Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

The Wizards' next three games were all at home, where they first defeated the Pacers, then trounced the unsettled Raptors, and finally lost to the Sacramento Kings, a team at the top of the Western standings.

The day after losing to the Kings, the Wizards announced that Richard Hamilton would return to the team after the All-Star Weekend.

By this time, the Wizards had secured 27 wins and 20 losses, comfortably sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, but with wolves lurking around the corner, if Hamilton couldn't make a successful comeback, or if he returned in poor form, they still risked falling out of the playoff race.

Despite the NBA heading into the All-Star break, a team like the Wizards that enjoyed engaging in off-court activities to gain fan support wouldn't miss the opportunity to have their players continue working during the holiday.

The task Yu Fei received today was to join Kwame Brown in visiting schools near the Verizon Center for an event.

Their mission was simple: play basketball with the kids, spend a few hours signing autographs, then pretend to be overflowing with gratitude for what was happening before them and to sincerely urge them to keep supporting the Wizards.

Yu Fei, surrounded by a bunch of kids like a hero, started to question his life choices.

Before the dreaded autograph session started, they had all sorts of questions to ask.

"Frye, is your relationship with Michael bad?"

"Frye, can I get Michael's autograph?"

"Frye, will you stay in D.C. forever?"

...of these questions, the only one Yu Fei could answer was the first.

"Michael is my mentor and benefactor, how could my relationship with him be bad?" he said.

Then, a little girl ran over: "Frye, Kwame says he's about to die."

Yu Fei, already frazzled by the children's noise, looked at the girl with a detached expression and said, "Come tell me when he's completely dead."

Yu Fei hated the activities the team arranged for him.

However, if he knew what was happening at the Verizon Center, he would certainly be grateful that he only had to deal with kids right now.

Verizon Center

The Wizards wanted to finalize a trade before the deadline approached.

The team's assistant general manager, Rod Higgins, had been discussing it with the other party for a few days, and now both sides were very close to an agreement.

"A second-round pick is no problem, we can give that, but I hope this is the final offer," Higgins said over the phone.

After receiving a definite response, Higgins hung up and stood up to report to an awaiting Jordan, "Seattle has agreed to the Bobby Simmons trade."

Jordan asked, "What's the cost?"

"Hubert Davis..." Higgins started, "along with Chris Whitney and two future second-round picks."

Jordan nodded slightly, "Good, we can completely afford this price."

Higgins clearly hesitated.

"Do you have something to say?" Jordan asked.

"This matter..." Higgins said, "should we inform Frye? Chris Whitney is his good friend."

Jordan smiled coldly, "No need, he's having a great time with the kids right now."

Higgins was completely devoted to serving Jordan, but he also knew Yu Fei's weight in the team.

A fact was, Jordan found it difficult to control Yu Fei.

This kind of situation was unprecedented in Jordan's career.

But it was a reality.

Yu Fei had shown his desire to challenge Jordan countless times on the practice court, in games, and on various public occasions.

Higgins was not sure if this trade was necessary, as it seemed more like Jordan's demonstration of power towards Yu Fei.

One of Yu Fei's best two friends on the team was traded, and Yu Fei knew nothing about it?

Higgins did not know what Yu Fei's reaction would be, but one thing was certain, the gap between him and Jordan had already widened.

This rift was irreparable.

Outside the general manager's office, Jordan's agent, David Falk, was preparing for another round of negotiations with Wizards' owner Abe Pollin and Vice President Susan O'Malley.

The Washington Post's beat reporter, Steve Wyche referred to Falk as "The Raptor" in his articles.

Falk liked this nickname as it reflected his aggressive nature; the fiercer he seemed, the better it proved his ruthlessness at the negotiation table, and for an employer, isn't this precisely what makes the best agent?

Only lately, Falk felt increasingly left out of Jordan's team.

Compared to Falk, Jordan seemed to rely more on Falk's old subordinate, fellow agent Curtis Polk.

The private affairs that Jordan would have entrusted to Falk in the past were now handled by Polk.

Falk is nominally Jordan's agent, but in reality, all he was responsible for were Jordan's player contracts.

One could say that Falk's situation was akin to that of Jordan after his second comeback.

Jordan had lost his dominance of the 90s, and with the retirement and decline of players like Jordan, Ewing, and Alonzo Mourning, along with the unfavorable development of Juwan Howard and Rod Strickland, Falk's days as the NBA's most influential agent had come to a standstill.

Jordan, having made his second comeback, was no longer the all-powerful individual who could dictate the League's structure; therefore, Falk's name as an agent rarely appeared in the news anymore.

Falk's decline was inevitable, but he did not want to leave Jordan's team, so this negotiation presented the best opportunity for him to rekindle his relationship with Jordan.

