no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 219 2013 NBA Draft
After the award ceremony, Xu Yong got up and left, and then took Harden to a Miami nightclub to get drunk.

At this time, Harden doesn't need any encouragement or encouragement, he just needs to indulge.

Halfway through the drink, Harden took the two big-butted dancers to the next room to discuss life. Xu Yong was smoking a cigar in the private room and looking at social media.

"Riley is a god! Wade is a god! Haslem is a god! Heat championship!"

"It's not embarrassing to win the championship. It would be embarrassing for anyone else. If I were LeBron, I would immediately announce that I will be reimbursed for next season due to a serious groin injury."

"Then you can jump out of your contract next season and go directly to the West? You will report to LeBron's team tomorrow!"

"Ha! The Heat can win the championship because they have Hibbert. If the Heat had Hibbert before, they would still be able to win the championship!" A comment from "Zhongzhan Yisheng".

"You are the brother who knows how to control variables!"

"Haslem waits for me, I swear in the name of God, I will make him disappear from this world, I will do what I say!" Comment from "The Most Loyal Brownie" (this user has been banned Word).

"Durant and Harden are really rubbish. They can't even beat a rubbish team like the Heat." "The most civilized Brownie" commented.

"Even someone as strong as Jordan can't do what LeBron can do."

"Even someone as strong as Kobe can't do what LeBron can do."

"As strong as Xu Yong, he can't do what LeBron can do."

"The winter wind carried snowflakes, and the wandering king traveled to the end of the world without a home."

……

Xu Yong couldn't stand it anymore.

What on earth did James do to have such an exaggerated backlash?
This is beyond the scope of a basketball player!

But Haslem did go too far.

He had heard these two Haslem formulas before he was reborn, from Draymond Green, but only the first one was called [Green's formula].

As for the latter sentence, it was purely made up by the fans.

But even then, Durant, the target of Green's formula, has been nailed to the pillar of shame, and his historical status cannot be improved.

The result is now good, Haslem directly surpassed him, and the second sentence was said directly on the night of championship. This is no longer a matter of James being on the pillar of shame, but competing for the goat of the pillar of shame.

At this moment, Harden came out after finishing his work.

He seemed to be in a much better mood.

Sure enough, for Harden, there is nothing that a big butt cannot solve. If there is, then add one more.

Of course, he still felt a little emotional after sitting down.

"Xu, do you think I still have a chance to win the championship?"

"Why do you think there isn't?" Xu Yong asked with a smile.

"My contract expires this summer." Harden said with some concern.

"With your current performance, it's impossible for the Thunder to let you go."

"Maybe, but Serge's contract will also expire at the same time. I don't know what the team will choose." Harden said with a wry smile.

Hearing this, Xu Yong understood.

The super luxury tax will start next season. Durant, Harden, Gasol, and Ibaka, the Thunder have four million-dollar contracts, especially Durant's 1700 million and Gasol's 1900 million. This salary has exploded.

The good news is that Gasol only has the last year left on his big contract. If he renews it cheaper next season, the Thunder can remain competitive.

But now that the team has not won the championship, just like in the history of losing Harden in the 11-12 season finals, what chance does the Thunder management have to maintain the original lineup despite the luxury tax?

Just as they did in their history of sending Harden away, it is not completely impossible for them to let Harden or Ibaka go.

"James, you have to know that you have just finished your rookie contract. If you say you have no chance, then... how does LeBron feel?" Xu Yong asked.

Harden was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

Yes, James, as the "Chosen Son", has played for 9 seasons and still hasn't won a championship.

Xu Yong didn't even mention it, but Nowitzki they just defeated in the Western Conference Finals.

Nowitzki has played in the league for 14 seasons and still has not won a championship.

In comparison, he has only had 4 seasons, so he is indeed a bit anxious.

He then looked at Xu Yong.

In fact, this is mainly because of Xu Yong. Xu Yong won two championships when he entered the league, making people think that winning the championship is easy.

Especially when he was in college, his status in the team was higher, and his mentality was somewhat unbalanced.

"Don't think anything of me, I'm just lucky." Of course Xu Yong could see what Harden was thinking, and he said it very straightforwardly.

