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A cote x hikigaya crossover.

Ryuga from Beyblade in Pokemon World.

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***

Before the All-Star Weekend began, general managers of various teams started to get busy.

General Manager Grunfeld had always wanted to trade Kukoc, Luc Longley, and a few others.

The aging players who were content to lie flat were no longer suitable for the New York Knicks.

When Clay Lee departed early to attend Michael Jordan’s charity dinner, the injured Ewing, before flying to Washington, also received a request from Grunfeld:

“You want the Atlanta Hawks to give up Dikembe Mutombo? That’s impossible! Currently, he is the best big man in the Eastern Conference.”

At the Tarrytown Training Center, Ewing, while receiving physical therapy from the team’s medical staff, complained about the General Manager’s request.

In the physical therapy room, Grunfeld didn’t mind and continued to say with a smile:

“The Atlanta Hawks have already started rebuilding. Head Coach Wilkens has left the team, and looking at their recent trades, most of them aren’t for a championship.”

“Personal friendship, Pat! You have a good relationship with Dikembe Mutombo. During the All-Star Game, you can talk to him!”

“Think about it, Lee is not even 24 years old. For the New York Knicks, the championship window is still open. Although the NBA is going to implement the luxury tax, this rule won’t significantly affect us.”

The Gorilla still instinctively shook his head.

These days, it’s a bit embarrassing for a player to actively request a trade.

Furthermore, the New York Knicks currently have the best record in the NBA, so joining such a team always feels a little bit like riding on coattails.

Most importantly, specifying a destination within the contract period, if not handled well, could lead to being exiled to the frontier.

“At 35, with more than a year left on his contract, I don’t think Dikembe Mutombo will be in our plans. Injuries have had a significant impact on him.”

“Of course, I will talk to him about this. Perhaps out of a desire for a championship, he will choose to join the New York Knicks, but players don’t have the final say in trades.”

Ewing thought about it and still agreed.

As a brother with whom he had shared experiences, recruiting a good friend was certainly not a problem.

However, subconsciously, he didn’t think the team could win a championship in the next two years.

Defense wins championships.

The Gorilla always firmly believed this.

Regular season games might be exciting, but in the playoffs, some Rookies would falter.

Just as Oakley always looked down on Rookie players, Ewing also believed that it was difficult to achieve much without spending four or five years in the NBA.

Lee’s success was also thanks to the efforts of the veterans.

Dikembe Mutombo’s salary this season is over 14 million US dollars.

General Manager Grunfeld’s plan was very good: exchanging small change for big money, a guaranteed profit:

“Remember to talk more with Dikembe Mutombo. The New York Knicks are definitely the best choice in the Eastern Conference right now!”

On the morning of February 9, 2001, still at the Four Seasons Hotel, Lee, shirtless, patted Ivanka, who was still sound asleep in bed.

The latter groggily turned over and continued to snore.

Last night’s rope play was very successful, unlocking even more knowledge.

Seeing the blonde bombshell still wanting to sleep, Lee could only pull back the covers and quietly reminded her:

“Your brother is coming this afternoon, you haven’t forgotten about that, have you?”

Hearing the reminder, Ivanka let out a soft cry, sat up, checked the time, and found it was almost 11 o’clock.

She then punched Lee twice:

“You should have reminded me earlier. Next time, we can’t sleep so late!”

After tossing and turning for most of the night, Ivanka, who was so excited she couldn’t sleep and almost got her days and nights mixed up, quickly got up.

Not caring that she was naked, she hurried into the bathroom and waved to Lee:

“Darling, we have to hurry!”

“…”

Georgetown University’s main campus is not far from the White House, and the law school is very close to Capitol Hill.

Ivanka’s younger brother, Erik, was also unexpectedly going to attend university here.

Perhaps because he was cared for more by his older sister and brother since childhood, his personality was a bit more lively.

After wandering around the Potomac River, 17-year-old Erik, while his sister was away, quietly complained a few words to Lee.

“Lee, I really envy your talent. I don’t know what I’ll do in the future. Going to school every day is too boring.”

Lee thought about how Ivanka’s older brother had recently invited him to watch New York Fashion Week, and then looking at this younger brother who hadn’t yet started to let loose, he couldn’t help but tease him:

“Enjoy life. As for the future, perhaps your father has already arranged everything for you. This should be considered a happy problem.”

Just as he was about to continue complaining, Erik noticed his sister had returned and immediately fell silent after being glared at.

Seeing her brother’s nonchalant expression, Ivana immediately began to lecture him:

“We have to protect what belongs to us. Do you want to see that woman give birth to a child and then take away our property?!”

