Chapter 127: The off-season is also crazy

Before the start of the 2002 draft, Yao Shu traveled to the United States and completed a perfect tryout under the watchful eyes of executives and scouts from 28 NBA clubs.

Then, the draft officially began.

After watching Yao Shu's perfect trial, the Rockets did not hesitate to choose him with the top pick.

After that, there was no change from the top eye to the ninth pick.

Then, the Bucks sent the Wizards' No. 10 pick in the Yu Fei trade, and the Wizards took the option to select Jared Jeffries SF/PF/C, known as "Yu Fei II".

"He's taller than Fry, he's more athletic, he's got a lot more projection." Rod Higgins, assistant general manager for the Wizards, said, "I wouldn't be surprised if he played better than Frye in the NBA. ”

Yu Fei would not be angry because of this kind of comment.

In his opinion, in addition to being similar to his body size and all-round skills, the most important thing is that his Indian University created a super upset in March Madness this year, knocking out top seed Duke. Jeffries chipped in 24 points and 15 rebounds in this game, which was arguably the best of the game.

As a North Carolina who treats Duke as an enemy, Jordan has no reason not to like the Duke killer.

Of course, soon Jordan will have a reason.

For example, when Jeffries entered the NBA, he didn't perform as well as Yu Fei, or even far worse.

Then Jordan will have countless reasons to be violent against him.

And the name is still to "shape" him, as for whether he can withstand the pressure, that is not something that Yu Fei needs to care about.

Yu Fei focused on the draft mainly to know who the Bucks chose with the second-round pick.

This year, the Bucks have the 41st pick in the second round.

When it falls into this position, the team will basically choose instant combat power.

On the eve of the draft, general manager Larry Harris called to ask for Yu Fei's advice.

But Yu Fei really didn't know who could be chosen in this position, so he gave a vague suggestion: "You can shoot three points, and you can play multiple positions." ”

This suggestion brought Harris to Carl.

Carl's idea is similar to Yu Fei's.

And Harris and Carl don't have a good relationship.

Because Carl is the kind of person who likes to put problems in the face, if the top can't solve his problems, he will talk out. Harris has been forced to come under pressure from the coaching staff since he became the Bucks' general manager.

Over time, the Bucks' coaching staff and management began to wear out.

Therefore, if Carl wants to be able to shoot three-pointers and play multiple positions, then he has to choose one that can't shoot three-pointers and can't play multiple positions.

The Bucks selected Lonny Baxter PF/C with the 41st pick in the second round.

This person will remind Yu Fei of a "happy" rookie time.

A barefoot 203 cm insider, although he weighs enough, he can't run fast or jump high, and this is likely to lead to his rebounding ability, which is considered a merit in the NCAA, in the NBA to be severely weakened.

Judging from his current skills, the only thing he can adapt to the NBA is the card position and pick-and-roll.

Yu Fei actually doesn't care who the team chooses, the 41st pick in the second round is originally to touch the gold, and if you choose it, you will earn it, and if you can't choose it, you will admit it.

And Karl is focusing on the Dream Team training camp, which is why Harris can be independent in the draft this year.

If Carl had been there, it would have been different.

It's just that some unexpected things still happened outside the court, which is related to Yao Shu.

Although the NBA has been waiting for Yao Shu for three consecutive years, there are always some people in the world who "am I the only one who thinks so".

ESPN columnist Bill Simmons openly disparaged Yao, writing in his annual NBA draft diary: "Someday, we'll look back at Yao Shu the same way we look back at Sam Bowe." ”

He also wrote, "Under the best-case scenario, Yao Ming can grow into a bigger, more robust Rick Schmitz." All right. But when you consider Yao Ming's adaptation (from China to the United States – two completely different cultures), his style of play is weak (what happens when NBA players start hitting him, pushing him, intimidating him?). He can't play low in the NBA, he can't adapt to the way Americans play, and we expect too much from him, it's inevitable how to adapt to the highest level of competition, NBA players will go out of their way to dunk him (as they did with Sean Bradley – they ruined Sean's confidence), Yao also has to endure loneliness in a foreign country, language barriers, and political issues – I mean, is Houston ready? ”

What made Yu Fei angry the most was the passage where Simmons thought he was humorous.

After Yao Shu was selected by the Rockets as the top pick, TNT quickly cut the footage back to China's live broadcast room, where Yao Shu spent a minute expressing his thoughts and then the translator simply translated it as: "I have the confidence to learn from the NBA and improve myself." ”

Bill Simmons' translation is, "Thank God we made it." If you don't, you'll find a seven-foot-5-inch tall corpse hanging from a bunk bed. Thank God. Thank God. ”

"You think you're humorous? SHABI！ ”

Yu Fei sent a letter to Simmons' public mailbox.

Although it was only a short sentence, it was enough to show Yu Fei's anger.

Simmons not only didn't take it seriously, but also published Fei's letter in a feature article in the "Post" (1) in ESPN's special issue, and wrote: "A sense of humor is a good thing, I hope Frye has it, and if he can't understand, I can only say that there is a reason why he and MJ can't coexist." ”

This quickly turned into a war of words.

Yu Fei was preparing for his trip to Asia when he heard Simmons reply to him, and after reading the other party's article, he went directly to ESPN's columnist Bill Wharton for an exclusive interview.

Wharton gladly accepted.

Yu Fei sought out Wharton for the simple reason that they were friends, and Wharton, a columnist who openly showed his love for Yao, also disapproved of Bill Simmons' alleged sense of humor.

So although Yu Fei answered a lot of questions in the interview, what really matters is about the recent scolding battle between him and Simmons.

"What do you think of Bill saying you don't have a sense of humor?"

"If that's his sense of humor, I can only say that his mind is worthy of what the Celts have suffered since 1986."

Wharton's interview with Fei brought the incident to a climax after its publication, but Simmons did not respond, and Yu Fei began a Reebok-arranged trip to Asia in early July.

Yu Fei's first stop was Japan.

Somehow, Yu Fei's popularity in Japan is very high, because the Japanese media called him "the Rukawa of the rice country".

And Reebok naturally wants to turn this popularity into real benefits.

Yu Fei attended a large number of events during the week, and there were endless interviews every day. In the interview, Yu Fei finally found out what the Japanese like about him. Both handsomeness and skin color are secondary factors, the main factor being his famous "lower gram up" behavior.

Although Yu Fei is Asian, the Japanese seem to be "very set" in entertaining visiting NBA players, and they give Yu Fei "preferential treatment" according to the custom.

Yu Fei didn't say that he didn't like this kind of "preferential treatment", but obviously the other party didn't know him well and didn't prescribe the right medicine.

For example, I'm going to have Komi Minako before I exploded, but you arranged a star palace Ichika, isn't that a bit inappropriate?

What bothers Yu Fei the most is that he doesn't have the opportunity to play.

He wanted to play and had time to play, but he didn't have the field and training facilities.

So, when he left Japan, he asked Reebok's staff to prepare a practice field for themselves in South Korea and China.

"There's no way I can't go a month without playing!"

As Yu Fei proved his strength in his rookie season, Reebok's attention to him also continued to rise, and this small requirement could naturally be met.

Moreover, Lawson informed the South Korean side in advance this time, informed the other party of Yu Fei's likes and dislikes, and asked the other party to prepare.

In this way, Yu Fei continued his glamorous trip to Asia, during which there was no lack of self-discipline, but at the same time, the NBA was making waves.

Jerry West, who has been idle for a few years, officially came out of the mountains in mid-July and accepted an offer from the Memphis Grizzlies.

For West, this comeback is not timely, as the trade window that belongs to him has passed.

For the past month, he has been trying to persuade the Grizzlies owner to trade Sean Battier for the Wizards' Yu Fei, but the Grizzlies have not attempted an offer until the Bucks get their hands on it.

Because the boss doesn't want to get a rookie who even Jordan can't subdue.

Kevin Garnett's big contract left the Timberwolves unable to keep Chauncey Billups because they didn't want to pay the exorbitant luxury tax.

As a result, Billups has become a free-market slur.

The two teams vying for him are the Bucks and Pistons.

But in the end, Billups chose to follow his childhood idol, Joe Dumas.

Meanwhile, Lakers forward Devin George, who completed a three-year rookie contract (the final year of the team option was not exercised), tested the free market.

Surprisingly, George, who has been exposed to a bustling city like Los Angeles for three years, is actually the first choice for his next home, which is actually a bitter cold place like Milwaukee.

The reason? George didn't give it, but his style does fit the Bucks' system.

Larry Harris tried to offer 9 million for 3 years, but was rejected by George's agent: "The Lakers will match your contract, if you really want Devin, it's better to be generous!" ”

After much thought, Harris finally offered Devin George a three-year, $16 million contract. This is a 2+1 contract with a player option for the third year.

Unsurprisingly, the Lakers couldn't possibly pay such a price for a pseudo-3D player who didn't seem to stand out except for his outside shots.

The Lakers refused to match, and Devin George successfully joined Milwaukee.

