to face the Indiana fans? How am I supposed to go back to Indiana after winning the championship and face Mihawk, Charles, Elton, and Bryant? By the way, they are my neighbor's maid, the employee at my gas station, the cashier at the supermarket, and the stadium security guard, respectively."

"I can't win a championship somewhere else and then go back to Indiana and brag to them: 'Hey man, look, I won my championship trophy in Los Angeles!' I can't do that, I can't! If I did, I would despise myself for the rest of my life and feel like a weak coward!"

"I promised the Indiana fans that I would bring them a championship! I can accept failure after failure, and I will continue to get stronger, but I will never choose to run away or leave! I will only choose the path I believe is right, not the easy path."

"After all, if I had chosen the easy path, I'd probably be playing wheelchair basketball now. My experiences since childhood have constantly taught me: Reggie, choose what you believe is right, not what you believe is easy!"

"So, Lin, that's it. I refuse your invitation. No matter which team you go to, I wish you good luck, and I'll do everything in my power to beat you!"

After Miller finished speaking, he looked at Bird and said, "Larry, let's leave. Maybe we should apologize to Mark. I told him before that we might trade him for Lin's sake. He's a good friend of mine, but I hurt his feelings, and I really need to apologize to him."

Bird didn't leave immediately. He stopped Miller and kept looking at Lin Tian, ​​saying, "Lin, I think Reggie passed your question, right? His answer should have satisfied you."

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will bring my talents to Indianapolis!"

"We...did we make it?" Miller was stunned, completely unexpected that happiness would come so suddenly.

"It's great to work with you, Reggie. I'll be with you to bring the championship to the Indiana! And I believe it won't be just one, two, three, or four..." Lin Tian smiled and reached out to give Miller, who was still in a daze, a high five.

"Then Lin, I'll go back and prepare the contract for you. We'll need some time to clear the salary space. I'll get everything done within a week. Reggie can help you look at houses. So, is everything settled?" Even the usually composed Bird couldn't hide his excitement at this moment.

He's only been in office for less than a month! And he's already secured the biggest deal on the free market this year!

He is full of hope for the team next season, the season after that, and many seasons after that!

"Then I still need to go apologize to Mark." Miller didn't seem too excited, but clearly, he felt very uneasy about owing his good friend.

"Lin, I can understand why you wanted to join the Pacers. Reggie's words were truly touching! But I still don't quite understand why you asked the other three teams that question." After everyone left, Pelinka looked at Lin Tian and asked the question.

"I just asked casually. I had already made up my mind before I let them in." Lin Tian shrugged, not revealing his true purpose.

The question posed to the Lakers fully demonstrates that they still hold the traditional mindset of prioritizing the inside game. Given their current abilities and those of Shaq, they will definitely not be able to play together for 7-8 years like the OK duo. At most, they will have to play together for 3 years before conflicts arise between them due to their playing styles and status.

At this point, between O'Neal, who was still at his peak, and Lin Tian, ​​the Lakers would almost certainly choose O'Neal.

Asking questions about the Spurs allowed Lin Tian to understand Popovich's authoritarianism and his strictness in disliking others questioning his tactics.

The Knicks... Lin Tian really didn't want to be on the same team as an idiot.

If I remember correctly, if Ewing hadn't said to Stern and reporters, "We make a lot of money, but we spend even more," such an outrageous and brainless statement, the league might not have gone through a lockout that year!

After all, before the collective bargaining agreement was released, fans were firmly on the side of the players, believing that the players were pitiful people being exploited by capitalists. But after Ewing made this statement, public opinion was immediately reversed.

Because the fans realized that the players didn't need their sympathy at all, and that the negotiations were just a dispute over the division of spoils between millionaires and billionaires, the investors gained tremendous confidence and went from trying to persuade and appease them to engaging in tough negotiations.

Jordan retired because of this, Vin Baker gained weight and became obese because of this, and Kemp also fell into decline because of it...

This shutdown is a huge loss for the league, the players, the team owners, the fans, and everyone!

Lin Tian really didn't want to be on the same team as this guy.

As for why he chose the Pacers, it was simply because Lin Tian felt Miller was worth it!

His dedication and perseverance are commendable!

That very night, the latest news finally broke regarding the next destination of Lin Tian, ​​the number one fish in the free market!

Lin Tian has reached a verbal agreement with the Indiana Pacers and will sign a long-term contract with the team!

