The longest river

Chapter 167 City of Roses
The plane landed at Portland International Airport.

The airport was familiar, but the weather was unfamiliar.

Previously, every time he came here to play, it was always rainy, but now the sky was clear and the air felt very dry.

However, the temperature here is much lower than in Indianapolis or Cleveland, only around 20 degrees Celsius.

This is in July, the height of summer, arguably the hottest time of the year.

Putting everything else aside, this one thing instantly brightened Yang Shuai's mood, since he was going to live in this city.

If given a choice, who wouldn't want to live in a livable city?

Trail Blazers staff were waiting for them at the airport entrance.

She was the female manager of the team's operations department. After Yang Shuai got in the car, she told him some things related to Portland.

For example, the city of Portland got its name because its developers were natives of Portland, Maine.

The developers were originally two people; he and another person from Boston, Massachusetts, decided the city's name by flipping a coin.

In other words, this place could have become Boston.

Yang Shuai asked about the climate here.

Just as Yang Shuai had previously known, Portland is indeed a rainy city.

How rainy is it? It rains for about 155 days a year.

Moreover, these rainy days are mainly concentrated in the spring and winter seasons. As for the summer and autumn seasons, there is actually not much rain, especially in the summer, when the average rainfall is only about 25mm.

However, just as Yang Shuai is experiencing now, apart from the occasional heat wave, the temperature here is generally quite pleasant in the summer.

It is precisely because of this climate that Portland is famous for its roses and is known as the "City of Roses".

As they chatted, their car drove onto the Hawthorne Bridge.

The supervisor explained that this is the oldest highway bridge in Portland, and it is also a vertical lift bridge.

It's clear that the route from the airport to the arena was carefully planned by the team.

However, Yang Shuai's gaze was drawn to the scenery in front of him.

Bridges span the winding river, reflecting the refracted light on its surface, much like the river of time itself.

In the photographer's words, this scene is absolutely stunning.

When the supervisor noticed that Yang Shuai's gaze had been drawn to him, he then introduced another nickname for Portland: Bridge City.

Similar to Cleveland, Portland is also a port city, situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers.

Unlike Cleveland, the river here is significantly wider, which is why there are so many bridges connecting the two sides of the city, creating a magnificent landscape.

After circling around downtown Portland, they finally arrived at the Rose Garden Arena, the home of the Portland Trail Blazers, located in the city center.

Even from a distance, Yang Shuai could see the huge poster of him wearing the number 16 jersey hanging directly in front of the stadium.

Outside the stadium, a large number of fans had also gathered.

When Ray Johnson helped him out of the car, the entire scene erupted in cheers.

Whitch was waiting for him outside the car, embracing and welcoming him.

Then Yang Shuai went up to the makeshift stage and began his meet-and-greet with Portland fans.

After sitting down, he could see the size of the fans more clearly because of the height difference.

It was so densely packed that he couldn't see the end of it, and he felt like he had accidentally wandered into some kind of celebration.

But it wasn't really that surprising, since he gets stuck in a bus jam every year after the game here.

He was fully aware of the fervor of Portland fans.

It's just that when he recalls the scene where fans blocked the bus and shouted "We need you," he was wearing headphones and thinking about when Jay Chou would debut, it seems quite dramatic.

The press conference began with an interview session, where a local Portland reporter sat next to Yang Shuai and asked him some questions.

The supervisor had given him a detailed list of questions on the way there, so he answered them with ease.

Most of the questions were designed to help Portland fans understand him better.

For example, his hobbies, his feelings about the city of Portland, and of course, why he chose the Trail Blazers.

Yang Shuai always speaks his mind.

For example, he likes eating, sleeping, playing games, and watching anime, which are hobbies he's had since his past life. As for nightclubs and parties, he's not really an American, so he's not that interested in those things.

"I think I'll still enjoy traveling after I come here."

Then he added a very down-to-earth remark.

On the way there, his supervisor introduced him to many tourist attractions in Portland, including volcanoes, which he hadn't experienced in Cleveland or Indianapolis.

Of course, after two years of NBA experience, Yang Shuai is significantly more mature than when he first entered the league.

Following this topic, Yang Shuai also shared his most honest thoughts on rainy days in Portland.

"If I came here as a visiting player and it rained, it would be a terrible thing, but living here, I think I can get a good night's sleep every day."

