When pride still matters

Chapter 198 Luck will end one day
It was already early September when Yu Fei and his party returned from Asia.

At this time, there were only a few days left in the offseason, and Yu Fei had to make some adjustments to prepare for the new season.

On the other side, the off-court impact of the Eagle County incident on Kobe is continuing to ferment.

First, Kobe broke up with his long-time agent Arn Tellem and immediately began working with Rob Pelinka.

This incident devastated Treme, and Kobe was the client he devoted the most to.

As a result, they just broke up.

Then, Yu Fei joked to Trime that if the other party couldn't pay more attention to him, then he might terminate the contract at the drop of a hat.

Although it was a joke, Traim didn't dare to take the risk because of Kobe's experience.Since then, Trem called Yu Fei every day. Although he failed to do everything in his power, he did look after Yu Fei with the attention of a superstar.

Kobe, who joined hands with a new agent, could not regain the favor of his sponsors.

Since Kobe's contract with Adidas expired at the same time, Kobe, who changed his agent, also planned to switch to Nike.Originally, Nike had to pay a record-breaking salary to sign Kobe. Now, the Eagle County incident has ruined Kobe's image.

For Nike, as long as Kobe doesn't go to jail in the end, signing him now will definitely pay off.

Because not going to jail = Kobe not guilty.

If Kobe is not guilty, he is just another sports star who cheated on his wife.The public is not that concerned about this kind of thing. If there is really a moral review, Jordan doesn't have to fly here to settle the matter and go to hell.

In the NBA summer of 2003, everything would come back to Kobe.How cool was he in Eagle County? What impact did he have on the Lakers when he said "Shaq did it too" in the game? Can the F4 giant ship still win 75 wins and the championship as scheduled?

The day before preseason training camp began, Yu flew back to Milwaukee and reflected on the summer that night.

Although the Asia trip was a bit ridiculous and debauched, from a rest and relaxation perspective, he got what he wanted.

Tim Grover's special training didn't make Yu Fei feel anything strange in the first month, but as the training progressed, he could feel the changes in his body.

Yu Fei felt that he was lighter, and he could mobilize more power when making movements.

After hearing his feedback, Grover smiled mysteriously: "You won't know how much you have changed until you are exhausted in the game."

Yu Fei couldn't help but think of the storyline in "Slam Dunk". In order to reflect Sakuragi's physical strength, Inoue Takehiko often arranged for off-field bosses to say at the end of the game that Sakuragi's movements looked like they were at the beginning of the game.

Yu Fei wanted to know if this was what Grover was referring to.

"Still maintaining sufficient physical fitness at the end of the game? This is impossible." Grover said mysteriously, "That feeling is incredible, and you will feel it soon."

One day later, Yu Fei reported to the training camp on time.

When George Karl saw that Yu Fei was still strong, with no signs of gaining weight, and that he still looked energetic, he nodded with satisfaction and said: "It seems that you are not the kind of person who is proud of a small success. people."

A small success?
This is a success that you have only achieved by chance since you struggled in the 80s. You call it "small"?
"What is the great success?" Yu Fei asked.

Karl said matter-of-factly: "Win again."

Sure enough, no one was satisfied with winning only once, including Yu Fei.

However, the team's situation was not as optimistic as Yu Fei thought.

When Yu Fei arrived, he saw Mason bullying the rookie.

"Rookie, if you miss this shot, run 10 laps for me!" Mason grinned and said to Haslem, and then ordered Pachulia to buy himself water.

Pachulia complied, and Haslem struggled with the idea of ​​scoring from beyond the arc.

He's a Miami native who grew up watching Alonzo Mourning, and the three-point shot is the epitome of a wimp to him.

Although Mason is not easy to mess with, he has his own principles.

He threw the ball to Mason and said, "I can't do it."

"Can't do it?" Mason said angrily, "If you can't do it, get out! Da Fei doesn't need an insider who can't shoot three-pointers!"

Yu Fei couldn't stand it anymore, "How can someone who never shoots three-pointers say this?"

When Mason saw it was Yu Fei, he immediately smiled playfully, "Hey, you're back from vacation? Don't talk to me about it yet, go to the locker room and have a look, the fight is about to start."

"Who and who?"

"The two people on the team who can shoot the farthest!"

It’s so concise and to the point!

Yu Fei really didn't care about Haslem's affairs.

Mason gradually put away his smile and turned to Haslem, "You don't want to shoot a three-pointer?"

"No vote."

"Then get out!"

"You have no right to do that."

"If you don't shoot three-pointers and want to stay on this team, you have to be a dog!" Mason said. "Do you know whose dog you want to be?" Haslem easily answered. : "Fry?"

"That's right!"

