no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 161 It’s all youth
People who have been in trade rumors have not left, but people who have never appeared are traded. This is very NBA.

However, with the experience of last year's trade deadline, Xu Yong quickly accepted it after the accident.

And after careful analysis, this three-party transaction has its own reasons, and they are sufficient.

The Bulls need to supplement a strong forward. Battier has switched to a power forward this season for the Rockets. His strength is outstanding, coupled with the corner three-pointer, the effect is very good.

Here is a little trivia: Battier is 2 meters tall with his bare feet, and Artest is 03 meters tall with his bare feet. Battier is taller than Artest.

As for why Korver was sent away instead of Allen, it should be more due to contract issues.

Battier has the last year of his contract left, with an annual salary of US$700 million. It is difficult to balance this contract with Allen's 300 million contract plus bonus alone.

Korver's 500 plus Johnson's 170 million is just right.

Although sending away Korver and Johnson is not what the Bulls want, on balance, if the goal is a championship, it is worthwhile to get the more experienced Battier.

As for the Rockets, there is no starting position for Battier in their current lineup.

And more importantly, Rockets owner Alexander doesn't want to pay the luxury tax.

He was not happy when Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady were on the team, and he is definitely not happy now.

After completing this transaction, the Rockets not only successfully controlled the salary cap below the luxury tax, but also got Thabeet who scratched the "thank you" but may still have a little possibility.

The Grizzlies' original intention was somewhat forced. The Grizzlies played well this season, but Rudy Gay's unexpected injury caused problems in their rotation.

Their initial target was Battier, but Battier's desire to return to the Grizzlies was not that strong. On the contrary, he hoped to go to Chicago to renew his relationship with Yao Ming like Artest.

So this is a complex transaction involving all aspects.

In the end, the Grizzlies accepted the deal and got the younger Korver and Johnson, who has certain potential.

But what can be expected is that Grizzlies fans will definitely suffer another wave of blows at this moment.

Because Thabeet was exchanged for Xu Yong, in order to send him away in the end, the team even took another first-round pick!
The original deal was really the greatest deal of the 21st century, and it didn't go away.

After accepting the result, Xu Yong called Korver and Johnson one after another.

Especially Johnson, they have been playing together since the summer league, and they have stood up for him in previous games.

However, this trade is indeed a good thing for Johnson. Johnson is different from Allen. He has really fallen out of the rotation and has not played in several games.

If he goes to the Grizzlies, he will not only get more opportunities, but he can even seize the time when Gay is absent and become the Grizzlies' starter.

This is not a fantasy. You have to know that what a team like the Grizzlies is afraid of is not that you can't play, but that you are not tough enough.

In terms of hard work, Johnson is definitely top notch.

What's more, he can also play basketball and was a qualified NBA starter at his peak. He just needs time to develop.

Two days after the trade deadline, Xu Yong and other Bulls players met the team's new players.

That's right, it's not just Battier alone, there's another one.

The previous trade added one more spot to the Bulls' roster, and Forman had already had a target, and he quickly acquired another one.

Steve Novak.

After Korver leaves the team, the team needs someone who can serve as the end point for three-point tactics on the outside.

Bill Walker has been limited by injuries this season, and Novak will be a good supplement after Korver leaves.

When he saw Battier and Novak standing together, Xu Yongyong couldn't help but turn his head and look at Yao Ming and Artest beside him, as well as Alston behind him.

How does this feel like the Chicago Rockets?
However, this is so logical.

Because Yao Ming joined, Artest joined with him, and Alston also chose a veteran's minimum salary to be the third point guard.

Then Battier also came to the Bulls because of Yao Ming, including Novak. He had the opportunity to renew his contract with the Spurs until the end of the season, but ultimately chose to follow Yao Ming.

This can only mean one thing. Yao Ming not only has the ability on the court, but also has personal charm.

After a brief contact with him, Shane gave the impression that he was a standard modest gentleman.

