Champion, please stay!

Chapter 186, Section 184: The Prelude to the Offseason

After finishing the post-match interview, Yi Shui returned to the locker room, went to the restroom to use the toilet, opened the system, and saw two system notifications.

Rookie Season Summary:

Regular season, 55 wins, All-Star, Rookie of the Year, All-NBA First Team, 4 Player of the Week, 2 Player of the Month... Rating: Top-tier.

In the playoffs, Eastern Conference Finals, he averaged 32.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.2 blocks in 15 games, with a field goal percentage of 44.9%, a three-point percentage of 39.1%, and a free throw percentage of 91.6%... Rating: Top-tier.

Congratulations on winning the second-highest reward: 1 top-tier blind box.

"You did not win the championship this season, and you have not fulfilled your promise. If you win the NBA championship in the future, the bonus for the next two championships will be deducted."

His rookie season performance wasn't 'perfect'... Does he have to win the championship or the MVP? That's asking too much, but being top-tier is still pretty good.

Yi Shui felt bad that the rewards for winning the next two championships would be deducted, but on the bright side, at least she had already received the reward for winning one championship in advance.

The "Holy Land King" skill proved more effective than expected. Without it, even with a 2-0 lead, it might have been difficult to maintain the Cavaliers' morale and complete a sweep; they might have even been swept by the Magic. Although he exaggerated on camera, it was the support of the fans and the tenacious fighting spirit of his teammates that truly inspired him in Game 3. He played his heart out, scoring 40+ points in a single game and leading his team to victory, thus avoiding a sweep.

The goal of winning the reward is to win the game and win the championship. When the day comes that I am able to lead the team to victory, I won't mind winning the reward for a second championship.

Let's open a blind box first!

"You possess one top-tier blind box, which has been opened... Congratulations on obtaining the skill reward: Frontline Beast."

Frontcourt Beast: After securing an offensive rebound, 1. if within close range, the second-chance jump is equivalent to a running jump; 2. if outside close range, drive to the basket with maximum speed. (Note: Actual effectiveness is affected by your strength and weight, as well as the strength and weight of the defender. Please make appropriate choices when facing different opponents.)

Skill! This seems to be the third time I've gotten a skill from so many blind boxes? I got a beginner skill once, an advanced skill once, I don't think I've ever gotten an intermediate skill, but I got a top-tier skill on my first open!
Yi Shui's frustration at being eliminated eased somewhat at this moment.

He reviewed the season, noting that he had a significant number of offensive rebounds. In 82 regular season games, he recalled 188 offensive rebounds and 526 defensive rebounds, averaging 2.3 offensive rebounds and 6.4 defensive rebounds per game. His offensive and defensive rebound ratio was approximately 1 to 3, ranking first among small forwards.

Besides him, among small forwards who average more than 5 rebounds per game, only Anthony and Gay have an offensive rebounding percentage of over 3%.

This offensive rebounding percentage would be considered excellent even for a center.

However, his second-chance success rate is relatively low. He is closely guarded in the paint, making it difficult for him to force his way in. He doesn't have the explosive power advantage of players like Randolph or Howard.

Moreover, he hadn't practiced any secondary offensive techniques, nor did he have the time or the physical limitations to do so.

With this skill, I can work on my secondary attack techniques more.

Yi Shui thought about the next four months of vacation and wondered why the off-season still wasn't enough time.
However, it's another inside skill...

...

If they win, they'll go to a nightclub to celebrate; if they lose, the entire Knicks team goes to a nightclub, needing some young and beautiful women to soothe their wounded hearts.

After venting his emotions all night, the next day, a new month arrived, but the league's games were no longer relevant to Yi Shui.

Yi Shui went home at noon on the 1st, and spent the afternoon resting at home and communicating with her agent about work arrangements.

For the next three days, Yi Shui was very busy with interviews, team activities, commercial activities, advertisements, and TV appearances. Even if he was eliminated, it would still be an elimination in the Eastern Conference Finals, and he was eliminated from the Eastern Conference Finals as a Rookie All-NBA First Team player. Brands would definitely hype him up and capitalize on this wave of traffic.

