Chapter 622 I hope
There is a smell of gunpowder in the Clippers training camp, mainly coming from two young people who seem to have endless energy.
There is a direct competition between Antetokounmpo and Jokic.
Since the Greek entered the team a year earlier than the Serbian, he naturally had an East Asian-style "seniority" sense of superiority. However, the Serbian made it clear from the beginning that he had no intention of participating in the so-called competition.
The Greeks did not believe this. In his view, as long as you play in the NBA, there will be competition, whether within the team or outside the team. And Jokic is a new star that GOAT has high hopes for. Even Yao Huang is willing to give up his starting position in order to help him rise. With such treatment, how could the Greeks not suspect that he was also secretly striving for a higher status?
As a result, the competition between the two sides is often started by Antetokounmpo, and Jokic counterattacks. This summer, after Antetokounmpo's offseason training, he looks like a young lion who has built absolute confidence during his long wandering. He can't wait to invade the territory of the old lion and declare his dominance.
In contrast, Jokic does not have the sense of "there can only be one" for hegemony. But like all top competitors, he has an unquenchable competitive spirit at his core. As long as Antetokounmpo challenges him, he will definitely fight back with all his strength. The battle is fierce with swords and swords on the court.
Yao Huang always watched the contests of these young people with interest as a bystander.
"If I had such an opponent when I was young, my achievements would definitely be higher than what I am now." Yao Huang sighed.
Yu Fei joked: "Did Lao Wang not abuse you hard enough, or did you win too little when the Bayi team won?"
Yao Huang said angrily: "Suna! I came to the United States after leading the team to defeat them and win the championship!"
Yu Fei reminded: "Just a reminder, the one you always beat was the Bayi team that let Wang come to play in the NBA, not the complete team."
I think one of the conditions for the Shanghai team to let Yao Huang go was to let him lead the team to win the championship. Fortunately, Wang Zhizhi left after 2001. If he had stayed, the Shanghai team would definitely not have won the 2002 CBA championship.
At that time, Yao Huang can only play the "retire if you don't let me go" card.
It’s embarrassing to think about it.
"The Bayi team in those years was really strong."
"What now?"
"Staying tenacious in CBA."
Yu Fei asked again: "Is Lao Wang still fighting?"
"Basically retired, just need to officially announce it."
Then they dropped the subject.
The match on the field was ultimately won by Jokic's white team.
After the game, an angry Antetokounmpo kicked the ball hard against the far wall, full of anger. "If you guys don't want to fight, then don't fight!" He severely reprimanded Siakam, who made frequent mistakes in training. "If the fight continues like this, you might as well go back to Africa!"
In fact, Antetokounmpo wins most of the training confrontations with Jokic because his teammates are usually better equipped, while Jokic has a casual attitude towards selecting teammates. He doesn't care about winning or losing in training games, but what matters more is the direct confrontation with Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo is completely different. His desire to win is almost obsessive - whether it is a formal competition or training, he must win. Losing would make him extremely angry, especially to a competitor like Jokic.
"Giannis, that's not what a leader should say," veteran Richard Jefferson interjected.
Although Antetokounmpo has a strong sense of his own status, he has always respected the veterans.
"Then what should I say?" Antetokounmpo asked.
"You should examine your own problems first," Jefferson said calmly. "If we lose, Frye will never put the blame on the worst performer. As a leader, you must take responsibility for everything."
Antetokounmpo turned to look at GOAT, expecting to get more guidance from him.
Yu Fei said lightly: "Maybe you can try to be an irresponsible but still successful leader. Maybe that will make you the most unique existence in history."
Antetokounmpo did not respond. He turned to check the game statistics: he scored 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in this training game, while Siakam only made 2 of 7 shots and scored 6 points, 3 assists and 1 block.
Why should the best performers take responsibility for the worst performers?
He wanted to ask questions, but ultimately chose to apologize to Siakam.
As for Jokic, as soon as the training match ended, he stepped aside and drank Coke by himself. Rivers was furious when he saw it and severely reprimanded the player who could never follow the dietary rules.
"If I don't even have the right to drink Coke to celebrate after defeating Giannis, then what's the point of life!" Jokic protested loudly.
Antetokounmpo was furious when he heard this: "You didn't beat me at all!"
"45 to 40!" Jokic immediately reported the score of the training match.
Yao Ming laughed so much that he almost couldn't breathe.
"You'd better play a few more years," Yao Ming said to Fei with a smile, "Without you in charge, these two people will have to fight among themselves!"
Yu Fei asked seriously: "Do you know why the OK group finally split?"
"It's just a personality incompatibility." Yao Ming replied casually.
"It's because O'Neal is not a professional, relies on his seniority to rely on his seniority, and even has racist tendencies, which is really disgusting." Yu Fei explained in a private way.
Yao Ming complained: "Of course racism is wrong, but it shouldn't have much to do with their falling out, right?"
"If Kobe was the older one in OK, the problem would not exist." Yu Fei continued, "Don't you think the current situation is very similar to these two people?"
Hearing this, Yao Ming turned around and looked at Antetokounmpo and Jokic carefully. Antetokounmpo does have a strong sense of ownership, and from early on he aspired to be a leader like Frye. Therefore, he regards Jokic as a serious problem.
However, Jokic does not have that much ambition. He just inadvertently showed his unique skills and intelligence, plus a pair of hands that can accomplish anything on the court-plus a natural desire to win, so that he can always lead Antetokounmpo on the court. Come on pressure.
The two seem to be incompatible, but in fact their relationship is a healthy competition.
"So, do you really plan to retire at the end of this season?" Yao Ming suddenly asked.
"I never said that." Yu Fei replied.
This is the first time since the start of training camp that someone has directly asked Yu Fei whether he will retire after this season, and he gave an uncertain answer.
But Yao Ming will never be the last person to ask this question. Until a firm answer emerges, the media will keep asking.
At media day shortly after, the question of "whether this is your last season" was repeated no less than ten times.
When Yu Fei finally lost his patience, he responded coldly: "What, do you want to arrange a retirement tour for me?"
No matter how much the media asked, they could not get a definite answer. Because even Yu Fei himself doesn't know the answer yet.
Rivers saw Yu Fei's dissatisfaction, and quickly smoothed things over before the reporter further angered him: "Frye is not TD (Duncan)." Rivers said, "I believe he will give us a good A chance to say goodbye.”
What Rivers didn't know was that Duncan's way of retiring was the most ideal way for Yu Fei to retire.
In the last year of your career, the team is still very competitive. The media speculates that you will retire, but they don't care much about whether you will actually retire. They will only express regret when you announce your decision to retire.
This low profile continued throughout Duncan's career.
However, players like Yu Fei are destined to never leave peacefully.
The NBA has always had a tradition of holding farewell ceremonies for players who define an era.
Havlicek in 1978, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1989, and Jordan in 2003, nothing more.
Soon after, training camp ended.
The Clippers travel to Las Vegas for a preseason game.
During the preseason, Derrick Rose, the former son of the Windy City, finally decided to join the New York Knicks with a minimum salary after a long period of push and pull.
This is undoubtedly a disillusioning decision.
In the early 2010s, Rose was still the most promising star in the league. Now, while Westbrook and Love are in their prime, Rose has withered.
Because he suffered three ACL injuries in the past six years.
If it were not for the advancement of modern sports medicine, his sports career would have been over ten years ago.
Although I can still play ball now, I will definitely never find myself again. I can only train hard and adapt to this rapidly changing era as much as possible.
It just so happens that the Knicks are the Clippers' first preseason opponent.
Durant may be the most frustrated person this summer.
After finally leading the team to the finals, they were swept by the Clippers. Just as he was about to start working hard for another year, he learned that James had landed in Miami.
Now, it was a problem for him to even fight his way out of the east.
In the preseason game that night, Yu Fei played 24 minutes and Durant played 30 minutes.
They took it so seriously that it didn't feel like a preseason game.
The Knicks not only want Durant to vent his frustration, but also try to get along with Rose.
The Clippers also have to get used to the new players.
Second-round veteran pick Brogden performed well when he came on the court.
Siakam is still adapting to the rhythm of the NBA.
Curry's younger brother Seth Curry was a surprise. He worked very hard on defense and inherited the family's talent in shooting.
At the end of the game, Rivers, who had witnessed Rose at his peak, said in disbelief: "I wouldn't trade Seth for Derrick."
"Did I actually say such a thing?" Rivers said to his assistant coaches.
The assistant coaches said: "It's normal. Seth is at his best, and Derek is just trying to get back to the feeling he once had."
"He's gone forever," Rivers said. "He's gone."
After the game, when reporters asked Yu Fei again whether the new season would be his last, GOAT said: "When you ask me this question again in January next year, I may have an answer by then."
Except for the preseason game against the Knicks, the Clippers were in pure training mode in several other games.
The main players' playing time was limited to 24 minutes, and Rivers gave new players plenty of opportunities.
Brogdon is the best player among them.
As a rookie born in 1992, he is already 24 years old. If he does not have immediate combat ability at this age, it will be impossible to survive in the NBA.
Fortunately, his immediate combat ability is very strong.
But Siakam was a bit overwhelmed by the Clippers' luxurious inside group.
There are two people he can never compete with for the starting position, and Yao Huang is on the bench.
And then there's snake oil swingman Brandon Wright.
Rivers can give Siakam more than 15 minutes to showcase himself in the preseason, but in the regular season, giving him five minutes is already good.
The Clippers even lost a game because the preseason was not focused on winning or losing. This allowed those "ship blacks" who have been lurking for a long time to find an opportunity to vent, thereby questioning whether the Clippers' dominance will decline in the new season.
These discussions continued until October 30, the day of the opening game of the new season.
The league deliberately arranged for the Trail Blazers to be the Clippers' first opponent.
