Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 377 Fighting Every Corner of the Alliance

Despite his limited mobility, he was in a hurry.

On July 1st, just as the free market officially opened and stirred up a storm, Chen Fang was busy preparing for the national team's first closed-door warm-up match.

Although he only needs to speak, he is required to coordinate and entertain various parties.

Li Kai'er's reunion with the national team is necessary.

USC needs him.

Butler's recruitment process will undoubtedly begin and end with him.

On this day, their feet didn't even touch the ground.

At 9 a.m., Li Kaier arrived at Panshi, where Yao, who had arrived earlier, was already waiting for him at the door.

Many details are handled by the agent; this meeting with the national team is just the first time on the field.

Yao was very enthusiastic, exchanging pleasantries with Li Kaier in English, while Chen Fang stood by, smiling silently.

In this life, Li Kai'er's plans are no longer "clear in stages but vague in the long term." Chen Fang's appearance has given Li Kai'er a strong interest and expectation in joining the Chinese national team and competing in international events.

In terms of costs, it will no longer be the bizarre arrangement where one CBA league pays the money and the Basketball Association compensates them later.

There are no fees involved; it is entirely voluntary.

But Li Kaier received even more benefits than before.

First, Chen Fang promised that the Clippers would definitely be his next destination, but the specific time would depend on the circumstances.

In addition, Nike has signed a contract with Li Kaier for endorsements, with the non-sports brand endorsement fee expected to exceed 1000 million yuan per year. This is a deep commitment to the Chinese market, and the benefits of endorsement and status will continue to be released.

As for how much benefit can be gained from this plan, it depends on how much chemistry can be generated between Li Kaier and Chen Fang.

This is why Li Kai'er is so proactive; at this time of year in any other year, he would have already gone on vacation.

Ultimately, they're all after money.

Next, Chen Fang met with the leaders and coaches of the national team. With Yao Ming accompanying him, Chen Fang was able to pick up his former boss.

The USC bus pulled into the campus, and Chen Fang, leaning on his cane, waited at the entrance. Andy was the first to get off the bus. He laughed and went up to help Chen Fang.

"When did I become so influential?"

“Dad, even if Xiao Hua came, I wouldn’t be like this.” Chen Fang’s words made the old man smile.

Afterwards, Chen Fang greeted the assistant coaches, including Buson. Thanks to the championship three years ago, the entire coaching staff had not left; in fact, a few more people had joined.

Chen Fang also maintains interaction with his former team, and the sponsorship each year is always extra generous.

In his first year in the NBA, Chen Fang donated $50 to USC, of ​​which $20 went to the team and $30 went to the school.

By the second year, the amount had reached 150 million, and the ratio remained the same.

On the first day after winning the championship this year, Chen Fang donated 300 million to the school. This year's championship parade also chose Garen from USC as the final stop. All of these actions are enough to express his feelings.

The school, of course, is even more adept at networking. With its vast alumni network, it unconditionally paved the way for Chen Fang. Don't underestimate these intangible resources; in the United States, the power of a school is enough to rival that of the government.

This is essentially paying protection money, but not everyone is eligible to pay it, and the amount you pay varies depending on your status.

For example, even if a Chinese student at USC pays ten million or a hundred million, the school may not necessarily value him highly, while Chen Fang, even with only a few million, is treated with high standards by the school.

A valuable exchange is an extension of positive value.

This time, Chen Fang simply expressed his wish, and both the school and the team agreed immediately, even letting Chen Fang decide the timing.

Chen Fang noticed Wu Zhen's serious expression and called out to him.

After everyone else left, Chen Fang said, "Don't blame me for giving you special treatment. I told Andy that your playing time for this game cannot be less than 25 minutes."

Wu Zhen froze, followed by a palpable tension.

"What's there to be nervous about? Is playing for the national team such an exaggerated thing?" Chen Fang certainly understood why Wu Zhen was nervous, but he insisted on pointing it out.

"Yes," Wu Zhen admitted instead.

"Have confidence in yourself, in the team, and in the coach." Chen Fang patted Wu Zhen on the shoulder: "Don't think about anything else. This is not your chance to join the national team, but it is the best opportunity for you to take your confidence to the next level."

"understood."

"Smile, don't be serious, it's not time to tense up yet." Chen Fang has given the opportunity; whether Wu Zhen can seize it is up to him.

The NBA is much more brutal; in competitive sports, elimination is achieved through a series of important games.

Upon entering the court, Chen Fang sat between Yao Ming and Kyle, and asked with a smile, "What are you chatting about?"

