Zhou Quan said with a smile: "Da Meng didn't make an appointment with me, the postman contacted my agent with Larry Johnson and Oakley.

The postman used to say that he was going to fight me in a boxing game publicly, but he has not contacted my agent further at this time, and the fight has not been finalized, perhaps because the Jazz are playing the playoffs, or maybe he still has concerns and is not clear. ”

The assassin said disdainfully, "Fight you openly? It must be that he is afraid of being beaten by you again and losing face again. ”

"Haha, I think Isaiah is right."

"The others must be the same reason, how can they have the confidence to win against Iron Fist you?"

"If it's me, I'll fight quietly, and then make it public when I win."

"What if I lose? It's not the same shame, do you think Iron Fist has a duty to keep it secret for them? ”

After spending half an hour in the locker room, Zhou Quan went to the post-match press conference with the Assassin and Joe Dumas.

"Isaiah, is it true that Iron Fist has reaffirmed you as one of the leaders of the Pistons?" A reporter asked.

"Yes."

"What agreement did you come to?"

'There's no agreement, we work together for the team, we work together, that's it.'

"Iron Fist, what does this Eastern Conference Final Series mean to you?"

"I see the peak we need to cross in the future, and then we need to climb up step by step, the wind and snow can't stop us, and I believe that after unremitting efforts, we will finally have the opportunity to stand on that peak and trample him under our feet."

"The peak you are referring to, is it Michael Jordan?"

"No, I'm talking about the Bulls, because without the right helper, he's always just the scoring champion and can't win the championship."

"Iron Fist, how did you plan your future? Well, I mean, do you want to be an offensive point guard like the Assassins, and I know the Pistons definitely want you to be that point guard, or is it a playmaking guard who is primarily about passing? The next reporter asked.

This question made Zhou Quan unable to answer for a while, because the reporter was right, the Pistons management and coaching staff had always wanted him to be the next assassin, and this is indeed how he was trained.

In the main lineup, he has a lot of ball possession, there are some restrictions ahead, and Joe Dumas can still control some of the ball, but from the middle and late stages of the regular season until the just-concluded Eastern Conference finals, he is basically in control, which is why he can play All-Star statistics.

In terms of shots, when he had fewer shots before, he thought he had too few shots, so he tried to increase his shots.

However, this is different from the position he has given himself before, and there is a conflict, and he wants to become a traditional point guard like John Stockton after getting the system and having a full-level panoramic vision.

When Big Bird Larry Bird told him that the scoring champion will always shine more than the assist leader, he didn't recognize it at all.

However, losing the Eastern Conference Finals this time touched him a lot, even very much, and made him change his mind a little.

While Michael Jordan stepped up time and time again to score for the team, the Pistons didn't have such a turner, including him.

There used to be, and the Assassins scored 25 points in a single quarter of the Finals, which made him an idol for Detroit, but now there are none.

"I'm sorry, I can't answer your question right now, because I'll discuss it with the management coaching staff next."

After the press conference, Troy Weaver and Zhou Quan made an appointment to discuss some questions about the future at headquarters tomorrow.

He is the boss of the team, and he has the right to participate in these discussions, and he has the obligation to make his own suggestions, a position that the Assassins and Ranbir did not have before.

Back in the locker room, with the sorted bag on his back, Zhou Quan said goodbye to his teammates one by one, and said goodbye in the new season.

Some of these teammates should leave the Pistons, and perhaps some will say goodbye to the NBA league forever, and they will be eliminated.

When they got home, it was half past two in the morning, and Catherine was woken up by him, and then the two began to do some indescribable irritating behavior, and tossed and turned until dawn.

At noon on the 30th, Zhou Quan and Catherine got up from bed, the girl hurriedly made lunch, and after eating, she began to pack her luggage, book a plane ticket or something, and Zhou Quan drove to the headquarters.

Coming to headquarters, McCloskey and Troy Weaver, as well as Chuck Daley, are waiting for him.

"Zhou, starting today, I am officially retired, and I hope that you and Troy will work together in the future, and I also hope that you will have a comfortable and happy life in Detroit."

"Jack, thank you for bringing me to Detroit, where I feel valued and it's important to me. We wish you a happy retirement and hope you will come back often. ”

The old man McCloskey said goodbye to Zhou Quan, and then left in style.

"Mr. Davis asked him out, and they have a good relationship." Troy Weaver sent McCloskey out the door and said enviously when he returned.

"Now this office is yours, congratulations, Troy." Chuck Daly said.

"Congratulations, Troy." Zhou Quan also sent his congratulations.

Troy Weaver said happily, "Thank you, we work together. ”

Daley shrugged his shoulders, moved his body sunken in the sofa, and shook his head, "Troy, I'm old too." ”

"No, no, no......"

Hearing this, Weaver hurriedly shook his head and said, "Chuck, I just took over this position, you can't pick it right away." ”

Chuck Daly didn't take Weaver, he really felt old, and said, "Don't worry, I'm not going to retire right away, I'm going to have to work for another two years." ”

"That's great, thank you, Chuck." Weaver breathed a sigh of relief.

"Troy, what are you going to talk about when you asked me over today?" Zhou Quan asked.

"There are some things that need to be communicated to you."

Weaver added some coffee to the two of them, sat down and said: "First of all, in terms of the lineup, we definitely have to bring in some young people, young people with momentum, but how to adjust the main lineup, I need your advice." ”

Zhou Quan didn't speak, although Troy invited him over, he was self-aware, and this was just a sign of respect for him.

After all, he is just a rookie, his strength and qualifications are not enough, and he was pushed up by the management, he is still in the training period, if he really makes random suggestions, he will definitely not be liked by Weaver, and even Chuck Daley will not be happy.

Moreover, he doesn't understand this kind of thing very well, and he can't provide any valuable advice, and today he only comes out of his ears, not his mouth.

So Troy Weaver only looked at Chuck Daley, and he didn't expect Zhou Quan to give him any good advice.

In fact, he didn't even want Daley to dictate him in terms of the lineup, but Daley's status in the Pistons was too high, and he had just taken over, and his foundation was unstable, so he had to ask Daley's opinion, which was the same as his status as the boss who respected Zhou Quan.

Chuck Daley pondered for a while and said: "Dennis is in some trouble now, the divorce official Sima Shang will proceed, he will definitely lose a lot of money, and he may go bankrupt." ”

"Maybe Madonna is willing to pay for it." Zhou Quan teased.

"Haha......"

The office erupted in laughter.

Chuck Daly rubbed his stomach and smiled, "Okay, the joke has passed, let's get down to business." Dennis has two years left on his contract, and both he and Zhou will renegotiate after two years. Zhou, you're definitely not going to execute a fourth-year contract, are you? ”

Zhou Quan smiled and said: "It depends on the situation, I haven't considered the next contract yet, it's a little too early." ”

Troy Weaver smiled: "Iron Fist, even if you don't think about it, we have to consider renewing your contract early, you deserve the team's actions." ”

"It's an encouragement to me."

Zhou Quan smiled and nodded.

Detroit's economic environment is not good, the economy is starting to decline, more and more middle class and whites are leaving, and although he has considered one person, one city, the fact is that the players have a lot of passivity.

The core of the Assassins' two-game winning championship for the Pistons could have been traded, and in fact, if they hadn't reconciled with him, the Assassins would have been put on the shelf.

So for the future, his idea is not to stick to the concept of one person and one city, because he will also be injured and old, and he may not be able to achieve results, and he is very likely to be put on the shelf.

This league is a commercial league, everything is business, there is no real non-sale, the owner requires the players to be loyal to the team, but once the players lose their value, they immediately abandon the players who are loyal to them, so in fact there is no real reciprocal loyalty in the NBA, only the unilateral loyalty of the players to the team.

It's hard to find a loyal owner, and unless the player's departure would be a huge loss to the team, there is no one who cannot be traded.

Weaver then said to Daley, "Chuck, I know you have a good relationship with Dennis, do you want him to stay?" ”

"Of course, we also need him defensively and rebounding." Chuck Daly nodded.

Weaver nodded, but didn't talk about it again, instead said, "So Chuck, do you have any other suggestions for the lineup?" ”

"John Sely and Dennis are not in the gymnastics and I would like to see a little bit more thickness on the inside," Daley said. ”

Speaking of which, he asked, "John's contract is over, right?" ”

Weaver nodded, "The team doctor told me that his toes will not fully recover and that there will definitely be frequent problems in the future, and I plan to give up on him." ”

"Is that so?"

Chuck Daley has some regrets, although John Sely's offensive ability is not good, but the defense is still good.

Zhou Quan heard that Weaver was going to give up Sailly, and he didn't speak.

John Sely's toe was injured by his step, but it wasn't his fault, and Weaver was going to give up on him, and he could only express regret.

Daley added: "In the third position, Ulrich's style of play is still too monotonous, and there is no defense, if I can find someone who shoots better and defends better, I think it will be better." ”

"I'll think about it." Weaver said.

Daley went on to talk about the back line, saying: "Attacking and defending, Iron Fist and Joe Dumas' lineback line is certainly the best combination in the league, and that's where we have the strengths.

If we want to win against the Bulls, the most practical and probable thing to do, in addition to trying to build a better interior line, is to continue to tap into the potential of the guard line. ”

Speaking of this, Zhou Quan immediately sat up straight, because this question involved the question of his development direction.

Weaver said, "Chuck, what do you think?" ”

Daley looked at Zhou Quan and said, "Of course, I hope that Zhou can become the next assassin, and he can stand up when we need him the most."

Zhou, what are your thoughts on this? It's been a season and we have to make the right decisions, not only for the future of the team, but also for you. ”

Weaver also nodded: "Zhou, I think this is the best, the assassin should be your template, not John Stockton."

Actually, I don't like John Stockton because he doesn't have the ability to step up and solve problems at critical moments, whereas the Assassins do. ”

Zhou Quan took two sips of the coffee cup, and then said: "For the sake of the team, I think your opinions should be respected. ”

Of course, this is just a face, in fact, this Eastern Conference Finals series has made him realize that if he does not have the ability to stand up at critical moments, he will never be able to become a real superstar, and it is even more impossible for a supergiant.

After Abdul-Jabbar was injured, Magic was able to play the center position in the most critical G6 game of the finals, scoring 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists, and led the team to win the championship.

With this game alone, the magician is associated with the word greatness.

Now the media unanimously believes that he is not as good as the Magic in the rookie period, even if he played 20+10 data in the playoffs, he is not as good as the Magic, in fact, he agrees, very much.

"That's great."

Daly and Weaver looked at each other and smiled, the answer they wanted most from hearing it.

Daley added: "Zhou, I used to think that you might not have enough offensive talent, but the playoffs, especially this round of the Eastern Conference Finals series, made me realize that I was wrong in my previous thinking, that you can develop offensive ability. ”

Zhou Quan nodded and said: "In the No. 1 position, without changing defenses, as long as my offensive skills are more mature, my offensive ability will be further improved."

But if I run into Michael Jordan, once I'm on the same page against him, I'm going to need a lot more variety to break down his defense. ”

"Zhou, don't worry, you still need time to grow. If you can increase your speed a little bit and break through a little faster, I think it will be more threatening. Chuck Daly said.

Zhou Quan said cautiously: "This is exactly where I am going, I will further reduce the weight to 90 kilograms in the off-season, and then stabilize above this tonnage." ”

Chuck Daly smiled: "That's very good, 90 kilograms of tonnage, you will be healthier, but in the first position it is still a heavy tank, and the speed can be further improved, your impact will not actually decrease, even more than the 95 kilogram period." ”

After spending two hours at headquarters, Zhou Quan left, officially ending his rookie season and entering the offseason.

Back at home, Catherine had already booked her ticket for tomorrow morning, and her luggage was all packed.

Zhou Quan contacted Rodman and said that they would go to Los Angeles together.

"Sorry, Iron Fist, I'm already in Los Angeles, Madonna sent a private jet to pick me up." As soon as the phone rang, Rodman's heartless voice rang over there.

"You bastard, be careful not to die in Madonna's belly." He laughed and scolded.

"A pervert who doesn't care about his family. Zhou, will you become such a person in the future? As soon as he hung up the phone, he heard Catherine say this to him.

"Of course not, we Chinese people value the family more than the blacks, nor you whites, we can give everything for the family." Zhou Quan hurriedly said.

Catherine stared at him for a moment, then suddenly sighed irritably, and nestled in the couch without speaking.

In the afternoon, Zhou Quan and Philip came to Ford's headquarters.

Last year, Ford offered him a $500,000 sponsorship contract, and now Ford has offered him a three-year sponsorship contract to endorse one of Ford's latest off-road vehicles.

Five million dollars for three years, in this era, and in the era of the declining auto industry in Detroit, is a very large contract.

Of course, this is also because of his excellent performance in the playoffs, his excellent performance against Michael Jordan in the Eastern Conference finals series, and also because he is the boss of the Pistons, which allowed him to get this sponsorship contract.

The leader of a team, in the city where the team is located, is destined to get a lot of attention and some commercial income, which is why everyone wants to be the leader and boss of the team.

In addition to Ford's endorsement contract, Philip also helped him take on several other contracts, but they were not large, adding up to more than a million dollars.

If he hadn't played against Jordan, as a yellow man, he wouldn't have had a chance to get those contracts.

(End of chapter)