Champion, please stay!

Chapter 275, Section 273: Reinforcement complete, now focusing on practicality!
When Yi Shui woke up from his nap, it was already dark. He was starving, so he went to a restaurant for dinner. His biological clock was a little messed up, but he didn't care. It was much better than when he was jet-lagged. He planned to find a place to practice ball games and lift weights the next day. Once he was tired, he could get a good night's sleep. There were still a few days until the reporting date, so he didn't need to worry.

He returned to his room, browsing the news while answering phone calls.

After speaking with Yao Ming in the early hours of the morning, he put his phone on silent. He missed several calls after dawn.

The calls were all from the team's management, coaching staff, teammates, and agents.

Back at the agency, the main topic of conversation was the impact of Yao Ming and James switching teams on their commercial endorsements.

The topics discussed by others were mostly related to Paul and Kobe, followed by Deron Williams and Yao Ming.

The Heat were also mentioned, but Walsh and D'Antoni only made a couple of brief comments.

When talking to Curry, Yao Ming, and others about the Heat, they were all shocked that James had actually left the Cavaliers.

Only Curry spoke with a tone of despair.

Yi Shui had completely forgotten about the bet he made with the elementary school student two years ago, but now he remembered it. Curry now owes him a 'wish'.

As for Miami, they also signed Stoudemire and Joe Johnson. If James had announced this decision on July 14, they would have been shocked.

But now… After hanging up the phone, Yi Shui looked at the picture posted above the ESPN sports website headline featuring James standing in the middle, with Stoudemire and Joe Johnson on either side, and yawned.

From their team's perspective, James simply went to the Heat and picked up two players they didn't want.

Today, although it's the year with the most free agents signing max contracts in history, the Knicks are also the team that those free agents who can get max contracts most want to join. Apart from Yao Ming, Wade, and James not coming or being invited, and Bosh coming by invitation, all the other players who signed max contracts came to try out for them.

But for the Knicks, there are only two free agents this summer with salaries of over ten million dollars per year – Bosh and Ray Allen.

If we're looking for a superstar center, he needs to be good at both offense and defense, and also have shooting ability, and that only applies to Bosh.

Signing players like Boozer and Stoudemire would be less desirable than hiring blue-collar and shooting big men.

The guards need to be able to shoot, move around, and not be a liability on defense. Their salaries can be high, but not so high that they fill up the salary cap. We need to save money to sign at least two big men. Joe Johnson was never an option from the beginning.

Bosh is determined to follow Wade, and they won't consider any other top centers. They are sticking to their second plan: to build a shooting-oriented roster around acquiring Ray Allen.

Yi Shui himself wasn't particularly fond of the three guys on the Heat. The team and his teammates were more shocked by the fact that James left the Cavaliers than by where James went or what roster he assembled. When he was browsing the news, the impact of James' "Decision 1" was far less than he had imagined.

The most discussed topic among domestic fans is the "Warriors' Big Four," even though Ellis never made an All-Star appearance and Gerald Wallace only made one.

But compared to when the Rockets signed Mutombo, who averaged 6 points and 7 rebounds the previous season, for a $450 million annual salary, they dared to promote in China that they had signed the strongest defensive center in history, a blockbuster acquisition, and the most luxurious group of centers...

Deron Williams, Ellis, Gerald Wallace, and Yao Ming—why aren't they the Big Four?
In the US, it's already the second morning, and the hottest topic is still Paul and Kobe teaming up.

Fans were shocked by LeBron James' departure from the Cavaliers.

The news of Cavaliers fans rioting, looting, vandalizing, and burning jerseys was also quite a spectacle.

But fans outside of the Cavaliers were only shocked by James' departure from the Cavaliers, and didn't seem to be so enthusiastic about the roster he built for the Heat.

Yi Shui, Curry, Ray Allen, and Frye, four super shooters who can each average 2+ three-pointers per game, paired with Chandler;
Rose, Gasol, Boozer, paired with Gay and Marion;

Bosh and Wade, along with Noah, who is close to top-tier blue-collar players, and the promising young star Harden;
Deron Williams and Yao Ming, along with Ellis, who can score an average of 25 points per game with a good shooting percentage, and Gerald Wallace, a top-class defensive forward;
Paul + Kobe...

In the past week, too many star-studded core lineups have emerged. James' decision to announce his move amidst Paul joining the Lakers and Yao Ming joining the Warriors seems too 'ordinary'.