“We were talking about tracing our roots,” Kyle explained.

"To put it bluntly, it's about a sense of identity. Kyle, the defining characteristic of the Chinese people is inclusiveness. You'll find that, compared to the United States, we place more emphasis on core resonance." Chen Fang's words resonated deeply with Kyle.

“When I was tracing my roots in Shenzhen, I already had this feeling: in China, there is a stronger sense of ritual and inheritance in connecting people’s ancestral lineages,” Kyle replied.

Sitting next to Yao was Wang Xuan, who turned to Chen Fang and asked, "How strong is this team?"

"To be honest with the boss, although UCS didn't make it to the tournament this year, it was just bad luck. In ESPN's D1 power rankings, USC is ranked in the top 30."

"Benny (#31) and Nick (#33) were selected to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team of the PCA-12 league, respectively. Add to that Kyle (#21), the 30th pick this year, and this team is actually quite strong," Chen Fang explained in detail.

This is also laying the groundwork, providing a guiding perspective for future plans.

Wang Xuan nodded. Actually, his core goal was to meet Chen Fang, but this year's World Championships were also the core of his work. In his mind, it was wrong for the national team to lose to the university team.

That's why he asked about the team's level, which reveals that he overestimates the national team's strength and is afraid that their level is not high enough, thus wasting time.

But ten minutes later, he realized he was terribly wrong.

Because it was a closed warm-up match, there were no reporters or media present, which saved a lot of tedious formalities. The match started quickly at the signal of the hired referee who was qualified as an international referee.

China's starting lineup is: Zhou Qi, Yi Jianlian, Zhai Xiaochuan, Zhao Rui, and Zhao Jiwei.

This was Li Nan's preferred starting lineup, and with Chen Fang and other leaders observing from the sidelines, he dared not be careless in the slightest.

On the USC side, Andy, under Chen Fang's instructions, also fielded his full starting lineup.

211的尼克、208的本尼、201的乔丹亚瑟、198的小凯文、190的马修斯。

Andy immediately took the lead in half-court defense, tightly marking the Chinese backcourt line, while Matthews and Kevin Jr. each took the lead in defending Zhao Rui and Zhao Jiwei.

Within the first two minutes, they forced two mistakes from China.

In terms of both physical strength and talent, Zhao Jiwei and Zhao Chunwei were completely outmatched, especially Zhao Jiwei, who couldn't even get the ball down when defended by the 190cm tall Matthews.

Zhao Rui, who wanted to provide support, was tightly locked down by Kevin. Under the senior's hint, he knew that today's game was very important, and he dared not be perfunctory.

A 7-0 start.

USC capitalized on two turnovers and gifted away a three-pointer.

A red-faced Li Nan called a timeout. Today's timeouts are unlimited; call as many as you want, no limit.

Guo Ailun replaced Zhao Jiwei, and the effect was immediate.

Facing Matthews, Guo Ailun can use his speed and rhythm to safely cross half-court.

China began tactical movement, with Yi Jianlian and Zhou Qi taking turns setting screens and picks at the high post, while the guards were always ready to receive passes on the high wing.

Having gathered intelligence on China, Andy had made ample arrangements for Yi. He had the strong Benny guard Yi closely and front him, determined not to give Yi any chance to get the ball. On the defensive end, he implemented a targeted defense, using a 2-3 zone defense, focusing on protecting the rim in the paint.

Ultimately, with only 24 seconds left on the shot clock, the Chinese team could only end the game with a hasty shot from Zhai Xiaochuan.

USC's offensive and defensive pace is very fast. Two passes have already sent the ball to the three-point line. Kevin Durant has the ball and faces Zhao Rui, who is retreating on defense. He accelerates and cuts in. After pushing past Zhao Rui's physical contact, he faces Zhou Qi and scores a high rebound, changing the score to 9-0.

Not only Wang Xuan, but Yao was also getting restless. He said to Chen Fang, "USC truly deserves to be a championship-winning team."

"It'll do," Chen Fang replied casually.

The game continued, and Yi moved to the outside to receive the ball. With the ball spread out, he used a shooting fake to knock up Benny, then drove into the paint. Facing the Nick's rim protection, he not only dunked the ball but also drew a foul.

A brilliant 2+1 play instantly revived the Chinese team's demoralized spirits.

Lee Kerr exclaimed, "He still has the ability to play in the NBA."

"Yes." Chen Fang sighed. In fact, he had tried to get Yi back to the NBA. Yi is still in his prime. No matter how old he is, he averaged 18 points per game in the World Championships, making him stand out from the crowd.