Before this, Xu Yong knew that the player with this label was Ray Allen, but he had no chance to come into contact with Allen, but Battier felt it.

And because of Yao Ming's relationship, Battier was also very enthusiastic about Xu Yong. Those who didn't know it thought they were also former teammates.

In contrast, Novak is much quieter. He seems to have a cool killer personality, which is consistent with his technical characteristics.

"I feel indescribably happy." Yao Ming couldn't help but sigh while taking a shower with Xu Yong.

"You know that I had a good opportunity with them before, but it failed when we were in Houston. Now they are all in Chicago. It's like getting another chance." Yao Ming continued.

Xu Yong nodded, he could completely understand Yao Ming's mood.

Because the boss is reluctant to spend money and the team always encounters injury problems, the feeling of being powerless is really bad.

But now, former comrades are getting together one after another, and the chance seems greater than before.

"If we can really do it, it will be a fairy tale." Xu Yong made a very appropriate metaphor.

"Haha, yes, a fairy tale." Yao Ming smiled awkwardly upon hearing this.

It can be seen that he is really happy.

On the second day of the training session, the Bulls conducted daily training.

It was this training session that opened the eyes of most people on the Bulls, including Xu Yong.

Regarding three-point shooting, Xu Yong himself is also a good player, including Korver before the Bulls, who is also at an elite level.

But when I saw Novak training, it felt like he was not playing a sport.

What stands out about Novak's three-pointers is that they are fast and stable, and they are basically not missed.

It seems that the news that 1000 out of 997 people entered was really true.

That's the perfect word to describe this guy: shooting machine.

"I had the same expression when I first saw him training." Yao Ming leaned over and smiled at Xu Yong.

Xu Yong nodded. Novak's feeling was the same as that of a girl who uses all her defense power because she is too afraid of pain. This is because she did not add all three points to other points.

But even so, he has always been wanted by NBA teams, which further illustrates how stable his three-pointers are.

Thinking back to his performance during the Rockets' 22-game winning streak, he had never taken a shot before but was able to hit a buzzer beater at the last moment. His presence may be of great significance to the Bulls.

As he was watching, Artest came over holding a mobile phone.

"Crazy Three is about to start. Don't you want to buy some?"

"Ron, you're here again." Yao Ming smiled and shook his head when he heard this.You can tell that Artest seems to like betting on crazy threes.

But crazy three bets have always been one of the fun for NBA players.

"I still buy Duke." Battier was the first to say.

"I knew it." Artest smiled and nodded. Battier is a famous Duke loyalist.

"You also chose Duke last year?" Xu Yong suddenly realized something.

Shane nodded.

"Then how much did you earn?" Xu Yong asked, last season's NCAA champion was Duke!

"He treated us to a luxurious dinner." Yao Ming said with a smile.

Artest and Battier laughed when they heard it.

Xu Yong couldn't help but laugh too. He was a teammate last season and is still a teammate in a new team. This feeling is really good.

But at this moment, he suddenly remembered something.

Generally speaking, just like what is written in the novel, after being reborn and traveling through time, you will find some opportunities to invest or something.

But because his words were typed so quickly, he basically didn’t have to think about how to make money.

But there is an opportunity right now.

Because he read the novel "Krypton Gold Invincible", he may have some memory errors in other years, but this year he will definitely not remember it wrong. The final champion will be from Cornell University.

Although Kangda is relatively strong and the odds of winning the championship are not that high, it is still very good to make a small amount of money.

"Xu, who are you going to buy? Arizona State?" Artest looked at Xu Yong and asked.

"No, to treat everyone to dinner, I'll buy Connecticut."

Xu Yong's words instantly caused Artest and the others to laugh.

Xu Yong's integration ability is really good.

After the day's training, Xu Yong called Harden and the others.

Because he was busy playing the game, he almost forgot about Crazy Three.

