The Battle for Li Fei, Officially Begins!

Li Fei + Michael Jordan + Scottie Pippen?

Hearing this lineup, Phil Jackson actually became quite interested.

During the Chicago Bulls' three-peat from 1990 to 1993, aside from the well-known duo of Jordan and Pippen, the team's third-in-command was Horace Grant, who stood 6'10" and maintained an average of 14 points and 10 rebounds per game.

The lineup Jerry Krause was proposing was essentially swapping Grant for Li Fei, which was undoubtedly an epic upgrade.

Although Grant had made his first All-Star appearance as a reserve this season and had been named to the All-Defensive Second Team last season, Horace Grant's actual level of play was quite average.

With Jordan gone this season, his offensive usage had increased, but his output was still only 15 points per game, and while his defense could still earn him a spot on the All-Defensive team, it had always been the second team.

To put it simply, he was an excellent blue-collar power forward; he could handle some basic scoring on the offensive end, but asking him to do more was out of the question.

However, replacing the team's third option with Li Fei?

That would be a massive upgrade!

Even the defense that Grant prided himself on had no comparison when placed in front of Li Fei.

Not to mention the offense; Li Fei was far superior to Grant. Li Fei was projected to score 14 points per game just from putbacks and second-chance opportunities alone!

Furthermore, in Phil Jackson's view, the Chicago Bulls were in desperate need of a marquee center.

In this era, the interior was king. Not to mention the monsters in the West, even the "Gorilla" Ewing and the "Big Shark" O'Neal in the East were enough to handle.

They needed an outstanding center who could withstand those big names during the physical battles of the playoffs.

Most importantly, this trio would be the perfect personnel for the "Triangle Offense."

"This is indeed a good combination."

Phil Jackson nodded: "But the prerequisite is that MJ must return. If MJ cannot return, it won't matter even if we get Li Fei."

Jerry Krause nodded.

However, his attitude toward Li Fei was far more optimistic than Phil Jackson's.

In his view.

Even if Jordan didn't return, the Chicago Bulls could absolutely choose to cultivate Li Fei as the new master of Chicago.

In this day and age, no one had to rely on anyone else to survive, and no one was destined to fail just because someone else left.

After Phil Jackson left, Jerry Krause looked over the current Chicago Bulls roster.

"Horace Grant, BJ Armstrong..."

"For the sake of Li Fei, all of these people can be put on the trading block."

The NBA regular season was nearing its end.

The Dallas Mavericks were almost honorably sitting at the bottom of the league.

According to probability, the Mavericks had the highest chance of landing the first overall pick.

However.

Mike Dunleavy, the general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks—the Mavericks' primary competitor for the top pick—was feeling quite confident at this moment.

"I hear that Dallas's love for Jason Kidd has already spilled off the screen."

United States, Milwaukee.

Mike Dunleavy tapped his fingers on his office desk: "This is of huge benefit to our draft lottery."

"Mr. General Manager, I don't quite understand what you mean." The assistant was a bit puzzled.

The draft lottery was currently calm and uneventful.

How could it be of huge benefit to them?

"Book me a ticket to the NCAA championship game; I want to go to the scene to support Li Fei."

Mike Dunleavy smiled: "And I'll have the opportunity to reveal to the media that we intend to select Li Fei in the draft. It would be best if David Stern also knows about this."

The assistant realized what he meant in a flash.

"I understand, Mr. General Manager. You want to put on a show for David Stern!"

Mike Dunleavy smiled slightly, everything under control.

If Li Fei became the 1994 first overall pick, it would help the NBA open up the Chinese market. Therefore, from the perspective of the league commissioner, he would definitely hope that the team selecting Li Fei would get the first pick, and he might even manipulate the lottery ceremony from behind the scenes.

This logic was simple and easy to understand.

But now, the Mavericks were ambiguous about the option of Li Fei; they had complicated feelings toward Jason Kidd.

At this time, if the Milwaukee Bucks, who were second to last in the league, expressed their intention to prioritize Li Fei, the league commissioner might very well hand the first pick to Milwaukee for the sake of the Chinese market.

This was the "open conspiracy" of the Milwaukee front office.

Of course, the Milwaukee Bucks had their own agenda as well.

Keeping Li Fei was their second choice.

If Li Fei could be used to secure a star player that the Bucks truly needed in the trade market, the Bucks would consider trading him immediately after drafting him.

They were even prepared to offer a trade to the Jazz for John Stockton right after selecting Li Fei.

"Mr. General Manager, if we trade Li Fei, won't it upset the fans in China? Will David Stern be unhappy because of it?" the assistant asked.

"Players being traded after the draft is nothing out of the ordinary."

Mike Dunleavy was completely unperturbed: "What the league actually wants is just the gimmick of the number one overall pick."

"If we really manage to trade for John Stockton, wouldn't that just prove that Li Fei already possesses the trade value of John Stockton in his rookie season?"

"With such terrifying trade value, David Stern would be more than happy for us to do exactly that."

And so.

Mike Dunleavy boarded a passenger plane, flying from Milwaukee to the bustling city of Chicago, and touched down at Soldier Field.

Soldier Field, located in Chicago, is one of the most prestigious NFL stadiums in the world today.

It had been temporarily converted into a basketball arena capable of seating 60,000 spectators to serve as the venue for the March Madness championship game.

A few days before the game began, Mike Dunleavy noticed something at the surrounding hotels.

"There are quite a few NBA front-office personnel who have come to the championship site..."

On the day before the game, various newspapers were filled with headlines.

<Chicago Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause and his assistant check into a hotel near Soldier Field ahead of schedule!>

<Lakers General Manager Jerry West and Mitch Kupchak touch down in Chicago!>

<Phoenix Suns General Manager Jerry Colangelo spotted at Chicago Airport!>

<Karl Malone and John Stockton arrive at Soldier Field for the championship game!>

<Personnel or scouts or players from approximately 20 teams have arrived for the NCAA championship!>

Extra! Extra!...

Those in the know understood clearly that the significance of this game had far surpassed the final itself.

This was nothing short of a trial for Li Fei.

The appearance of so many NBA front-office personnel signaled one thing.

The battle for Li Fei had officially begun!!

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