First in scoring

Chapter 515 513. I just made a phone call and someone came
As for the basic skills of three-pointers, the progress has been very slow just by practicing. This wave of improvement in the playoffs was unexpected and was an extreme improvement. Any further improvement would be the upper limit of talent, on the edge of the historical level, but practice is still needed, mainly through step-back three-pointers, catch-the-ball three-pointers, three-threat standing shots, etc., integrating the basic skills, techniques, and shooting value requirements.

There is still some distance to go in the upper limit of his mid-range shooting distance, which is his current focus of improvement.

As for the technology, I discussed it with Grove and Englander, and we agreed on a time to train at Hidden Mountain in late July after two weeks of business activities in the country.

Zhang Yang continued to devote himself to his training work from nine to five...

Soon, a new month arrived. On the morning of July 7st, the NBA announced a new salary cap of more than 1 million US dollars.

Compared with last season's salary cap, it has dropped by more than 200 million US dollars, which means that even though the NBA officially invested more promotion costs last season and the ticket prices and ratings of some popular playoff games were very high, the revenue of the 30 teams for the entire season still dropped by nearly 1.5 million US dollars.

Four new members of the championship team, including Jarrett Jack, Pietrus, Juwan Howard and Magloire, officially announced their entry into the free market, attracting the attention of many teams.

After Zhang Yang finished training in the evening, he saw the news that the Hornets offered Jack a full mid-level offer of 5 million for 2900 years. This... he didn't know whether it was a coincidence or a necessity.

The next morning, Zhang Yang received a message from the team that they did not match Jack's contract, and the Magic also offered Pietrus a three-year, full-mid-level contract worth US$3 million.

There is no need to keep the great Jack, and the choice is to choose Collison, who has the lowest talent but the highest maturity.

But the small forward is still to be discussed. After Zhang Yang finished breakfast and came to the Turkish Airlines Arena, he was called to a meeting. After communication between the management, coaching staff and players, it was confirmed that Pietrus' contract did not match. Boss Joe already had an interested candidate and was ready to collect some medical expenses for Ribs.

Based on the current situation, Zhang Yang also has a target in mind, but he is waiting for news from Boss Qiao first.

After the meeting, Zhang Yang returned to the training ground. There were already three people training there. They were three newcomers to the team, real newcomers, newly drafted rookies, but their ages... were all 3 and 22 years old.

The familiar feeling is back again. The rookies are all older than Zhang San. In fact, in the four drafts by the Bobcats after he entered the NBA, except for Ibaka, all the other rookies were older than him.

He remembered that when the coaching staff came back to work yesterday, they seemed to have said that today was the day for the rookies to gather for some training and exercises for the summer league, such as the differences in NBA and college rules, the different stadium specifications, etc.

He didn't act pretentiously and took the initiative to greet the three of them: "Hi, Darren, long time no see. Wesley, Dante, it's a pleasure to be teammates with you."

Cunningham and Matthews both responded. They looked very different and both seemed to be taciturn. However, Cunningham was obviously reserved, while Matthews was cold, a bit like the little prince Prince?
Darren Collison came up to Zhang Yang warmly and hugged him, saying, "Oh, Jack, I never thought that we could be teammates one day. You were different from us in high school. When I was in 12th grade, you were the best player in California in just your second year. I never thought that you would still be different from others in the NBA..."

The two chatted for a while, and then three more people came, Afflalo, Ibaka, and Alan Anderson.

Collison greeted Afflalo enthusiastically again.

Afflalo has some of the characteristics of Los Angeles players, such as being cold on the outside but sassy on the inside. He hugged Collison with a look of disgust, and then introduced Ibaka and Alan Anderson to him.

Afflalo and Darren Collison are real old teammates. In the 05-06 season and 06-07 season, they jointly built the backcourt barrier of UCLA and were known as the strongest backcourt defensive combination in the NCAA. But unfortunately, they fell under the iron hoof of the twin towers of Noah and Horford in both years and only won one runner-up and one semi-final.

Although Zhang Yang and Afflalo were on the same team for a year, Zhang Yang only served as a sparring partner for Afflalo a few times.

