When pride still matters

Chapter 540 Who Still Has Dreams

The world is in turmoil, and Yu Fei has been closely accompanying Elizabeth Olsen since completing his contract renewal.

Compared to Christina Hendricks, a mature woman who has seen through the world, Olsen, who has not yet graduated from college, still looks at the world from a naive perspective.

She is very serious and focused when it comes to love, and will consider Yu Fei no matter what she does.

This really made Yu, who had maintained an "open relationship" for a long time, feel the sweetness of love. At some point, he would think about the future.

He was about to turn 29 and it might be time to find a woman to settle down with, but he wasn't sure if that person would be Olsen.

Although Olsen is a bit love-minded, she is also a career-oriented person. She is the one who is willing to devote her body to the screen in her prime in order to stand out. Yu Fei is not sure whether such a person is suitable for him.

He didn't think much about it.

He decided to enjoy the moment until mid-July, when Yao Ming, the MVP of the 2010-11 CBA League Finals, called him.

The NBA's suspension last season was both an opportunity and a "disaster" for the CBA.

The opportunity is that the league is suddenly flooded with superstars who should be playing in the NBA.

This undoubtedly brought a lot of gimmicks to the league and made it more entertaining, but those clubs that spent a lot of money to poach NBA players were eventually swept by the Shanghai team with "four foreign players".

The current CBA has a rule, which began in the 2009-10 season, that the bottom four teams in the league can hire two foreign players and one Asian foreign player to enhance their competitiveness.

The Shanghai team had already hit rock bottom before being acquired by Yao Ming, ranking at the bottom of the league, so naturally they had the qualification to hire three foreign players. However, the new NBA season was suspended, and Boss Yao's return to the Shanghai team was as undisputed as Taikong Yi's return to the Guangdong team.

But Yao Ming's dominance is not comparable to that of Tai Jianyi.

With the support of the "four foreign players", the Shanghai team went undefeated in the regular season and playoffs and swept the championship.

Currently, Yao Ming is participating in the national team training to prepare for the Wuhan Asian Championships in order to qualify for the London Olympics.

However, with the NBA lockout ending, Yao Ming, who has become a free agent, also needs to make a decision.

At the beginning, Yao Ming had already decided to leave the Rockets and join a competitive team.

But now, the New Jersey Big Three has been formed.

The Lakers and other teams don't have space.

Yao Ming received an invitation from San Antonio.

Because Duncan took a pay cut, the Spurs had enough space to sign Yao Ming.

The problem is that although Yao Ming wants to leave Houston, he doesn't want to be booed when he returns to the Space City in the new season.

The three Texas teams have always disliked each other.

It is impossible for Yao Ming to switch to another Texas team.

It would be best for him to move to the East so he can avoid meeting his old team in the West.

Just when Yao Ming intended to travel east, Miami released some information.

Riley is not the kind of person who is content with the status quo.

The lockout caused the league to skip directly to last season, causing the Celtics to age another year. At the same time, Tayshaun Prince also became a free agent, and the Green Army had no capital to keep him.

Just when Riley thought the Heat's era was coming, the New Jersey Big Three appeared.

In this case, unless Kevin Love and Stephen Curry both grow into All-Stars next season, what can they play with?
Yao Ming is Howard's nemesis. He beats him up every time he meets him in his career. If we can get him, at least we will have an advantage in the interior when facing New Jersey.

Therefore, Riley did not leave himself a way out before getting Yao Ming. He spent two first-round picks to send Hedo Turkoglu to Orlando, which was ready to give up.

Orlando, knowing Miami's plan well, is very willing to help Riley. If the Heat can get Yao Ming, they can see Howard make a fool of himself in the playoffs. Why not?
The Magic used the salary cap space to take on Turkoglu's junk contract, and the Heat's two first-round picks were just consolation prizes.

However, once this deal came out, the Heat, whose salary had already inflated and had no room for operation, suddenly had the money to take on Yao Ming's salary.

The two sides began further negotiations.

Yao Ming is in China, but his agent calls him every day to report on the progress of the negotiations.

That being said, Yao Ming was still unsure about Miami, so he called Yu Fei and asked him what he thought of the Heat.

In Yu Fei's opinion, the Heat may be the most suitable team for Yao Ming.

