no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 220 2013 NBA Free Agent Market
Los Angeles, Paul's mansion.

James is catching up with Paul.

Of course, he must have traveled all the way back from Italy not just to reminisce about old times.

They were talking about one thing, Paul going to play for the Pacers.

James's idea is very simple. The fundamental reason why the previous combination of Wade, Bosh and his Big Three failed was that the technical characteristics did not match.

A shooting guard, a small forward, and a power forward, it feels like a person with a bare belly, a small head and legs, and obviously unsteady on his feet.

But if Paul, him, and Howard are evenly distributed from head to toe, it will definitely be a plus super combination.

Paul was laughing haha.

James is smart, and Paul is not stupid either.

The Pacers had so many conflicts within the team last season that he was just asking for trouble when he left.

After communicating for a while, James also felt Paul's attitude.

But this was also what he expected. They were both brothers from Banana Boat, so they knew how hairy each other was.

He immediately came up with his alternative plan.

"But I've thought about it before, that Dwight guy doesn't want to pick and roll for anyone right now, so you go to Indiana with Andrew and then let him go to Los Angeles. I believe this will be a perfect plan."

James' next words successfully aroused Paul's interest.

After playing two seasons with the Lakers, he is quite familiar with Bynum. Although that guy is not mentally mature, he is very active in pick-and-rolls, has a soft touch, and can shoot mid-range shots. He is definitely a better partner than Howard.

But the key to the problem is him and James.

Of course he can't fail to see what Wade has been through over the past few years.

Moreover, the four banana boat brothers can pee into a pot. In fact, they have one big thing in common, that is, they are all ball-handling players.

They are not suitable for cooperating with each other and are only suitable for each other.

This year Wade led the team to win the championship, which is even more confirmed.

Seeing that Paul was still hesitating, James looked a little anxious.

He really couldn't wait any longer, nine years!It has been nine years since he entered the league!

Even if he can play in the league for 20 years, half of his career has passed, but his number of championships so far is still very low.

He doesn't want to be the uncrowned king, he is the chosen one, and he must win that damn championship.

"And I have thought about it, if we play together, you hold the ball and I score, we will definitely win the championship." He then said.

Paul looked at James in surprise at this time.

James is actually willing to give up the ball?

He even suspected that the sun rose in the west today!
"I'm serious, CP, we are brothers, and I won't hide it from you. I really want the championship so much. We are the same, right?" James looked at Paul with sincere eyes.

Paul came to his senses, and for a moment he didn't know how to answer.

What James just said seemed to be from his heart. If he doesn't win the championship, Nike will probably abandon him, let alone what happens to him.

After all, the character of the king was created by Nike. If you can't even win the championship, that is, you can't even ascend the throne, then you are not a king, but at most you are the ten thousand-year-old Prince Zhan.

And his current situation is actually not good either.

Los Angeles fans' dissatisfaction with him reached its peak when he was eliminated in the first round last season.

The current mainstream argument in Los Angeles is that his competition for FMVP in last year's finals directly ruined Kobe's sixth championship.

Especially after Kobe suffered a torn Achilles tendon and everything was irreversible, it became the last chance to ruin Kobe's sixth championship.

It is no exaggeration to say that many Comets are already eager to kill him.

So not only did he renew his contract with the Lakers, but even the Clippers, who were originally a good fit for him, have been excluded by him.

There weren't many choices left for him.

Basically, if there is a chance to compete for a championship, the only way to go is to go to the Knicks to work with Anthony, or to go to Houston to team up with Noah and Deng.

But those options do seem to be inferior to going to the Pacers now, if James can really do what he said.

"CP, let's have a big fight and let those who laugh at us shut up next season. Our combination will be invincible." James struck while the iron was hot.

"Even if I want to, this deal will be difficult, you know Andrew is also a free agent now." Paul worried.

"I will take care of this, as long as you are willing." James smiled when he heard Paul let go.

Hearing this, Paul finally nodded after hesitating for a long time, but he also gave his conditions very realistically: "I will only sign a 3+1 contract, and if you don't do what you said, I will leave early." .”

The summer of 2016 is a very important time point. For him, money must come first.

And he gave each other three years. Although it was not long, it was one year more than the Heat's Big Three.

James frowned slightly. Paul's words just now made him feel uncomfortable, but he quickly passed it by, smiled and reached out to make a fist.

