Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 874 The Bobcats' First Signing and Strategy for Next Season

The NBA season is still progressing very quickly.

In the draft, the Wizards got the first pick, the 76ers who had been rebuilding for many years got the second pick, and the Nets got the third pick because Yao Ming's health was a concern this season and he only played 35 games, resulting in a poor record.

Of these three teams, the Wizards and 76ers are both rebuilding teams, so their acquisition of high draft picks won't have much of a ripple effect.

But things are interesting with the Nets.

After failing to reach the Finals for several consecutive years, Yao Ming had to take a long break at the beginning of this season due to a foot injury. While Yao was out, the Nets did not choose to play it safe, maintain their record, and then wait for Yao to return to seek a breakthrough in the playoffs.

In December, they traded away their team's leading offensive player, Carter, in exchange for a bunch of young assets. They also sent Prince to the Suns in exchange for future draft picks.

If the Nets' desire to rebuild wasn't obvious enough at this point, and they were still hiding it a little, then when Yao Ming had recovered by the end of the season and played several games in good form, the Nets rested him again. Everyone could see that they wanted to completely dismantle the team.

Making Yao Ming rest wasn't to protect him, of course; it was because they couldn't afford to win again! Another win would mean losing their last-place ranking.

While Yao Ming was being sidelined again, preventing him from playing, rumors circulated within the Nets that they were planning a complete rebuild and were willing to listen to Yao Ming's offers.

It is now a foregone conclusion that Yao Ming will leave the Brooklyn Nets, a team he has played for for nine years.

The team needs a complete rebuild!

The Nets' relentless efforts to win the championship in the early 21st century have now come to a complete failure, marking the end of an era.

In addition, the Pistons still have Rasheed and Hamilton on the roster this season, and they have also brought in Iverson.

However, their record was terrible. The newcomer Iverson got along very badly with several veterans. They didn't click at all and were not compatible. By the middle and later part of the season, they were even at odds.

After much hesitation, the head coach and management finally made the decision to disqualify Iverson from playing for the entire second half of the season.

Iverson was quite decisive, refusing to rejoin the team. He didn't appear on screen with any other team members throughout the second half of the season, whether in training, the locker room, the arena, or anywhere else.

Meanwhile, as he disappeared from the NBA section, Iverson also frequently appeared in the public security section.

In less than three months, he was caught driving under the influence twice, got into a street fight once, and once forced his wife out of the house at 3 a.m., refusing to let her return.

This guy has completely turned into a villain and a bastard; his former accolades are no longer enough to protect him.

In addition, Iverson's performance this season has declined significantly, averaging only 13 points and 5 assists per game, in addition to his troublesome personality and poor off-court situation.

Many people believe that Allen Iverson's NBA career is over.

It is truly regrettable that a scoring machine and an MVP-caliber star ended his career in this way.

The Pistons, after losing Iverson, did not improve at all. Relying solely on the aging Rasheed and Hamilton, who lacked independent offensive ability, was clearly not enough for the Pistons to make the playoffs, and they could only rank 11th in the Eastern Conference.

With Rasheed's contract expiring and Hamilton likely to be traded, the once-mighty Pistons, who had won the championship under Lin Tian's shadow and in the cracks, have now come to a complete end and disintegrated.

With some teams rebuilding, others rise. For example, the two teams that met in this year's Eastern Conference Finals were two new forces in the league: the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by Wade and Gasol, faced off against the Atlanta Hawks, led by Brandon Roy and Joe Johnson!

Both teams are making their first appearance in the divisional finals this century, and both teams have finally gotten back on track this year after years of struggling!

In the Eastern Conference Finals, Wade and Roy, who were considered the top two shooting guards in the East, faced off head-to-head!

The two teams played a thrilling and exciting match!

The two star perimeter players were evenly matched, spending almost the entire series in head-to-head battles.

In the first four matches, the two sides played back and forth, ending in a 2-2 draw.

Starting from Game 5, the Cavaliers' interior advantage began to take hold. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Pau Gasol dominated the paint in both Games 5 and 6, completely suppressing the Hawks' forwards.

Thanks to the outstanding performances of these two players, who combined for 44 points and 23 rebounds in Game 5 and 50 points and 21 rebounds in Game 6, the Cavaliers won two straight games and advanced to the NBA Finals!

This is the first time in their team history that they have made it to the finals!

On the other hand, the Suns, who made a lot of money during this year's offseason and before the trade deadline, almost emptying all the resources they had painstakingly accumulated over the years, faced the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

Martin, Garnett, Pierce, Prince, and Nash's five-man lineup faced off against the Lakers led by Kobe, Durant, and Bynum!

Civil war in the Pacific region is also imminent!

The match between these two teams was incredibly close, even more so than in the East.

The two teams battled all the way to a decisive Game 7!

In the decisive Game 7, both sides continued to give it their all, locked in a fierce battle.

加内特在这个晚上拿下16分15篮板6助攻3盖帽3抢断，继续着自己全能大前锋的表现，纳什也拿下29分16助攻的大号两双，皮尔斯拿下全队最高的35分4篮板3助攻，普林斯也有11分4篮板2抢断入帐。

Additionally, Barbosa, coming off the bench, scored 16 points, providing ample firepower.