They have the ability to empty the inside and let Yao Ming fight one-on-one, or they can let Yao Ming participate in high-post dynamic offense and make use of the three-pointer he has developed after the pick-and-roll.

If Yu Fei remembers correctly, Curry and Love are about to enter the All-Star ranks. Both of them are still on rookie contracts. Together with Yao Ming and Wade, there are four All-Star players with compatible styles in one team. Will their combat effectiveness be worse than that of the Nets' Big Three?
Moreover, the Heat also picked up Jimmy Butler in the draft this year.

But the words came back again.

Over the years, Yu Fei has been teammates with many former Heat players.

A few years ago, James Posey came to Seattle to play. When George Karl thought he had a lot of training volume, Posey always disdainfully said that the Supersonics' training volume was less than half of that of the Heat.

In this respect, Riley is very similar to those domestic sports school coaches who firmly believe in the three obediences and one virtue.

He believes that only hard training can create strong athletes.

However, can a big man like Yao Ming persist under the training conditions in Miami?

Don't let the Rockets and the national team use him to waste his time, then let Riley use him to waste his time in Miami.

Yu Fei gave ambiguous advice.

On the one hand, we have to admit that Yao Ming and the Heat are a match made in heaven. On the other hand, Yu Fei has doubts about whether the Heat's culture of "the most hardworking, best-shaped, most professional, most selfless, toughest, dirtiest, and most unpopular team in the league" is suitable for Yao Ming.

"You have to think carefully," Yu Fei said. "Going to Miami will bring you closer to the championship, but it may also shorten your sports career. I don't think they will be lenient with you. Of course, you can talk to them clearly before signing. For health reasons, your training volume must be controlled within a certain range."

Hearing this, Yao Ming said happily: "It can be seen that you care about me more than the one in my family. She can't wait to move to Miami."

"why?"

“There’s no state tax there.”

What happened next was very cliché.

Although the Rockets expressed confidence in keeping Yao Ming at a press conference under new head coach Kevin McHale, the news that Houstonians least wanted to hear came out a few days later.

Yao Ming signed with the Heat at a discounted price of $4 million over four years.

Logically, he could have received the full maximum salary of $4 million for four years, but now his salary has been reduced by $6000 million.

Yao's team's external explanation is that Yao Ming hopes to allow the team room to sign more players by cutting his own salary.

In fact, this is what we say internally as well.

But through the salary cut, Yao Ming can be considered a meritorious player even though he has not played for the Heat yet. He will have some privileges that only Wade can have.

For example, although he respects the Heat's team culture, he has had his own training program for many years. He trains the same way in Houston when he goes to Miami.

Riley had no objection, and the Heat also understood that it was an unprecedented case for a 220-centimeter big man like Yao Ming to be able to play at the All-Star level until the age of 30.

They can't expect such luck to continue under the Heat's devilish training.

Therefore, for the purpose of protecting Yao Ming, we have to give him this convenience. What's more, Yao Ming has also had his salary cut. He is such a sensible person and he must be protected.

Later, veteran Sean Battier, who entered the NBA in the same year as Yu Fei, followed in Yao Ming's footsteps.

He joined the Heat with a three-year, $3 million contract.

In other words, the 1000 million US dollars that Yao Mingjiang gave was used on him.

That's the benefit of taking a pay cut.

The Heat received a championship puzzle that made all the major teams jealous.

Moreover, they have a complete mid-class exception.

They can also continue to strengthen their team with the mid-level exception.

In the end, this middle-class exception was used on Darko Milicic, who was from the 03 Platinum Generation.

The Heat believe that Milicic can effectively help Yao Ming reduce his burden.

For the rest, they can only fill the roster with minimum salaries like the Nets did.

Yao Ming's move to the East led to the emergence of the second championship-contending team in the East, which greatly accelerated the pace of the free market.

There are still many good players among the remaining people.

There is no shortage of All-Star players on the outside, such as Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Kevin Martin, but they all lost the opportunity to join the super team.

Joe Johnson accepted a maximum salary offer from the Warriors.

Deron Williams originally wanted to find a strong team in a big market to join.

But the Nets, Lakers and Knicks are out of space.

He looked down upon the rebuilding Bulls and 76ers, so he had to settle for the second best and choose competitiveness first.

He turned around and joined the Milwaukee Bucks, who were looking for a chance to return to the top.

