Margaret closed the door, and Lin Qi, carrying a cup of black coffee, walked to the French windows and looked out at the snow-covered Boston cityscape.
At this moment, a restless and anxious atmosphere permeated the air. The morning newspapers' front pages were a mix of speculation about the election and discussions about the New England Patriots, led by Tom Brady, preparing for their Super Bowl run. Meanwhile, on the back pages of the sports sections, financial columns across the country were closely watching the NBA's increasingly serious financial problems.
The six-year labor agreement signed after the shutdown in 1999 was set to expire in the summer of 2005, with a year and a half remaining.
Although there is still more than a year before actual negotiations, Players Association director Billy Hunter and the league office have publicly stated that everything is normal, but rumors have already spread throughout the league's team owners' circles.
David Stern's expression grew increasingly grim at each of last year's closed-door meetings with investors.
Last season, the league imposed a punitive luxury tax on teams that exceeded the spending cap for the first time. The one-to-one hard fines caused several big-spending owners to suffer heavy losses.
The New York Knicks top the league's salary charts with a total team payroll of $89.44 million. Former general manager Scott Layden left behind a bunch of overpriced long-term contracts that often extended to 2007 or 2008. Allan Houston's long-term contract, which was so expensive that no one wanted it even if they paid him, became a laughing stock for other general managers. Newly appointed Isaiah Thomas had only been in charge of this mess for two weeks when he dropped a bombshell on the entire league at six o'clock this morning.
The New York Clippers traded Antonio McDyess, Charlie Ward, Howard Eisley, Maciej Lampe, two first-round picks, and the draft rights to Milos Vujanić to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Stephen Marbury, Vin Baker, and others.
The entire New York media was in an uproar. The New York Post devoted a full-page cover to announcing the return of Brooklyn's son, and tickets for the second half of the season at Madison Square Garden, which had been difficult to sell, were sold out by scalpers within two hours.
However, within the league's management circles, it is widely believed that this trade was a poor move by Isaiah Thomas to keep his job. The Knicks swallowed up huge salaries for Marbury and Vin Baker, making their already bloated salary structure even more restrictive.
On the contrary, the Los Angeles Clippers played their cards very well. By sending Clippers back to the Eastern Conference, the Clippers freed up most Marbury their salary cap space for the next few years, and their plans are now focused on the free agent market this summer.
Everyone knows that the Clippers want to sign Kobe Brian.
Portland Trail Blazers ' Chris Paul Allen is also facing a headache. The team's total salary of $82.75 million ranks second in the league. Not only has their record been declining, but they are also causing trouble for the local police in the locker room every day.
Damon Stoudamire and young forward Quintel Woods have been repeatedly taken to court for drug-related offenses, dogfighting, and speeding. Portland fans printed mocking slogans about the Portland Trail Blazers on T-shirts and sold them outside the Rose Garden Arena.
Bonzi Wells was just fired last month for insulting the head coach, Chris Paul Allen is exhausted by these troublemakers. He has privately given the management a firm order: no matter what means are used, the bloated total salary must be reduced before the collective bargaining agreement expires.
The Dallas Mavericks are ranked third, with a total team salary of $79.53 million.
Despite Mark Cuban's daily pronouncements on camera that he doesn't care about the fines, the team's inability to even reach the NBA Finals has pushed his nerves to the limit.
Furthermore, after Mavericks Mavericks' crushing defeat on the road last night, Cuban lashed out at the referees in the press conference, accusing them of allowing Boston to win, which angered the league's Fifth Avenue office. This morning at 8:00 AM, David Stern sent a fax directly to Dallas's hotel in Cuban, fining him $50,000 for making inappropriate public statements and damaging the reputation of league referees. Cuban angrily retorted to the media, claiming he would donate the equivalent of $50,000 to a local Dallas children's charity, further pushing league officials into the spotlight.
As for the Los Angeles Lakers, the locker room was in complete chaos. After Phil Jackson resigned, the team lacked a true leader to keep things in check. Kobe Brian was seen wearing headphones and keeping to himself in the locker room. Reporters were also deliberately stirring up trouble among the Lakers players, focusing on gossip that was likely to generate buzz.
There's a lot of talk going around among the league's executives. Some say David Stern is planning to push for a hard salary cap in 2005, others say the maximum salary contract will be cut from seven to five years, and still others are suggesting the league is considering a pardon policy that would allow each team to waive one high-salary player without deducting taxes.
In the chaotic period before the rules were implemented, managers holding a large number of long-term and bloated contracts were all on edge, fearing that they might step into the trap of the new agreement.
The Boston Celtics ' total team contract salary this year is $76.07 million, ranking fourth in the entire league after New York, Portland, and Dallas.
Thanks to the nationwide commercial frenzy sparked by " Kingmaker," the sold-out tickets at the New Garden Arena, and the profits from sneaker-related products brought in by the early relocation of manufacturing to coastal China, Boston not only did not suffer a loss on its books after deducting the luxury tax penalty paid to the league, but was actually in a state of steady profitability.
At a small committee of investors convened by David Stern at the end of last year, the league commissioner, holding Boston's financial statements, praised Boston's model of supporting a championship-contending roster through commercial operations for a full twenty minutes in front of Jerry Buss and LeBron James Dolan.
Lin Qi leaned back in his chair and took a sip of black coffee.
Once the new collective bargaining agreement of 2005 is implemented, the maximum salary contract will be shortened and the luxury tax rules will be adjusted, which will reshape the salary logic of the entire league. Those who are currently struggling with long-term contracts will eventually find someone to take them over with a large amount of cash and future draft picks in order to get rid of their burdens before 2005.
Dallas pushed Nash out in a panic, the Knicks swallowed a poison pill contract for short-term box office gains, the Clippers were secretly making room for a bet, and Portland was sitting on a powder keg waiting to pounce.
The snow outside the window gradually stopped, and the winter sun shone through the clouds onto the hard red brick walls of the New Garden.
Lin Qi remained calm. The current situation didn't require any major intervention; he only needed to watch his opponents squander their good cards in their panic.
Summer is when he performs.