He knew Rose's injury and there was no going back.

So you say it's not that difficult for the Bulls to regain the championship with a maximum salary.

Even now, the Bulls' prospects are much bleaker than the Thunder's.

Yao Ming has already talked with him at the end of the season. He will retire from his contract when the free market opens, so that the Bulls can have salary space to make certain reinforcements in the free market.

But starting with his supermax salary next season, plus Rose's, the two of them account for more than 60% of the team's salary cap. If you include Battier, Hinrich, Brown, Butler, and Morris, they add up. There is also nearly 1500 million, and the remaining space cannot be used to sign top-paid players.

And will Gibson stay?Will Artest stay?Will West stay?Should Anderson stay?

Especially for Gibson, the market annual salary is worth nearly [-] million at least. If he matches someone else's contract, there is basically no room for reinforcement.

In other words, the Bulls next season will most likely be missing Yao Ming from the original lineup.

And you expect Butler to become an All-Star in one season?
Or do you expect the Bulls to handle Rose cold-bloodedly?Even if they can, no team will want Rose until he proves he can continue to play.

Next season's Bulls will be Xu Yong's most difficult season since joining Chicago.

But even so, isn't Xu Yong in a relaxed mood now, drinking and chatting with Harden?

He knows that the most difficult time for the team is also the time when a person's value is best reflected. Others who run away at the lowest point will never understand this truth in their lifetime.

Harden gave a wry smile. He knew that Xu Yong was comforting himself. If you switch him to the Bulls, he wouldn't be able to do what Xu Yong did.

"And James, if you really want to stay in Oklahoma, you can ask Durant to speak to the management for you." After all, they are former college partners and current friends. After seeing Harden's state, Xu Yong Still said one more thing.

This extra sentence was also a report he had seen before he was reborn.

That's when Durant talked about why he didn't stop Harden when the management let him go. His explanation was that at that time, he didn't know that there was an option to make demands to the management.

After all, Durant is much simpler than James. If he knew it, he could actually do it with his status in the team.

……

"If I were LeBron, I would want to disappear from the face of the earth. This is really so fucked up!" In the TNT program that night, O'Neal had already started his performance.

The Pacers' "brainless" and "unhappy" team provided him with all kinds of "Big Five" material this past season.

Unexpectedly, at the end of the season, Haslem gave him a big surgery.

It was so embarrassing, and no one on the planet was more embarrassed than James at that moment.

"I think it's unfair to LeBron, he didn't do anything." Barkley defended James on the sidelines.

"That's the problem, he didn't do anything. If he leads the Pacers to the championship, I believe that sentence will become 'Without you, I am the championship,' so..."

O'Neal still saved a bit of face for James, because the next words were "competitive sports, food is the original sin."

"Well, if I were LeBron, I would definitely run away from here and go somewhere far away." Barkley said with a smile.

……

Tuscany, Italy.

An ancient Gothic castle winery is located at the foot of a low mountain. There is a balcony on the second floor of the castle that can view the entire vineyard.

At this time, James was sitting on a specially brought red soft chair on the balcony, holding a glass of red wine in his hand. After taking a sip while blowing the spring breeze, he sat back on the soft chair and nodded with enjoyment.

The taste of this red wine is extremely unique. It is as sharp and powerful as a knife when you take a sip, but after the aftertaste, it is full of sweetness and fragrance.

He has many hobbies, but most of them are used to build his character. For example, he spends more than 100 million a year to maintain his body, likes reading, watching the movie "The Godfather" six times, etc., but there is one hobby that is true, and that is love. Drink red wine.

After all, red wine was a commodity that was often associated with European royal families in the Middle Ages. Drinking red wine, and it was noble red wine, could make him feel like a real king.

Of course, he will appear in Italy this time because after losing the season, he did not want to stay in the sad place of Indiana and chose to come here to soothe his mood.

Following Mike's advice, he turned off the Internet, stopped paying attention to basketball, and didn't pay attention to all the sounds from the outside world. He just let his mind go.

After tasting the red wine, he then visited the vineyards under the guidance of the winery staff.

It must be said that every piece of soil and every grape here exudes a noble atmosphere.

It is indeed a world-famous vineyard.

After the day's trip, James felt a little sleepy and took the car back to the hotel to rest.

It was still early, so he ordered pasta, one of his favorite foods, and a Tuscan cheese, for which the area is famous.

Speaking of which, he has eaten so much pasta and this is the first time he has tasted it in Italy. The experience will definitely be special.

He finished talking to the kids on the phone and food was delivered to his room.

He put away his cell phone and went to the sink to wash his hands and enjoy dinner.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

He picked it up and saw that it was a call from Paul Fu.

This time he came to Italy alone, and he reminded Rich Paul not to disturb him if nothing happened.

"We need a huge emergency public relations." Paul Fu's tone was urgent.

"What happened?" James knew Rich Paul well, and he had never seen him lose his temper like this before.

But when Paul told the Heat about the Heat's championship and Haslem's rebellious remarks, James fell silent.

Public relations are necessary at this time, especially before the news ferments, and more people must know the "truth."

[-]. Wade didn’t say anything, so who is Haslem?He's just a clown who relies on his own power!

[-]. The main reason why the Heat won the championship is because of the addition of Hibbert as a center and the reason why Yao Ming is no longer good. If James is still with the Heat this season, the Heat can also win the championship.

[-]. Dig out dirt on Haslem quickly. There are very few NBA players who don’t have dirt on him.

Confusing right and wrong, confusing the truth and diverting attention are what the Western media are best at doing.

Let alone such sports matters, even if it is an international event, it can also describe black things as white, and forcefully wash things that have been done as if they have not been done.

After hanging up the phone, James' breathing began to quicken and his face became ferocious.

"Oh!"

One punch.

James shattered the sink mirror with just one punch.

Then, the back of his hand was bleeding.

Italian glass is as sharp as its red wine.

In the broken mirror, James's face was extremely scary.

"Sir?" There was a knock from the security guard outside the door.

James' breathing had not yet calmed down.

"Sir?" The security guard's voice came from outside the door again.

"It's okay." Finally, he gritted his teeth and replied.

Immediately afterwards, he wrapped his wound with a towel and called his personal doctor.

After treating the wound, there was already murderous intent in his eyes.

Originally, because he had left Miami, he no longer paid attention to Haslem.

After all, it seems too unworthy for a real king to get entangled with a minor character.

But now, Haslem has really gone too far!
The trash talk "You will never make it out of the Eastern Conference" when the two teams played against each other has deeply hurt him. He was so generous and didn't care about it at the beginning, but now he has become even more serious.

And what does "you leave us and you're still the champion" mean?
Could it be that...the Heat can have Granger and Hibbert because of his trade value?

If his contract expires and he leaves immediately, what will the Heat get?
Thinking of this, he felt that the wound he had just treated opened again.

But since Haslem has achieved this level, don't blame him for using extraordinary means.

If he can't cure Riley, he can't cure a small character like Haslem?

He knows a lot of Jude and Onsa!
It is not impossible for Haslem to disappear from the league.

And after gradually calming down his breathing, he also realized that he could no longer act like an ostrich.

That guy Mike can get out and be his true self!

Thinking of this, he called Paul Fu back and asked him to book a plane ticket to Los Angeles for him.

……

A few days later, the Heat held a massive championship parade in Miami.

At the parade, Haslem became the center of attention. Since his trash talk on Championship Night, his popularity in Miami seems to be catching up with Wade's.

The Heat's hero and popularity king once again made shocking remarks amidst the cheers of the fans: "Miami has D. Wade, CB (Bosh), RIO (Chammers' nickname), and J. Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen's nickname, derived from the name of the protagonist in the movie "One Man"), but Miami has not, does not, and will not need a king!"

You can completely feel his anger and pride, just like the reporter in history who said Malone was the father of the Lakers after the Nuggets won the championship.

"No. king! No. king!"

And his remarks also detonated the demonstration scene.

After two depressing seasons, they really needed a place to vent, and nothing could bring them to a climax better than this.

……

With the end of the Heat's championship parade, the 2012~2013 season has officially come to an end.

Of course, the end of one season also means that a new season has quietly begun.

Xu Yong continues to train.

He and Harden have agreed to go to Tempe in mid-July, but before then, he will be in Chicago.

