The Lakers' roster for the new season has changed from the original plane, and Vujacic's three-year, $15 million contract is gone.

The Lakers were not reluctant to spend the money, but Vujacic's position and role conflicted with Zhao Dashao, and Kupchak and the Zen master both thought that Vujacic's contract was not necessary after discussion.

Three months ago, Zhao Dashao was still a second-round brother that no one cared about, but now he is the future backcourt core that the Lakers are focusing on cultivating, and the status of the team is basically the same as Bynum.

The more the Zen master understands Zhao Dashao, the happier he becomes, if Kobe Bryant is the untamable wild horse king on the grassland, Zhao Dashao is a thousand-mile horse cultivated in a superior environment.

Both are talented, but Zhao Dashao is obviously better to cultivate and get along, mainly because of worry-saving and effort-saving.

The Lakers now have 11 players under contract, namely Zhao Dashao, Fisher, Farmar, Kobe, Wharton, Ariza, Rademanovic, Odom, Gasol, Mime, and Bynum.

Brother Sun, Powell, and Mbenga still have to rely on their performance in the preseason to fight for a guaranteed contract, and the Lakers' preseason training camp will start on the 25th.

In the morning, the Lakers players were chatting and saying hello after meeting, and seeing that the time for the gathering was coming, Kobe and Zhao Dashao came to the training hall on the hour.

''Is there a traffic jam today?'' ‘’

Fisher saw the two of them come in together and asked casually.

"We came by helicopter."

Kobe Bryant's face was a little unhappy, he felt that as the boss of the team, he actually wanted to take his younger brother's plane to the arena, which was somewhat unavailable!

"You're flying here for training?"

''Is it a helicopter?'' ‘’

"That's cool!"

Lakers players have to envy Zhao Dashao's local tycoon, except for some special circumstances in the playoffs, they really haven't heard of anyone using helicopters as a fixed means of transportation.

Zhao Dashao lifted his $3 million "Patek Philippe World Time Watch" and said with a smile: "I don't buy a helicopter, I can't control the time!" The traffic in Los Angeles is so bad! ”

Gasol couldn't help but ask, "Ivan, what plane are you flying?" ”

Zhao Dashao said casually: "28, no, I want to think about it...... It seems to be a Sikorsky S-92, it should be this one. ”

Odom let out a "wow" and asked, "Evan, how many people can be on this plane?" ”

Zhao Dashao said with a smile: "It was originally able to seat 20 people, but my internal space has been renovated, and now it can only seat 8 people." ”

Lakers players are secretly alarmed that most private helicopters are single-engine light and can only seat 2-4 passengers. A small number of local tyrants and companies use aircraft, which may be twin-engine medium-sized, but generally can seat 6-8 passengers.

This kind of helicopter that can accommodate 20 people is bound to be heavy, and it is rarely used for commercial use, and it is basically used as a military transport aircraft of various countries, or for sea rescue.

"Boss...... No, I mean Evan...... That one...... I ......"

Falma was obviously used to it, as soon as the word "boss" came out, he knew that the problem was very big, and hurriedly looked at the "real boss" on the side, Kobe Bryant's face was really difficult to see.

Kobe snorted coldly and said, "There's nothing to sit on in the helicopter, this guy has a superboat, go to his place tonight, you can bring your wife and girlfriend with you." ”

Zhao Dashao hurriedly signaled that it was no problem, he had already met Lao Yu, Odom, and Bynum, but it was the first time he had met international players like Gasol and Rademanovic, and he stepped forward to greet the Spaniards first.

"Hi Paul, you can call me Evan."

"Hello Evan, I've seen you play in Summer League, it's great!"

Gasol is not a player who bullies newcomers, but he is likely to be bullied by newcomers.

At this moment, when I saw Zhao Dashao talking very well, my first impression was that this new teammate was very good.

"I've been to Spain to see bullfighting, but I haven't been to Catalonia yet, maybe I'll go and enjoy the beautiful scenery next summer."

