[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-golden-age-of-basketball":3,"chapter-the-golden-age-of-basketball-the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-839":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Golden Age of Basketball",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1444406,1896,"Chapter 839 - 36 Cheap Contract_3","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-839",839,"\u003Cp>So, Reinsdorf wanted to push to the limit, to see if Pippen’s performance in this game could be suppressed even further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, this game completely overwhelmed Pippen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, in the last moments, Pippen had the opportunity to save the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Poor performance earlier didn’t matter; if he could just sink a three-pointer buzzer-beater, he would be the absolute star of the night’s Gan Qiao showdown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Bulls swept the Trail Blazers in the regular season, Pippen would dominate the headlines, and this three-pointer would become a classic moment in his career, replayed over and over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he didn’t take the three, driving to the basket and scoring would still be a classic game-tying shot, and the Bulls, playing at home in overtime, would have a higher chance of winning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not daring to drive in didn’t matter either; the referees gave him a chance, two free throws, which would also count as a clutch, winning the game would still be a feat for Pippen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he missed the free throws, and, unfortunately, Ah Gan grabbed the last rebound and supposedly trash-talked Pippen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s over, everything’s ruined, Pippen’s contract extension plans had collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Water washed over Pippen’s body again and again, his back feeling some pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had back surgery during the offseason, and clearly the team doctors had been completely wrong; it was never a muscle issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This season his back felt fine, but every now and then he wore a warming vest to make it seem like he was nursing an injury or feeling uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now he truly felt some discomfort. Could it be psychological? Or was his old injury really flaring up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is terrible, utterly terrible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pippen emerged from the shower, dried off, and changed into clean clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time he refused interviews with reporters and hurriedly left the United Center to return home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, when the Bulls were training at the practice facility, Phil Jackson noticed that Pippen didn’t show up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He called Pippen’s home, and Pippen said he was sick, lying at home resting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jackson thought Pippen was talking nonsense; how could he be sick today when he was jumping around yesterday?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of international joke was he playing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phil Jackson reported the situation to General Manager Jerry Krause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Krause did not rush to communicate with Pippen; he waited another day, but Pippen still did not show up for the team’s training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, Krause first reported the situation to Reinsdorf, and then called Pippen to inquire about his condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m sick, my back hurts so much, I can’t even stand up, I have to wait until I get better to play,\" Pippen claimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you’re really sick, you should get checked out by the team, let the team doctor determine whether you can play,\" Krause suggested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t joke, Jerry, the team doctors can’t diagnose my pain. In my rookie season, I was telling them about my back pain but they simply didn’t care; I had to find a doctor myself! I have no sense of security in this team, nobody cares about me,\" Pippen complained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Krause heard the grievances in Pippen’s words, and after soothing him, he communicated with Reinsdorf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reinsdorf told Krause that Pippen just wanted to extend his contract; it wasn’t back pain he was suffering from, but heartache.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How are the negotiations with Kukoc going?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uh... there’s no progress; Toni doesn’t want to come to the NBA so early.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why? Doesn’t he want to compete with his friend Petrović?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He is hesitant because he feels the Bulls don’t have the relaxed environment like the Trail Blazers do; we already have Jordan and Pippen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"F*ck, if that’s the case, we can indeed start negotiations with Pippen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He played terribly against the Trail Blazers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So we can give him a rather terrible contract as well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason the Bulls didn’t want to extend Pippen’s contract was also that they wanted to leave salary cap space for Toni Kukoc—a space worth 1.6 million US Dollars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Pippen knew, he would be in pain again; the annual salary was more than twice his own, which was for a Croatian rookie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Krause and Reinsdorf went over the situation again carefully, and currently, the Bulls still had 1.6 million US Dollars in cap space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the start of next season, the Bulls would no longer have this space, as several players’ salaries would increase, and by then the space would be filled, making it more difficult to extend Pippen’s contract within the cap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Krause swiftly drafted a new contract.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Renew Pippen’s contract this season, using up that 1.6 million US Dollars in space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That means Pippen’s salary for this season would be the 750 thousand US Dollars from his previous contract plus the 1.6 million US Dollars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the next two seasons, Pippen would still be on the rookie contract he signed, earning about 700 thousand US Dollars per year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Starting the 1992-1993 season, Pippen would be on a new contract for five years, totaling 18 million US Dollars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is to say, Pippen would play for the Chicago Bulls until the 1997-1998 season; for these 7 years, he would have an average salary of about 3 million US Dollars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After drawing up the contract, Krause sent it to Pippen, who was \"recuperating\" at home; as soon as Pippen saw the contract, his back injury suddenly healed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately afterward, Pippen called Sexton, told him about the Bulls’ offer. After hearing it, Sexton advised, \"Don’t sign, Scott! This contract is too long; it looks good now, but you need to think long-term!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Reinsdorf himself called Pippen, possibly out of guilt, or having a change of heart, voluntarily warning Pippen: \"The length of this contract is long, and you’ll definitely regret it in the future.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to the team and joining the training, Pippen consulted Jordan, who also told him not to sign too lengthy a contract, as there would be many opportunities in the future, especially as he was entering his prime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Pippen replied, \"Peak period... but Ah Gan is also in his peak period...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that said, Jordan had no reply, and eventually said: \"Go ahead and sign if you want, but I’m telling you, not every game will be against Ah Gan, and you won’t always be this bad!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Pippen accepted the contract, as his family needed the money and he didn’t want to risk losing this relatively good deal due to injury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to play basketball well and strive for his and the Bulls’ first championship, overcoming the obstacle of the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>",1103,"2026-06-06T01:41:38.369Z",1,"novelbin.me","fc310c824a2b5ceae05846cd05b7493ed8e81af9394621d5a3acd53cc8a1fa53","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-840","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-838",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]