After getting off the plane in Houston, Xu Yong got into Zhang Minji's car again.
Originally, he was not here to see Yao Ming, but when he heard that he was coming, Yao Ming still invited him to have dinner.
And unlike last time, this time we went not to Yao Ming's home, but to Yao's restaurant.
So this time's specification is not an ordinary family dinner, but a [banquet].
The reason for this situation started a year ago.
When he returned to China to participate in the BJ Olympics, Xu Yong once persuaded Yao Ming on the plane.
Yao Ming was hesitant at first, but as the national team stopped in the quarterfinals, Xu Yong once again seized the opportunity to persuade him, and he finally chose to lose weight appropriately.
That did make his performance in the NBA slow down, and the Rockets failed to reach seven games with the Lakers.
However, Yao Ming did not end the season again like in history.
When Xu Yong arrived at the restaurant and saw Yao Ming, he was not only lively, but also in good spirits.
It turns out that every time you lose a pound, you feel better.
At the dinner table, Yao Ming not only chatted with Xu Yong and gave him a mediocre customized Rolex, but also chatted with him about the Asian Championships.
The current Asian Championships, the predecessor of the Men's Basketball World Cup, is held every two years and is then linked to the next year's event.
For example, in 2008, the Asian Championship champion could go directly to the Olympics, but because the Chinese team was the host at the time, it sent a second team, and ended up with the worst record in tenth place.
So this year's World Championships is linked to next year's World Cup.
According to the rules of the competition, the top three teams in Asia will qualify for the World Cup.
Because Xu Yong is not a player within the system, the Basketball Association cannot force him. Whether to participate or not depends on his personal wishes.
Yao Ming talked to him about this at this time, not to persuade him to participate, but to persuade him not to participate.
"This summer is very important to you." Yao Ming's words were filled with sighs.
Most people only remember that Yao Ming scored 0 points in his debut, but not many people understand that he arrived in Houston only ten days before his debut.
Ten days, a rookie, the intensity of the NBA regular season, this does not sound outrageous.
You should know that in this little time, your teammates may not have remembered everything, and you may not have mastered any tactics.
Everything that happened after that was like dominoes being toppled, with questions from fans, doubts from Chinese people, and ridicule from the media.
Looking back on that past, he couldn't imagine how he had persisted.
Now that Xu Yong was unexpectedly selected as second place, the situation he encountered was very similar to what he had experienced before.
Therefore, he hopes that Xu Yong can use this summer to improve himself, so that it will be smoother when the season starts.
Xu Yong was moved when he heard this.
"Brother Yao, thank you, but I think it is best for both of us not to go to this Asian Championships." He continued.
Yao Ming was shocked by Xu Yong's remarks.
"Brother Yao, do you think we can be in the top three in the Asian Championships if we don't go?" Xu Yong then asked.
Yao Ming nodded.
Even if they don't go, there is still a good chance of winning based on the strength of others.
Xu Yong could see the worry in Yao Ming's brows. After all, this Asian Championships is just like last year's Olympic Games. He fought at home. He then continued: "I know Brother Yao's worries, because it is a game at home. If he doesn't win the championship, It doesn’t make sense, but..."
He looked at Yao Ming seriously as he spoke: "Brother Yao, don't you think you are like a fig leaf now? You can cover it once, but one day you will be unable to fight. What will you do then? I will take it. Will you continue to cover it with the piece of cloth in your hand?"
Yao Ming was speechless for a moment when Xu Yong said this.
Rough words but not rough reasoning, it is helpless that he has been used as a messenger by the national team in recent years.
"Brother Yao, I think it's not that our country doesn't have good talents. If nothing else, didn't we also have the 1996 golden generation? At that time, the conditions were so hard and the training methods were so backward. Didn't we also get top eight in the Olympics?" Xu Yong Then he said.
"What do you mean?" Yao Ming heard that Xu Yong had something to say.
