On the 27th, the first week voting results came out.
Last year, Zhou Quan received 1.65 million votes in the first week, and the total number of votes was as high as 6.61 million. All the media were focused on his vote count this time.
However, Zhou Quan knew that there should not be much more, because the domestic Internet development is much behind that of the United States, and the number of netizens has not yet increased. In particular, the number of netizens who know how to vote is even smaller, and the number of netizens who know how to vote and are his fans is even smaller. Very few.
The result was exactly as he expected, with 2.31 million votes in the first week, only 660,000 more votes than last year.
David Stern is a little disappointed, why so few? There are over a billion people, how many more does he expect to follow, at least to 5 million?
If there are 5 million in the first week and tens of millions of votes in a month, the NBA will achieve explosive development around the world.
Zhou Quan paid attention to Dayao's voting results and checked them on the official website.
Not bad. There were 430,000 votes in the first week, half of which came from domestic and half of which were votes from Chicago. This shows that his performance has been recognized by many Chicago fans.
On the 28th, the SuperSonics arrived in Dallas.
As big as dinner, I found a Mexican restaurant and had some barbecue.
I just talked about my situation this season. I have improved from last season. After last season, I entered the rotation. I averaged 14 minutes per game. This season, I reached 21 minutes. I started 7 games and averaged 10.5 points and 5.6 points per game. Rebounds, shooting 48.5%.
After several months of additional training during the offseason, and with the help of several top coaches and trainers, his strength has improved compared to last season. The important thing is that he is more adaptable to the NBA's style of play.
"Dazhi, this is a high-quality role player's data. Your performance this season has established yourself in the NBA, which is not bad." Zhou Quan encouraged.
"Yeah." Da Zhi nodded.
Zhou Quan further analyzed: "Your main center is rotating this season, and Sean Bradley is injured. You should try to perform better, get more starting opportunities, and produce better data.
This season is your contract year. If the Mavericks don't consider renewing your contract, or if your contract is not ideal, then you can go to another team. That's no problem. "
Da Zhi nodded and said with a smile: "Brother, Da Yao's performance is really good. These games are even better than before."
Zhou Quan nodded and smiled: "The Bulls put Brand on the bench and let Oakley help Dayao, so the cooperation is better.
However, Dayao is still a rookie and his performance has been ups and downs. The Bulls' record this season will definitely not improve. I don't know what the management will do. "
Da Zhi said: "Will Brand be traded? It would be such a waste to put such a big 20+10 number one pick on the bench!"
"If the Bulls are willing to continue to cultivate Dayao, they should trade Brand. As long as Dayao plays the main center, Brand's value will not be great. It is better to exchange him for some chips." Zhou Quan said.
In fact, the two guessed correctly. At this time, Jerry Krause had already put Elton Brand on the shelf.
…
After defeating the Mavericks, the regular season ended in December, and the Sonics returned to Seattle, and the time also entered 2002.
With 30 wins and 1 loss, the Sonics had an impressive record and ranked first in the league.
At the same time, throughout December, the SuperSonics had a record of undefeated victories, and their current winning streak is 18 consecutive games.
Zhou Quan continues to hold the first place in the official MVP rankings, and also won the Western Conference Player of the Month consecutively.
At three o'clock in the afternoon on the 3rd, the Bulls arrived in Seattle.
At half past four, Zhou Quan picked up Dayao from the hotel.
After getting in the car, he said: "Dayao, you are sure to start in the All-Star Game this time. You have twice as many votes as Mutombo."
"Hehe..." Dayao laughed into an embarrassed face.
"Is there any news about Brand?" Zhou Quan asked.
"What?" Dayao was startled.
"You don't know yet?"
Zhou Quan understood after thinking about it that Dayao's status in the Bulls was not enough. If the management wanted to trade Brand, they should not notify him.
He learned the news from Whitsitt the next day that the Bulls were trading Brand.
Even the Bulls put Brad Miller on the shelf. The Bulls management has already made up its mind to train Yao Min.
Whitsitt was very tempted, because Ben + Brand, one offense and one defense, matched the attributes very well. He immediately sent a trade offer, using Rashard Lewis + Desmond Mason as bargaining chips to exchange for Brand. .
It's a pity that the Bulls rejected the offer, so Whitsitt's plan failed.
He reminded Yao Min and said: "Big Yao, you must perform stably as soon as possible, show your potential and your importance to the team, and help the team improve its record.
