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Regarding the teams that didn't make the playoffs this season, Wang Chong has a preliminary idea in mind.
It's impossible to pick a team randomly to join; even if Wang Chong has confidence, he's not crazy enough to think that if he joins a bottom team, he can immediately lead them to win the championship next season.
There are a total of 30 teams in the league. Excluding the eight playoff teams from both the Eastern and Western conferences, there are 14 teams that didn't make it to the playoffs.
One is an Eastern Conference team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The other is the New Orleans Pelicans from the West.
Let's first talk about the Cavaliers. Although the Cavaliers have been sinking all season in their quest for a championship under the leadership of champion Irving, it's undeniable that the Cavaliers at this stage have great potential, with three championship picks in four years, and several high draft picks, giving them plenty of space for maneuvering.
Originally, in the summer of 2014, James chose to return to the Cavaliers because he saw the potential in the team.
After James returned to the Cavaliers, the team immediately approved a series of major trades, including the first pick of the year, Andrew. Several players, including Wiggins, were traded for Timberwolves star Kevin Love, forming a Big Three of James, Irving, and Love.
Although the Big Three fell short in the Finals due to an injury in the first year, beating the 73-win Warriors to win the championship in the second year demonstrated the strength of the Cavaliers. No one doubted that if the Cavaliers had been fully healthy in the 14-15 season, the Warriors would not have been a match.
As for the New Orleans Pelicans, although their assets are not as great as the Cavaliers', they only have one player, Anthony "The Brow" Davis, but that's enough to outshine thousands of other players!
Next season will be his third year, and "The Brow" is averaging 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game in the regular season, along with 1.5 steals and 2.9 blocks.
His luxurious stats earned him a spot on the first team of the season, leading the Pelicans to the playoffs.
In addition to "The Brow", the Pelicans also have some good players on their roster this season, such as starting point guard Jrue Holiday, shooting guard Eric Gordon, forward Tyreke Evans, and others.
With a slight adjustment, this lineup could also reach championship-level.
Between the Cavaliers and the Pelicans, Wang Chong thinks the latter is obviously the better choice.
He hasn't forgotten how the Cavaliers lost to the Warriors in the 14-15 Finals due to injuries. The "Jedi Seven Samurai" in the finals was no joke, and the butterfly effect from that series changed a lot of things, even extending Yao Ming's career. But even so, there's no guarantee that Irving and others won't get injured again.
If the team suffers another wave of injuries, it won't be so easy for Wang Chong to beat a group of strong opponents to win the championship by himself.
In contrast, the Pelicans are obviously much better. Although Davis also has a fragile body, his early career was still a bit more reliable, and his games per season barely reached around 70. Even though the Pelicans were eliminated in the first round of the 14-15 playoffs, Davis's average of 31.5 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game in four games is absolutely trustworthy.
Moreover, beyond comparing teams, the division in which the teams are located is also quite important.
The West is much tougher than the East, with many super teams like the Bulls, Heat, Celtics, etc. So, at least before reaching the Finals, it won't be particularly hard, and it could cause several teams in the East to fight amongst themselves, watching as the tigers fight.
It's just that... despite the many advantages of the Pelicans, Wang Chong still prefers the Cavaliers.
The reason is simple—it's fun!
Following James' path and cornering him.
The Heat have yet to win a championship, and James must have already made his decision. With his clever mind, he must have started thinking about the Cavaliers, with so many assets and strong capital.
What James loves to do most is to be seen as the savior, returning to the Cavaliers, and having to redeem himself by fulfilling his promise of winning the championship for Cleveland, creating an image of the prodigal son.
It can be assumed that if the Cavaliers didn't have Irving and lacked quality trade assets like Wiggins, they could trade for Kevin Love, who averaged 26+12 per game the previous season. A helper of LeBron's caliber could form a great Big Three. Would James return to the Cavaliers?
The answer is obvious.
In fact, after playing four years with the Cavaliers, seeing that the future of the team had been overstated and there were no development prospects, James still slapped his backside and turned to join the Lakers. Players like Kyle Kuzma, with substantial trade value, also joined the team.
Looking at the later results, it's true: James joined the Lakers in his second year, and they traded for Anthony Davis, easily winning the championship.
However, the second time he left, the Cavaliers didn't scold him too badly. After all, in the four years James spent with them, he fulfilled his promise and brought the Cavaliers their first championship.
One thing to note, for a small market team like the Cavaliers, a team that hadn't won a championship for almost 50 years, winning one truly meant something. No wonder James could confidently claim he was the best in history after winning that title.
Of course, to the outside world, James winning his third championship and daring to claim he was the best in history might seem like a joke.
The reason Wang Chong prefers the Cleveland Cavaliers over the New Orleans Pelicans is partly because:
The Pelicans are also a team without championships, but after all, the team is relatively young, even if you count its predecessor, the New Orleans Hornets, or even the first Charlotte Hornets; it's not particularly long.
Moreover, joining the Cavaliers could satisfy Wang Chong's bad taste, and he's curious about what will happen to James when he arrives in Cleveland.
Wang Chong definitely won't team up with James, and the Cavaliers' salary cap is enough to offer him a max contract.
Once Wang Chong helps the Cavaliers mark the beginning of the team's first championship in history, James' situation will be even more embarrassing.
Not only will he fail to fulfill his promise of bringing a championship to Cleveland, but Wang Chong, a rookie from the same draft class, will have done it—what's going on here?
If the plot really turns out this way, then in the future, whenever the 2003 draft is mentioned, people will note how the Cavaliers, with the first overall pick, were truly blind for choosing James.
Of course, if the heavens don't open their eyes, it won't matter how many times James is chosen, even if the scope of the draft expands to the next ten years. The only player who might threaten James for the top spot is Shi Fotim. After all, James' physical talent is truly rare in history.