Nike, on the other hand, had the biggest promotional effort, and the timing was perfect. They released the "Emperor 1 Birthday EP Limited Edition," with only 6666 pairs available. Each pair is numbered, and the goal is not to sell in large quantities. The aim is to attract fans to the store, and some fans who don't manage to buy the limited edition shoes will likely buy other items.

Yi Shui had expected to face the same kind of public criticism as James after being eliminated... but that didn't happen.

During the Eastern Conference Finals, he didn't see many negative news stories; instead, he saw mostly regrets and disappointments. Indeed, they didn't lose many games.

Even the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which used to pick fights with him every now and then, stopped attacking him after the second round and stopped mentioning him altogether except in the match reports.

By noon on the 5th, Yi Shui boarded the private plane provided by his boss and flew directly from the Big Apple to Shanghai. The flight took a full 15 hours, which is the same as the hundreds of flights he had taken in the past 7 months, including several long-haul flights of four or five hours. He could always fall asleep, otherwise he would feel like he was floating around again when he returned to China last year.

It was already 3:30 when they got off the plane. Yi Shui felt very happy when they collected their luggage and left the airport.

In New York, he is a household name. While not everyone in New York is a fan of his, the percentage is quite high. It's not very convenient for him to be alone.

It's different in China. He's definitely famous in sports and student circles, but in terms of national recognition, he's not as well-known as those stars active on television and in movies. Not as many people recognize him. When he walks down the street, people stare at him, mainly because he's tall and has a good physique. Some young girls even come up to him and ask if he's a model, wanting to take a picture with him...

His father and his domestic agent, Shen Zhiyu, came to pick him up.

Shen Zhiyu drove a spacious minivan and conscientiously sat in the passenger seat, leaving the back seat space for Yi Shui and his father. Even now, at 22, Yi Shui still felt intimidated by his father; memories of his strict discipline flooded back, leaving him with a psychological scar!
He felt that his father was already quite open-minded, willing to learn about the preferential treatment people with overseas study experience receive when they return to China to take postgraduate entrance exams, civil service exams, or look for jobs, and willing to accept new things.

However, I still have some flaws as a teacher. For example, when I see students who are particularly good at studying or have exceptional intelligence, I always like to compare myself to them, and I remember being criticized quite a bit.

The two sat in the back seat, initially engaging in awkward small talk. However, as they talked about topics such as basketball, technology, the league landscape, and team plans, the awkwardness between the father and son disappeared, and they chatted happily.

Around 6 o'clock, Yi Shui finally arrived at his new home in his hometown... Just as he had imagined, the house was very large, half Western and half traditional. When he heard his mother say that the decoration was European style, he guessed that what the older generation considered fashionable and what the younger generation considered fashionable were two different things.

When young people say "stylish," they can understand it as something special, cool, or rare... But for the older generation, "stylish" really means having a touch of "foreign flair."

In the living room, a large table was already set with dishes. Grandpa and Grandma were playing chess, while Mom, Grandma, and Grandma on the other side were cooking.

It wasn't that he was a chauvinist who wouldn't cook; his grandfather was an old miner who worked in Shanxi when he was young; his maternal grandfather was a factory worker; and his father was a middle-aged male teacher. Just thinking about asking these three men to cook made Yi Shui feel hopeless.

Hearing the sound of a car entering the yard, Yi Shui's mother, grandmother, and maternal grandmother came out of the kitchen, surrounding Yi Shui, touching and pinching her here and there, saying "You've lost weight again."

Yi Shui glanced at the system; he weighed 107 kilograms, several kilograms heavier than during the Chinese New Year, and his physique was more defined. However, in the eyes of his elders, he had lost weight.

Two years have passed since I came into this world. In my memory, I left China at the age of 17 and haven't celebrated my birthday with my family for many years. Although time was short and the flight was tiring, Yi Shui still felt it was great to finish her work and come back as soon as possible.