However, Yi's body suffered a major setback in the 19-20 season when he ruptured his Achilles tendon, which completely ruined his career.

Chen Fang was unclear about the process, but the Achilles tendon is something that usually occurs during the aging process, so it was just a thought and he hadn't seriously considered it.

The game continued, with USC maintaining firm control of the pace of the game through high-intensity competition and fast-paced offense and defense. China could only be passively led by the nose, and both their offense and defense appeared extremely rigid.

Guo Ailun has the ability to protect the ball, but he lacks energy in positional play. In transition, his teammates often struggle to keep up with his pace, leaving him to fight alone and get surrounded and defeated.

Li Nan kept making changes and adjustments, but neither Fang Shuo nor Sun Minghui could cure this problem. This led to China relying too much on Yi Jianlian's performance in offense, resulting in a one-dimensional tactic and being countered by USC.

The first quarter finally ended, with the score at 29-17.

USC entered the second quarter with a 12-point lead.

Wang Xuan's expression was beyond terrible. He patted Yao, signaling to switch places with him.

Then he sat down next to Chen Fang and asked, "Is this a score reflecting normal skill levels?"

Faced with this question, Chen Fang didn't joke around; he answered seriously, "No."

He then explained in detail: "First of all, this is an encounter battle, where neither side knows anything about the other and they are playing at their own pace."

“USC plays a very American style of offense and defense, with a fast and strong pace. If the national team does not have the ability to cope with this kind of impact, it will play worse and worse.”

"But we will adapt and adjust, and I believe the score difference will not widen in the second quarter."

Chen Fang's words slightly improved Wang Xuan's expression, and the second quarter of the game began during their conversation.

Chen Fang glanced at the screen and saw that Wu Zhen was about to enter the arena.

Kyle Jr. moved up to small forward, Jordan Arthur was substituted, and Benny was also replaced by Aaron, who was 201cm tall.

Andy deployed a lineup of 4 small players and 1 big player, which shows he understands China's problems and wants to exploit the national team's slow pace to continue the offensive.

Isn't that too harsh...?

Chen Fang muttered to himself, realizing for the first time that he had gone a bit too far.

As predicted, the national team continued to be suppressed in the second quarter, forcing Li Nan to field four guards, forming a similar four-small-one-big lineup with Yi Jianlian to counter the attack.

But the quality was incomparable. At halftime, USC led 56-34, a difference of 22 points.

Chen Fang now understands that USC is really not bad; it's at least a guaranteed top 1 or top 30 school.

China has played against D1 twice before. One time was last July, when they played against Houston in the Summer League. The Red Team lost by 33 points, 53-86, and the opponent had already slowed down in the last quarter.

Another time was in 22, when they played a training game against the University of Alabama in Europe, losing by 12 points, 77-89.

Of course, at present, only the Houston game is known, but as a leader, I don't know the details. Compared to Houston, USC is a little weaker, after all, the latter has made it to March Madness for the past two years, reaching the top 32 last year and the top 16 this year.

However, in terms of attitude, USC is stronger. After all, Chen Fang is USC's most successful player. How could he not give his all when watching his juniors play?

During halftime, Chen Fang didn't go anywhere; he just sat there chatting with Li Kai'er.

"Are you a little disappointed?" Chen Fang asked with a smile.

Li Kai'er nodded. There was no need for him to beat around the bush with Chen Fang. He said bluntly, "His basic skills and physical condition are too poor."

"It's okay. The main problem is that we didn't bring out our strengths. If we had played, the situation would have been different."

"We can play? It shouldn't be a problem against UCS..." Li Kai'er's implication was that they weren't good enough for the international stage.

"I'm referring to the World Championships. If you watch a few more matches, you'll find that the Chinese national team will be completely different once they solve a few critical problems."

Seeing that Li Kaier didn't quite believe it, Chen Fang brought up the example of the 08 Olympics. After that, Li Kaier began to accept it.

The second half started quickly, and the national team's response did not change significantly. Their weaknesses could not be hidden, and Andy, the veteran, kept targeting them.

This is what a high-level coach is like. Strictly speaking, Li Nan is really weak among the national team coaches. He doesn't have the level of Guo or Du.

National team coaches need to be more versatile, not only in terms of tactical theory and on-field command, but also in terms of authority over the players.

Chen Fang could tell that apart from Yi Jianlian, who was still trying, the others had lost confidence in winning and were just going through the motions without putting their hearts into it.

