Chapter 611 It’s not my time anymore

Chapter 611 It’s not my time anymore

One advantage of holding a personal mini-training camp before the official start of the team's pre-season training camp is that it can quickly build relationships with teammates.

This is a bit like when Jordan came back from baseball vacation and was defeated by the Magic in the playoffs, and then started "The Breakfast Club".

Although the relationship between Jordan and his teammates may not have improved as a result, more contacts did improve his tacit understanding with his teammates. After all, he had already left the Bulls for a season and a half.

Yu Fei is different. He does not need to go through training camp to get to know his teammates again because he has left the team. Jokic joined voluntarily, and the relationship between the two has been elevated from ordinary colleagues to pure friendship.

Yu Fei was surprised by the speed of Jokic's progress.

Although Jokic showed full aura last season, he still retained the immaturity of a rookie team in many aspects.

Things are very different today.

Yu Fei believes that Jokic's technical framework has initially taken on the shape of the future "Jokic" he is familiar with.

The only thing he lacks now is time.

Only a large amount of actual combat experience can allow him to truly cross the barrier and achieve a leap in personal strength.

The day before Yu Fei's personal short-term training camp ended, Jokic invited him to his home. Yu Fei readily accepted the invitation.

Unlike other NBA players, Jokic did not choose a large mansion in an expensive location. He just chose a wealthy community with good security and rented a three-bedroom apartment.

Living here, in addition to him and his girlfriend Thalia, are his two brothers Nemanja and Strahinja.

Yu Fei often saw them cheering Jokic on the sidelines, but after close contact, he realized that these two were really majestic, like typical mafia bodyguards in Hollywood movies.

In addition, there is a strange rule in their house:

Black slippers are required for both residents and guests. If the guest doesn't have one, the family will provide a pair.

"These are Talia's rules, and everyone has to abide by them," Jokic explained.

Yu Fei smiled and said: "It sounds like you listen to her?"

Jokic replied without hesitation: "Of course. She is responsible for our food and daily life. She takes care of such a big house by herself. She is the hostess here."

Later, Yu Fei met the "mistress".

He originally thought that Thalia would be a strong woman, but her behavior turned out to be unexpected. She looked gentle and demure, and she didn't look like someone who would force guests to wear black slippers at all.

When Jokic opened the refrigerator and was about to take out a bottle of Coke, Talia glared at him: "Baby, you have drank three liters of Coke today!"

"Absolutely not that much!" Jokic shouted, "Two liters at most!"

"Fry is here. You always say it has no effect on you, so let's ask Fry, does coke have any effect on athletes?"

Yu Fei has formed the understanding that "carbonated drinks are bad for athletes" over the years, but he has not had an in-depth understanding of the specific disadvantages of them.

Faced with Thalia's question, he simply responded: "Whether you are an athlete or not, drinking too many drinks is always bad."

"Hear that! If you don't listen to me, you have to listen to GOAT!" Talia said with a smile, and Jokic reluctantly gave in.

Yu Fei felt his face burning hot.

This is the last thing he wants to face, that is, his unintentional words are regarded as the Bible, and the other party also emphasizes that "this is what the GOAT said."

As if what he said had some kind of validity.

After Talia took away Jokic's Coke, Jokic looked at Yu Fei reluctantly: "Would your wife be like this?"

Yu Fei joked: "I usually don't consume two liters of Coke in a day."

"It makes me feel happy." Jokic said, "Happiness is the best thing."

"Like a horse race?"

"That's different." Jokic said, "Horse racing is the most important thing in the world."

So basketball is just a secondary interest for Jokic to have fun and allow his horse racing career to take off.

It’s just that Jokic has had great success with this secondary interest.

The food the Jokic family used to entertain their guests that day was Serbian barbecue.

But for Fei, barbecue is nothing unusual.

Except for the differences in ingredients and seasonings, barbecues all over the world should be similar.

They chatted while eating Serbian sausage.

