no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 290 All encounters are reunions after a long separation

"Boss, are you going to make a comeback with the Mavericks?" Jokic asked impatiently after entering the room, his face full of anticipation.

Xu Yong nodded: "The specific time has not been determined yet."

Although the best plan is to come back next season, he does not rule out the possibility of returning early if his condition improves quickly.

After all, the NBA market is shrinking now, and the cancellation of the [vertical jump rule] will cause pain. It would be a good thing if he can come back early.

At this time, a person still had the same uncontrollable smile as when he was at the door.

"Demar heard that you were coming, and the smile on his face never disappeared." Jokic couldn't help but complain at this time.

After hearing this, Xu Yong also smiled and looked at DeRozan, then opened his hands and gave him a tight hug.

The Devil's Four Musketeers back then, who would eventually become Xu Yong's teammate would be DeRozan. Who would have thought?

But just after the hug, Xu Yong found that the smile on DeRozan's face was gone, replaced by red eyes.

Look how excited the child is.

Xu Yong reached out and patted DeRozan on the shoulder, then asked them to sit down and chat.

They hadn't seen each other for a long time and they had a lot to talk about.

……

January 1, American Airlines Center.

Xu Yong appeared in the arena with Ballmer in a suit and tie.

When he walked out of the players' tunnel, the fans on both sides spotted him and shouted excitedly.

And when the camera showed him and his figure appeared on the LED screen, the American Airlines Center instantly went into a boil.

Xu Yong has never been to the NBA since his retirement. This is his first appearance in the NBA after a year and a half.

Although he was wearing a suit and tie, the dreamlike scene was enough to drive people crazy.

Xu Yong smiled and stretched out his hand to greet the fans, then greeted the Mavericks players one by one, and finally sat in the second row of the auditorium.

Next to him sat Ballmer, surrounded by several security personnel.

This is the legendary SVIP seat that is not in the VIP box.

The players on the field were still warming up. In addition to the players on both sides, celebrities came over to greet him and take photos with him from time to time.

Is it because Dallas is a place where celebrities like to come to games?

The answer is obviously not, it was Xu Yong's possible appearance tonight that made them choose to come here.

Celebrities need exposure to maintain their popularity, and Xu Yong is undoubtedly the person who can attract the most attention from the outside world right now.

It wasn't until the opening ceremony that Xu Yong finally felt free.

He also finally got a chance to take a closer look at his future teammates.

The Spurs came on first as the visiting team. Among their starters, the one who caught Xu Yong's attention at first sight was Doncic.

Neither Leonard nor Aldridge is with the Spurs, and the Spurs completely failed last season.

Although the league did not give them the No. 19 pick in the end, they finally selected the -year-old Slovenian player Luka Doncic with the No. pick.

Considering their past precedent of consecutively selecting Parker and Ginobili, this operation is reasonable.

Next up is the Mavericks.

Starting point guard, Delon Wright.

Xu Yong's previous understanding of him was really limited, but in the previous exchange, Malone had already introduced some core players.

Wright had a plethora of honors during his high school years, including the Bob Cousy Award, All-American First Team, American Basketball Coaches Association All-Defensive Team, etc. He was known as the No. 1 point guard in the country.

With a height of 1 meters in shoes, he is excellent in breakthrough, passing and defense. However, he was exposed to unstable shooting in college and was eventually selected by the Raptors with the 96th overall pick in the first round of 2014.

This is his fourth year as a rookie, and because the Raptors can't afford to renew his contract, they finally added him to the previous trade for DeRozan.

His performance in the NBA for three years was basically in line with the original scouting report, so he was also called the next Shaun Livingston.

However, after arriving in the Mavericks and next to Jokic, his shooting suddenly became more accurate. This season, he averaged 1.8 three-point shots and shot 38.1%.

Starting shooting guard, Wesley Matthews.

When Matthews was still with the Trail Blazers, he was the 3D defender that Cuban had always coveted. His three-point shooting and defense were very strong.

However, his shortcomings are that he is an older rookie and the height preferred by shooting guards. His height is the same as Wright.

Moreover, as his physical fitness declines with age, the now 32-year-old's defensive ability has significantly declined. However, he averages 6 three-pointers per game and a 38% shooting rate, and is still able to provide production-level outside scoring.

Of course, his biggest problem comes from his contract. His contract this season is US$1862 million, which is a super premium contract for a regressing 3D player.

Small forward, DeRozan.

