If Jordan were playing an Otome game, he would see the following options:

Option A: Just retire. After retirement, who cares about the chaos?

Option B: Find a way for the Bulls management and Pippen to compromise, keep his beloved Pip, and grow old together...

Bah, beat that detestable Su thief to death together!

Option C: It's time to say goodbye to Chicago and go somewhere else to win another championship, letting that damned Reinsdorf and Krause regret it themselves!

Obviously, because Jordan was known for holding grudges, Option A was the first choice he discarded after Su Feng took away his championship in this life.

Because no matter what, Jordan didn't want to leave any regrets in his career.

Therefore, Option B and Option C were the reasons for Jordan's entanglement.

And the fact proves that choice phobia has no national borders or status distinctions.

On January 6th, after the preliminary framework of the new labor agreement was set, Jordan found his agent, Falk, and wanted him to help him make a plan.

"Michael, whether you choose to retire or continue playing, I support you."

To Jordan's dismay, after listening to his confusion, Falk decisively passed the buck back to Jordan.

Knowing that Jordan's retirement was of great importance, how could Falk dare to be the sinner of history?

Falk knew very well that this decision could only be made by Jordan himself, otherwise, he would definitely be sprayed to death by a group of Jordan fans in the future.

Of course, as Jordan's right-hand man, Falk did give Jordan some useful advice.

For example:

Falk suggested to Jordan that no matter what choice he made next, Falk hoped that Jordan could first confirm his condition.

After all, Jordan, who was about to turn 36, was no longer young.

And...

During the lockout, no one knew better than Falk how much fun Jordan was having.

You know, after winning his fifth championship last year, Jordan, believing that the labor negotiations could not be settled for a while, had not been doing systematic training.

Constantly traveling between major gambling cities and Atlanta, Jordan's current weight of 109 kilograms was the best proof.

In his previous life, Su Feng also liked to work hard, but compared to his successor, Jordan always knew when to play and when to work hard.

Take his first comeback as an example. At that time, in order to regain his form, he was willing to be an ascetic monk for a whole summer.

But after winning 72 games and 10 losses and winning the championship, Jordan never hesitated to go to the casino to spend money.

Therefore, in Falk's view, no matter what choice Jordan made next, he needed to remind Jordan.

Michael, you need to get on the treadmill now, you know?

"Then let's do that. I will hold a training camp in the near future to confirm my condition," Jordan said, looking at Falk.

"That couldn't be better," Falk said with a smile, in perfect understanding with Jordan.

It has to be said that Falk is indeed a smart man.

Because his suggestion to Jordan was not just to hope that Jordan would calm down.

In fact, this agent had another purpose.

That is:

No one knows better than Falk how afraid people in this league are of Jordan.

Look, just like the Bulls' management felt that 35-year-old Jordan wasn't old last season, but everyone thought that 31-year-old Pippen was "dying."

Falk knew very well that as long as Jordan could confirm his condition, then whether it was Option B or Option C, Jordan could make a choice with confidence.

…

On the same day, as the final agreement on labor negotiations was about to be finalized, the NBA also began to allow players to use the team's training facilities to recover their form.

Don't think that Stern doesn't understand basketball, but this president wouldn't naively think that these players would obediently stick to training during the lockout.

Therefore, in order to avoid the upcoming new season becoming a battle of rookies, in Stern's view, it was still necessary to open the arenas to the players for training in advance.

And so, after being apart for more than half a year, Su Feng was completely shocked when he saw Davis again!

Wait...

Who is this fat guy who looks like he weighs almost 300 pounds?

Could it be that if you want to become a famous coach, you must first become a fat man?

Using his hands to lift Davis's double chin, Su Feng asked curiously, "John, can you tell me, what exactly did you experience this summer?"

Looking at Su Feng, Davis, who was now panting even when he spoke, said with a depressed look:

"All summer, I was thinking about how we should play in the new season. As a result, when I was thinking, in order to relieve the pressure, I became obsessed with chocolate..."

Su Feng: "..."

Okay...

Reality is so cruel.

For most people, it only takes a moment to gain weight, but if you want to lose weight...