Although the sources did not reveal the exact size of the contract, almost everyone is certain that it will be a massive contract second only to Jordan's $3000 million annual salary!

After returning to Indiana, Bird quickly got back into work mode.

Several deals that had been nearly finalized were expedited in an instant and completed almost in the blink of an eye!

They first packaged Antonio Davis and Mark Jackson and sent them to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for a $770 million trade exception and three future second-round draft picks.

The Raptors traded away two strong players in exchange for a few dispensable second-round draft picks. This seemingly free trade didn't draw criticism of Bird for making a mistake; instead, many people were criticizing the Raptors.

They all believe that the Raptors are funding the Pacers and helping them acquire Lin Tian! No team should be helping the Pacers clear salary cap space at this time! It's practically a crime!

Of course, talk is cheap, but when it comes to actually getting a good deal, every team is very realistic.

For example, Gregg Popovich, who was somewhat frustrated by his unrequited love and harbored resentment, was once one of the most vocal critics of the Raptors.

But when Bird offered to send last year's 10th overall pick, center Dampier, along with Derrick McKay on a bad contract to the Spurs for free, requiring only a trade exception, Popovich agreed without hesitation!

Just kidding, why would I refuse a second-year lottery pick that's practically free?

I may criticize, but I'm not stupid!

Following these two trades, Bird quickly announced a new one-year, $2 million minimum contract with Miller, and also reached a new two-year, $6 million contract with veteran Rick Schmitz, who had been with the team for eight years!

Two transactions, two contracts signed.

Bird fulfilled his promise to Lin Tian in just three days using the simplest, most direct, and fastest method!

Two trades violently cleared nearly $1300 million in contracts for the Pacers, bringing them directly below the salary cap. Then there was Miller's selfless pay cut; Miller, who took $1200 million last year, suddenly took only $200 million. In addition, Schmitz also took a contract that was about $100 million less than the market value.

The Pacers gave it their all this time!

In just three days, they violently reduced their total salary from 39 million to 17 million!

They suddenly gained $1200 million in salary cap space!

Two days later, fearing that things might get complicated, Bird sent Lin Tian and Pelinka the best contract offer they could provide!

It's even better and more extravagant than the contract that Bird promised Lin Tian in Chicago!

This is a terrifying contract with a starting salary of $1100 million, a 20% annual increase, a total of 7 years, and a total amount exceeding $1.41 million!

Never before in NBA history has there been such an outrageous, massive contract!

According to this contract, Lin Tian's salary for these 7 years is as follows: 1100 million, 1320 million, 1584 million, 1900 million, 2280 million, 2730 million, and 3277 million!

Not only can he start receiving an annual salary of 2000 million in the fifth year of the contract, but he can also receive a terrifying single-year salary of 3277 million in the last year of the contract!

Even Lin Tian, ​​who was prepared, was taken aback when he saw this number!

The seventh year of this contract is the 03-04 season!

At that time, the salary cap was likely around 4500 million US dollars, which meant that Lin Tian's salary alone would account for 70% of the salary cap!

This number sounds absolutely awesome!

In other words, the new labor negotiations haven't even started yet. Otherwise, how could Lin Tian have gotten so much money? Securing a large contract before the negotiations even begin is indeed an incredibly wise choice!

In the year Lin Tian earned 3277 million, no one else in the league earned more than 2500 million a year. Even Garnett didn't earn 04 million until the 2800-05 season!

Then compare them with McGrady, Kobe, Iverson and others who earned only 1300-1500 million a year during the same period.

Lin Tian had a feeling that although Kakarot was very powerful with a combat power of 18, he himself, Frieza, had a combat power of 53!

The point is to create a sense of oppression, to strike with ferocity!

Unsurprisingly, Lin Tian's contract sparked a frenzy of discussion among the public!

The biggest super contract in history has been signed! How big will the league's salary cap be in 7 years?

"Mad Suicide or Worth It? Bird Starts a Super Gamble Less Than Two Months After Taking Office!"

A $140 million contract for a second-year Asian player? Bird should probably leave the Pacers' management sooner rather than later!

Why does Lin deserve a super contract? A look at Lin's top ten classic battles in his career!

"Crazy! Crazy! Crazy! Crazy! Crazy contracts and crazy managers—Lin becomes a billionaire overnight!"

Is there a dark side to the Pacers' big gamble? Insiders reveal Bird will receive over 25% of his contract as kickbacks!