"It's definitely a good idea, there's a lot to see in Catalonia, if you're visiting, remember to call me and I can be your guide,"

Gasol was not difficult to get along with, and the two quickly established a good impression of each other.

Zhao Dashao did not ignore the other players, he had already asked Bynum to come to his house to play bowling once, and he could compete again tonight.

Wharton was very interested in Zhao Dashao's training materials, and he also said that he could copy a copy of the materials in the future, which was not a problem.

After meeting with Zhao Dashao, Fisher once again thanked the doctor he had introduced to his daughter.

Lao Yu's beloved daughter was diagnosed with cancer in her left eye last year, which is why he returned to Los Angeles, where the level of medical care is higher.

Zhao Dashao had introduced him to a new doctor before, and he also used his connections to get him several new medicines that were difficult to buy with money.

This is a big favor, Lao Yu is not bad for money, but he can't say that he has a lot of money.

This rare disease is not easy to treat with money, the key is that doctors and drugs are not easy to find, and this is beyond the scope of Lao Yu's ability, but he can make Lao Yu's daughter get a better treatment environment.

Soon, head coach Phil Jackson also came to the scene, and after a brief hello to the players, he left in a hurry, seemingly busy.

Kupchak also went to the scene after a while to make some brief explanations with the players, but most of the Lakers players are old rivers and lakes and don't need to be reminded too much, Kupchak mainly said a few more words to Zhao Dashao.

It can be seen that Zhao Dashao's popularity is not ordinarily good - the general manager is favored, the head coach appreciates it, and his teammates either recognize his ability or receive his favor, in short, everyone loves Zhao Dashao!

This is also reflected in the morning when taking makeup photos, Zhao Dashao in addition to taking pictures alone, whether it is a double shot, or a group of three or five people, even if the whole team shoots randomly, he can still get a good position, no matter how he stands, he can't do without the middle area.

In the end, the Lakers' official website used a photo of Kobe Bryant and Gasol sandwiched him in the middle as the homepage picture, which shows the importance of the team.

Kobe Bryant is not worried that Zhao Dashao will threaten his status, maybe in five or six years, his state will decline, and this kid will slowly replace him as the core of the team, but at that time he didn't care about these things.

This year, he stepped into the threshold of thirty, and he was more tolerant and steady, in fact, he hoped that Zhao Dashao could grow up faster, so that he could help him in his final peak.

This is also related to the time when Zhao Dashao joined, if he had joined the Lakers three years ago, I am afraid it would not have been so harmonious.

But at this time, Kobe Bryant was 30 years old, and Zhao Dashao was 18 years younger, and the difference between the two was a full ten.

Five years later, one of them is 35 years old and the other is 23 years old, no matter how you look at it, it is a perfect transition of handover.

After the Purple and Gold Army finished shooting the makeup photos, it was time for the afternoon media conference.

At this time of year, it can be brutal for some of the underdogs, because the media days of each team are on the same day, which can make the interview scene of some underdogs deserted.

Among the many teams that appeared today, the Lakers are undoubtedly the most dazzling.

Although there were no signings worth mentioning in the summer, as last year's runner-up, especially Kobe's stop at the meeting, it was enough to attract explosive attention.

Coupled with the Lakers' new appearance leader, Zhao Dashao, who is known as the heroic "money ability", the Lakers naturally attracted the most news media to the scene for interviews.

On the other hand, as the Lakers' rivals in the same city, the Clippers formed a stark contrast to the Lakers on today's media day, and there were few reporters present, which can be described as quite bleak!

Before attending the press conference, Zhao Dashao first met his agent Andy in the locker room, a young agent in his early forties, who finally negotiated his sneaker contract for five years and $20 million after a month.

This price is already a lot of reason, but Zhao Dashao is still not satisfied.

Andy said that he would continue to negotiate, but it would be better for Zhao Dashao to further prove his worth on the court.

The implication is that the strength he is showing now is only worth such a contract.

