Chapter Summaries

Doc Rivers visited Lin Qi for advice on rebuilding the Magic, and Lin Qi persuaded him to target Jermaine O'Neal while clearing out the roster. Rivers secured O'Neal from the 76ers for Bo Outlaw, Magic Johnson, and four second-round picks, and Lin Qi prepared to continue the overhaul.

• Doc Rivers told Lin Qi the Magic's owner was considering replacing him after the first-round sweep and asked for help.
• Lin Qi criticized the Magic's reliance on chasing free-agent superstars and advised Rivers to sell high on Darrell Armstrong and Ron Mercer while clearing out the roster.
• Lin Qi proposed trading Bo Outlaw and Magic Johnson to the 76ers for Jermaine O'Neal, arguing that O'Neal's value had fallen under Larry Brown.
• Rivers called the 76ers general manager and negotiated a deal, adding four second-round picks but keeping all first-round picks.
• Rivers secured Jermaine O'Neal for Bo Outlaw, Magic Johnson, and four second-round picks, and Lin Qi urged him to keep moving quickly.

Lin Qi and Doc Rivers discussed Orlando’s trade targets, keeping Darrell Armstrong and Mike Miller while trading Ron Mercer to Denver for the tenth pick. Lin Qi then revealed that Doc Rivers’s next trade would be with him.

• Lin Qi proposed putting Darrell Armstrong on the trading block, but Doc Rivers insisted Armstrong was Orlando’s spiritual leader and should stay.
• Lin Qi agreed to keep Armstrong and promised to find a suitable backup for him on draft night.
• Doc Rivers refused to trade Mike Miller because other teams had made insulting offers and Miller had value as a young, popular shooter.
• Doc Rivers told Lin Qi that Denver wanted Ron Mercer, and Lin Qi urged him to ask for the Nuggets’ tenth pick.
• Doc Rivers completed the deal, sending Mercer to Denver for the tenth overall pick.
• Lin Qi told Doc Rivers that their next trade would be between the two of them.

Lin Qi persuaded Doc Rivers that Michael Redd, Hedo Türkoğlu, and Brad Miller could turn Orlando into a balanced, playoff-ready team. Rivers agreed to trade three first-round picks to Boston for the players.

• Lin Qi offered Rivers Michael Redd, Hedo Türkoğlu, and Brad Miller as a package.
• Lin Qi explained how Brad Miller’s high-post passing and shooting would complement Jermaine O'Neal Jr., while Türkoğlu and Redd would strengthen Orlando’s perimeter offense.
• Lin Qi laid out a starting lineup featuring Darrell Armstrong, Michael Redd, Mike Miller, Jermaine O'Neal, and Brad Miller, with Hedo Türkoğlu as the sixth man.
• Rivers agreed to send Boston the 2001 tenth and twenty-first picks and the unprotected 2002 first-round pick from Phoenix for the three Celtics players.

Lin Qi invited the draft’s top interior prospects to an open workout and had Kevin Garnett test them in one-on-one drills. Garnett overwhelmed Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler without relying on physical contact, then called for the next player.

• Lin Qi gathered Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry, and Pau Gasol at the training facility to assess their abilities.
• Lin Qi asked Kevin Garnett to run one-on-one drills and warned him not to bully the rookies physically.
• Kwame Brown struggled against Garnett’s defense and trash talk, lost the ball, and watched Garnett score with ease.
• Tyson Chandler failed to score when Garnett blocked his pull-up shot by snatching the ball from the air.
• Garnett sent Brown and Chandler to the sideline, then called for the next player.

Lin Qi tested Pau Gasol and Eddy Curry against Kevin Garnett, then assessed all four prospects for the press. He left the question of who would become the first overall pick unresolved, calling the draft a roll of the dice.

• Pau Gasol used polished moves and ambidextrous finishing to trade baskets with Garnett, impressing Lin Qi with his composure and basketball IQ.
• Lin Qi ended Gasol's tryout and sent Eddy Curry onto the court, where Curry used his strength to overpower Garnett and score several baskets.
• Lin Qi blew the whistle to stop Curry's increasingly physical tryout.
• Lin Qi told reporters that Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler were raw and mentally fragile, while Gasol was the most NBA-ready but had a lower athletic ceiling.
• Lin Qi described Curry's weaknesses in mobility, defense, and rebounding, but praised his rare low-post power.
• Lin Qi said he did not know who would become the first overall pick and called the draft a roll of the dice.

