Chapter 106 Do you want him to tear me into pieces?

On the morning of the 25th, He Zhongqiu signed a contract with the Ashley brand and won a three-year, $ million global endorsement contract.

In the evening, the Knicks defeated the Mavericks at home, ending their losing streak.

大姚在贺中秋的头上15投9中，6罚6中，连投带罚轰下了24分6篮板1盖帽，但有5次失误。

贺中秋在篮下遭遇了马赛克的夹击，11投6中，13罚8中，砍下了20分14篮板2盖帽3抢断3失误3犯规的数据。

All three of his steals came from Yao Ming, which made Yao Ming's face turn black.

However, the data of both players are still good. This game was broadcast live by CCTV. The domestic fans who watched the game were quite satisfied. CCTV's hotline was flooded with calls and the response was quite good.

On February 2, after lunch, the Knicks bus drove to New Jersey.

In the evening, the Knicks lost to the Nets, who are currently ranked first in the Eastern Conference, in a back-to-back game.

After defeating the Magic at home on the 28th, the Knicks achieved a record of 32 wins and 26 losses, with a winning rate of 55.2%, ranking sixth in the Eastern Conference.

As the regular season continued, He Zhongqiu also devoted himself to practicing his skills, and his basic skills and technical levels improved rapidly.

At the end of February, the signature sneakers developed by AND1 for He Zhongqiu came out, and he got his first pair of signature sneakers.

The name of the sneakers is Wolverine Generation 1. The main color is white. The front half is wrapped in five golden blades. It has a bold style and a cool temperament. He likes it very much.

On March 3, AND1 held a grand press conference, invited many media, and launched this pair of sneakers to the world.

On that day, a long queue formed at AND1's flagship store in New York, and there were quite a few young Chinese people in the queue.

The first generation of Wolverine was priced at $120, with sales reaching 5.2 pairs a day in the New York area and 13.75 pairs a day in North America, which was quite successful.

"Mr. Xia, I would like to make an appointment with you to discuss Wolverine's contract."

"OK, tomorrow morning then."

On the afternoon of the 2nd, Xia Song suddenly received a call from Knicks general manager Scott Layden, and the two made an appointment.

In the evening, Xia Song came to He Zhongqiu's house for dinner and talked to him about the contract.

"Mr. Layden probably wants to know your thoughts on the contract for next season, whether you will execute it or give up on the subsequent contract renewal," he said.

"Brother Xia, it will definitely be more cost-effective to give up and then renew the contract. I can sign a big contract. What do you think?" He Zhongqiu said.

Xia Song analyzed: "It depends on how much the Knicks management values ​​your potential, and whether to execute the contract for next season."

"What do you mean?" He Zhongqiu didn't quite understand.

"meaning is……"

After Xia Song's explanation, he finally understood what he meant.

In other words, if the Knicks believe that he can grow into a super center, then they may offer him a long-term contract with a maximum salary. It would be best for him to give up his contract for next season and choose to re-sign.

But if the management is not optimistic about his growth into a super center, he may not get a maximum salary contract. In this case, he can also consider executing the contract for next season and then strive for a maximum salary contract after he performs better next season.

Xia Song said: “Mid-Autumn Festival, the specific situation depends on the communication with Mr. Leiden tomorrow, we can’t decide now.

If the management directly says they will give you a maximum salary, then there is nothing to say. Otherwise, we need to consider it carefully before making a decision. ”

"Brother Xia, if I can get the maximum salary, how much will it be?" He Zhongqiu asked.

Xia Song calculated: "The current maximum salary rule of the league is that a player with 6 years of experience can get an annual salary of 900 million US dollars or 25% of the salary cap, whichever is greater.

This means that if 25% of the salary cap is greater than $900 million, then it will be calculated as 25%; if it is less than $900 million, then it will be calculated as $900 million.”

"And it's divided by age?"

"Yes, there are three levels, and 0 to 6 years is the lowest level."

Xia Song added: "The salary cap for the 0203 season is million. If you sign a maximum salary contract next season, your annual salary will definitely be over million.

If the first year is 8 million, then the salary will increase by 80% every year, which means you can sign for up to five years.”

He Zhongqiu thought about it and felt that it wasn’t too much. The commercial endorsement contracts he had signed were worth tens of millions of dollars.

Xia Song said: "The NBA was locked out in 99 and introduced a luxury tax system, which restricted maximum salary contracts. Before that, Garnett's maximum salary was 2800 million a year, which was higher than O'Neal's."

"WC, he took that much?"

Xia Song further analyzed: "Now that the management has taken the initiative to contact me, they should hope that you will take the initiative to give up the contract for next season and sign a long-term contract."

He Zhongqiu said decisively: "As far as I know, there are three players in the team who have tens of millions of contracts but are not playing. If they can get it, I think I can too. I will definitely be stronger next season and there will be no problem with 20+10 data.

Brother Xia, if the management offers you a maximum salary, stay and renew your contract. If not, then execute the contract for next season and talk about it next year. "

"Okay, that's decided." Xia Song nodded.