Ivanka, who planned to “fully rely on her father,” couldn’t help but enter chatterbox mode when she thought of the “stepmother” already sleeping at home.

Erik looked at his sister helplessly, quietly pouting.

Lee, drinking coffee, put his arm around the blonde bombshell and changed the subject, saying:

“Let’s go! Didn’t we say we were going to tour the main campus?”

Noticing that everyone around was looking at her, Ivanka glared at her brother again:

“This is where you’ll be going to school in the future. For four years of university, you must study hard!”

On Saturday, February 10, the All-Star Weekend officially began.

That evening, the Rookie Challenge, Three-Point Contest, and Slam Dunk Contest would be held.

As it was the 50th anniversary of the All-Star Game, the NBA naturally wanted to make this event grand.

Not participating in the individual challenge events, Clay Lee appeared in the front row of the audience that evening after completing his official photos with NBA staff in the afternoon.

This year, Allan Houston and Lewis from the New York Knicks would both participate in the Three-Point Contest, plus Ray Allen.

Clay Lee came to the MCI Center simply to be part of the atmosphere.

Perhaps because he hadn’t achieved his second three-peat, Michael Jordan had always been very dedicated to his team.

This time, hosting the All-Star Game, he made appearances throughout.

Lee noticed that Michael Jordan, who was chatting and laughing with the old veterans, was dismissive in his heart.

This man was unparalleled in playing basketball, but the memories in his mind told him that Michael Jordan was not suitable to be the so-called Director of Basketball Operations.

The Rookie Challenge was not very exciting.

Although Hamilton was a hometown player, the second-year team’s continuous scoring came from Szczerbiak of the Timberwolves.

This situation made it difficult for the atmosphere at stadium to become lively, and the director frequently aimed the camera at Lee.

Ray Allen, in a good mood, was quietly telling some Milwaukee Bucks gossip, which made the Rookie Lewis constantly chuckle.

When Lewis heard about the Milwaukee Bucks’ situation, he instinctively compared it to his own team:

“Someone is late for your training sessions? On the New York Knicks, anyone who dared to do that probably wouldn’t get playing time for the next half a month.”

Allan Houston then briefly reminded Lewis:

“That’s only since this season. Don’t forget that in the past two years, there were people on the New York Knicks who didn’t have to train.”

The privileges of veterans and star players made Lewis a bit envious.

After entering the NBA, he had been focused on honing his skills to earn playing time.

Thinking about such treatment, he couldn’t help but show a look of longing.

On the other side, Allen Iverson and his girlfriend Tawana Turner also attracted a lot of attention.

Unlike Clay Lee, who was in formal wear, they were dressed more fashionably.

In front of the camera, Allen Iverson smiled, but cursed the seating arrangement for the afternoon’s photo shoot in his heart.

He was increasingly annoyed at being a supporting character.

Kobe and Vanessa also sat in the front row.

After feeling out of place at last night’s charity gala, Kobe finally found a familiar feeling returning to the MCI Center.

“Is that Jessica Simpson with Lee? She’ll be singing the opening song tomorrow night!”

Vanessa, looking around, noticed the pop singer whose popularity had soared in recent years, becoming a rival to Britney.

She wanted to continue gossiping, but Kobe’s mood soured again.

Wearing a brown suit, Ewing wasn’t paying attention to the game on the court.

He was chatting with Dikembe Mutombo, and they were also talking about “balls,” but not basketball:

“Pat, Kaplan seems to be targeted recently. Remember to read the newspaper more often.”

Ewing didn’t care when he heard that the Golden Club was in trouble.

So many celebrities and stars had done it, and he wasn’t the only one:

“Atlanta is still not as interesting as New York. If you have a chance, you can come here to play.”

Dikembe Mutombo didn’t mind his friend’s words.

His career was nearing its end, and he was almost ready to relax.

In a somewhat dull game, the second-year team defeated the first-year Rookies 108-113.

Hamilton, who performed mediocrely, did not win the Rookie Challenge MVP.

Szczerbiak of the Timberwolves ultimately lifted the trophy.

In the subsequent Three-Point Contest, despite Lee’s boisterous cheering for his two teammates, Allan Houston scored 11 points and Lewis threw 12 points, and both were directly eliminated.

The three players who entered the finals were Ray Allen, Peja, and Dirk Nowitzki.

Perhaps due to nervousness, Dirk Nowitzki, who was first to appear, scored 10 points.

Peja then only threw 17 points.

Both of their performances were lower than in the preliminaries.

Ray Allen, who appeared last, withstood the pressure, throwing 19 points, surpassing both of them to win the Three-Point Contest championship.

Although the process was not particularly exciting, the fans who bought tickets to watch the game applauded Ray Allen as he lifted the golden trophy.

