Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 961 961 568 Flowing Momentum_2

?Chapter 961: Chapter 568 Flowing Momentum_2 Chapter 961: Chapter 568 Flowing Momentum_2 As Yu Fei was set to become a free agent this summer, Trem focused his attention on him. He noticed that the relationship between Yu Fei and Seattle’s owner Bennett had deteriorated and believed that their split was only a matter of time. Thus, Trem suggested that owner Donald Sterling prepare in advance, planning to make a move in the summer and recruit Yu Fei from Seattle. He even suggested that, if necessary, they could promise shares of the team to Yu Fei’s family since having Yu Fei on the team would multiply the returns from the Los Angeles market.

However, upon hearing that he might need to give up part of the shares, Sterling grew concerned. After all, Yu Fei had turned his back on Bennett, who had always been obedient to him. If he really gave shares to Yu Fei, would the Clippers still carry the Sterling name?

For Sterling, the team’s performance didn’t really matter. For years, even though the Clippers had poor records, they always had fan support. Despite being one of the lowest in the league in attendance, his dividend income each year ensured he had no financial worries. Moreover, the league had now changed the profit-sharing system, forcing top earners like the Lakers to share profits with poorly performing teams. Therefore, Sterling was even less inclined to take a risk on Yu Fei, even though it meant the team might improve its performance.

Thus, he immediately rejected Trem’s suggestion. Unable to understand, Trem then analyzed the pros and cons of bringing in Yu Fei from a professional perspective. However, Sterling refused to listen, unable to refute due to a lack of professional knowledge and, frustrated and embarrassed, he revealed his true nature, roaring, “I’d rather finish bottom every year than have that ungrateful ‘vermin’ on my team!”

Trem was stunned on the spot. He had not expected Sterling to openly express such blatantly racist comments, especially about the league’s top superstar. Thinking about Yu Fei’s contributions to the league and their many years of acquaintance, Trem was seething with anger, yet helpless. He then decided to report Sterling to the league.

However, he had no evidence.

The soon-to-be deputy commissioner Adam Silver told Trem, “Nobody likes Donald Sterling. If there is solid evidence, we’ll kick him out of the league immediately.”

From that day on, Trem lived like a spy. His focus was no longer on everyday tasks as a general manager, but on gathering evidence against Sterling, a widely recognized racist.

Eventually, he found a breakthrough in Sterling’s mistress Stiviano and obtained substantial evidence. As the season neared its end and everyone’s focus was on Seattle, Trem suddenly submitted the evidence he had collected over many days to the league, setting off the long-buried “mine.”

The public outcry came overwhelmingly; nearly every former employee who had worked for Sterling stepped forward to accuse him. The league acted swiftly, first issuing a statement condemning all forms of racism, then directly denouncing Sterling.

Soon after, Stern called a shareholders’ meeting to vote on whether to impose a lifetime ban on Sterling. The vote passed on the spot, and within days, Sterling lost his league shareholder seat, and his team shares were frozen. After the season ended, the Clippers were to be forcibly auctioned off, and while Sterling would earn billions of dollars from the auction proceeds, he would forever be seen as one of the most disgraceful owners in history.

The development of the event was so rapid that even Bill Simmons couldn’t help but tweet: “Clay Bennett is such a failure, and the most ironic part is that he can’t even rank first among the current awful owners because Donald Sterling is a ‘monument’ he will never surpass.”

When Yu Fei heard of it, he was simply baffled.

The Clippers were probably the last team he would consider joining.

Because of the presence of Donald Sterling.

But suddenly, Sterling was dealt with.

And somehow, he was closely involved in this matter?

Throughout the season, Trem had indeed talked to him and hinted that the Clippers might pursue him, but Trem should have known that the Clippers were the last team he wanted to join.

Eventually, Trem couldn’t solve the Clippers’ bigger problem, but he could eliminate the root of all evil within the Clippers.

Thus, the Clippers became an option to consider.

Yu Fei didn’t want to show any clear preference, as the season had not yet ended.

While the world was in uproar over the Sterling scandal, the first finals since 2005 without Yu Fei participating were raging. The Spurs met Miami Heat in the finals again, but unlike the main timeline, the roster configurations of the two teams had significantly changed.

The Spurs relied on their mature pass-cut system to counter Miami Heat’s multiple ball handlers and full-court play style. However, Miami Heat had its own issues: their overall defensive performance was poor, and many feared being targeted by the opponent’s tactics. In the regular season, Yu Fei had used unlimited targeting tactics to crush Miami Heat.

The reason the Spurs chose unlimited pass-cuts was not only that this tactic, based on basketball IQ, suited every coach’s aesthetic, but also because they lacked a reliable go-to scorer.

Ginobili could take on this role when he was in good shape, the young Kemba Walker had potential but still needed further development, while on the Miami Heat side, Wade and Curry were both effective in exploiting the Spurs’ defensive weaknesses through pick-and-roll attacks.