510: 188: I really want to delve into discussing basketball issues (asking for monthly tickets!) 510: 188: I really want to delve into discussing basketball issues (asking for monthly tickets!) Atlanta, your god has arrived.
A simple slogan ushered in the spring for Atlanta.
Reebok factories were running at full capacity, producing Roger’s Hawks jerseys.
The Hawks’ season tickets sold out in a flash, a first in the team’s history.
Posters of Roger adorned the exterior of the Georgia Dome, and fans gathered outside the arena, cheering and leaping for joy.
The basketball market here was revitalized.
Apart from Michael Jordan, there is no second basketball player who is so frequently linked with God.
Yet, this is the truest feeling of Atlanta fans.
For them, Roger’s arrival was like the coming of God.
However, Roger could only descend thanks to that salted duck egg; the huge business impact of his joining New York last season, and the ultimate battle between New York and Magic, significantly boosted the league’s revenue.
Consequently, the salary cap increased significantly from its original level in 1997 to 30 million.
Otherwise, the Hawks could not have acquired Roger without taking the salary cap rules into account.
This summer, the people of Atlanta are even more excited than during the Centennial Olympic Summer of 1996.
The Reebok stores in Atlanta were packed, and Roger’s sneakers sold out immediately.
Of course, the meaning of “sold out immediately” varied significantly depending on the store.
Hawks fans demanded of the team, “Take our wallets, hurry up and release Roger’s jerseys!”
Even the quality of music teachers in KTV bars improved — after all, who wouldn’t want Roger as a VIP client?
All of Atlanta was a picture of prosperity.
However, aside from Atlanta fans, supporters of the rest of the league felt quite disappointed.
Bulls fans were stunned; the team had traded Pippen to the Hawks just for the sake of the Hawks’ 1999 draft pick.
Now that Roger had become a Hawks player, that draft pick was rendered worthless!
After all, with Roger on the team, it was impossible for them to fail to make the playoffs, even if their record was poor.
So in effect, this trade was like giving Pippen to the Hawks for free!
Krause was devastated; he felt as though Roger had been sent by God to punish him!
76ers fans were also not pleased; the purpose of exchanging the 1998 draft pick with the Hawks was to ensure that the 76ers would have a lottery pick in the summer of 1998.
But now, this trade had become a losing proposition.
The fans in Minneapolis were incredibly disappointed; they had already come up with a powerful nickname for Roger and Garnett — Hunter and Hound.
It goes without saying who the hound was.
Garnett had even dreamt the night before about holding the O’Brien Trophy, nestled in Roger’s arms, as Roger gently patted his head while he himself was sticking out his tongue.
But when he woke up, all was gone.
The whole world was discussing this trade, and Roger joining the Hawks had created a hot new topic — what kind of results can Atlanta expect in the coming season?
Last season, the Atlanta Hawks were just a lottery team.
Although they were the best among the lottery teams, they were still a lottery team.
This was Roger’s first time joining a lottery team.
When he joined the Bulls in 1993, the Bulls were champions.
When he joined Magic in 1994, Magic had already tasted the playoffs under O’Neal’s leadership.
But the Atlanta Hawks were a team without competitiveness.
Turning a lottery team into a championship team is no easy feat.
Although the Hawks acquired Pippen this summer, Pippen was still an unknown factor.
No one knew how much he’d recover after his ankle surgery.
Moreover, having just two players is not enough for a team.
When Roger went to Orlando, the Magic built a championship base for him and Shaq.
But look at what remains with the Hawks now; aiming to develop T-Mac, they had nearly emptied their roster of main players.
The departure of Blaylock, Laettner, and Tyrone Corbin had almost dismantled the team.
Beyond those players, there was only playoff choker Stevie Smith.
Stevie Smith, who was extremely adverse to physical play in the playoffs and relied on three-point shots, was one of the main reasons he had been sent off by the Heat initially.
How much could he help Roger now?
That remained an unknown.
Moreover, there was a very, very serious problem — both Scottie Pippen and Stevie Smith disliked Roger!
Roger was always a troublemaker, from his rookie season onward; locker room stories about him never ceased.
From beating up Pippen and Jordan to his fallout with Shaq.
Roger had always been a polarizing figure from the start.
He was not going to suddenly become a friendly colleague after arriving at the Hawks.
When O’Neal learned that Roger had been traded to the Hawks, he couldn’t help but laugh with schadenfreude, “Next season, the Hawks’ locker room will be more explosive than the fireworks show at Disney Land!
I get along wonderfully with Kobe; he’s the most humble person I’ve met.
He’s very ambitious, saying he’ll surpass Roger in every way and I have no doubt about that!”
Watching Shaq contentedly settled in Los Angeles, Roger sighed.
I hope your honeymoon period lasts a little longer.
That was a sincere blessing.
But indeed, the roster issues and locker room challenges are immediate difficulties that Roger needs to face.
Roger never expected his Atlanta career to be as smooth as his Orlando days, with three championships in three years; that was perhaps a bit too easy.