When pride still matters

Chapter 612 Yao Sheng
After the preseason training camp ended, the Clippers announced several major events.

The first is that Steve Ballmer finally had enough of sharing an arena with the Lakers.

By holding a press conference, Ballmer admitted that he had not initially thought about building a new stadium for the team.

“When I bought the team, I was very happy because I didn’t have to build an arena — literally.”

Ballmer recalled. But after he actually owned the Clippers, he realized the difficulties of this team. The Clippers and the Lakers share a home stadium, which is also the home stadium of the NHL Los Angeles Kings. At least before this year, the Clippers' city status would be ranked behind the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Kings. In the annual schedule arrangement, the Clippers were always in a position to be sacrificed.

“So I think we must have a stadium of our own!”

Ballmer officially announced the Clippers' new arena plan.

According to the press conference, the new arena will be built in Inglewood, Los Angeles. The preliminary work is expected to be completed within a year, and the team can use the new arena as early as 2019.

After hearing the news, Yu Fei felt nothing at all.

To him, the idea that it could be put into use as early as 2019 was a complete exaggeration.

Even if this time is not exaggerated, Yu Fei does not think he will play until 2019.

So, this could be another sorry story.

He was unable to play for the Supersonics in their new arena, nor was he able to play for the Clippers in their new arena.

However, this is not important. What is important is that after these stadiums are built, he can pat his chest and say that these are all brought by him.

Of course, the Clippers' new stadium may not have that much direct relationship with him, because Ballmer, who is so poor that he only has money left, will build a new stadium for the Clippers anyway.

After the training camp ended, the Clippers ushered in the preseason.

Preseason games have always been a necessary step to identify deficiencies and fill gaps.

However, as the defending champions, the Clippers only lost Zaza Pachulia as the core framework of the entire championship last summer. It turns out that although the Georgian is a high-quality inside substitute, he is only an insignificant part for the defending champions.

Jokic will enjoy the minutes he has left.

Moreover, judging from the preseason games, this amount of time is still too little for the Serbian.

Yu Fei has remained stable and strong for fourteen years, with no signs of decline.

After winning the championship, Klay Thompson completely got rid of the negative image he had when he played for the Warriors and earned a reputation as a modern-day Miller-like sharpshooter.

As for Giannis Antetokounmpo, he is undoubtedly the most dazzling new star during the preseason.

As a new generation star promoted by Reebok, Antetokounmpo constantly creates topics in the game. His chase-down blocks, strong breakthrough dunks, and those extraordinary moments that use his unparalleled physical talent are the focus of Reebok's marketing machine. They promote this "Greek Freak" with the same intensity as Nike promoted James in the past.

Even the Clippers' rookie Josh Richardson showed quite good combat effectiveness.

"From the preseason, the Clippers may be stronger than last season."

Because young players are still growing rapidly, and as long as Yu Fei and Yao Ming's conditions do not decline drastically, the progress of these new stars will far exceed the deterioration of the veterans.

After the preseason, Yu Fei finally gave Yao Ming the so-called advice.

When Yao Ming heard Yu Fei say that only by accepting the substitute style of play could he play healthily until 2019, he fell into deep thought.

"Of course, the decision is yours," Yu Fei said. "No one can replace you from the starting position except yourself."

What could be more difficult than having a star player in his prime come off the bench?

The answer is: let a star player who is about to enter the end of his peak period take the initiative to play as a substitute.

Those who have achieved success are often accustomed to living on the laurels of the past. The more obvious the decline, the stronger their self-esteem.

This is a phenomenon unique to the sports world, especially when their performance has declined significantly, the team dare not act rashly due to their status, and when they face external doubts, they often develop a rebellious mentality that is stronger than in adolescence.

It is even more difficult for veteran players to accept this fact when younger players ruthlessly point it out.

Lowering the status of meritorious players and supporting more promising young people has always been a difficult problem that championship teams must face.

Now, the Clippers have encountered this problem. Jokic's rise is unstoppable, and when the season officially starts, more people will witness his strength.

By then, both Jokic's own ambitions and outside public opinion will push the Clippers into a difficult decision.

Yu Fei made this suggestion to Yao Ming before this moment arrived, with the aim of solving the problem in advance.

But the final decision still lies with Yao Ming.

Yao Ming was recruited by him personally, and considering the relationship between the two, Yu Fei could respect Yao Ming's wishes to the greatest extent possible. If Yao Ming was unwilling to accept the substitute, then he could put it aside for the time being and let time slowly resolve this problem.

However, Yao Ming was not blinded by his past fame. He was very clear-headed and knew what he wanted.

He is about to turn 36 years old now. In the NBA, he has won everything that can be won. The only hope left in his basketball career is to make it to the 2019 Men's Basketball World Cup to be held in his home country.

Objectively speaking, for a veteran who is in decline, accepting the bench position is indeed the best option.

He can maximize his output off the bench.

Not everyone has the opportunity to travel during off-peak hours, but Yao Ming has already tasted the sweetness of this in the finals.