Boss's Office

Jordan and Falk entered, and there sat Pollin, ready for the negotiation. Accompanying him were the despised Susan O'Malley and the inconsequential Wes Unseld.

For a while, both parties looked at each other in silence.

Since Jordan was here to negotiate as a business partner, formalities were omitted, and the normally displayed warmth was nowhere to be seen.

"Let's begin," Jordan said coldly.

"Michael, if I'm not mistaken, today we are discussing your return next season..." O'Malley believed she wasn't the only one in the room suffering from a split psyche.

Not a single old-timer with the Wizards didn't hate Jordan, and everyone wished he would just leave, but now, they all hoped Jordan would give them a commitment—a commitment that he would return next season, and it would be even better if he would sign the contract directly.

Why? Because that's what Pollin wanted.

Even at 38, Jordan, who averaged 20 points a game with less than a 40% shooting rate, still possessed immeasurable commercial value.

For every extra year that Jordan played, Pollin could make even more profit through the team.

"Hold on, hold on, we're not in a rush with this." Falk began his performance, "I want to ask Mr. Bolin, have you publicly promised that when Michael retires, you will sell more shares of the team to him? And that you would still let Michael manage the team?"

The air froze.

O'Malley lost the power to speak; this was a question only Pollin was qualified to answer.

Pollin took a deep look at Jordan.

The greatest player of all time sat there quietly, his self-assured expression never changing.

Pollin smiled, a sycophantic grin, but combined with his yellow teeth, it looked rather chilling, "Of course, that's my promise to Michael."

"Is this promise public?" Falk asked, "Who can guarantee this promise? How can we be sure you will fulfill it?"

Pollin was starting to get annoyed; it wasn't just mutual antipathy between him and Falk, ever since Jordan took over the Wizards in the early 2000s, Falk had acted as Jordan's spokesperson, spreading negative comments about him everywhere.

Even though Pollin never responded to Falk, it didn't mean he didn't care.

In fact, he just didn't want to aggravate Jordan.

But today, it was clear that Falk came with ill intentions.

"David, you might not trust me, but you should trust Ted Leonsis," Pollin said, "I made the assurance in front of him to Michael."

As soon as Pollin finished talking, Falk looked at Jordan, seeking confirmation of the fact.

Jordan nodded lightly, giving tacit consent.

"I'll assume for now that the assurance does exist and is valid," Falk said, agitating Pollin.

Pollin's face lost its smile, "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean nothing, I just want to discuss something more specific," Falk could feel the shift in Jordan's ambition. The future Jordan would become a businessman like Pollin, not needing an agent with only a player's perspective on issues. So today, he had to prove that he could not only serve as Jordan's strategist on the court but also offer advice for boss Jordan. "Since you have a prior agreement with Michael, I'll assume that when Michael leaves the court, you really will sell part of the shares back to him. My question is, will this share be sold at the initial price Michael sold it to you for, or at the new price after Michael has increased the market value?"

Falk didn't wait for Pollin to react before continuing, "Michael's comeback has raised the team's value, allowing you to profit from this dreadful team ten years later; you've made a fortune. But what did Michael get? He's playing for the minimum salary, without any financial compensation, and in the end, he has to spend even more money to buy back his own shares? Does that make sense in this world?"

Falk demanded that the shares returned to Jordan in the future be sold at the original price and to compensate Jordan with a part of the profit from this season and next season. These two points were enough to cause a rift between Pollin and himself.

The negotiation ended without a result.

It was a secret negotiation; no one knew exactly what had happened, but its impact was profound.

Since it was a secret, naturally, only a select few were privy to the details, and the only news about the Wizards for the day was that they had traded the veteran Chris Whitney, who had served the team for seven years, to Seattle.

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"The Washington Wizards have dealt Hubert Davis, Chris Whitney, along with 2003 and 2005 second-round picks to Seattle, acquiring Bobby Simmons and Earl Watson in return." — NBA Official

"Whitney said that he has always understood that all of this is business, but he will never forgive the person who made this decision." — The Washington Post

"We don't need an old point guard, nor do we need Hubert Davis (a nepotist relation), and we certainly do not need the Wizards' second-round picks. It's a worthless trade that adds no value other than damaging the chemistry between the teams." — The Seattle Times

"(Yu Fei said) He joined the team during their toughest times, and now they're sending him away when they are closest to success. You tell me this is all business? If it is, then it's a lousy business, and I need an explanation!" — NBC Interview

1. Ted Leonsis is a minority owner of the Wizards and a close friend and business partner of Jordan, with rumors suggesting that "Michael decided to take over the Wizards entirely because of Ted Leonsis."

2. Hubert Davis is the nephew of North Carolina legend Walter Davis.