When pride still matters

Chapter 333 Is there enough time?

The Greek team danced and celebrated their victory, just like winning the World Championship. The image was enough for Carmelo Anthony to never forget.

Coach K attended the press conference with an indifferent expression after the game. His eyes looked distracted, as if he had suffered a major blow.

Jerry Colangelo, the director of USA Basketball who organized the team, had bags under his eyes and a low, deep voice.

Chris Sheridan of ESPN asked: "Is this result what was expected?"

"The outside world expected us to win the final, but we failed before the finals came." Colangelo said bitterly, "So this didn't meet expectations."

"What do you think of Frye's comments about the Dream Team?"

"He is willing to spend half a month in Japan and support us in person, but he is unwilling to spend more time joining us and fighting alongside us." Colangelo said, "Honestly, I don't know how to evaluate it. .”

"The Greek team only averaged 81 points per game in this World Championship, but they scored 63 points tonight with a 101% shooting rate. What's wrong with our defense?"

Colangelo was speechless and choked. At this time, he remembered what James always said after losing.

The reputation of a country is not easy to bear, because once you fail, what you represent will also be humiliated.

Because the U.S. team under Carr and Brown lacked a good team atmosphere.

But in the Team USA locker room, there were many who felt the same way.

However, the biggest hit here is undoubtedly LeBron James.

For the third time in a row, the invincible American team fell in the World Series.

It can be said that the James camp pioneered this style of play, and the rest of the US team just imitated it.

However, the American team under Old K does not have that kind of problem.

Because Yu Fei specifically emphasized that he would not shoot 4-for-0 from the FIBA ​​three-point line.

The players of the US team were all ashamed and angry. They benefited from the publicity that they took the initiative to accept the call-up to the national team and thus distinguished themselves from Yu Fei, but a defeat was enough to make them lose all praise.

The atmosphere in the U.S. team's locker room was extremely solemn.

The withdrawal of Yu Fei and Kobe Bryant has a great impact, but the US team is still the most talented team in the world.

No one can blame Yu Fei for this incident, because the drama of mocking Da Fei with his patriotic actions in the name of joining the national team is exactly what the James camp is good at.

Yu Fei's remarks quickly spread from the sidelines to the locker room.

James and Wade are both excellent people. Although Anthony thinks highly of himself, it has no adverse impact.

"Why did he say that? He's not here at all!" Anthony complained dissatisfiedly. "He obviously just wants to have a happy vacation with the Japanese Bichi beside him. He doesn't care about the dream team!"

Anthony would not question these words in front of Yu Fei.

Why did Yu Fei want to add insult to injury at this time?

They forget how much publicity they gained when they joined the Dream Team.

And the person who made 4 of 0 shots from outside in the game against Greece was James.

"We will review the video to find out the problem."

But now, they failed again.

They could blame George Karl for their failure at the 2002 World Championships, or they could blame Larry Brown for their failure at the 2004 Olympics. It would be easy.

So, this is just Yu Fei's counterattack.

But this can already bring enough negative effects.

James didn't say a word.

He reflected on everything he had encountered in the past few years, whether it was regular season encounters, playoff showdowns, or national team games, in the end it was Yu Fei who won.

Especially in the national team match, their failure against Greece allowed Yu Fei to win without a fight.

James can't imagine how the outside world will evaluate this matter.

Those pervasive "Fry questions" will ring in your ears like flies that cannot be driven away.

"LeBron, you should talk to Frye," Wade said. "There may be some misunderstanding between you."

Ever since Yu Fei scored 70 points against the Cavaliers in the semifinals, James has determined that the opponent is only using him as a stumbling block to climb higher.

Tonight, Yu Fei rubbed salt into the wound after his failure and placed the blame for the failure directly on his head.

"There's nothing left to talk about between us," James said. "He can say whatever he wants, I don't care."

Whenever Wade tries to mediate conflicts between others and Yu Fei, he always ends up failing.

Last time it was O'Neal, this time it's James.

But the grudge between Yu Fei and O'Neal is indeed difficult to resolve, but is the grudge between Da Fei and LeBron that big? Wade remembers how Yu Fei helped James during the draft.

As a rookie in the same class as James, Wade and others are envious that James has a big brother to support him before he enters the league.

No one expected that the relationship would deteriorate to this point a few years later.

That night, Chris Sheridan, who was reporting on the Dream Team on behalf of ESPN, invited Yu Fei for an exclusive interview.

Yu Fei accepted the other party's invitation.

During the interview, Sheridan asked many sensitive questions.

Among them is whether Yu Fei will join the next US team.

Watching the World Championships gave Yu Fei some hesitation in not playing for the national team. It's not that he suddenly figured it out, but he found that from the perspective of expanding his personal reputation, participating in the next US team is the best option. Good timing.

Because right now the Dream Team is at an all-time low.

James and others cannot redeem this team.

Yu Fei has been considered by many industry insiders to be the only person who can lead the US team back to the top.

Yu Fei knows that even without his participation, the American team will dominate the world again from the next session onwards, so this is a sure win.

