When pride still matters

Chapter 472 Don’t Stop Talking About Number 23 (Unity)

Since 2007, Sonics Media Day has been a heavyweight media visit day.

At first, Yu Fei was the focus of everyone's attention. Now, the entire Sonics team is the target of the media.

Yu Fei is still the king of stars, but not every reporter is qualified to interview him.

To interview him on this occasion, reporters needed "permission."

It's a pity that Frye didn't allow such people to flourish.

Those who could directly interview him were all well-known writers from major newspapers, but no one among those people was more trusted by Yu Fei than Mark Stein.

"Fry, I heard you turned down John Jones' request for an interview?"

Stein asked with a smile.

Yu Fei asked: "Who is John Jones?"

Such were the issues surrounding Jordan's split from his ex-wife during the 2001-02 season. Sponsors made him too perfect.

"So, what's going on with the Sonics?" Stein asked.

"I'm not a writer," Stein said modestly.

"He's the best sportswriter in recent years," Stein said.

He is well known in the basketball community for his articles, especially those of a critical nature.

Those were the rules and he accepted them. He understood very well why the servants of the empire were so protective of their masters, because only if their masters maintained a perfect image could they create a steady stream of fame and fortune. Their basic duty is to protect their master from any external factors and to keep people like him away from their master.

"Judging from the momentum of KJ, they are indeed very low-key." Stein said, "After all, they are considered a duo that can surpass OK."

He claims to have no morals, but he does many moral things.

"Are you talking about Chris?" Yu Fei smiled, "He is very good. I heard that he strengthened his outside shooting in the summer."

And the player with the most output is Yu Fei.

But at Grantland, a website launched by Bill Simmons in partnership with ESPN, Jones was a well-known sports writer.

Jones wanted to know Yu Fei's opinion on the matter, but his request for an interview was rejected.

This is not unexpected.

Such a face that belongs to the world will remain invincible as long as he continues to succeed.

"What's going on with the Lakers?"

Jones believes that this is the key point in the break between Yu Fei and James. As Yu Fei slaughtered the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, defeated the Spurs in the Finals to win the championship, and then turned into a savior and transferred to his hometown team, all moral condemnation against him disappeared.

Yu Fei said jokingly: "After he said 'Not1, Not2, Not 3', does anyone still think they are low-key?"

Indeed, a top media figure like Stein, who is recognized as Yu Fei's mouthpiece and has an exclusive source of information for almost every team in the NBA, would not consider himself a sports writer at all.

"Has the new player integrated smoothly?" Stein wondered if Bosh would have a Glenn Rice-style embarrassment.

They are worshiped as heroes, and if he does not behave like a hero, people will be disappointed.

Stein said: "Rip is now facing the same embarrassment as Glenn Rice who was next to OK back then."

Yu Fei asked seriously: "Who is Glenn Rice?"

As the Jordan of the new millennium, Yu Fei seems to have avoided this problem.

When LeBron James signed the famous envelope, the nation's attention shifted to Yu Fei.

However, Jones also said in the article: "Fry went further than Michael. At least Michael would not think that he had given up his conscience in order to make the devil's money."

Sports are wars in peacetime, and those who rule their own sports are the kings of war in peacetimes.

After Jones became famous, people close to Yu Fei called him and told him that if he stopped writing articles criticizing Yu Fei, he would be facilitated in interviews. But Jones refused. He had a mentality of educating all living beings. In his view, it is his mission to let the world see the true colors of stars.

Yu Fei asked: "Which aspect are you referring to?"

But John Jones did not expect that people around Yu Fei would propose "the only empire" to lay the foundation for this already glorious man.

This is what a modern sports star looks like.

Yu Fei asked casually.

Based on this alone, it was impossible for him to obtain interview permission.

"Since the public appearance in the media, the Lakers have been very low-key, especially LeBron." Stein said, "There is news that LeBron may serve as the Lakers' full-time point guard in the new season."

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When Yu Fei refused to express his position on the Darfur incident on the grounds that "Chinese people also buy shoes" and "I have no conscience," Jones labeled him as a contemporary Michael Jordan.

For Fei, this is an unfamiliar name.

"Where's Rip? Is he being ignored?"

"Better than you?" Yu Fei asked.

As a contract writer for the ESPN-owned brand, John Jones's reputation in the basketball world mainly comes from his sharp writing.

This guy is mercenary and calls himself amoral, but he did a lot of moral things in the offseason. He paid attention to African refugees and the war in the Middle East, and even named it after him. The annual sports meeting held in Sichuan, China saved countless lives when the May 512 earthquake struck.