Lin Qi called Michael Jordan to try to trade for the Wizards’ first overall pick and discovered Jordan had rejected Boston’s offer because he was preparing for a comeback with the Lakers. Lin Qi realized Jordan already viewed the Celtics as his future rivals.

• Lin Qi reviewed a private investigator’s photos showing discreet meetings between Jordan, the Lakers’ owner, coach, and players.
• Lin Qi called Jordan and offered draft picks, including Boston’s fourth, sixth, and tenth picks, for the Wizards’ first overall pick.
• Jordan refused, citing owner Abe Pollin’s financial concerns and saying the Wizards intended to keep the pick.
• Jordan asked Lin Qi whom he wanted to draft, and Lin Qi said Boston was targeting Pau Gasol to strengthen its interior for a four-peat.
• After Lin Qi mentioned the NBA Finals and Boston’s four-peat goal, Jordan ended the call, leading Lin Qi to conclude that Jordan planned to join the Lakers and saw the Celtics as his future opponent.

Lin Qi reshaped Boston’s draft assets by trading with Atlanta, Golden State, and Philadelphia ahead of the 2001 NBA Draft. With less than a day before the draft, he presented Rick Carlisle and Sam Presti with the Celtics’ updated picks and future assets, putting the draft ahead of Michael Jordan’s plans.

• Lin Qi offered Pete Babcock Boston’s fourth and tenth picks for Atlanta’s third pick, and Babcock accepted.
• Lin Qi traded Boston’s second-round pick and cash to Gary St. Jean for Golden State’s thirty-first pick.
• Lin Qi traded the ninth pick acquired from Detroit to Philadelphia for its unprotected 2002 and 2004 first-round picks.
• Rick Carlisle and Sam Presti arrived, and Lin Qi showed them Boston’s updated draft and future asset list.

At the 2001 NBA draft, Lin Qi used the Celtics’ third pick to select Tyson Chandler after disguising his interest with harsh public criticism. The Bulls made aggressive trades to draft Kwame Brown and Eddy Curry, while the draft continued with Boston holding the sixth pick.

• David Stern announced Pau Gasol as the Washington Wizards’ first overall pick, while Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan joked about returning to play for Washington.
• The Chicago Bulls traded Elton Brand and other assets for the second pick and selected Kwame Brown.
• Lin Qi gave Boston’s selection to the staff, and the Celtics drafted Tyson Chandler third overall after Lin Qi’s public workout criticism had lowered Chandler’s stock.
• The Bulls acquired the fourth pick from the Atlanta Hawks and selected Eddy Curry, pairing him with Kwame Brown and Kobe Bryant.
• The Golden State Warriors selected Jason Richardson fifth, and the Celtics’ sixth pick came next.

Lin Qi turned Boston’s 2001 draft picks into future selections through trades and used the remaining picks to choose Gerald Wallace and Mehmet Okur. The draft ended with Boston securing several prospects and future picks, while Tony Parker went to San Antonio.

• Lin Qi traded the sixth pick, used to select Shane Battier, to Miami for a top-three-protected 2003 first-round pick and an unprotected 2005 first-round pick.
• Lin Qi traded the fourteenth pick, used to select Troy Murphy, to Golden State for an unprotected 2003 first-round pick.
• Lin Qi traded Boston’s twenty-first pick to Utah for the twenty-third pick and a 2003 second-round pick.
• Boston selected Gerald Wallace with the twenty-third pick.
• San Antonio selected Tony Parker with the twenty-eighth pick.
• Boston selected Mehmet Okur with the twenty-ninth pick.

Lin Qi used Boston’s later picks to draft Gilbert Arenas and Brian Scalabrine, valuing Arenas’s scoring and Scalabrine’s potential locker-room role. The draft ended with Boston holding four prospects and numerous future picks.

• Lin Qi selected Gilbert Arenas with Boston’s thirty-first pick, and Boston traded him to the Orlando Magic for the thirty-second pick and cash compensation.
• Boston used the thirty-second pick to select Brian Scalabrine.
• Lin Qi regarded Scalabrine’s humor and team-first attitude as valuable to Boston’s locker-room culture.
• The draft ended with Boston having selected Tyson Chandler, Gerald Wallace, Mehmet Okur, and Brian Scalabrine, along with several future draft assets.

Lin Qi negotiated Bruce Bowen’s departure from Boston to San Antonio in exchange for two unprotected first-round picks. After Ron Harper declined an extension and considered retirement, the chapter left Lin satisfied that Artest and Gerald Wallace could fill Bowen’s defensive role.