After Zhang Yang and the other four exchanged greetings, they asked, "Aren't we preparing for the summer league? Why are you here?"

Afflalo: “I’m leading the team this year.”

Ibaka: "The coach asked me to play more games and practice more. My playing time may increase next season."

Alan Anderson: "I heard that there are many European and Chinese teams in the summer league to select players. I want to give it a try."

The first two ignored it. Zhang Yang was surprised by what the bag-carrying man said and asked, "Didn't Bernie say he would provide you with a contract?"

Alan Anderson explained: "It has nothing to do with them. Bernie said he would renew my contract at the party after the finals, but you know, I am no longer a member of the main rotation. If I stay in the team, I will only get the minimum salary. I am hesitating whether to go to Europe or China to seek gold. The salary there is higher, and it is all after-tax, and I can get more playing time."

Zhang Yang looked up at the ceiling, sighed, and asked, "Have you told the boss?"

Alan Anderson: "I didn't dare, I was afraid he would beat me up. It was he who helped me get the contract that Bernie promised me in advance that day."

Zhang Yang: "Then you will probably get beaten up, but it's not bad to go to the Eurasian league to make money. It's really uncomfortable to have no playing time. You will improve faster with more playing time. Maybe you can become a starter when you come back?"

Alan Anderson: "I will definitely be back!"

...

On the Bobcats, Zhang Yang's best teammate, besides Felton, is not Okafor and Hill, but Alan Anderson. The three are from the same class and have sat on the bench together.

Although he understood Alan Anderson's choice, Zhang Yang still felt uncomfortable. After the conversation, he felt uncomfortable in training and simply stopped training. He went to help senior Afflalo coach the rookies.

Vincent and Randy Brown led the team to the summer league this summer. The two let Afflalo lead the team, probably to train his abilities. If nothing unexpected happens, Afflalo will serve as the leader of the second team next season.

But just pushing Afflalo, who was on the edge of the rotation in the early part of last season and whose playing time gradually stabilized in the middle period, out to lead the new players...it would be better to let Collison, who graduated as a senior and served as the captain of the school team for 3 years, lead himself.

With Zhang Yang's help, Afflalo's verbal performance was still poor, but at least he made the three rookies understand that the third young master was standing behind him.

By noon, other members of the summer league team, namely the undrafted players, development league players, and less capable veterans, also arrived at the Turkish Airlines Arena one after another.

The coaching staff did not arrange any social tasks for Afflalo and they started training directly in the afternoon. Zhang Yang, together with Tellem who brought Matthews, went to AJ's studio to see his two new combat boots.

'The Four Generations of Zhang and Yang' is pretty standard, just an ordinary-looking one.

Another 'Double MVP Special Edition', Zhang Yang was very happy but at the same time he had mixed feelings.

Bright purple base with mountain cat orange pattern, and a fierce cat pattern on the toe. When the cat stomps its feet, the cat's eyes will glow red. It's sexy enough, but even if the designer of Mountain Cannon adds a KO.1 on the outside of the sneaker? Don't say it, he likes it very much... but he also feels a strong sense of shame. Just like the All-Star Special Edition and the 08 Olympic Special Edition, this time only more than 2000 pairs of numbered ones are prepared. The person in charge of AJ said that since the tone of "limited edition" has been set, it will continue and be sold as a "financial product". The price is also set higher than the 08 model.

This can better distinguish it from the regular style. After all, this kind of fancy shoes covers a much smaller customer base. The real promotion this summer is the "Zhang Yang Fourth Generation".

I have seen the samples of the 'Zhang Yang Fourth Generation' a long time ago. The 'Double MVP Special Edition' is a surprise and there is nothing to choose from. I will just wear the shoes during training to see if they fit my feet. I will wear them during promotional activities. It is his own job to break in the shoes for the new season.

The main task today is to work on the work flow. First, there will be two local promotional activities in the Carolina area, followed by domestic promotion, then a trip to Europe, and finally back to Los Angeles, where there will also be promotional activities.