Paul also smiled and reached for a fist bump.

The two brothers (human beings) and brothers (spirits) had their own plans in mind at this time.

James: Three years?He will have player options for two consecutive years at the end of next season. It's really inappropriate for him to be the first one to run away!

Paul: It's best to win the championship. If he doesn't win, James is likely to run away. By then he will be the boss of the Pacers. He can take advantage of the market opened up by James and Howard and find a new partner.

……

The time has come to July 7, and the door to the 1 NBA free agent market has officially opened.

Last year's free market was deserted, but this year it is bustling.

The big fish in this year’s free market are Paul, Josh Smith, Harden (restricted free agent), Ginobili, Lawson, Iguodala, Al Jefferson, Ibaka (restricted free agent) player)…

This is quite lively.

Then that day, Xu Yong flew to New Orleans with Foreman.

Quite different from what Xu Yong had guessed before, Forman indeed plans to make a fuss at the power forward position.

There are only a limited number of power forwards who meet the requirements, but there is one who is a perfect fit.

The reason why Foreman called him together is also very simple, because the one who now holds the player option needs some sincerity to convince the other party.

If it were someone else, Xu Yong might not necessarily go, but for this one, he was very interested.

That afternoon, they met the person they had come to meet in a house in a suburb of New Orleans.

David West.

West is an older rookie, older than Yao Ming, but his style of play is similar to Nowitzki's, focusing on shooting and not relying on physical fitness. This means that he can also be like Nowitzki and others, as long as It's not impossible to play until you're 40.

His technical characteristics are that he is best at mid-range shooting, which is 2+ in the mid-range in 120K. 17 feet is his super sweet spot, because he is also known as the "17-foot assassin".

This technical characteristic of his, coupled with his excellent shoulder width, allows him to be solid in the pick-and-roll and open up ample breakthrough space for the ball holder. In addition, his mobility is also very good, and he can also He is an absolute pick-and-roll master when rolling the ball down. His pick-and-roll efficiency with Paul back then was second only to Deron and Boozer.

However, this is not all of him. His ability to play singles with the ball in the low post is also very good and can be used as the starting point for low post tactics.

The last thing is his defense. This is also the biggest difference between him and Boozer, who is also famous for his mid-range. His defense is very tough, with excellent physical fitness, a wingspan of 2 meters, and a strong body. It is difficult for the players he plays to think of challenging him.

Of course, he also has weaknesses. His height of 2 meters in shoes is not high among power forwards, and his jumping is average. He is a technical power forward.

"I know it's inappropriate to say this, but I have no intention of leaving New Orleans for the time being. Mr. Foreman, I'm sorry." West apologized.

At this time, Forman was mainly responsible for communication, and Xu Yong was just sitting next to him. But when West apologized, he signaled to both of them one after another.

This surprised Xu Yong.

Because he has rarely seen an American be so humble, not even Shane Battier.

It may be a bit strange to say that he actually felt bookish in an athlete.

"David, if I remember correctly, you will be 8 years old in August. Are you ready to spend the rest of your career in this small town?"

Foreman was proactive and continued to increase his intensity after seeing West hesitate to speak.

"I've heard your story. You originally preferred boxing, but when you saw 'Admiral' Robinson play, you confirmed your dream. You wanted to become an NBA player and win a championship."

"Yes, you have indeed become an NBA player for ten years, but do you think you can become a championship if you continue to stay here?"

Foreman grasped West's weak points and continued to attack. He knows how to persuade people.

Speaking of which, he was the one who persuaded Yao Ming to come to Chicago.

"Russell and I have a very good chemistry, and I can't just leave him behind." West was a bit embarrassed. Of course, he didn't know that there was no hope of staying with the Hornets.

Forman fell silent at this time, thinking about how to continue to persuade West. After all, this involved the relationship within the Hornets' team.

At this time, Xu Yong heard the implication of West's words. West's meaning should be that he wanted to complete the contract for next season before winning the championship. In theory, this would be a benevolence to the Hornets who trained him.

"David, do you think Russell cares more about record or data now?"

Xu Yong's words stunned West.

You don’t need to ask to know the answer to this question. For things like averaging a triple-double per game, regardless of ancient or modern times, all those who can achieve it are 100% done.

Yes, of course that includes Oscar Robertson.

"So are you going to waste the last peak of your career on brushing up data with another person?" Seeing West's reaction, Xu Yong continued to ask.