Stein immediately made a "yes, that's it" expression.

Submission games happen every day in the sports world.

Celebrities give media people some benefits and make them feel like they are friends with each other, thus gaining everything from the other party—sources of news, positions, and channels for speaking out.

Today in 2009, Yu Fei's network of relationships has spread across all walks of life, especially those in the media industry. A large number of people like Mark Stein, who are seeking fame and reputation, have established friendly relationships with Yu Fei. The relationship basically goes like this: Yu Fei gives them some exclusive information and then gains their loyalty. Externally, they gained a noble identity - Frye's people - and then forever lost the natural power of the fourth estate: the qualification to criticize Frye Yu publicly.

This is why Yu Fei will become the embodiment of perfection.

Fans can tolerate a person who thinks he is morally defective and has constant sexual relations because he has no fixed partner. It is acceptable for one to walk politically between two ideologies because that is all about business.

But, does such a person really exist?

John Jones did not believe that there was no dark secret beneath Yu Fei's gorgeous appearance.

He wanted to dig out the real Yu Fei.

But today, it is impossible for him to do so, because there are only media people who want to kneel and lick Yu Fei and media people who want to kneel and lick Yu Fei but do not have the qualifications.

Just when Jones thought he was in vain, Kevin Durant appeared like a shining prince.

"Are you the guy who talks bad things about Frye online all day long?" Durant asked with a smile.

"I'm not saying anything bad about Frye," Jones said. "I'm just looking critically at what he did."

Durant had just completed interviews with several people and did not want to contact the media again, but he knew John Jones, and he knew even more that he was the only media person present today who was not friendly to Fei.

He didn't even know why he was so excited.

"Do you want to do an interview with me?"

Durant asked.

He didn't know why he wanted to be interviewed by John Jones.

But in Jones' eyes, Durant is the key to breaking the iron wall of the empire.

The people around Yu Fei protected him too well.

People cannot expect that someone in the future will use a book "Jordan Rules" to reveal the true image of a hero to the world like Sam Smith did in 1991.

This couldn't happen to Yu Fei, he was a person who was extremely good at disguising.

He can spend half a month playing with ten women in Japan and South Korea, and then in ten days in China he can only do three things: smile, interview, and charity activities.

The only way to break through is his teammates, and Durant is the one most likely to have a rebellious mentality towards Fei.

He is a born superstar, but he has the character of a good old guy. How can people like him tolerate the championship they won through hard work and finally become the halo of Frye Yu?
"From 1 to 100, what is the difficulty index of being teammates with Frye?"

"That's a really difficult question."

"What's the difficulty?"

"Sometimes it's 1, sometimes it's 100." Durant pondered for a few seconds, and suddenly saw Bosh walking not far away, "My answer is probably 101. Well, that's about the same, not too different."

It was a long conversation, and Durant answered a lot of questions.

Jones did not make things difficult for him. He deliberately avoided those sensitive questions and at the same time asked Durant to answer as many questions related to Yu Fei as possible.

From these answers, Jones can tell that Durant is afraid of flying. However, along with fear, there is also some unexplainable anger.

Jones still doesn't have the answer, but he believes that something unusual will happen to the Sonics this season.

And, these things are certainly not as pretty as when Chris Bosh talks about dedication and sacrifice.

At the end of the day, the entire Sonics team gathered in the center of the arena for a group photo.

Karl, Yu Fei, Presti and Clay Bennett, the four core members of the Sonics, stand in the middle with a clear hierarchy.

Yu Fei and Bennett were separated, naturally isolating themselves from contact with other teammates.

"Da Fei, take off your jersey." Roy mocked, "How do you look like a player now?"

Yu Feixiao asked: "How about we change?"

"Go away, I don't want to stand next to you!"

There was cheerful laughter.

In this scene, John Jones captures the source of Sonics harmony, Brandon Roy, who built a platform for franchise players and everyday players alike.

"Everyone, please align your lips and shout Beyoncé together," the photographer reminded.

"Why are you calling Beyoncé?" Yu Fei said, "I think it would be good to defeat KJ."

"Then please everyone shout 'Down with KJ' with a smile!"

"1.2.3" everyone shouted in unison with smiles on their faces, making the day end perfectly.

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"If Frye is Caesar, then I am Antony, but I have a question, who is Brutus?" -

Brandon Roy.

"My goal is to be named to the All-NBA First Team this season." - Kevin Durant.

"Why don't you like 'One Empire'? Can you find the same case in history? A player still wins consecutive championships after changing teams. Frye is indeed beyond our understanding, you have to admit." - Kwame Brown.

