"Butch," Glen Grunwald spoke slowly, his tone unusually grave. "Tracy's talent has no ceiling. If he can straighten out his attitude and devote all his energy to basketball, his achievements won't fall short of Vince's. The problem is, we don't know how to ignite the fire in his heart."
"Then we'll be the ones to light it!"
Glen Grunwald slammed his palm onto the table, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness and resolve. "I know exactly what that old bastard Krause is thinking! He wants to drive down the price, make us think Tracy is nothing more than a talented role player. Then we'll do the opposite!"
His voice echoed through the conference room, filled with unquestionable force.
"Starting today, we're going to build up Tracy's value! Butch, in the new season, I need you to design more plays for Tracy McGrady! I want him to have the same unlimited green light as Vince! Let him score, let him attack the rim, let him display all of his talent before the entire league!"
"We're going to show everyone that the Raptors don't have 'Carter and his sidekick'—we have the most terrifying backcourt twin stars in the league! We're going to make Krause understand that one Karl Malone is nowhere near enough to get Tracy McGrady! Either he puts Michael Jordan on the table, or he can take his offer sheet and crawl back to Chicago!"
Glen Grunwald's plan was exactly the same as Jerry Krause's, carrying the cold air of a business power struggle.
Without consulting each other, they had both chosen to push their players beneath the spotlight, turning statistics and performances into the loudest bargaining chips at the negotiating table.
A war without smoke had begun between Toronto and Chicago, answering each other across the vast waters of Lake