In the qualifying round, Bryon Russell of the Utah Jazz scored 10 points, which made Allan Houston breathe a sigh of relief.

He was a big favorite for the championship, and coming in last would have been too embarrassing.

Before the Dunk Contest began, Ewing waved to Lee and the others.

Everyone gathered in the front row.

The sports media quickly noticed Dikembe Mutombo’s presence and their eyes lit up.

Compared to the 2000 Dunk Contest, this year’s competition was somewhat unremarkable.

Desmond Mason of the Seattle SuperSonics ultimately won with a “Flying Man” dunk.

The atmosphere in theMCI Center was not very enthusiastic.

Clearly, such dunking moves were significantly below the fans’ expectations.

Sports reporters didn’t pay much attention to the “Dunk King.”

After the individual competitions ended, they quickly discovered that the Knicks players and Dikembe Mutombo had gone out to a nightclub together.

On sunday, February 10th, multiple sports media outlets broke the news in the morning:

“Dikembe Mutombo is about to join the New York Knicks!”

The Washington Post also followed with gossip, and for a time, the attention on the All-Star Game was completely drawn away.

Photos in the newspaper of Clay Lee, Ewing, Allan Houston, and Dikembe Mutombo having drinks at a nightclub seemed particularly convincing.

Some players participating in the All-Star Game also noticed this news.

The Western Conference players were indifferent, as to reach the Finals, they first had to get past the Lakers.

However, some Eastern Conference players, upon seeing the news, almost swore outright.

The league’s top-ranked team was still strengthening, truly a bleak future.

On TNT’s program, they didn’t even care about the All-Star Game that night.

Upon hearing the news, Charles Barkley immediately spoke out:

“This is very unfair to the other Eastern Conference teams. The New York Knicks are the league’s top team, and adding another All-Star center will make the playoffs a foregone conclusion.”

“This is taking a shortcut, and the NBA should stop this kind of star-stacking operation.”

Kenny Smith looked at his partner, who was speaking righteously, and suddenly smiled, teasing:

“The NBA didn’t stop you from joining the Houston Rockets, so why should it stop Dikembe Mutombo from joining the New York Knicks?”

“As long as it’s not an illegal operation, it’s all allowed.”

Ernie Johnson shook his head. From a salary cap perspective, the New York Knicks had very little room for further maneuvering:

“We still need to focus on the All-Star Game. It’s very difficult to win a championship by stacking stars.”

“From a competitive standpoint, I don’t think the Atlanta Hawks will make this trade.”

“…”

On the evening before the All-Star Game, the atmosphere in the Eastern Conference locker room was a bit strange.

Everyone had clearly seen the morning news.

Allen Iverson clearly didn’t believe the nonsense of the commentators, and he had a grim face when he attended the event in the afternoon.

When Clay Lee finished his interview and entered the locker room, he saw that everyone was silent, and immediately joked with a smile:

“Guys, a math problem: we no longer have the space to sign Dikembe, so don’t pay attention to those boring reports.”

Dikembe Mutombo also shrugged his shoulders, feigning regret:

“We are just players, there’s no need to concern ourselves with the general manager’s work. Enjoying the game is what’s most important!”

Ray Allen also disliked the dull atmosphere and immediately took over the conversation:

“It’s another historically strong frontcourt. Honestly, I don’t want to lose again. We need to step up and win back last year’s game!”

Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady immediately responded with smiles upon hearing this:

“We can increase three-pointers!”

“I can be responsible for guarding Kobe, our perimeter Defense is stronger!”

Marbury, who was a minor presence, immediately spoke up when he saw everyone else talking:

“As long as I’m on the court, I promise to give my all. This is my first All-Star, and I don’t want to lose!”

When Jeff Van Gundy returned to the locker room, he saw Lee and everyone else chatting and laughing about the game.

The Bald Young Coach was very satisfied with this situation.

He could continue to be hands-off for the All-Star Game:

“Don’t worry about the big guys on the other side. We can destroy them with offense. Show off your talents to your heart’s content in the game!”

Clay Lee and Allan Houston led the applause, and soon cheers erupted.

Only Allen Iverson remained in low spirits.

As everyone walked out of the locker room to warm up, Iverson couldn’t hold back.

Players really shouldn’t interfere with trades.

After Iverson pushed out Stackhouse in his Rookie season, and to achieve success, he even wanted to send away Larry Hughes, who was slacking off.

Thinking about the relationship between his old senior Mutombo and Ewing, he didn’t care about the salary cap issue anymore and immediately took out his phone to send a text message to Larry Brown:

“We must stop them. The 76ers must make a change!”

“…”

….

By the way, don’t forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me 🙂

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep