Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 382 On the Eve of the World Championships

On August 7th, TX Sports launched a special edition column on the Men's Basketball World Cup.

The program opened with an interview with renowned commentators, including Duan Ran, Yang Yi, Su Qun, and Du Feng, serving as a pre-major assessment of the national team.

From record to player configuration, from coach to tactics, the inevitable topic eventually came down to whether Chen Wang would play or not.

Only Duan Ran can answer this question, since Duan Ran is currently Chen Fang's personal reporter.

The scene where all the reporters were stopped at that summer league match, except for Chen Fang who waved Duan Ran over, is still vivid in my mind.

"First of all, I want to clarify a fact for Chen Fang: whether before or after the injury, including after the surgery, Chen Wang never said anything like he wouldn't participate."

"From beginning to end, Chen and Wang have been actively preparing for this World Championships held on home soil, but the problem is that the ankle injury makes it difficult for them to say with certainty that they can participate."

"This is not something that can be controlled by humans. Rehabilitation is related to one's entire career. It is not something that can be decided by the individual alone. The team, the team, and the attending physician all need to make an agreement based on the rehabilitation progress."

After Duan Ran clarified, Yang Yi, as if performing a crosstalk routine, said, "That's right, that makes sense."

"The question now is, how far can the Chinese national team go without Chen Wang? Coach Du, can you analyze this for the netizens from a coach's perspective?" Su Qun, as the host of today's interview, controlled the pace of the entire session.

Du Feng came prepared. He lost the competition and appeared amicable on the surface, but no one knows what he was really thinking. Inviting him today was also a gimmick for the event.

"The difference between having Prince Chen and not having Prince Chen is like heaven and earth." Du Feng's very first sentence was an extremely ambitious statement.

They all chuckled to themselves, bracing themselves to see what Du Feng would say next.

"Chen Wang's level is currently the highest in the basketball world, there's no doubt about that, right?" Du Feng said first, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"He can play from position 1 to position 4. His perimeter defense and help defense are both top-notch, and his help defense inside is also excellent."

"It can be said that he is currently the highest-level ball-handling core player in the NBA. The Clippers are very different with or without him."

"So if Chen Wang returns to the national team, many of our problems will be solved, and there will be no more anxiety about breaking the press or crossing the halfway line."

"When Chen Wang has the ball, any team must use a double-team strategy to deal with it. Trying to defend him one-on-one is almost suicidal."

“Yeah, if even Leonard can’t handle it, then it’s hard to imagine anyone else being able to,” Yang Yi laughed.

Du Feng, realizing that someone was interrupting, paused for a moment before continuing, "This creates a much more relaxed environment for the coach's tactics. A lot of open three-pointers and cuts can be achieved. It's not an exaggeration to say that you don't even need tactics. A simple back-cut and outside bounce can score."

“Things like bull horns and diamonds are completely unnecessary.”

Duan Ran nodded in agreement: "Tactics are created to be a powerful means of establishing a balance of power. If the strength of the two sides is vastly different, there is no need for tactics at all."

"Now let's talk about what we should do if Prince Chen is unable to make it due to his injury?" Su Qun asked.

Du Feng smiled and said, "At present, we can only try to qualify by relying on Li Kaier, who was just conceded by Yi He, and by taking advantage of our home court."

"Coach Du, do you think qualifying will be difficult?" Yang Yi keenly seized on the key words and interjected.

Du Feng nodded, having failed to secure the position through the competitive selection process. The Basketball Association cited his perceived unfairness and accusations of nepotism for favoritism, particularly his overuse of Guangdong-affiliated players. In contrast, Li Nan was considered more selfless and his personnel decisions were seen as conducive to team unity.

He disagreed with this point. He believed that this system was very effective in the CBA, so naturally, the original lineup was needed to demonstrate its fighting power. Using players from other clubs to fill the gaps would only make the system better.

Moreover, with Chen Wang around, he wasn't worried about his grades being bad at all, so being rejected in the end made him very uncomfortable.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have accepted the invitation to participate in this interview; he needed to find a place to vent his anger.

"Both Poland and Venezuela are very good teams. Although they don't have NBA players, their overall strength is stronger than China's."

"We have a chance to win, but it depends on the process and the current situation."

Du Feng stated that even with Li Kaier, the national team would still face difficulties in beating Poland without Chen Wang.

A month and a half ago, this view would have been controversial, but in recent warm-up matches, the national team has lost most of the games. Without Yi Jianlian, their competitiveness is very low, and they are at a disadvantage in most situations.

Even fans know that this national team lacks players with consistent performance; everyone will show their true level on the field, with a high floor and a low ceiling.

The next topic was the final 12-man roster. Everyone discussed the problems exposed in the warm-up games this month. Du Feng, as the coach, also shared his views from the perspective of tactical personnel selection.