What Haslem didn't say was: Like you last season?
"But you have to know that it's easy to be a dog, but it's not easy to be a good dog!" Mason, a veteran, shared his experience without reservation. "A good dog cannot have self-awareness, you know? If you are a dog, then you You can no longer think of yourself as a human being. You can do whatever Dafei wants you to do. This is a dog. If you do things before Dafei asks you to do it, you are a good dog! If you want to be a dog, Then your fate is tied to him! If he is good, you will be good; if he is not good, you will let me take care of you! Do you understand?"

Haslem nodded and said without a smile: "Sounds easier than shooting a three-pointer."

Hearing this, Mason smiled again. Children can be taught.

Advising Haslem to practice three-pointers is just a test. What's so good about shooting three-pointers?A silly dog ​​like Laettner who can only shoot three-pointers is a great replacement. Really good dogs are priceless.

This rookie can do it and has a future.

Yu Fei really thought that Ray Allen and Michael Reid were fighting at first.But when he looked back, he realized something was wrong.If these two people got into a fight, would Karl still have the leisure to wander around outside?
He didn't know what was going on until he entered the locker room.

Reed took over Ray Allen's closet.

This matter would not matter to anyone except Yu Fei and Ray Allen.

Isn't it just a wardrobe?However, the order of the wardrobe largely determines the status within the team.Yu Fei originally inherited Glenn Robinson's wardrobe, so he was regarded as the boss's successor by default.

Of course, Ray Allen denies this.

But this time, Reed actually reported to training camp a day early and then chose Ray Allen's wardrobe.Ray Allen's wardrobe has no symbolic meaning in the team, but no one will touch his wardrobe, because this person has obsessive-compulsive disorder and will fall out with others in a minute if he is provoked.

After Ray Allen came to the training camp, he got angry. Reid quickly claimed that there was a misunderstanding. Although the matter calmed down, Laettner's words made the atmosphere between the two more tense: "Who knows if this is a misunderstanding or a test." Woolen cloth?"

"It sounds like Chris is very experienced in this area?" Yu Fei put away his things and went to the stadium to find Ray Allen.

However, he kept saying that the misunderstanding had been resolved.

Yu Fei could only continue to observe.

A few days later, Yu Fei was basically certain that Reed had his thoughts on the starting position.

This is not difficult to understand.

In last season's finals, especially the fifth and sixth games, as the starter and with the strong support of Yu Fei, Ray Allen was severely consumed by the Spurs on the offensive end and performed very poorly, while Reid served as the bench. The team played well at critical moments.

After a summer of thinking, Reed naturally felt that he should be placed in a more important position.

However, if Reed and Ray Allen were to swap positions in the Finals and he was asked to face the Spurs' strict defense, would he still be able to perform like that?Yu Fei expressed doubts.

If Reid is given enough tactical status, can he also take on the duties of the second attacker and contribute 44% of the three-point shooting rate?Yu Fei doesn't think he has this ability.

But no matter what Yu Fei thinks, Reid will definitely challenge Ray Allen.

Yu Fei watched this episode with the Warriors in the 2022-23 season.

Although Yu Fei didn't know whether the Bucks would end up like the Warriors, he knew that, going round and round, they were back to where they started.

New season, new beginning, this is not empty talk.

The chemistry they developed in the second half of last season has been diluted by championships and the summer.Although the main rotation is there, but the players are not on the same page, they are two completely different teams.

A few days later, the Bucks welcomed many media at media day.

ESPN reporter Mark Stein, who has a deep relationship with Yu Fei, visited the Bucks training camp again a year later.

Yu Fei accepted his exclusive interview again.

"How important was last season's championship to you?"

Stein started with a simple question.

"Nothing on the court can compare to that championship."

Stein then asked, "What do you think you need to do this year to cross the finish line again?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Yu Fei said, "But I know very well that the defending champion will become the target of public criticism. We have changed from the challenger to the challenged. All teams aiming at the championship will study us and target us. , so the second championship will be far more difficult than the first one.”

During the interview, Stein suddenly joked: "It sounds like you are not absolutely confident in defending your title. Do you need me to give you some motivation?"

Yu Fei looked at him curiously.

"A few days ago," Stein said, "MJ said at a charity event in his hometown that you should indeed retire his jersey. If he hadn't sent you to such a good team, you would have had no chance of winning the championship. You are lucky because OK split last season. But since it's luck, it will end one day. Now it's over. Lakers F4 will destroy you."

Yu Fei's eyes instantly became as sharp as swords: "Did he really say that?"

"Not the exact words," Stein said, "but that's what it means."

"OK" Yu Fei pursed his lips. Stein could see that he was already irritated, but he still didn't show any signs of losing his temper. He just repeated the two letters, "OK."

(End of this chapter)