"Severe punishment is warranted! The alliance says it will investigate the legality of this contract and whether there were any under-the-table deals!"

Reports one after another, all sorts of frenzied attention, and discussions that never stop!

It lasted for almost half a month without stopping!

During these two weeks, Lin Tian completely ignored the discussions and even the insults. He leisurely came to Indiana, felt the passion of the fans, bought a house in the best neighborhood recommended by Miller, and also put his house in Chicago up for sale.

Lin Tian originally wanted Jordan to help him sell the house, but the guy's phone seemed to be broken. No matter how many times Lin Tian called him, he would just not answer the phone. He would just pretend to be dead and make Lin Tian unable to find him.

The reason why Lin Tian played so fiercely, wanting to call Jordan 100 times a day, was quite simple.

It can generate experience points!

After Lin Tian scored 10 consecutive points, Jordan started giving him experience points. Clearly, the guy was very unhappy and frustrated!

You old bastard, leaving the team is one thing, but you had to team up with my two arch-rivals? One is Bird, whom Jordan could never beat in his lifetime, and the other is Miller, who was the most defiant of Jordan in the East and dared to challenge him the most.

I'm so angry!

So Lin Tian made calling Jordan a daily task. He would call whenever he remembered, and if no one answered, he would be guaranteed to gain at least 5 or 10 experience points!

Beautiful!

Although the experience points were few, Lin Tian had a blast!

It's fun to bother people!

As time flies by, July has passed and a third of August has already gone by. During this period, apart from signing Ben Wallace to the team on a three-year minimum contract, Bird didn't actually make any other significant gains.

Because the Pacers can only offer minimum salary contracts now, although they have acquired Lin Tian, ​​they have also lost many key players. The team's roster is thin, and as a team that relies on outside shooting and shooting, many veteran players who want to join forces to win a championship do not look down on the Pacers. They would rather choose the Bulls, Jazz, or Heat.

The lack of appeal in his roster made it extremely difficult for Bird to assemble the team. One day, frustrated by rejections, Bird made a snap call, summoning Lin Tian and Miller to his office. He then handed each of them a roster, saying, "This is a list of all the free agents in the league, compiled by our scouts!"

"Find someone for me, someone with enough skills who's willing to join us on a base salary! I'm really tired, I don't want to look anymore! You two, find someone, and I'll bring them to you!"

"Michael Jordan!" Lin Tian immediately spotted the prominent name at the top of the list: "Larry, can you get Michael here? If we can get Michael, our firepower will..."

"You believe I'll kill you right now!" Bird yelled, his eyes wide. "Don't you know whether you can get them or not? I'm showing you players we can acquire, players we can get! Not some random guy you can just pick the best and then spout nonsense!"

"Basic salary! We only have a basic salary!"

"Just kidding, Larry." Lin Tian laughed as he casually flipped through the list. Just by looking at Bird's current state, he knew that this guy hadn't slept well at all these past few days and must have had a terrible time. He must have been constantly rejected and denied, which is why he was so angry right now.

"That's good! You contacted Larry through him." Lin Tian saw a familiar name and pointed to Bird, saying, "Charles Barkley still hasn't renewed his contract with the Rockets."

"No, but do you think Barkley might accept a minimum salary?" Bird countered Lin Tian's question.

"Why not? He was only making the minimum salary last season, wasn't he?" Lin Tian retorted. "What's so surprising about that? Just give him a call."

"Lin, are you playing dumb?" Bird tilted his head and looked at Lin Tian, ​​saying, "That bastard, during his rookie season, he put his arm around my shoulder from behind and Dr. J punched me several times! I don't want him on my team!"

"Larry, you're an adult. Adults only take the right path, not the easy one!" Lin Tian looked at Bird seriously and said, "Charles hasn't renewed his contract with the Rockets yet. There must be some internal problems, whether it's about his status, money, or the possibility of winning a championship."

"So now is definitely our chance!"

"Lin, don't take my words to heart," Miller said, suppressing a laugh. "But I think Larry was just joking. He's not like a childish schoolboy who would hold a grudge about something that happened more than 10 years ago."

"I hold grudges!" Bird cursed again, then sighed, took out his phone, dialed a few numbers, and handed the phone to Lin Tian: "I've made the call, but you're the one who says it!"

"Who is it? This is Charles Barkley." Barkley's voice came from the other end of the phone, his tone very calm.

