Early September, Boston's New Garden.
Upon returning to Boston, Lin Qi did not immediately go home to rest, but instead went alone to the CEO's office on the top floor.
A gentle autumn breeze, carrying the slightly salty scent of the Atlantic Ocean, swept across the Charles River. On the large desk, several newly delivered copies of major American sports newspapers were neatly stacked, along with briefings on the dynamics of Western Conference rivals, meticulously categorized by assistant Margaret.
Lin Qi unbuttoned his suit jacket, casually hung it on the hanger, and sat back down in his leather chair with a cup of hand-drip black coffee.
Instead of immediately looking at the Celtics' upcoming preseason training roster, he picked up the thick sports edition of the Los Angeles Times at the top of his head.
The front-page photo is very eye-catching.
On a private resort beach in Maui Hawaii, Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal, wearing baggy, flashy beach shorts, faced the microphone of Los Angeles Times reporter Beal Plaschke. His usually joking and smiling face was clouded with gloom.
The accompanying headline read in bold black, " Shaq has proven everything, now it's management's turn to show their sincerity," O'Neal's team demands a three-year, over $100 million maximum contract extension.
Inside, the columnist vividly describes the ultimatum issued by O'Neal's chief agent Perry Rogers, to the Lakers ' management.
A three-year, supermax contract extension worth over $110 million was signed ahead of schedule. The starting salary jumped directly from the maximum salary cap of the 2004-2005 season, with an annual salary heading straight for $35 million.
In an interview, Perry Rodgers's words even carried a clear element of pressure. " Shaq has nothing left to prove in this league. If Los Angeles thinks they can keep the league's best center endlessly draining his health without any contract guarantees, then management should just wait and see what happens when training camp starts."
Looking at the strongly worded report in the newspaper, Lin Qi took a sip of black coffee and shook his head.
To the public, Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal is a big boy who loves to rap, loves to be funny, and always has a cheerful smile. But in Lin Qi's eyes, O'Neal is actually a privileged star who is extremely insecure and has a morbid craving for "unconditional favoritism".
Back in Orlando, the Orlando Magic conducted a foolish poll in the local newspaper. "Does O'Neal deserve a $120 million max contract?" Over 90% of fans voted against it. That slap in the face completely shattered his pride, prompting him to leave in anger in the summer of 1996.
In Los Angeles, Jerry Buss showered him with this kind of favoritism. A seven-year, $120 million contract, a Hollywood record deal, absolute core privileges at Staples Center, and even O'Neal's absurd behavior of "recovering from injuries during working hours and postponing surgery during the offseason" were all tolerated by the management.
Shaq had grown accustomed to this feeling of being accepted, and he mistakenly believed that Jerry Buss treated him like a son or nephew, and that he enjoyed extraordinary privileges in this wealthy family.
But O'Neal clearly misjudged Jerry Buss.
This University of Southern California PhD in physical chemistry, who made his fortune through real estate speculation, is essentially an extremely rational person. Jerry Buss is a regular in world poker tournaments and has even reached the top three in a seven-card stud poker event. At the real poker table, Jerry Buss's greatest strength is never emotional betting, but rather calculating the odds of every pot and using probability to wear down his opponents.
To Jerry Buss, the Lakers were not just a family that valued warmth and affection, but also his most important asset.
Normally, negotiations for maximum contract extensions between superstars and teams, even if they argue heatedly in private, are usually resolved internally behind closed doors. But O'Neal was a natural spotlight darling. He loved using the media to create hype for himself, was keen to make conflicts public, and tried to use public opinion to manipulate management.
But O'Neal clearly chose the wrong opponent and used the wrong methods.
In the eyes of the Jerry Buss, this move was not only completely intimidating, but also a major taboo.
Jerry Buss was used to playing the role of a generous godfather; he could give away Rice on his own initiative, but he would never tolerate his employees putting him on the hot seat in public. The more O'Neal made a scene in the spotlight, the less likely Jerry Buss was to compromise.
No response, no meeting, no price quote.
This blatant use of passive-aggressive tactics is exactly the kind of thing Jerry Buss often employs.
Moreover, O'Neal is not without weaknesses on the court right now.