Larry Harris, who felt like the team belonged to him for the first time, began to build a team boldly and aggressively.

Although he and George Karl are at odds, if the Bucks can be reborn and more competitive under his formation, he will have a voice in the future.

Bolstering Devin George, Harris gradually set his sights on the old and useless Glenn Robinson and the recognized thorn Anthony Mason.

The former not only fought more and more, but also carried an unbearable contract - Big Dog's famous rookie contract, 70 million for 10 years, there are three years left in this contract, and the salary in the last three years is more than 10 million.

Normally, this is a burden that cannot be shaken off, however, as long as you look carefully, there will always be someone in the world who wants to get rid of the burden on your hands more than you.

The New York Knicks are also looking for a home for Ratriel Sprewell.

Sprewell is an inconsistent player, but his salary for the next two seasons totals $25 million.

Unstable, but with the salary of a superstar.

Moreover, he is also a player with a bad reputation, which leads to the fact that the rebuilding team does not want such a number one player to bring bad rookies to the team, and the championship team does not want to add such an element of instability to the team. But Harris is seriously considering the deal.

Admittedly, Sprewell is unstable, but he definitely plays hard.

They don't have to worry that Sprewell will be like Robinson who can't work.

Didn't George Karl say all day long that management didn't bring him players who could work hard? Doesn't he miss spending time with Gary Payton in Seattle? Okay, now he's going to bring in a player with more energy than Payton, you can't complain anymore, right?

It's just that as the deal progressed, Knicks general manager Scott Lydon made a request that made Larry Harris furious: "The deal involving Latrill must include Travis Knight C." ”

Knight is a seven-foot-long white center who was drafted by the Lakers in the same year as Kobe, then sent to the Celtics, and finally went to New York with Glenn Rice as an add-on to the trade, but it didn't fit the Knicks' tactical system, and he didn't play a few games, but he was paid $4 million a year.

Getting rid of Glenn Robinson's obsession transcends many things.

Harris called Yu Fei before making a decision.

He wondered if Yu Fei and Sprewell could coexist peacefully.

Harris apparently forgot about jet lag.

When he called Yu Fei, it was night in South Korea.

Harris heard a woman's voice on the other end of the line.

Oba! Oba! The woman screamed.

"Frye, isn't it inconvenient now?" Harris asked.

"Uh-huh." Yu Fei snorted happily, "It's nothing inconvenient, is there something wrong?" ”

Harris asked directly, "Do you get along with Ratriel Sprewell?" ”

"This has to be 'combined' to know - oh, Jihyo, don't be so rude."

"Do you have a conflict with Ratrier?"

"Uh-huh—no."

"Then I won't bother you."

Harris immediately called George Carr, and although they didn't get along, the other party was the head coach and he had to communicate with each other for such a big deal.

When George Carr learned that Harris was going to trade Glenn Robinson for Ratriel Sprewell, he excitedly asked, "Why not?" Let it happen! ”

But what Larry Harris didn't tell Carl was that since the Knicks insisted on bringing Travis Knight in the trade, they had to send Carl's favorite Elvin Johnson, the seven-foot black man who shares the same name as the legendary Magic Johnson but plays center.

When the deal happened, George Carr was furious.

"That dog mongrel! He did it on purpose! Carl growled, "He did it on purpose!" He's going to screw up my team! So he can create his own team! Dog mongrel! Damn it! ”

The people around Carl had to work hard to stop Carl from throwing things.

At the same time, Yu Fei didn't know what Ervin Johnson's trade would mean for Carl.

He was about to leave for China from South Korea, and before leaving, he said to a businessman surnamed Park, who had carefully arranged his trip to Korea, "Thank you for your hospitality!" ”

Subsequently, Yu Fei flew to the Cyris he had in mind, and the NBA's offseason continued.

Sending away Glenn Robinson, who has played for the team for many years, and welcoming the similarly troubled Latrill Sprewell is the last big move of the Bucks offseason.

For Cleveland, a three-year rookie contract expired, and Andre Miller, who was faced with a team option, sought a max contract before the Cavaliers decided to let him leave on his own.

There's no doubt that Miller is already the league's top point guard in addition to outside shooting, and the Cavaliers didn't hesitate to want to send him away, mainly because of the money. But if a bad team sends away the best player in the team because of money, it means that the player's performance is not up to the team's expectations.

What is the reason given by Cavaliers general manager Jim Paxson? Miller couldn't bring about a change because the team was still losing, and there were more blue (empty) seats at the Gander Stadium than working-class fans.

