By the last week of December, the snow in Boston was already ankle-deep.
Lin Qi had no intention of staying in his Back Bay office watching TV any longer.
Seeing Rick Carlisle's performance, Lin Qi felt there was no need for him to remain in the United States as an idle spectator.
He boarded a plane bound for Europe. A dozen hours later, the Gulfstream landed at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport.
As I stepped out of the VIP passage, a car was already waiting in the snow. Standing by the car door was a man wrapped in a well-tailored dark gray cashmere coat, Cuba cigar between his fingers— Miško Ražnatović.
With the capital injected by Lin Qi, Miško has now turned BeoBasket into a brokerage giant that monopolizes the former Yugoslavia and even half of the Balkan Peninsula. But when he saw Lin Qi approaching, he immediately stubbed out his cigar in the silver portable ashtray he carried with him and quickly stepped forward to open the car door.
"Boss, the hotel and convoy are all arranged." Miško's voice was steady, with his signature Serbia accent.
The carriage was well-heated, keeping out the harsh cold outside.
Lin Qi took off his coat and handed it to his entourage, then sat down in the back seat and said directly, "Let me see the list."
Miško immediately pulled a thick roster from his briefcase and handed it over with both hands. "This is our best asset right now. They're all old enough to try their luck in the NBA draft."
Lin Qi flipped through the roster, his gaze quickly sweeping over several scouting reports before finally pulling out four data cards and laying them flat on the walnut table in the back of the carriage.
Nenad Krstić, 19 years old.
Darko Miličić, 17 years old.
Zaza Pachulia, 18 years old.
Sofoklis Schortsanitis, 17 years old.
Lin Qi pointed to Darko Miličić's name. "What do you think of him?"
Miško handed over a candid photo of Darko during a youth match for Hemofarm; the tall, blond man in the photo had a defiant look in his eyes and was yelling at the referee.
"This kid's like a local tyrant in Vršac. Seven feet tall, left-handed, he can dribble down the court like a wing player and dunk, his touch is as soft as a guard's. But off the court, he's a completely out-of-control kid." Miško shook his head, his tone tinged with a familiar helplessness. "He experienced NATO bombings as a child, his personality is extremely sensitive and fragile, and he's used to using aggression to disguise himself. He's currently on a meager youth team stipend, yet he dares to borrow money to buy a used BMW and speed on the country roads of Vršac. Last month, he was taken to the police station for fighting with some big guys in a bar, and I ended up paying his bail."
"And his attitude on the court?" Lin Qi asked.
"It's all about his mood," Miško offered an objective, expert assessment. "On defense, he relies entirely on his physical attributes to chase down and block shots. Once an opponent uses a seasoned low-post fake to get past him a couple of times, he gets enraged and fouls. He thinks he's a sure thing for the NBA lottery next year, and even said that Carmelo Anthony isn't that great. With this kind of mentality, he'll probably be completely ruined in the NBA's world of fame and fortune within two years."
Lin Qi looked at the young, irritable face in the photo and nodded thoughtfully. "Where's Krstić?"
"Completely opposite extremes." Miško flipped to the second file. "Nenad Krstić is a typical Yugoslavia hard-working type. He trained six hours a day with Belgrade Partizan, his mid-range jump shot was as steady as a pendulum, his footwork in the low post was solid, and he had a mild and reserved personality, even a bit overly obedient to the coach. The Nets selected him with the 24th pick in the first round this summer. The Nets called me three times, wanting him to 'spare the wheel' in Europe for another year, and then take him to New Jersey next summer to be Yao Ming's backup."
" Zaza Pachulia from Georgia currently plays for Ülker in Turkey. That kid's a tough character; he plays like a wrestler. He'll elbow anyone in the face for a rebound, and the referees in the Turkey league dread him. As for Sofoklis Schortsanitis from Greece... my god, he's a legend at Thessaloniki. Seventeen years old, 280 pounds, his frame is as wide as a security door. In the paint, if he gets going, even two adult centers hanging on him will be knocked straight into the basket. But he can't control his appetite; after practice, he can eat a whole plate of lamb chops and two liters of cola by himself."
This is the true ecosystem of Europe talent, without the filters of NBA draft promotional videos, but a mixed bag of factors including the shadow of war, personality flaws, dietary indulgences, and raw talent.
"Handle their transfers." Lin Qi closed his wallet.
Miško paused for a moment. "All of them?"
" Darko is sent to Olympia Milan, Krstić to Virtus Rome. Zaza and Schortsanitis are all assigned to Panathinaikos in Athens."
The three clubs that Lin Qi mentioned are all core members of the EBA league and are Lin Qi's core base of control in Europe.
Miško habitually began weighing the agent's options. "Boss, Krstić has already been drafted by the Nets, and Darko's projected draft position has surged into the top three. If we transfer now to a core EBA team to play as a starter, the NBA scouts will definitely..."
"They can't take anyone away," Lin Qi interrupted him calmly. "Sign all four of them on new five-year contracts. The contracts must include a mandatory NBA buyout clause, with a buyout fee of $15 million."
Miško's hand, which was holding the binder, trembled violently, and he froze in the back seat.
As a former lawyer with expertise in transnational Sports Law, he knew exactly what this number meant.
According to the current collective bargaining agreement in the NBA, the legal limit for an NBA team to pay a buyout fee for an international player is only $350,000. Any amount exceeding that cannot L'Équipe and must be paid by the player himself. A $15 million buyout fee is an astronomical figure that no one in Europe basketball can afford in this era.
"Boss, you should understand what this means," Miško said in a low voice, his brows furrowed. "It's not just about scaring away scouts. If Krstić's contract is signed, the New Jersey Nets will have essentially wasted a first-round pick, and they'll probably file a lawsuit with International Basketball Federation. As for Darko, the whole country is praising him as a talent on par with LeBron James. If he's kept in Europe by his $15 million buyout clause, he won't be able to make it to the NBA next summer!"
Miško looked at Lin Qi and cautiously probed, "You mean... you want to keep them in Europe permanently?"
"That's right." Lin Qi did not deny it.