After defeating the Lakers and winning the championship, he went to Los Angeles for promotion. For other stars, the shoe companies would not dare to do this, but Zhang Yang is an exception. After defeating the Lakers and winning the championship, his popularity in the Greater Los Angeles area increased again. However, the Bobcats successfully took over the Bulls and became the second most hated team by Los Angeles residents.

After checking the procedures, Zhang Yang went home and discussed with his family. Zhang's father was busy with work this summer and had no time to return home. Zhang's mother wanted to take Xiao Wukong back to his hometown to show off. It would be a shame if she didn't go back once a year. Xiao Biao Biao also wanted to visit the legendary oriental country. After confirming the time to return home, Zhang's mother contacted the consulate in Washington to get visas for Xiao Wukong and Xiao Biao Biao...

Zhang Yang took a day off and continued his nine-to-five training work the next morning.

On the 6th, when the Bobcats summer league team left Charlotte for Orlando, Zhang Yang also started his offseason business activities.

This was his fourth time, and he was already familiar with the work process. He enthusiastically participated in it and interacted with the fans who came for him.

In a flash, 20 days passed. He went from Charlotte to Raleigh, then returned to China and traveled around Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and then went to Barcelona and Athens... Finally, he came to California, first went to Los Angeles, then San Francisco, and San Diego. Finally, on the evening of the 26th, he returned to the old house in Yinshan with his mother, Xiao Wukong, and Xiao Bitch.

Although he hadn't lived back for a long time, only Zhang's father and mother would come back occasionally, but the house was maintained by a cleaning company for a long time, so there was no noticeable change. Before he came back, he hired someone to clean the house and replaced the daily necessities, so he could just move in with his bags.

As soon as Zhang Yang entered the room, he collapsed on the sofa and didn't want to move. Although he was not opposed to commercial activities, as he had some money and fans who liked him, he traveled to 20 cities in 11 days. He could persist in the process, but after it was over, he just wanted to lie down and die.

However, when the little bitch talked about her experiences in China with Zhang Ma and Xiao Wukong, he still responded actively. Providing emotional value to each other is a necessary part of getting along, and he really wanted to understand her feelings.

His life was going smoothly. He flew back and forth, attended activities, lifted weights, and practiced shooting when he had time. As for the team, things were also going relatively well. Of course, there were some ups and downs, but there were also some unexpected surprises.

After Jack and Pietrus left the team, Juwan Howard also left the Bobcats and joined the Trail Blazers for 1 million a year; Magloire successfully returned to Canada and joined the Raptors with a one-year veteran minimum salary of 300 million. After his brother was shot and killed by a street gang, he always wanted to return to Canada to play, but the Raptors were not interested in him at that time. Now he can finally go back to be with his family.

Alan Anderson went to Europe halfway through the summer league. Afflalo, Collison and others helped him demonstrate his personal abilities in the summer league. He was spotted by the Serie A Milan Olimpico Club and was promised the status of a core scorer. He signed a one-year contract with 1 million euros after tax, which is equivalent to an annual salary of four to five million in the NBA.

05 One of the 'three benches' was missing, and Zhang Yang felt a little uncomfortable before returning to the team. Fortunately, when the sentimental emotions appeared, he was at work and it passed without any effort.

The performance of the three rookies did not disappoint. Zhang Yang learned from Afflalo that the one most liked by the coach and teammates was Cunningham, who was mature, introverted, not greedy for credit, and not competitive... But when the coaching staff assigned clear tasks, he tried his best to complete them.

Collison has excellent combat effectiveness and is not inferior to Curry in one-on-one competition. He is fully developed, has mature skills, a cheerful personality, and is also very popular with coaches and teammates.

Matthews...a man who truly makes a living by his own ability. He is the one among the three rookies who has adapted to the NBA three-point line the fastest.

According to the same agent, Tellem, other draft participants went out to play after the season ended and only started preparing for the draft at the end. Matthews was different. He returned to school the day after he was eliminated from the draft. He drew an NBA-standard three-point line on the school playground and started practicing shooting.