Yi Shui observed that, aside from Cavaliers fans, there weren't many people criticizing James. Many were simply mocking James's earlier statement that he would "never leave his hometown" as nonsense, and ridiculing James for being driven away by his friend, "Brother Biscuit"...

He also saw a post that was probably made by a paid troll, which appeared on various forums—James was forced to switch teams because the Bulls, Lakers, Knicks, Warriors, and Grizzlies were all forming super teams, so he had no choice but to switch teams to teams with healthier salary structures, and team up with Joe Johnson and Stoudemire to take on those super teams.

This post has a lot of flaws. ESPN started hyping up James' decision yesterday morning, the Paul trade happened around 1 p.m., and the Warriors officially announced it at noon. When the Lakers' three-team trade was first exposed, many people were saying that the Lakers were ripped off, trading two big men for an injured player whose athleticism had collapsed.

However, this post received widespread approval in the comment sections of various forums.

The angle was well chosen; most passersby don't care about the facts, as long as it looks similar, it can win support online.

However, Yi Shui estimates that James and his team may not be happy about the reduced criticism.

This short essay was clearly prepared to deal with a media storm, but the comment section is so harmonious...

It's like those young women in China who frequent nightclubs and get tattoos. If they get tattoos but people still treat them like ordinary people, then what's the point of getting them?

...

Yi Shui browsed the news, watched Detective Conan, and played games until she drifted off to sleep in the early hours of the morning, only to be woken up by her alarm clock the next morning.

Shen Zhiyu called to tell him that the training venue had been arranged and that he would be picked up later.

After a day of training in shooting, basic footwork, and weightlifting, Yi Shui returned to the hotel, took a shower, and went straight to sleep. When he woke up on the morning of the 25th, he happened to be there when the Heat held a grand welcome ceremony for the 'Big Three' at American Airlines Arena.

Making this money, I don't know if it was the fortune teller's idea or King's idea.

Yesterday morning, Yi Shui saw the news about this event, which required tickets.

At that time, James still had a high box office appeal, unlike more than ten years later when even tickets costing a dozen dollars couldn't be sold out.

The stadium was packed with over 20,000 people, but there was no sign of Miami fans' lingering affection for Wade; everyone was cheering wildly for the "612" duo.

Yi Shui used James's "Not one, not two, not three" speech as background music and searched for the specific details of the Heat's signing.

By noon on the 24th, US time, the Heat had completed three signings.

Stoudemire signed a contract without any investment, with a starting salary of $1690 million and a total of $1 million over 5 years, making him the highest-paid player among the "Big Three".

Joe Johnson was traded by the Heat to the Hawks in exchange for Eric Gordon. His starting salary was $1632 million, totaling $1.18 million over six years, making him the highest-paid member of the "Big Three".

Essentially, the Heat traded Wade for Joe Johnson in a one-for-one deal...

Yi Shui recalled that when their team was negotiating a contract with Joe Johnson, the other party did not ask for the longest six-year contract with Bird rights, nor did they ask for the highest non-Bird rights contract like Stoudemire did.

The Knicks had those free agents under their thumb, but when they got to the Heat, the situation reversed. Joe Johnson dominated the Heat.

LeBron James was traded by the Heat to the Cavaliers in a sign-and-trade deal using their 2011 first-round draft pick. He received a 4+2 contract with a starting salary of $1560 million and a total of $1.08 million over 6 years. Both his average salary and total salary were the lowest.

No wonder Yi Shui heard King in the 'background music' saying that he made a huge sacrifice just to achieve success...

Two days have passed since the frenzy on the west coast, and the impact on Yishui has largely dissipated.

Looking at the new version of the Big Three in the video, Yi Shui feels that they are still a bit difficult to deal with.

In terms of formation structure, it is more reasonable than the original trio of James, Westbrook, and Pochettino.

Stoudemire's offense is stronger than Bosh's. Before Bosh developed his three-point shot, Stoudemire was slightly better at mid-range and long-range shooting. Stoudemire has a clear advantage in attacking the rim. However, their defenses are not on the same level. Stoudemire is a big sieve. If Bosh hadn't gained weight and played center, and if his footwork hadn't slowed down, he would have been a very good defender at the power forward position.

Joe Johnson is not in the same league as Wade. One is an ordinary All-Star, while the other is an MVP-level player. However, his playing style is more suited to James. His shooting outside of close range is better than Wade's in every aspect. He can also play without the ball. His defense is much worse than Wade's, but it is still above average.