"I think I've shown what I can do in Toronto, the last couple years, I've averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. And then what? Nothing happens in Toronto. No celebrations. No honors. Nothing. This Made me realize the only thing that matters is winning." - Chris Bosh.

"The combination of a person who never completes a challenge and a person who never accepts a challenge, to me is the combination of a loser and a big loser. It won't be any different." - Yu Fei.

——Seattle SuperSonics’ key words at media day.

Training camp is over, and the Sonics are about to usher in a warm-up game in Las Vegas.

This year, they are rarely scheduled to play in China.

Because the schedule makers also know that if you give others the same menu every year, they will get bored no matter how much they like it.

Similarly, the Rockets are not scheduled to play in China.

The two teams met in Las Vegas.

Yu Fei met a Rocket Team that had never appeared in his previous life.

This is the Rockets team of 20-year-old Harden and 29-year-old Yao Shuan.

After a summer of recuperation, Yao Huang lost 14 kilograms. Not to mention that his body shape has regressed to that of a rookie, but it is not much worse.

"Who are you?" Yu Fei said after seeing the new version of Yao Wei, "Where is the 300-pound Chinese center on your team?"

"Zong Sang!" Yao Huang shouted, "I have never weighed 300 pounds!"

"You know, I like rounding things off."

"I'm going to shoot 400 three-pointers every day this summer. You're going to die!" Yao Huang shouted confidently.

Hearing this, Yu Fei smiled and said nothing, and glanced at the old man with a thick beard next to him, "How strong are your rookies?"

Yao Huang winked: "I am better than you at the same time, or I will surpass you in a few years."

Fortunately, Yao Huang is speaking in Chinese now, otherwise Harden would be frightened and trembling.

After the old show Harden finished chatting with Yao Huang, he politely greeted him: "Fry, you are my favorite player, you may not remember it. Last year you trained on behalf of the US team in Las Vegas. When I was in college, I was on the college sparring team.”

"I remember you." Yu Fei said seriously, "You are Bin Laden."

Harden was struck by lightning and didn't know how to respond.

"Just kidding, of course I remember you." Yu Fei said, "James, I remember you. I admire your courage. Do you know that I hate everyone named James?"

Seeing Harden's face turn pale, Yao Huang immediately said: "Don't think too much, he is joking."

"I promise you, James, I hate this name." Yu Fei said something that made the rookie tremble, and then suddenly cooled down, "However, this does not mean that I will hate you. Come on, I am optimistic about you."

Yu Fei went back.

Harden then asked Yao Huang: "Is Frye always like this?"

"Are you referring to him hating James, or are you referring to his joke?" Yao Huang asked.

Obviously, Harden is more concerned about the first question.

"I thought it was an open fact in the United States that he hates James." Yao Huang laughed.

This is what makes Harden uneasy. LeBron is LeBron, he is who he is, and he shouldn't suffer because his name collides with that big shot's surname.

"Don't worry, he won't embarrass you." Yao Huang reassured, "He probably only has one goal tonight, which is to dunk on my head. I won't let him succeed."

After the game started, Yu Fei really didn't take Harden to heart, but took every opportunity to train Yao Huang.

After losing weight, Yao Huang has regained his early athletic vitality. He is no longer a slow-paced, bulky center.

However, Yao Huang's speed is relative.

Compared with those 220-centimeter giants who have difficulty moving due to gigantism, his athletic ability and moving speed are the same as those of a 210-centimeter tall man.

But considering the average pace of the NBA, he can barely keep up now, but he will still be called out when encountering a mismatch machine like Yu Fei.

For this kind of targeted attack, Yao Huang's choice is often to defend in a pit.

Doing so is tantamount to handing over the initiative to your opponent.

Yu Fei shot decisively and hit consecutive hits, allowing Yao Huang to foresee what he would have to face in future NBA games.

To a certain extent, the game changes promoted by Yu Fei saved Yao Huang's career. He changed his style of play at the most critical node and extended the few remaining years of his career. But small ball is like the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs to traditional centers. Those who do not conform to the times will perish.

Yao Huang has adapted to the times, but a grain of sand from the times will still fall on his head.

For him, he can bear it, but for other traditional centers, it will completely overwhelm them.

Yao Huang quickly responded to Fei's "provocation".

He first screened Harden on the outside, then bounced the ball out and shot a three-pointer.

Shortly afterwards, during a rotation attack by the Rockets, he ran to the left side of the frontcourt to catch the ball at a 45-degree angle.