Once he becomes a substitute, his playing time will be strictly controlled, which will greatly reduce the probability of injury due to excessive fatigue.

As for the damage caused by being a substitute... As a player who does not pursue historical status, being a substitute in his later years will not cause any damage to his historical status.

Today, Yao Ming's historical status is beyond doubt.

He will undoubtedly become one of the future NBA 75 superstars. Not only is he a bridge between the NBA and Asia, especially China, he is also regarded as the last dominant traditional center and the No. 2010 center in the NBA in the first five years of the s.

For veterans, the future often becomes their obsession. They will be overly concerned about their future achievements, and only when they let go of these obsessions can they make critical decisions.

If accepting a bench role can help Yao Ming stay healthy and not affect his historical status, what else can stop him?

The answer is no. He is very rational, and the only realistic factor that may be an obstacle is economic interests. But Yao Ming has already signed a maximum salary contract, and he will be 38 years old when the contract expires. This means that this is the last big contract of his career, which has been finalized and there is no worry.

Therefore, the only thing that might prevent him from accepting a substitute position is the pride and arrogance that comes from the star's self-awareness.

However, it is now 2015.

Once upon a time, the NBA was like a holy land like "Mecca" to Yao Ming. In order to step into this land he had always dreamed of, he even threatened his former club to let him go by threatening to retire. In the end, he not only realized his dream, but also quickly became one of China's iconic faces to the world. Thirteen years later, the NBA is no longer the most important thing in his life, the most important thing is to "go down in history".

A week later, it was October 10th, the opening game of the 30-2015 season.

The defending champion Clippers will host the Cleveland Cavaliers at home.

James watched the Clippers being crowned at home from afar, and saw NBA Commissioner Adam Silver personally present the championship ring to Yu Fei, and a wonderful feeling surged in his heart.

He had seen this scene before. It had already happened in his dreams.

That’s right, James’ first game in the NBA was against Yu Fei’s Bucks. At that time, Yu Fei had just started his first defending season.

At that time, James was also in the limelight. Although he had not achieved any achievements, he was already known as the "double hero" with Yu Fei. Now, more than a decade later, this statement sounds like a joke.

However, James' dream repeatedly showed him winning the championship over Yu Fei. In that scene, he stood in front of Yu Fei and accepted the ring. Seeing Yu Fei receiving the ninth championship ring with a calm expression, as if it was just a trivial matter, James suddenly felt unhappy.

Despite his dissatisfaction, James could only endure it because he and Yu Fei were no longer on the same track.

The opponent is nine championships ahead of him.

What does this mean? If James wants to make up this gap, he needs to win consecutive championships from this year to 2024.

This is obviously impossible.

But even so, James doesn't want to end his career as a loser without a championship.

Even though he is now seen as the modern-day Clyde Drexler, he still longs to win a ring of his own, just like Drexler did.

But is it possible for him to achieve this with the Cavaliers?
Before the game started, Yu Fei greeted Bosh.

Last season, Bosh was ruled out for the season due to a blood clot in his body, and professional sports medicine experts believed that his career might be over.

As a result, he decided to come back strong at the beginning of the season.

This may be the only thing that makes the Cavaliers feel happy among their many disappointments.

After the game started, people found that Yao Ming was not in the Clippers' starting lineup.

To the outside world, the Clippers explained that Yao Ming had just experienced a tiring summer and needed to slowly recover in all aspects.

But within the team, everyone knew that this was a request made by Yao Ming himself.

Yao Ming believes that Jokic cooperates well with Yu Fei and Antetokounmpo at the five position, and the team can try to let the former start and let him accept the bench.

Rivers tried to persuade the other party earnestly for a while, but found that he could not persuade the other party, so he had to accept the other party's suggestion.

For Clippers fans, this was an accidental surprise. They did not expect that this would be a turning point for the Clippers' development in the next ten years.

Throughout the game, Antetokounmpo played the power forward position, Yu Fei returned to the power forward position, and Jokic did not show any obvious strength over Yao Ming in terms of statistics. He scored 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. However, it was his five assists that reminded fans of the games when he started last season.

Tonight, Jokic showed far more maturity than he did as a rookie.

By using a five-out lineup to create space, Jokic organized the offense from the top of the arc and used dominant rebounding, just like the US team did in international competitions, to launch a large number of quick counterattacks, scoring 136 points in the game and leaving the Cavaliers powerless to fight back.

"I hope we can be as good as the Clippers one day, but that day is still a long way off."

After the game, James' mentality was a little bit ruined.

The Clippers are terribly strong.

He seemed to see the team reaching the top again in seven months and Yu Fei receiving his tenth ring in front of him next year.

"How does it feel to witness the Clippers raise their first championship banner in team history at home?"

The reporter wanted to use this question to ask James how he would bring the first championship to his hometown in half a century.

As a result, James actually said: "I envy Frye."

The reporter was shocked and then realized that this might become the traffic password.

"Don't get me wrong," James said. "I envy his vision. He has the ability to find good teammates."