Although West is about to turn 33, he still averaged 17.3 points per game for the Hornets last season.

As Xu Yong knows, West's technical style of play does not rely on physical fitness, and except for an injury in his second year, his attendance rate has been very high at other times.

He is still at the end of his prime.

West smiled helplessly, then shook his head.

Forman turned his head and glanced at Xu Yong, then silently gave him a thumbs up under the table.

Xu Yong's two sentences were more convincing than all the words he had said before. Persuading Xu Yong to come together was the most correct decision he made.

"I wonder how Rose's recovery from injury is going?" However, West did not agree immediately. Instead, he asked Forman about Rose's situation.

Because even if they break out of the contract, the Bulls are not the best choice now. After all, it is too difficult for a team with a maximum salary on the roster to win the championship.

This not only means that a core is missing, but this core also locks up the team's salary space for reinforcements.

"David, as long as I'm here, we will be a championship team." Before Foreman opened his mouth to explain, Xu Yong looked at West and said calmly.

West immediately laughed when he heard it.

"Then, let's talk about the contract details." And after putting away his smile, he made a decision on the spot.

The league's salary cap for the 2013~2014 season is 5867 million, and the Bulls' current contracts for next season are: Rose 1763 million, Xu Yong 1660 million, Hinrich 500 million, Battier 300 million, Brown 300 million, Butler 113 107 million, Teague 209 million, Adams 50 million, and Ennis [-].

A simple math question, the contract the Bulls can offer now is only a contract with a starting salary of 1165 million.

West's current worth is more than this, especially since the salary cap will see a big increase in 16.

But West's answer was enough.

The two sides quickly finalized a verbal agreement, 3 million for three years, with a starting salary of 3600 million, increasing year by year, and a player option in the third year.

This contract reminded Xu Yong of something related to West.

Historically, when West was playing for the Pacers, he jumped out of his $1200 million contract in the third year, and then signed a one-year minimum salary with the Spurs. Instead of spending more than $1000 million just for a championship.

This shows that West does have the same desire for a championship as Foreman said, but it also shows that his thoughts should be the same as in history.

If the Bulls don't see hope of winning the championship in the next two years, he may choose to leave.

After completing the verbal agreement, West was temporarily separated from them. He had to communicate with the Hornets management and Westbrook, and the Hornets also had to talk with the Bulls to see if they could get some compensation. , that will take some time.

Therefore, Forman will also stay in New Orleans for a few days first, while Xu Yong will fly back to Chicago first.

That is, after he got off the plane, he saw a message from Forman.

Not with West, but with the Pacers.

The Lakers made a big deal with the Pacers.

Paul signed a four-year, $4 million max-salary contract with the Lakers, with a player option in the fourth year. Bynum signed a four-year, $8308 million contract with the Lakers, with a team option in the fourth year.

Then the Lakers sent Paul and Bynum at the same time to get Howard, George Hill and a future first-round draft pick from the Pacers.

This is an obviously unequal transaction.

The Pacers not only solved the conflict between James and Howard, but also got Paul and made a lot of money.

Xu Yong could easily deduce that the Lakers were forced.

Because of the Pacers' current salary space, Hill has trade value. They can trade with Richardson and then sign Paul naked.

In other words, Paul must have told the Lakers management that he wanted to go to the Pacers. If the Lakers did not agree to the deal, they would lose Paul in vain.

Just like when James was going to the Heat, the Cavaliers were forced to "trade" him.

Then this transaction is a stop-loss type. It can upgrade Bynum to Howard, and also get Hill and draft picks. This is already a good return.

In fact, just when Xu Yong finished reading the text message, there was new trading news.

The Grizzlies signed Korver to a four-year, $4 million contract, then sent him to the Pacers for Stephenson and Richardson.

Stephenson already started for the Pacers last season and performed well. He is a rookie with great potential.

However, Stephenson is a ball-holding defender, and his performance will definitely be limited after Paul comes.

Send him away when the transaction value is at its highest, and also deal with Richardson's contract.

These two transactions can be said to be very high-level.

At this time, Xu Yong scanned the news related to the Pacers again.

After seeing Larry Bird recover and become the president of the Pacers again on June 6 this year, he understood instantly.

Obviously, the Pacers not only lost but were also embarrassed last season, so they had no choice but to bring Bird back.

Bird's disease is somewhat intelligent.

