Chapter 25 "Besides that incident, how do you evaluate the league during Adam Silver's tenure? You know, Americans are sometimes very generous. They selectively forget when they need to."

Barkley was really digging a hole, and he was really a big mouth who dared to say anything.

Those NBA owners, in the eyes of capital, only care about money. What happened half a year ago was a big deal at the time, but if it involves interests, when needed, it's no big deal.

"Charles, you should look at social media more often."

Tang Tian knew this was a trap and didn't jump into it directly. He was angry, but he wouldn't lose his mind.

"Huh?"

Barkley looked at Tang Tian with confusion.

"As the pace of the game gets faster and faster, and the game is increasingly controlled by the referees, fans are no longer discussing the game, but the data."

Tang Tian continued.

Barkley was stunned after hearing this, then laughed out loud.

This sentence directly killed the game.

The small-ball era, the three-point era, was indeed exciting for a while, but it was like the emptiness after orgasm, and it hasn't recovered until now.

Because, after watching too much, it's really boring.

Shooting three-pointers, dunking, traditional big men gradually fading out of the league in order to cater to the league, the serious decline in interior defense due to the lack of top big men, the outer players being able to肆意 (sìyì) one-on-one because there is no defense in the interior, the tactical simplification caused by肆意 (sìyì) one-on-one, and the aesthetic fatigue brought by the tactical simplification to the game itself.

All of these details are actually interlocked. Short-term stimulation cannot guarantee long-term development.

This is actually short-sighted and drinking poison to quench thirst.

The league during Stern's tenure still had such high ratings. Now that information technology has developed, maintaining that style of play would only lead to higher ratings.

This is what Tatum showed after taking office.

So Adam Silver satisfied those league owners for a while, but what was sacrificed was the future of the league, including the future interests of those owners.

It just takes time to prove this kind of thing. Not everyone is that patient, and not everyone can see that far.

"What we should see is the future of the NBA. Under the new broadcast contract, even the income is guaranteed to have a lower limit. I believe that if we maintain the current style of play, the league will usher in unprecedented development in the next few years."

Tang Tian said finally.

This sentence was obviously not for the TNT Big Three, nor for the fans, but for those NBA owners who would watch this episode.

Moreover, this sentence was not just drawing a big cake or making empty promises for him. It was something he had personally experienced and verified in his previous life.

After participating in the TNT program, Tang Tian did not sit and wait for news.

He asked Demps to continue to maintain contact with the Jazz, Mavericks, and even the Pacers.

And he also called Walker, telling him not to rush to sign with the Celtics.

The league president incident came suddenly, and he didn't have time to prepare.

But fortunately, the time was not too late to be helpless. His active participation in the TNT program was what he could do, but it didn't mean he would only make one-handed preparations.

He had a plan A, and naturally he had a plan B.

Even if things really developed in a direction he didn't want, plan B might be even more anticipated.

The incident came to July 9th in a blink of an eye, and the NBA free market freeze period ended.

In previous years, players who had reached verbal agreements with teams would reach formal contracts with the teams as soon as possible.

But this year, many players have delayed this signing time.

The change of the league president is affecting all aspects.

The league is also very clear about this. Although the president is just a spokesperson, it can be seen from Adam Silver and Tatum that what they represent may be two completely different directions of development.

Two days later, the league's second regular meeting continued to be held at the New York headquarters.

The focus of this meeting was to vote on whether Adam Silver should return as the league president.

The support rate issue that was previously heavily discussed was finally decided to be the same as Tatum's, only an 80% support rate would allow him to return.

That is to say, of the 30 teams, at least 24 teams must vote in favor.

If this number of votes is not reached, then Tatum will continue to serve as the interim president until a new vote is held after one year.

The weather in New York today is very sultry, as if it will rain at any time.

The meeting room was air-conditioned, and although it isolated the outside temperature, the closed environment and the dark environment outside the window still made people feel a little depressed.

The meeting was still chaired by Tatum.

Compared with the last time, Tatum's mood was obviously not very good.

This is also human nature.

If Adam Silver returns, then he will continue to be the vice president. Even if Adam Silver's return fails, he still has the word "interim" in front of him.

No matter which result, it is not a good thing for him.

After a simple opening remark, Tatum asked the teams if they had anything to say before the voting began.

Most of the team representatives did not speak, and it could be seen that they had already made a decision.

"I have something to say."

Pelicans owner Gayle Benson raised her hand to signal.

Demps didn't come this time, she came in person.

Tatum signaled that she could speak.

"I believe we all watched the latest episode of TNT. We should all take a long-term view. Don't wait until we regret it in the future, and we have to sit down and do it again."

Benson's words had a strong hint.

However, the purpose of her saying this was also to remind the representatives of other teams that if they only value the immediate benefits, then what they lose are greater benefits in the future.

Tatum nodded, Benson's words were implicitly supporting him.

"Anyone else?"

Tatum swept around the meeting room.

No one was speaking.

He finally glanced at Adam Silver, who looked calm, as if he had everything under control.

"Then... let's begin."

Tatum finally announced.

The staff began to collect the ballots with boxes, and the team owners also took out the prepared tickets and put them in.

The meeting room was unusually quiet, with only the sound of the staff's footsteps.

"Swish!"

Just as the voting was being collected, it suddenly rained heavily outside the window.

The sky became even darker, setting off the lights in the meeting room, creating an indescribable atmosphere.

Benson turned her head and glanced out the window, and suddenly had a bad feeling.

Adam Silver was like a dark cloud shrouded over the league. If the final voting result was that Adam Silver would continue to serve, then it would be like the weather outside, really dark and gloomy, and no one would ever know when it would dissipate.

The rain grew heavier and heavier, accompanied by thunder and lightning, pouring down.

The staff had collected all the representatives' votes and taken them to the end of the conference table, where someone was supervising.

The final vote-counting process was about to begin.

Everyone's eyes turned to that side.