"Zhou Qi is a consistent player at center."

"Wang Zhelin and Shen Zijie's performance is inconsistent, sometimes good and sometimes bad."

"Hu Jinqiu is an unexpected player; he is the most consistent inside player besides Zhou Qi."

"In the outside, Zhao and Zhao are very stable, Guo Ailun has always been a weapon to break the press, now it's Sun Minghui and Fang Shuo who are showing signs of being eliminated."

"As for the forwards, Xiaochuan and Abu are the two consistent players. One has a three-point shot and the other has the ability to score inside. Both of them are good defenders. Other players have more or less weaknesses."

As Du Feng commented, the group started counting on their fingers. Yang Yi spoke first: "That means there are 7 stable players, and there are still two spots in competition."

"Yes, guards, forwards, and centers, it depends on Coach Li's choices."

“Yi is an inside player, and the current mainstream is to bring 3-4 inside players. It seems that Hu Jinqiu and Shen Zijie are competing for one spot.” Yang Yi began to chat.

“We’re bringing five guards: Zhao, Zhao, and Guo Ailun. If Chen and Wang can make it to the start of the season at the end of August, there will be a maximum of one spot, so we’ll have to choose between Sun Minghui and Fang Shuo.”

"Isn't that right?" Yang Yi seemed to be asking everyone for confirmation, but he was actually talking to himself.

"The same goes for the forward line. Besides Abu and Ogawa, who will be the third?"

"Ren Junfei and Liu Zhixuan will compete for the last spot."

The conversation had come to an end here, and Su Qun concluded the discussion. Once the cameras and earpieces were turned off, the four of them returned to their true selves and began to speak their minds.

"Duan Ran, is Prince Chen really able to make it back in time?" Du Feng asked as soon as he opened his mouth.

Duan Ran nodded. He knew that Du Feng was unwilling to accept this, and even maliciously speculated that the other party was hoping that Chen Wang would not catch up.

"Yes, Prince Chen is recovering very well and will be back soon."

"That's great news." Everyone laughed, including Du Feng. He was conflicted, but he still hoped for a historic breakthrough on home soil, which was the best opportunity since the 08 Olympics.

Yi is no longer young, and this is probably his last chance to participate in a world-class competition.

Moreover, he has already received Yi's application to try again in the NBA, and the club has shifted its recruitment focus from forwards and guards to prioritizing a high-quality foreign center.

Deep down, Du Feng hopes Yi Jianlian can achieve his dream and continue his NBA career.

At the same time, he was also clear that Chen Fang was the key figure in this process; without him, the Clippers would not have given Yi a chance at all.

Next season is the year for player contract renewals, so how can we not take good care of Chen Fang?

Domestic and international clubs are all fundamentally the same. Du Feng can imagine that Yi's contract is just a matter of a word from Chen Wang.

Just as Yi Jianlian highly values ​​Zhao Rui, which is why Zhao Rui quickly became the core of the Guangdong team with rocket-like speed. Of course, this is also related to Zhao Rui's own strong ability.

Thinking about Zhao Rui's relationship with Chen Wang, and recalling that autumn four years ago, Du Feng felt regret and remorse.

If Chen Fang had watched the video recording more carefully back then, he wouldn't have missed it.

As if by fate, in the blink of an eye, it was time for Chen Fang to decide the fate of the national team members.

"Coach Du?" Duan Ran called out when he saw Du Feng lost in thought.

"Um, sorry, I just remembered something." Du Feng smiled to cover it up.

Su Qun patted Du Feng on the shoulder understandingly. Du Feng is very capable, but also very stubborn and demanding. He is a good coach, but not the first choice for the national team.

What a pity, what a pity.

Although he felt regretful, he smiled and said, "We'll have to rely on Coach Du a lot for the next broadcast."

"Let's help each other." Du Feng also recovered. TX Sports had exclusively bought the online broadcasting rights and had already hired him as a commentator. Now that it was the off-season, why wouldn't he be happy to do it? If he could get a kick out of someone, that would be a great thing.

"Three years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the Tokyo Olympics are just around the corner," Su Qun remarked, while Du Feng looked dejected.

As long as he advances to the knockout stage, let alone the quarterfinals, he'll be guaranteed a spot in the round of 16, and his position will be very secure. In that case, he'll have even less of a chance in the upcoming Olympics.

Whether or not we can get a ticket to the Olympics is something that everyone simply ignores. No joke, even without Chen and Wang, we are still confident that we can achieve the best result in Asia.

Everyone knows the strength of Japan, South Korea, and Iran; they are certainly not as strong as China.

Not to mention countries like the Philippines and Jordan. "Now we're just waiting for King Chen to return," Du Feng sighed in relief.