This arrangement is both considerate and clever - it will not interrupt the Clippers' championship celebrations, nor will it cause dissatisfaction among opponents because the Clippers win the championship.
Even better, there's a story.
The Trail Blazers are currently in a rebuilding period, and the most well-known player on the team is Brandon Roy, who was signed during the offseason.
Roy's departure from Seattle has become a hot topic during the offseason, although the former All-Star has been plagued by injuries and has not received as much attention as he did at his peak.
Roy originally wanted to sign a one-year, $15 million contract with the SuperSonics to see if he could continue to play, but team owner Clay Bennett refused to be "taken advantage of" again.
The Sonics were only willing to offer a three-year, $21 million contract with team options, and asked Roy to make a decision within one day.
Faced with such terms, Roy did not hesitate to switch to the Trail Blazers and signed a three-year, $50 million contract.
Roy's departure symbolizes the end of an era - under Clay Bennett's leadership, even the son of Seattle couldn't end up in Seattle.
Roy's departure marks the complete departure of the players from the former Sonics dynasty, and Seattle has since become Irving's territory alone.
Yu Fei had never seen Roy play in his previous life, so he couldn't imagine him wearing a Trail Blazers jersey. However, when Roy stood in front of him, he felt that the jersey fit unexpectedly.
"Are you sure you can still fight?" Yu Fei asked with a smile.
"Originally I didn't want to fight," Roy replied, "but when I saw that your annual salary broke the record of No. 23, I decided that I would fight until the doctor issued a disability certificate for me."
It is indeed a blessing to see Roy on the court in the 2016-17 season.
Subsequently, the Clippers' medal ceremony began. Adam Silver personally presented them with championship rings, and the second championship flag belonging to the Clippers was raised at Staples Center. The fans at the scene sang "The Clippers Song" loudly.
When Xiao Hua walked up to Yu Fei, he asked softly: "Are you really willing to give up all this and go home to hold the child?"
He obviously asked the wrong person. If Yu Fei is the kind of player who plays "one man, one city", perhaps the support of the home fans will be crucial. However, the Clippers are already his fourth team. Fan support is of course valuable, but it is not the most important.
Those players who have been around for many years understand that the love of fans is short-lived, and only continuous outstanding performance can win lasting love.
No matter which team you are on, as long as you perform well, the local fans will love you.
"For the fans" is nothing but empty words for these wandering players.
They can fight for money and honor, but never just for the fans, although the commercial value brought by the fans is the key to their success.
"I would really rather go home and hold the baby." Yu Fei responded to the CEO teasingly.
Professional basketball is on the rise, and Xiao Hua knows the value of Yu Fei. He hopes that he will play until the age of 42 like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
How can anyone be willing to accept a sports giant of this level without squeezing out all his value? ;
Why did Stern's alliance stall after 1998? Because he failed to squeeze out all the value of Jordan! Jordan's decision to leave after becoming a god not only caused controversy during the lockout, but as the best player in history (GOAT), he also did many things that were not conducive to unity.
Jordan's premature departure directly led to the NBA's downturn in the early 2000s, and his comeback in 2002 was like a black humor - as if he felt that his image was too perfect and had to destroy it with his own hands. .
Now, Yu Fei stands in front of Adam Silver, and Xiao Hua seems to finally understand the helplessness Stern felt when facing Jordan's retirement.
During the game that night, Brandon Roy kept recalling his glorious past in Seattle to his teammates, but every time he finished speaking, Yu Fei always scored on him.
Roy tried to regain his former form, but unfortunately, injuries have ruthlessly destroyed his competitive ability.
Roy is a player in name only now.
The Trail Blazers gave him a $60 million contract, but at least 55 million was for his fame and experience. However, Roy did not want to admit that he was not as good as before, so he struggled on the court, played 38 minutes, made 26 shots, and eventually sprained his ankle.
At this time, the Trail Blazers were 24 points behind.
Yu Fei scored 36 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists in this campaign. He supported Roy and waited for the Blazers' team doctor to come forward.
"You are in such good shape, don't retire too early." Roy said as he was being carried on a stretcher, "Let's play until the age of 40."
He hopes that Yu Fei can continue to fight until he is 36 years old.
"Then why do you want to come back?" Yu Fei asked, "If basketball hurt me like this, I would have retired long ago."
Roy didn't answer and was carried away quietly.
The result of the game is no longer in doubt.
Post-match interview
Since Roy has suffered from injuries in recent years, Yu Fei has only played against him a handful of times. In this reunion, Roy is no longer a SuperSonics player.
So the reporter asked: "Would it be strange to see Brandon wearing another team's jersey?"
"No." Yu Fei said, "I'm very happy that he left that team."
"In the past few years, Brandon has been affected by injuries. The outside world has doubts about his ability to support the intensity of NBA games. What do you think of his health problems? Do you think he can adapt?"
"I'm not a doctor, so I can't answer this question." was the only answer Yu Fei could make. "I just know he's one of the best basketball players I've ever seen. I hope he comes back. I hope he doesn't come back."
(End of chapter)