The Rest, Only Noise

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Chapter 757 The first summer of the 1990s

The Knicks held a grand celebration.

At the same time, the league negotiated with CBS and NBC, taking advantage of the rising ratings in the finals.

The first contract to be finalized was not a TV broadcast contract, but cable TV.

TNT Cable Networks signed with the league for 4 years and $300 million (30 million more than reality).

But the league's focus is on TV contracts.

NBC, which initially offered $600 million over four years, met with a bid from CBS, which raised the price to $750 million over four years.

To this end, NBC raised the price to 700 million in 4 years, and then CBS raised the price to 800 million in a vindictive manner.

This has to be reminiscent of the ABC and CBS battle over the NBA's broadcast rights more than ten years ago. In the end, the NBA chose to abandon the verbal agreement with ABC and put it into the arms of CBS.

But at the time, the commercialization of professional basketball was just beginning, and it was far from the two TV companies competing for each other as they are today.

On July 4, the league held its annual meeting two days before finalizing its new TV contract.

At the annual meeting, representatives from all the clubs had a lively discussion about whether to sign with NBC or CBS.

Louie stands unequivocally on the NBC pie.

Because NBC is willing to broadcast civilian team games.

If the league remains under contract with CBS, there will certainly be greater televised gains in the short term, but the damage could have implications for the future.

Why do you search for NBA games in the 1980s on Youtuoyu, and often only find the games of the Lakers, Celtics and Bulls? The reason is very simple. CBS attaches great importance to the audience and always chooses the games of those popular teams to broadcast live.

Like some low-popular teams, there may not be a national broadcast for four years (four years is equal to one contract period).

In this way, although the commercial value of the strong team has been improved, the reputation of the weak team is only limited to the home field, which is not conducive to the promotion of the league.

Louie argues with several short-sighted bosses on this matter.

Clippers owner Sterling, Rockets owner Charlie Thomas (Charlie Thomas) and Spurs owner Reed McComb (Red) were all flushed with anger.

"Signing with NBC, although in the next four years, we will lose 100 million in revenue, but as long as more teams enter the ranks of national broadcast, through our efforts, all teams will appreciate in four years, At that time, the next contract will be able to get more money. Conversely, if we sign with CBS just to make an extra $100 million in the next four years, then the false boom of the 80s will continue. New York, Los Angeles, Poland Teams in places like Tran will be taken care of and other teams will be ignored. What will CBS do if these teams lose their competitiveness in the next four years? Yes, they will reduce NBA live broadcasts, they Can do it."

Afterwards, Stern asked the crowd to vote.

Except for the Clippers, Spurs and Rockets, the rest of the team voted for NBC with Louie.

So far, the TV broadcast contract has been settled.

Two days later, the league announced a four-year, $700 million TV deal with NBC (100 million more than in reality).

With two big contracts signed, the salary cap next season will also usher in a substantial increase.

In the new season, the league's salary cap will rise from the original $10.2 million to $14.27 million.

This is a good thing for the Knicks, in addition to Bowie, Ainge and Hornacek, they have a key player who wants to sign a new contract.

That's Benjamin Wilson, who won the Grand Slam of individual honors last season.

Although Wilson has renewed his long-term contract, his management team has already foreseen that the new TV contract will raise the salary cap, so he played a little trick in the contract, and Wilson got the player option to jump out of the contract in the second year. The Knicks also have the option to re-sign him to a new contract this summer.

In addition to the above four, the Knicks' current total team salary is only $8 million.

This is actually thanks to expansion drafts from previous years.

In those expansion drafts, the Knicks lost a few good players in vain, but also earned an expansion draft exception. They flexibly used these exceptions to renew Rodman for five years, $8 million, McHale for five years, $6 million, and Ainge (expired) for two years, $1.6 million.

These three contracts do not account for the salary cap, and two contracts do not expire until 1994.

Therefore, they can face this summer calmly.

Regarding Wilson's contract extension, it began after the salary cap figures for the new season were determined.

On July 7, Wilson and his agent, Bob Wolfe, came to Elgin Baylor's office.

The annual signing season is when Baylor shines.

He is not good at seeing people, and his operating skills are mediocre, but the bargaining is really powerful.

Back then, Wolff also wanted to help Wilson get an Ewing-style 10-year 30 million, but Baylor turned it into 4-year 8 million.

How did he do that? On the one hand, despite Wilson's dazzling success in college—a major championship team—but on the other hand, the league's projections for his prospects are not as exaggerated as Ewing's in 1985. Also, Wilson is not greedy.

Even he himself felt that he should not take so much money before proving his ability. Ewing just because of that contract was a lot of trouble in the first year of his career, and he didn't want to follow suit.

But today, Wilson's identity is no longer a supernova with unlimited potential, but a superstar who has become famous.

How to negotiate a contract acceptable to both parties depends on Baylor's ability.

Louie didn't care about this, but on the day of the incident, he heard that the battle was fierce in Baylor's office.

Curiosity drives Louis to Baylor's office to look out for the wind.