If he plays a full regular season, his overall performance might not be worse than the original Big Three of James, Wade, and Bosh!
However, none of the three seem to be very good at handling tough challenges or withstanding pressure. The best one is Joe Johnson, but his abilities are limited.

However, when Yi Shui opened the NBA official website, the data updates on the American site were in real time, with each team displaying the latest roster. Mike Conley was on the Heat's roster!

The strategist traded Shaquille O'Neal, whom he had already ruined, for a promising point guard who could handle the job.

Conley can handle clutch shots, the kind that Wade trusts, which might compensate for the Big Three's weakness in tough games.

It's just a question of whether Conley can continue to develop smoothly and how he will perform if he doesn't get the ball in his hands.

Last season, when Yi Shui played against the Heat, he saw Wade give almost all the ball possession to Conley, acting as a pure finisher for most of the time, only playing the offensive plays in close games, and even giving Conley the game-winning shot.

Also, Conley is about to enter fourth grade, and his contract renewal will cost at least 800 million.
The Heat's Big Three have a starting salary of $4800 million in their first year. Currently, besides the Big Three, there are only Conley and Beasley's rookie contracts, and Haslem's $300 million extension.

Next season, the combined salaries of the Big Three will exceed $5000 million. With Conley's contract extension, the combined salaries of the four players will almost fill the salary cap.

Moreover, it cannot be ruled out that other teams will drive up the price!

Shortly after Wade signed with the Bulls, reports surfaced that the Pacers' offer to Conley had been rejected.

Given Bird's nature, he's absolutely capable of poaching Hibbert while Hibbert is still on his rookie contract and has the option to free up tens of millions in cap space by raising the price.

There might be more interesting things to see in the future.

...

The final big-name free agent has landed with the Timberwolves.

David Lee joined the Timberwolves on a full base maximum contract of $1492 million, totaling $8839 million over five years.

This is the highest salary a player with less than 7 years of experience can earn, excluding bird rights.

Yi Shui breathed a sigh of relief when he received the message from his old teammate, who had been quite worried that his old teammate had gone too far.

David Lee's goal this summer is very clear—to join the team with the highest salary.

There are many big-name free agents this year, but there are even more teams with cap space.

Some teams have chosen the path taken by the Jazz, rebuilding by trading high-paid players.

However, most teams still choose to sign free agents like the Grizzlies, Heat, and Knicks, without paying too much or even signing them outright, and they sign more than one star player.

David Lee knows he's not among the most sought-after free agents. If he shows interest in joining a team too early, he'll likely be pressured to lower his price. For example, the Grizzlies and Rockets offered him $70 million over five years.

But having just won the championship, and a championship where he played as the second option in the Finals, his current pursuit is not to join a top team like the Grizzlies to continue competing for the title, but to earn more money and prove to his father that he can also make a lot of money playing basketball.

So David Lee chose to wait. After Yao Ming and the Heat's Big Three signed, other teams raised their offers. Among the Timberwolves, Suns, and Kings, he chose the Timberwolves, who offered the highest price.

The Kings are quite interesting. Their salaries dropped to a low of over $2700 million, but they weren't very enthusiastic about the free agent market. They just wanted to sign two high-salary short-term contracts to fill out some contracts. Before making an offer for David Lee, they had already helped the 76ers take on the last year of Haitian player Dalembert's salary of over $1300 million. Now they have signed two rookie centers, Cousins ​​and Whiteside, with a combined salary of just over $4400 million, and they can still offer them a basic maximum salary.

With all the big-name free agents finding new teams, the free agency market has become even more exciting. Teams that didn't land any big names are now vying for talented players, while some teams, wanting to maintain salary cap space, are using it to acquire some bad contracts and earn draft picks.

Teams that signed top players also had to use their remaining salary cap space or exceptions to poach players due to limited cap space and manpower shortages, resulting in many overpriced contracts.

The Lakers offered Josh McRoberts a three-year, full mid-level exception contract starting at $582 million, poaching him from the Pacers.

上赛季麦克罗伯茨担任兰多夫替补，场均14分钟出场时间，70场比赛拿到4.2分3.8板1.1助攻0.6抢断0.8盖帽。

The Jazz offered Richard Jefferson a two-year, $20 million contract extension, far exceeding the market price. The Spurs went to great lengths to persuade Jefferson to re-sign for two years at $17.6 million, keeping his total salary below the luxury tax threshold.

