no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 268 Gathering and dispersing eventually

……

Bright light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, passed through the red wine in the goblet on the table, and hit the bed. The jade body lay exposed under the red light.

Xu Yong was hit by bright light and opened his eyes, and took his hand out from under the soft cover.

Sleeping next to him was Alexandra Daddario.

He sat up from the bed,

He lit a cigar from the bedside, Daddario woke up, kissed him and got up to take a shower.

Of course it is impossible for Xu Yong not to fall in love for a year. Daddario came to the Bulls scene several times and the two dated several times and got together half a year ago.

Daddario is the most powerful among the many actresses he has met, even more powerful than Scarlett, and perfectly matches his figure.

To describe it in one sentence, the intensity was even greater than yesterday’s G6 battle.

As for Theron, Theron is a very principled person. After it was determined that the two would not get married, the in-depth communication between the two was limited to that one accident.

Xu Yong has gradually adapted to this relationship, which is why he said thank you when Theron brought little Michael to the scene.

One side of the hotel bathroom can be adjusted to be transparent. Daddario opened it after entering. She has put in a lot of effort to maintain her figure and is happy to show her figure in front of Xu Yong.

The water flows from the shower head, and the dense heat spreads out.

Xu Yong lay on the bed and admired the looming scene in front of him, as if the soreness had disappeared.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

He looked away, picked it up and saw that it was an email sent to him by Schwartz. After opening it, he found the arrangements for his trip to Asia.

Because I will be participating in the national team training for the Olympics later, this year’s event schedule will be advanced.

In other words, he doesn't have time to take care of both this year's draft and the free market.

However, with his previous experience, when it comes to Rose, Forman will most likely say hello to him.

After putting down his phone, Xu Yong got up from the bed and entered the bathroom.

The water waves are far away, and the clouds and rain in Wushan Mountain are like clouds and rain.

On the day of the championship parade, a drizzle fell in Chicago, which just dissipated the heat of June. Chicago fans were more enthusiastic than ever.

Standing on the top of the bus, Xu Yong could feel the heat wave coming from a long distance away.

"Senior, have you heard?" Butler on the side turned to look at Xu Yong with a smile.

"Draymond really lost an egg."

"Unfortunately."

"But what do you think he is doing now?" Butler said, getting excited.

Xu Yong shook his head. If it was like Butler said, he should be recovering from his injuries now.

"He posted a status on social media, saying that he would customize a face-to-face podcast program in July to talk about the risk of injury to athletes, and he would also pre-sell red wine during the podcast program. It is said that LeBron will participate."

Xu Yong was stunned. He could understand every word of this sentence, but he couldn't understand it when connected together.

Is it possible to put on a show and then sell products for this kind of thing?

So all behaviors are converted into traffic, and then all traffic is converted into dollars?

If what Butler said is true, then Green is really a more thorough businessman than James.

And James will also participate?

It seems that the private relationship between them is quite good.

"Senior, you said LeBron won't really go to Golden State, right?" Butler waved to the fans in front of him, then turned around and asked.

Xu Yong shook his head.

Although James and Green have a good relationship, their playing styles overlap too much. It is unlikely that the Warriors will want him. In contrast, the Warriors will most likely pursue Durant as they did in history.

But if James really goes to the Warriors, the scene of him and Green playing inside will make him unconsciously think of two people: General Humph.

The Bulls' championship parade was a success, especially since most of the people present were wearing Xu Yong's No. 6 jersey.

This championship is very important to the Bulls, but the increase in Xu Yong's popularity is phenomenal.

Shortly after finishing the championship parade, Xu Yong also embarked on a journey to Asia.

His first stop was the island country where he had a good life as a child.

And on the first night he arrived at the first stop, the staff on the island country asked him if he wanted to taste local specialties.

Xu Yong initially thought it was delicacies such as wagyu beef or sashimi, but when the other party's eyes were ambiguous, he immediately understood what it was.

Xu Yong immediately said that he had eaten before coming and was full. The food in the island country was like stinky tofu, which tasted delicious but smelled very strong, so he would just take a look.

Then the activities arranged by the island country are also very abnormal. When Jordan came, they arranged a series of basketball shooting activities with different heights and moving functions for Jordan.

This time he came and it was basically the same activity.

But there were so many people here. Although basketball is not the number one sport here, basketball fans are very enthusiastic.

It was at this event that Xu Yong unexpectedly met Yuta Watanabe.

What he didn't expect was that Watanabe had known him since he was in elementary school, and later regarded him as his idol on the road ahead, and even took out his star card from his rookie days.

Xu Yong was also a little excited when he saw this, and he played with it for a long time.

You know, he likes this thing, and he doesn't even have his own star card.

However, he didn't win anyone's love. Instead, he took a photo with him and the star card, and then gave him a pair of new STX3 autographed sneakers.

Watanabe Xuyong knows that, as a pure Asian, he has gone from a two-way contract to a formal contract, and he can also play a rotation in the championship team. He is a very inspirational player, and he is basically the reality of "Slam Dunk" , the real version of Rukawa Kaede.

In his own words, if domestic players worked as hard as he did, China would have no shortage of NBA players.

