After Yao Ming was traded to the Bulls, the big names in the free market have basically settled.

In addition to these known, several other things that have attracted more attention are:

The Knicks signed Stoudemire with a five-year, $100 million max contract after the Bamboo Basket ran out of steam;

After a period of tug-of-war, Ray Allen finally agreed to renew his contract with the Celtics with a 2-year, 20 million contract;

Bryant, Nowitzki, Joe Johnson, Rudy Gay and others all stayed on their respective teams;

David Lee was poached by the Warriors on a four-year, $64 million contract;

Tyson Chandler opted to execute his player contract and was subsequently sent to the Mavericks by the Bobcats in exchange for trade chips led by Eric Dampier.

These are the same as Xu Yong's knowledge.

What's different: Boozer signed with the Pacers for 5 years and 80 million, and in order to free up salary space, the Pacers sent Mike Dunleavy to the Bucks with a draft pick;

Then there was a series of operations by the Bulls.

After completing the trade with the Rockets, the Bulls did not choose to fill the strong forward position.

As Thibodeau said when he communicated with Foreman, he wants to play a big and four small lineup in the new season, so he is more inclined to strengthen the perimeter.

So the first target of their follow-up reinforcement is Ray Allen, whom Thibodeau has previously worked with.

Unfortunately, after some exchanges, although Ray Allen had a disagreement with the team, he felt that this was not the right time to leave.

After failing to sign Ray Allen, the Bulls immediately used a three-year, 9.5 million contract to acquire Celtics veteran Tony Allen, who also worked with Thibodeau.

Allen, the Celtics' 2004 first-round pick, is athletic, physical, and often dunks.

In his junior year, he successfully made the start, and handed over the data of averaging 11.5 points, 3.8 boards, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

However, injuries ruined him, and after a dunk sprained knee, he lost his athleticism and was gradually marginalized with the Celtics.

Later, the addition of Thibodeau helped Allen transform into a defensive player and gain a foothold in the Celtics.

However, because of his limited role on the offensive end, he has not been reused by the Celtics.

This time, Thibodeau signed him because he knew his skills on the defensive end.

And it's a normal market price, and the value of a functional defensive player in free agency is limited.

And Allen's choice of the Bulls, in addition to Thibodeau, the reinvention mentor, is also the starting position that the Bulls promised him, which can give him the opportunity to play his own value.

In Yao Ming's previous transaction, the Bulls still had 8 million left in their 21 million salary space, and there were about 5 million left after this wave of operations.

They were going to use this contract to keep Kwame Brown, who performed well in the playoffs last season, but the Celtics offered Brown a two-year, $15 million contract.

It's clear that Brown made a lot of money in the playoffs last season, and there's no shortage of people like him who have size and defense.

As for the Celtics, Perkins was seriously injured in the Finals against the Lakers last season, and the Celtics urgently need to replenish the interior, and because Pierce and Ray Allen can both be renewed, they can get this contract.

Anji: You dig me a hoe, and I return you a hoe, right?

However, after Angie poached Brown, someone on the Bulls' side had already taken the initiative to vote.

O'Neal left the Cavaliers and agreed to a two-year contract with the Bulls with a base salary option for the second year.

This is something different from the history that Xu Yong knows, O'Neill's history is the Celtic who went to the base salary this year.

But this is essentially no difference, and the big shark at the end of his career just wants to hug his thigh once and win as many championships as Kobe.

And the Bulls still have Yao Ming, who is sympathetic to him, and Xu Yong, who he praised last season, and now that Brown has a chance to leave, he actually doesn't have to think too much.

It doesn't hurt for the Bulls to sign O'Neal with a base salary, because it doesn't even take up salary space.

And the Bulls also chose to keep that salary space first, and then use the full middle class to get the Jazz shooter Kyle Korver for 15 million in 3 years.

Although Bill Walker played well last season, his injury concerns are too great, and the team needs to have a consistent three-point strategy.

After these operations, the Bulls core roster is basically already there.

Starters: Ross + Tony Allen + Xu Yong + Artest + Yao Ming;

Subs: Hinrich + Korver + James Johnson + Ty Gibson + O'Neal.

