When pride still matters

Chapter 128 The off-season is also crazy

Chapter 127 The off-season is also crazy
Before the start of the 2002 draft, Yao Huang came to the United States and completed a perfect trial training under the watchful eyes of executives and scouts from 28 NBA clubs.

Then, the draft officially began.

After watching Yao Huang's perfect trial training, the Rockets selected him with the No. [-] pick without hesitation.

After that, there was no change from second to ninth overall.

Then, the No. [-] pick was sent to the Wizards by the Bucks in Yu Fei's trade, and was used by the Wizards to select Jared Jeffries (SF/PF/C), known as "Yu Fei II" .

"He's taller, more athletic, and has a better shooting ability than Frye," Wizards assistant general manager Rod Higgins said. "I wouldn't feel comfortable if he was better than Frye in the NBA. Accident."

Yu Fei will not be offended by such comments.

In his view, Jeffries was chosen not only to have similar size and overall skills to himself, but the most important thing is that his team, Indiana University, created a super upset in this year's March Madness and eliminated the top seed Duke.Jeffries scored 24 points and 15 rebounds in this game, which can be said to be the best in the game.

As a North Carolina native who regards Duke as his enemy, Jordan has no reason to dislike the Duke killer.

Of course, Jordan will soon have a reason.

For example, when Jeffries' performance was not as good as Yu Fei's after entering the NBA, he was even far inferior.

Then Jordan will have countless reasons to be violent to him.

The name is still to "shape" him. As for whether he can withstand the pressure, that is not what Yu Fei needs to care about.

Yu Fei paid attention to the draft mainly because he wanted to know who the Bucks selected with their second-round pick.

This year, the Bucks have the 41st pick in the second round.

When it falls to this position, the team will basically choose immediate strength.

On the eve of the draft, general manager Larry Harris called Yu Fei for advice.

But Yu Fei really didn't know who to choose at this position, so he gave a vague suggestion: "Someone who can shoot three-pointers, who can play multiple positions."

The suggestion reminded Harris of Carr.

Karl's thoughts were similar to Yu Fei's.

The relationship between Harris and Carr is not good.

Because Karl is the kind of person who likes to bring up problems. If the top management cannot solve his problem, he will talk about it.Harris has been forced to bear the pressure of the coaching staff since he became the Bucks' general manager.

Over time, the Bucks' coaching staff and management began to have internal friction.

Therefore, if Karl wants someone who can shoot three-pointers and play multiple positions, then he has to choose someone who can't shoot three-pointers and can't play multiple positions.

The Bucks selected Lonny Baxter (PF/C) with the 41st pick in the second round.

This person will remind Yu Fei of his "pleasant" rookie days.

An inside man with a bare foot of 203 centimeters, although he has enough weight, can't run fast or jump high. This is likely to cause his rebounding ability, which is regarded as an advantage in the NCAA, to be seriously weakened in the NBA.

Judging from his existing skills, the only things he can adapt to the NBA are blocking and pick-and-roll.

Yu Fei actually doesn't care who the team selects. The 41st pick in the second round is inherently a golden opportunity.

And Karl is focusing on the training of the Dream Team, which is why Harris can be arbitrary in the draft this year.

If Karl was here, things would definitely be different.

However, something unexpected happened off the court, and it was related to Yao Huang.

Although the NBA has been waiting for Yao Huang for three consecutive years, there are always some people in the world who think "Am I the only one who thinks so?"

ESPN columnist Bill Simmons openly looked down on Yao Huang and wrote in his annual NBA draft diary: "One day, we will look back on Yao Huang like we look back on Sam Bowie."

He also wrote: "In the best case scenario, Yao Ming can grow into a bigger and stronger Rick Schmitz. OK. But then you consider Yao Ming's adaptation problem (from China to the United States—— Two completely different cultures), his style of play is weak (what happens when NBA players start bumping him, pushing him, intimidating him?), he can't play in the post in the NBA, he can't adapt to the American way of playing , and our excessive expectations for him, how to adapt to the highest level of competition is an inevitable problem, and NBA players will spare no effort to dunk on him (just like they did to Sean Bradley- They destroyed Sean's confidence), and Yao still has to endure the loneliness of a foreign country, the language barrier, and the political issues - I mean, is Houston ready?"

What made Yu Fei most angry was a section where Simmons thought he was humorous.

After Yao Huang was selected as the No. 1 pick by the Rockets, TNT quickly switched back to the live broadcast room in China. Yao Huang spent [-] minute expressing his thoughts, and then the translator simply translated it as: "I am confident to learn from the NBA and improve myself."