But in addition to training, he is also paying attention to this year's draft and the upcoming free market.

The Eastern Heat are now too competitive, and it will be difficult for the Bulls to get back into championship contention in a short period of time without reinforcements.

Therefore, he pays attention to the dynamics of the team and will actively intervene when necessary.

What does it mean when necessary?
For example, if the Bulls were poaching Bynum.

This is a very possible event. When a big center in your team falls, the best and safest way is to find another one.

In the new season's free market, the biggest insider is Bynum.

In particular, Bynum is different now than in history. He just has some glass, and his value is the same as when he could trade Howard.

Without opening your eyes, taking him down is almost the same as taking down Yao Ming.

However, Xu Yong knows that Bynum's problem is more about character than injuries.

He didn't think he could control such an extremely immature person like Kobe.

And the key is that the biggest difference between Bynum and Yao Ming is that he has no self-discipline at all. His current situation may be different from that in history, which will allow him to play for one to two more years, but after that, he will still put himself Play waste.

However, for a player of this level, there are only two ways to sign a contract, one is a four-year naked signing, and the other is a five-year sign-and-trade.

And Bynum is not Yao Ming. He doesn't have so many worries. Even if it really doesn't work out, he will definitely get all the money from the contract.

So if the Bulls really sign, they will truly lock the window to win.

So these types of things are necessary, but he also focuses on other things.

For example, this year's draft.

The 2013 draft was the most bizarre draft in NBA history. Although he couldn't remember most of the details, there were two that left a deep impression on him.

One is Bennett being elected No. [-] overall pick.

His appearance has caused Michael Olowokande and Kwame Brown to withdraw from the competition for the top pick.Of course, there is a high probability that this will not happen, because the lottery results came out as early as May, and it was not the Cavaliers but the Magic that got the No. 5 pick.

This is also normal. The Cavaliers have been the No. [-] pick for two consecutive years. It would be too much for the league to give him more. No matter what... it has to be given again every year.

It makes more sense to give it to the Magic. The Hornets over there can't give him even if they want to make it to the playoffs. The Magic just lost Howard.

Although in Xu Yong's view, this may not necessarily be a good thing for the Magic.

After all, the year Bennett was the No. [-] pick in the draft, he remembers it as one of the smallest draft years in NBA history.

Another one is that this year's draft has "Antetokounmpo" Giannis Antetokounmpo.

And like Leonard, Antetokounmpo was a rookie in the middle of the first round.

And the Bulls have a lottery pick this year!

The result of the previous Raptors pick held by the Bulls has come out, with the 12th pick.

Although he can't remember which pick Antetokounmpo is, it should be lower than this.

As a reborn person, it would be too unreal to pretend that you didn't see such an opportunity.

You must know that Antetokounmpo himself is not the kind of player who holds the ball.

But there was actually a big problem before him. Although Foreman had a good relationship with him, what reason did he have to propose to Foreman?

Or even further, why would Foreman take his advice?
Before Butler, it was because Butler was his junior.

But Antetokounmpo doesn't even play in the NCAA, he plays in Europe.

Because the apprentice you suggested has become successful, do you think you can even spot overseas rookies?This is logically impossible.

Not to mention you're an NBA player, even a scout, Foreman would probably look at you with suspicion.

So if he really wants to make suggestions, he needs to wait for a suitable opportunity.

Fortunately, this opportunity came quickly.

With less than a week before the start of the draft, Foreman came to visit Xu Yong's home.

Forman's arrival was also expected by Xu Yong, because there is another very special person in this year's draft.

Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi came to the United States to play high school in 2009 and entered Syracuse University in 2011. He has just turned 20 and has finished his sophomore season.

He mostly played as a substitute in his freshman season, averaging 6.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.

But after becoming a starter as a sophomore, his data increased to 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.4 blocks.

His height of 2 meters, wingspan of 16 meters, and exaggerated static talent give him a defensive dominance similar to Anthony Davis in the NCAA.

But his problems are also obvious. His flexibility and coordination are much worse than Davis, and his desire to play is also doubted by scouts.

However, his static talent, coupled with the popularity of Chinese players in recent years, and the market situation of this year's draft year, make him a popular rookie.