This lineup is obviously a notch better than last season, and the defense that Thibodeau wants, that is, the starting bench is all full.

Especially the starter, Kobe frowned when he saw it, James turned his head and gave the ball to Wade when he saw it, and said that you are the boss of the team.

As for the back, they only need to make good use of the remaining 5 million salary space and continue to strengthen.

When Xu Yong saw a series of news related to the Bulls, he was a little surprised.

Because the team not only sent away Noah, but also sent Deng away.

Mo Dog is still a dog, knowing that if the Bulls really win the championship, they will definitely be sprayed, and they will weaken the strength of the Bulls in different ways.

However, it is also thanks to the fact that the head coach of the Bulls is Thibodeau, who has dug a good corner of the Celtics.

It's just that he signed Allen, and he also knows that Thibodeau is really going to play one big and four next season.

That way, he'll have to play small forward most of the time.

In other words, he's going to gain weight?

However, weight gain was inevitable, because he knew how terrifying James' weight would be in the new season.

That's 120 kilograms directly, and the deceleration shoes on the field can draw two black marks on the ground.

Of course, he can't add that kind of weight, one is that James's physical fitness is perverted to dare to play like this, even if he doesn't get hurt, he loses so much flexibility and flexibility, and the gains outweigh the losses;

The second is also more important, he doesn't have that time, James doesn't play in the World Championships, it took the whole offseason, even the first half of the regular season to get used to the new weight, and he doesn't have that much time.

Of course, how much weight he gained, those were after playing the World Championships, and now, his focus is still on the World Championships.

When the time came to late July, Xu Yong was ready to return to China ahead of schedule.

He didn't immediately go to the national team's joint training, but to participate in the league's instruction and AJ's brand trip to China.

In addition to him, there are Wade, who has just formed the Heat's Big Three, and Carmelo Anthony, the star of the Nuggets and AJ's current top player.

This wave of AJ can be said to have sent its strongest triumvirate lineup, which is obviously to build momentum for Xu Yong's signature shoes in the future.

Before getting on the plane, Wade chatted with Xu Yong for a few words, but when he got on the plane, Wade sat down with Anthony to chat.

Speaking of which, the 03 generation really has a good relationship with James, Wade and Anthony, and counting their little brother Paul, they are the future banana boat brothers.

If it weren't for Anthony's greed for money and his first contract with the Nuggets for an extra year, the Heat Big Three would have nothing to do.

Xu Yong didn't care about this, a person didn't have to be polite, it was cleaner for him, and he hadn't returned to China for a long time, so he was a little homesick.

I slept on the plane, and when I woke up, it was almost there.

The first stop of their trip to China was Shanghai, and when the plane began to descend and the city silhouette could be seen gradually, Xu Yong's heart could not hide his excitement.

Sure enough, the NBA or something is just work, or it feels good to be at home.

When the flying general landed at the airport and walked out to hear the familiar country sounds in his ears from time to time, the feeling became even stronger.

But just as he was about to have a cordial hug with his hometown, he was startled by the scene at the exit of the airport.

It's really shocking, that dense Quante is a person, you can't see the edge at a glance, and even the road in the distance is blocked.

Wade and Anthony looked around after getting off the plane and looked around, the two of them were also chatting non-stop, but they were also scared when they came out at this time.

It's not the first time they've come to China, they've been with the Dream Team once before the BJ Olympics.

If you want to talk about this scene, they saw something similar when they followed Kobe out of the bus.

No, even then it wasn't that exaggerated.

Obviously, these Chinese fans can't be here for them.

And the slogan of the friend holding up the trash can in the distance is eye-catching enough, of course, the friend on the tree hangs the sign upside down is even more eye-catching.

Xu Yong took a deep breath, he actually didn't do psychological construction, but the enthusiasm of the fans at this moment was still beyond his imagination.

Of course, the security personnel on site were prepared for a long time.

What are you kidding, Xu Yong's popularity in China now is phenomenal!

Don't talk about Yao Ming, Yao Ming can only avoid his edge.

A Chinese striker swingman with a strong ball style and handsome looks won the best rookie and completed the black eight, no one can compare to him.

This has even broken the circle.