Bill Simmons' translation: "Thank God we made it. If we hadn't made it you would have found a seven-foot-five body hanging over a bunk bed. Thank God. Thank God."

"You think you are funny? SHABI!"

Yu Fei sent a letter to Simmons' public mailbox.

Although it was only a short sentence, it was enough to express Yu Fei's anger.

Not only did Simmons not take this seriously, he published Yu Fei's letter in a distinctive "Post" article in ESPN's special edition, and wrote: "A sense of humor is a good thing, and I hope Frye has it." It, if he can't understand it, all I can say is there's a reason he and MJ can't coexist."

This quickly turned into a war of words.

Yu Fei was preparing for his trip to Asia at the time. When he heard Simmons reply to him, after reading his article, he went directly to ESPN columnist Bill Walton and made an appointment for an exclusive interview.

Wharton readily accepted.

The reason why Yu Fei went to Wharton was simple. They were friends. Wharton was a columnist who openly expressed his love for Yao Huang. He also did not recognize Bill Simmons' so-called sense of humor.

So although Yu Fei answered many questions in the interview, what is really important is about the recent scolding between him and Simmons.

"What do you think about Bill saying you have no sense of humor?"

"If that's his sense of humour, I can only say his mind is worthy of what Celtic have suffered since 1986."

After Wharton's exclusive interview with Fei was published, the incident reached a fever pitch, but Simmons did not respond, and Yu Fei also started a trip to Asia arranged by Reebok in early July.

Yu Fei’s first stop was Japan.

For some reason, Yu Fei is very popular in Japan because the Japanese media calls him "Rukawa of the United States."

Reebok naturally hopes to turn this popularity into substantial benefits.

Yu Fei attended a large number of activities within a week and had endless interviews every day.During the interview, Yu Fei finally discovered what Japanese people like about him.Handsomeness and skin color are only secondary factors. The main factor is his famous "lower and uppermost" behavior in DC.

Although Yu Fei is Asian, the Japanese seem to be "very good" at entertaining visiting NBA players, and they gave Yu Fei "preferential treatment" as usual.

It's not that Yu Fei doesn't like this kind of "preferential treatment", but it's obvious that the other party doesn't understand him yet and doesn't take the right medicine.

For example, I wanted to expose Hoshinomiya Minako, but you arranged for Hoshinomiya Ichika. Isn't this a bit inappropriate?

What troubles Yu Fei the most is the lack of opportunities to play.

He wanted to play and had the time to play, but he didn't have a field or training facilities.

So when he left Japan, he asked Reebok staff to prepare a practice venue for him in South Korea and China.

"There's no way I can go a month without playing!"

As Yu Fei proved his strength in his rookie season, Reebok's attention to him has also continued to increase. This small request can naturally be met.

Moreover, Lawson notified the South Korean side in advance this time, telling the other party about Yu Fei's likes and dislikes, so that the other party could be prepared.

In this way, Yu Fei continues his glamorous trip to Asia. Although he has no lack of self-discipline during this period, at the same time, the NBA is making waves.

Jerry West, who had been idle for several years, officially came out in mid-July and accepted an invitation from the Memphis Grizzlies.

For West, this comeback is not timely because his trading window has passed.

In the past month, he has been persuading the owner of the Grizzlies to trade Shane Battier for Yu Fei of the Wizards, but until the Bucks succeeded, the Grizzlies did not try to make an offer.

Because the boss doesn't want to get a rookie that even Jordan can't subdue.

Kevin Garnett's big contract makes it impossible for the Timberwolves to keep Chauncey Billups because they don't want to pay an exorbitant luxury tax.

This resulted in Billups becoming a free market favorite.

The two teams competing for him are the Bucks and Pistons.

But in the end, Billups chose to follow his childhood idol, Joe Dumars.

At the same time, Lakers forward Devin George, who completed his three-year rookie contract (the final year of the team option was not exercised), tested the free market.

What is surprising is that George, who has been influenced by prosperous cities such as Los Angeles for three years, would choose a cold and cold place like Milwaukee as his next choice.

What's the reason?George didn't give it, but his style does fit the Bucks' system.

Larry Harris tried to offer 3 million for three years, but was rejected by George's agent: "The Lakers will match your contract. If you really want Devin, you'd better be generous!"

After much deliberation, Harris finally offered Devin George a three-year, $3 million contract.This is a 1600+2 contract with a player option in the third year.

As expected, it is impossible for the Lakers to pay such a high price for a pseudo-3D player who does not seem to be outstanding except for outside shooting.

The Lakers refused to match, and Devin George successfully joined Milwaukee.