Because Matthews couldn't play the third position, DeRozan began to gain weight and play the third position after arriving in Dallas.

Power forward, Dwight Powell.

Powell is 2 meters tall in shoes and has a wingspan of 11 meters. He is a slender and athletic insider. He is a second-round pick that the Mavericks have been cultivating. He can start in the NBA, but his talent is limited.

Center, Jokic.

Including the bench, the veterans Jose Barea and Devin Harris, small forward Dorian Finney-Smith, and interior space power forward [German fellow] Maxi Koehler are now sitting in front of him. Bell, as well as the lottery pick who also followed DeRozan to the Mavericks, third-year player [Botou] Jacob Poeltl, are the core rotation players of the Mavericks.

Generally speaking, it is Jokic and DeRozan, leading a bunch of veterans and rookies.

The Mavericks had just lost to the Trail Blazers three days ago, and the team desperately needed a win against a tank team like the Spurs.

However, after the game started, the Mavericks and the Spurs were in a stalemate.

Doncic played too well.

Xu Yong's understanding of Doncic before he was reborn was in stages. In his eyes, the fat Doncic had lost the qualification to compete for the best player in history, but before he became fat, especially when he was a rookie, Doncic played. So inspiring.

When you look at the confidence and calmness in his movements, as well as his court control and basketball talent that transcend his age, it's not like you're looking at a 19-year-old player.

However, the Mavericks also have many problems here.

Jokic seems to have not adapted to the cancellation of the [vertical take-off rule]. When he catches the ball under the basket, he is always prone to getting entangled with the opponent's center.

Of course, based on Xu Yong's understanding of Jokic, the latter will most likely be able to adjust back, although it will take some time.

The bigger problem still comes from DeRozan. I don't know whether it is because he switched to the third position or because he lacks self-confidence. DeRozan is more hesitant to play.

If you hesitate, you will lose. This is also true in basketball games.

During the break in the first quarter, Xu Yong couldn't help but get up and call DeRozan over, encourage him for a while, and finally hit him on the chest.

But back in the second quarter, DeRozan's performance didn't improve much.

The game ended with the Mavericks unexpectedly losing.

Doncic played the best game of his rookie career, with 29 points, 8 rebounds, 12 assists and 2 steals.

In this attention-grabbing game, Doncic showed his superstar potential and ruined Xu Yong's "debut".

After the game, Jokic walked up to Xu Yong and apologized to him: "I'm sorry, boss, I ruined your good deeds."

"Take your time, Nikolai, this is just a game." Xu Yong's mentality was relatively calm at this time. He is now neither the player who can play nor the coach who can direct from the sidelines, but the owner of the team.

Or to put it another way, it’s management.

As a player, he knows the relationship between management and players, even if the positions are now reversed.

What position to say what kind of words, this is what Xu Yong realized during his retirement.

Then, just a week later, he just couldn't sit still.

The Mavericks suffered a losing streak.

The problems revealed that night against the Spurs are still there.

Jokic has adapted somewhat, but DeRozan continues to be sluggish.

When we met that day, Xu Yong didn't feel anything big different about DeRozan, but now it seems that DeRozan has changed a lot.

But this also explains why the Raptors gave away DeRozan so easily, even at the cost of two potential players.

You must know that in terms of transaction value, Leonard has not played well for two consecutive seasons, so the transaction value is at least half.

On an off-season day, Xu Yong invited DeRozan and Jokic to his home for dinner.

This time he paid more attention to DeRozan and found that DeRozan was always absent-minded and always had a sad look on his face when sitting alone.

Only when he talks about the game, his mood becomes relatively high.

Xu Yong also recalled the day he first arrived in Dallas, when they talked more about the game.

He could clearly feel that DeRozan had some psychological problems.

Especially, as a born again, he knew DeRozan had dealt with depression throughout his history.

He thought that his appearance had changed everything, but now it seemed that it had not.

After the meal, Xu Yong chatted with DeRozan alone for a while.

Because he didn't understand psychology, the conversation between them was not too in-depth, but Xu Yong finally convinced DeRozan, and then he asked Shipp to find a good psychiatrist for DeRozan.

A few days later, through communication with a psychiatrist, Xu Yong roughly knew a situation DeRozan was facing now.

After he knew what DeRozan was facing, he felt a lingering sadness in his heart.

Last season with the Raptors, in addition to the conflict between DeRozan and Antetokounmpo, he also suffered a major setback in his life. His father, who had severe kidney disease, passed away.

And just a few months later, he was given up by the Raptors, who had played for 9 years.