On the draft website, he is considered a guaranteed lottery pick this year and even has a chance to hit the top ten.

Forman came to Xu Yong because he wanted to know more about Zhou Qi.

After all, Xu Yong definitely knows more than any other juniors, teammates from the same country, or even national team members who played with Xu Yong in the Olympics last year.

"I don't think Zhou is suitable." Xu Yong gave a very definite answer.

It's not that he thinks Zhou Qi is not good. Today's Zhou Qi is the same as he was then. He has played in the United States for four years and has improved in all aspects. He is fully worthy of this year's lottery pick.

The crux of the matter is where the Bulls are now.

There are actually two options for this No. 12 pick. One is obviously someone who can be cultivated, which is Antetokounmpo as suggested by Xu Yong. He will definitely be able to play for three or four seasons. Then he, Butler and With Antetokounmpo, the Bulls have a new foundation;
The other option is to choose immediate players, or even trade them down. Just like his draft year, young draft picks are often accompanied by many older rookies.

"What a pity." Foreman couldn't help but shake his head after hearing this, with a somewhat sad look on his brows.

It can be seen that he has no plan to trade down, but is just entangled in the choice of this pick.

This is actually normal. If he had a downward trading plan, he would not have used his first round to trade for Morris.

"Gall, I don't know much about the draft, but there have been many rookies in the European League in the past two years. I think we can pay more attention to that aspect." Xu Yong took the opportunity to suggest.

Foreman mused.

In the draft year, it is normal to pay attention to overseas rookies. He paid attention to Zhou Qi for this reason.

But Xu Yong is talking about players in the European League. These are actually two concepts.

Because players who play in local European leagues have one thing in common, that is, they are limited to a 40-minute game format, so most of their statistics are mediocre, and there are indeed many missing pieces.

"I talked to Yao on the phone before I came here. He was already preparing to retire." After talking about the draft, Forman then talked about Yao Ming.

Xu Yong nodded. He has always kept in touch with Yao Ming, and he knows more about retirement than Forman.

"Do you think Andrew Bynum can replace Yao Ming? I know he has certain injury risks." Foreman spoke in a much gentler tone at this time, because compared to rookies, the cooperation between stars Xu Yong Have more say.

"His character is too immature, and he is only 26 years old, but he has already suffered as many injuries as 30-year-old Yao. His injury risk is also too high."

"I don't think he's very good either." Forman said with a smile after hearing this.

Bynum's risk is the consensus of most managers in the industry.

The reason why he asked this question was because he had not been the general manager for a long time.

Young people always have more illusions.

"Then who do you think can replace Yao?" Forman then asked.

"nobody."

Xu Yong's answer made Forman stunned, and then he smiled bitterly.

This is an expected answer.

There won't be a second Yao Ming in the NBA, just like there won't be a second "Shark".

After getting the answer he wanted, Foreman then stood up and left.

Xu Yong sent him out of the door.

Looking at Foreman's back, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Forman is obviously not the kind of puppet who obeys the protagonist in the basketball novels he has read.

In fact, that scenario is unlikely to happen in reality.

Just like when he asked himself Butler and Leonard before, Foreman is a person with thinking and judgment.

So he still couldn't tell what Foreman's specific thoughts were.

But being able to reach an agreement on Bynum is at least good news.

……

Time is passing and the draft is getting closer.

However, in the past two days, Xu Yong saw an incredible news.

ESPN broke the news about Haslem’s past.

It was a video of Haslem and teammate Richie Davis playing with three young girls at a party in 2008.avi.

It’s not uncommon for NBA players to play multi-player sports, but the problem is that these three girls were still underage at the time!
This incident instantly triggered a heated discussion. Although the national conditions of the United States are such that the richer and more powerful they are, the more they like minors. Sometimes even the president is no exception. However, there is obviously a difference between private and public, because this is against the law.

The Heat officials immediately denied this, and Haslem also said that this was purely a groundless slander.

But soon, the three girls came forward one after another to verify the matter and said that Haslem forced them.

For a time, both the Heat and Haslem were at the center of public opinion.

After reading it, Xu Yong can only say that James’ team is still amazing.