Zhao Dashao doesn't blame him, he is indeed worth the price now, but it will be different after the regular season starts.

As for why he is not short of money and cares, this is because the size of the contract of the sneakers is directly related to the status of the league.

So what he earns is not money, but his status in the alliance, and he can't let him go a step if he doesn't lack money.

Andy also wrote down a lot of interview highlights for him today, including several reporters who asked questions in advance, and he just followed the script when the time came.

Zhao Dashao knew that Andy was afraid that he would say the wrong thing, but when did he read it according to the script? It's absolutely impossible!

The Lakers' press conference was held in the afternoon, and a four-person photo of Kobe, Gasol, Zhao Dashao, and Bynum was posted on the spot, with the title: Present and Future.

Chinese fans pay more attention to Zhao Dashao's figure, everyone found that he and Kobe Bryant were not a few centimeters shorter when they stood together, but the body dimension was more than a lap smaller, but the body proportions and muscle lines were very beautiful, and at a glance, they knew that Zhao Dashao was full of explosiveness, and his speed and agility were definitely not bad.

Zhao Dashao has re-measured his height and weight at this time, and his barefoot height has risen to 193cm in recent months, but his weight is still only 175 pounds.

The Lakers coaching staff believes that this height must be increased to at least 190 pounds before he can be regarded as initially capable of confrontation, and now Zhao Dashao can only play on the fly.

Zhao Dashao didn't want to grow taller anymore, and if he was three or four centimeters taller, his speed and agility would be affected, and then the dislocation advantage would not be great.

Now he is more than five centimeters taller than more than 90% of point guards, his arm span is also beautiful, and his agility is no worse than Rose and Wei Shao, which makes up for his confrontation disadvantage a lot, which is equivalent to having a unique misalignment advantage in the No. 1 position, and it becomes embarrassing to grow taller.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the whole Lakers team came to the media conference site, where 500 reporters from all over the world were already seated, and the entire venue was densely packed with reporters and various shooting equipment.

Zhao Dashao came to the scene wearing the Lakers' home jersey for the new season, which is the style of the home jersey that has been fixed since 1999, a golden color and Adi logo jersey.

The jersey is the color worn by the Lakers at home, purple and white on the road, and the Lakers usually opt for purple.

Zhao Dashao himself prefers the purple away jersey, of course, this golden one is also good, but he thinks it is not as good as the purple one.

When the Chinese media saw Zhao Dashao playing behind Kobe, of course, they couldn't help but be excited.

Zhao Dashao passed the scandal with the international chapter some time ago, and even made the headlines of domestic portals.

At that time, the entire entertainment section was his news, and it seemed that the news heat when he won the Summer League MVP was less than one-tenth of the time when he slept with a female star.

But these media feel that the fly in the ointment is that Brother Sun did not play today, because the Lakers have to decide whether to implement a second-year contract based on his performance in the preseason, so they did not arrange a jersey for him at this time, and naturally he will not appear in the team's makeup photos like the original plane.

Zhao Dashao already has his own number, which is still the number 66 he wore in the summer league.

The on-site reporter quickly sensed everyone's status from the seat of the Lakers players, if the position of the makeup photo cannot explain the specific position of each person in the team, then the seat at this moment can definitely explain the problem to a certain extent.

The Zen master sat in the middle in a formal suit, and there was nothing to say about it.

Kobe Bryant and Gasol are on the left and right of the Zen master, and there is nothing wrong with that.

But Zhao Dashao sat next to Kobe Bryant, and Bynum sat next to Gasol, which is worth pondering.

Last season, Bryant was surrounded by the old fish, and Gasol's place was Odom sitting.

Now that Zhao Dashao is sitting in the position of the old fish, doesn't it mean that his status in the eyes of the Lakers has surpassed that of the old fish?

Fisher himself did not have any unhappiness, even if he didn't mention that he owed Zhao Dashao a favor, he would not be angry about this kind of thing.

