On July 1, 2003, the offseason for the new year began!

At 12 noon, the league officially announced some changes to be implemented in the new season.

Among them, the most eye-catching rule change is NO-handcheak.

Handcheak, to put it simply, is to block the defender with your hands when defending.

You can use your hands to stop players from running, such as Jordan's pulling move when defending Reggie Miller. Under the new rules, you will be called a foul.

There is also single defense for top arcs. Before, the top arc area was defended one-on-one. Except for the defensive actions such as elbow lifting and arm mounting were fouls. Ordinary blocking with hands and stretching out your hands without pulling action, it was all possible, but now it is not possible.

Of course, it is actually not that simple, it is a relatively complex thing. It can be foreseeable that the league will be filled with a lot of fouls and a lot of free throws in the early stage of the new season.

Since the opening of the new era of the two towers of Rentou Horse, the league often changes its rules, and they also have great influence on the rules, such as canceling early attack violations, increasing defense for three seconds, increasing back body for 5 seconds, etc.

Now, it is not so surprising to us to start the NO-handcheak era.

To be simple, it is to cut Zhang Hao and cut the Supersonics team.

only……

In a theme park in Hollywood, Los Angeles, the O'Neals and the Kidds are having lunch.

Yesterday O'Neal began to regain his passion, and today he made an appointment with Kid to have dinner together.

Kidd took his family to the appointment without hesitation... Kidd is from San Francisco and has been with Payton in Oakland since he was a child.

Kidd came to the appointment, and O'Neal knew that there was a chance!

Pat Riley received a call from O'Neal yesterday and gave a list. Today, I learned from O'Neal that the person on the list who was most eager to introduce was invited to lunch... Pat Riley has a better understanding of the relationship and influence between current professional players.

O'Neal and Kidd did not talk about cooperation, at least not now, and the two talked about the beginning of the free market.

The new salary cap is more than 47.56 million US dollars. After experiencing the 911 terrorist attack in 2001, another year later, NBA income rebounded strongly, and suddenly rose by nearly 3 million US dollars in salary cap. That is, the total income of the just-concluded season increased by nearly 180 million US dollars compared with the 201-02 season. More, it is actually the recovery and the increase, and there is not much more than the 200-01 season.

There are also new regulations and changes announced while the salary cap is announced, such as ‘NO-handcheak’.

"This rule is to weaken the defensive combination of Zhang and Wallace and Artest. Now Wallace has left the Supersonics. I think this rule has not brought much benefits to Zhang." Kidd felt that the rule was changed a bit blindly.

O'Neal has a different view: "Kirillenko and Chandler of the Supersonics are also very talented. If these two people were not guaranteed, the Supersonics would definitely match Wallace's contract. It is still necessary to come out of this rule."

Kidd thought about it and nodded and responded: "Indeed, their goal is to compete for the championship for a long time... I suddenly felt that NO-handcheak would not be very different for Zhang, and he could average 39 points per game. Even if NO-handcheak is higher than that, it would be difficult. NO-handcheak, he might encounter more attacks and scores would be even more difficult."

“That’s right…”

"Shake, what teams do you think in the East, the new season will be troublesome opponents?"

"The Bulls are the most troublesome..."

Just now, after the free market opened, the Supersonics and the Bulls reached a preliminary trading intention, which may lead to a third party, or may not, if so, the Supersonics may get other players back. If it does not lead to a third party, the Supersonics will choose to get a special transaction.

The Bulls gave up Malone's early bird right and provided Kobe with a qualification quotation of 1 point, 1 year, of 6.41 million US dollars, that is, to protect Kobe's bird right first, and to guarantee the bird right at the lowest limit. This is the benefit of a rookie contract. For a conventional contract, keeping the bird right is 150% of the salary of the previous year. After the rookie contract is over, the qualification quotation only requires 125% of the salary of the previous year.

The Bulls gave Brad Miller and Trenton Hassel to the Supersonics. Ben Wallace's new contract is slightly lower than the maximum salary, with a starting salary of 13.4 million US dollars, totaling 118 million US dollars in 7 years.

The Bulls' lineup was gradually created after 1998. Now, many of the main players are low-paying and rookie contracts, so they can directly take over Ma Long in the summer of 2001.

The salary situation has been well controlled in the past two years. Kobe's new contract has not been officially signed. After Malone's big contract, Olajuwon and other players gave up their bird rights after the contract expired, they have freed up 13.96 million US dollars to take advantage of Ben Wallace's contract. Brad Miller and Trenton Hassel are used as bargaining chips, which is even more sufficient.

These two people don’t have to worry about not being able to trade, so even if the Supersonics don’t accept the proposal of signing first and then changing, the Bulls can directly quote a naked sign.

Moreover, since the salary cap increase is higher than expected, even if the Supersonics do not accept signing first and then exchange, they cannot get an annual salary increase of 12%, the Bulls can still quote the capital at a starting salary of $13.96 million - Wallace.

Moreover, the Bulls can also create space by trying to trade Brad Miller.

After the salary cap increased by nearly 3 million US dollars this year, the starting salary of seven-year veteran Ben Wallace can reach up to 14.27 million US dollars.

It just said that after the suspension, no team is willing to give a contract worth more than US$120 million.

As for why we have to give a 7-year contract instead of 6-year... it is a contract with a total amount of between 110 million and 120 million. On average, the average of 7-year contracts is definitely less money per year. The length of the 6-year and 7-year contracts is not much different, but the annual money is less, and the taxes will be paid later.