Jokic talked about his boyhood.

“In elementary school, every teacher liked me because I was always funny,” he said. "I was taller than most boys and girls, and the fattest. I liked a few subjects—like math and history, that's pretty much it. I didn't like sports. By high school, I couldn't even do a push-up."< br>

To be honest, Jokic's life is more "fulfilling" than most players.

This "enrichment" is more reflected in the spiritual level.

Although he was playing in a foreign country, his girlfriend and brother were by his side.

However, he suddenly said with emotion: "I miss home. I am the youngest child in the family. Maybe because of this, my relationship with my parents is closer. I really miss them."

At this time, Jokic's brother Nemanja joked: "That's because he is spoiled!"

Jokic immediately said dissatisfied: "No!"

Yu Fei asked: "You could have taken this time to go back, why not?"

He was referring to the time when Jokic was in short training camp. Jokic had just recovered from the tough special training in the summer, but he immediately threw himself into Yu Fei's short training camp. Now that the pre-season training camp is about to begin, he really can't get out.

Jokic replied: "Because there are more important things."

He needs to test the effect of his summer special training through a short training camp.

As it turns out, his power has improved significantly.

It's like a player with a rating of only 75 in "NBA2K" improved to 85 in just one summer.

This makes him truly qualified to compete for the starting position.

"It depends on how much you are willing to pay for this 'important thing'." Yu Fei said, "Our season will last until June next year. If you can persist, you will have taken the first step."< br>

Jokic smiled: "So, I decided to let my parents come to Los Angeles to live for a while. This is simpler and more effective than going home."

Yu Fei believes that he has been preparing to do this for a long time. He has laid so much groundwork to show himself that he will compete with Yao Huang for the starting spot.

Because Yu Fei and Yao Huang have a good relationship, Jokic hopes that Yu Fei will have a neutral attitude towards this matter.

But he never expected that Yu Fei would support him with both hands and feet.

Two days later, preseason training camp begins.

The Clippers assemble in Los Angeles.

Doc Rivers can be said to be in high spirits during happy events. After winning the championship last season, he not only fulfilled the shortcoming of no championship in his career, but also saved his job.

When he was originally traded by Anji, Rivers had two years left on his contract.

The Clippers carried out the game unchanged.

If there are no results in the past two years, it's time for Nerfus to get out.

As a result, the team achieved the best record in team history in the first year and won the championship directly in the second year.

Although most of the praise belongs to Yu Fei, Rivers received the most tangible reward.

The wealthy Steve Ballmer gave Rivers a five-year, $50 million contract with Yu Fei's tacit approval.

This makes Rivers the highest-paid coach in the league.

In the new season, their goal is to defend their title.

Whether or not this goal can be achieved can be seen in the training camp.

Except for the veterans who don't seek to be better, but just want to stay the same, the young people who have high hopes for the team have changed drastically.

The person who has changed the most is Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Using one hundred days of summer special training is already Jokic's limit.

But this is Antetokounmpo's life since 2013.

That's how he spent his last summer, and it's the same this summer.

In just two summers, he got rid of the refugee figure he had at the beginning of the draft, and what followed was a muscular body that seemed to be covered in muscle armor.

Just looking at this physical condition, he already has the foundation to play the fourth position.

Then there's Jokic. When Rivers first saw him, he thought he had seen the wrong person.

Where did the little fat Serbian guy of his size go? Who is this Serbian spiritual guy?

It took a while for Rivers to accept the fact that Jokic had successfully lost weight.

On the first day of the training camp, while Yu Fei was still stretching his muscles, the two young Europeans with high ambitions began to compete with each other.

Antetokounmpo took the initiative to go inside and confront Jokic.

This was the first time he showed off his incredible athleticism in a matchup - for such a huge size, combined with excellent ball-handling offense, the destructive power it brought was quite astonishing.

He changed direction, collected the ball, then turned sharply, almost leaving Jokic behind, and then jumped for a dunk.