Before Mr. Chairman was planted in a woman, his character has always been a model among NBA players, and no one could have guessed that he would be ruined because of a woman's wisdom.

Zhao Dashao was in good spirits, and he was already ready to deal with all kinds of difficulties for reporters.

But when the media conference began, not to mention that he was not asked at all in the first three questions, it was not until Gasol answered the fourth question that a reporter finally asked Zhao Dashao.

"Evan Magic, the Magic praised you this morning for being as talented as he was back then, how would you like to respond to the team's fame?"

"I ......"

Zhao Dashao's originally excited little face immediately drooped down when he heard the words.

This question was the one that Andy had written down on the little note he had just handed him, and it was obviously a scheduled question, and even TM had the answer.

"It's boring!"

Zhao Dashao completed his first question according to the prepared answer in advance, and his interest was not so high, because not only did he not see Joseph who cooperated with him, but he also didn't see the guys who always couldn't get along with him, and Duan Ran was his acquaintance in the first few rows, but it was difficult for him to quarrel with him, after all, he was a reporter sent by CCTV.

After that, there were a few questions that had nothing to do with him, but when I asked him, they were basically formula questions that he couldn't manipulate.

Now he understands that there is no way to complain on this kind of occasion, and it is estimated that those reporters who do not cooperate are arranged to the back, and of course it is not their turn to ask questions from five or six hundred people on the scene, and those reporters who can ask questions are all arranged routines in advance.

He guessed correctly, the Lakers basically didn't make any major changes in the summer, and the theme of today's press conference was "comeback", and there was basically no room for talk.

In the end, Duan Ran saw that he was about to fall asleep, and finally couldn't bear it, and asked him: "The main theme of the NBA in recent seasons is '23VS24', do you think 23 is powerful, or is 24 better?" ”

This question immediately made the Lakers feel uneasy and dissatisfied, because it was too sensitive, and Zhao Dashao could not answer well, and it was likely to mess up this media meeting.

Zhao Dashao suddenly came to his senses, at this moment he couldn't wait to stand on the table and answer, and said without thinking: "There is one minute left in the game, one side is ten points behind, Kobe Bryant will say, 'Give me the ball'; James will say, 'Come and organize the offense'; of course I won't say anything, but don't ask me why, but I still think Kobe Bryant is handsome." ”

The reporters in the audience laughed when they heard this, and at the same time they were surprised that this little guy really dared to speak, but wouldn't this offend his boss? Kobe Bryant's face is not very good-looking!

Kobe Bryant was stunned for a long time, and finally understood what he meant, and turned his head to Zhao Dashao with an angry look.

Zhao Dashao knows what that means, and the translation should be "mom sells batches"!

But he wasn't worried about Kobe Bryant's grudge at all, and in the happy double row for more than a month, he even almost got into a fight with the boss once.

But whether it's a small friction or a big friction, it basically doesn't need to be forgotten the next day.

In the end, either Lao Ke asked him to continue training, or he asked Lao Ke to eat together, in short, there was no overnight feud at all!

Duan Ran knew Zhao Dashao very well, so he asked again: "Your answer is very ...... Youngster! Well, I describe it so please don't be upset, but the question I asked was 23VS24 and you didn't give an answer. ”

Zhao Dashao was a little more serious this time, and said with a smile: "Actually, I think '23VS24' is destined to not be staged, just like the 8th and 23rd in the past, one of them is in his most glorious years, and the other has just emerged." And when the other entered his prime, the former was already in the twilight of his hero's life. So such a showdown is destined to not be staged, but it is precisely this kind of regret that makes us remember it for a long time. This question could be asked again in ten years, but then it was not 23VS24, but 66VS23. ”

Zhao Dashao began to wave again, and his words caused the entire venue to fall into an uproar!

But no matter how unacceptable these words are now, if you look back a few years later, you will find that this year, the 03 generation is in its prime, the 96 generation is old and strong, and the new generation is just starting out, which can really be regarded as an epoch-making season, and it is also the beginning of a new era.