Although O'Neal, who was no longer at his peak, only scored 5 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, he successfully limited Bynum, who only managed 6 points and 6 rebounds. The two were completely outmatched.

Gone!

The Suns only had 6 players scoring. Of course, they still use the same 9-man rotation in the regular season and 8-man rotation in the playoffs this season.

The Suns' rotation remains short as always, while their starters' playing time remains long as always!

The Suns had five players scoring in double figures, a fairly even performance, while Kobe Bryant was forced into isolation plays for the Lakers.

That night, the team's leading center Bynum only scored 6 points, while Durant, who was in his fourth year, was completely shut down by Prince, making only 4 of 17 shots and scoring only 10 points. Kirilenko, although efficient, only made 5 of 8 shots and scored 12 points.

The Lakers have absolutely no reliable second scoring option.

So even though Kobe was dominating tonight, giving it his all, playing 47 minutes and scoring 49 points, including a 19-point run in the middle of the third quarter, which made Suns legend Kevin Johnson, sitting on the sidelines, frown and mutter a curse as he drank water.

That's terrifying.

Even so, facing the Suns, a team with a small roster but a cohesive and effective attack, Kobe's firepower alone was not enough. They couldn't withstand the Suns' relentless onslaught and lost in Game 7, once again missing out on the NBA Finals.

The Phoenix Suns have made it to the NBA Finals!

This time, their opponents are Wade and the Cavaliers!

While the finals continued in full swing, Lin Tian was too lazy to pay attention to who would win the championship this year. Instead, he pulled Van Gundy and Stevens aside for a meeting.

"Over the past few days, I've thoroughly figured out the team's situation." Lin Tian sat in the massage chair that Jordan had specially ordered for him from Germany, comfortably closing his eyes and enjoying the massage.

The voice was calm as he said, "In terms of roster, the good news is that Jordan didn't waste money. The team only has one contract worth tens of millions, Ameka Okafor, while the rest of the players have mid-level or lower contracts."

"We don't have to clean up the mess left by our predecessors, and we don't have that many bad contracts to deal with. But the bad news is that, apart from Rose and DeRozan, and Hayward, whom we're going to draft next, I don't like anyone else on this team. They're not in my future plans at all."

"So our business volume is still quite large this summer, but these are things that I need to worry about and study, so you two don't need to worry about them."

"I called you guys here today to talk about team composition and playstyle. Jeff, what are your thoughts?"

"You've put me in charge, what ideas can I possibly have?" Van Gundy said. "Defense, defense, and more defense! The current roster's defense is really lacking. At the very least, you need to find me a pure center who can protect the rim and stand under the basket, right?"

"Without a center, I can't play at least half of my game."

"Very good, center, I'll help you figure something out. Brad?"

"Now that you've brought in Gordon, and with Rose and DeRozan, whom you're willing to keep on our team, both being passers and very smart, if you can find a suitable center, I think we can focus on pick-and-roll and passing and cutting in the new season."

"Let the ball move, pass it around more, play less one-on-one, let the players run more, create space, and play our own style. I think we can play a fluid attack based on our half-court position."

"Similar to Princeton offense, there's also pick-and-roll involved. In short, if we're building a team around this tactic, we need a center who can facilitate passing and can shoot off pick-and-rolls."

"He also needs to be able to protect the rim and play defense!" Van Gundy shouted impatiently, afraid that Lin Tian would forget his requirements.

"Isn't the guy you're talking about Gasol?" Lin Tian's eyes were closed so he couldn't roll them, but his tone was full of sarcasm: "I'll call the Cavaliers' general manager right now and tell him to skip the Finals and talk to us about a trade."

"That's not necessary, they probably won't sell." Van Gundy scratched his forehead, indicating that it would be a bit difficult.

"You should remove the 'should'," Lin Tian said, opening his eyes and glancing at Van Gundy. "Unless I offer myself up there."

"Alright, that's enough for today. I'll consider our strategy and team-building direction, and then figure out how to assemble the team. But before that, our first goal is the draft!"

Let's take it one step at a time.

"Okay." Stevens nodded, got up, and left Lin Tian's office, but Van Gundy next to him did not leave immediately. Instead, he looked at Lin Tian and yelled again.

"It needs to protect the rim! It absolutely needs to protect the rim!"

"Get lost!"

Lin Tian cursed loudly and kicked the two guys out of the office. Then, instead of getting up from his chair, he took out his phone, found a number, and dialed it.

"Yao Ming, how's your injury recovery going?" After the call connected, Lin Tian was straightforward and didn't beat around the bush, asking his question directly.

"It's been fine for a long time, Brother Lin." Yao Ming's tone was relatively calm, without revealing any emotion. "I could have played in March, but the team wouldn't let me. They wanted to tank and trade me."

"I've been getting more and more injuries in recent years. To prolong my career, I haven't played a single Asian game. Even so, I've been losing weight. This whole season, I've lost about 15 pounds."