Heh.

Let's discuss whether to have hot pot or grilled fish later.

But you can't deny that Davis's chin feels really good to Su Feng.

Of course, just as Su Feng was constantly shaking Davis's chin, Carter, Nash, McGrady and others were completely dumbfounded.

Because...

Brother Feng, this is the head coach!

However, Davis, whose chin was being shaken by Su Feng, was not angry at all. Instead, he had the idea that in order to let Su Feng keep shaking his chin, he could put losing weight aside for now.

Um...

Um!

How could he, John Davis, the dignified head coach of the Raptors, use Su Feng as an excuse because he was afraid of losing weight?

"It seems that you haven't been idle during the offseason.

I think we can have a great season."

After inspecting Su Feng and the others' elbows and chest muscles, Davis, feeling that the Raptors would definitely be able to make the playoffs in the new season, smiled with relief.

You need to know that because Big Ben had not officially signed with the Raptors, Davis's evaluation that day did not include Big Ben.

It is worth mentioning that on January 7th, just as the Raptors players were gathering one after another, Su Feng, who originally wanted to establish his authority in the team first, received a call from Jordan that day.

If you were to translate what Jordan said to Su Feng on the phone, it would be roughly as follows:

'I, the Chicago God, the leader of the Iron Forging Gang, sincerely invite the young Xia Su Feng from the North to participate in the Chicago Heroes Conference from the 9th to the 16th.'

Having received Jordan's invitation, Su Feng knew that holding such a training camp before the start of the summer was Jordan's old tradition.

Take the summer of '96 as an example. At that time, while working hard himself, Jordan also invited the super stars in this league to Chicago to train with him.

And in the future, when he comes back to the Wizards, he will also hold such a training camp, and at the training camp, he also educated Pierce, who had previously spoken disrespectfully to him.

In short, before returning his EQ to God, Jordan was also a player who liked to look at this league from the fifth floor.

Using his reputation to gather these super stars and rising stars together, on the one hand, he could let them help him quickly recover his form, and on the other hand, he could also observe the state of his opponents.

So...

Seriously, does Jordan have the same system as me?

"Go ahead, this is a good opportunity. I saw the news. Michael has invited super stars who are famous in this league this time.

Being able to receive his invitation means that in his mind, you are already one of his strongest enemies."

Davis patted Su Feng's shoulder and smiled during the team's joint training that day.

Su Feng nodded.

Indeed, this training camp is a great opportunity.

Because Su Feng was also very interested in the state of this group of people invited by Jordan.

In addition, you say that so many super giants are lining up to give him iron forging value, how could the "greedy" Su Feng miss it?

Although Su Feng currently has 1.4 billion iron forging points, he also needs to maintain his daily consumption.

As the saying goes, be prepared for emergencies. And so, on the 9th, Su Feng went to the meeting alone, and in the envious eyes of McGrady and Carter, he went to Chicago...

…

And Chicago...

Jordan, whose elbows, belly, and legs were all a circle thicker, was originally very happy.

Because if you don't look, you won't know; if you look, you'll be shocked.

Looking at Barkley, his superficial brother who hadn't broken up with him yet, Jordan was overjoyed.

You said, can this fat man still fly?

Barkley, who had been eating donuts all summer, was extremely embarrassed, because he couldn't even dunk anymore, and even layups felt difficult.

And then, after Malone, who had fought against him in the imperial city last season, also arrived in Chicago, Jordan became even happier.

Although Malone doesn't eat donuts, he really didn't train much during the lockout.

Therefore, Malone's skills were still there, but his physical condition was also very bad.

But...

After sparring with these old opponents for less than two days, Jordan began to panic when those rising stars arrived in Chicago one after another.

Duncan, who had been training with his brother-in-law all summer, came honestly, and then honestly educated all these Hall of Fame interior players...

In Su Feng's previous life, the Spurs were able to win the championship in the 98/99 season, which was inseparable from Duncan's excellent state at the time.

Especially in the 98/99 season's playoffs, Duncan, who led the Spurs to sweep the Lakers, was able to get 29 points per game with a shooting percentage of over 50%.