These things that happened many years ago can be found out, and it is estimated that the girl must have taken a lot of money.

But the key to this problem still lies with Haslem himself. He is not discriminating, but black people are really the type who can’t control their lower bodies the most.

Of course, he just wanted to watch it for fun, and it was quite fun to watch his competitors fight.

Not long after, the 2013 NBA Draft will officially begin.

Xu Yong did not go to the scene, but watched the live broadcast of the draft at home.

Hot prospects are introduced before the draft begins, and as those names emerge, some of his memory pieces are pieced together.

This year's top pick is Nerlens Noel. Since the Magic already have George on the outside, they will give priority to the inside.

But it was this Noel. Xu Yong had very few memories of him. The only thing he remembered was that he was cheated by his agent. He could sign a big contract, but in the end he was forced to sign a minimum salary for several years and then faded out of the league.

And then there's Steven Adams.

Although this Adams is far from the "Aquaman" with the sloppy beard in his impression, more like a young New Zealand guy.jpg.

The draft soon began, and the Magic made their selection with the first pick.

Then what is surprising is that they did not choose Noel, but directly chose Oladipo.

As for Oladipo, Xu Yong's impression is more impressive. He is both offensive and defensive. If it weren't for injuries, he would be an All-Star player.

Although the choice of Magic is a bit unexpected, it is not too outrageous.

The draft continued, and Noel fell directly to the sixth pick.

It was at this time that the media revealed the reason why Noel fell. The injury risk to his left knee was more serious than expected.

This is a bad year for the draft. If it were a good year, he would probably fall out of the top ten, or even win the lottery.

Then, the surprise came quickly.

When the draft reached the ninth pick, the Celtics used the picks they traded from the Timberwolves to directly select Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi became the fourth Chinese player to become a lottery pick after Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian and Xu Yong.

Seeing this result, Xu Yong was certainly happy.

This result is a very good start for Zhou Qi.

Although the Celtics' style of play is a bit dirty, they are still good at cultivating rookies.

And the key is this time point. If nothing unexpected happens, the two old men will be taken away and the Celtics will begin to rebuild.

He had some selfish motives for not suggesting Foreman before, because the championship team is not suitable for the growth of rookies, and Butler, Leonard and other alternative players are still in the minority.

Of course, Forman definitely doesn't have such worries now, after all, everyone has been selected.

He then took out his mobile phone and sent a congratulatory message to Zhou Qi.

After putting down his phone, he continued to focus on the Bulls' selection.

"In the 2013 NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls selected... Steven Adams, a 12-meter center from the University of Pittsburgh with the 2th overall pick."

Hearing this result, Xu Yong felt regretful at first, and then felt that it was not bad.

The live broadcast immediately gave an introduction to Adams.

Coming from New Zealand, he only came into contact with American high school rebounding in January last year, and joined the University of Pittsburgh in the summer. He didn't score much, but he averaged 1 rebounds and 6.3 blocks per game, with a wingspan of 2 meters, excellent shoulder width, and strong strength.

It can be seen at a glance that this kind of player does not have an All-Star ceiling, but he is an excellent blue-collar player.

Moreover, he is much better off the bat than Antetokounmpo.

Without opening your eyes, Antetokounmpo seems to have good physical talent in the European League, but a thin organization forward needs a relatively long time to cultivate.

Foreman's choice can't be said to be the best, but it's certainly not the wrong choice.

And Xu Yong probably guessed Forman's thinking. Since no one can replace Yao Ming, he should change his thinking and cultivate blue-collar workers inside.

Speaking of Yao Ming's pick-and-rolls last season, many of them were to create points for Xu Yong, which in itself was blue-collar work.

But this means that the Bulls will have to make a fuss about the power forward position.

In other words, there is a high probability that the Bulls will let go of Ty Gibson, who is also a blue-collar player, and instead look for a team's second scoring point.

But due to salary space, they can only sign for about 1000 million at most. It is not easy to find a suitable insider for such an insider in the free market.

Then, while Xu Yong was still thinking, something unexpected happened again.

The Raptors used the No. 2010 pick in 13, Ed Davis, who averaged 9.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season, to trade with Digital Man to get the opponent's No. 13 pick, and then used this pick to select Antetokounmpo. Bo.

