NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 705 A Sure Thing to Advance to the Elimination Rounds

The Chinese men's basketball team has achieved two consecutive victories in the group stage of the Tokyo Olympics! They have defeated two strong teams, Germany and Australia, which is truly astonishing!

Although both games were narrow victories, they were extremely important for the Chinese men's basketball team, as they meant they had secured their place in the knockout stage!

This also means that even if they lose all the remaining matches, they will still equal their team's best Olympic result in history - 8th place!

Based on their performance in the group stage, no one knows where the Chinese men's basketball team will ultimately go in this Olympics, but the possibility of them achieving their best result in team history is extremely high.

China's men's basketball team's last opponent in the group stage is Nigeria.

The Nigerian men's basketball team is definitely at the bottom of the group, so the Chinese men's basketball team shouldn't have much difficulty defeating them. Even if the Chinese team chooses to rest players or suffers an upset defeat, they will still secure first or second place in the group and advance to the knockout stage.

There are only 12 teams in the Olympics, and 8 teams qualify for the knockout stage. That means there are 3 groups in total. Theoretically, as long as you are not last in your group, you have a chance to advance to the knockout stage.

Chinese men's basketball fans were thrilled. Jia Fei's popularity in China has soared. Everyone knows that if it weren't for the arrival of three NBA players, the team's strength wouldn't have increased much compared to the Rio Olympics five years ago. It was the arrival of these three NBA players that brought about a qualitative change in the team's strength.

Basketball is different from football; a basketball team can only have a maximum of five players on the court at any one time. Therefore, the influence of superstars is much greater in basketball than in football. This is why some CBA teams that were at the bottom of the standings last season suddenly became championship contenders after acquiring two very capable foreign players. In football, do you think the Chinese national team would have a chance to qualify for the World Cup and become a title contender if they acquired a player like the former Shandong Luneng owner or Cristiano Ronaldo?

The Chinese men's basketball team has visibly increased its strength by acquiring Jia Fei, currently considered the best player in the basketball world. Both Art Mayor and Lee Kyle joined the team largely because of Jia Fei. Art Mayor, in particular, came specifically because of Jia Fei. It's important to note that he has no Chinese ancestry, and his naturalization wasn't out of genuine interest in studying classical Chinese literature; he simply wanted to follow in Jia Fei's footsteps.

The three NBA players on the Chinese men's basketball team each fulfill their roles effectively, with no positional conflicts, maximizing the team's strength in the short term. Combined with former NBA players Yi Jianlian and DeMarcus Clyde, the Chinese men's basketball team now possesses the ability to compete with the world's top teams.

While the Olympic men's basketball competition is in full swing, the Clippers in the United States are also making offseason moves.

Logo Man has maintained contact with Jia Fei, and the two have been constantly exchanging ideas about the team's offseason moves.

The Clippers' current roster is as follows:

Inside players: Olynyk, Art Mayork, Hartenstein

Wings: Jia Fei, Paul George, Jeremy Grant, Dillon Brooks, Kyle Anderson, Mikal Bridges, Grant Williams, Jaden McDaniels

Guards: Brunson, Hart, Bruce Brown, Terrence Mann

Of the 15 players on the roster, 13 have contracts for next season: Jia Fei, Paul George, Jeremy Grant, Hartenstein, Grant Williams, Jaden McDaniels, Brunson, Bruce Brown, Terrence Mann, Art Mayok, Kyle Anderson, and Mikal Bridges. This means the Clippers will almost certainly retain their championship roster for next season.

Olynyk and Dillon's contracts have expired, and the team needs to discuss contract extensions with them during the offseason.

The Clippers have Bird rights for Olynyk and Dillon, so in principle they can re-sign them on the cap. The Clippers' salary cap won't be a problem next season, but the season after that, issues will arise. The contracts of several rookies from the 2018 draft class will expire, and they will all face contract renewals, which will put some pressure on their salary cap.

To solve this problem, the Clippers need to make internal adjustments. Otherwise, the salary burden will be too great, and subsequent operations will be difficult to implement. The NBA's current luxury tax is very heavy. Although Ballmer is not short of money, Jia Fei and the "Logo Man" (referring to a player with a prominent logo) cannot ignore these factors for the team.

With two max contracts already in the team, the best approach is to avoid having too many contracts worth $1500 million to $2000 million. Having many contracts around $1000 million would provide more flexibility, whether for personal use or for trades.

Logo Man has already begun contract renewal negotiations with Dillon and Olynyk's agents. Judging from the negotiations, both are hoping for a multi-year, fully guaranteed, lucrative contract.

This is certainly understandable. After all, players can't just play for love; they also need to make a living, and everything costs money in the United States.

Jia Fei told the Logo Man to negotiate that Olynyk's contract could not exceed 3 years and the total value could not exceed $4000 million; as for Dillon, if he was unwilling to accept a 3-year contract worth around $3300 million, then let him become a free agent!

Jia Fei wanted to keep both Olynyk and Dillon; these two could not only play basketball, but they could also fight.

The problem is that the team has limited salary cap space and can't keep everyone. Plus, with both of them on the court, many young players won't get playing time. Relatively speaking, Olynyk's stretch five attributes are irreplaceable, so he has unique value. Even if his attendance rate isn't high and his playing time isn't long, it doesn't matter; having such a strategic weapon is a different matter altogether. As for Dillon, there are many alternatives for this type of defensive wing player. Bridges is better at defending him, his offense is inconsistent, and he has a fiery temper, making him unpredictable.

In a team with players like Jabeur, Paul George, Brunson, and Grant, they don't need strong offensive capabilities on the wings; the ball possession is already insufficient. It would be better to find some 3-and-D players.

Dillon is certainly a 3-and-D player, but his three-point shooting is inconsistent, and his ball-handling offense is mediocre and inefficient. If the price is too high, the Clippers could indeed pass on him. They have many players on their bench who need development, such as Gwayne, who hasn't been in the rotation for two seasons, and Jaden McDaniels, a young player with great potential as a defensive leader.

For championship teams like the Clippers, they need to make good use of their rookie bonuses; otherwise, simply re-signing role players could easily cause the team's salary cap to explode.

A significant reason why many dynasty teams fail to maintain their dominance is the exploding salary cap, leading to the departure of many key players in their championship puzzle.