"I'm Lin, Charles. Long time no see." After introducing himself, Lin Tian went straight to the point: "Want to get revenge on Michael, beat him to a pulp? Want to win the championship by stepping on Michael's shoulders, and then mock him as a piece of trash?"

"Yes!" Barkley answered almost without hesitation, "What's your plan?"

"Come to Indiana! We have a strong roster, but we're missing a dominant inside presence. We need someone to punish opponents in the paint, we need an MVP-caliber player to join us! You're the final piece of the puzzle, Charles!"

"Indiana? Isn't that place where Larry, that idiot, is the general manager? Would he welcome me?" Barkley was very straightforward and started criticizing Bird directly on the phone.

"You fat pig! You idiot with a brain full of mush! I can hear you!" Bird cursed. "If you've got guts, come on over, and I'll give you a basic salary so I can bully you every day! If you're not, get the hell out of here and hang up the phone to save your money."

"Okay! I'll go!" Barkley hesitated for a moment before saying, "I only have one request, even if it's just a fake starter, I won't be a substitute! I need a guarantee from you! Even though you're an idiot, I believe your guarantee, you silly bird!"

"I promise you, if you fat pig come, as long as you can play, you'll be the starting power forward!" Bird said, exchanging a glance with Lin Tian, ​​his eyes full of surprise! He really hadn't expected Barkley to come, and to come so readily and directly!

A simple "Kill Jordan" is enough to attract veterans to join? If I'd known it was this easy, I would have just made a standee and said that to everyone, wouldn't that have been much simpler?

Lin Tian knew that Barkley must have suffered some injustice at the Rockets' expense, which made him want to leave the team. According to Lin Tian's memory, Barkley would likely be asked to play as a substitute by Rockets head coach Tomjanovich next season!

Judging from Barkley's attitude now, Tomjanovich may have already asked him to come off the bench, which is why Barkley and the Rockets have not renewed his contract for so long. "The Flying Pig" is in a bad mood!

I've lost all my money, and you're not even giving me status? Isn't that going too far and bullying me?

Now that the Pacers have suddenly appeared, not only has their old rival personally recruited them to give them a lot of face, but they also have a very good junior teammate here. In addition, there's the promise of starting positions and the hype of beating Jordan. All of these factors combined make Barkley feel that the Pacers are indeed a good choice!

So, without much hesitation, the fat man made up his mind to join the Pacers!

"We've got our starting power forward, what else are we missing in our roster? I'll find it for you! Come on!" Lin Tian's confidence soared after he easily secured Barkley's services, and he immediately wanted to get back to work.

"Scorers off the bench!" Bird didn't mince words: "With Charles here, our starting lineup is pretty much fine, but our bench is still lacking! We're missing bench firepower."

"Wait!" Lin Tian said, then continued flipping through the player list.

Miller and Bird stopped working at this moment. They were both very surprised and delighted that Lin Tian could handle Barkley in 3 minutes. They wanted to see if Lin Tian could handle other people.

Ten minutes later, Lin Tian suddenly asked, "Why isn't Dumars on the Pistons' roster? Was he traded?"

Upon hearing Lin Tian's question, Bird immediately began searching through his files. After finding a document, he said, "He opted out of his final two-year, $600 million contract with the Pistons and became a free agent. However, it's said that he hasn't contacted any teams, so he's probably planning to retire."

"He's most likely planning to retire," Lin Tian repeated Bird's words, then continued, "But he hasn't officially announced it yet, right? That means he hasn't retired! So I think there's still a chance! Come on, call Dumars!"

A few dozen seconds later, Dumas's voice came through the phone: "This is Dumas, who is it?"

"Joe, it's Lin!" Lin Tian continued with his straightforward tactics: "Want to get revenge on Michael, beat him to a pulp? Want to win a championship by stepping on Michael's shoulders, and then mock him as a piece of trash? Join the Pacers! We need your shooting and experience! You can put on an amazing performance off the bench!"

"You... want me to join Indiana?" Dumas repeated Lin Tian's words.

"No, we don't want you to join Indiana, we want you to join us in pinning Michael to the ground and beating him to death, to really vent our anger!"

"I remember the Pistons and Bulls' playoff series ended 3-2! You're the winner!"

"But the Pistons lost both of your last two playoff matchups, right? I know Michael too well; he definitely viewed those games as a victory and was taunting you relentlessly, right? So, Joe, how about joining Indiana and getting some revenge on Michael?"

(End of this chapter)