And O'Neal, who was on the opposite side, in addition to being mentally broken by the Spurs' double-teaming...

O'Neal, who always fell short in that round of the playoffs, not only failed to reach a 50% shooting percentage, but also only averaged 23.8 points per game.

In short, opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared.

If you regard the 98/99 season as a watershed, then after this watershed, those super stars who were famous in the eighties and nineties gradually declined.

And the players, mainly from the Pan-96 Golden Generation, also stepped onto the stage of history.

Drexler, who could still maintain an output of 18+ points per game in the 97/98 season, chose to retire after the lockout, is an example of this.

Because of the long-term lack of training, the leading advantage of the old players has been invisibly wiped out.

Of course, because Duncan is an interior player after all, so for Jordan, who has beaten O'Neal, he did not feel panicked because of Duncan's excellent state.

What really made this "Basketball God" feel nervous...

Was still the twin stars from Lower Merion.

Su Feng never expected that he, who had originally agreed to meet Kobe in the regular season, would join forces with Kobe at this Chicago Heroes Conference to beat Jordan badly.

Yes, you read that right, really beat him badly.

What a damn hammer, if Jordan's rating in the system was still 99 last season, then now...

Who the hell is this fat guy who looks like Jordan?

In a short period of time, relying on his skills, Jordan can of course suppress any one of Su Feng and Kobe in a one-on-one match.

But as long as Su Feng and Kobe kept making one-on-one requests...

Then Jordan felt that he couldn't play this game at all.

With both having made great progress in the summer, Su Feng and Kobe have clearly become the most eye-catching youngsters at this Chicago Heroes Conference.

"Michael, stop arguing with Su and Kobe.

You need time to regain the feeling of the game now, instead of being defeated by two young men one after another in front of the media."

In order to show the Bulls management that he can still play, Jordan, who invited many media to this Chicago Heroes Conference, felt that he had done something terribly wrong.

Because before he has regained his form, he has now become an experience baby for Su Feng and Kobe.

New York, after reading the Chicago media's reports, Stern has become determined that no matter how bad the Raptors are in the new season, he will do "8v23" in the new season.

In Stern's view, Su Feng and Kobe are simply two little angels, little cuties sent by God to end the Jordan era.

Don't think that Stern hopes that Jordan can ensure his divinity, but at the same time, he hopes even more that the NBA can continue to operate even after losing Jordan.

And this time, after the news that Su Feng and Kobe defeated Jordan in Los Angeles spread throughout the United States, for a time, people focused their attention on the Lower Merion twin stars.

So...

Now the question is.

Su Feng and Kobe, who is the number one in Lower Merion?

You know, Stern, who was still worried about where the NBA would go in the future after the lockout, felt that he had found the direction for the future.

So, at the NBA executives' regular meeting for the new season, after Stern officially proposed the idea of "8v23", all the league executives, like Stern, believed that this matchup was very promising.

Because although young interior players such as Duncan and Garnett are also worth promoting, in the NBA, the attention and topicality of outside stars are not comparable to those of interior players.

Su Feng and Kobe's playing styles are one chic and capable, one handsome and beautiful, and the former is in the Nike camp, while the latter is in the Adidas camp...

In addition, Su Feng is also currently recognized as the banner of Chinese basketball and Asian basketball, and is the best choice for the future international player leader in Stern's mind.

And Kobe is Jordan's successor and the new hope of American basketball.

So, look, these two people have a lot of topics to begin with.

In addition, Su Feng and Kobe also used Jordan to gild and hype at this time in Chicago, so the league executives knew that just hyping the duel between Su and Ke could bring many fans back to watch the games in the new season.

As the saying goes, the gods will eventually go away, but if the gods can share his luck with Su and Ke when he goes away, then in Stern's view, it would be perfect.

…

And Chicago...

Under Falk's suggestion, Jordan did not give Su Feng and Kobe any more opportunities at the Chicago Heroes Conference that followed.

The "Old Rogue" is still the "Old Rogue" after all. Before he has regained his form, Jordan is so rascal.

