CHAPTER 1283: CHAPTER 519: YOU ARE DEFYING THE GODS (PART 1)

"In the 1991 offseason, the Knicks Team, having just completed their defense, fell into a huge crisis.

Multiple key and even core contracts expired or were about to enter their contract year. At this critical stage of contract negotiations, head coach Stu Jackson submitted his resignation, citing personal pursuits incompatible with his current work, causing the Knicks Team’s operations to come to a halt.

Point Guard, main substitute from the 80s with 4 first-team all-defensive selections out of 5, and 4-time All-Star Morris Cheeks, who averaged 7.4 points, 2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.7 steals in the playoffs during the championship defense season, received a lucrative 2-year, $3 million offer from the Hawks team. Due to management turmoil, the Knicks Team failed to respond in time and lost this defensive stalwart and tactical master from the Point Guard position.

With the departure of the first person, contact between other players and proposing teams became increasingly frequent. Facing the team’s out-of-control situation, the young general manager David Hamilton, who once gambled hugely by bringing you from Boston to New York with the first-ever annual $5 million contract, was forced to resign.

The simultaneous resignation of the general manager and head coach triggered competition among many unemployed former NBA management and former head coaches, with Pat Riley being the most proactive. His brilliant coaching resume garnered widespread support from the New York media.

Larry Bird inquired if you were willing to let him be the head coach. Upon prompt acceptance, he, as a member of the coaching staff, seized the opportunity by directly contacting Charles Dolan, the owner of the Knicks Team’s parent company, Cablevision Systems Corporation. After detailing his team operation policies, team-building philosophy, and coaching approach, he gained Charles Dolan’s favor.

Charles Dolan issued a mandate to Knicks Team president Dave Checketts, appointing Bird as the new general manager.

Charles Dolan’s operation triggered a backlash from the New York media, portraying Bird unfavorably, and derogatory remarks filled major media reports.

Following Bird’s succession, he first secured Ewing’s renewal with a starting salary of $4.9 million, totaling $17 million over 3 years, meeting Ewing’s salary increase requirements while ensuring you remained the highest-paid player in the league next season.

Bird then convinced Charles Oakley to prioritize the championship, maintaining his previous salary level with a 2-year, $2.1 million renewal.

With the interior twin towers renewal issues resolved, the situation immediately stabilized.

The strength players and veterans contemplating leaving were primarily worried about Ewing’s departure; if that happened, they could foresee you wouldn’t stay after the next season.

Losing the league’s second center with second-team all-defense, without Ewing, the Knicks Team had no significance for you, who was pursuing the championship.

Bird then gathered the team to deliver a speech themed ’Dynasty Dream.’ As one of the greatest players in NBA history, the only three-time consecutive MVP and four-time champion in the Modern Basketball Era, his speech was highly successful.

Next, starting small forward Gerald Wilkins renewed with a starting salary of $500,000, totaling $1.1 million over 2 years; shooting guard substitute John Starks renewed with a starting salary of $450,000, totaling $1 million over 2 years.

Mark Jackson, who was clamoring for an early contract renewal, also temporarily shelved his request.

The three starters and young shooting guard main substitute completed their renewal, along with you, Kiki Vandeweghe, and Mark Jackson’s remaining one-year expiring contract. Although the full roster of 9 core players from last season’s championship defense couldn’t be retained with Morris Cheeks and Trent Tucker, two external main substitutes leaving, Bird maximized damage control, averting the post-championship ’collapse.’

The New York media’s evaluation of Bird quickly shifted from skepticism and doubt to continuous praise.

The Chinese sports media described Bird as ’supporting a collapsing building.’

With the 7-player core lineup secured, Bird entered the free market, signing Little Anthony Mason with a 2-year, $490,000 contract; and using the 86 5th draft pick, swingman Kenny Walker as a chip, exchanged for this year’s first-round 12th overall pick rookie Greg Anthony from the Trail Blazers.

Little Anthony Mason, selected by the Trail Blazers as the 88th 3rd round 3rd pick, failed to secure a contract. He played for the Brooklyn Nets in the 89-90 season, appearing in 21 games, and secured a 10-day short contract with the Nuggets Team in the 90-91 season, appearing in 3 games with no play records since November 17, 1990.

However, his outstanding performances in Albany Patroons of the Continental Basketball Association of USA during the 90-91 season caught the attention of Bird, then a consultant for the Knicks Team.

Greg Anthony, a senior graduate from the University of Nevada, 23, a very mature Point Guard, known for his speed and counterattack passing, Bird believed he was highly suitable to serve as your playmaker in the second lineup.

Near the end of the offseason, Bird participated in the competition for free agent Xavier McDaniel.

Xavier McDaniel, a small forward selected by the SuperSonics Team as the 4th pick in the 85 draft, was once a genius rising star and future superstar, averaging 20+8 for four consecutive seasons from the second year onwards. However, after a serious injury at the end of the 89-90 season, his athletic ability never returned. He was released by the SuperSonics Team after playing 15 games last season, exchanged for two second-round picks, and sent to the Phoenix Suns, where his stats plummeted to an average of 15+7. After the season, he refused to renew with the fast-attacking Phoenix Suns led by Kevin Johnson, entering free agency.

The fast-attacking SuperSonics Team and Phoenix Suns were not suited for McDaniel. However, for teams with strong interiors, the technically solid McDaniel, skilled in mid-range shots, remained a hot commodity. The Rockets, Spurs, and Celtics Teams all entered the competition.