A center who completed a chasing three-pointer in a rotating attack.

His shooting speed is not fast, but he is sure to win. What's even more exaggerated is that he is too tall, and his high and steady shot makes his outside shots difficult to interfere with.

Later, Yao Quan showed another long-term characteristic that Harden found useful.

As the tallest player in the NBA, Yao Huang doesn't have many rebounds. This is mainly because his instantaneous explosive power is not strong and his wingspan is not long compared to his height. Therefore, his rebounding ability is considered weak among star centers. But being tall has its benefits. As early as the Van Gundy era, the Rockets coaching staff discovered that Yao Huang's role in blocking positions was far greater than grabbing rebounds.

His body moves toward the basket and can trap two opponents.

Therefore, Yao Huang is blocked and others collect rebounds. This is the Rockets' main way to protect defensive rebounds.

For Harden, who has the potential to hold the ball as a core, being able to enjoy the center position and rebounding by himself in his rookie season will have a huge impact on him.

In this preseason game, both sides played what they wanted.

Yu Fei kept naming Yao Huang, but couldn't find a dunk opportunity.

Yao Huang made 7 of 4 shots from outside, and the results of his special training on outside shooting are beginning to show.

Harden had a small test and scored 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists against the defending champion.

After playing against the Rockets, the Sonics focused on testing new players in the next few games.

DeAndre Jordan hasn't improved much, or the coaching staff doesn't know how he's improved beyond gaining weight.

He didn't do it last season and he won't do it now. No matter what he does, he relies on physical fitness.

It was Anthony Morrow's outside shooting ability that made Karl decide to give more opportunities.

Finally, there is rookie Alonzo Key. His shooting ability does not meet the needs of the team, but his physical fitness is excellent, he plays with full energy, and he often has highlight moments of fighting for the ball on the floor.

Except for Jordan, who has stalled, the performance of the other two rookies in the preseason has been satisfactory.

However, Bosh's court positioning is still a problem.

Durant's number of shots has not increased but decreased, which has also become a big problem.

There are too many people playing ball and there are too many stars.

The starting five, except for Kwame Brown, all have shooting needs.

Last season, Yu Fei had already reduced the number of shots per game to 18 shots per game. How else can he reduce it? Neither he nor the forces he represents will allow his number of shots to continue to decrease.

In this case, in order to increase the number of shots Durant gets, Roy and the new Bosh will have to work hard.

The SuperSonics coaching staff ushered in the opening game of the 2009-2010 season with worries.

The SuperSonics' opponent in the opening game is neither the top team in the West nor the powerhouse in the East.

But one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference last season - the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Bobcats had the worst winning percentage in history in the first half of last season. Fortunately, things improved in the second half. This is also because the 2009 draft was considered the worst draft year after 2000, so the Tanks were terrible. The will is not that strong.

The Bobcats took advantage of the situation to "rise up" and improve their record, which also allowed them to select Jonny Flynn with the seventh pick.

Jordan openly expressed his love for Flynn.

Because he watched Flynn play for Syracuse University in the shocking six-overtime game last year.

Jordan believes that a man who played nearly 70 minutes but was able to make two free throws at the end of the fifth overtime to drag the game into the sixth overtime is trustworthy.

The war between the Chosen Empire and the Flying Group has broken out in full force.

Yu Fei wants to destroy everything Jordan loves.

Then Jonny Flynn would be a great start.

To be honest, when Yu Fei found that he couldn't remember anything about Jonny Flynn, he knew that this person was just a great college player at best.

That night, the SuperSonics raised the third championship banner in team history at home, and Yu Fei received his sixth ring from Stern.

But this is not the key. The key is that Yu Fei allowed Jonny Flynn, whom Jordan was optimistic about, to leave the game with six fouls in 24 minutes.

And, he scored 22 points on Flynn by name.

On the other hand, Flynn was not only torn to pieces on the defensive end in his first NBA game, but was also targeted on the offensive end. He made 13 of 1 shots from the field, completely exposing his poor mid- and long-range shooting ability. out.

"From Chicago to Washington, from Washington to Charlotte, 99% of the people he favored ended up failing. I don't understand why the Elgin Baylor effect hasn't appeared on him yet? What qualifications does No. 23 have to insult Jerry Krause in his Hall of Fame speech? Without Jerry, he wouldn't have Scottie Pippen, and without Scottie Pippen he wouldn't even be able to break through the first round of the playoffs!"

Starting from October 2009, 10, Yu Fei has one more job - never stop talking about the failure on the 30rd.

(End of this chapter)