Brand, the No. 1 overall pick, was at his peak when he debuted. He had 20+10 figures in two seasons, but he was still given up and traded. This shows that the Bulls management has little patience. Jerry Krause may also have entered the late stage of his career. You may only have so much patience. "
"I know, brother." Dayao nodded.
While the two were chatting in the car, Jerry Krause, who was still in Chicago, was conducting a transaction with the Pacers.
The Pacers are interested in Brad Miller and are willing to trade forward swingman Jaylen Rose, with Artest as his partner. He thinks it's good for one for two.
Soon, the willing parties reached an agreement on the deal, reported it to the alliance, and approved it immediately.
"What?"
Brad Miller and Artest, who were having dinner in the hotel, were caught off guard after receiving the notice from the team.
Oakley laughed and said, "Boy, am I right? If Yao takes over, as a competitor, you will definitely be given up."
"damn it!"
Brad Miller didn't expect that he was really being traded. He cursed secretly and pretended to be indifferent: "The Pacers are also good, with a much better record than the Bulls. I talked with the Smiling Assassin and Reggie Miller at the Iron Fist King's house. I’ve been there a few times, and I’m quite familiar with it, so I won’t miss the opportunity if I go there.”
Artest still has two seasons left on his rookie contract. This season is not a contract year, but he was traded by his parent team. This shows that he is not optimistic about his future. He was very unhappy. He didn't eat dinner and cursed "Shet." After that, he stood up and said to Miller: "Brad, I'm going to pack my luggage. Let's go together tomorrow."
Brad Miller's appetite was also affected. He put down his knife and fork and said, "I won't eat either."
The two cannot participate in tomorrow night's game against the SuperSonics. They will report to the Pacers tomorrow. From now on, they are no longer Bulls players.
Yao Min quickly got the news of the transaction, and Oakley called him to inform him.
Zhou Quan analyzed: "Jalen Rhodes is pretty good. It's okay to trade Brad Miller for him, but Artest was also traded. I think Jerry Krause made some miscalculations and should use other bargaining chips." Change. Artest's defense is good, which is a pity."
Dayao was a little confused. These teammates had just gotten acquainted with each other and were traded again. Brand was likely to be traded later. He felt that he still needed time to adapt to the NBA environment. Player mobility was too high.
Early the next morning, the Bulls and Clippers reached a deal. Elton Brand, the No. 1 pick in 1999, was traded for Clippers' main center Michael Olowakandi + backup power forward Darius Miles + 2003 No. Protected first-round pick.
Zhou Quan helped the public figure out the main lineup, including center Yao Min, power forward Oakley, small forward Jaylen Rose, and the shooting guard was Ron Mercer, the No. 6 pick in the first round of 1997. There were no outstanding point guards. There were a few before. Guard rotation is the weakest position.
The bench lineup is also fine. The Bulls' overall lineup is actually pretty good, with both offense and defense. As long as Yao Min can grow up and the team reacts chemically, there will be no problem making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
However, this Bulls team has been in trouble since Jordan retired. They have been rebuilt repeatedly and the head coach is not good enough. Jerry Krause also seems to have lost his previous wisdom. This team has fallen into a quagmire. Can Yao have a chance to play in the Bulls? What future there is, I can’t see at the moment.
At night, the Sonics easily defeated the Bulls and won their 31st win and 19th consecutive victory.
This record is stronger than last season for many reasons.
First of all, Zhou Quan is as strong as ever, and as his teammates grow, he controls his personal offense and puts more energy into the organization, giving his teammates enough opportunities to perform and making them perform better.
Secondly, there is the growth of young people such as Ben Wallace, Lewis, Corey Maggette, Desmond Mason, and Bowen, plus the two veterans Campbell and Kevin Willis are playing their best.
Especially Ben, who has averaged 36 minutes per game so far this season, 8.2 points, 14.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.7 steals, 3.5 blocks, 0.9 turnovers, 2.2 fouls, and a shooting percentage of 53.1%.
He has grown into an absolute barrier for the Sonics inside, a gate-like inside defender, and a rim protector. He is also temporarily ranked first in the league in blocks and rebounds.
In addition, Arenas and Shamond Williams also performed well and played high-quality role players.
Of course, it is undeniable that they performed like this only when they played next to Zhou Quan.
Arenas appears more in the second position. When Zhou Quan is on the court, he plays without the ball. When Zhou Quan is not around, he will attack with the ball more.