Paul, Korver, James, Jamison, Bynum.

The Pacers' starting lineup is much more competitive than last season, and the key is that there is still a lot of room for reinforcement.

Sure enough, if you push the king, you will still push the king. The Eastern Conference will be very competitive next season.

Xu Yong returned to Chicago to continue training, and of course he continued to pay attention to the free market situation.

The Warriors and Digital Man reached a sign-and-trade agreement. Iguodala renewed his contract for 4 million in four years, and then signed and traded to the Warriors in exchange for a second round and a trade exception worth 4800 million.

Curry, Thompson, Iguodala, David Lee, Bogut.

His flying knee didn't destroy Green, and the familiar Warriors team in history still took shape.

There was something subtle about it to him.

If this is not reality but a game, the appearance of this Warriors team greatly increases its sense of reality and immersion.

Then soon, another classic thing that Xu Yong was familiar with happened.

The Nets reached a deal with the Celtics, sending Gerald Wallace, Carlos Boozer, Bogans, Brooks and Joseph, as well as three first-round picks and a first-round pick. After the swap, Garnett, Pierce, O'Neal Jr., and DJ White were acquired from the Celtics.

Even if Humphries is replaced by Boozer, it won't stop Billy King from writing himself into the shit book of NBA managers.

To be honest, even if he actually saw it, Xu Yong couldn't help but wonder what kind of brain circuit he had to make such a deal.

After all, any normal person can see that Garnett and Pierce are old, and Deron is also suffering from injuries. How stupid does it take to bet on them for the future of the team?

Maybe it was just like the comments he had seen, that Danny Ainge remotely controlled Billy King and let him add draft pick after pick to the trade chips.

Of course, this may be a good thing for Zhou Qi, because O'Neal Jr. was traded away and he can be fully cultivated. If he can seize the opportunity, he may be able to ascend to a higher stage with Shuang Tanhua in the future.

At this time, with the end of the July freeze period, the signings and subsequent signings and exchanges of various teams began one after another.

The Bulls and West directly reached a three-year, 3 million contract. At the same time, the Hornets, which should be called the Pelicans at this time (renamed in January 3600), gave Taj Gibson a four-year, 2013 million contract. offer, and the Bulls gave up on matching.

These are two very interesting signings, because the two parties actually exchanged last season's starting power forward. According to past practice, it is a better choice for both parties to sign each other first and then exchange, because it is possible that Gibson will get other players. A higher offer from the team.

However, the new version of the collective bargaining agreement has many new rules that have been implemented since the 2013-2014 season, such as the super luxury tax mentioned before, and the sign-before-trade rule.

The new rules stipulate that when signing first and then trading, the salary of the team acquiring the player in the new season cannot exceed the wealthy line, which is the luxury tax.

Take the Pacers' previous trade as an example. Because they have already acquired Paul and Bynum who joined in a sign-and-trade, their salary for the new season will not exceed the luxury tax. This will be a big help for their subsequent reinforcements. limits.

After acquiring West, the Bulls' core lineup for next season has been basically determined.

Starting: Rose, Jimmy Butler, Xu Yong, David West, Kwame Brown;
Rotation: Hinrich, Battier, Morris Jr., Adams.

At this time, the team's salary cap was filled, and they successively gave up on renewing the contracts of old players from last season.

Tony Allen signed with the Mavericks for 3 years and 1200 million. Because of Stevenson's departure, he will get a starting opportunity with the Mavericks.

Delonte West also signed with the Mavericks for 2 years and 400 million. Counting Yi Jianlian last season, the Mavericks have a soft spot for the old Bulls player.Artest joined the Knicks with a two-year, $2 million contract.

Anderson is the only one left. He signed a two-year, $2 million contract extension with the Bulls, with a player option in the second year.

……

The free market was almost settled, and Xu Yong and Butler left for Tempe ahead of schedule.

Not two days after he arrived, other people had already arrived one after another.

Harden gave Xu Yong a warm hug when he saw him.

"Your suggestions are so useful, Kevin kept the lineup for us." Harden echoed.

Xu Yong didn't pay much attention to the Thunder's news, and Harden also sat down and chatted with him.

It turned out that the Thunder's original idea was to send Gasol away. Later, because Gasol's contract was too big and they couldn't find a buyer, they planned to give up matching Ibaka's offer. Finally, Durant came forward to negotiate with the management. .