With the Cavaliers trading for Alexander Courtney last year, and sending Wesley Person SG, who played the best of their careers, to Memphis in exchange for Nick Anderson, a player who retired a few years ago, and now completely losing faith in Andre Miller, it's reminiscent of what they've been doing since 1999.

Since 1999, the Cavaliers have been like this, picking a rookie, if they don't show their immediate combat power, then they will have to give up the next year. If the other party comes up with instant combat power, then he has to find a way to lower the price when he completes the first three years of his rookie contract, and if he doesn't accept the price reduction, he will have to leave.

The only exception is the constantly injured Big Z.

With the fact that they traded the right to sign Yu Fei last year, then sought to trade Miller for Grizzlies Person this year, and then hired John Lucas as the team's coach, they decided to swing the rousing for the new season because LeBron James will be in the draft next year.

Except for the Cavaliers, who like to work hard, this offseason has been relatively peaceful.

Big Dog and Maniac Guy swapping homes is the top news of the offseason.

Today, when the Lakers won three consecutive championships, the Kings proved that the Lakers in the era of joint defense are no longer inexplicable, at least for Western teams, the Lakers have become winnable.

As a result, the Kings retained their championship squad.

The Spurs patched up and quietly signed Manu Ginobili, whom they drafted in 1999.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is still building his team with NBA numbers.

With the exception of the Bucks, no team has undergone structural personnel changes.

The Bucks are the biggest X-factor of the new season, and their changes could bring them to their ruins or upend the league altogether.

As the source of the large-scale change of the Bucks, Yu Fei's trip to Asia is nearing the end.

China is still an untapped market for the NBA, and at the moment, football is the most popular sport in China, because the national football team has reached the World Cup, although it has not been able to score, but it is the beginning of a great dream.

It is believed that this is the beginning.

Yu Fei can only do business, do activities, meet fans, unlike the trip to South Korea, he is particularly cautious in China, basically do not do superfluous things, occasionally meet fans outside the hotel to ask for autographs are also very friendly, leaving a lot of "humble not like an American" stories, coupled with Yu Fei's advocacy for Yao Shu some time ago, so that his popularity in China has also risen rapidly.

With these as the foundation, when Yao Shu gains a foothold in the NBA, the Chinese market will be completely opened, and at that time, it will be when Yu Fei's popularity in the Chinese skyrockets.

In early August, Yu Fei boarded a plane back to the United States.

The Asian tour is over, but this is only the first step of Reebok's Asia plan, Yu Fei's Asian tour has driven the sales of the "Chosen One" in the Asian market, which made Reebok's executives realize that Yu Fei does have extraordinary popularity in Asia.

This year is just the beginning.

On the plane, Yu Fei's assistant Alex Clark said: "Jihyo sent you a text message, and she wanted to know if she could come to the United States to find you." ”

"Alex, you can just help me deal with this kind of trivial matter, you don't have to tell me." Yu Fei looked out the window and said absentmindedly.

Lawson teased, "How ruthless, Fry! ”

"Ruthless? You said that the United States is so dangerous now, what if she unfortunately gets on a hijacked plane? I'm thinking about her. ”

"Yes, yes, you've thought it through."

Yu Fei immediately asked, "Have you found the training team after landing?" Where is the training ground? ”

"Reebok's people are arranged."

"Reebok again?"

In fact, what Yu Fei wants to say is that it's endless, right?

"It was Quint's idea, the Chosen One II is coming soon, and we're training in Los Angeles this time, and they're going to have us shoot commercials in our free time," Clark said. ”

"Will AI come?" Yu Fei asked.

Clark said with a strange expression, "Well, he can't come." ”

"Why?"

"Something happened to him."

"It can't be a domestic violence wife who was arrested, right?"

“BINGO！”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"After the AI kicked his wife out of the house, went to his wife's house at gunpoint, and assaulted the person who took her in, he is now facing 14 charges, and our MVP is in big trouble!" —The Philadelphia Inquirer

"By any standard, Allen Iverson tarnished the image of the league." —ESPN: Mark Stein's column

"If there's only one good husband in the league, it's Kobe Bryant. Bryant gave up his family for the sake of his wife and did not sign a prenuptial agreement. I am willing to swear with my life that Kobe Bryant is the least likely person to betray his wife of any active NBA player! —The Orange County Chronicle

"The next 'giant god', Shaq's terminator, can the Rockets' highly-anticipated rookie Yao Shu live up to all expectations?" - Sports Illustrated (and selected as the cover character)

"Frye Yu's trip to Asia was a huge hit." —The Seattle Times

(End of chapter)