Lou Williams received a full mid-level exception offer from the Warriors, while the 76ers offered him a two-year, $14 million extension. Duhon chose the Magic's two-year, $14 million offer over the Pacers' mid-level exception. Meanwhile, in Yishui, during a training break, they were monitoring the free agent market. Seeing the pile of inflated contracts, they were glad they had signed Frye and Amir Johnson early on; otherwise, even without re-signing Birdman after acquiring Chandler and signing Ray Allen, their cap space would have been severely limited.

不过他们还是受到了影响，德安东尼喜欢的小前锋，上赛季在国王队场均拿到11.3分、以39%命中率场均投进1.6个三分球的阿根廷名将诺西奥尼，被76人队2年1400万抢走了。

Fortunately, Nocioni was not their first choice. He was too injury-prone and his athletic ability would decline significantly after the age of 30. However, his ability to shoot and defend and his relentless playing style suited them.

On July 28th, Yi Shui arrived at Laoshan Gymnasium to report for duty and met his national team teammates whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

When Yi Shui and Yao Ming met, they were both beaming with joy.

Yao Ming changed his environment and purged the vested interests around him. Although he had to redistribute some of the benefits, he ended up with more benefits in his own hands.

And those who remain are the ones who say what he wants to hear.

Although honest advice is hard to hear but beneficial, his previous team only had unpleasant advice, not honest advice.

The old team kept referring to Houston as a "big city," but the business revenue from the local market was less than a third of that from the Bay Area.

Moreover, Yao Ming is thrilled just thinking about Deron Williams, Ellis, and Gerald Wallace!

With talented shooting guards like Brandon Rush and Reggie Williams on the bench, even the current eight-man roster is more competitive than it was with the Rockets.

The Yishui team's rebuild was completed early, with the interior filled with blue-collar players and shooters. Defensively, they no longer need to guard the big men in the paint, and the offensive spacing is better. With Ray Allen, the wing support ability has taken a leap forward... and they also have the Cavaliers' 2011 first-round pick, which is at least a lottery pick, which is also great.

Yi Jianlian, on the other hand, had a tough time. He had finally secured a starting position and thought it was time to discuss a contract extension, but instead he was sent to the harsh and cold Minneapolis!
They have to start adapting to a new team, new teammates, and a new style of play all over again.

Seeing this, Yi Shui comforted her, saying, "Lianmei, going to the Timberwolves is also an opportunity. They have a mature interior core, and their point guard is more willing to pass the ball than Harris. They can also run pick-and-rolls with you."

Your playing style doesn't conflict with David's. You could try to proactively communicate with Rambis (Timberwolves head coach) and suggest that he choose a stretch big lineup.

You need to take the initiative! You need to actively express your ideas! Don't keep them bottled up!

If you've been assigned a position that doesn't suit you, you should try your best to play it, but you should also express your thoughts and let him know that it's not that you're bad, but that his arrangement is inappropriate. Don't be afraid to argue; if necessary, you can request a trade..."

Seeing this scene, Yao Ming was filled with envy. If he had had a senior like the Great Emperor to give him good advice back then, he might not have been bleeding out by the Rockets for so long. Maybe it would have been him, not Gasol, who went to the Lakers.

He did have a mentor, Francis, who took care of him back then, but he only knew how to take care of his fellow black brothers. He couldn't even take care of himself when it came to career planning, let alone teach him. Moreover, Francis was traded away after playing with him for two years.

...

With Yi Shui and Yao Ming returning to the team, the Chinese men's basketball team has entered the final selection stage.

The situation of the national team coaching staff is different from what Yi Shui remembered. After winning the medal in 08, the men's basketball team renewed the contract with Jonas for two years, and he continued to coach until this year's World Championship.

The Chinese head coach has changed, with retired coach Li Nan replacing Guo Shiqiang as the new head coach; Fan Bin, a new generation coach who just led the national youth team to the Asian championship, has become the youngest assistant coach in the Chinese men's basketball team at the age of 30; American coach Deng Huade, invited by Yao Ming, will serve as the defensive coach; and Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson will continue to serve as a coaching staff advisor.

Guo Shiqiang became the head of the assistant coaching team, responsible for arranging the work of various assistant coaches from different departments for the men's basketball team.

After learning about the latest situation of the coaching staff, Yi Shui, just like two years ago, didn't know how to evaluate it.

Two head coaches and three assistant coaches who actually do the work, that's not a big deal.

But there are also 7 teaching assistants: a life skills teaching assistant, a hygiene teaching assistant, a discipline teaching assistant... and a teaching assistant group leader. If you didn't know better, you would think they were class officers elected by elementary school students.