Cleveland, Cavaliers General Manager's Office
David Griffin hung up the phone, his face still in a state of shock.
After being stunned for a long time, he couldn't help but pinch his face, and after confirming the pain, he realized this wasn't a dream.
It had been Wang Chong's agent who called just moments ago, and the message on the phone was clear and straightforward: Wang Chong wanted to join the Cavaliers next season and was asking if the team was interested in signing him.
Wang Chong actually wants to join the Cavaliers?
What does that mean? It's like an average otaku suddenly receiving a phone call saying that Di Lieba is in love with him and plans to marry him tomorrow, and they'll get their marriage certificate the same day.
This description isn't exaggerated. The Cavaliers are definitely one of the most ordinary teams among the 30 in the league, and Wang Chong is probably a little condescending in using Di Lieba as a metaphor for them.
After all, Wang Chong is now the undisputed number one in the NBA, but Di Lieba can only be considered one of the top beauties in the entertainment industry, and there are still others who can compete with her.
David, with an ecstatic expression on his face, immediately saw Greenfinn's face change. He recalled the conditions Wang Chong had proposed for joining the Cavaliers, and they were too big for him to decide on as general manager, so he had to consult the team owner.
There are two main conditions for Wang Chong to join the Cavaliers:
First, he will only sign a short-term, one-year contract and will do everything in his power to help the Cavaliers win the championship next season. Wang Chong will leave Cleveland regardless of whether they win the championship or not.
Second, after joining the Cavaliers, Wang Chong wants to participate in the team's trades and reinforcements. The team needs to trade and strengthen the squad as much as possible according to his requirements.
Third, Wang Chong knew that James wanted to return to Cleveland and had already been in contact with the team. He had no plans to team up with James, and if the Cavaliers chose James, he would withdraw from joining the Cavaliers.
Griffin couldn't be the master of these three conditions. After all, he had only been the general manager of the team for a few months, and his qualifications were still superficial. These three conditions were directly related to the Cavaliers' development over the next few years, so he couldn't make a rash decision.
David Griffin sincerely reported everything to the team owner, Dan Gilbert. The boss didn't hesitate at all and immediately nodded and applauded.
"No problem, David. I can agree to all the conditions proposed by Wang Chong."
Gilbert's boldness surprised David Griffin.
He was sure that the owner must have understood the pros and cons of this matter, given Wang Chong's third condition. If the Cavaliers wanted to sign Wang Chong, they would have to give up on James, who wanted to come home.
If Wang Chong signs a long-term contract with the Cavaliers, even if it's just a three-year contract, Griffin wouldn't hesitate.
But Wang Chong's first condition is very clear—he will only play for the Cavaliers for one year and leave the team regardless of the outcome. Although he promised to do everything in his power to help the Cavaliers win the championship, who can guarantee this verbal promise?
Wang Chong is very strong, truly strong. He has seven championships, and his dominance on the court might even surpass Michael Jordan, but that doesn't mean he's invincible enough to win a championship just by playing.
Jordan struggled to win a championship before getting Pippen, and O'Neal only managed a triple crown dynasty after Kobe Bryant grew.
However, the Cavaliers still have a great player like Kyrie Irving, but after all, last season was the worst record in the East. Even Wang Chong couldn't carry the team to a championship in just one season.
If the Cavaliers fail to win the championship, and Wang Chong pats his backside and leaves, the Cavaliers, having missed James' return due to Wang Chong, will fall back into the same dying state they were in before.
David Griffin felt that if it were him, after careful consideration, he would still choose James, who was willing to sign a four-year contract with the Cavaliers. After all, no matter how suppressed James was by Wang Chong, his strength was still there. The two MVPs he won in consecutive regular seasons proved that he was still the second-best player in the league after Wang Chong today.
With the first player in the league for one year and the second player in the league for four years or more in the next contract renewal, the latter should be more profitable.
But David Griffin overlooked Gilbert's resentment toward James.
During the Cavaliers' first period, Gilbert took great care of James, treating him like a pearl in his palm, basically doing whatever it took to get James what he wanted.
The Cavaliers had a poor roster, and Gilbert didn't hesitate to pay a high luxury tax to create a championship-contending team for James.
In the 08-09 season, the Cavaliers' total salary reached 91.29 million dollars, while the defending champions Boston Celtics and the current champions Los Angeles Lakers had salaries of 79 million and 78 million respectively.
It's true the Cavaliers had a very sparse roster, and after spending a lot of money, the most effective assistant beside James was actually just Mo Williams, but as the team owner, Gilbert didn't mind and did his best to financially support James, even if James couldn't bring them a championship.
He never expected James to escape with his tail between his legs because he couldn't win the championship with the Cavaliers, and to add insult to injury, James did it on live TV, the most hurtful way to disappoint the Cavaliers' fans. How could Gilbert, as the owner of the Cavaliers, not hate James?
After the 13-14 season, when James expressed his willingness to return to Cleveland, the entire Cavaliers team welcomed him enthusiastically, including Gilbert. But it was just a helpless move.
As a businessman, Gilbert knew he had no other choice, and with three number-one picks in four years, the Cavaliers were still hovering around the lottery. Without James, the Cavaliers wouldn't have won a championship until they died.
But now everything is different.
Wang Chong, who has won seven championships, wants to come to the Cavaliers. What more do they need from James? Even if Wang Chong only played for one year, Gilbert would still choose Wang Chong over James, who had once betrayed them.
Apart from the fact that Wang Chong is more likely to win the championship in one year than James is in four years, Gilbert also wants to send a message to James.
"You loved ignoring me yesterday, and today you can't even reach me! We, the Cavaliers, don't need you! Cleveland, even without you, LeBron can win the championship!"
End of this chapter
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