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Dragon Emperor in Pokemon World.
The return of Itachi
I am Sasuke. Why should I defect from Konoha.
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***
ESPN and other major media outlets followed the Knicks' news, and many players became interested.
Gary Payton, Sam Cassell, and Jason Caffey recently faced charges, and due to the Independence Day holiday, the trial was postponed until next Tuesday.
When the three were still Milwaukee Bucks players, they had a conflict with dancers and security personnel at a strip club in Toronto.
Payton was charged with intentionally causing bodily harm and aggravated assault, and the other two faced the same charges. If convicted, they could face up to 18 months in prison.
However, with the help of money and the hiring of a well-known criminal lawyer, Payton was unconcerned about the charges.
When a Boston Globe reporter interviewed Payton, the veteran showed his stubborn attitude.
When asked if he intended to re-sign with the Celtics, Payton gave an ambiguous answer:
"I like playing with Paul, and I really appreciate the Celtics' team culture, but at the end of my career, what I crave more is a championship."
"I'm open to re-signing. In fact, I can adapt to any system."
"My agent told me the Knicks extended an offer, and I can indeed play alongside Clay Lee. I have the ability to anchor the second unit."
"Currently, I'm still hesitating. Paul is my brother, but sometimes business is business. I believe my agent will make the right choice."
"…"
On the morning of July 6th, after the Boston Globe broke the news of Payton's'sycophantic' remarks, the veteran was strongly boycotted by Celtics fans:
"Players—have backbone!"
Derek Fisher, who was still in New York preparing to show off at the training camp, cursed Payton as a softie when he saw the news.
As the most principled player on the Knicks, Derek Fisher also accepted an interview with the New York Media after the training camp opened the next day:
"Winning another championship in my first season with the team, I feel like I did a good job."
"In crucial moments, Lee and I can form the strongest backcourt in the league, which can help the team win championships."
"Next season, my performance should be even better. I have fully adapted to the team's tactical system."
"With the Lakers, we ran the Triangle Offense. After coming to the Knicks, Coach D'Antoni unleashed my talent."
"I know myself. I am a smart player, and I can lead the team's second unit."
The Tarrytown Training Center was already bustling, with 19 players participating in the Summer League already gathered there.
For the next week or so, they will work hard for the Summer League.
Roger Heinz, who had just joined the team, became the Knicks' Head Athletic Trainer for next season.
In the next half-month, Heinz and Mike Malone will lead the team to Minneapolis and coach the Knicks together.
In addition to surrounding Derek Fisher, sports reporters also didn't forget this native New Yorker.
Heinz entered the NBA in 1996, previously serving as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Dallas Mavericks.
He was especially happy to return home and join the championship team:
"I've always wanted to come back to New York. I grew up here, and giving back to the team has always been my dream."
"This offseason, I will help Grant Hill regain his physical conditioning. He is recovering very well, thanks to New York's medical team."
On the practice court, Anderson Varejão and the Rookies were naturally not the focus of the media.
The biggest name in the Summer League, Ron Artest, was today's hot topic.
It was rare for the Knicks to allow interviews, and most sports reporters surrounded Ron Artest.
Having almost shaved his head bald, Ron Artest was energetic and looked full of drive.
A Washington Post reporter saw Ron Artest and was the first to jokingly say:
"Ron, we all know many fans are still worried you might lose control of your emotions and punch a fan again."
"I've become more mature. I won't let my bad temper ruin the team's championship."
Ron Artest's cheerful reply earned cheers from the New York Media.
Noticing everyone was looking at him, Ron Artest was in a great mood and spoke up again:
"As I get older, I've become smarter. I'm from Queens, grew up in the ghetto, and that will never change."
"After winning the championship, many kids look up to me. I feel honored. I will be a good role model, just like Lee!"
As the biggest name in the training camp, Ron Artest showed his absolute strength in the morning practice!
Not only did he display his tank-like drives, but in some offensive possessions, Ron Artest even played as a playmaking point guard, dominating the court and making the New York Media excited:
"He's evolved!"
Mike Malone understood the team better.
Although he was no longer a scout, he knew the condition of these 19 players.
At the end of the morning practice, looking at the excited New York reporters, Mike Malone didn't spoil the fun and boasted along:
"We never worry about Ron's condition. In the latter half of the season, he trained with the team."
"The Summer League will allow him to get back into game rhythm earlier. After last season's events, Ron is more mature, and we all believe in him."
By the afternoon practice, when Grant Hill completed a dunk in the scrimmage, the New York sports media were already overjoyed.
