A meme that only NBA players will understand.
Rookie A: The six-month offseason is coming, have you decided what to do?
Star B: You only have six months of offseason, but you have six months of offseason every year!
Well, only members of teams that have not made the playoffs will start the offseason early.
Xu Yong followed the team through two rounds of playoffs, and his offseason was five months.
Of course, this is theoretical, because there is still a team training camp, and his offseason is only about four and a half months.
What was different from last year was that more than half of these four and a half months did not belong to him.
Last year he did not represent the national team in the Asian Championships, but this year, he will represent the Chinese team in the World Cup.
Oh, it should still be called the World Championships at this time, and the name was officially changed in 2014.
For a national men's basketball team, the World Championships is second only to the Olympic Games.
However, because the competition system at this time is not linked to Olympic quotas, world basketball powers like the United States will not pay much attention to it.
Including some NBA overseas stars, they will also be restricted by their home teams and will not be allowed to participate in World Cup games.
Because players, especially stars, are injured while participating in international events, their parent teams suffer the most.
Including the Bulls, in fact, they had previously communicated with Xu Yong about the idea of giving up the World Championships.
But Xu Yong finally decided to play. On the one hand, it was because it was agreed with Yao Ming. On the other hand, more importantly, he knew that he would not be injured and he could pursue the national honor he wanted.
And he also knows very well that even though he is playing in the NBA, the people who support him the most are domestic fans. Even for those who support him, he will appear on the stage of such a world series.
Of course, that was at the end of August. Even if you include the warm-up matches, it was still in August.
He had other things to do in the three months before that.
The first thing he did was go to AJ's headquarters in Oregon with Schwartz.
It sounds a bit exaggerated, but what is so reasonable is that AJ is already preparing to release signature shoes for him!
In fact, when Xu Yong and AJ signed a short-term contract, how could AJ not know that he meant to make a transition?
Don't use your hobbies to challenge other people's majors. The operations of such a big brand are very sensitive.
Of course, the main reason for this is that Xu Yong's performance in his rookie season was so explosive.
Winning the Rookie of the Year has exceeded many people's expectations. You must know that he started his career with the title of "No. 2", and then went to a team with a top backcourt like the Bulls.
Then there is the style of play, which will not be very obvious in the data, but it is the most real in terms of sneaker sales.
To put it in one sentence, AJ’s shoes have been sold like crazy overseas this past year, especially in China.
Coupled with the dunk contest in the middle of the season, and the black eight in the playoffs.
You can now see many Xu Yong concept signature shoes designed by fans on social media.
According to fans, if you don’t release signature shoes, the fans will do it for you!
And because of its high popularity, it can be said that it is a new generation of popular signature sneakers. AJ also attaches great importance to it and even respects Xu Yong's personal ideas.
No way, if you can sell shoes, you are the father of the shoe factory.
Xu Yongyong understands sneaker design, but as a reborn person, he has seen many popular shoes that have not been designed yet. He just needs to look at which technologies are relatively mature in this era and add a little personal touch.
So when asked about his ideas, he basically based it on PG1 shoes, and then added some personal characteristics.
This was basically adopted by AJ’s designers.
The development of sneakers is generally moving forward, and this advanced sneaker design is in line with the concept of advanced popularity.
As for whether this will interrupt George's future sneaker career, it certainly won't, but don't underestimate the ability of sneaker designers.
After leaving the AJ headquarters, Xu Yong flew around with Schwartz for half a month, basically participating in some commercial activities for brand endorsements.
Such concentrated running is also because he is a little different from other stars.
Most stars will find time to participate in business activities during the game, but Xu Yong usually trains for a long time, and many activities have been postponed to the summer.
However, he has not returned to China for the time being, because NBA officials have specially arranged a trip to China this year, and he and several others will be together.
So after half a month of busy work, Master Xu bought a plane ticket to Tempe.
Just like last summer, he and Harden made an appointment to go back to school for training.
He was the first to arrive, but he was not the only one in the training hall. Butler and several other Devils players had been training here for more than a month.
Arizona State University's recruitment last summer must have been more than just Butler. After all, Butler couldn't even sit on the court as a ball coach.