……

That night, the Knicks welcomed the Western Conference powerhouse Timberwolves at home.

The two teams played once in November, with the Knicks losing by 11 points away from home. This was the last regular season game between the two teams.

The Knicks are currently ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference with 32 wins and 26 losses, but the records of the top six teams are relatively close, and they are only four wins away from the first-placed Pistons.

The Timberwolves currently have 39 wins and 21 losses, a 65% winning rate, ranking fourth in the Western Conference, 6 wins more than the Knicks, and a better record than the Pistons, who are first in the Eastern Conference.

A quarter after six, Garnett and his teammates were followed by several reporters as they emerged from a restaurant at Madison Square Garden.

"Kevin, you are the Wolf King, and Wolverine is also a wolf. So I wonder if you have jurisdiction over Wolverine?" asked a TNT reporter.

Garnett's face turned pale. He didn't want to be the second Artest. He cursed in his heart, "Damn reporter, I only have jurisdiction over your wife. You treat my life safety as nothing for the sake of news. You are simply heartless!"
Even though he cursed, he still didn't dare to offend the reporter, and said, "It's just a nickname. Don't deliberately put me and Wolverine on opposite sides. It's meaningless."

At 6:30, the Knicks bus arrived at Madison Square Garden.

The TNT reporter who had just interviewed Garnett rushed up and asked, "Wolverine, you will face Garnett tonight. He is the wolf king. Do you recognize his position in the wolf pack?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not well educated. What do you mean?"

He Zhongqiu didn't understand what the reporter wanted to express.

Philip behind him immediately said: "He wants to say, do you admit that Wolf King Kevin Garnett is your boss?"

"You're a piece of shit!"

He Zhongqiu cursed at the reporter in Mandarin.

The NBA is just a small world where harmony brings wealth. He and Garnett have no grudges against each other, so how could he make enemies for no reason?
This reporter obviously wanted to stir up trouble. Having been in the underworld for many years, although he had not received much education, he had seen a lot of people's sinister intentions and had suffered a lot of losses.

"what did he say?"

Of course the reporter didn't understand and immediately asked Philip.

He Zhongqiu walked forward, and when Philip caught up, he said to the reporter, "He said you are a ball of anger."

"A ball of anger?"

The reporter was scratching his head, unable to figure out what it meant.

At 7:30, both sides announced their starting lineups.

Timberwolves: Rasu, Garnett, Wallis Zebiak, Anthony Peeler, Troy Hudson

Knicks: He Zhongqiu, Kurt Thomas, Sprewell, Alan Houston, Howard Ellis
The game was broadcast live nationwide by TNT, with Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith as commentators. "In the first game, we lost by 20 points. We didn't have Wolverine at that time, but I think even with Wolverine, the Knicks are still not as strong as the Timberwolves, and this home court is still tough," said Kenny Smith.

Barkley grinned and analyzed: "Rasu has comprehensive skills under the basket. He can shoot with both hands. His zombie shot when he fades away is very unique.

But he is at best a second-rate center, averaging 7 points and 5 rebounds per game in his career. This season is a little better, with 11 points and 6.5 rebounds.

A center like this, the Wolverines can beat him just by relying on their quality.”

Kenny Smith went on to say: "At the fourth position, Kurt Thomas vs. Garnett, Garnett should have an absolute advantage."

"Don't underestimate Kurt Thomas' defense. Garnett's offensive ability is not top-notch, so his offense should be somewhat limited."

Barkley added, and then said: "At the three position, the madman's defense should not be able to limit Szczerbiak.

This sharpshooter is the Timberwolves' second scoring point, averaging 17.6 points per game this season, with a hit rate of 48.1%, and a terrifying 42.1% from three-point range. "

Kenny Smith said: "Anthony Peeler at the No. 2 position can't stop Alan Houston, but the Timberwolves still have rotation starting point guard Kendall Gill at this position. This veteran still has gas."

Barkley went on to say: "At the point guard position, although the Timberwolves' point guard was an undrafted player, he has played 14.5 points and 5.7 assists this season, which is much better than the Knicks' point guard Howard Ellis. He is also the Timberwolves' third scoring point."

Kenny Smith concluded: "In terms of the main players, the Timberwolves have the upper hand. In terms of substitutes, the Timberwolves are not inferior to the Knicks.

So based on paper strength, the Timberwolves have a great chance of winning both home and away games.”

"Hey, Wolverine."

In the player tunnel, Garnett, who arrived first, greeted He Zhongqiu.

"Hello, Wolf King."

He Zhongqiu smiled and nodded, walked over and extended his right hand to Garnett.

"This guy, he won't have any objection to my nickname?" Garnett felt a little uneasy.

Seeing Wolverine walking towards him, especially with his hand outstretched, made his heart skip a beat, and in an instant his mind flashed back to the horrific scene of Wolverine ripping the closet apart with his bare hands, and a huge sense of oppression suddenly arose in him.

He took a step back imperceptibly and said with a fake smile: "Wolverine, you know, I think you are the best candidate to play the role of Wolverine in X-Men."