After a day of training, Grant Hill, who was interviewed, was very humble:
"My body is still recovering. I will spend more time getting back into shape this offseason."
"For me, the new season has already begun!"
Grant Hill didn't say much.
His main purpose for coming to training camp today was to communicate with the Head Athletic Trainer and finalize the training plan in advance.
The New York Media didn't care about these things.
The next day's newspapers were already predicting another championship:
"DPOY Evolves, All-Around Grant Hill Returns, Knicks Will Continue to Defend Their Title!"
"…"
Thanks to the underdeveloped social media and lack of short videos at the time, the filmed footage did not spread online, and rational fans did not follow the hype.
However, those with ample free time were already impatient.
Everyone wanted to see how Ron Artest had evolved after not playing for a season!
The Summer League organizers also joined the fun, directly making Ron Artest a selling point for the games, attracting more fan attention with their loud promotions.
On Friday, July 8th, taking advantage of the nice weather in Manhattan, Lee drove out his black Cadillac XLR convertible.
Although General Motors' stock had plunged, they still gave Lee one of their cars this year.
At 10 AM, avoiding rush hour, Lee slowly drove towards the Tarrytown Training Center.
Although it was a convertible, the comfort was not bad.
With some added options, this top-of-the-line $100,000 car didn't sell many units across the US, making it a super niche model.
Sean Forman, sitting in the passenger seat, curiously examined the car's features.
Although he was only 34 this year, he would never consider a sports car that wasn't very practical.
Manhattan's traffic could sometimes be frustrating.
Forman watched the car's speed hover around 50 mph and sighed:
"That's why I don't like Manhattan. Philadelphia's traffic is much better than here."
After earning his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Iowa, Forman became a tenured professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Saint Joseph's University.
The two had previously communicated via email.
On this visit to New York, Forman intended to seek some investment for his website.
After its launch, Baseball Reference became one of the most popular statistics websites during the dial-up internet era.
In addition to baseball, data statistics for other sports were also being followed.
With his hobby becoming his job, Forman felt a bit uneasy.
Lee, wearing sunglasses and an oversized white T-shirt, glanced at the white-bearded man with glasses beside him and began to paint a grand vision again:
"Believe me, buddy, there will be more and more basketball enthusiasts in the future!"
"Professional statistics websites can not only serve fans but also relevant professionals. The NBA's market value will rise, and compared to baseball, basketball offers a better viewing experience on TV."
"Although the website won't make you completely financially free, it should exceed your current salary."
When they talked about a familiar topic, Forman, a huge baseball fan, immediately chimed in:
"ESPN's broadcast the other day was terrible. If they don't care about baseball, they should let someone else handle it."
"If future broadcasts are all like this, I'll organize a protest with other fans."
As the two chatted, the car finally sped up a bit, and by the time they arrived at Tarrytown Training Center, it was almost 11 o'clock.
Forman followed Lee on a tour, even curiously checking out the ice hockey team next door.
Since the Knicks were still training, Lee simply took his partner to the restaurant early for a meal.
After ordering some meat and sitting down, Forman looked at the bright restaurant and said enviously:
"I thought athletes' diets would be very monotonous, but I didn't expect your food to be so rich."
Lee just smiled and didn't explain much that many players don't eat here:
"I like the data model, which can better help players, but it still seems incomplete now."
Box Plus/Minus, a metric that estimates a player's contribution to the team based on their on-court statistics.
BPM, which will be widely used in the future, is still incomplete.
Forman was delighted that his idea was recognized by a professional basketball player, and he said:
"In my vision, this metric can show whether a player is above the league average."
"It has flaws, but math doesn't lie. This data is meaningful. My concern is that fans won't accept this metric. Many basketball fans are still opposing Win Shares, which is completely different from baseball."
With the development of social media, Lee knew what future cloud fans would be like, and he also knew that most basketball commentators would pay more attention to Excel:
"Don't worry, modern basketball is constantly progressing, and so are the fans."
"The NBA is actually a basketball reality show. Fans like stars not only for their on-court performance, but data will also become a subject of comparison."
"How to judge if a player is better naturally depends on these metrics, after all, there is only one champion each year, and most players don't even make it to the conference finals."
"So, our website will definitely be loved by professional fans, and cooperating with ESPN is also a good choice. They are also launching their own advanced data."
Always feeling that Lee had more confidence than him, Forman nodded and then tentatively said:
"Lee, what if the website doesn't perform well?"