Last season, in addition to Cooksix, Albert and Boateng, the core of the team also added a five-star high school student and two four-star high school students.
The five-star high school student is Lance Stephenson, ranked eighth in the class of 2010. Yes, he is the "junior brother" Xu Yong knows.
As for four-star high school students, one is Solomon Hill, ranked 56th, and the other is Tony Mitchell, ranked 93rd.
However, they failed to reach the tournament. When they faced the University of Washington in the league playoffs, they were defeated by Quincy Pondexter, the core of the University of Washington, and were eliminated in the first round.
After the season, Stephenson left school to participate in the draft, while Hill and Mitchell chose to stay in school.
So after Xu Yong arrived, he could play half-time in addition to training, which was very convenient.
And during training, Xu Yong discovered that Butler had made considerable progress this year, especially his mid-to-long-range shooting, which surprised him.
However, if you think about it carefully, Butler's mid-range has always been stable in the NBA, which shows that he has talent in this area. As for three-pointers, the NCAA's three-point line is one meter closer than the NBA.
However, if he is able to practice like this as a ball supervisor, he is indeed a person who works hard enough, and the environment cannot stop him from progressing.
After the training, Xu Yong and Butler went to the school dormitory.
It is fate that Butler lives in the same room where Xu Yong and Harden lived.
"When I first came here, I don't know who removed the mattresses from the two beds here, or the school replaced them later." As soon as they entered, Butler and Xu Yong were complaining.
Xu Yong coughed dryly. They seemed to have forgotten to get the mattress back after training last year.
Returning to the dormitory, Xu Yong looked at the old things with many emotions.
It was at this moment that he discovered a poster posted behind the door.
Not Jordan, not Kobe, and certainly not James.
Xu Yong still knows that person. He and Harden were in the Pac-10 league when they were playing at Arizona State University.
"Is this Pondexter's winning goal?" Xu Yong pointed and asked.
Butler nodded: "I asked the photographer for a photo of that game. Looking at this photo every day makes me very motivated."
Hearing this, Xu Yong glanced at Butler, feeling quite touched in his heart.
Butler couldn't play last season, so he sat in the back row of the bench and acted as a VIP spectator.
But just like that, he still ran to get the photo and hung it on the wall.
Ordinary people can't do this kind of thing.
It can only be said that Butler's ability to play well is really due to his character.
He also suddenly felt that no matter how well Butler played, he needed to recommend it to the management.
And the success rate of this should be quite high.
Because Butler's dynamic and static talents are average, if he remembers correctly, the historical prediction of his selection is in the middle of the second round. Wade, an old senior at Marquette University, recommended it to the Bulls, and the Bulls were the last pick in the first round. He took it off.
So for a late first-round pick, it's quite a big deal for Foreman to take his advice.
Xu Yong continues to train in Tempe and Butler, but besides training, he is also paying attention to the games later in this year's playoffs.
In the Eastern Conference, the Magic swept two consecutive rounds and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they faced off against the Celtics for the top spot.
With this momentum, if it weren't for reborn players like Xu Yong, there is a high probability that they would have reached the finals for the second consecutive year.
In comparison, the situation in the west is much more intense.
The Lakers and Suns competed in the second round with the intensity of the conference finals. The Lakers won in the end solely because of Kobe Bryant's indiscriminate killing.
In the series, Kobe averaged 33.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game, shooting 52.1% from the field, 43.2% from the three-point range, and 88.1% from the free throw line. His efficiency was astonishing.
Especially in the G6 game, the Suns were 17 points behind at home and chased all the way until they were only 3 points away. At the critical moment, Kobe Bryant hit two consecutive extremely difficult mid-range shots, one of which was a double-teamed fadeaway. The head coach of the Suns, Gentry, even smiled bitterly. In the end, he defeated the Suns with 37 points in a single game.
Facts have proved that Kobe's overall strength in the past two years has been unsolvable. Defenses other than the Celtics' level cannot restrain him at all.
Another series between the Rockets and the Spurs was also filled with sparks.
A trivia fact, although the Spurs and Rockets are both in Texas and right next door to each other, the last time the two teams met in the playoffs dates back to the Western Conference Finals 15 years ago.
At that time, the Rockets were still in Olajuwon's peak era.