But he still needs to do a lot of mental building.

After all, it is difficult to pretend to be a war eagle from a war wolf.

"I think I'm ready." Yu Fei said to Sheridan, "But nothing is certain, if I get injured by then, if I have other circumstances, or if I don't show up in the next session Who's on Team USA's training roster? You have to consider those possibilities."

Sheridan believed that what Yu Fei said was right, so the title of his article "Frye is ready to lead American basketball back to the top of the world" attracted countless eyeballs.

At the end of August, Yu Fei said goodbye to Erica and returned to the United States with Lawson and Kevin Lin.

Another offseason is coming to an end, and from now on, Yu Fei will turn his focus to the new season.

There are still two weeks left before the start of the preseason training camp. Yu Fei plans to fly back to DC to spend a few days with his mother and spend ten days on special training before reporting to the training camp.

During this period, various media came to visit. Among them, the only media that Yu Fei did not reject was "Sports Illustrated".

Pictorial decided to put Yu Fei on the cover of an issue before the new NBA season, and their staff revealed that Yu Fei has become the "Athlete of the Year" selected internally by Pictorial.

Just when Yu Fei was enjoying the victory of the championship, Howard Schultz, the owner of the Seattle SuperSonics, held a press conference and used high-sounding words to warn this city with a 40-year fan base of a brutal robbery in advance. case.

Against the background of the Sonics logo in the new "40th Anniversary Season", Schultz, dressed in a gray suit, white shirt and golden tie, announced that he would sell the Sonics to a team led by Clay Bennett. Oklahoma City investment team.

While Schultz's rhetoric was intended to reassure Sonics fans that Bennett was the best new owner and the team's future in Seattle was safe, every gesture he made hinted at the exact opposite future.

Here’s what he said: “My ultimate goal has always been to protect professional basketball in the Northwest. While this has been extremely difficult and disappointing for me personally, I am extremely proud to announce that after careful consideration of all potential possibilities Analysis, the Seattle Basketball Club has reached an agreement with Mr. Bennett to purchase the Seattle SuperSonics and the Seattle Storm. Five years ago, when I sat here and had the ability to purchase this team, I remember saying that I Viewed as my responsibility as part of the public trust. I take that responsibility to heart and take it very seriously. Today, that responsibility passes to this team and Mr. Clay Bennett. I sincerely believe that he understands The public trust in Seattle and the Northwest and will do whatever it takes to keep this team. We have found a buyer who truly wants to stay here. We will not sell the team to someone who we think will take the team away. New owner.”

When this press conference took place, Yu Fei was exercising in the gym. It was Brandon Roy's call that prevented him from missing Schultz's performance.

Yu Fei didn't need to be an FBI psychoanalyst or a CIA interrogator to spot the series of cues Schultz displayed onstage. His words were slow and measured, with odd pauses and an emphasis on certain odd syllables. It seemed rehearsed rather than coming from the heart.

"Damn it!" Roy raged, "Is this his reward for Seattle? Selling the team to an Oklahoma hillbilly who dreams of owning an NBA team in his hometown? Fucking Howard Schultz! Damn Starbucks! I’m going to boycott them!”

Yu Fei reminded: "Calm down, this Oklahoma hillbilly is your new boss."

"If he wants to move the SuperSonics from Seattle, then he is my enemy!" Roy said excitedly, "Da Fei, not only do I need you now, Seattle also needs you, we can't let this happen! "

Yu Fei can opt out of his contract next summer, but now, leaving Milwaukee has become a difficult decision because there is a good team here.

Yu Fei believes that he can win more championships with this team and completely make up for the regrets of the 2004-05 season.

But on the other side, everything is complicated by the requests of close friends, the expectations of his hometown, and the business needs to expand his personal reputation.

Yu Fei put down what he was doing and called Kevin Lin: "Get me Clay Bennett's detailed information."

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"Colangelo confirms Frye Yu will join Team USA in 2007." - "Associated Press"

"Coach K said Frye Yu (if he joins the Dream Team) will become the new Captain America." - "Milwaukee Sentinel"

"Kobe Bryant openly expressed dissatisfaction with the Lakers management that did nothing." - "Los Angeles Times"

"After the franchise changed hands, a large number of 'Save the Sonics' guilds emerged in the Seattle area." - The Seattle Times

"You know Clay Bennett wants to move the Sonics to Oklahoma, not only because of the different market benefits that fans in the two areas can create, but also because Bennett is an Oklahoman. , his everything is in Oklahoma, so his purpose and will are unshakable. If anyone can have an impact on this matter, then this person is Frye Yu. At my craziest In his imagination, the only possibility that can prevent the Sonics from relocating is to let Frye land in Seattle and threaten Bennett with his stay or departure. But will Frye do this? Will he respond to the call of his hometown for pure morality? Abandon Milwaukee's chosen country? I really like what Nowitzki said when he lost the Finals, 'Let time solve everything.' But what I like even more is Frye's answer to this sentence—— You don’t know if there’s enough time left.”

——ESPN Bill Simmons column

(End of this chapter)