Xu Yong came to the guardrail and reached out to clap hands with the fans, these people in the front row must have been waiting here for a long time.

When he got to a place where there were a little fewer people and it was safe and controllable, he stopped to sign them.

Wade and Anthony, who were behind them, hesitated for a moment, but still followed.

Although in terms of the NBA card, none of them is bigger than Xu Yong's coffee position, but this is Xu Yong's home court, and they can't compare at all.

The fans who didn't get Xu Yong's autograph only noticed Wade and Anthony at this time, and also took Xu Yong's jersey and shoes to ask them for autographs.

Wade and Anthony glanced at each other, smiled wryly, and signed them anyway.

Because of the enthusiasm of the fans, they stayed at the airport for more than an hour.

By the time they left, there were even a lot of fans chasing the bus.

Looking at the madness of the fans, Xu Yong waved his hand to signal them to stop chasing, and at the same time, he was also sure that his decision to play the World Championships was right.

For players, there is a difference between the glory of the Olympics and the World Championships, but for the fans, as long as the national team participates in international competitions, the difference is not so big.

Their activity schedule was very tight, and the bus did not go to the hotel but went directly to the event site.

The event was held in the Jiangwan Stadium, and the stadium was already filled with more than 3,000 fans, and there were fans outside the stadium.

The security at the site is also of a high standard, so although there are many people, the order is not chaotic.

It can also be seen from this that the reason why some activities are chaotic on the spot, and even the events are forced to be canceled, is fundamentally because they do not know enough about the players' coffee positions and choose the wrong place for the event.

After entering the event site, the stands all held up various signs and big cards related to Xu Yong.

What kind of AJ activity is this, it is clearly Xu Yong's personal fan meeting!

Wade and Anthony only smiled wryly before they realized that Stern had assigned them a job as bodyguards this year.

Fortunately, Xu Yong still understands the world very well, and after the event started, he intentionally or unintentionally brought the topic to Wade and Anthony, which made the two feel a lot better.

The event went very smoothly, the three-point contest, the dunk contest, and then the national youth players played against each other, teaching lucky fans some basketball skills or something.

At the end, there was also an interactive session for fans in the stands to ask questions.

The beginning went smoothly, until a fan picked up the microphone and asked a question, which caused a burst of heckling from the fans at the scene.

The object of this fan's question is Wade: "As a superstar who led the team to the fifth place in the East last season, you chose to join forces with a team of one defense, last season's MVP James, what do you think?" ”

After asking this question, the translator was stunned and didn't know how to translate it.

Although Wade can't understand Chinese, the MVP, and the James pronunciation that can probably be guessed, has begun to be a little embarrassed.

Xu Yong didn't help to solve the siege at this time, he felt good about Wade, but even if he knew about it in advance as a rebirth, he still felt very ashamed.

Seeing this, the moderator could only skip this question.

But someone started to do it, and the style of the questions that followed gradually began to be crooked.

"James is the MVP, aren't you worried that he will steal your position as the team leader when he comes?"

"Do you think taking such a shortcut to winning the championship will add to your career?"

"Have you ever wondered what to do if you lose the title?"

Seeing that the situation was out of control, the organizers could only end this link hastily.

Wade pursed his lips at this time, probably because he didn't expect to run to the other side of the ocean, or he would inevitably be tortured.

He hasn't played a single game, and I don't know if he's starting to regret his compromise a little.

After the event, they went back to the hotel to rest for a while, and in the evening, they went to a party together.

The party is entertainment, and beautiful women are indispensable, of course, there are more domestic insiders.

In this place where Messi has to toast when he comes, you can't hide.

Xu Yong coped for a while and found an opportunity to sit on the sofa in the corner to rest.

But not long after sitting down, Zhang Minji came over.

"There is one who does foreign trade, he is the sponsor and coordinator of our national team's European training, and he is your die-hard fan, and I want to meet you."

Xu Yong originally frowned, but when he heard the coordination of the national team or something, he still nodded.

Not long after, Zhang Minji led a Chinese in his thirties over, with a good temperament, but his skin was a little dark, and he knew at a glance that he was running foreign trade.

"I've seen a real person." The other party was very enthusiastic as soon as he came up, and directly held Xu Yong's hand.