In terms of the scene, this year's Rockets are obviously overpowering the Spurs.
Popovich put Parker on the bench this year and put George Hill and Ginobili into the starting lineup, but the effect was not good.
Of course, the most terrible thing is that with Bowen's retirement, they lacked a top perimeter defender, which made them unable to limit Hamilton's performance.
In the end, after six games, the Rockets successfully eliminated the Spurs 4-2 and successfully entered the Western Conference Finals.
It is worth mentioning that this is the first time in Yao Ming's career that he has touched the floor of the Western Conference Finals.
The second battle between the Lakers and Rockets is also full of highlights.
Before the Eastern and Western conference finals started, Harden, DeRozan, and Ayers finally came to Tempe one after another.
Harden was the first to arrive, but he didn't come alone, but with a large truck.
When the back door of the big truck opened, it was a used mattress.
"I was worried that I wouldn't be able to sleep well, so I flew the mattress I slept on from Oklahoma." Harden's explanation was irrefutable and at the same time powerless to complain.
When they get together again, their faces are full of excitement.
Although they met privately during the season, the last time they got together like this was before the draft.
There are always many fun things to talk about during a season.
Harden was the first to show up his "KBforever" account, causing the other three to yell.
Xu Yong was also very moved.
The relationship between NBA players is essentially that of colleagues. Although he and Rose have interactions in private, they are not close enough to be friends.
Including Noah, they have little communication off the court.
But Harden is different. The guy who initially regarded him as a friend has really always regarded him as a friend.
This is a friendship in student days. How else can we say that friendship in student days is the most precious?
Moreover, Xu Yong noticed that Harden was always wearing the red string of copper coins that he had given him before. Harden was indeed a very emotional person.
Of course, Harden didn't say how the account came about. If he did, Durant would really have nothing to hide.
"You don't know how miserable this year has been for me." Ayers said with a bitter look on his face, and then the plot of the Cleveland Storytelling Club began.
The first story happened after the G3 game, when James gave a [King's Speech] to encourage morale.
However, this speech was not that serious, because James described the series as an upgrade to fight monsters. In order to make his teammates understand better, he also used Contra and Super Mario as examples.
Judging from the final effect, it didn't seem to have much effect, so there was the social media status chart at 3:33 in the morning that appeared later.
Then came the postgame of G6. When the players returned to the locker room and Varejao gave a speech as the captain of the locker room, encouraging the players to make a comeback next season, James had already left the locker room early before he could finish speaking. Everyone was left embarrassed.
"This summer is going to be very exciting." Harden said with anticipation after hearing this.
Although James has always avoided talking about the contract issue in the summer, there have been rumors about him leaving the Cavaliers.
These details unknown to the outside world also verify that point.
"If LeBron really leaves Cleveland, does it count as being beaten away by Xu?" At this moment, DeRozan, who had been silent before, suddenly asked shrewdly.
Everyone looked at each other, then nodded one after another.
Calculate!
In their opinion, if they hadn't been hacked by the Bulls, the Cavaliers would still have a good chance of winning the championship this year.
If he wins the championship, James will most likely stay.
As for the Bulls' ability to complete the black eight, Xu Yong's guillotine kill is the well-deserved first contributor.
So even if the King of Heaven comes, this will definitely be considered.
"LeBron shouldn't be going to Chicago this summer, right?" DeRozan continued.
Harden and Ayers burst out laughing when they heard this, and Ayers even put on an expression of "it's not impossible."
Xu Yong had a dark look on his face.
I didn’t expect that you, a kid, looks harmless to humans and animals, but turns out to be pure black!
But when DeRozan said this, Xu Yong was curious about where James would go.
Because the Bulls, although they may not necessarily pursue James, there is a high probability that they will pursue Bosh.
There are currently five positions on the team, and the one that can be strengthened is the power forward.
Bosh's words can open up the space and can also serve as the team's offensive strength in the low post, which is perfect.
And even if the Bulls don't trade Hinrich, they still have enough salary space to sign any top-paid player.
Excellent product! It’s not easy, thank you all for your continued support, and the sixth book coincides with the 6th, I hope everyone has the best~~
(End of chapter)