This is a fact, and it is a fact that Yu Fei cannot refute.

However, this is not the whole truth.

"Indeed, Ray Allen and Brandon Roy are much better than Kobe and his ilk," Yu Fei responded. "It's my honor to work with them."

Kobe, who was also shot while lying down, immediately intervened in the verbal battle.

"Brandon has four championships, he is better than me," Kobe said. "But I think I am better than Ray Allen. Although he has three championships like me, his third championship was won as a substitute (in the Heat). You know, the same championship, but everyone plays a different role. I don't think Kwame Brown, who has seven championships, is greater than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who 'only' has six championships."

Kwame Brown, who has nearly one million followers on Twitter, did not miss the opportunity to "bump into someone".

"Kobe's role in his first championship was insignificant, and by his standards, he was about the same as Ray Allen."

When Kobe was leading the team alone, he was criticized by Ray Allen for taking a lot of shots, so Kobe angrily said: "Don't compare me to that guy!"

Now, Kobe still holds this view.

James never expected that his casual remark mocking Yu Fei would actually trigger a verbal dispute between the champions. Soon, the fire burned himself.

"So why would LeBron James, who has never won a championship, be jealous of Frye's better teammates? Why doesn't he reflect on himself? He also has outstanding teammates - Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Chris Bosh, they are all members of the championship club. However, LeBron's 'magic' is that he can make these excellent people mediocre. They have never won a championship with LeBron. Perhaps this is the problem that LeBron should solve most."

ESPN's Jalen Rose fired at James mercilessly, and the media's wind direction quickly shifted, and the focus was back on James.

As for the Clippers? They have already moved forward steadily. Yu Fei only responded to the incident when it happened, and he ignored the subsequent turmoil. Yao Ming continued to serve as a substitute.

In the first week of the regular season, fans were still asking: "When will the dear Chinese giant return to the starting lineup?" Although Nikola's passing was dazzling, everyone still felt that Yao Ming was more secure.

但到了一个月后，球迷开始为约基奇未能进入全明星首发而感到不满。场均14分、6个篮板、5次助攻的数据难道还不够好吗？要知道，蒂姆·邓肯以场均13分、7个篮板的数据入选了最佳阵容三队啊！

After 16 games, the Clippers lost only one game, and the only team that defeated them was the Celtics. Karl-Anthony Towns, the No. 30 pick, won the recognition of the entire league with his outstanding performance of 9 points and 24 rebounds, and was regarded as the number one cornerstone of the team under the age of .

Fast forward to December, and the Clippers officially announced a change to their starting lineup, even though the change had been hinted at early in the season.

In a post-game interview, Rivers said: "After careful consideration and sufficient running-in, Yao Ming decided to lead by example and give up the starting position. Nikola's performance in the starting lineup was very good and fully met the team's expectations and the requirements of the coaching staff. Yao gave him a lot of help on the sidelines. This decision was difficult, but I assure you that if Yao didn't agree, none of this would have happened. Yao fulfilled his duties as captain, which brought the team's cohesion to an unprecedented level. Looking across the league, you can't find a second player like him."

Although the fans' attitudes are fickle, many people still felt sorry for Yao Ming when they heard the news. However, within the league, Yao Ming's reputation reached a new peak. A player willing to give up his starting position at the end of his career, this selfless spirit is extremely rare in a league full of egos like the NBA.

Think about Iverson, who was unable to accept the substitute position, which led to internal strife in the team and was eventually forced to retire. This has almost become a "routine script" for stars - their self-awareness determines that no one can shake their status while they can still play.

Therefore, Yao Ming's decision instantly gave him the aura of a saint. Accepting the bench not only did not damage his historical status, but it improved it a lot. Even Yu Fei did not expect this. They underestimated the power of the Los Angeles media.

Yao Ming has indeed made a lot of efforts, but after being over-praised by the media, things seem to have become a little exaggerated. No matter where he goes, reporters will ask him how to lead the bench lineup to help the team move forward.

"You're the one who came up with all these good ideas!" Yao Ming complained to Fei with a wry smile, "Now I can't even save face!"

Yu Fei said seriously: "I give advice, but it doesn't mean you have to accept it. We are a democratic team and we will not force anyone to do something he doesn't want to do."

Yao Ming walked away, cursing. Although he looked reluctant, being hailed as a saint wasn't hard at all—it was just the pressure of fame.

On the court, the Spurs players were unhappy with Yao Ming's recent "explosion". Duncan told Jokic: "Tell Yao to be careful, Manu is very angry with him."

"Why?" Jokic asked curiously.

"Manu had already done this long before Yao gave up his starting position, but he never received so much praise. Do you think he should be angry?"

Jokic told Yu Fei this. Yu Fei smiled and said, "Tell him that the Clippers are willing to offer him a minimum salary and welcome him to play as a substitute at any time!"

Jokic looked embarrassed and thought this was too harsh, so he said to Duncan during the jump ball: "Just let Manu drink a few more Cokes."

(End of this chapter)