At this time, Watanabe was playing for George Washington University, and he was extremely excited to see Xu Yong.

When he came out after the event, he received a call from Forman, asking about the draft.

The Bulls' transactions in the past two years have not involved draft picks, so this year's pick is still in their own hands, with the 29th overall pick.

This year, since Rose has been confirmed to be traded, the draft target is basically set on a point guard.

This is also the reason why Foreman came to Xu Yong, because in this position he made an extremely failed draft before, Marquis Teague. Teague did not perform well in the Bulls, and even more so after being traded. He disappeared from the NBA before even finishing his rookie contract.

Another reason is that although Xu Yongdu has technically graduated from the NCAA seven years ago, he can give some very good advice every year.

The most classic ones are Butler and Leonard, both of whom have become superstars, and Jokic has now become a qualified rotation.

This makes him believe that Xu Yongyou has been paying attention to the NCAA, and that he and Jordan are like two opposite sides of the coin when it comes to judging people.

"I haven't paid attention to this year's NCAA, but if you name some people, I may have some impressions."

What impressed Xu Yong most about this year's draft was Ben Simmons (Philadelphia accent), who is known as the next James.

There may also be Jamal Murray of the Nuggets, but the latter is not because of his strength, but because he is a loyal fan of Bruce Lee. It is said that Murray realized the true meaning of basketball from Bruce Lee's kung fu. Kung fu basketball.

"Tyler Ulis, this is the target I am leaning towards now. He is a native of Chicago and played at the University of Kentucky. As a sophomore last season, he averaged 17.3 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists and 1.6 steals per game. This year he won Bob ·Cousy Award, and was selected to the All-American First Team, but he has a shortcoming..."

When Xu Yong heard this name, he said that he had no impression, but his resume is very brilliant, and his statistics are both offensive and defensive.

"He's only 5-foot-10."

"The probability of the next Allen Iverson is lower than the next Michael Jordan." But when Foreman said the next sentence, he couldn't help but say, 5 feet 10 inches, that is Almost 1 meters.

Xu Yong was not very impressed by the next few names, but the last one successfully attracted his attention.

"Dejounte Murray, he is 6 feet 5 inches, from Seattle, and went to the University of Washington, but he is only 19 years old, his playing style is immature and his efficiency is very low, but his passing is not bad. If he It might be an option to be able to polish it off for another year in college.”

"I know this child." Xu Yong said immediately.

Murray, although this Murray is not that Murray, he also knows that, like Anderson, he is also a Spurs player. Although the upper limit is not as high as the super giant, it does not matter if the hardware is good and rough, just like Anderson, Jokic and others. , the team does not expect him to perform in his rookie season.

"He has long been famous in Seattle. I have watched his games." Xu Yong used a reason that Forman could not refuse. His college was in Phoenix, but his high school was in Seattle, and the University of Washington and Yuta Watanabe That George Washington University is not the same, this is the PAC-10.

"Xu, there is one more thing I should probably say about him. He has a gang background. His mother is a frequent visitor to prison. His arrest records can be found since he was 11 years old. He is a problem boy." Xu Yong He was surprised when he heard this, because he didn't know this. To be honest, he didn't know much about Murray, and he only knew that he had been selected as an All-Star.

"We are playing basketball, aren't we?" Xu Yong finally gave his answer.

After finishing the island country station, Xu Yong successively visited the Gulf, South Korea and the Philippines, and the last stop was in China.

This circle has been around for half a month.

On his plane back home, the 2016 draft kicked off.

Because of the advice given before, Xu Yong paid attention to the draft as soon as he got off the plane.

At this time, the first round of the draft is all over.

Simmons was selected as the No. [-] pick without any suspense, but he did not go to Philadelphia to form a team with Embiid. Instead, he went to New Orleans, which was [lucky] to win the No. [-] pick, to team up with Westbrook.

The digital man selected Ingram with the second pick, Embiid welcomed his strike partner, Jaylen Brown went to the Celtics as he knew he would, and then there was Jamal Moore. Ray also went to the Nuggets.

In addition to the selection of the No. [-] pick in the NBA draft, most of the time it is decided by the official, other times it is more based on the inspection of the team's scouting department, so even if their picks and the history that Xu Yong knows have changed, the selection process They will still pick the person they like, and even trade up the pick for this purpose.

Many stories in the draft are based on this point.

The Bulls selected Dejounte Murray as they wished, but not with the 29th pick, but with the 22nd pick, giving away next year's first-round pick.

Xu Yong was a little confused at first, but when he saw the Spurs with the 23rd pick, he understood.

He didn't realize that the Spurs now don't have Leonard, have a worse record than historically, and have a higher draft pick.

But when he saw this result, he felt the management's change in his opinion.

The importance of his opinion is not only for the team veterans, but also for the selection.

He didn't want to do this, but it still seemed like he had become James?

Has he finally become the person he hates the most?

No, it's not the same.

The active-passive relationship here is different. James asked the management for someone, but in his case, the management actively asked him if he wanted someone. These are two completely different levels.

Even in the Bulls, this is a treatment that Jordan has never had many times.