• Ron Harper declined Lin Qi’s contract extension and said he was seriously considering retirement.
• Gregg Popovich called Lin Qi to ask for Bruce Bowen, arguing Boston would struggle to re-sign him after the season.
• Lin Qi rejected Popovich’s attempt to drive down Bowen’s trade value and demanded San Antonio’s unprotected 2003 and 2005 first-round picks.
• Popovich accepted the offer, and Boston traded Bowen to San Antonio for the two picks.
• Lin Qi moved Bowen’s file aside, confident that Artest’s development and Gerald Wallace’s arrival could cover the loss.

Lin Qi welcomed Andrei Kirilenko, Raja Bell, and Stephen Jackson to Boston after bringing them back from years of development in Europe. Bell and Jackson accepted their guaranteed contracts, while Kirilenko said he needed stronger competition, leaving the three ready to join the Celtics.

• A Boston newspaper mocked Lin Qi’s signings of Raja Bell and Stephen Jackson as bargain hunting for unproven players.
• Lin Qi reviewed Scariolo and Kokoškov’s reports, which praised Bell’s improved shooting and noted Jackson’s better shot selection despite his continued defiance.
• Sam Presti brought Kirilenko, Bell, and Jackson to Lin Qi’s office after they signed guaranteed contracts.
• Bell thanked Lin Qi and Kokoškov for giving him another chance and rebuilding his shooting in Milan.
• Jackson complained about Scariolo and Kokoškov’s strict coaching but acknowledged that the film study improved his shot selection and thanked Lin Qi for keeping his promise.
• Kirilenko told Lin Qi that CSKA Moscow’s competition was too slow and that he needed stronger opponents; Lin Qi welcomed all three to Boston.

Michael Jordan announced his return with the Los Angeles Lakers, prompting a wave of veteran stars to sign for minimum contracts and assemble a formidable roster around him. Lin Qi and Rick Carlisle recognized the Lakers as a major threat to Boston and prepared to face Jordan’s challenge.

• Michael Jordan announced that he would return to play for the Lakers on a two-year veteran-minimum contract, rejecting the chance to join Boston.
• Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Mitch Richmond, Charles Oakley, Tim Hardaway, Danny Manning, and Ron Harper signed with the Lakers for two years at the veteran minimum.
• Presti warned Lin Qi that Jordan’s comeback had triggered an unprecedented free-agent rush, and Rick Carlisle assessed the Lakers’ assembled roster as dangerous.
• Jordan declared that he had returned to test the Boston Celtics, whom people said were building a dynasty.
• Lin Qi told Rick Carlisle and Presti that Boston would meet the Lakers’ challenge in its own way.

Lin Qi reviewed Boston’s roster for the 2001-2002 season and marked the 2003 draft-pick column. Maurizio Gherardini reported that the EBA had secured a major broadcasting deal and was expanding its competition, while Lin Qi left European operations in Gherardini’s hands.

• Lin Qi examined Boston’s fifteen-man roster, its injured and overseas-development players, and the pile of draft picks.
• Lin Qi circled the 2003 column as the media focused on Michael Jordan’s comeback and a coming Los Angeles-Boston showdown.
• Maurizio Gherardini told Lin Qi that the EBA had signed a three-year exclusive broadcasting contract worth 120 million euros with Sky Sports and eight European pay-TV networks.
• Gherardini reported that the EBA planned to expand its first division to thirty teams and was developing a promotion-and-relegation system for a second division.
• Gherardini told Lin Qi that looser foreign-player restrictions and higher salaries were drawing NBA hopefuls and other players to the EBA.
• Lin Qi told Gherardini to manage European operations without reporting every detail, then locked away the documents and left his office.

Lin Qi and Beth planned to use her cousin Patrick as a proxy to buy a future NBA team, financing him through EBA contracts and binding him with family interests and offshore trusts. Beth agreed to keep Lin Qi’s plan confidential, then asked how he would pay her for arranging the ownership structure.

• Lin Qi gave Beth a dollar as a retainer and invoked attorney-client confidentiality before revealing he planned to buy another NBA team.
• Beth proposed her cousin Patrick, an Irish property developer, as a credible proxy for the purchase.
• Lin Qi and Beth planned to build Patrick’s wealth through lucrative EBA construction contracts and the Celtics’ training facility project.
• Beth said the Finneran family’s dependence on those contracts would keep Patrick loyal and proposed offshore debt clauses to restrict his use of the acquisition funds.
• Beth asked Lin Qi how he would compensate her for setting up the ownership structure, and he pinned her beneath him.

