"Hello, I'm Xu Xin."
"Hello, Manager Xu, I'm Patrick. I've already taken care of the contract matter. I'll be arriving in Houston tomorrow morning. When do you think the trial will be?"
On the other end of the phone, Beverly said with some anxiety that he was not sure whether he could succeed in pursuing his dream of playing in the NBA this time, but as long as there was a chance, he would definitely try.
"Great, I've been looking forward to your coming. My assistant will pick you up at the airport tomorrow. Don't worry about accommodation. She will arrange it for you. The day after tomorrow, you will come to the Rocket Base Arena for a trial training. I will be there. Wait for you."
Xu Xin explained it to Beverly clearly and clearly. He showed enough enthusiasm in his words, but with Beverly's status, it was not worthy for him to pick him up at the airport in person. Doing so would only make him arrogant. Not only is the contract amount difficult to determine, it is also harmful to the team environment.
On the other end of the phone, Beverly was flattered. He had never expected Manager Xu's enthusiasm and concern.
"I must seize this opportunity."
Beverly made up her mind and continued packing.
On the court, the Rockets players walked onto the court and walked around the court to thank the fans for their support. The fans stood up and applauded. Regardless of whether they can win the championship this season, the team's performance in the first two and a half months has made them very satisfied. It is more than Expected satisfaction.
"What a lovely group of fans."
Butler sighed.
"Yes, they have never been harsh on us. They are happier than anyone else when we win, and they also encourage us when we lose."
Harden said while waving and greeting the fans.
"So we have to play every home game well, strive to win them all, and not let them down."
Jeremy Lin said.
"It's a good thing to say, but it's not accurate. Not only do we have to win home games, but we also have to win away games."
Butler corrected.
"The fans at their home stadium should be sad."
Harden said with a wicked smile.
"What does that have to do with us?"
Butler spread his hands with an innocent expression.
. . .
After winning against the Hawks and getting a good start at home in the New Year, the team took a short break and continued to face the New Orleans Hornets at home on the night of the 3rd.
The team continued early training in the morning to adjust for the evening game.
Xu Xin also arrived early and chatted and laughed with McHale.
The team has an excellent record and is in a great situation. From the management to the coaching staff to the players, they are in a very good mood.
"As I told you before, the top perimeter defender will come to trial training later."
Xu Xin said.
"So fast! Oh, yes, it's already January. If you perform well today, you can just catch up with the game against the Lakers the night after tomorrow."
McHale looked forward to it.
"Yes, I heard that Kupchak is selling Huo Moude. He has been selling it for more than a month."
Xu Xin said, speaking of the Lakers, the Lakers have been very active in the trade market recently.
"I've also heard that this guy doesn't want to take a loss, and his asking price is too high, which scares away many teams."
McHale nodded and said.
"During this period, Huo Moode has not been effective on the court, and the Lakers' record is not good. I feel that Kupchak will speed up the transaction process."
Xu Xin analyzed.
"Then it's best to wait until the day after tomorrow. I don't care who they can trade for, as long as it doesn't delay our winning."
McHale laughed.
"Brilliant!"
Xu Xin gave a thumbs up, and the two laughed.
Outside the door, a short, dark and thin figure walked in.
He first observed at the door for a while, and then went straight to Xu Xin and McHale.
"Hello, Manager Xu, hello coach, I'm Patrick."
Beverly was a little nervous and her words were trembling slightly.
"Good morning, Patrick, how are you? Did you sleep well last night?"
Xu Xin smiled cordially.
"Slept well, thank you, Manager Xu, for your concern."
Beverly nodded vigorously and replied.
"Don't be nervous. Let's go warm up first. We have studied your game videos carefully. Manager Xu and I are very optimistic about you. Come on."
McHale encouraged.
"Okay, thank you coach."
Beverley answered seriously, walked to the locker room and changed into sportswear. After a brief warm-up, he began a physical examination under the guidance of the assistant coach.
The data is very average, but neither McHale nor Xu Xin care much about it. His static talent is not important. The physical examination is just to determine whether he is healthy.
What McHale cares about is how effective he is on the court and whether he can reach the level of the European competition. He still has doubts about this.
On the other hand, Xu Xin is much calmer. He knows what Beverley can do. The best defensive team is very valuable.
After passing the physical examination, Beverley began to conduct trial training with the ball, fixed-point shooting, dribbling and emergency shooting, free throws, layups after confrontation, basic movement control skills, dribbling and sprinting, passing level test, and a series of trial training It took almost two hours.
Beverly was sweating profusely and his sportswear was soaked. It could be seen that he had been preparing for this trial for a long time and took every item seriously without messing around.
McHale watched from the sidelines and kept nodding. He was very satisfied with Beverley's performance, and could even be said to be surprised.
He didn't expect that this tough guy on the court, who seemed to have very rough skills, could shoot with pretty good accuracy, especially on fixed-point three-pointers, with a high hit rate.
Passing and ball control, the two essential skills for a point guard, are above the average level. This is enough. As long as his defensive level can be as good as Xu Xin praised, he will definitely become Harden's side. Guards with swords.
"Rest for a while. There will be a duel later. This is your final test."
McHale walked up to Beverly and said to him.
"Okay, Coach, I'll do my best."
Beverly wiped the sweat from his face and said seriously.
McHale gave a thumbs up and walked to the other side of the court.
"James (Harden), there is a one-on-one duel later, are you interested in playing?"
McHale said with a smile.
"Oh? Who are you fighting with?"
Harden asked with a smile.
"That new guy, let me tell you, he is extraordinary. His defensive ability is stronger than most defenders in the league. Be careful of overturning later."
McHale pointed to Beverley on the other side and said that he deliberately talked about Beverley very badly, hoping that Harden could do his best so that he could judge Beverley's defensive level.
"Zundu is fake, then I'm going to give it a try."
Harden is gearing up and getting excited.
Now in the Rockets, in addition to Butler's defense that can make him feel the pressure, other players, including Ariza and Tucker, two defensive heroes, Harden can control one-on-one one-on-ones.