"So, who did you beat up, Howard? Did you do it on a whim?" Lin Tian asked.

"Beating him is a piece of cake, isn't it? Camby, Bosh, Howard, Chandler, those skinny guys, I could beat them all like it's nothing. It's just Duncan and a few others that I think would be a bit difficult to beat now."

"That's enough. There's only one Duncan, isn't there? In this day and age, where are there so many heavyweight centers for you to play against?"

"What's wrong, Brother Lin? Are you planning to buy me? Are you planning to take me to Charlotte?"

Upon hearing this, Yao Ming guessed what Lin Tian meant: he wanted to recruit him!

"I have that idea," Lin Tian said. "As long as you don't object, and as long as your general manager doesn't ask for an exorbitant price, I'll try my best to bring you to our team on the day of the draft."

"Okay, bro! No problem!" Yao Ming immediately perked up when he heard that.

He himself is the type of person who doesn't like to move around and prefers to stay in one place for a long time, which is also a common practice among international players during this period.

Unless absolutely necessary, international players transfer far less frequently and in less frequent ways than domestic players.

So even if the Nets rebuild or tank, as long as they don't rush him, Yao Ming won't even consider transferring.

But now, the Nets have made it clear that they want to make a trade. They have decided to clear out all the veterans and restart the season. Even though they have the third overall pick, they are now thinking about selecting Favors, an inside player whose position overlaps with Yao Ming, rather than other outside players.

If Yao Ming still clings to his team and refuses to leave, spouting nonsense about loyalty and loyalty to one city, then he's just being stupid.

Loyalty is mutual.

Loyalty is neither a weapon nor a tool for moral blackmail; it is the crystallization of mutual affection and willingness.

Since he's decided to leave, Yao Ming probably doesn't want to go to places like Milwaukee or Minnesota. Given a choice, who would want to go to a small town?

Although Charlotte isn't a particularly big city, Brother Lin is there!

With my older brother by my side, what more could I ask for?

We absolutely have to go!

"Brother Lin, what should I train for now? Are there any areas I need to work on immediately? Do I need to gain back my weight? I have the best nutritionist; I can get back to my weight in one offseason."

"Why are you training with that stuff? If I remember correctly, you're 30 or 31, right? At this age, with this history of injuries, you're still trying to gain weight? Let me tell you, if it weren't for your good luck, if it weren't for the fact that you almost never play in Asian-level competitions, you'd be out of the game by now!"

"You're still at your peak? You should be praying to God! Gaining weight? Losing weight! Let me think... how much did Duncan weigh? Around 110 kilograms, right? How much are you now? 125 kilograms? Lose another 5 kilograms this offseason!"

"Perhaps a heavy center is a necessity in any era, but what's more important is to understand your own situation, Yao. Given your age and injury history, extending your career is the most important thing."

"Losing weight will allow you to play for at least 3 more years! Stop thinking about going back to 140 kg and going head-to-head with Shaq under the basket. Shaq is almost retired, who are you planning to face?"

"Also, practice your catch-and-shoot after pick-and-rolls, and your corner threes. Next season, we may need you to shoot more threes. We need you to facilitate from the high post and create space for your shots. Your opportunities and number of post-up plays will decrease."

"Your stats may decline as a result, and you may take fewer shots. But you also need to remember that since 08, you have suffered serious injuries for two consecutive seasons. You came to me, and what I want to do, besides helping you achieve greater success, is to extend your career."

"So that you can earn more money, achieve more, and leave no regrets in your career. So Yao, can you understand?"

"We're brothers, brothers who have fought together for many years. I'll be completely open with you about anything, I won't hide anything from you, and I won't try to trick you into joining our team first and then say something like I won't let you be the number one core player."

"If you still want to try on your own and continue to compete for the championship as a dominant force under the basket, then I completely understand. I will give up pursuing you and let you go after your own dream."

After Lin Tian's long-winded explanation, Yao Ming remained silent for a moment before saying, "Brother Lin, can't I just continue playing the same way as before while I'm with you?"

"No way." Lin Tian shook his head directly. "Besides, this has nothing to do with ability, results, or team plans. It's purely because I consider you my best brother!"

"So I absolutely will not watch my brother continue down the wrong path! You've already missed two seasons in a row. If you keep playing like this, without losing weight or changing your playing style, the next injury won't just destroy one season, it will destroy your entire career."

"I don't want to ruin your career with me. I don't even want you to be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life and think of me first. So, if you come to me, you have to listen to me!"

"I may not be able to let you play to your heart's content, I may not be able to let you continue with your previous playing style, and I may even make you experience the growing pains of transitioning."

"But I guarantee that you can play for the longest time with me, suffer the fewest injuries, and walk more smoothly for the rest of your life."

"I understand, bro." This time Yao Ming didn't hesitate and nodded, "I'll go to your team! I'll also put pressure on the Nets' management. I have a good relationship with Frankie, he'll help."

"No, you don't need to pressure me." Lin Tian quickly refused Yao Ming's offer. (End of Chapter)