"What I mean is that basketball is a team sport. Just relying on one or two people cannot last long. Only by laying a good foundation and improving the overall level can we really become stronger." Xu Yong said, looking at Yao Ming. .
Unlike last time, this time he was inspired by his feelings. He had to say the source. It was because he chatted with Cai Xiao last time and realized that he could influence the people around him.
But he believed that Yao Ming would understand what he said, because this is also what Yao Ming will do in history in the future.
Yao Ming fell into deep thought and finally nodded.
In fact, there is no need to look at the future. As Xu Yong said, the 1996 generation can achieve results because their overall level is high.
"God of War" Liu Yudong, "Chinese Jordan" Hu Weidong, "Little Li Feidao" Li Nan, "Xiaoyao King" Gong Xiaobin, "Tiger King" Sun Jun, "King of Killer" Zheng Wu, "Chasing the Wind" Wang Zhizhi, "O'Neal" Nemesis" Battelle, "Little Steel Cannon" Wu Qinglong, "Assist King" Li Xiaoyong, "Chinese Flying Man" Wu Naiqun... What stands out is that there is a large number of talents.
It's just that that model no longer works, because with the improvement of material standards, you can no longer ask your players to practice like in the past.
This is not a matter of willingness, it is the development of the times that has eliminated that model.
"Do you want to take the opportunity of this Asian Championship to give everyone a warning?" Yao Ming asked.
"Yes, let everyone see what kind of players the current domestic youth training system has produced for our country." Xu Yong nodded, and Yao Ming really understood.
"But so what?" Yao Ming asked.
From his understanding, it is impossible for the Basketball Association to reflect, and it will only shift the responsibility to those who did not go.
"Let capable parents separate their children from youth training and take another path." Xu Yong continued.
"You mean NCAA?" Yao Ming finally realized what Xu Yong wanted to say.
"That's right, it's the NCAA now, and it can also be Europe in the future, so that good prospects can have the opportunity to get better training and training." Xu Yong nodded.
Yao Ming looked at Xu Yong thoughtfully.
In fact, long before this, starting from Ma Jian, many capable parents had sent their children to the NCAA to play ball.
It's just that most of them can't be called good seedlings. It's more because their families are superior and they have channels.
But now with Xu Yong being selected as the second overall pick through the NCAA, everything is changing subtly.
You know, before Wang Zhizhi landed in the NBA, no one really thought that any Chinese player could enter the NBA or even become the number one pick.
For the Chinese, there is no so-called road in the initial stage of basketball, it is just a thorn bush with no end in sight.
It was Wang Zhizhi, Butler, Yao Ming and others who overcame all difficulties and overcame obstacles and relayed a path.
And now, Xu Yong is also following in the footsteps of his predecessors, overcoming thorns and thorns, and blazing a new road beside this road.
This road may not be far yet, but it is far wider than the road Yao Ming and others took.
"And Brother Yao, we don't have to worry about being scolded or anything, because we will play together in next year's World Cup. At that time, the results will be more useful than anything else." Xu Yong saw Yao Ming's reaction and took advantage of the heat.
"I want to think about it." Yao Ming did not agree immediately.
He has always been focused on the national team. Although what Xu Yong said makes sense, it is not so easy to suddenly make him absent from the national team.
Xu Yong didn't say anything more as before. This matter involved too much, so he could only finish the conversation.
Because the source of these words is, in the final analysis, because of this Asian Championship.
After bidding farewell to Yao Ming, Xu Yong immediately went to the destination of his trip to Houston, Olajuwon's personal training camp.
After signing a rookie contract and a sneaker contract one after another, he already has enough money to become an apprentice.
Speaking of the back he now learned from DeRozan, after using it in a summer league, he has the same feeling: cheap but not good, free is a huge rip-off.
Therefore, he must learn the back and footwork from Olajuwon before entering the NBA. This is an essential skill for a forward and guard swingman.
But just after he met Olajuwon, he discovered that he was not the only one in this period, but also someone he had not met yet, but who was also very familiar.
Kobe Bryant.