So this is not a bad thing, at least he has more control over the team than in the past.

Because of the busy journey, Xu Yong went back to the hotel to sleep first after getting off the plane.

When he woke up, he found that many people were texting him.

When he picked it up and took a look, he discovered something very interesting.

The Mavericks selected Wang Zhelin with the 58th overall pick.

He had forgotten about this guy. He had the impression that Wang Zhelin didn't know that he had been chosen until he woke up. It was a coincidence that he also found out about this news when he woke up.

However, because of his outstanding performance at the Nike Summit, Wang Zhelin has some popularity in the United States.

And don't think that this kind of draft at the end of the second round is a random selection. You have to know that there are so many people participating in the draft every year, and no matter how late it is, it will still be the top 60 picks.

In the future NBA, how many Chinese people can enter the predicted top 60?

Wang Zhelin certainly has talent, but whether he is motivated or not is another matter.

In the next two or three days, Xu Yong was basically busy running around. He said it was a trip to Asia, but in fact the most important thing was the domestic one. He had several big domestic endorsements, and he had to attend all the activities.

In the past two days when he was busy, Foreman called him again. This time it was no longer about the rookie, but about Rose.

Foreman wanted to know what he thought about where to send Rose.

"Gall, it's not me who thinks about this, but Derek who thinks about it. If possible, try to send him to where he wants to go." This was the last tenderness Xu Yongneng could give Rose.

The day after Xu Yong and Foreman finished their phone call, the 2016 NBA free agent market officially opened.

Because of the skyrocketing salary cap, this year's free market will be very different.

On the first day of the big show, the first signing that broke out shocked everyone. The Hornets offered Batum a five-year, $5 million super contract extension.

You have to know that Batum only averaged 15 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game for the Hornets last season, and he is not the leader of the team, but the total salary of this contract is terrifyingly high.

作为对比，徐永当初签的合同也不过才5年9500万，而之前尼克斯续约斯塔德迈尔的豪掷千金也是5年1亿，即便是上赛季的小加索尔也只是5年1.1亿。

Batum is a very good all-around striker and a qualified third-in-command. When the same type of Butler only had a maximum salary of 5 million in 9500 years last season, it is pure nonsense to say that Batum is better than Butler. .

It can only be said that luck is also a part of strength. Players whose contracts expire this summer are extremely lucky.

Although, as Foreman previously believed, Jordan is the flip side of the coin, and he is now the boss of the Hornets.

Subsequent signing news that broke out one after another further proved the exaggeration of this year's free market.

Chandler Parsons accepted the 4-year, $9400 million contract offered by the Grizzlies.

Even players like Mozgov received a four-year, 4 million contract.

Or you can understand it differently. Although it has been expected for a long time, money has become less like money this summer, but just a series of numbers. You can't sign the players you want without paying a premium.

It was at this time that Xu Yong received a call from Ross.

"Xu, I'm very happy because they asked for my opinion on the transaction." Across the Pacific Ocean, Xu Yong could feel Rose's happy mood.

This is also easy to understand, because the Bulls previously informed him of the news of leaving the team by way of notification, but this time they took the initiative to ask him what he thought.

"Congratulations, Derek, but you deserve it." Xu Yong said with a smile.

"Then where are you going?" Xu Yong asked curiously.

“I actually want to go to Memphis.”

This choice is not surprising. Rose is from the University of Memphis, which can be said to be his second hometown.

But the Grizzlies now have Mike Conley on the roster and are also competing for a championship, and it will be difficult for the Bulls to make a trade with them.

"But Gal told me it wasn't easy." Rose's next words confirmed this.

"So I will go to New York and help young players there." Rose said of his choice.

In New York, Xu Yong was in a daze after hearing this. He knew that Rose had played for the Knicks.

Unexpectedly, Rose ended up going there.

"It's good. You're still in the east, and we'll still meet a lot." Xu Yong said with a smile.

At least, this time it was Rose's choice.

"Before you come back, I might have left." So Ross's call was a farewell call.

"Don't say that. At least Chicago is still your home, right?" Xu Yong said two things in one sentence.

"Yes, it always has been," Ross replied with a smile.

Not long after the phone call between Xu Yong and Rose, Foreman sent him a message in advance just before the deal was concluded.

The Bulls sent Derrick Rose and James Ennis and acquired Patrick Beverley, Boris Diaw, and Thiago Splitter from the Knicks.

Judging from the rewards received by the Bulls, both Diaw and Splitter have expired contracts. One has reached the age of retirement, and the other, as an injured traditional center, has little chance to perform. The only value may be to move to Beverley, the Knicks got a chance.

It can also be seen from this that Rose's trading value is very limited due to injuries.

But looking on the bright side, Diaw and Splitter both have expiring contracts worth around 700 million, so the Bulls have some room for maneuver in the future.

At this time, Xu Yong saw a familiar news. Durant did not directly reach a contract extension with the Thunder, but began to meet with various teams.

Coincidentally, James also started the same thing at almost the same time.

The Rose trade seems to be just an appetizer for this year's free agency, and the real big deal is about to come.

(End of this chapter)