At the same time, his three-point shooting ability began to show under his hard training. Although he is somewhat short in height, he is good at breakthroughs and emergency stop jumpers, which to a certain extent makes up for his shortcomings in height.
Among the twelve-man roster of the team, only Jerome James and Drobiak, the two human shields prepared for O'Neal, have little chance to play and are considered marginal.
Ten of the twelve players are in important rotations. There are not many such a strong rotation in the league.
Many media outlets speculated that the Sonics would reach 70 wins for the third and second consecutive season.
On the 6th, the SuperSonics defeated the Grizzlies away from home.
After Zhou Quan hit a mid-range shot in the third minute of the second quarter of the game, he achieved an achievement. He scored 20,000 points in his career and became the youngest player in the league to score 20,000 points.
However, there was no response from the system, probably because it looked down upon this achievement.
On January 9th, the Sonics, which had won 21 consecutive games, lost to the Timberwolves in back-to-back away games.
After that, they won two consecutive games, with 35 wins and 2 losses, still first in the league.
On the 16th, All-Star voting ended.
Zhou Quan received a total of 8.35 million votes, creating voting history for North American professional sports All-Stars.
Dayao received 1.35 million votes and became the starting center of the Eastern Conference All-Stars. Mutombo, who received the second most votes among the Eastern Conference centers, only had more than 600,000 votes, which was less than half of him.
Vince Carter, one of the four shooting guards, is still very popular. He received nearly 1.5 million votes as a forward and ranked second in the league voting.
Jordan, who came back, only received 950,000 votes, ranking first in the Eastern Conference guard voting, beating Iverson's 920,000 votes and McGrady's 450,000 votes.
Kobe received 1.12 million votes, the second most votes among Western Conference guards, only behind Zhou Quan.
The league announced the All-Star starting lineup.
East: Yao Min, Vince Carter, Antoine Walker, Jordan, Iverson
West: O'Neal, Duncan, Garnett, Kobe, Zhou Quan
Yao Min subsequently received congratulations from many people, from the United States to China.
However, many American media have doubted Yao Min's strength, believing that he is not qualified to become the starting center of the Eastern Conference All-Stars. The media suggested that the league close the voting channel for the Chinese region.
David Stern ignored this unreliable and ill-intentioned suggestion. He thought that it was these bastard media who attacked the King of Iron Fist and the internal problems of the league, which led to the King of Iron Fist retiring for two years and the league to this day. He hasn’t climbed out of the big hole he was in back then.
On January 17, at around two o'clock in the afternoon, the SuperSonics arrived in Denver.
"Hello, bus?"
"Brother, are you here? How about I treat you to dinner?"
"Okay, but let me treat you. Your little money is enough to survive in the United States."
"Haha, okay."
"Bus, it's up to you to decide the restaurant. You want a better environment."
"OK."
Just after getting off the plane, Zhou Quan received a call from Bart, saying that he was invited to dinner.
Daba got a basic salary contract and didn’t have much money. He bought a second-hand Ford pickup truck. At close to five o’clock, he drove to the door of the hotel to pick up Zhou Quan. Some waiters and guests who came in and out saw Zhou Quan getting into a car. An old pickup truck and were very surprised.
"Brother, conditions are limited, this car is a bit embarrassing for you, right?" Daba said awkwardly.
"When I entered the league in 1991, although my contract was bigger than yours, I didn't receive a salary at that time. When I first arrived in Detroit, I drove this kind of pickup truck. I bought it with a loan, and it was not as good as yours. By the way, I have also endorsed Ford pickup trucks, but not this kind of model." Zhou Quan said with a smile.
The bus put into gear and left the hotel. Zhou Quan asked, "Has the restaurant been booked?"
"It's settled, a high-end Western restaurant recommended by Jerry Alner." Daba said hurriedly.
"Jerry Alner?" Zhou Quan recalled, the Nuggets don't seem to have this player?
"Oh, he is our assistant coach, and it was he who recommended me to the Nuggets." Daba hurriedly introduced the information about Jerry Alner.
Jerry Alner was an assistant coach of the Mavericks. Wang Fei, who served as the head coach of the men's basketball team in 1998, was Wang Fei's assistant when he was studying with the Mavericks in 1999. That year, the men's basketball team played a game with the Mavericks in Dallas. , Jerry Alner got to know Bus.
Zhou Quan didn't know much about these things. He retired from the NBA during that time and didn't pay much attention to the men's basketball situation.
(End of chapter)