For the first time, Larry Harris felt that the team belonged to him and began to boldly and radically build the team.

Although he is at odds with George Karl, if the Bucks can take on a new look under his leadership and become more competitive, he will have more say in the future.After strengthening Devin George, Harris gradually turned his attention to the old and useless Glenn Robinson and the recognized thorn in Anthony Mason.

The former not only kept going back more and more, but also carried an unbearable contract - Big Dog's famous rookie contract, 10 years, 7000 million, with three years left on this contract, and the salary in the last three years exceeded [-] million.

Normally, this is a burden that cannot be thrown off. However, as long as you look carefully, there will always be someone in the world who wants to get rid of the burden on your hands more than you.

The New York Knicks are also looking for a home for Latrell Sprewell.

Sprewell is an inconsistent player, but his salary over the next two seasons combined is $2500 million.

Unstable, but with a superstar salary.

Moreover, he is also a player with a bad reputation, which leads to the rebuilding team not wanting such a number one player to lead the rookie team, and the championship team does not want to add such an unstable factor to the team.But Harris seriously considered the deal.

Granted, Sprewell is inconsistent, but he plays absolutely hard.

They don't have to worry about Sprewell being as ineffective as Robinson.

Didn't George Karl say all day long that the management didn't bring him hard-working players?Doesn’t he miss his time in Seattle with Gary Payton?OK, now he's bringing in a player with more energy than Payton, so you can't complain anymore, can you?
However, as the transaction progressed, Knicks general manager Scott Layden made a request that made Larry Harris furious: "The transaction involving Latrell must include Travis Knight." (Travis Knight C) included.”

Knight is a seven-foot white center who was drafted by the Lakers in the same year as Kobe Bryant, then was sent to the Celtics, and finally went to New York as a trade addition with Glenn Rice. But it doesn't fit the Knicks' tactical system. He hasn't played a few games, but they have to pay him $400 million a year.

The obsession with getting rid of Glenn Robinson transcends many things.

Harris called Yu Fei before making a decision.

He wanted to know if Yu Fei and Sprewell could coexist peacefully.

Harris apparently forgot about the time difference.

When he called Yu Fei, it was night in South Korea.

Harris heard a woman's voice on the other end of the phone.

Oppa!Oppa!The woman shouted.

"Fry, is it inconvenient now?" Harris asked.

"Uh-huh." Yu Fei snorted with enjoyment, "It's nothing inconvenient. Is there something wrong?"

Harris asked directly: "Do you and Latrell Sprewell get along?"

"You have to put this together to find out - Oh, Jihyo, don't be so rude."

"Are you having any problems with Latrell?"

"Uh-huh - no."

"then I will not bother you."

Harris immediately called George Karl. Although they were at odds, the other party was the head coach. If he wanted to make such a big deal, he had to communicate with him.

When George Karl learned that Harris was going to trade Glenn Robinson for Latrell Sprewell, he excitedly asked, "Why not? Let it happen!"

But what Larry Harris didn't tell Karl was that because the Knicks insisted on bringing Travis Knight in the trade, they had to send Karl's favorite Earvin Johnson - the one who is related to the legendary Magic A seven-foot black man with the same name as Johnson but who played center.

When the trade happened, George Karl was furious.

"That bastard! He did it on purpose!" Carl growled. "He did it on purpose! He's going to screw up my team! So he can create his own team! Bastard! Damn it!"

The people around Carl had to use a lot of force to stop Carl from throwing things.

At the same time, Yu Fei didn't know what Earvin Johnson's trade meant to Karl.

At that time, he was about to leave for China from South Korea. Before leaving, he said to the businessman named Park who had carefully arranged his trip to South Korea: "Thank you for the hospitality!"

Afterwards, Yu Fei flew to Siris, where he longed for, while the offseason turmoil in the NBA continued.

Sending away Glenn Robinson, who has played for the team for many years, and welcoming Latrell Sprewell, who also has problems, is the last big move of the Bucks' offseason.

In Cleveland, Andre Miller, who faced the team's option after his three-year rookie contract expired, sought a max-salary contract, and then the Cavaliers decided to let him leave on his own.

There is no doubt that in addition to outside shooting, Miller is already the league's top point guard, and the Cavaliers have no hesitation in wanting to send him away, mainly because of money.But if a bad team gives away its best player because of money, it means that the player's performance does not meet the team's expectations.

What was the reason given by Cavaliers general manager Jim Paxson?Miller couldn't bring about change because the team was still losing and there were more blue seats (empty seats) than working-class fans at Gund Stadium.

