597 Shelter for the Old and Weak

"According to an announcement made by the Clippers, the team has signed a one-year veteran minimum salary contract with free agent Osef. They are paying him 2.32 million dollars. This season, Osef will return to the Staples Center in Los Angeles wearing the Clippers' jersey. Is this true or is it fake news? That guy has ruined himself with drugs and got a girl pregnant. Can he still play?"

"The Clippers' announced the news and gave a lot of details. The specific amount of money was included. I think there is a nine out of ten chance it is true. Weren't there some reports the past few days that Osef had begun preparations for a comeback and that he resumed training. He is training at the fitness center owned by the Clippers' head coach! It doesn't surprise me at all that Osef will be joining the Clippers."

The news of Osef signing with the Clippers was revealed before training camp for the upcoming season started. The veteran minimum salary was not high, but it was a chance for Osef to regain his dignity.

At the end of last season, there was a rumor that Osef had joined the Clippers. The current news confirmed those rumors. Thus, people were not surprised.

Osef had a bad record. Once your reputation had been contaminated by drugs it was hard to earn it back. No one believed in a drug addict and no one was optimistic about his comeback. Many people saw the signing as a bad decision.

The sports commentators gave the signing a very low rating. Among the scores of more than a dozen sports commentators, the best rating for this signing was only a C. It didn't even receive a C+.

Just two days later, the Clippers announced another signing. They signed the free agent "Yellow Mamba" Hall for two years at $8.5 million.

8.5 million for two years. An average of more than 4 million a year, this price was less than the regular middle-class contracts and more than lower-middle class contracts. The second year of the contract was the team's option. If Hall did not perform well, the Clippers would not continue with his second-year contract.

Of course, for Dai Li, it was not possible to only use Hall for one year. An athlete could use three athlete patches. This meant that Hall would not be troubled by his lack of menisci for three seasons.

Dai Li was planning to give Hall a one-year contract first so that he could show his strength and, after that, give him a two-year contract. After all, Hall was a star player, and he should get a salary that matched his strength.

Right after this signing was disclosed to the media, it received a wave of criticism.

"Hall is not the 'Yellow Mamba' of the past. He doesn't have any menisci in his knees. He can't run and he can't jump. He's useless. I really don't understand why the Clippers would sign him."

"Two years at 8.5 million. It would be better to try to train a few rookies. That way, they might be able to get one or two useful players."

"If Hall could still play, he wouldn't have retired. First, they signed Osef, and now they signed Hall. I really don't understand what the Clippers are doing this year!"

People were not optimistic about Hall's comeback. Not only had he lost the menisci in his knees, but he had returned to play after he had lost his menisci before. He could not adapt to the intensity of an NBA game.

Hall was unable to continue to play. Now, Hall was a few years older, so his comeback was less likely to succeed.

The news of the Clippers' signings did not end there. The next day, the sports section was dominated with headlines about the Clippers.

"Legendary star Raymond announces his comeback!"

He was a two-time scoring champion and seven-time All-Star. A superstar in the NBA, Raymond was a player who could indeed be described as a "legend."

Countless Raymond fans were excited by this news. Many people did not care whether Raymond could match his old stats, they only cared that Raymond was returning.

People began to guess which team Raymond would join, which team would hand him an olive branch. Some people were worried that no team in the NBA would accept Raymond. After all, Raymond had played for many years. He was injured and had been retired for a while. The current Raymond might not be able to handle the fast-paced rhythm of an NBA game.

This worry was superfluous. A few hours after Raymond's announcement, the Clippers released the news that they had signed a three-year contract with Raymond at $25.8 million. The third year was a team option.

The salary was not what Raymond valued most. He was not short of money. He had earned hundreds of millions of dollars in his career. He was more concerned about the starting position that Dai Li promised. After all, Raymond was a superstar; he still had an ego. If the team was willing to guarantee his starting position, he didn't mind getting a lower salary.

From the perspective of the Clippers, a two-year, $25.8 million contract for a superstar like Raymond was certainly a very cost-effective deal.

No one else felt that the current Raymond was worth 25.8 million for three years.

Sure enough, after the Clippers announced the signing of Raymond at this price, almost everyone felt that the Clippers were stupid, acting like rich kids with too much money to spend.

...

In the Clippers' training hall, Raymond sat on the sidelines, holding a few newspapers in his hand. His face was very blue.

Raymond was very unhappy. They said that he was not worth 25.8 million for three years. Some people even said that he should only be valued at the veteran minimum salary. This was an insult to Raymond!

On the other side, Gray looked depressed as well.

The Clippers announced that they had signed Gray at the veteran's minimum salary, but the news did not attract much attention. They were focused on Raymond.

Gray felt very lost, he hated being neglected. He was formerly "the Great" who lived up in the clouds, someone who people had high hopes for. Now, he had become a grain of unremarkable sand that no one cared about.

Noel rushed over.

"Noel, how did it go? Did the league approve your return to the court?" Raymond asked.

"The league still has some concerns. They asked me to provide at least half a year's medical reports to prove that there are no new clots in my body, but I only have a one-month medical report," Noel shrugged helplessly.

"That means you have to wait at least five months before you can play. It will be January of next year by then!" Raymond counted with his fingers.

Noel nodded, "The team's performance in the first half of the season depends on you. I can wear a suit and cheer for you from the sidelines."

...

The NBA was giving a press conference at their headquarters in New York.

The NBA spokesperson sat on the podium and answered the reporter's question with a smile. "Indeed, we received an application from Noel to compete but, for his sake, we asked him to provide a six-month medical report. This way we can be sure he is fully healed and able to play once more."

"If Noel returns to the court, can he join another team or does he have to return to the Heat?" A reporter asked.

"Noel has been cut by the Heat, so he is now a free agent. Any NBA team can choose to sign him, but without the approval of the league, he can't play."

The cellphone of one of the reporter shook a bit. He immediately it out. He was surprised.

"The Los Angeles Clippers announced that they have signed a contract with Noel!"

"The Clippers again? They signed Hall, Raymond, and Gray a few days ago. Now even Noel has signed with the Clippers!"

"What are the Clippers doing? Why have they signed on so many retired players? Can they still play?"

The crowd began to mutter.

...

On a sports program, a commentator was talking to the camera lens.

"The management of the Los Angeles Clippers this summer: I can only give them a D grade! They had enough money to renew their contract with Ronny and sign a few players from the free market, but they didn't. Look at who they have chosen!

"Osef, a drug addict who cheated on his own wife; Hall, a disabled player without menisci in his knees; A retired and injured superstar, Raymond; A fragile man with leg discrepancy, Gray. Last but not least, they signed Noel, a person with blood clots.

"In my opinion, this is just bad management. It might be the worst management of the NBA this summer. They have no potential for new stars, they have not recruited ready-made stars, and they have not renewed their key players. Instead, they signed players who have been eliminated by the NBA.

"If you have some money, you can buy a brand new Ford or a second-hand BMW. Instead, you go to the scrapyard and look for a car that cannot be driven! Okay, it is a Porsche, but it's a Porsche which has been scrapped. This is really just too stupid.

"I'm only making an analogy and didn't mean to offend the players. There is one thing that I must say. The current Los Angeles Clippers don't seem like an NBA team, but a shelter for the old and weak!"