Although the Bucks fell into the lottery zone before the suspension, that was caused by injuries.

Now that Granger and Aldridge have both recovered, and with the addition of a core point guard like Deron, the Eastern Conference has one more powerful team.

Deron's choice determined the fate of the other two Bucks players.

One is Kevin Martin and the other is Pau Gasol.

Under the pressure of the super luxury tax, a team like the Bucks that has difficulty making a profit dare not even hope for a fourth star.

The maximum salaries of Deron, Granger, and Aldridge almost fill the salary cap, and the rest can be saved if possible.

Martin chose the Rockets as his next team.

Gasol, a player who is not fast enough to play the four position and not tough enough to play the five position in today's era, has become the Spurs' consolation prize.

In other words, for the Spurs, Djokovic may be more suitable for the tactical system than Yao Ming.

The only problem is that before the lockout, Gasol did not develop a stable three-pointer like Yao Ming. Whether or not to shoot three-pointers is an important indicator of whether the old-era inside players can adapt to the new era.

Gasol joining the Spurs has made the league's landscape even more ambiguous.

Before the lockout, the SuperSonics and the Lakers were competing for supremacy.

Because they are the only ones who have more than three All-Star players at the same time.

Although the Lakers still retain Kobe and James, due to the one-year lockout, Antawn Jamison's contract has expired, and the Lakers have no intention of keeping him.

In addition, Ron Artest's contract also expires.

The Lakers didn't keep him either.

Even with the loss of two big players, the Lakers' existing contracts still put their total salary over the salary cap.

Therefore, apart from signing players at the minimum salary, they only have an incomplete mid-level exception available.

Finally, the Lakers used this incomplete mid-level exception on veteran Jason Richardson.

After that, the Lakers will need to sell Dream with a minimum salary contract like before.

Who has the dream of becoming a champion?
The question is, are the Lakers the place to realize the championship dream?
That dream was shattered after the 2010 Western Conference Finals.

Now, the Lakers are not even in the top three favorites for the championship in the new season.

They are no longer the first choice for powerful veterans.

During this period, the retirement of a famous player caught the Lakers off guard.

The first is Big Z who came to Los Angeles with James. As another 220CM giant who was plagued by injuries, he had injuries during his time with the Lakers. Even when the game was suspended, his injuries continued.

After two surgeries, doctors believed that he could no longer adapt to high-intensity basketball games.

Big Z then decided to retire.

However, James may be the only one who will feel sad about Big Z's retirement.

Because this is his only confidant in Los Angeles.

However, there was little public notice of Big Z's retirement.

It's like Wang Feng who was in the headlines, but something more important happened.

Or rather, someone more important retired.

That man is Shaquille O'Neal, a 39-year-old veteran.

Career experience?

Created the OK dynasty with Kobe.

O'Neal spent the last season before the lockout with the Cavaliers.

During the lockout, O'Neal accepted the invitation of the TV station and became a media person. He soon realized that the rest of his life would be closely related to this. He has an innate sense of variety and humor. He is a natural TV person.

He only had one doubt: would Kobe get his fourth ring?

If Kobe had gotten it, O'Neal had no doubt that this guy would have said something like "I have one more than Shaq."

So, it is very incredible that in the battle between the Only Empire and the Evil Empire, O'Neill was Yu Fei's most staunch supporter.

In front of the TV, O'Neal cursed the Lakers countless times, and finally, the curse took effect.

Kobe failed.

The league was immediately shut down.

That was the peak period of Universe Lake, and also the time when the Supersonic Empire was at its most vulnerable.

It can be said that was the Lakers' only chance.

Now that the Lakers missed this opportunity, they will never have it again.

On the Sonics side, Bosh is still there, Durant will be one or two levels stronger in the 2011-12 season than before the lockout, and Roy will be healthy again.

As for Yu Fei, as the GOAT, one of the most basic evaluation criteria is that he will never lose a battle with a big advantage.

O'Neal can retire with peace of mind.

He believed that Yu Fei would not let Kobe get the fourth ring.

At the press conference announcing his retirement, O'Neal looked very calm.

"I'm old," O'Neal said. "I know the longer I play, the less the fans will remember me when I was young, and that's not what I want. Since I can't be the best version of myself anymore, I might as well end it sooner rather than later."