Fortunately, those people don't usually show up and get in his way, so he just mutters about it to himself.

The team had a meal together that evening, and the next day, the 29th, training officially began.

Yi Shui and Yao Ming's first day of training consisted of various tests.

Yi Shui has been training at home since the 4th. During the past two weeks of various work, he has also been training at the event venue. In the last few days, he has been undergoing high-intensity training at full capacity and is in good condition.

When Jonas watched the Yishui test, he was amazed and said "NO.1" many times.

Compared to two years ago, Yishui has seen a qualitative improvement in all aspects!

He can shoot three-pointers from the outside, he can drive to the basket like a regular small forward, and he can even post up Yi Jianlian and dunk on him...

The fact that Yao Ming hadn't been seen for two years made Jonas feel like he was a completely different person.

He's lost a lot of weight, a huge amount. His latest weight is only 134 kilograms. He's even more agile than when he was 28, but he can still sit in the low post, knock Yi Jianlian back to the basket in two steps, turn around and slam the ball into the hoop...

Yao Ming has maintained a very good shooting form, even better than during the previous season.

He's just been busy these past few days and hasn't had time to train.

After the regular season ended, he took a break for more than a month to take care of his child. When he went to New York in early June to watch the Finals, he booked the basketball arena at St. John's University and received professional guidance from a shooting coach there to widen his shooting distance.

Due to his height advantage, Yao Ming did not extend his shooting range to a particularly long distance before. His most accurate area was close range. Last season, he played 72 games, averaging 5.5 attempts and making 3 shots per game, with a shooting percentage of 54.5%. In this area, both the shooting percentage and the number of shots made were the best in the league.

Further out, reaching as far as the free-throw line, he has maintained a shooting percentage of around 45% since his second year.

At greater distances, beyond the free-throw line, the shooting percentage drops. In his 8-year career, his long two-point shooting percentage was 36%. He could shoot, but there was no need to go to that distance to shoot. In 8 seasons, he took 400 shots, which is less than the amount he took in a year at close range.

Yao Ming's decision to extend his shooting distance stems from seeing Yi Shui set a screen for Curry during the Finals.

Yao Ming recalled how McGrady complained that he couldn't run pick-and-rolls, simply because he couldn't shoot long two-pointers accurately and was often left open, and he didn't have enough speed to cut to the basket.

Although I'm 30 years old now, I'm starting to feel powerless to do many things, but it's never too late to learn!

This tactic looks simple, but I've never seen anyone play it this way before, and it's really hard to come up with.

Because big men who excel at long two-pointers generally don't run pick-and-rolls, but instead develop their isolation skills around long two-pointers, such as Nowitzki and Bosh.

Yi Jianlian wouldn't normally play like that; he only does it when he encounters a Suns team whose defense falls apart under pick-and-roll defense, and when his stamina is waning.

...

Yi Shui and Yao Ming need to undergo various tests, but Yi Jianlian doesn't. He returned to the team at the first training camp at the end of May and has been training for two months.

Yi Shui devoted himself wholeheartedly to the national team's preparations. As time went by, he would pay attention to the situation in the NBA whenever he had free time. Sometimes, his teammates in the training camp would also take the initiative to chat with him.

The Miami Heat's free agent signings are the most exciting.

James rallied the crowd, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Carlos Arroyo, Jerry Stackhouse, Eric Dampier, Juwan Howard, and Jamal Magloire all joined the team, resulting in the Heat signing a plethora of players on minimum contracts.

ESPN is raving about LeBron James' influence. These players were all big names back in the day. Even the weakest one, Arroyo, beat the Dream Team.

However, when it came to the truly crucial signing, the strategist was outmaneuvered and gritted his teeth, splitting up the mid-level exception to re-sign Joel Anthony for 3 years and $1000 million.

Joel Anthony averaged 2.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game last season. He was almost completely unable to score, and he couldn't even finish easy baskets. His scoring relied entirely on second-chance opportunities. He was active on defense, and his one-on-one and help defense were both effective, but he couldn't protect the defensive rebounds.

It's rumored that the Heat initially offered him a minimum salary contract, but Joel Anthony countered with a 3-year, $1000 million offer from the Pacers. Although the strategist knew that Bird was deliberately trying to annoy him, he still reluctantly accepted it.

The remaining 200 million or so middle-class funds were used to sign James Jones to a 3-year, $750 million contract.

