Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

In the 2000-01 season, Milwaukee's fans joyfully experienced what they had long missed in games.

This was precisely why George Karl despised that team. He didn't want his team to appear joyful. That Bucks team still had a few people as acerbic as Karl—Scott Williams, Jason Caffey, Darvin Ham—but now, only Caffey remained on the roster—most were those who enjoyed laughing heartily on the court and during practices.

Considering the situation at the time, and their salaries—Ray Allen's annual salary of 9 million US dollars, Glenn Robinson's annual salary of 7.2 million US dollars, Sam Cassell's annual salary of 3.5 million US dollars—how could those well-compensated individuals feel pain?

Karl's approach was to give them a harsh lecture at the start of training camp. Karl told them they were too selfish, individualistic, caring only about their own stats, always thinking about their next contract (Cassell), not working hard enough (Big Dog), lacking the tenacity and courage to overcome adversity, and missing a strong will and sense of responsibility towards the team (Ray Allen).

Unsurprisingly, the three players who were sternly reprimanded underperformed at the beginning of the season, and the Bucks started with 3 wins and 9 losses. Karl's response was to publicly condemn their inaction, and it worked. The Bucks achieved 49 wins and 21 losses in the following 70 games, statistically one of the best teams in the league from an offensive and defensive standpoint.

They eventually made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, and although they became a footnote in the legendary story of Allen Iverson, this was nothing short of a great revival for the struggling Bucks.

George Karl made a comeback, commanding a team quite different from the Supersonics, and then, Bucks owner Herb Kohl decided to firmly bind him to the Bucks' chariot by reaching a contract extension with Karl. This made Karl the highest-paid NBA coach—with an annual salary of 7 million dollars. Moreover, Kohl gifted Karl a 1% stake in the Bucks.

This made Karl not just the coach of the team but also one of its owners, albeit just a 1/100 owner, but the difference between having and not having it was huge.

The Bucks' success in '01 made Karl believe that exerting external pressure on players was a way to propel the team forward.

As a result, when the Bucks faced difficulties during the 2001-02 season, the same method pushed them away from the playoffs.

George Karl blamed the failure on others. Ray Allen was too soft; Glenn Robinson lacked ambition; Sam Cassell idled away his days; Anthony Mason... no comment.

Then there was the present, the 2002-03 season, during which the Bucks completely rebuilt the team through offseason trades. The addition of Yu Fei and Sprewell brought the tough style that Karl appreciated to the Bucks.

However, Ray Allen remained an inescapable dark cloud.

After the game against the Wizards, Karl was certain that Yu Fei was the most talented player he had ever coached, even better than Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton. Although Fei's disdain for the coaching staff's authority made him uncomfortable, Karl thought he could become the inept Doug Collins on certain nights, if Fei truly had the ability to disregard the tactical system and lead the team forward.

Moreover, Karl increasingly felt that this Bucks team had the capability to compete for the championship and that Fei had the potential to achieve greatness. His task was not just to be a good coach but also to play the role of a good mentor, a role that Jordan failed to perform well in Washington.

Because Jordan couldn't do it, that's why Fei was traded.

Karl believed he wouldn't repeat Jordan's mistakes because he was not a player. He wouldn't usurp Fei's right to the ball, nor would he hinder him from becoming the team leader.

Who would usurp Fei's right to the ball? The one who always complains about Fei taking too many shots.

Who would hinder Fei from becoming the team leader? The one who, despite lacking the character of a leader, is unwilling to be led by anyone.

Yes, that person was Ray Allen.

Karl never liked Ray Allen, the man who feigned indifference to fame and fortune but openly complained to the media last season that "our Bucks are also strong, why do you always talk about Jordan."

He said he didn't care who was the leader of the team, yet if someone tried to lead in front of him, he would react with hostility and create difficulties at every turn.

In Karl's view, Ray Allen's presence was an obstacle to Fei's ascension.

Sprewell acted as if he was the deputy of the team, not vying for power at all, which was the proper attitude for a secondary leader.

As Ray Allen became more like a fishbone stuck in one's throat, distracting and bothersome, Karl came up with a thought that could immediately relieve him—why couldn't they trade him? It would be better for everyone!

On a mid-December morning, Yu Fei slept an hour longer than usual.

It was that damn radio program's fault.

The radio show "Dialogue with The Chosen One," set up for Yu Fei by the Bucks, received an enthusiastic response from fans as soon as it aired. At first, only local Milwaukee fans called in, but gradually, calls from outside the area increased, and then people from another coast started calling in as well.

Some of them weren't even fans of Fei, some just wanted to say "fuck you" to Fei and then hang up, while others asked questions about life.

Of course, there were humorous fans, but the proportion of high-quality calls was still too small compared to the low-quality ones.