...

That night, Yi Shui saw the night view of the outskirts of Jiashan County at four in the morning. The last time he saw it was when he was in the first year of high school, he stayed up all night playing Legend of Mir in an internet cafe. Back then, Legend of Mir required game cards, but now it seems to be free and nobody plays it anymore.

He didn't fall asleep until dawn, but when his alarm rang at 9 a.m., he stubbornly got out of bed to watch the Lakers vs. Nuggets Game 6 live.

易水的‘起码输给的是总冠军’的期待，破灭了，老铁匠G6威武，20投12中、其中三分球4中2、加上9中9的罚球，拿到35分6板10助攻，把安东尼、邓台-琼斯、JR-史密斯打得集体自闭，湖人队以119比92屠杀掘金队，4比2晋级总决赛。

Although the Magic may not be able to beat the Nuggets in the playoffs, they have a considerable chance of winning. Against the Lakers, those three big men are a real counter to Beast.

After resting at home for three days, Yi Shui left his hometown and headed to Shanghai. The work appointment he had made was approaching, and his relatives, who already knew he was back, found it troublesome.

If he brings back gifts from relatives with whom he has a good relationship, his parents will help deliver them. But even if they were relatives with whom he used to have a good relationship, he hasn't seen them for many years, and the memories are blurry. He doesn't know what to talk about with them.

What if a relative asks him to help train his younger brother or nephew to get into the NBA... This is no joke. Some relatives have asked his parents how they trained him to get into the NBA, wanting his parents to help train their children so they can make a lot of money in the NBA.

Upon arriving in Shanghai, Yi Shui went straight to Yao Ming's house for a meal and chatted with Yao Ming about their offseason plans.

Yao Ming planned to rest for most of this summer, declining the Basketball Association's call-up to the Asian Championships citing his health. Normally, given his career plans and personality, he wouldn't have refused.

But having won a silver medal at the Olympics last year, he has gained confidence as he will directly qualify for the next World Championships.

Most importantly, Yi Shui directly refused, publicly stating to the media, "Call me again for the World Championships," while the Blue Association didn't utter a single word.

Yao Ming knew that the Basketball Association wouldn't dare offend Yi Shui, whose professional career had nothing to do with the domestic basketball system, so he took the opportunity to ride on Yi Shui's coattails.

Yi Jianlian doesn't have that advantage; he still has to play in the Asian Championships... and he also needs more games to hone his skills.

Yi Shui stayed at Yao Ming's house for two days, and his entertainment included playing World of Warcraft.

They went fishing at the seaside fishing spot for an afternoon, but both came back empty-handed. They bought a few fish to take home so that Ye Li wouldn't laugh at them.

On the 12th, Yi Shui left Yao Ming's house and began his commercial activities.

He returned to China earlier this year, and Nike scheduled a sneaker promotion event for mid to late June.

Domestic endorsements and other endorsements with business in China also scheduled their promotional activities and TV appearances during these few days.

Yi Shui was even more dedicated to conducting business activities within the country. Although he was tired from traveling by car and plane every day, he was in a very good mood.

During this time, he would take the time to follow the Finals... The Magic didn't last long, and on the 15th, they lost 1-4 to the Lakers on the road. Kobe finally lifted the first championship trophy after Shaq left.

After the Finals, Yi Shui shifted his focus to the NBA trade market and draft tryouts.

They have no salary cap space, and the only things they can use to strengthen their roster this summer are a mid-level exception, a bi-annual exception, and a 26th overall pick in the first round, which they traded away before the second round pick.

Since it concerned his own interests, Yi Shui naturally had to participate in the offseason recruitment work. He tried hard to recall which players from the 09 rookies could be selected with their 26th pick and who would be a good fit, as well as what bargains could be found in the free market and which strong players were worth pursuing.

On June 24th, Yi Shui finished his promotional activities for more than ten days and was preparing to return to the county to say goodbye to his family and return to New York when news came from the team... The trade negotiations with the Suns went smoothly!
(End of this chapter)