"Haha! I don't want to take away other people's jobs."

He Zhongqiu said modestly and stretched out a hand in front of Garnett.

Garnett gritted his teeth and shook it, and it felt like he was holding an iron hand, but he immediately let go as if it was too hot.

"Are we playing against each other tonight?" He Zhongqiu asked.

"Oh, NO, Rasul, he is the center and I am the power forward." Garnett said hurriedly.

He Zhongqiu glanced at the other tall man, nodded, and turned back without waiting for Lasu to react.

Garnett breathed a sigh of relief. This damn Wolverine was such a huge pressure!

At eight o'clock, the game started, and He Zhongqiu and Garnett had a jump ball.

Before the All-Stars, when He Zhongqiu signed with AND1, he measured his weight, height, and foot size. He had grown 1 cm, and his shoe height is now 214 cm.

After the All-Stars, he took some time to go to the hospital for a check-up and found that the epiphyseal line had completely closed and would not grow any further.

In addition, without gaining weight, and with no obvious changes in body shape and body fat percentage, my weight naturally increased from 115 kg to 116 kg.

In addition, the wingspan has increased from 222 cm to 224 cm, and the height reach and other data have also increased slightly accordingly.

However, these data have not been reported to the authorities and are not known to the outside world.

The information on the system was naturally updated. Although his weight increased, his physical fitness such as jumping speed did not decrease.

However, when comparing heights, He Zhongqiu felt that Garnett on the opposite side was not shorter than him. Garnett's official height is 211 cm, but this is the height of his shoes, which is definitely wrong.

He felt that the wolf king's shoes were about the same height as his, maybe a little taller, about 215 cm or 216 cm.

The two of them standing together, one yellow and one black, with the same lean physique, are very interesting.

Barkley joked: "Same physique, about the same height, same weight, nicknamed Wolf, these two really have a connection."

Kenny Smith said: “This physique is really an advantage, it looks thin but is actually very strong.

Wolverine's physical fitness is more terrifying than that of the Wolf King, his absolute strength is stronger, and his explosive power is more terrifying than that of the Wolf King."

Barkley said: "There is no comparison in terms of strength. Wolf King is several levels lower than Wolverine. His highest bench press is only 340 pounds, less than 160 kilograms.

Comparing the jumping and air stamina of the two, Wolverine is more terrifying. He is flying, while Wolf King is jumping. It is impossible for Wolf King to dunk from the free throw line, and his air stamina is far inferior to Wolverine's.

Kenny Smith nodded and said, “At his peak, the Wolf King’s vertical jump should be 90cm, his wingspan 226cm, and his standing reach 275cm.

Charles, given his height and wingspan, the standing reach data may be wrong. Wolverine is 286 cm tall, what do you think? "

Barkley laughed and said: "Standing reach is not only related to height and arm span. It is not the same height and arm span, standing reach is the same. It is also related to shoulder width, shoulder joint structure and flexibility, and body ductility.

Compared to Wolverine, Wolf King has both height and arm span, and even has a slight advantage. His shoulder width also looks similar, but he may not be as good as Wolverine in terms of shoulder structure, flexibility, and body ductility. "

At this time, the jump ball begins and the referee throws the ball high.

"Snapped!"

When it came to the jump ball, the experienced Wolf King had the upper hand and was the first to knock the ball away, allowing the Timberwolves to attack.

He Zhongqiu did not follow Lasu, but chose to follow directly with the wolf king Garnett who was jumping the ball with him.

"Two wolves fighting, are they competing for the title of wolf king?" Barkley joked excitedly.

"Wolverine chooses to face off against the Wolf King, and the winner shall be the king." Kenny Smith said excitedly.

Garnett weighs 115 kilograms. He played against He Zhongqiu in the All-Star Game. He knew he was not as strong as the opponent, so he did not force his way into the penalty area, but went directly to the low post on the left wing.

The ball was passed, and he immediately performed his signature offensive move, shaking his shoulders, turning around and shooting a jump shot.

He shook his shoulders left and right, then made a long jump shot. Knowing that Wolverine was good at blocking shots, he chose to turn around and take a step back before making a fade away jump shot.

With his height, wingspan and jumping ability, no one can block his shot.

"This kind of shot is cheating." Barkley shouted as soon as he saw it.

He Zhongqiu took a step forward and jumped to block the shot, but he failed to reach the ball and was a bit short.

"boom!"

However, Garnett failed to make the shot, and Kurt Thomas grabbed the rebound.

"If you miss the shot, it's a matter of touch, it has nothing to do with the defender." Kenny Smith said with a smile.

"But Wolverine might say, it was clearly me who defended that," Barkley joked.

"Okay, Charles, I'll tell Wolverine about this." Kenny Smith laughed.

"Oh, damn Kenny, I'm not a wardrobe, do you want him to tear me into pieces?" Buckley was shocked and shouted hurriedly.

"Ha ha……"

Kenny Smith slapped the table and laughed.

(End of this chapter)