Lin Qi planned to have Patrick meet Jerry Colangelo in Phoenix under the guise of a real estate investment, building a trusted business relationship while Colangelo’s finances remained strained. He hoped Colangelo would eventually prefer to sell his sports teams to a familiar partner, and Beth agreed to arrange Patrick’s trip.

• Lin Qi asked Beth to have Patrick visit Arizona and meet Jerry Colangelo.
• Lin Qi explained that Colangelo had invested heavily in the Suns, the Diamondbacks, and Phoenix real estate, leaving him burdened by debt and cash-flow pressures.
• Beth recognized that Patrick could invest Irish funds in Phoenix property without attracting suspicion about a future sports-team acquisition.
• Lin Qi said Patrick should respect Colangelo’s authority and present himself as an easygoing real estate partner rather than a sports investor.
• Lin Qi predicted that financial strain might force Colangelo to sell valuable sports assets in two or three years, when he could choose to sell to a trusted friend.
• Beth agreed to arrange Patrick’s trip to Phoenix.

In Milan, Lin Qi reviewed development plans for Mehmet Okur and Tyson Chandler with Boston’s coaching and medical staffs. He left Chandler’s long-term development in focus, directing the team to prioritize mobility and gradual strength gains over rushed bulking.

• Lin Qi reviewed Okur’s physical assessment and ordered Boston to cap his EBA playing time below twenty-eight minutes per game and monitor his lower limbs and Achilles tendons monthly.
• Carlisle recommended adding fifteen to twenty pounds to Chandler, but Boyle warned that rapid weight gain could harm the nineteen-year-old’s developing joints and back.
• Lin Qi agreed with Boyle and prescribed low-impact conditioning and gradual work on Chandler’s core, hips, and lower-body stability, with weight targets of 240 pounds as a rookie and 250 pounds in his second year.
• Lin Qi said Chandler should become a mobile, broad-coverage rim protector and frontcourt partner for Garnett, and that Boston should expect to develop him over three to five years.

At Olympia Milan’s training facility, Robert Parish taught rookie Tyson Chandler to focus on fundamental center skills instead of trying to imitate Kevin Garnett as an all-around forward. Chandler reconsidered his strengths as Parish moved on to defense and rebounding drills.

• Robert Parish corrected Tyson Chandler’s stance during defensive drills and explained how his high center of gravity made extended dribbling risky.
• Parish told Chandler to build his offense around rolling to the basket and finishing with his reach and explosiveness.
• Parish taught Chandler to defend by jumping vertically rather than chasing blocks and fouling.
• Parish demonstrated how Chandler should use his hips and core to box out and secure rebounds.
• Lin Qi and Rick Carlisle agreed that Chandler needed to accept his role as a center and become a reliable partner for Kevin Garnett.
• Parish called Chandler back to continue the drills, and Chandler put aside his doubts.

Lin Qi ordered the EBA to fund arena upgrades for resistant clubs and arranged for the costs to be repaid from future television revenue. He then learned that Patrick Finneran had secured Jerry Colangelo’s agreement to develop commercial property in Arizona, and told Patrick to proceed slowly while maintaining his wealthy European persona.

• Maurizio Gherardini told Lin Qi that several clubs resisted the league’s arena renovations because they lacked the money and feared fan backlash.
• Lin Qi directed the EBA to cover renovation costs up front and deduct them from the clubs’ broadcasting shares over three years, while preserving a traditional look for the floors.
• Lin Qi called Patrick Finneran, who reported that he had reached a joint development agreement with Jerry Colangelo and had been invited to inspect another property near the Suns’ arena.
• Lin Qi approved the investment to ease Colangelo’s financial pressure but told Patrick not to pursue deeper involvement in Colangelo’s teams and to remain a friendly real estate businessman.

In Milan, shooting coaches Chip Engelland and Mark Price analyzed Gerald Wallace’s faulty shooting mechanics and explained how they could undermine his NBA career. Wallace agreed to rebuild his shot through repetitive practice, beginning with close-range form work.

• Gerald Wallace missed four midrange shots, then ignored the practice markers and dunked his rebound.
• Chip Engelland and Mark Price reviewed Wallace’s shot on video and identified his low starting point and misaligned mechanics.
• Price warned Wallace that defenders would exploit his unreliable jumper and that his confidence and career could suffer.
• Engelland set goals for Wallace’s free throws, three-pointers, and midrange shooting to make him a more effective two-way wing.
• Wallace agreed to fix his shot, and Price began his training with one-foot shots beneath the basket.