In today's basketball era of miniaturized interiors, it is almost impossible to defend Antetokounmpo one-on-one in a wide space.

He doesn't need to completely get rid of his opponent. He only needs to take one dribble, collect the ball, turn around, and use the inertia of his body to knock the opponent away. The next step is his dunk performance.

Therefore, the Eastern Conference teams in the main timeline have formed "anti-letter armor." This defensive lineup usually consists of an inside line with excellent basket protection ability and a wing that can run and jump to deal with Antetokounmpo's impact. .

"Is it time, Frye?" Rivers asked, referring to the "time" to move Antetokounmpo to the four.

Yu Fei believes that Antetokounmpo is indeed ready.

But it wasn't enough for him to be ready on his own.

Although Antetokounmpo has retained the shooting posture and muscle memory of his rookie period with the help of Yu Fei, he is still not essentially a qualified outside shooter.

If he plays the fourth position, he will be positioned like in the main timeline, as a fourth position that relies on the inside for offense but has outside coverage on the defensive end. This style of play can give full play to his destructive power and ability in the penalty area. Amazing sweep range.

Therefore, the center to partner with him is best to be a player like Brook Lopez after his successful transition.

In theory, Yao Ming would be a perfect partner.

But Yu Fei knows that Yao Ming is already 36 years old and cannot stay with Antetokounmpo for too long.

The person who has truly fought side by side with the Greek for many years and reached the top with him is the opponent he most wants to defeat on the court today - Jokic.

Jokic's style of play is not as visually impactful as Antetokounmpo's. His style is more like using softness to overcome strength.

In the low post, he kept turning with exquisite steps until he shook Antetokounmpo, and then scored easily with a hook; he would also make fake moves in the low post, taking advantage of the opponent's unpreparedness, and throw out a shot that was enough to be selected for the All-NBA Team. Most of the top ten goals of most centers' careers include passing the ball behind the back without looking at anyone.

The most impressive thing is his shooting rhythm. When players are forced into a situation where they have no room to take action, they either pass the ball or force a shot. Although Jokic can also forcefully take shots, his way of taking shots is extremely unique.

It was a Nowitzki-style Golden Rooster independence, but with a step-back action. Unlike ordinary players who step back in sync with their dominant hand, Jokic's step back was to step back with his right foot and jump with his left foot. The whole action seemed full of violation, but the ball went in.

This moment made Antetokounmpo very angry.

He just couldn't understand how anyone could score in this way.

Seeing this scene, Yu Fei smiled and said: "I think Nicholas is ready."

The words confused Rivers. Wasn't he asking the Greeks a question? Why did you mention the Serbians again?

Yu Fei gave no explanation.

In the next few days, the situation in the training camp remained the same.

Antetokounmpo is eager to prove that he is the strongest player after Yu Fei, but Jokic has no such pursuit, he just doesn't want to lose.

The two were inseparable on the court.

But off the court, Antetokounmpo is obviously more adaptable to the rhythm of Los Angeles than Jokic.

Jokic doesn't like being watched by the media around the clock, and he doesn't know how to please the media. For him, the media response is just part of the job.

And Antetokounmpo not only accepts the media, he even enjoys interacting with them.

During his rookie season, some media once asked him: "Do you know what Magic Johnson's greatest trait is?"

Of course Antetokounmpo doesn’t know that.

The reporter smiled and said: "It's not his dribbling, or his passing, or even his championship, but his smile. Giannis, you have that sunny smile, keep that smile."

Therefore, no matter where he goes, Antetokounmpo will always have a smile on his face, which does bring him a lot of benefits.

Some media began to be willing to continue to track Antetokounmpo and give him enough exposure, and he was extremely friendly to these media.

As Antetokounmpo continues to improve in his second season, the media has already seen that this is a future star.

From there, Antetokounmpo’s star began to emerge.

