warrior godfather

Chapter 674
Zhou Qi was stunned, staring blankly at the ipad in his hand, speechless.

He can't understand English, but he can recognize "Zhou Qi", "Huaxia" and "42", and he also recognizes the logo of the Jazz.

"Xiao Zhou? Why didn't you talk? Are you in the room? Let me go to you to discuss it?" Yi Jianlian asked Zhou Qi repeatedly without getting a response from Zhou Qi.

He also participated in the Chinese men's basketball training in Italy, but he was still in the arena. Zhou Qi went back to the hotel early because he wanted to pay attention to the draft, and the two were not together.

Under Yi Jianlian's continuous questioning, Zhou Qi finally came to his senses and said:

"Brother Lian, come back... I was selected by the Jazz with the No. 42 pick. What's the matter? Don't miss the Warriors, or even the Rockets. I have no acquaintances in the Jazz!"

Yi Jianlian laughed and said:

"Haha, playing in the NBA doesn't depend on whether you have acquaintances. Americans only look at strength. But don't worry, this must be Brother Yu's handwriting. He never breaks his promise. Since he said he would give you a position, he will definitely give it to you." You have a place."

"But I was chosen by the Jazz..." Zhou Qi wondered.

Yi Jianlian patiently explained:

"This kind of operation is very common. The Warriors first negotiate with the Jazz, let the Jazz choose you, and then make a deal to exchange you back. There should be news today, and it will be two days at the latest."

Only then did Zhou Qi feel relieved, and let out a long breath:

"Oh Brother Lian, thank you for helping me so much. If it weren't for you, I really don't know what to do."

Yi Jianlian said with a smile:
"It's okay. The degree of commercialization in the CBA is still too low. Players are not allowed to transfer freely. It's normal that you don't understand these transactions in the NBA. You don't have to worry about this kind of thing in the future. It will be handled by an agent, but I will give it to you." One piece of advice, you must learn English well. If you go to the Warriors, Brother Yu will definitely take care of you. You can ask me if you have any questions, but if you want to perform on the field and want your teammates to cooperate, you must have a good relationship with your teammates. English It is the most important thing!"

Yi Jianlian's earnest teaching and careful exhortations contain a strong sense of care and love.

Zhou Qi was very moved, and solemnly said:

"Brother Lian, I must learn English well. When I arrive in the United States, I will train hard and gain a firm foothold in the NBA. I won't embarrass you!"

Yi Jianlian is from Lingnan, grew up under Lingnan's youth training system, and finally played in Lingnan, while Zhou Qi is from Central Plains, grew up under Fengtian's youth training system, and made his debut in the Western Regions.

In the CBA where the regional awareness is extremely strong, the two have no intersection, and they are a generation behind. Yi Jianlian's help to Zhou Qi is entirely due to Zhou Qi's extraordinary talent. The No.1 Chinese basketball team after the name has the responsibility to support the younger generation.

Zhou Qi is very aware of this and is very grateful to Yi Jianlian. He is determined to make a name for himself in the NBA and inherit the excellent insider tradition of the Huaxia men's basketball team.

Yi Jianlian said happily:

"Okay, I'm looking forward to the day when I play against you in the NBA! Alright, when the draft results come out, there must be a lot of people calling you, let's do this first..."

Afterwards, Yi Jianlian hung up the phone, Zhou Qi put down the phone, and an uncontrollable excitement surged in his heart.

NBA, here I come!

……

Just when Zhou Qi was selected by the Jazz, in one of Barclay's boxes, Morey's expression suddenly froze.

After a while, he realized that he picked up the phone and instructed his assistant to change the draft target.

Two minutes later, Mark Tatum took the envelope from the staff, opened it, and read:

"With the 2016th overall pick in the second round of the 13 NBA draft, the Houston Rockets selected Wang Zhelin, who is from Huaxia and plays for the Bamin team!"

So far, the Rockets' 2016 draft has come to an end.

Since the Rockets entered the playoffs this year and were sent away in the trade before, the first-round pick protected by the lottery automatically belongs to the Nuggets. Morey can only use two second-round picks to pick Onuaku, Wang Zhelin has two centers, scratching the lottery to strengthen the inside line.

However, Morey had no hope for this draft. He only has one question now, that is, how did Zhou Qi get cut off by the Jazz?
Yao Ming called him yesterday and recommended Zhou Qi to him. Morey was thinking of choosing another Chinese player to maintain the Rockets' huge market in China, so he readily agreed.

He even thought up his rhetoric, and after the draft, he told reporters that he was interested in Zhou Qi's talent, not because of his nationality, and finally "accidentally" mentioned Yao Ming's recommendation, expressing his respect for Zhou Qi. The strange respect can also arouse the feelings of Huaxia fans, and most importantly, it conceals the desire for the Chinese market, so that it will not make Huaxia fans disgusted, it is perfect.

But the Jazz cut off his beard, and all his ideas were in vain.

Morey could only watch helplessly as Zhou Qi, the insider hope of the new generation of China, and the huge market behind Zhou Qi were snatched away by the Jazz, and he had no choice but to choose Wang Zhelin as an alternative.

Morey, who has always been shrewd, of course couldn't bear this kind of thing to happen. He took out his mobile phone and wanted to find out what was going on.

The Jazz obviously didn't show any interest in Zhou Qi, so why did he suddenly cut him off?

Most importantly, he wanted to see if there was any room for recovery, whether Zhou Qi could be traded back.

Although he wanted to choose Zhou Qi because he was interested in the Chinese market, but Zhou Qi's talent is indeed very good, has certain training value, and his technical characteristics are also very suitable for the small ball era. He can make up for the weak inside of the Rockets and is much better than Wang Zhelin. .