Then, he did not forget to mention James: "I really like this place (Cleveland). Everyone here welcomes me so much. They treat me so well, believe in me, and take care of me. I like this city, but unfortunately, like LeBron, I have not been able to bring any honor to this city."

Finally, the reporter asked him: "Do you have anything to say to Kobe?"

O'Neal smiled and said, "Kiss my ass!"

This may not necessarily be the end of an era, because O'Neal does not represent any era.

At least in this era, the rulers of the 2000s were not O'Neal, Kobe and Duncan.

The man who ruled that era was Yu Fei.

But what is certain is that O'Neal's retirement is definitely the beginning of the end of an era.

Starting with O'Neal, then Garnett, Kobe, and Duncan. They entered an era dominated by Jordan, and they shouldered the historical mission of taking over the league after Jordan retired.

To date, thirteen years have passed. O'Neal ruled for three years, Duncan ruled for two years, and the remaining years were written with Yu Fei's name.

O'Neal is gone. His career began at the peak of the Bulls dynasty and ended when Yu Fei reached the top as the new GOAT.

Witnessing the rise of two generations of GOAT in 19 years is both his luck and his sorrow.

He will be remembered by contemporary fans as a super center who was stepped on by Yu Fei.

There was no ignorant reporter who asked Yu Fei for his opinion on O'Neal's retirement.

If the conflict between Yu Fei and Jordan was an office disagreement that turned into a fierce battle for status in the industry - and Yu Fei has won - then the conflict between Yu Fei and O'Neal was purely a personal grudge.

Before entering the NBA, Yu Fei was hated by O'Neal for his bad words, so the two had a very unpleasant first meeting in the NBA. Afterwards, O'Neal made a racist attack on Yao Ming, who had more All-Star votes than him, which further violated Yu Fei's bottom line.

Over the years, even though Yu Fei had firmly suppressed O'Neal and made him accomplish nothing, O'Neal never gave up.

This is an irreconcilable grudge.

Yu Fei ignored the news of O'Neal's retirement, and after the outside world missed O'Neal's heroic figure in his peak period for a few days, they turned to the latest sports news.

After each team made big moves and captured the big fish one by one, the pattern of the new season has become clear.

The top three in the West and the top three in the East.

The top three teams in the Western Conference are the Supersonics, Lakers and Spurs, while the top three teams in the Eastern Conference are the Nets, Heat and Bucks.

However, among them, supersonic is still recognized as the strongest.

Because their core lineup has not changed.

Before the suspension, they even defeated the Lakers with an incomplete lineup and won three consecutive championships.

Now that the lineup is complete, it should be even more unstoppable.

Even so, they have had some personnel changes.

Jermaine O'Neal has left the team. He has already won the championship. For him, the championship is enough. The rest is to make more money while he can still play.

He accepted a full mid-level contract from the Warriors.

Larry Hughes and Michael Finley retired.

Nick Collison renewed his contract with the SuperSonics at a minimum salary.

The SuperSonics made signings cautiously.

After keeping Collison, Presti signed big shooter Steve Novak from the free market with a minimum salary.

Presti held on to his incomplete mid-level exception and began selling the dream to wavering veterans.

Ben Wallace was faced with a choice.

Should he return to Detroit to retire, or follow his enemy Yu Fei to see if he can win a championship.

The Bucks and the Pistons were old rivals in the Eastern Conference back then, and the brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills in the winter of 2004 ended Yu Fei's chance of winning his first three consecutive championships.

Daben believed that Yu Fei, who was petty-minded, would definitely still remember it.

So Presti went to ask Yu Fei.

"I do remember," Yu Fei said, "I remember it was Tayshaun Prince who fought with me."

Yu Fei said to Presti: "Tell Ben that I have won seven championships in the past eight years. I can look at many things in a positive way."

In this way, Ben Wallace signed a one-year minimum salary contract with the Supersonics with peace of mind.

In the end, the Supersonics' mid-level exception was used on Grant Hill.

Also a veteran, Hill played in all games for the Suns last season, averaging 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game. He is a rare all-around role player.

The winning SuperSonics have become the most popular team in the veteran market.

Hill bought into the dream they were selling, passing up a one-year, $600 million contract with the Suns for a two-year, $600 million contract with the SuperSonics.

This leaves Sam Presti to ask everyone in the free market: "Who still has a dream?"

(End of this chapter)