When Louis arrived, the two sides stopped for half a minute.

Wilson said hello.

His agent Wolff and Louie are old acquaintances. When he took Bird to the Greek Academy to negotiate a contract, Louie was still a small scout.

"Coach Lu, I want to ask you, Patrick Ewing, who had nothing back then, was able to occupy 70% of the team's salary cap alone. Today, Benj only needs 33% of the salary cap. Is this too much?"

Louie smiled: "I only brought my ears."

Then, Wolf and Baylor quarreled again.

Louis listened for a while, and probably heard the needs of both parties.

Baylor wants to sign Wilson according to the standard that the Celtics signed Sampson last year, but Sampson's contract is the maximum salary under the salary cap last season, and the salary cap in the new season is several million more than last season. , the maximum salary is naturally different.

Wolfe offered a five-year, $26 million contract.

Baylor became anxious after hearing this, screaming that it was impossible to sign.

Louis quietly left, and the negotiations lasted for half a month.

In the end, the two sides reached a consensus.

July 20

Benjamin Wilson signed a four-year, $18 million extension with the Knicks.

When this contract expires, so does the existing TV contract.

At that point, the salary cap will skyrocket again, and Wilson will be able to sign a bigger contract.

This is a choice to maximize personal interests, beyond reproach.

And, starting from the new season, Wilson's annual salary will reach 4.5 million, the first in the league.

After signing Wilson, the Knicks still have room for $2 million in their salary cap.

Danny Ainge turned down a four-year, $6 million deal with the Lakers.

At the same time, he also turned down other contracts higher than the Knicks offer.

Although the Knicks have enough room to give Ainge a worthy contract, in Baylor's view, it is not worth taking a mid-level to sign a veteran who can only play 10-15 minutes per game.

But for Ainge, he just wanted to play on a competitive team.

Louie's coaching style is also something he admires.

The commercial value brought by being a member of the Knicks dynasty is enough to offset his loss in contract value.

Therefore, he completed a three-year, $3 million extension with the Knicks.

After Ainge, Lionel Simmons and Elton Campbell also successfully signed rookie contracts with the Knicks.

The season hasn't even begun, and the Knicks' 15-man roster is filling up again.

However, Wilson's signing caused a fierce reaction from the Ewing camp.

Back in the day, Ewing signed a 10-year deal worth 30 million yuan. From 1985 to 1989, he always received the highest salary in the league.

Last year, Sampson's salary surpassed him, and this year, it's not just Wilson, but several other players.

For the people behind Ewing, it may not be important to let outsiders surpass, what is important is that Ewing's salary should remain the first in the team.

Wilson's new contract spurred them on.

At the end of July, Ewing's agent, David Falk, called Louie directly and asked Ewing to re-sign a contract according to the market maximum salary.

Falk had proposed adding a special clause to Ewing's contract that year - if Ewing's contract is not in the top five in the league in a future season, he will be able to jump out of the existing contract to re-sign - this proposal was refuted on the spot.

Ewing ended up signing that famously big contract, with a player option in Year 7.

Now that the contract has just entered the fifth year, without any option provisions, Falk proposed a re-sign on behalf of Ewing?

"Is there a re-signature clause in our contract?" Louis asked jokingly.

"No, but it's entirely on your mind unless you don't think Patrick deserves a bigger contract."

"Don't **** with me!" Louis sneered~www.novelmt.com~ If there are no relevant clauses in the contract, the only thing you can do is to honestly implement the contract for me, and I will not discuss this matter again. Have any communication with you, neither will Elgin. "

"Coach Lu, Patrick is the best center in the league and the leader of the Knicks, but now his salary is not even in the top seven in the league. Do you think this situation is reasonable?"

"You tell me it's reasonable?"

"I would like to ask you whether it is reasonable for Patrick to occupy 70% of the salary cap of the team when you had nothing at all? The contract was signed after we both agreed, and now, the only thing you can do is to wait for it to end. Sign? Dream about it, Falk, it's impossible!"

The Knicks are not short of money, but they have to use it in the right place.

Once they meet the requirements of the Ewing camp, there will be endless troubles.

Ewing is dissatisfied with the contract and can re-sign it. What about other players? Can't they re-sign? If only Ewing was allowed to re-sign, what would others think? At the same time, this will also arouse dissatisfaction from the Wilson camp. The relationship between the two sides is already tense. Although they have no personal grudges, due to the dispute of interests, the people behind them will inevitably push them to the front of the stage and tear them apart.

If the internal and external cores are openly opposed, how can they maintain competitiveness?

The moment he hung up Falke's phone, Louis took a deep breath.

All great teams since the 1970s have mostly been destroyed by internal turmoil.

This summer, the Knicks achieved three consecutive championships and entered the heyday of the Louis era, but the shadows of those deep bottoms have gradually emerged.

Maybe this won't eventually lead to the Knicks' collapse, but it must be the starting point of the internal and external turmoil that the Knicks have to go through from a one-hearted team to an all-dynasty team.

When the wind blows, who can escape.

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