Howard has one year left in his contract with the Rockets, but he has player options and can jump out of the contract this summer, and he is not happy with the Rockets, so he is likely to do so. The reason for strengthening the inside line.

Soon, Morey relied on his contacts to figure out the whole story.

He threw the phone on the sofa, his face was livid, and he cursed:
"Damn Huaxia guy!"

It turned out that it wasn't that the Jazz wanted to choose Zhou Qi, but that the Warriors and the Jazz reached an agreement to trade Wood for the Jazz's No. 42 pick, and then selected Zhou Qi.

There was no rumor about this matter before, but after the Jazz selected Zhou Qi, there was no need to cover it up, and Morey found out easily.

At this moment, his heart was full of anger and dissatisfaction with Zhang Yu.

Zhou Qi is a key part of Morey's plan. China has not had such a good static talent for a long time. Although he still has many flaws, it is not irreparable.

Wang Zhelin is different, his talent is much worse than Zhou Qi, and it is difficult to cultivate.

The Warriors rely on Zhang Yu and the Nets rely on Yi Jianlian. They are the two teams with the most Chinese fans in the NBA. The bonus that the Rockets received from Yao Ming has been exhausted, and the fans are about to be divided by them.

Only by cultivating Zhou Qi can the Rockets re-absorb Chinese fans and revive the increasingly sluggish Chinese market.

However, Zhang Yu's cut off completely shattered Morey's idea.

He hated Zhang Yu, and even hated the Chinese sponsors who didn't renew the contract with the Rockets, and hated the Rockets fans who turned to support the Warriors and the Nets.

Morey muttered to himself:
"Wait, Huaxia guy, don't let me catch the opportunity, otherwise I will make you look good..."

……

The second round of the draft was carried out very quickly. After the Rockets selected Wang Zhelin, it came to an end in less than half an hour.

As the Warriors selected Alex Caruso with the No. 60 pick, the 2016 D draft ended and the 2015-2016 season came to an end.

Cai Chongxin came to the box where the three of Zhang Yu were staying again, exchanged pleasantries with Zhang Yu for a while, and personally sent the three of them out of the Barclays Center.

Originally, Cai Chongxin wanted to invite the three of them to dinner, but Zhang Yu declined:
"Thank you for your kindness, Jo, but I have an appointment for the evening, and I am ashamed."

A look of disappointment flashed in Cai Chongxin's eyes, but his expression was as usual, with a gentle smile on his face all the time:
"It's okay, let's wait for the next time, I will go to the Bay Area in a while, and you must appreciate it then."

Zhang Yu is also smiling:

"Where, if you come to the Bay Area, I will definitely do my best as a landlord... How about this, next time we have a game against the Nets, if the time is right, I will introduce you to Ah Lian, he is my disciple , please take care of him in the future."

Cai Chongxin said:
"Then I will trouble you, but what does the UAE need me to take care of? He is the leader of the Huaxia men's basketball team, and his strength is also very good. This season, he has secured a starting position in the Nets. He is an important member of the team. Wait After I take over the team, I still have to rely on his performance!"

Afterwards, Zhang Yu and Cai Chong said their goodbyes, and together with Wirtz and Riley, returned to the hotel where they were staying. Carrying a suitcase, they came to a high-end restaurant in Brooklyn and sat down at the window seat that had been booked earlier.

The three of them waited for 20 minutes. A medium-sized, dark-skinned man walked into the restaurant, looked around, and walked this way.

Zhang Yu has been paying attention to the situation at the door. When he saw him enter, he got up and greeted him, stretched out his hand, and smiled:
"Hi, Mr. Tatum, nice to meet you."

There was a warm smile on the visitor's face, which made it easy for people to have a good impression. He grabbed Zhang Yu's hand:
"Hello, Ronan, just call me Mark, we have met many times at the board meeting, why bother to see each other like this."

He is the NBA vice president and chief operating officer-Mark Tatum who just announced the results of the second round of the draft at the draft.

Zhang Yu shook his head lightly:

"It's just a business matter, not a personal relationship, so it can't be generalized... But it will be different in the future. This time, you go to the banquet this time, and we will be friends in the future."

"Haha, that's right, we are all friends!" Mark Tatum smiled even wider, and turned to shake hands with Wertz, with a rather affectionate attitude, "Rick, long time no see, how are you doing?"

Wiltz laughed:
"Everything is fine..."

He has very deep experience in the league. He once served as a vice president and worked with Mark Tatum for a period of time. The two have a good relationship.

It was Wiltz who made the bridge, and Mark Tatum agreed to meet with Zhang Yu.

Although Zhang Yu is the owner of the team, Mark Tatum, as the vice president, is the No. [-] figure in the NBA. His position is high and powerful, and his status is not inferior to Zhang Yu.

This is different from when Wiltz was the vice president. At that time, David Stern dominated the sky and had all the power. The vice president had very little power, and David Stern had the final say on everything.

But after David Stern retired, Silver's control over the NBA is far from that deep. Although Mark Tatum is not enough to compete with Silver, he also has a lot of voice in the league.

As David Stern's right-hand man, he even competed with Xiao Hua for the position of president, but he lost 2012:34 in the board vote in 12, and then he took the position of vice president, otherwise he would be the first in NBA history. First black and Asian president.

After Mark Tatum greeted Wirtz and Riley, the four sat down.

Zhang Yu opened the suitcase, took out the contents, put it on the table, pushed it in front of Mark Tatum, and said with a smile:

"Mark, this is a small courtesy, not a respect, I hope you like it."

(End of this chapter)