Chapter 51: Lin Tian's Demands! An Equal Partnership!

"My family has deep roots in Cathay and possesses certain connections. Compared to our people over here, they understand Cathay's national conditions far better, know precisely what Cathay fans need and want, and have a much clearer picture of how to make Cathay fans fall in love with watching the NBA!"

"You want your people to take over our promotional operations?" Stern, that old fox, instantly caught on, realizing Lin Tian's ambition in a flash!

If this demand were met, the resulting profits and financial returns would undoubtedly reach an astronomically exaggerated figure!

This young man's ambition and appetite were terrifyingly huge!

It was only then that Stern realized... he had unknowingly walked right into Lin Tian's trap, falling completely into his rhythm!

This kid was far more formidable than he had imagined!

"Lin, isn't this demand of yours a bit too outrageous? There are simply too many interests and relational networks involved here. I can't possibly agree to this!" Stern rejected Lin Tian directly without a moment of hesitation!

Even if Lin Tian were to retire on the spot right now, or get caught up in drugs and illness to become the league's number one problem player, Stern would never easily relinquish such massive interests.

He was merely the commissioner of the league, not a dictator.

Even if he wanted to agree to Lin Tian, his word didn't carry 100% absolute authority!

In fact, Stern was certain that if he dared to agree today, he would be driven out of the league tomorrow!

"Don't be in such a rush to refuse, Mr. Commissioner. You're going to need us! You need to first consider our advantages, and figure out what it is that you guys can never possibly learn, before you reject me!" Lin Tian said with absolute confidence, "You will never truly understand what the people of Cathay want to see and hear!"

"If you fail to grasp our pain points, your promotional efforts are destined to achieve half the results with twice the effort. I'm not trying to make money off you; I'm actually helping you save money!"

"How about this?" Pausing briefly, Lin Tian slowed his tone and said, "Let me give you an example. How do you guys plan to publicize the fight I was involved in?"

"Publicize? We won't!" Stern stated with absolute finality. "Make big issues small, and small issues nothing at all, so that the impact of this incident fades away quickly. This is an event that damages the league's image; the middle class and those with purchasing power won't like it!"

"But you can't do that in Cathay!" Lin Tian laughed and said, "Let me give you some headlines and angles. If you want to promote the NBA in Cathay, this is how you have to spin it: *Lin Tian single-handedly pummels three Americans, displaying our national might! Taking on three foes and walking away completely unscathed! KOing three men to showcase the spirit of Cathay Kung Fu!*"

"What do you think of that?"

"People over there would actually like that?" Stern struggled to wrap his head around Lin Tian's logic.

"Of course, and the majority of people would love it!" Lin Tian said with a smile. "No need to rush, though. You can try it out first and we can talk later, right? I guarantee that by partnering with us, you won't regret it for a second, and you'll achieve a level of success you've never experienced before!"

"David, you are already the most successful commissioner in NBA history. You rescued the league from the shadows of gangs and banned substances! You saved the entire NBA with the stagecraft of Michael and the rivalry between Magic and Bird, but compared to the helmsmen of other North American leagues or even European football's top five leagues, you hold no distinct advantage! What I'm offering you right now is an unprecedented opportunity."

"An opportunity to become the premier commissioner across all North American sports leagues! An opportunity to propel the NBA into the world's number one sports league, and an opportunity to elevate basketball past football to become the global sport! Just think about it—some opportunities truly only come once in a lifetime!"

What is reverse brainwashing? What is fighting pie with pie, serving up motivational soup with motivational soup?

To fight magic, one must use magic!

Lin Tian had no idea what Stern was thinking when he hung up the phone, nor did he know whether Stern had bought into his grand vision.

Yet he was certain of one thing: Stern had definitely taken his words to heart. Even if his proposal couldn't ultimately be realized, Stern would definitely give it serious consideration!

After all, in Lin Tian's previous life, Stern had exhausted every ounce of effort, striving from 1989 all the way until 2002, relying on Yao's entry into the league, the rise of the internet era, and Cathay's economic takeoff before finally managing to carve out a massive slice of the pie for the NBA from the siege of Europe's top five leagues!

Yet that represented over a decade of grueling effort; the hardships and countless futile attempts must have left Stern utterly exhausted in both body and mind!

Lin Tian believed that his proposal held tremendous appeal for Stern! This was his chance to truly become the most towering figure in North American sports history!

With such a massive pie dangled before him, Lin Tian refused to believe Stern wouldn't want a bite!

Furthermore, the Lin Tian of this lifetime clearly had no intention of taking over his family's business, leaving him with a lingering sense of guilt toward his parents.

Therefore, the primary goal of this proposal wasn't really for Stern's benefit; when all was said and done, Lin Tian still hoped to compensate his parents in some way.

Even if his parents were completely clueless about media, marketing, sports, or anything of the sort, it didn't matter—Lin Tian understood it all!

More importantly, Lin Tian knew who actually understood it!

He had quite a few names stored right in his memory!

Of course, all of this was still far from certain!

Whether it would ultimately succeed, whether Stern could convince the NBA Board of Governors, and whether his parents would secure the opportunity—those were all matters for another day!

For now, Lin Tian simply had to thoroughly enjoy his rare vacation!

A five-game suspension translated to roughly ten days where Lin Tian didn't have to play a single match, leaving him free to simply act as a front-row VIP spectator!

Naturally, rest was rest and games were on hold, but Lin Tian hadn't let up on his daily training regimen by even a fraction. He still went toe-to-toe with Jordan in practice, matching up against him repeatedly and firing off a constant stream of trash talk.

Ever since acquiring his new stealing ability, Lin Tian had actually caught Jordan off guard in their matchups on a few occasions, managing to cleanly strip the ball straight from Jordan's hands from time to time!

Equally noticeable was Lin Tian's sharply improved ability to read passing lanes and intercept passes during practice sessions!

He always seemed to appear in the exact right spot, picking off opponent passes and immediately launching fast breaks!

Yet every advantage carried a drawback; there were times when his steal attempts failed, pulling him out of his defensive positioning and allowing opponents to score with ease.

Because of this, Cleamons and Jackson gave Lin Tian no shortage of lectures, warning him against gambling for steals and emphasizing the importance of maintaining his defensive position. Forcing opponents to miss shots contributed far more to the team than a high-risk steal attempt!

Figuring out how to strike the right balance, how to maximize his steal success rate while minimizing defensive displacement, became the most crucial area for Lin Tian to focus on and improve in the days ahead!