In the original timeline, in the summer of 2003, O'Neal suffered from a long offseason of indulgence and delayed injuries, including an unhealed abdominal strain, severe arthritis in his big toe, and his weight had already exceeded 360 pounds.
But in the current context, because the Boston Celtics completed a stunning four-peat at the beginning of the century, the Los Angeles Lakers, under immense pressure, brought in Michael Jordan.
Over the past two seasons, under Jordan's strict locker room supervision, O'Neal has unusually curbed his playful nature. In order to end Boston's dominance, O'Neal actively lost weight during the offseason and strictly controlled his diet during the regular season.
In the NBA Finals 7 of the Finals this June, facing Boston's paint defense built by Garnett, Ben Wallace, and Rasheed Wallace, O'Neal, who was in excellent physical condition, put up a grueling 38-minute high-intensity battle in double overtime, helping the Lakers lift the championship trophy with his powerful drives and offensive rebounds.
He hasn't lost weight, and his knees and ankles are relatively healthy. In terms of offense and defense under the basket alone, he remains the undisputed number one center.
However, he still has a well-known weakness: he cannot finish the game alone in the fourth quarter.
Limited by his weakness in free throws and the need to conserve energy, in the decisive final five minutes of the game, O'Neal needed a superstar guard alongside him who could handle the ball, break down defenses on the perimeter, and reliably make crucial free throws.
For the past two years, this role has been played by Michael Jordan and Jason Kidd.
But what about now? Jordan has completely retired. Kidd left for the San Antonio Spurs in free agency because Jerry Buss refused to offer him a long-term contract.
In July, the Lakers' management did make efforts to find a new perimeter partner for O'Neal. Throughout the offseason, Los Angeles media outlets were abuzz with rumors that the Lakers were trying to use young players as trade bait to acquire Toronto Raptors ' star player Vince Carter.
If the Lakers could acquire Vince Carter, they could rebuild a top-tier duo with both inside and outside strength. However, just last week, the Raptors' new management made it clear that Vince Carter was not for sale, and Vince Carter himself publicly clarified that he had never requested a trade, completely debunking the rumor.
Vince Carter can't come, Kidd can't stay. The Lakers ' backcourt is left with only Derrick Fisher and Quentin Richardson.
Without a superstar point guard to protect O'Neal in the fourth quarter, the Lakers ' ceiling for the new season is already quite visible.
Why tie up the entire financial resources of the next four or five years for a center who is over thirty years old, for a roster with little hope of winning a championship?
Even if he were Big Shark O'Neal, he couldn't defy the laws of nature.
Lin Qi picked up the remote control and pressed the power switch on the TV on the wall.
The screen is showing news from California.
In the footage, Hollywood superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger is standing on an open-air stage in Beverly Hills, launching a massive campaign for the upcoming California gubernatorial recall election.
Meanwhile, in the front row of the VIP section, Jerry Buss, wearing his signature oversized collared floral shirt, had a young blonde model in his arms, holding a champagne glass, and smiling broadly as he clinked glasses with California's political and business elites.
This billionaire, who made his fortune through real estate speculation, has plenty of time to attend political fundraising dinners and frequent various high-society events in Beverly Hills, but he can't spare half an hour to meet his star center in his office in West Los Angeles.
Jerry Buss was using this kind of blatant passive-aggressive response to O'Neal's media pressure.
In Jerry Buss's calculations, everything had a clear price.
In fact, letting Jason Kidd go was almost an inevitable choice for the Lakers financially.
Lin Qi opened the drawer, flipped to the detailed salary report of all teams in the league on the table, and his eyes fell on the Lakers ' salary list.
Shaquille O'Neal's annual salary for the new season is already approaching $25 million.
The other two big contracts are equally challenging. The long-term contracts signed by Sean Marion and Lamar Odom will officially take effect in the upcoming 2003-2004 season, with both of their annual salaries exceeding ten million dollars.
The combined salaries of O'Neal, Marion, and Odom alone are already approaching $45 million.
In addition, there are the salaries of role players like Derrick Fisher and Brian Shaw...
With this salary structure, if the Lakers were to accept Kidd's demand for a max contract of over $100 million this summer, the team's total salary would instantly surpass that of the Celtics.
Moreover, there's another ticking time bomb waiting for us next year.