McGrady, Kobe, Ben Wallace, and the Bulls' deep substitute team, Kidd thinks about his own team... After playing in the finals, Kidd has completely understood the gap between his Nets and a real champion-level team!

There are some things that need not be said so directly, everyone has people with good looks.

Kidd asked, "Shake, is that rookie on your team really that talent?"

O'Neal immediately replied: "Of course, he is the same agent as Gentleman. Gentleman said Dwyane is the most Jordan-like player he has ever seen, and the best shooting guard in the new generation is Dwyane."

"Zhang actually gave a rookie such a high evaluation? I really want to know how talented the rookie in your team is..."

...

...

The official opening of the free market means that the 2002-2003 season officially ended, and many people have become free agents or restricted free agents.

On the first day, a team provided a 6-year maximum salary offer to Kobe, who had not officially renewed his contract, but was rejected by Kobe.

In terms of the Supersonics, there was also a change immediately after the free market opened.

Brent Barry ended his contract with the Supersonics.

This, the Supersonics knew about it when they signed with Brent Barry last summer.

Brent Barry joined in order to win the championship, and to help Zhang Hao, who helped him in 1996, save him from the situation where he could hardly hit the ball.

If Brent Barry hadn't joined last summer, it would have been possible that he would have spent a lot of money to get back a player who might not be as good as Brent Barry.

After the championship parade, Brent Barry applied for the right to contact other teams and informed in advance that the contract for the next year would not be executed.

After the free market began, the Spurs soon announced that they had signed Brent Barry for a long contract of $29 million in five years.

Jason Williams officially announced his retirement, stayed with the Supersonics and joined the scouting department.

The Supersonics provided Odom with a 6-year offer of $72 million.

Zhang Hao learned about the team's series of operations and learned that the team had a very clear direction - no place for veterans and free agents was reserved.

A few more days passed, and Zhang Hao determined the correctness of the team's choice... Those high-quality free agents and veterans all went for the Mavericks, Kings, Bulls, and 76ers.

Their Supersonics and the Lakers have become 'out of air flow'.

Although the player turnover this year has been sensational, the change in the pattern does not seem to be that big. That is, along the trend of the past few years, two top players have arrived in the East, and the overall strength gap between the east and west continues to grow.

The top team is still in the west, the overall strength of the east has become stronger, and the top teams in the east are also becoming stronger.

However, the madness is not over...

On July 7, 2003, it was the day when free agents could sign the contract.

Suddenly, just like the 361 Big Three, it was a sudden Miami immediately became the center of focus!

The deal won O'Neal failed to make the Heat a popular team in people's minds.

The trade was still at the peak of O'Neal, who was still at the peak of his head, and he would not lose any chips. This is certain. In the original time and space, O'Neal, who was one year older, was willing to trade with Odom + Butler's chips.

Here, a top pick will definitely not lose.

But many people are questioning what the Heat are looking for...

Unlike in the original time and space, Wade here has not yet shown the talent that O'Neal expects.

Many people don’t even know where Wade came from.

In other words, there is only one Eddie Jones who has passed its peak period.

It is said that the Heat originally wanted to give Eddie Jones to the Lakers, but the Lakers refused and would rather have Brian Grant.

But now, what is Wade's talent like? It doesn't matter to people...

Pat Riley held a press conference to announce that Jason Kidd joined the Heat with a starting salary of US$14.27 million, a total of 6 years and a seven-year veteran with a maximum non-bird right maximum salary contract!

At the same time, Malone joined the Heat with a minimum salary of 1.57 million US dollars a year!

Kidd, Eddie Jones, O'Neal, and Malone's four giants are composed!

Kidd, Eddie Jones, O'Neal, these three people have filled all the salary space the Heat have tried their best to clear out in the past three seasons. Apart from rookie contracts like Wade, there are only basic salary contracts for Haslem, veteran Malone and others.

If there is no space, you have to sign a contract. Except for a biennial special case and a middle-class person, you only have a basic salary.

But, who cares about this... Kidd, Eddie Jones, Malone, O'Neal! The Big Four!

Moreover, for the Heat, Malone still averaged 17+8+4 power forward last season, is a free giant!

When Kidd, Wade, Eddie Jones, Malone and O'Neal appeared at the Heat's press conference at the same time, the entire basketball world went crazy!

This looks even more crazier than the Kings' swap Weber with Garnett!

...

There were many troubles in the outside world, and Zhang Hao didn't care at all.

What can he do? He can't do anything, he can't break up the team without reason, right?

As young teams, they just watch those teams that are determined to compete for the championship.

Zhang Hao thinks, like the third young master of the Thunder team in the original time and space, there is no need to think about so many other things, and there is no need to think about how the character players should strengthen. From the beginning, spend all the money on the three people and slowly gather the players around the three people, and there is no need to think about fancy operations.

I actually chose to take the young route, which is different from the route of a veteran with a changing lineup.

Kidd's contract... really leaves nothing for the Nets at all.

The contract that Kidd got was the same as the Bulls who were determined to rob the money regardless of the amount of tax they paid. The contract that Wallace could give when he was given was the same. The maximum starting salary of the seven-year veteran was $14.27 million, totaling $112 million in 6 years. The higher starting salary was $2% lower, and the annual increase was $2%. In 6 years, the total salary would only be less than $6 million in the end of 7 years.
To be continued...