On June 23, 1998, Phil Jackson announced his resignation as head coach of the Chicago Bulls.
This news was just announced this morning, and all major sports media were excited.
The internal struggle of the Bulls ended with Krause's victory!
Although most media were concerned about Phil Jackson's whereabouts, they were more concerned about whether Michael Jordan would play for another year.
"I won't play for a coach other than Phil!"
Michael Jordan said this with great confidence, but now the Bulls have failed to complete their three consecutive championships and Phil Jackson has left the team.
If it happens again last year, the boomerang will hit you in the face!
Of course, the media didn't take it too seriously.
Everyone wanted to see Michael Jordan play for a few more years and mock the situation where Boomerang hit him in the face.
General Manager Krause was obviously trying to please the old guys on the Bulls:
"The Bulls can still become a championship team even without you!"
Phil Jackson might still want to stay with the Bulls, but unfortunately, Krause would not give him this opportunity.
After a month of hard work, the championship coach is gone.
"I haven't thought about whether I should continue to coach a team. Now I just want to take a break for a while. I don't want to think about basketball anymore!"
"What will Michael Jordan decide? I don't know. He has the right to make any decision. As long as he doesn't retire, he will still be the best player in the league."
Phil Jackson did not show any sign of frustration when he was interviewed by a reporter from the Chicago Tribune.
He just calmly introduced his plans.
The media couldn't find Michael, so most of the sports programs were making up stories and making up stories, one after another saying with certainty:
"Even if Phil Jackson leaves, Michael Jordan will still stick with the Bulls!"
However, this view is not recognized.
Michael Jordan's salary is too high, and the Bulls owner probably doesn't want to pay.
And it will be difficult for any team to form a lineup like the Bulls after signing Michael Jordan.
In the current environment, the situation of Pippen, the conscientious second-in-command, will never happen.
Before the draft, Lee also returned to the University of Connecticut to complete his last oral exam before graduation.
When he was a freshman, he submitted an application for early completion to the History Department in his first semester.
As planned, the 120 credits did not cause too much trouble for him.
After the committee of three history professors gave him an excellent grade, Lee basically completed his university studies.
After winning the championship, the Knicks received a total of 4 million US dollars in rewards, of which 2 million was provided by the NBA and the other 2 million was an additional reward given by old Charles.
Ewing, the highest-paid player on the team, gave up his bonus.
Lee was still a rookie on his contract, but he eventually got $500,000.
Before the money could even warm up, he turned around and donated it to the University of Connecticut.
After the accident caused by the snowstorm in the stadium last year, there was a minor situation again this year.
Lee is now considered a well-known alumnus, so he still has to help.
The graduation ceremony began in mid-May, but Lee did not give up the playoffs and return to school to attend the graduation ceremony like Vince Carter in the future.
Even though he is close, he needs to show a focused attitude in the team.
The weather at the end of June was already a bit hot, but the "Duck Lake" on the main campus was still the same as usual, with many students still having picnics and enjoying life there.
"Oh! What a cute little thing!"
"Can I touch it? What does it like to eat?"
A beautiful Husky that attracted a lot of attention.
The little guy, who is less than one year old, is not afraid of people.
Not only can he be petted at will, but he can also be led for a walk without any problem.
Melinda was dressed in sportswear.
Seeing her beloved dog almost running away with someone, she quickly called out,
"Happy, come back soon!"
Lee quietly hugged Melinda from behind, causing her to exclaim, and then she buried her head in his arms and laughed.
The Husky, who didn't look very smart, only realized at this time that something was wrong with his owner and ran back happily.
"Is this the new family member you were talking about?"
Lee hugged Melinda tightly and refused to let go.
The big-breasted girl said mysteriously that she had a surprise for him.
He subconsciously thought that they had won the lottery because they had not taken any protective measures.
However, it turned out to be a husky.
"Happy is very obedient and has a pure bloodline. This is our first family member!"
(A/N: Draco: You Mudbloods😂😂)
"Oh~"
The little Husky with light blue eyes, tilted head and barking looks really cute.
It looks similar to the logo of the University of Connecticut basketball team.
Its appearance speaks volumes, and many people are already planning to feed it.
"Lee, is there a party tonight? You missed the graduation ceremony!"
"How about a husky theme? Have a drink for the cute little guy!"
More and more people gathered around "Duck Lake", and Lee simply shouted:
"Choose a place, I'll pay for tonight!"
"oh!!"
Melinda tied her hair up with a red hairband and combed it into a ponytail.
She heard the cheers all around her and still leaned in Lee's arms.
Hearing Li You's whisper, Melinda shook her hair, her face flushed slightly, and then she shouted with a smile:
"Happy! Come meet daddy!"
"."
In the afternoon, the rookies of the Connecticut Huskies were eagerly waiting in the training hall for Lee to teach them the "championship experience".
Richard Hamilton is the absolute core of this Husky team.
In the 1996-1997 season, he was mediocre in the team, but he made a name for himself in this year's "March Madness".
Head coach Calhoun plans to use this freshman as the core to help Connecticut win another championship.