Starlight is a word that Hollywood likes to use, and it is also the word most often cited for Hollywood stars. Generally speaking, starlight is the combined influence of a star's popularity, appeal, and remuneration (if he is an actor).

The star power of NBA players is similar.

Generally speaking, the term "starlight" is only used for star players.

However, the second-year Antetokounmpo has risen to the ranks of the All-Stars, coupled with Los Angeles' unique geographical advantages, making him quickly become the darling of a new generation of media.

The day before media day, Yao Ming officially returned to the team.

This summer, Yao Ming once again led the Chinese men's basketball team to win the Asian Championship and successfully qualified for the Rio Olympics.

For Yao Ming, this may be the last big thing before 2019.

Yao Ming's career plan is very clear - the Rio Olympics will be his last Olympic trip, and he plans to officially retire after the World Cup in his home country.

Considering the pressure and expectations of playing on home soil, results in the World Cup may be more important than the Olympics. To achieve this goal, Yao Ming must first ensure that he stays healthy.

Therefore, Yao Ming, who had just returned to the team, immediately found Yu Fei and asked what the "method that would allow him to play until 2019" mentioned before was.

"You just came back, why are you anxious?" Yu Fei said with a smile, "Let's take pictures first, there are still a lot of things to do today."

Yu Fei's advice to Yao Ming is simple - accept the position of substitute.

However, he is more of a sixth man than a substitute.

This is the role that is most suitable for Yao Ming at present: he can spare no effort to perform in the limited playing time while avoiding physical exhaustion; more importantly, he will not encounter the opponent's strongest lineup when playing at staggered times, so that he can easily brush up Produces good data.

But this means Yao Ming must give up his former star status.

For a star who is approaching the end of his career, this is not a difficult decision to make.

That day, Yu Fei was still the focus of the audience. However, he found that some media people who used to pursue his coverage began to turn their attention to young players.

Antetokounmpo was also surrounded by reporters, and Jokic also attracted a lot of attention.

However, similar to Yao Ming, the media surrounding Jokic mainly comes from his home country.

That afternoon, Yu Fei heard a reporter from New York ask: "Fry, what kind of players do you think Giannis and Nikola will develop into under ideal circumstances?"

Yu Fei responded with a smile: "This is not a hypothesis. I can tell you a fact that is bound to happen - one day, you will argue about who is the best player in the league, Giannis or Nikola."

This sentence immediately ignited the media's attention on these two young players.

Jokic was a little uncomfortable with this and secretly glanced at Yu Fei while taking pictures.

As for Antetokounmpo, he created a "joke."

When reporters took pictures of him, he took the initiative to take them into the gym, lay on the bench and said: "Do you like this? I suggest you practice more like me, so that you will have perfect biceps, Ladies love this! ”

Then, he started to bench press in front of everyone, and shouted while pushing: "Bench press for the ladies! Bench press for the ladies!"

This is just one of his many amusing anecdotes that has set off social media.

On the media day, ESPN commented on Antetokounmpo: "Giannis' innocence and honesty make him a miracle in the sports world."

Seeing how popular young players are, Yao Ming can't help but recall the huge sensation he caused when he entered the NBA as an "exotic beast".

Yu Fei also clearly remembered the scene back then.

To be honest, it was like a warm-up before Bunyama entered the NBA.

"What a pity," Yao Ming said with emotion, "it is no longer my time."

Yu Fei smiled and said: "Now is not the time to say this."

A few days later, in an intra-team competition, Jokic faced Yao Ming and hit multiple exaggerated Golden Rooster independent step-back three-pointers. He also grabbed 8 rebounds and sent 5 assists, which shocked everyone. .

After the game, Yu Fei said to Yao Ming: "It's really not your time now."

In that game, Yao Ming's performance was not bad, but he knew that Yu Fei was right - his era has passed.

He is a remnant of the past era, the man who has not yet set sail.

He persisted, but this was no longer his time.

(End of chapter)