Last season with the Suns, James Jones averaged 1.5 three-pointers per game on 41% shooting, along with 5.9 points and 2 rebounds.

时间来到8月10号早上，易水收到了沃尔什传来的好消息——拆分中产特例，2年750万签约迈克-米勒、2年400万签约威利-格林！

They originally planned to use the mid-level exception on a player – Korver or Tony Allen.

Improve the shooting ability of the small forward position, or enhance the defensive capabilities of the guard line.

Korver is definitely the first choice. He has excellent positioning and shooting ability. Although he lacks one-on-one defense, he developed first-class teamwork defense during his years with the Jazz. With his tall stature and solid lower body, he can hold his own against some interior players when he switches to defend them in the low post.

But Yao Ming, who was playing next door, didn't play by the rules. Before officially announcing his move to the Warriors, he had already discussed it with Korver. After the Warriors used their remaining cap space to sign former Suns center Louis Amundson for one year and $2 million, they signed Korver to a three-year, $1876 million mid-level exception contract.

However, the agreement was secondary. Yi Shui learned from Walsh that the Warriors had given Korver a condition they couldn't offer—a starting position.

If Korver is a power forward, or if he forces his brother to play power forward, then they can make a commitment.

But they signed Amir Johnson precisely because they didn't want him to continue battling the paint on the defensive end.

Just like I remember, Tony Allen joined the Grizzlies.

This guy doesn't demand a starting position or a specific salary, but he feels he's not suited to the run-and-gun style of basketball and wants to follow in the footsteps of Lionel Hollins, a defensive stalwart during his playing days and a head coach who still prioritizes defense even after retiring. He's not going to follow Mike D'Antoni.

Furthermore, Tony Allen and Ray Allen also had a conflict...

Learning of this situation from Walsh served as a reminder to Yi Shui.

When dealing with Ray Allen, you need to pay attention to the details. There's no need to coax him, but at least you need to let Ray Allen finish these years in peace. Even if Ray Allen gets into disputes with someone here, there shouldn't be any major internal conflicts.

The best way to defuse potential conflicts is actually quite simple—win the game!
Although for various reasons, they didn't sign one of their two most desired players, Yi Shui was very satisfied with the two players they signed from the middle class.

The signing of Mike Miller to a short-term contract worth $375 million per year can be considered a pleasant surprise!

The Bulls, Grizzlies, and Magic all offered mid-level contracts, and they secured the players for less than $400 million.

Mike Miller's reasons for joining the team have made Yi Shui a little arrogant; they came specifically because of him...

Willie Green, a relatively unknown second-round pick in the 03 draft, was actually only of average skill, but he played with dedication and passion.

Standing at just over 1.9 meters tall barefoot, he's on the shorter side for a double guard, but his 90-plus kilograms build is strong enough, and his athleticism is quite outstanding.

His shooting isn't particularly accurate; throughout his career, he has never had a season where he averaged more than one three-pointer per game. He excelled in chaotic situations in his early years, but in recent years, his shot selection has improved. He doesn't take shots he shouldn't take, and he's not afraid to shoot when he should. He's an excellent tactical executor.

Defense is a major highlight. He certainly can't play defense like Tony Allen, but he's just as competitive and intelligent as Tony. He's very aggressive, sticks to his opponent, rarely takes risks to steal the ball, and is rarely out of position against shooting guards. Of course, his defensive shortcomings are still obvious; he's not tall enough... But then again, it would be impolite to ask for more from a $200 million backup combo guard.

Time flies, and it's already late August.

With Shaquille O'Neal signing a one-year veteran minimum contract with the Pacers, a new jersey color has been added;
Jermaine O'Neal joined the Lakers on a one-year minimum contract, giving the Lakers a new O'Neal;

Matthews' contract extension negotiations with the Jazz broke down, and he joined the Trail Blazers on a 5-year, $3390 million full mid-level exception contract.

Kwame Brown joined the Warriors on a one-year minimum contract to serve as Yao Ming's backup...

The remaining well-known players have all found new teams, the free agency market has cooled down and entered a lull period, and basketball fans' attention has been focused on the upcoming World Championship.

On the 21st, Yi Shui left Qingdao with the team, headed to Beijing, boarded the national team's chartered plane, and flew to Türkiye.

After the plane took off, Yi Shui looked at the white clouds outside the window and thought about the past few days. Under the guidance of Jonas and Deng Huade, the defensive formation he formed with Sun Yue and Yao Ming... This World Championship is going to be tough!

(End of this chapter)