As a result, the management was forced to pay the luxury tax for one year, but as a condition, Gasol also renewed a two-year, 2 million contract with the Thunder.

In other words, Gasol's current contract with the Thunder has become 3 million for three years, so 3400 million a year is not expensive.

This is equivalent to allowing the Thunder to maintain the core lineup of Durant, Harden, Ibaka and Gasol for the next three years.

Xu Yong was surprised to hear this, but it did prove that Durant was telling the truth in history.

And three years later, it happened to be 2016. At that time, Gasol's contract expired and the salary cap increased sharply, and things suddenly became very interesting.

After all, James is now beaten and wandering around, and the trend of teamwork cannot be formed. It is basically impossible for Durant to imitate him.

But the Thunder will have a lot of salary space by then.

If the Thunder fail to win the championship by then, Durant: Ajan, come quickly?

"They picked a tall and lanky guy from Greece. Have there ever been NBA players in Greece?" DeRozan complained about the team's operation in the draft.

"You have a good relationship with ED?" Xu Yong knew that DeRozan was not someone who liked to complain.

"We often train together and he has been working hard. I know he will become a starting player." DeRozan's answer confirmed Xu Yong's judgment.

"There is an NBA player in Greece, Kosta Koufos. He was the starting center of the Nuggets last season." Harden on the side heard this and replied. He plays in the West, and the Western teams will know more about it. Some.

Koufos and Xu Yong had heard of it, but he didn’t know it was Greek. He really didn’t remember many Greek players. In the NBA, he had only heard of “European Kobe” Spanoulis, but he didn’t know it.

"Demar, I think it won't take long for you to change this view." Xu Yong said with a smile.

"You know him?" DeRozan asked curiously.

When DeRozan asked, Xu Yong suddenly didn't know how to answer.

Antetokounmpo, the [inspirational player] who sent all his first salary home and couldn’t afford to take a taxi back to the arena, the [Greek Monster] who started showing off his skills after entering the league and ended up being extremely strong, is on the right side of history. The [stepping superstar] who won the championship with his feet (a team without James' level cannot be whitewashed), this person has too many labels.

Xu Yong shook his head, then glanced at Butler beside him, and then said: "You have to believe in my vision."

DeRozan acquiesced after hearing this. Butler's growth rate was indeed beyond all of their expectations.

"LeBron has sent a text message to all of us, asking us to start training in early September." Ayers, the "undercover", has started his work for the new season again. He also got a job with the Pacers this summer. 9-year contract extension of 2 million.

"Are you going to go early?" Harden asked curiously.

"Go, he said that anyone who goes will get a gift of fifty thousand dollars." Ayers nodded. He is a low-level player, and fifty thousand dollars is quite a lot.

"It won't be a [-] Rolls-Royce voucher, right?" Xu Yong said.

Harden and DeRozan were already laughing.

"It shouldn't be possible, right?" Ayres was also stunned for a moment.

"Just kidding, this season may be different for you." Xu Yong said seriously.

Although James sometimes becomes stingy, such as being reluctant to open traffic, he is such a smart person and is still willing to give gifts to his teammates.

After all, with his style of play and lack of frequent gifts, his teammates would probably disrespect him.

However, starting team training so early, James' mentality is indeed a little different this season.

After a brief chat, they started training.

This year, in addition to the four of them and Butler, Ding Yanyuhang will also train with them.

Now that Zhou Qi has entered the NBA, he should be under some pressure.

However, during training, Xu Yong still advised him to train scientifically.

Although these words were a little strange coming from the mouth of a person with the label of "training freak", he knew that Ding Yanyuhang was considered useless in history.

After all, even aside from his injury immunity, there are only a few who are as durable as Butler.

When the training was over, they were all ready to go back to rest, and Harden suddenly pulled Xu Yong quietly.

Xu Yong was full of curiosity. Is there anything else he wanted to talk about in private?

Could it be that after he won the championship, he invited Harden to taste two big buttocks, and Harden was going to give him two in return?

"KD said he also wanted to come over and train together."

But when Harden said this, Xu Yong seemed very surprised.

Are you sure Durant wants to come over to train with him, not come over to fight with him?

"He is serious." Harden said with certainty after seeing Xu Yong's reaction.

"Let him come."

"do you agree?"

"Why don't you agree?" Xu Yong asked with a smile.