Wu Zhen didn't perform well in the second quarter, but he started to shine in the second half. He fully integrated into Andy's tactical system, serving as a second playmaker and outside shooter.

With three three-pointers, two drives, and a spectacular fast break, he had already racked up a well-rounded stat line of 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal by the first half of the fourth quarter.

"What country is this from?" Yao couldn't help but ask.

“He’s from my hometown. Back when I was in Nanyang, he was the best high school student in Nanyang.” Chen Fang’s words surprised Wang Xuan.

“We came to the United States together, but he was delayed in Los Angeles for a year, so he is still playing in the NCAA.”

"Heroes emerge from among the young!" Wang Xuan exclaimed.

Yao watched very carefully for a while and began to nod: "The ball handling isn't very good, but it's enough. The positioning is very accurate, and the shots are decisive. Especially the defense, it's very good."

Yao said it was good because, so far, in the fourth quarter, Wu Zhen had defended almost all five guards on the national team and was also able to hold his own against forwards and guards.

Without a doubt, it is not at a disadvantage in terms of strength; it is visibly harder.

Chen Fang also took the opportunity to say a few more words: "He is currently averaging 6 points per game at USC, but that is in 15 minutes of playing time. In his junior year, this number will increase."

“After Kevin went to the NBA, he became the primary rotation player in this position, playing up to 20 minutes a game. I believe he can break into double digits.”

"Does he have a chance to make it to the NBA?" Wang Xuan suddenly asked, his eyes lighting up.

Surprisingly, Chen Fang shook his head, and Yao was also confused, thinking that Chen Fang was trying to sell himself.

"That's impossible. There are tons of guys like him in America. The summer league is starting soon, there are at least seven or eight hundred, if not a thousand."

"And in the Summer League, most of them don't even have two-way contracts."

Chen Fang's two sentences silenced Wang Xuan, while Yao and Li Kaiwen agreed that to get a contract in the NBA, excellent skills and physique are the foundation, and one must also have a unique specialty.

Five minutes later, the referee blew the final whistle.

92:68.

Chen Fang was not surprised by the score at all; however, the entire national team was devastated.

Chen Fang got up, leaned on his cane, and went to the USC bench. He greeted his juniors one by one, and then came to Andy.

"You're still got it!"

Andy smiled and said as if he had done something insignificant, "The level of Chinese head coaches is average, and I didn't put in much effort."

Buson coughed, but Chen Fang was already used to Andy's low emotional intelligence and said, "The facilities here are complete. You can leave after you finish your rehabilitation."

“No need, I don’t want to take up these kids’ time. They can go back to school to take the bus after the game, or they can just leave.” Andy was decisive and didn’t beat around the bush. As he spoke, the USC players had already picked up their bags and were ready to leave.

"Alright." Chen Fang didn't try to stop him, but Wu Zhen hesitated and leaned closer, asking in Chinese, "Am I just going to leave like this?"

"You still want to?" Chen Fang glanced at it and immediately understood.

"Don't bother with all that. By the time you get into the national team, all these people will be gone."

"China's future lies in the generation born between 00 and 05. You have five years to make that impact." Chen Fang's words were very insightful for Wu Zhen.

Chen Fang didn't have time to stay long. He greeted his superiors and Yao, but didn't say a word to Li Nan before leaving. Li Kai'er also took his leave.

In the blink of an eye, only the national team's thirty or so players remained on the entire stadium.

"Go back to the meeting!" Wang Xuan's expression turned cold, and he turned and left.

Yao patted Li Nan comfortingly. Chen Fang's plan was going smoothly, but the process was really cruel, and Yao couldn't be indifferent.

In fact, Chen Fang did have important business to attend to; he was rushing to the Clippers Center to see Butler.

As for leaving without saying a word, it was also a way of putting pressure on the coaching staff and expressing dissatisfaction with the national team's performance in this match.

Based on this level, it's not enough to expect Chen and Wang to play in the World Championships despite their injured forwards.

Chen Fang wants to force the national team to reflect and prove themselves through their performance.

But Chen Fang made arrangements for the next five games, including the Summer League games. The basic requirement was to lose every game without any suspense.

It's a closed training tournament now. If we lose a few more games in the Summer League and get reporters to expose it, the public outcry will be too much for the Basketball Association to handle.

When the national team returns to China, Chen Fang will continue his rehabilitation in the United States, which will drag on until August. If Li Kai'er continues to adopt a wait-and-see attitude, the Basketball Association will probably have to go along with Yao's wishes.