Arizona State failed to reach the tournament last year, but did so this year under the leadership of the troika of Jimmy Butler, Solomon Hill and Tony Mitchell.

So this year, Crazy Three and the others can find an opportunity to watch the game live.

However, since the regular season is still being played, it is not easy for them to get together to watch a crazy three games.

In the last few people, the only time they could get together to watch was the 32-to-16 game, which three people could watch together.

However, Arizona State's seed pick this year is only the No. 11 seed, and they will play No. 6 seed Xavier University in the first round, so they may not be able to advance to the top 16.

But at this time, they can only buy tickets in advance, and then the rest is looking forward to it.

After a day off, the Bulls faced the Celtics at home.

Both teams have made reinforcements at the trade deadline, and coupled with the grievances last season, this game is also very interesting.

The game was indeed very intense, and the two teams played an absolute playoff-level game.

However, the Bulls maintained the lead from the beginning.

It may seem unbelievable to say it, but the Bulls' tacit understanding and fighting spirit have become even higher after going through the trade.

And for the first time since the season, Thibodeau used a ten-man rotation very regularly.

This is not because he has changed, but because there are so many players in the lineup who can play and can put him on the court with confidence.

The starting five are Rose, Xu Yong, Artest, O'Neal Jr., and Yao Ming, with substitutes Hinrich, Allen, Battier, Gibson, and O'Neal.

With this lineup, who seems to have no problem risking injuries to kill the main force?

Battier contributed 8 points and 3 rebounds in his debut with the Bulls. The statistics were mediocre, but as a substitute, Thibodeau gave him 25 minutes of playing time. He and Artest played a "truth" in the battle against Pierce. "I shot 16 of 4 from the field and it was in my pocket.

This forward configuration makes other small forwards tremble when they see it.

The Bulls game here is over, and the first round of the Crazy Three over there is also over.

Arizona State University really did not disappoint Xu Yong and the others. In the first round, they defeated Xavier University 66-55.

希尔和巴特勒是球队获胜的功臣，希尔拿了19分，巴特勒则贡献了15分5板4助攻3抢断的全能数据。

Now, Xu Yong, Harden and Ayers can happily go to watch the game.

Two days later, they flew to the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, where Arizona State University's 32-16 game against No. 3 seed Syracuse University, commonly known as Syracuse University, will be held.

The No. 11 seed plays the No. 3 seed. Arizona State University's chance of winning this game is even slimmer.

The first time they arrived at the scene, they went down to the field to say hello to the members of the Devils.

Butler and the others trained with them last summer, and this season, Cooksix and Albert are also still on the team.

So even though it has been two years since graduation, this team is still very familiar to them.

In fact, the Devils team members were also very excited to see Xu Yong and others.

You must know that when Xu Yong and the others were playing, they could not find support from alumni. But now, Xu Yong and the others represent the pinnacle of school history. Being able to come to the scene is the greatest spiritual encouragement.

Many scouts also came to the scene. When returning to the auditorium, Xu Yong unexpectedly met Foreman.

The Bulls' most likely pick this year is the No. 30 pick. In tonight's game, in addition to Arizona State's Butler and Hill, Syracuse University also has Corey Joseph.

And after Foreman saw Xu Yong, he sat next to him directly.

The game started soon. Syracuse University was indeed superior to Arizona State University in terms of talent and strength. It started with an 8-0 score and even Arizona State University paused.

Then after the timeout came back, it became Butler's performance time.

He did not score wildly on the offensive end, but used defense to break the game. He played a power forward, but when he was misplaced against Joseph, he stole the opponent, and then assisted Hill to complete a fast break dunk.

Then in the next round, he successfully protected the defensive rebound, and then on the offensive end, he grabbed an offensive rebound and scored 2+1.

After scoring the goal, he yelled excitedly at his teammates, and the entire ASU atmosphere instantly changed.

"Gall, I know some stories about Jimmy Butler, do you want to hear them?" Xu Yong turned his head and said.

(End of this chapter)