Although Harden was a little confused when he saw this, he took out his cell phone and turned around to make a call.

A few days later, Durant actually arrived in Tempe.

Then when he saw Xu Yong, he would fight Xu Yong in a one-on-one duel.

"No problem at all, but I have a condition. The winner can ask the loser to do one thing." Xu Yong smiled.

"what's up?"

"Anything is fine."

"Anything is possible?" Durant looked excited when he heard this. Wouldn't that be...

Xu Yong nodded firmly.

This time, not only Durant, but also other people's curiosity was instantly aroused.

Xu Yong and Durant can be said to be the two players with the strongest scoring ability currently.

In previous regular season matches, Xu Yong was superior due to his endurance, but in a one-on-one duel, Durant's size would be more advantageous.

And they are also very curious about their so-called condition.

What if Durant really wins and asks Xu Yong to help him date Scarlett?
The duel between the two began quickly, with Xu Yong taking the lead.

Xu Yong's breakthrough jump shot in the first round missed the basket due to interference from Durant's long arm.

There is a big difference between one-on-one and full-court. Durant's height and wingspan, coupled with his reaction speed, make it difficult to shoot in front of him.

When Durant joined the Dream Team, he defeated everyone on the Dream Team in a one-on-one match.

Then the offense and defense switched, and Durant used a continuous turning fadeaway jumper to hit the shot against Xu Yong's pressing defense.

Durant yelled after scoring, and it was obvious that he was very excited now.

However, when he attacked again, as soon as he caught the ball, Xu Yong pressed his whole body on top of him, and succeeded in cutting the ball the moment he turned around.

Xu Yong's first defense is not as watery as others.

Switching to Xu Yong holding the ball, Xu Yong got up.

After giving Durant a strong back-up confrontation, he turned around and broke through the basket.

Durant reacted quickly and wanted to block Xu Yong from behind, but Xu Yong didn't give him a chance at all. He pulled up and dunked with both hands.

The sound of Durant's thug became the best background music for this ball.

This made DeRozan and the others excited.

Peak showdowns and the like are rare.

However, after Xu Yong scored three goals in a row, Durant shrank early and successfully prevented Xu Yong's goal.

Then after he got the ball, he used his drag step, a signature horizontal drag step to make a jump shot to continue his scoring.

The duel between the two was exciting, and the score kept rising alternately.

In the blink of an eye, Durant had a chance to win the game.

Durant's eyes were already shining at this time.

He used the drag step again, but this time his range was smaller, and he followed up with a behind-the-back dribble and a step-back jumper.

Xu Yong's long arm interfered, but Durant still pulled the ball in despite the defense.

Don't talk about Durant now, Harden and the others are yelling there.

In this training camp, Xu Yong will always be invincible in one-on-one situations. Both Harden and DeRozan will only be rubbed.

Now someone finally defeated Xu Yong for once.

Of course, more importantly, Durant can make demands!
Xu Yong was still thinking about the ball just now.

I have to say, it's really silky smooth.

Durant walked up to Xu Yong with excitement at this time, and then said with everyone's expectant eyes:

"Teach me how to improve my organizational skills."

As soon as he said this, the others were stunned.

Xu Yong laughed. He had already guessed that what Durant wanted to do more than Scarlett was to improve his own strength.

Others had already gone back to practice at this time, while Xu Yong and Durant walked to the sidelines to sit down and chat.

"I don't think you need that thing." Xu Yong's first words after sitting down made Durant frown. Is Xu Yong cheating?

"You have the opportunity to become Jordan, why should you become James?" Xu Yong asked with a smile.

"James Harden is your Pippen, all you have to do is throw the ball into the basket as easily and efficiently as possible."

Xu Yong's words are very true. If he is still on the same team with Harden, or if Butler has developed an organization, he doesn't want to play every ball by himself. That would be really tiring, and the key is not to Must have won the ball.

"But I was flanked and lost the Finals last season." Durant said with a depressed expression. The most uncomfortable thing about losing the Finals was actually not Harden, but him.

"Wouldn't it be great if you learned how to throw the ball in when two people were guarding you?" Xu Yong asked directly.

Durant was stunned by the question. He really hadn't thought about it that way. He was a team player at heart and would rarely take action against a double team unless he had to.

"No superstar can always get a one-on-one opportunity in the decisive moment." Xu Yong continued.

Durant is a pure scorer, and asking him to organize is simply a waste of his little physical energy.