As the Cavaliers used the flying signing rights last year in exchange for Alexander Courtney, they also sent Wesley Person (SG), who had the best performance of his career, to Memphis in exchange for Nick Anderson - a Players who retired a few years ago - and now have completely lost faith in Andre Miller - are reminded of what they've done since 1999.

Since 1999, the Cavaliers have been like this. If they select a rookie and don't show immediate ability, they will give up the next year.If the other party shows immediate strength, then he will have to find a way to lower the price during the first three years of his rookie contract. If he does not accept the lower price, he will have to leave.

The only exception is Big Z, who is constantly injured.

As they traded Yu Fei's signing rights last year, sought to trade Miller this year, gave Person to the Grizzlies for nothing, and then hired John Lucas as the team's coach, it proved everything that they decided to mess up the new season. , because LeBron James will enter the draft next year.

Except for the Cavaliers who like to live a busy life, this offseason has been relatively quiet.

The change of ownership between the Big Dog and the Madman is the biggest news of the offseason.

Today, the Lakers won three consecutive championships. The Kings proved that the Lakers in the zone defense era are no longer unsolvable. At least for the Western Conference teams, the Lakers have become beatable.

Therefore, the Kings retain their championship-contending lineup.

The Spurs patched things up and quietly signed Manu Ginobili, the man they drafted in 1999.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban still uses values ​​from NBA games to build his team.

Except for the Bucks, no team has undergone structural changes in personnel.

The Bucks are the biggest X factor in the new season. Their changes may destroy them or completely disrupt the league's situation.

As the source of the Bucks' large-scale lineup change, Yu Fei's trip to Asia is approaching the end.

For the NBA, China is still an untapped market. At the moment, football is the most popular sport in China, because the national football team entered the World Cup. Although they failed to score, this was the beginning of a great dream.

People believe this is the beginning.

Yu Fei can only attend to official business, do activities and meet fans. Unlike his trip to South Korea, he is very cautious in China and basically does not do unnecessary things. Occasionally, he is also very friendly when he meets fans asking for autographs outside the hotel. He wrote many stories about being "too humble to be an American", and Yu Fei spoke up for Yao Huang some time ago, which made his popularity in China rise rapidly.

With these as the foundation, when Yao Huang establishes a foothold in the NBA, the Chinese market will be fully opened. By then, Yu Fei's popularity in China will skyrocket.

In early August, Yu Fei boarded a plane back to the United States.

The Asia trip is over, but this is only the first step of Reebok's Asia plan. Yu Fei's Asia trip has boosted the sales of "The Chosen One" in the Asian market, which made Reebok executives realize that Yu Fei is indeed in Asia. Has extraordinary popularity.

This year is just the beginning.

On the plane, Yu Fei's assistant Alex Clark said: "Ji Hyo sent you a text message. She wanted to know if she could come to the United States to find you."

"Alex, you can just help me handle this little thing. You don't have to tell me." Yu Fei said absently, looking out the window.

Lawson teased: "How heartless, Frye!"

"Ruthless? This is how I show my love and justice. You said that the United States is so dangerous now. What if she unfortunately gets on a hijacked plane? I am thinking about her."

"Yes, you are too thoughtful."

Yu Fei immediately asked: "Have you found the training team after landing? Where is the training venue?"

"The people from Reebok have made arrangements."

"Reebok again?"

In fact, what Yu Fei wants to say is, it's endless, right?

Clark said: "This was Quint's idea. The Chosen [-] is about to be launched. We are training in Los Angeles this time. During this period, they will arrange for us to shoot commercials in our free time."

"Will AI come?" Yu Fei asked.

Clark said with a strange expression: "Well he can't come."

"why?"

"He's in trouble."

"Isn't it because the wife was arrested for domestic violence?"

"BINGO!"

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"After AI kicked his wife out of the house, he went to her home with a gun and attacked the person who took her in. He now faces 14 charges. Our MVP is in big trouble!" - "Philadelphia Inquirer"

"By any standard, Allen Iverson has tarnished the image of the league." --ESPN: Mark Stein Column
"If there is only one good husband in the league, it must be Kobe Bryant. For his wife, Kobe gave up his family and did not sign a prenuptial agreement. I am willing to swear on my life that Kobe is the best among all active NBA players. There's no way someone would cheat on his wife!" - "Orange County Chronicle"

"Can the next 'Giant', Shaq's finisher, and the rookie Yao Wei who the Rockets have high hopes for achieve all their expectations?" - "Sports Illustrated" (and was selected as the cover)
“Fry Yu’s Asia trip is a hit.” —The Seattle Times

(End of this chapter)