499: 185: Taste buds grow at the end of the large intestine (asking for monthly tickets!) 499: 185: Taste buds grow at the end of the large intestine (asking for monthly tickets!) After the championship parade, the Magic Team announced, “We are still in negotiations with Shaq for a contract extension, and the team will make every effort to bring him back to the Orlando Arena.”
Of course, such nonsense is just like “You’re really huge,” not even the most naive fans would believe it.
How could soone who even missed the championship parade possibly return to Orlando?
As Magic had said, every team with cap space had launched an aggressive pursuit of Shaq.
However, the Los Angeles Lakers were the ones closest to him.
Jerry West had almost imdiately flown to Orlando on a plane, ready to reap the fruit he had been waiting for a year.
Last year, when Shaq announced his intention to add a player option to his contract, Jerry West knew he still had a chance.
He had specifically set aside cap space for this day, abandoning all recruitnt plans last sumr.
He had been preparing for this day for a long ti.
Although Shaq had also expressed a desire to play in Los Angeles, before officially signing a contract, anything could still change.
Originally, last season, the Lakers had been very close to securing O’Neal, but who knows what happened, and in the end, Shaq actually renewed his contract with the Magic.
This kind of incident must not happen again this year.
So now, Jerry West was as nervous as an FBI agent worried about mail bombs in the vicinity of Workman Street, wanting nothing more than to quickly sign Shaq and get everything settled.
Unfortunately, both sides had to wait for the free agency market to officially open before they could finalize the contract.
West was concerned that during this period, Roger or the Magic Team might try to brainwash Shaq, persuading him to stay on, just like last season.
So, these days, the Logo stayed in Orlando, playing golf with Shaq, watching movies, and going for drives.
To be honest, Logo didn’t like any of these activities.
There was a generation gap between him and Shaq; they simply didn’t sh well.
When Shaq took Logo to the recording studio to record his brand-new rap album, Logo was very perplexed: “Is this supposed to be music?
This is clearly an agricultural product!”
But there was no helping it, Jerry West didn’t want his plans to be frustrated again.
He was very clear about what Shaq’s arrival ant, as well as the power of the OK combo— a na Jerry West had given to the duo of Shaq and Kobe.
No matter the cost, he had to bring Shaq back to the West Coast.
Logo wished he could be attached to Shaq 24 hours a day, becoming an accessory to Shaq’s body.
But as it turned out, Logo had completely overthought it.
Roger hadn’t even made a single phone call to Shaq.
The Magic Team had not sent anyone to negotiate with Shaq either.
As the target beca increasingly within reach, Logo was all the more afraid to believe it.
Could the best active center in the league really belong to Los Angeles?
Was he really about to launch another glorious era for the Lakers after showti?
The day before the draft, during dinner with Shaq, O’Neal unexpectedly brought up Kobe on his own initiative.
“How’s that kid?
Is he really as good as you’ve said?”
“So of his playing habits need to be corrected, but his talent is unmatched.” Logo still spoke highly of Kobe.
“Can I beco the next legend like Kareem?”
“You will surpass his greatness!”
“Let’s sign the contract as soon as free agency starts.”
Shaq envisioned his future in Los Angeles, hm, at least Kobe Bryant, that kid, wouldn’t ride over his head like Roger did.
Before Shaq could sign the contract, on June 25, in North Carolina, at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena.
The 1997 NBA Draft, Tim Duncan might have been the calst person there.
Because he already knew what his fate would be like next.
TNT draft show guest Hubie Brown comnted, “Even before the draft has started, Tim has already ended the biggest suspense.
Fans in San Antonio believe that Tim is here to end the league’s suspense.
When he forms the twin towers with David Robinson, no team in the league will be able to stop them.
Spurs fans even believe that Tim might lead the team to a championship in his rookie season!”
Ernie Johnson laughed and said, “For Tim, perhaps the biggest obstacle is the Orlando Magic, where they have the strongest duo in history.
The duo of Tim and David will have a hard ti challenging them.”
“Oh, we may never know whether Roger Shaq or Tim David is the better duo,” Hubie Brown shook his head, “Shaq has announced he’s opting out of his contract, hasn’t he?
I don’t believe he did it just to pursue a bigger contract, he must want to start sowhere new.
In Orlando, he will always only be Scottie Pippen.”
I don’t know when it started, but “You play like Scottie” has beco a derogatory term for a superstar.
He is clearly the best small forward of the 90s, but no star wants to hear the comnt that “You play like Scottie.”
Perhaps, this is the destiny of a small forward.
The best small forward of the 21st century has similar troubles; no player wants to hear the dia comnt that “You play like LeBron.”
After so off-topic discussion, the 1997 NBA Draft officially began.
David Stern stepped onto the stage, and the Spurs fans at the draft were already shouting madly.
It could be said that this was almost a draft night belonging to Tim Duncan alone.
Seeing the cheers from the crowd, Celtics fans were the most upset.
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