This is called mutual screening, creating open cuts, and driving straight to the basket.

Lost in thought, the car arrived at its destination, where Mazura was waiting in the parking lot.

"Still negotiating?" Chen Fang asked.

"No, it's almost done. Butler said he's waiting for you."

This suited Butler's personality perfectly. Chen Fang, led by Mazura, arrived at the training ground.

As soon as I came in, I saw Lawrence, Wenger, and Rivers accompanying Butler as he touched and looked around.

Upon seeing Chen Fang arrive, the group dispersed, and Butler also suppressed his smile, giving him a cold look.

"Thank you all for your help. I'll take care of the reception now." Chen Fang cleared the area first, and then, after everyone had left the training ground, he said to Butler, "Don't try that. You're tough, and so am I."

"I can tell." Butler said, somewhat sullenly.

Judging from his expression, Chen Fang felt that Butler was still hesitant, and Lawrence's promise obviously didn't add much value to him.

“I’m a patient. I had social engagements with the national team this morning, and then I rushed back to recruit you at noon. What do you think I’m after?” Chen Fang dragged over a chair, slowly walked to the center of the court, and plopped down.

Not to be outdone, Butler walked to the sidelines and brought a chair, so the two sat down on the court, facing each other.

"I don't know, maybe you just enjoy socializing." Butler's tone was still unfriendly.

"Because I know that it's better for me to work hard now than to lose a game later and be ridiculed to my face." Chen Fang's words made Butler raise his eyebrows.

"Have you lost enough?" Chen Fang asked.

This made Butler lose face; he snorted coldly but didn't reply.

Chen Fang smiled and continued cutting.

"I don't think you have any. Otherwise, why would you go to the Heat? Do you expect the Heat to succeed? With Riley's mentality of wanting to pay in installments even for a dollar?"

"The Heat are really short-handed right now, and seeing you stop the Raptors in the playoffs to Game 7 made me think you're pretty good."

"Now I'm asking you, what guarantees do you have that we'll make it to the finals? In my opinion, even the Eastern Conference Finals aren't enough."

Butler remained silent, simply staring at Chen Fang with his cold, unyielding eyes.

"You are a big fish in this year's free market, but even bigger fish are already banding together."

"You mean Kawhi?" Butler asked.

"Yes, he's coming to the Lakers, he'll definitely come."

"Ha, then who's the boss?" Butler clearly didn't believe it, even though the hottest topic on social media today was Leonard's next destination, and the second hottest topic was him.

The Heat are in a panic, while he shut down his phone and went to Los Angeles without his agent's knowledge.

"These kinds of promises are never reliable. Both of them are old foxes. Only AD is the most pitiful." Chen Fang ruthlessly exposed the truth.

Butler nodded and said, "So, the Heat are the most stable option."

“Yes, I admit it too.” Chen Fang nodded.

"If you choose the Heat, you'll be comfortable for at least three years, and then things will start to get tough."

Butler chuckled: "King Chen, don't try to predict this like a witch."

Chen Fang shook his head and sighed, "Ha, I didn't predict anything. This is just the logic itself. Capitalists and workers only have a short honeymoon period followed by endless hostility."

"So the Clippers are Eden?" Butler retorted.

“Of course not, but the Clippers are more trustworthy than other teams.” Chen Fang continued, “The reason I chose the Clippers instead of the Lakers was because I understood this point.”

"The boss is not short of money, the management is not powerful, the head coach's reputation is obvious to all, and I am known for keeping my promises."

"The people who can endorse me are quite influential in the league. Even your brother Wade can. I just don't want to put him in a difficult position."

Butler's expression was unpredictable, clearly speechless after being rebuked by Chen Fang.

“I’m still young, but my brother is no longer at an age where he can afford to waste his time.”

"I don't like begging. If you want to build a dynasty with me, then come on."

"If you want to go to the Heat and become a local tyrant, I won't stop you. We'll cooperate again when you can't handle it anymore."

"Wait!" Butler suddenly reached out and stopped Chen Fang, asking in an extremely serious tone, "You just said we'd cooperate again in a few years?"

“Yes, what, you still have confidence in yourself? You're 35 years old, you're still as capable as ever.” Chen Fang replied without hesitation.

Butler's expression finally softened, and he looked Chen Fang up and down.

“Prince Chen, you are quite to my liking.”

"Thank you." Chen Fang stood up, supporting himself on the chair, trying to balance himself without his cane. He pointed to the basketball hoop in the distance.

"How about we conquer every corner of the league!"

"it is good!"

(End of this chapter)