Ben Gordon stretched out his hand and took the contract from Morey's hands. He carefully flipped through it, afraid to miss a single word.
" The first year…1.5 million USD, the second year 5.5 million USD, the third year…7.5 million USD, fourth year…8.5 million, 12 million in the fifth year.”Gordon flipped to the last page and looked at the annual salary on the contract. It was increasing year by year, and the huge stone in his heart was finally lifted.
"Gordon, if you perform well for three years in a row. If he didn't transfer or leave the Knights. I'll consider using the Bord clause to renew the contract with you in advance.”Shen Xiao suddenly opened his mouth and gave Gordon some reassurance. It could even be considered a verbal agreement.
"A total of five years, 35 million. The final year was the Early Termination Option, or ETO.”Mo Lei interjected, his eyes gleaming.
"Wait, why? Boss, didn't we agree? The final year is a team option."
Gaden was surprised and at a loss.
"It's a very simple reason. I've thought about it. No one could be sure what would happen five years later. I'm giving you a choice.”
Shen Xiao leaned forward and placed his hands on the table. He stared at Gordon with a fierce gaze."In the future, if you're unhappy with the Cavaliers, you'll be able to play for them. They have their own initiative."
"Or, other teams will recruit you. I'll give you a bigger contract."
Players could have the option to terminate their contracts early (ETO). Players with this option had the right to terminate their contracts early. A contract with an early termination option cannot be less than four years.
To be more specific, it must be a five-year contract to include ETO!
Only players could have ETO. There was no option for the team to terminate the contract early.
"I'll sign it. Thank you, boss, for giving me this opportunity. No, I will definitely work hard."
Ben Gordon hesitated for a moment, but he still picked up a pen and signed his name on the last page of the three contracts.
As Gordon was preparing to enter the NBA, the Larry Bird clause was clear.
An exception clause for signing a contract after exceeding the salary cap. The team could renew the contract with the team's free agent without being subject to the salary limit.
If you played for the same team for three years in a row and became a free agent after three years, you would be a qualified veteran player. The NBA would allow your parent team to give you the largest contract, and your salary would increase by 10.5% from the original base.
This was to keep the players who performed better!
It could be said that Shen Xiao gave Ben Gordon the greatest respect.
If it was him, he would feel unhappy. He could choose to terminate the contract early. He had become a free agent and entered the free market.
…………
"Ben, our Cavaliers are currently using a seven-second attack tactic. The run-and-gun tactic required the players to run tirelessly. Whether it was half-court or full-court long passes, the team had to have at least two players run to the front field regardless of whether the opponent's shot hit or not. The transition between offense and defense was very fast. After grabbing the backcourt rebound, he passed the ball across the half court. He either quickly pushed for a layup or broke through the ball to the hands of the players who had already fallen into position to complete the shot.”
Shen Xiao gave Gordon a brief introduction of the team's main offensive tactics.
"So, I need you to become a shooter who can break through, shoot three points, or even two mid-range shots. What I need is a stable score.”
"Coach, do you value my ability?”Ben Gordon thought for a moment and said in an uncertain tone.
"Let's go, I'll bring you down. First, go through a physical examination, then start training with your teammates.”
Shen Xiao stood up and left the office with Ben Gordon.
"Hi, Shen. I heard you signed a big center.”
James had already arrived at the stadium for physical training. He raised a tire with both hands and squatted down on both knees to do ten sets. Mike stood beside him with a stopwatch in his hand.
"Yes, James. He is my countryman, you call him king.”
Shen Xiao had just turned his head when he saw the other half of the field. Olajuwon was personally defending against Wang Zhizhi while guiding him. He looked relaxed.
"James, this is the player I personally went to the university to sign. Ben Gordon."
"Ben, this is Le Bulang. The captain of the team, the boss!" Shen Xiao had a gentle smile on his face as he extended his hand to introduce the two of them.
"Hello, Le Bulang. If you have any instructions in the future, just let me know.”