"Don't worry, I'll acquire it directly then, absolutely ensuring your team doesn't face financial problems. This is a win-win choice."
Lee interrupted him, raised an eyebrow, and picked up his soda.
Forman also smiled and nodded.
He planned to resign next year and fully operate the website.
The two talked happily, and Forman, who had a great appetite, suddenly whispered halfway through his meal:
"How about my team customizes some special metrics for you? You know, sports media would probably like these."
Lee didn't expect this seemingly upright university professor to have crooked ideas, and he smilingly refused:
"In fact, no special customization is needed. I believe my data should already be far ahead of active players."
"Perhaps only Michael Jordan and those stars from too long ago can surpass me in some aspects, but that's not important."
"Let's stick to the plan and derive a data model suitable for the vast majority of players in the league. That's enough."
Forman breathed a sigh of relief.
He thought Lee would have special requests to expand his influence.
After thinking about it, he felt a bit regretful.
Actually, if they just added more money, the whole team would be willing to compromise.
Forman, regaining his spirits, praised again:
"The GOAT's confidence! Lee, for our future, another toast!"
"…"
The news that Lee took Forman to visit the Knicks training camp was quickly exposed.
ESPN was quite looking forward to the cooperation between the two sides, but their rival TNT was different.
They seized the opportunity to hold a criticism session.
On Saturday's show on the 9th, Charles Barkley adamantly stated his conjecture:
"I've said it before, Clay Lee likes data, and now he's getting involved in related industries. This will corrupt the league's atmosphere."
"Those incomprehensible basketball metrics are ruining the game. If one day players play for good-looking data, I dare not imagine what the league will become."
"When everyone talks about the NBA, they talk about data. This will ruin basketball. The true spirit of sports is disappearing, and this is all due to Clay Lee's influence."
These words left the other two in the studio dumbfounded.
Kenny Smith didn't expect his partner's imagination to be so wild.
He turned his head and tentatively asked:
"What's wrong with pursuing data? Clay Lee is the greatest of all time. He is the most successful player in modern basketball."
"If these metrics can truly reflect a player's real strength, there's no doubt that this is a good thing."
Worried that his partner would be unreasonable, Ernie Johnson also showed a serious expression and immediately took over:
"Kenny is right, not to mention we haven't received any relevant news yet. Maybe Lee is discussing soccer with the other party."
"Manchester United is about to delist, and we all know that Clay Lee will focus on England this offseason."
"The birth of Win Shares is a good thing. Basketball is progressing, and we should embrace the future!"
Charles Barkley didn't expect both of them to contradict him, and he immediately retorted loudly:
"I will never pay attention to these boring metrics. I only trust my own eyes."
"Data can lie, but my eyes won't deceive me."
"Clay Lee should focus on basketball itself, not cooperate with these so-called statistics websites. Basketball is not baseball. It cannot be calculated. He should respect this sport more."
He didn't know when it started, but his old partner next to him became increasingly fond of talking about "spiritual attributes."
Kenny Smith didn't rush to refute.
After the other party finished speaking, he calmly said:
"Chuck, if an advanced data metric applies not only to Clay Lee but also to Michael Jordan and a host of other top 50 superstars, do you think there's a problem with it?"
Charles Barkley immediately laughed, his previous anger gone, and he said with a grin:
"If it can reflect my true level, I will accept it. As an MVP, my data is also convincing."
"Damn it! Why should it be based on you? Who exactly wants to customize the data? Do you also have 7 championships?"
Ernie Johnson looked helpless when he saw the two suddenly arguing.
Before the director switched the screen, he said to the audience again:
"TNT will soon bring the latest reports to fans, and perhaps we are about to usher in a new era."
"…"
On Monday, the 11th, Lee, who had just seen Forman off, was surrounded by media reporters at Tarrytown Training Center.
After a weekend of fermentation, the news of investing in a data website once again sparked heated discussions among the curious public.
Yahoo Sports was the most active in its reporting, and seeing Lee in a good mood, they immediately asked:
"Clay, as we understand it, data statistics websites have difficulty making a profit. Is this investment for another purpose?"
Lee was too lazy to correct the notion of customized data.
Instead, he brought up another piece of news:
"I just want basketball enthusiasts to understand the sport better."
"But you're right, I actually plan to invest in a forum website to facilitate fan discussions about basketball. This should be a money-making opportunity."
The surrounding sports reporters chattered and started asking questions.
Lee, who had successfully changed the subject, answered them one by one with a smile, still finding those boring comments from the weekend a bit amusing:
"The GOAT doesn't need customized data!"
...
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