You say that not playing if you can't beat them, what's the difference between you and Jordan?

Oh... is this person Jordan?

Then there's nothing to talk about.

Okay...

Jordan, who originally hoped to use this Chicago Heroes Conference to prove that he, who is about to turn 36, is not old, has now completely gone astray.

Because under the deliberate promotion of a certain boss, the story of Jordan being defeated by Kobe and Su Feng was deliberately magnified, while Jordan's own crazy state recovery at this training camp was forgotten by people.

To be honest, in Su Feng's view, Jordan is an absolute pervert.

If when he first came to Chicago, Jordan's overall ability rating was affected by the fact that he hadn't trained much in the summer, and may not have even reached 90, then in just one week, Jordan quickly regained his skills and feel.

And next, as long as Jordan can exercise his body a little, then in Su Feng's view, this guy is still the Boss that the dragon slayers can't slay no matter how hard they try.

You know, in Su Feng's previous life, even Jordan in the Wizards period could average 20+ points per game.

And in this life, it is much easier for him to regain his form after not training much for more than half a year.

However, in the case that public opinion believes that Jordan is really old, the Bulls management, who originally planned to rebuild, now...

Completely made Jordan only choose option C.

Under Krause's suggestion, Bulls owner Reinsdorf has made up his mind.

Under the new labor agreement, he can give Jordan a two-year top salary contract, but Pippen must be sent away.

After all, with a six-year contract, given Pippen's age, the Bulls dare not let Pippen rot in their hands.

And Jordan, who could have used his strength and reputation to negotiate with the management, has completely lost the initiative to negotiate with the Bulls management due to this Chicago Heroes Conference.

Jordan, who had been thinking about it again and again, decided to settle for the next best thing.

That is, in his view, it is okay for the Bulls to send Pippen away, as long as they can exchange him for a decent helper, then he is not unable to accept it.

Of course, the prerequisite is that Reinsdorf must promise him that in the future, after he retires, he will give himself a certain share so that he can join the Bulls management's decision-making.

However, Reinsdorf flatly rejected Jordan's proposal.

Cough, of course, Reinsdorf did not reject Jordan's proposal because he knew about Jordan's future as a boss.

But because, for a capitalist like Reinsdorf, how could he let Jordan touch his industry?

So, after sending away Su Feng and Kobe, the two young heroes, Jordan...

Was furious!

"Since that's the case, then don't regret it in the future!"

In the final negotiations with Reinsdorf, Jordan said angrily at the time.

And although, at the moment when Jordan was angry, Reinsdorf felt his heart tremble...

But after looking at Krause, like in Su Feng's previous life, Reinsdorf refused to negotiate on the Bulls' shares issue.

…

Su Feng, who had just returned to Toronto, was a little confused.

Because he never expected that the most frequently asked question when he was interviewed by reporters these two days was whether he knew where Jordan would go in the new season...

As the strongest traffic on the basketball court in the 90s, since breaking up with the Bulls' owner, where Jordan, who will not retire in this life, will go next has become the most concerned topic for the media and fans.

And in the reporters' view, those players who participated in the Chicago Heroes Conference might know some information about where Jordan is going.

"I don't know if Michael will leave Chicago, and I don't know where he will go. It has nothing to do with me. I just want to focus my attention on the upcoming new season."

And originally, Su Feng, who planned to use the above tone to answer the reporters, perhaps because he was in the mood...

He looked at these busybodies with a smile and said:

"Let me tell you secretly, it's hard to say, Michael will come to Toronto to join me to win a championship."

And for Su Feng's words, the reporters felt that Su Feng was too fond of joking.

After all, in the reporters' view, there is no way Jordan would go to the Raptors.

However...

You know, after the media wrote down Su Feng's joke, some people actually thought that it would be a very interesting thing for Su Feng and Jordan to join forces.

Moreover, this person...

Is...

Jordan himself.

…

ps: I had an injection, I'm fine, don't worry.

ps2: I looked at my outline for the next plot yesterday and felt it was too much!

But... if I can finish writing it, then it should be the most exciting part of this book before the next one comes.