Ben Gordon took the initiative to step forward and chat with James, as if he was paying his respects to the locker room boss.
After that, the players came back one after another to participate in the adaptation training. That evening, an internal training match began.
Red Team: No. 1 Steve Nash, No. 2 Iguodala, No. 3 James, No. 4 Battier, No. 5 Howard.
White Team: Number 1 Ben Gordon, Number 2 Raja Bell, Number 3 Gerrard Wallace, Number 4 Wang Zhizhi, Number 5 Marin Gortat.
Shen Xiao and " Colonel " Mourning, as well as Olajuwon and Ewing, stood by the side of the field and watched Tom Thibodeau act as the referee.
"Hakeem, I'll bet you 100 dollars. The main force will definitely win."
"Haha, that might not be the case. Gerrard's breakthrough was not bad. His strength and movement speed were not bad. In addition, La Gabrielle was accurate in mid-range shooting, decisive in offense, and sharp in three-pointers.”
Morning and Olajuwon were excited and began to predict and analyze in advance.
"I feel that the king might be defeated.”Shen Xiao crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking as if he had predicted everything.
"Then why did you let the king go on stage?" Mo Ning glanced at it and was confused.
"It's very simple. Let him experience it properly. The league's top defense inside the paint was strong. Only with pressure would there be motivation.”Shen Xiao's expression was calm, and there was a trace of concern in his eyes.
Bang!
Suddenly, on the court. James received a pass from behind Nash, jumped high, and faced the rough and forceful spike.
It was as if he had knocked down a wall and took two steps back.
"Hi, King. Are you alright?" Gerrard walked over and asked.
"Cough! I'm fine. James is so strong."
He shook his head and came back to his senses.
"It's good that you're fine. You're new to the team and haven't adapted yet. Help me cover the pick-and-roll later."
……….
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
In the middle of the second quarter, Ben Gordon made a series of gestures and changed his direction greatly. With the help of Raja Bell's pick-and-roll, he got an empty spot and chased after three points outside the three-point line.
The scores of the two teams rose in turn, showing a state of anxiety.
"Hey, Lebrang, it seems like this Ben Gordon is a perimeter shooter. Moreover, his breakthrough ability is not bad."
"Phew…that's right. Moreover, the hit rate is very high, and the efficiency is also very high. 4 out of 7 three-pointers, 2 out of 4 mid-range two-pointers."
"On the contrary, it's King. He can't defend and can't resist. The horizontal movement speed was average, but it felt good in the middle distance.
Nash called James over and the two of them had a simple exchange in the halfcourt.
"Alright! The internal practice match ended here. Everyone had worked hard.”
Shen Xiao looked at the time and quickly walked into the midfield. He clapped his hands and shouted at James.
"Shen, I haven't had enough."
James looked at Shen Xiao with some dissatisfaction.
"James, this internal training match. They were not here to compete for victory or defeat, but to test new players.”
"Nash, you've worked hard too. After going back today, he would have a good rest.”
"Everyone, listen up! Tomorrow morning, I'll give you a half-day break. In the afternoon, we'll return to Amazon Center for your adaptation training.”
Shen Xiao comforted Nash, then turned around and clapped his hands. He gave the players a break very readily."Ewing, Worthy, Olajuwon. The three of you will be in charge of keeping an eye on him.“
"Alright, Number Five can finally play his first game in his hometown.”James looked excited.
After all the players had left, Wang Zhizhi panted and walked to Shen Xiao's side with sweat all over his face."Coach, the Knights are indeed a strong team. It's completely different from the atmosphere I feel at the Mavericks.”
"The small ball style pursues speed and stability, as well as maximized scoring efficiency.”
"So, your weight has become your burden. If one was too heavy while running, it would cause knee injuries and easily turn them into glass people!”Shen Xiao's expression was serious as he spoke in an unquestionable tone.
"I only hope that you can become an outstanding blue-collar player.”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。