"I'll go talk to Wade."
Tang Long volunteered to convince Wade.
Gilbert watched the excited two and felt happy.
The players' eagerness for honor was the key factor for the team's continued progress.
This also meant the team would receive more attention.
"Alright, as long as Wade is willing to join, I have nothing to say," Gilbert said. "As for salary, let's keep it on par with Tang Long's."
After all, the top star within the team was LeBron James. If Wade joined and his salary was either equal to or exceeded James', it would disrupt the existing balance within the team.
"I have no problem with that."
Tang Long shrugged, showing his agreement.
"I can also take a pay cut, as long as Wade joins."
James was willing to pursue honor, otherwise, he wouldn't have left the Cavaliers back then.
Of course, for top stars, besides salary, endorsements and advertising were the major sources of income, along with player image rights.
Even though a pay cut might seem like losing one or two million dollars, they would earn much more from other avenues.
Hearing James speak like this made Gilbert even happier.
After all, rich people were often thrifty, and those with mortgages were even more so.
Exiting Gilbert's office, James and Tang Long went their separate ways. James went to find Mike Brown, while Tang Long called Wade to handle the communication.
Wade finally answered after a long ring, clearly not in a good mood at the moment.
"Hey, Dwyane, come to Cleveland for a get-together. I was planning to visit you, but as you know, the playoffs are just around the corner, and we need to prepare. I'm really swamped."
"Tang, are you that free?"
Wade was already in a bad mood, and Tang Long deliberately showing off in front of him made Wade's voice sound tinged with jealousy.
"How could I be? I'm incredibly busy right now."
"Then why do you have time to call me?"
"I just knew you were in a bad mood, so I called to check in."
Wade didn't respond to Tang Long's words.
Tang Long had already expressed his desire for Wade to join the Cavaliers during the All-Star break.
Now, right after he had criticized the team's management, Tang Long called. It was obvious what this guy was up to, even if he used his toes to think.
Moreover, since he started criticizing the management, besides a flood of calls from reporters, several teams had also expressed interest in signing Wade.
Frankly speaking, even though Wade was dissatisfied with the management, he didn't have a strong desire to leave at this moment. He primarily hoped the management would take action, and that the team would invest more in acquiring players instead of just tanking.
"Dwyane, to be honest, I know you don't want to leave the Heat and your supportive fans, but you should understand the cruelty of competitive sports."
Tang Long dropped his playful demeanor and said seriously, "When you get a few years older and are no longer the Flash, fans will unhesitatingly abandon you for faster, flashier players. The team will also see you as a roadblock, thinking of kicking you old guy out at any moment."
"In the end, if you don't have many accolades, forget about becoming a coach, no one will even invite you to variety shows. Have you ever seen a player without accolades appear on screen? At that point, those young people won't respect you either."
Wade remained silent, his breathing becoming more rapid.
He thought carefully. The players who were invited to be commentators or appear on variety shows, besides being entertaining, also had a lot of accolades.
This was something he craved, otherwise, he wouldn't have criticized the management.
"Dwyane, competitive sports are cruel. When you're old and kicked out, you'll definitely regret your hesitation today."
"Tang, I need to think about it."
After a moment of silence, Wade finally spoke.
"Of course. If you don't come to the Cavaliers, you can go to other teams. You can observe how other teams treat veteran players during this time."
"Okay, I understand. Regardless, thank you."
"What are you thanking me for? Don't forget, we're fellow comrades who have played together."
Tang Long hung up the phone and let out a long sigh.
Poaching a team's core player wouldn't be easy, but Wade was willing to start thinking, which was definitely good news.
Not long after, Tang Long received a call from James, stating that he had finalized Mike Brown.
In fact, upon hearing the team's intention to acquire Wade, Mike Brown immediately expressed that if the team had another point guard like Wade, he was confident they could establish their own Cavaliers dynasty.
No coach would refuse to coach more talented players.
More was always better when it came to such players.
Tang Long also relayed the general gist of his conversation with Wade to Gilbert.
The player transfer operations would be handled by the team from now on, and Tang Long would only provide assistance.
April arrived, with only half a month of regular season games remaining.
Teams that had secured playoff spots could breathe a little easier.
Teams that hadn't made the playoffs, those in ninth or tenth place, were still trying to make a final push to displace the teams above them. Therefore, their fighting spirit was still high, they were playing even better than before, and they were paying more attention to defense.
As for teams that had nothing to play for and wouldn't make the playoffs, they were committed to tanking.
So, only teams in ninth or tenth place had significant fighting spirit. Also, teams in fourth or fifth place, whose playoff seeding could still improve, allowing them to avoid stronger opponents, were playing seriously.
The Cavaliers' first game in April was against such a team.
The Atlanta Hawks, led by Mike Woodson, were eighth in the Eastern Conference, one win ahead of the Indiana Pacers. To maintain their playoff spot, they couldn't afford to slip up in their upcoming games.
As soon as the two teams clashed, the Hawks displayed strong offensive intent.
Early in the game, Joe Johnson delivered a warning to the Cavaliers with two three-pointers.
Unfortunately for the Hawks, they encountered the Cavaliers, who were in red-hot form this season.
The Cavaliers had developed a specific strategy for teams that relied heavily on outside shooting.
First, establish a strong defense, preventing outside shooters from getting easy looks. Once these players start missing their shots and are forced to drive inside, Tang Long would teach them a lesson.
After missing two consecutive outside shots, the Hawks changed their tactics and started attacking the interior.
Al Horford was met with a powerful block from Tang Long as soon as he entered the restricted area.
"It's Tang again. I really sympathize with the centers in the league. When their outside shots aren't falling and they resort to attacking the paint, they often get met with Tang's merciless blocks."
"Who can score on Tang?"