This time when he returns to school, he plans to let Lee prepare some spiritual chicken soup for everyone.
"How does it feel to dunk on a buzzer beater? So cool, Lee!"
"9 three-pointers in a single game in the finals, a record for three-pointers in the playoffs. This performance is really incredible. No one has ever played like you before!"
"Lee, which players will the Knicks draft this year? Will the collective bargaining agreement affect next season?"
Hamilton was the last one to ask the question.
He had planned to participate in the draft this year, but encountered problems with the labor agreement and the advice of head coach Calhoun, so he finally chose to stay with the team.
Seeing everyone's curious eyes, Lee answered their questions with a relaxed look:
"A buzzer beater? Maybe it's more fulfilling than a normal buzzer beater."
"Shooting three-pointers is a very common offensive method. Three points is one point more than two points. If you are sure, of course you should choose a more efficient offense."
"Richard, if you plan to participate in the draft next year, don't worry about the collective bargaining agreement. In any case, the suspension will only last for one year at most!"
"Coach Calhoun's advice is correct. Playing another year in the NCAA will give you more. As for the Knicks' choice, that is not something I know."
Due to the ongoing labor dispute, active NBA players did not plan to compete in the 1998 Men's Basketball World Championships in Greece.
Therefore, the American Basketball Association plans to continue using college teams to handle the competition, and Hamilton has already been invited.
"Pay attention to your shot selection. In many cases, the shooting posture is not important. After all, for a good shooter, it is enough to shoot comfortably and make the shot."
"Appropriately give up some inefficient long two-point shots. Of course, when the game is tense, you don't have to think about these. This is just a suggestion for dealing with some other games. Believe me, this will help your performance!"
Seeing Hamilton nodding excitedly, Lee also patted him on the shoulder to show encouragement.
Coach Calhoun was very happy. If Ray Allen hadn't been busy with the AJ brand activities recently, he would have even planned to have both of them return to school to make chicken soup together:
"Lee is right! Don't be prejudiced against three-pointers anymore. Facts tell us that as long as you put the ball into the basket, everything is possible!"
Everyone nodded as they listened to these words of encouragement.
The Connecticut Huskies were currently a team of jump shooters.
If they wanted to win the championship, Lee had already set an example for them:
"No matter who your opponent is, just shoot!"
On June 24, 1998, the NBA Draft was held as scheduled at General Motors Place in Vancouver, Canada.
The NBA league has officially shut down, but at the draft, David Stern was not affected at all and still hosted the event with a smile.
Due to restrictions in the rules, the two foreign teams were still unable to get the first pick, so this year's No. 1 pick was ultimately won by the Los Angeles Clippers.
With excellent vision, the Clippers finally selected the 6-foot-13 center, Michael Olowokandi.
The Vancouver Grizzlies, who got the No. 2 pick, selected Mike Bibby.
The Denver Nuggets, who received the No. 3 pick, selected 6-foot-11 center Raef LaFrentz.
The Toronto Raptors, who got the No. 4 pick, eventually selected Antawn Jamison.
The Golden State Warriors used the No. 5 pick to select the popular Vince Carter.
The Warriors soon made a deal, trading Carter and cash to the Raptors in exchange for Antawn Jamison.
The deal made the Raptors fans cheer.
Everyone loved Carter's dunk!
The Mavericks selected Robert Traylor with the No. 6 pick.
The Kings selected Jason Williams with the No. 7 pick.
The 76ers selected Larry Hughes with the No. 8 pick.
The Bucks selected Dirk Nowitzki with the ninth pick.
Soon the Dallas Mavericks also made a deal, sending the newly drafted Robert Traylor to the Bucks in exchange for Pat Garrity and Dirk Nowitzki.
The trade did not attract much attention, and the Celtics subsequently selected Paul Pierce with the 10th pick.
At this point, the top 10 rookies have all made their debuts.
Because the Knicks traded their first-round pick in 1998 to the Raptors, the Raptors then sent the first-round pick to the Rockets.
It's just that after so many trades, this is just a first-round pick at 29th overall, and basically, there is a high probability that he will become a member of the atmosphere group.
After the Nuggets selected Tyronn Lue at 23rd, they quickly sent the future championship coach and Tony Battie to the Lakers in exchange for All-Star point guard Van Exel.
When it came to the second-round draft pick, the Knicks also started their own operations.
The 38th pick in the second round came from a trade with the Celtics, and the Knicks eventually selected DeMarco Johnson.
Then, the defensive power forward and the 2000 second-round draft pick (from the Celtics) were traded to the SuperSonics.
Rashard Lewis, who had been hoping that the Rockets would select him, was completely disappointed when he was dropped to the 32nd pick and was selected by the SuperSonics.
Finally, he was told that he was traded to the Knicks.
Rashard Lewis was happy and worried.
After all, the Knicks' style of play was not suitable for him.
While many fans were still discussing the trade between the Lakers and the Nuggets, Rashard Lewis, who was famous but not recognized by anyone, couldn't help but comfort himself:
"New York is good, at least it's a championship team!"
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