Just after it was confirmed that he was traded to Dallas, his fiancée Morrison finally chose to break up with DeRozan and take DeRozan away because the two of them spent less time together and did not want to go to Dallas, a city full of discrimination. DeRozan’s two children.

This makes DeRozan not only separated from his own father, but also separated from his own children.

The triple blow of family affection, love, and career is difficult for ordinary people to bear.

Xu Yong asked the psychiatrist to help DeRozan clear his mind.

The psychiatrist knew Xu Yong's influence and said something very realistic.

"Unblocking psychological problems is like painkillers. It can cure the symptoms, but not the root cause. If he wants to truly get over it, he still has to change his situation."

This sentence touched Xu Yong because he thought of an old friend.

James also sought out a top psychiatrist when he was still playing for the Heat, but he was exposed after he left the Heat.

It turned out that the psychiatrist was not effective, because James could not change the status quo of being beaten all the time.

If the reality cannot be changed, no matter how good the psychological treatment is, it will be nothing more than self-paralysis in the end.

But reality can't be changed so easily. Xu Yong can't resurrect DeRozan's dead father, and there's no way to make DeRozan's wife change his mind.

No, not everything is impossible.

On that day, Xu Yong increased his training frequency.

At least, he has the ability to change the status quo of the Mavericks.

Time flies to February.

Although the Mavericks have not experienced another losing streak, their overall record is still up and down.

Although Jokic is very good now, he is far from being able to stand alone.

Moreover, basketball is a sport of five people. The Mavericks' overall strength is not that strong to begin with, and DeRozan's state has been holding him back.

It’s not just the Mavericks, the NBA is also experiencing the pain caused by the cancellation of the [vertical take-off rule].

Xu Yong's appearance in the Mavericks once detonated the basketball circle, but because he did not play in the game after all, the effect quickly faded.

"We need Xu on the court, not sitting on the sidelines." This is also the voice that the mainstream media is making.

At that time, Xu Yong didn't understand why Jordan chose to come back in a hurry at the end of the season, especially since Jordan was obviously not in good condition after playing, but now he completely understands.

Maybe Jordan had the same idea as him at the beginning, but when the hope of the whole village is on you, some choices are involuntary.

Especially when the pressure and anticipation isn’t just one day, it’s every day, and it’s growing every day.

Finally, Xu Yong found Ballmer and told him his decision to come back early.

"You don't need to pay attention to those voices from the outside world." Ballmer was still very calm. From the beginning, he did not want Xu Yong to follow in Jordan's footsteps.

Because to be honest, the current Mavericks team plus Xu Yong, whose status is unknown, is not a championship-level team. His initial plan was also aimed at this offseason.

"I'm not just for those sounds." Xu Yong gave an explanation, but did not say it clearly.

Ballmer finally agreed because what he said from the beginning was to cooperate with Xu Yong, and cooperation is based on respect.

At Ballmer's signal, Nelson began to promote a deal with Matthews as the main body.

The trading market for Matthews is very small. After all, the 2000D player is worth close to 3 million, and his defense has declined. This is a type that championship teams cannot afford and bad teams don’t want (after all, you can’t count on a 3D player. sell tickets).

But fortunately, Matthews' contract is in the last year this season, so he can still give it away for a little bit.

Xu Yong's original plan was to come back before the All-Star Game against the Warriors, so that both the buzz and the quality of the game would be guaranteed.

But unfortunately, Matthews' contract is also a bit troublesome to deal with (in history, he was eventually bought out if he couldn't trade it. If it had been easy to handle, it wouldn't have been delayed until now).

Xu Yong finally communicated with Tatum.

After learning about Xu Yong's plan, he also began to promote the transaction behind the scenes.

Finally, before the trade deadline, the Mavericks successfully reached a three-way deal. After attaching a first-round pick and a second-round pick next year, the Mavericks sent Matthews and the additions to the Knicks and Knicks respectively. The Suns finally squeezed out a maximum salary space.

After the Mavericks completed this wave of operations, everyone actually realized what was going to happen.

Shortly after that, the Mavericks officially announced that Xu Yong would resign as the owner of the Mavericks and at the same time sign a 1+1 maximum salary contract with the Mavericks as a player.

His signing is a free agent signing and does not require league approval.

Moreover, the Mavericks also officially announced the time of Xu Yong's game, which will be the first game after the All-Star Game against the Lakers.

All encounters are reunions after a long separation.

(End of this chapter)