Bishop of the Devil

In the home team's locker room, all the players are sitting on the bench.

Richard is no exception...

Smoking the high-end cigar Paul Allen prepared for the championship, puff after puff, no one said anything.

It’s a life and death situation, and any team will definitely prepare the necessary cigars, champagne, etc. to celebrate after winning the championship.

There is no need to celebrate now, but rich man Paul Allen is not willing to return these things.

The cup-holding moment outside must have been quite jarring to Richard and the others...

Paul Allen must have been here tonight. He was wearing the Blazers' home team jersey outside his shirt and walked into the locker room at this moment.

"Open the champagne!"

"Light up all the cigars!"

"Stop being so listless!"

"We almost drove the bull to death, why do they all seem to have lost their souls?!"

After Paul Allen came in, he asked the staff to open champagne and light cigars for each player!

"No matter what you are thinking now, as the boss, I am extremely satisfied with your performance this season!"

“I couldn’t be more satisfied, God, you’ve done things I couldn’t even dream of!”

"This season, you can push the Bulls into a desperate situation, and next season will be the time to beat them!"

Paul Allen really wasn't lying when he said this. He really never dreamed that the Trail Blazers could reach a tiebreaker with the Bulls...

Originally, in his prediction, whether the Trail Blazers could advance to the Western Conference Finals this season was a matter of speculation.

Of course, he also has regrets in his heart. He was just one step away from winning the championship. Anyone would have regrets in his heart...

But he is not the kind of person who is greedy. This result is already a good result that he never dreamed of. He really can't be more demanding on Richard and others!

"To be honest, as an owner and a fan, I must be very sorry!"

"But this is also the driving force for us to move forward. What's so terrible about losing, not to mention that the loser is the Bulls, who are known as the strongest team in history!"

"Now, everyone, cheer up, smile, and raise your champagne!"

"After drinking this drink, go back and have a good rest for three days!"

"Then I prepared a special gift for you. You can relax in three days!"

Paul Allen said to everyone grandly.

All the generals nodded. Paul Allen is undoubtedly a good boss. With such a boss, they can play comfortably.

"Come on, let's toast this drink to Richard!"

"Congratulations to Richard for winning the best coach of the season, and congratulations to the Trail Blazers for playing the best record in the league!"

“We have achieved quite a lot this season!”

Paul Allen said with a smile.

Everyone raised their glasses and drank the champagne in one gulp!

This season, the Trail Blazers have indeed gained a lot. They have the best regular season record in the Western Conference and broke the team's season win record!

In terms of personal honors, Richard won the honor of the best coach of the season.

Carlisle was Richard's biggest rival for this award, but in the end the award was won by Richard.

Speaking of which, Richard doesn't care much about this award at all. In the eyes of other head coaches, it may be a great honor, but in Richard's view, the value of this award is even a drop in the bucket of the championship. Less than...

In addition to Richard, Ben was selected to the second defensive team this season!

Although Ben didn't get the opportunity to participate in the All-Stars like Kobe and O'Brien, getting a second-team defensive appearance is enough to prove Ben's ability.

O'Brien is the starter for the All-Stars and Kobe is the substitute for the All-Stars. These two All-Stars can also be considered a gain this season.

There was indeed a lot of gains, but there was no harvest that Richard wanted most - the championship!

Richard raised his glass, filled it with champagne again, knocked the glass and said to everyone.

"Guys, this season is over!"

"We can find many excuses and reasons why we failed to win the championship..."

"But next season, if we still can't win the championship, there will be no reason or excuse!"

"If we can't win the championship, it only means that we are a bad team!"

"In the next period of time, we may have some personnel changes, and I believe you all should be aware of it."

"I wish these brothers who are about to leave a brighter future in the future!"

Richard raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp!

The season is over, and it's naturally time to think about signings and transactions.

Especially for Lao Sa, Richard felt quite reluctant to part with him.

After spending two years together day and night, Richard really doesn't want any of his players to leave...

However, business is business, and this is the cruel reality of the NBA.

It is impossible for Richard to ask Salvador to take a salary cut and stay in the Trail Blazers. This would be unfair to Sam...

Although Lao Sa has been very famous before, his salary is actually quite small. In the next few years, while he still has gas in the tank, he should earn some US dollars to help his family live a better life.

In addition to Lao Sa, Rasheed and Lao Curry are also facing contract renewals. As for other fringe players, Richard must just let it happen. If the team's roster is short of players, they may sign a few with minimum salary. Gather the number of people...

If there is no shortage of people, Richard will be helpless.

…

At eight o'clock the next morning, Richard appeared in his office on time.

Other players are taking a break, but Richard can't take any time off. Today he made an appointment with Lao Sa to talk about Lao Sa's next plans.

"Li, thank you for taking care of me these two years."

"Especially this year's playoffs..."

Lao Sa smiled and said to Richard.

Richard waved his hand, "Old man, I heard that several teams submitted contract offers to you last night, right?"

Lao Sa nodded. There was nothing wrong with Richard. Both parties knew that Lao Sa's fate with the Trail Blazers was over.

Richard became interested and asked: "Oh? Which teams are they? I can help you give advice."

"Jazz..." Sao couldn't help laughing as he named the first team that submitted him a contract.

Richard couldn't help but laugh. This knight was really good at planning!

"How much did they pay?" Richard asked curiously.

"10 million for two years, maybe they think I can only play for two more years, right?"

"Not to mention that I don't want to join the Jazz at all, but I can't accept the offer they made..." Lao Sa said with a smile.

"What about the other teams?"

"The Philadelphia 76ers, they gave me a salary of $30 million over four years."

"The Washington Bullets, no, they should be called the Wizards now. They have offered 30 million US dollars in three years. I prefer the Wizards. Lee, what do you think?"

Richard nodded. He regretted offering to help Lao Sa...

He definitely wants Salvador to join the 76ers, but the contract offered by the 76ers is not as good as the Wizards. With Salvador's current situation, he will naturally choose the one with more money.

Maybe after the three-year contract is executed, Lao Sao can sign another contract...

A four-year contract is more risky. Maybe no one will want Sasha by then.

"Wizards..." Richard did not recommend the 76ers out of conscience and directly recommended the Wizards.

"Okay! Li, I don't know when we will meet next time. I wish the Trail Blazers can win the championship next year!" Old Sa said to Richard with a look of reluctance.

He will definitely not leave the Trail Blazers. If the Trail Blazers can provide a lucrative contract, he will definitely not leave the Trail Blazers...

The Trail Blazers are definitely Sasha's home team. In 1986, the Trail Blazers selected him with the 24th pick in the first round of the draft.

However, due to various reasons, he did not have the opportunity to join the NBA until 1995...

The Trail Blazers have been waiting for Lao Sa for nine years, and they have never announced that they will give up Lao Sa's signing rights!