In his previous life, he felt that Durant played too well as a team, and it was rare to see Durant hit key goals against a double attack.

Wouldn't it be nice to be a big-sized Kobe or Jordan?
If Durant had some enlightenment, he felt like a door to a new world had been opened.

"Tell me about the last shuffle step?" Xu Yong said immediately after finishing talking about Durant's question.

Why did he agree to Durant coming?

That's not for Harden's sake, but because Durant, besides Deron, is the best at dragging.

The winning shot just now was beyond the scope of Grover's guidance. It was a shuffling technique that he had never seen before.

"Why do you ask?" Durant looked confused.

"I'm practicing this."

"You practice this?" Durant's confusion turned into surprise.

"Any questions?"

Durant was at a loss for words. The question was not a problem, but the key was that Xu Yong was already so strong. If he practiced like this again...

"Otherwise, I'll teach you how to organize, and you'll teach me how to shuffle. It's fair." Xu Yong suggested with a smile.

"Um, didn't you just say that I don't need to practice organization?" Durant's eyes widened.

"You don't have to, but there is a saying that 'the skills are too many to overwhelm the body'. It won't do any harm if you learn it, right?" Xu Yong said seriously.

Durant's eyes stared like bells now.

Speaking of which, the biggest intersection between him and Xu Yong before was that he opened a trumpet to help Xu Yong blackmail James. This can be regarded as a true realization of what kind of person Xu Yong is.

He originally thought Xu Yong was as aloof as Jordan, but now it seems, huh, as shameless as him!

"Then it's settled." Durant stretched out his hand and showed his little finger.

Xu Yong directly made an agreement with him.

This scene stunned the others.

Especially Harden, aren't these two mortal enemies?Durant still remembered the look in Scarlett's eyes when he learned that she and Xu Yong were together.

……

Time flies so fast, it is already one and a half months later.

In the past month and a half, some things have happened one after another, such as Iverson and Tracy McGrady both announcing their retirement.

Of the four top shooting guards in the past, two retired and one was seriously injured. Only Carter is still playing as a substitute for the Mavericks, which is somewhat disappointing.

Of course, there is also something heart-warming among the sighs, that is, the Lakers announced that they have completed an early contract extension with Kobe. A two-year maximum salary contract of 2 million yuan directly locked Kobe's "one man, one city" career, especially since this is still It’s unknown how Kobe Bryant’s recovery from a serious injury will go.

At this time Durant will return to Oklahoma with Harden.

After losing in the finals last season, they are also preparing to gather their players for a training camp before the team's training camp begins.

Before leaving, Durant and Xu Yong had another one-on-one duel.

The winner this time was Xu Yong.

After a summer of training, especially with the "guidance" of a practical master like Durant, his drag step has improved very significantly.

After Durant lost, he always felt like he had been cheated.

Because Xu Yong taught him more about passing.

Xu Yong naturally didn't cheat him, because organizing something like this definitely relies not on teaching, but on practice.

If he could teach it, Xu Yong would have taught Butler a long time ago.

So what he and Durant said was to practice more passing accuracy, then watch more game videos to improve game reading skills, and finally practice more on the court.

This is seeking truth from facts, how can it be considered a scam?
……

After another half month, the training camps of each team will start.

Xu Yong, DeRozan and Ayers also left Tempe and returned to their respective teams.

Just after returning to Chicago, Xu Yong got the good news that Rose had returned to health.

In fact, Rose's injury was almost healed before the end of last season.

This past summer, he relied more on the help of trainers to recover.

After all, I haven't played a ball for a whole season, and it's not easy to get back to form.

On the first day of training camp, Xu Yong saw Rose riding a bicycle on the sidelines.

Rose looked a lot different from before. He had grown a beard, and even his hair was no longer a short cut, but a short curly mohawk, giving people an inexplicable sense of vicissitudes of life.

Xu Yong went up and gave him a big hug.

We haven’t played together for a whole season and I miss them very much.

Ross looked excited too.

He wanted to force a comeback in the playoffs last season, but was stopped by the team doctor in the end. In the new season, he also wants to have a big fight with Xu Yong.

After chatting with Rose for a while, Xu Yong then looked around at his teammates.

In addition to the previous 12 people, the team has signed three more people.

The Bulls' lineup this season has really changed completely compared to the past three seasons.

(End of this chapter)