Teams like Memphis and the Pistons.
Their home games often had entire sections of empty seats.
Only when superstars came to town did the arenas fill up.
It was easy to imagine how much revenue they would lose if Wang Yi didn't play. And if he didn't play, NBA merchandise would be much harder to sell.
The brands that partnered with the league would also lose some of their revenue.
All that pressure fell on Xiao Hua. It was easy to imagine how anxious he must have been.
Wang Yi knew Xiao Hua was anxious, but he wasn't worried at all. Leaning back in his seat on the bus, he lazily yawned and said:
"I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush. It's already happened. Just tell me what you can do to make up for it."
Xiao Hua's voice came through. He asked tentatively, "Wang, how about we issue a small apology? If you apologize just a little, I'll handle the rest. I can withstand enormous pressure and reduce your suspension to fewer than ten games."
"This would benefit you, too. You'd still take some losses, but they wouldn't be nearly as bad as if you were suspended for fifteen to thirty games."
Wang Yi understood this as well. The sponsors' assessment of a player's value followed a sliding scale.
For example, if a player didn't get into trouble, his value might be rated at ten points.
If he were suspended for one game, his value would drop to eight.
If he were suspended for fewer than ten games, his rating would fall to seven. But if the suspension went beyond ten games, it would plummet to three, or even below two.
It was easy to see how big a difference there was between a suspension of fewer