Meanwhile, in the headquarters of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The atmosphere was as heavy as the sea before a storm.
The team's general manager, Jerry West, known as "The Logo," paced irritably around the office. His perpetually furrowed brow had almost twisted into a knot.
Across from him sat the man who truly controlled the team, Dr. Jerry Buss, along with West's deputy, Mitch Kupchak.
"We can't keep going like this!"
West finally stopped and slapped the mahogany desk, making the coffee cups jump. "Shaq and Kobe! We have the most dominant inside-outside duo in the league! But we've been knocked out of the playoffs two years running! Have you seen what's happening? New York has won back-to-back titles! They're building a dynasty! And us? We're still agonizing over who should coach this team!"
His voice burned with frustration at their squandered potential.
Dr. Buss rested his interlaced fingers in front of him. The team owner, famed for his womanizing and business savvy, wore a rare look of seriousness. "Del Harris—the Silver Fox—has reached the end of his contract. Jerry, what do you think?"
"What do I think?" West gave a cold laugh. "I think we absolutely cannot renew his contract! His Princeton system doesn't suit Shaq at all! He has a three-hundred-plus-pound behemoth facilitating from the high post instead of destroying everything in the paint? That's practically a crime! And he's lost control of the locker room. Shaq has reached the limit of his patience with him."
Kupchak added from the side, "The problem is, if we don't renew Harris's contract, there aren't many suitable elite coaches on the market. Rick Carlisle? Larry Bird? They've only just established themselves with the Pacers. We can't just grab some college coach, can we?"
A brief silence fell over the office.
It