Xu Yong was surprised for a moment, and smiled and motioned for the other party to sit down and chat.

"Whether I'm in Africa or Slovenia, as long as it's your game, no matter how busy I am, I have to find time to watch it, I'm really excited." After the other party sat down, he also realized that it was a little abrupt just now, and explained with a smile.

Xu Yong glanced at the other party in surprise at this time, doing foreign trade at home, running Africa and the Balkans, this person has something.

"I haven't introduced myself yet, my name is Xu Jiming, and we are still our own family." The other person then introduced himself.

are all surnamed Xu, which has shortened the distance between the two a lot.

The two chatted quickly, and Xu Yong also got to know more about this fan.

This is also an inspirational person, before the age of twenty, he followed the foreign trade abroad, first in the Balkans, and then he went to Africa when the country invested in Africa, and he was still a basketball fanatic, and he was a fan of the golden generation of the national men's basketball team when he was a teenager.

Money, love, and a network of connections make him a very special bond.

"I was there at the '08 Olympics and I knew you were going to be a star in the NBA." Xu Jiming said and pulled up his suit, revealing the No. 6 Bulls jersey he wore inside, and then his No. 23 jersey at Arizonada State University, and even his No. 23 jersey at Bush High School at the bottom.

Xu Yong was stunned directly, and then took the initiative to get up and give the other party a hug.

Now Xu Yong has no resistance at all, and they talk about more things.

"I've felt a lot over the years in the Balkans and Africa, you should know Rwanda, right?"

Xu Yong nodded, the Rwanda Hotel, the movie starring Don Cheadle, is the "war machine" in Marvel.

"On Kigali Street in the capital, young men with Durant's stature run all over the streets, with narrow shoulders, long arm spans, and long legs, but the place is poor, there is not enough to eat, and there is no talent to play basketball." Xu Jiming said with emotion.

Xu Yong nodded, unlike many people who think that they are lazy and lazy, there are actually a lot of Odebiao in that part of Africa, just because they have no sovereignty, they can only export the cheapest raw materials, and they are sucked by Western countries all year round, and food and clothing are always the first problem.

But Mutombo, Lore Deng, and Bamot show that there is no shortage of talent in that place.

"And then on the Balkan side, although there are not necessarily those people in Africa who are talented, but they got rich early, and they already have a set of cultivated basketball system, so their results have been very stable."

Xu Jiming is not wrong, before the disintegration, Yugoslavia was the only team that could fight against the Dream Team, and even if it disintegrated, it was a world basketball power.

However, Xu Yong looked at Xu Jiming, and he didn't quite understand what he wanted to say.

"I mean, there is actually no shortage of people who play basketball in our country, but there is a lack of training methods, I see that because of you, there are already many children who go to the United States to play, but to be honest, only those with good physical fitness can have a chance there, and more can only rot in China."

"You mean, it's going to Europe?" Xu Yong now understood what Xu Jiming wanted to say.

"Yes, those people in Africa who want to play are more actually immigrants to Europe, if we also have children to send to Europe, there is a great opportunity for training, and they talk about tactical literacy, and the players they cultivate have spirituality." Xu Jiming nodded.

"I've always wanted to sponsor some kids to play in the Balkans, but we don't trust European basketball very much right now." Xu Jiming continued.

Xu Yong couldn't help but laugh when he heard this and looked at Xu Jiming.

What Xu Jiming said coincided with what he had thought before.

In fact, Chinese basketball does not lack an inside line, the most lacking is the guard, except for a few people such as Hu Weidong, everyone else plays international competitions are all soft-footed shrimp, no confrontation, no shooting, and the ball is not lucky.

On the contrary, Europe is out of the back.

As fans often say, the United States has cultivated four quarterbacks, but it can't produce Ginobili.

You know, Ginobili is not European, he is an Argentine who plays in Europe.

And not only one Ginobili, but also those European defenders are not much better physically, but they are all more demonic than the other.

So in fact, this should involve a counterpart problem, if you leave the inner line in China to cultivate, and then send the talented forward to the United States, the guard to Europe, and finally the same as the group Gundam, and then pull together to play the national team, then the strength of the men's basketball team is not bad.

(End of chapter)