When Zhang Yang asked Tellem to sign Matthews, Tellem was extremely reluctant. He felt that with that kind of personality and slow technical progress during college, he would not be able to survive in the NBA and it would be a waste of time. However, a summer league changed Tellem's mind.

This gives Zhang Yang more confidence in the defending season. He does not ask the three rookies to do better than Jack, Pietrus and Hill in the regular season. As long as they do not fall behind when they come off the bench and can show some different characteristics, then it will not be a loss. If they can play a role in the playoffs after one season of training, then it will be a profit.

The problem was that Boss Joe didn't get the medical expenses for his ribs, Artest rejected a one-year mid-level contract, reached an agreement with the Mavericks to join, and completed a sign-and-trade deal on July 1.

The Mavericks sent backup center Ryan Hollins, who averaged 3.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game last season, and Stackhouse's partially guaranteed contract expiring next season, to the Warriors in a sign-and-trade for Artest, who signed a three-year, $3 million contract.

After the Warriors acquired Stackhouse, they immediately cut him to save money. Their target was Hollins, the backup center, who was their first serious center in several years.

Zhang Yang analyzed that the main reason why Artest did not come was because of money. Three years and $3 million is the highest average contract Artest has ever received in his career. The last contract was a six-year, $2100 million contract signed in 03. At the beginning of next season, Artest will be 6 years old. At this time, he must strive for the biggest contract he can get.

In fact, if it was Artest, the Warriors were willing to give up the "2010 Plan" and give him a long-term contract, but they couldn't afford it and had no space. Jordan also complained that he wanted to use Mike Miller's expiring contract to exchange for Artest, and he would be willing to pay him an extra 200 million yuan in annual salary, but the Warriors had to agree.

The character of a mad scientist is that when things are not going well for him, it doesn't matter whether it is beneficial to him or not. He will feel much more comforted when others are unhappy. The Lakers wanted to trade Ariza + draft pick for Artest, but were rejected.

And the surprise...

Before returning to China, Zhang Yang called Marion. He didn't say anything else, just exchanged pleasantries. He had to wait for Artest to give a clear answer before he could make an invitation.

As a result, before he finished his work, after the media revealed that Artest rejected Jordan's invitation, Marion took the initiative to contact the management to apply for a tryout!
Beel curiously asked Marion why he chose them instead of waiting for their invitation.

Marion smiled and replied: "Jack was the first superstar to call me this summer."

During the tryout, Marion revealed a lot of problems. He hadn't played well for a year and a half, and many of his skills showed signs of being abandoned. His physical fitness also declined a lot due to his age and lack of enthusiasm for training for a long time. However, Bickerstaff was most worried about his mentality. Marion was not as depressed as rumored. He was highly enthusiastic and positive during the tryout... Then Bickerstaff called a psychologist over, worried that Marion was two-sided.

Fortunately, it was confirmed in the end that Marion just had the opportunity to rejoin a strong team and get the respect of the MVP superstar, which rekindled his passion for basketball, not that his depression worsened. After discussion, the three bald men signed a 1+1 contract with Marion, with the full middle class of the second year team option, and agreed that both the team and the player have the right to terminate the contract at any time, and prepare to have a psychologist on standby for the new season...

Five teammates left and four new teammates came. Their strength is not bad. Mainly because of the draft. I was lucky to encounter a great year for the draft, so no matter how I choose, it will not be a bad choice.

And Perkins did not opt ​​out of the last year of his $400 million contract, which is very important to them.

Zhang Yang knew the reason why Perkins exercised his player option - the endorsement fees Zhang San earned from following him were higher than his salary. This guy looked depressed and miserable, but in fact he was very cunning. Every time he went out, he would stand behind him in a suit, which pleased his fans very much.

The roster has been completed with 14 players. The next step is to find a backup veteran, who may be a point guard or a center. Zhang Yang doesn't care about this. If there is a trade, he will pay attention to it. After resting for two nights, on the 28th, he and Da Luo and Erha, who came to Yinshan, started to receive special training from the legendary trainer Grove in the private gym they rented...

(End of this chapter)