Is this Foreman's actions attracting attention again?
Raptors: My draft pick is with you, then I will trade for someone you value?

Let’s not talk about other things, the dramatic effect is full.

Antetokounmpo plays inside, and coupled with the Raptors' Lowry, DeRozan, and Valanciunas, the Raptors will be a strong opponent in the future.

In other words, DeRozan, who had the least presence in the Devils' four-man front, is rapidly increasing his presence in the back.

The Bulls also made a deal when they reached the second round, using cash to buy the No. 45 pick at the end of the second round, and then used him to acquire James Ennis.

Ennis also has some brief introduction. He is 2 meters tall and has a wingspan of 01 meters. He is a 2D player on the wing.

A lot of information can be seen from this. Foreman has signed veterans to fill out the lineup in the past few years, but it has basically had no effect.

Therefore, he changed his mind and started with the draft to see if there was anyone worth cultivating.

Moreover, 3D is Thibodeau's favorite type. Jimmy Butler was the right choice before. This can be regarded as replicating successful experience.

However, Xu Yong basically has no impression of Ennis.

The day after the draft, Xu Yong went to the United Center. Yao Ming will officially announce his retirement today.

Yao Ming chose to return to China after the season, so this was the first time he saw each other during the offseason.

Yao Ming's state of mind at this time was the most relaxed Xu Yong had ever seen.

But this is also reasonable. Whether it is the national team or the NBA, he has achieved the results he wanted, and his body can no longer support continuing to play. Retiring at the most appropriate time can be regarded as complete.

"I will come to Chicago to watch your game as soon as I have time." Yao Ming said to Xu Yong with a smile.

"What is Brother Yao going to do after he retires?" Xu Yong asked curiously.

"Basketball, what else can you do?" Yao Ming said with a smile.

Xu Yong nodded, he knew what Yao Ming meant by basketball.

Although the achievements he achieved were different from the history he knew, the path Yao Ming wanted to take was exactly the same as in history.

If there is anyone who is really dedicated to the cause of Chinese basketball, it is probably Yao Ming.

Although that means that he may suffer a lot of doubts, slander, and even abuse just like in history.

"Then we will continue to fight side by side from now on." Xu Yong said with a smile.

Yao Ming also laughed loudly, and his laughter turned into embarrassing again.

Yes, history has changed. The Chinese men's basketball team has Xu Yong as its backer, and Zhou Qi has now entered the NBA as a lottery pick. Together with Ding Yanyuhang and Guo Ailun, they will be the top players for a long time. The world's best team.

Yao Ming sat at the press conference table, with Foreman on his left and Thibodeau on his right. Xu Yong sat in the audience like other reporters.

There were a lot of reporters present today, including almost all the major sports media in the United States.

This respect is not given to him by others when he kneels to play the ball, but earned by actually using his own strength.

"There is a saying in our country that 'nine times out of ten things in life will be unsatisfactory.' Of course, I am not the one or two, but the one or two."

The first words Yao Ming spoke caused a burst of laughter from the reporters, and Xu Yong also laughed. Yao Ming's humorous elements are always everywhere.

“…I’m grateful for my journey in Houston, even though I didn’t achieve what I wanted there, the eight years there taught me to grow, but I’m even more grateful for my experience in Chicago, which allowed me to follow the example of a successful person. I left the NBA stage without wanting to say goodbye, but my old friends, my knees and toes have told me more than once that it’s time to say goodbye.”

Yao Ming's speech was not long, but he reviewed his entire career.

Eight years with the Rockets, three years with the Bulls, 11 years of career, 11 All-Star starts, 3 All-NBA Third Teams, 3 All-NBA Second Teams, 1 All-Defensive Second Team, two championships, averaging 18.5 points per game Points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.1 blocks.

And of course there's a world championship and an Olympic title that he won't mention on this occasion.

As he said, the three years after moving to the Bulls completely turned his career around, allowing him to leave the NBA as a successful player.

The audience burst into applause, and Xu Yong also reached out to applaud.

Yao Ming's official retirement basically announced the official end of the Bulls' troika era that began in 2010.

The next Bulls team will enter a new era.

(End of this chapter)