These actions drew cheers from the fans at the scene, who could feel Yang Shuai's sincerity.

As for why he came to the Trail Blazers, a question that fans are most concerned about, he made no attempt to hide it.

"They paid me $1.5 million."

This answer drew laughter, whistles, and cheers from the audience. Everyone knew why Yang Shuai joined the Trail Blazers, but most people would find excuses to cover it up and avoid projecting an image of being "greedy."

But in reality, that kind of cover-up makes it seem fake, like watching a clown perform.

Yang Shuai's lack of pretense only makes people like him even more.

After the interview, the next segment was a Q&A session with fans.

The first fan's question was very positive.

"Some media outlets have said that Mr. Paul Allen's decision to give you a $1.5 million contract is a gamble on the future of the Trail Blazers. What do you think of this statement?"

"I will give the Trail Blazers what they have now."

If Yang Shuai previously showed more of his sincerity, now it's time to show his confidence.

His confidence didn't just come from Bird's teachings, but from something he inherited from a previous life.

Forget about the future and the process, we just want the present!

His confidence quickly infected the fans at the scene.

"Will you lead us to the championship?"

The next fan to ask a question boldly followed through.

"Of course, there's more than one."

Yang Shuai took out a small loan.

He won a championship in two years with the Pacers, so he should win at least two championships in six years with the Trail Blazers, right?

Yang Shuai's answer caused the audience to erupt in cheers.

Such a promise is not something an ordinary person would dare to make, because if it is not kept in the end, the person who made the promise will become a laughing stock.

But Yang Shuai's willingness to act now gives them immense confidence.

It's worth noting that the Trail Blazers have only one championship in their history, but Yang Shuai is now saying he wants to win at least two more championships for the team.

That sparks endless imagination.

After the Q&A session with fans, it was time for the autograph session.

This part is also quite interesting.

For example, one fan was holding Yang Shuai's Trail Blazers jersey with the number 16.

Yang Shuai hasn't even seen his Trail Blazers jersey yet.

He couldn't help but pick it up and examine it carefully for a long time.

He learned from talking with fans that the Trail Blazers officially offer custom jerseys.

Then, Yang Shuai saw someone come up to him with Nike shoes asking for his autograph.

This is not surprising, after all, Paul had previously said that Portland is Nike's headquarters.

He simply threw away the other person's shoes, then asked Ray Johnson to find a pair of his sneakers in the car, and then signed and gave them to the other person.

The moment Yang Shuai threw his shoe, the fans and others below were somewhat shocked, and some even frowned.

But when Yang Shuai delivered the Reebok autographed shoes, the fan jumped up in excitement, while the others could only look on with envy.

Of course, Yang Shuai also received a large number of roses during this process, and they were of all kinds.

He also came to a deep understanding of why this place was called the Rose City.

After the fan meet-and-greet, Yang Shuai and Whitsit went to the stadium's general manager's office.

The most important thing today is the pre-signing ceremony.

The contract is for 6 years and $1.5 million. It is an escalating contract. The starting salary in the first year is $1800 million, and the salary in the last year is a player option, which increases to $3200 million.

It's no wonder that other teams didn't dare to pursue such a contract.

Even from Yang Shuai's perspective as a time traveler, an annual salary of 3200 million was an outrageous figure in 2004.

After completing the signing, Yang Shuai officially became a member of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Next, Whitsit personally led Yang Shuai on a tour of the Rose Garden Arena.

After touring the main stadium, Yang Shuai was most impressed by the food area, which not only had a much wider variety of food than the City Square Garden, but also offered a wide selection of craft beers and wines.

Now he knows why the fans get so excited when he talks about his hobbies.

That's not just because he's sincere; he really fits in with the city – the food, the rainy days, the sleep.

Then there's another major difference: the training hall and the main stadium are separate, but the training hall is located just a few hundred meters away from the main stadium, which is also very convenient.

Finally, when he was in the locker room, his locker should have been arranged, in the position closest to the entrance.

If the Pacers' emphasis on him was reflected in major events, then the Trail Blazers' emphasis was not only on major events, but also on every small detail.

This made Yang Shuai feel gratified and increasingly convinced that his decision to join the Trail Blazers was the right one.

Yang Shuai also took the opportunity to ask Whitscht for a team roster, and Whitscht directly brought him a thick player handbook.

Now he no longer has to worry about not being able to find his teammates' information online, unlike before.

(End of this chapter)