On August 10, Chen Fang posted a selfie on Twitter after getting off the plane, with the caption: "Going to the world stage to see what good jobs are available!"
This tweet immediately sparked countless comments, and even with comment restrictions set, Chen Fang still had many friends.

Harden and DeRozan both left messages wishing their brother Chen Fang a successful game, while Kobe's message was very much in line with his usual image.

"Don't think you've got it all figured out, Team America, Chen Wang is here."

This made Chen Fang burst into laughter, and he immediately replied to Kobe's comment: Yes, I hope to meet Jason.

Jayson Tatum, a member of the US national team, replied with a frustrated emoji to express his inner distress.

The members of this US team are not the best in the NBA. There is no one who is the biggest star. They are all about the same level. Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Donovan Mitchell can only be considered All-Star level, not superstars.

In contrast, Serbia's Jokic, China's Chen Wang, and Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo are actually the biggest stars in this tournament.

Whether they can lead the team to the end is also a major suspense in this World Championship.

In China, the news was shared almost instantly, and numerous media outlets excitedly announced to fans: King Chen is back!
The previous slump in morale during the warm-up matches was swept away, and the fans immediately went wild. Countless people left comments under the news, and some even started posting pictures to show off their tickets.

Overnight, the price of tickets for China's three group stage matches skyrocketed several times on the black market, and it is still rising wildly.

Scalpers are hoarding all their tickets, preparing to make a killing.

The news of Chen Fang's return to China was a shot in the arm, instantly exciting the media and fans. Even the Basketball Association's Weibo account posted a message: "Welcome home, King Chen!"
These six simple characters carry profound meaning, marking the first time Chen Fang's nickname has been officially recognized, publicly expressing respect for him.

This also means that Chen Fang has been officially recognized as the number one player in Chinese basketball and the undisputed core of the national team.

Accompanying him were Yi and Li Kaier.

Yi Zhuanji first returned to Guangdong, and Kyle also went to his hometown of Shenzhen. Chen Fang happily boarded the Lu family's private plane, then transferred to Jinan to return to Nanyang.

By the time domestic media learned of his return, Chen Fang already had one foot in his house.

Having not returned for a year, Chen Fang felt happy to see his parents looking even younger. However, seeing his mother cuddling Wu Zi and asking after her well-being, and his father busy in the kitchen while he was alone in the living room, he felt awkward.

Fortunately, his mother had a kind heart and glanced at him, saying, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and close the door."

"Okay!" Chen Fang was pleased to receive his mother's greeting and happily dragged his two suitcases into the house.

The previous home was uninhabitable. After Chen Fang became famous, the neighborhood became a popular spot for taking photos, which annoyed the neighbors, not to mention Chen Fang's parents.

With Wang Zhen's help, they found a newly developed villa area in Nanyang and bought a large detached villa that was almost an acre in size.

Facing north and south, with a garden and pond, the environment is quite private and tranquil.

We hired a maid, mainly because the house is too big and we can't keep up with the cleaning. But knowing that our son is coming back, we let the maid rest, mainly because we don't want outsiders to disturb our happy family reunion.

"How long will you be staying this time?" Chen Fang's mother asked after he dragged his luggage into the bedroom and returned to the living room.

"Three days at most, I have to rush back to Beijing soon," Chen Fang answered honestly.

"Three days is enough." The mother was content, knowing that her son's return was to bring glory to the country, a major event, and how could his parents hold him back?

"Is your foot all better?" Father poked his head out from the kitchen.

"Yes, I can walk and jump." Chen Fang didn't want his parents to worry. At present, he could only be considered to be very close to the intensity of the competition. He was going to Laoshan in Qingdao in a couple of days to have his master give him some treatment.

Having experienced both Chinese and Western cultures, Chen Fang couldn't distinguish between them; he could only say that they each had their own strengths.

The family was overjoyed, and on the fifteenth of August, Chen Fang went to Beijing with two suitcases and another person with him.

"Junior Uncle!" This person was named Zhang Siyu, a grandson of Master Zhao and an apprentice skilled in massage and nursing. He was assigned to Chen Fang as his personal masseur.

"Brother Zhang, please don't call me that in public, it's really embarrassing for me." Chen Fang said it several times, but Zhang Siyu was a blockhead and insisted on seniority.

"No, if my master finds out, he'll blame me." Zhang Siyu shook her head and refused.

Chen Fang sighed. Zhang Siyu was actually a Taoist priest with a license plate. He had been in the temple since he was a child and had learned excellent massage skills. If it weren't for the special circumstances this time, the old man might not have been willing to give him up.

After a series of examinations, the old man felt that Chen Fang's ankle was not completely healed. Just like last time, forcing things would inevitably come at a price. So after Chen Fang's surgery, the old man also felt guilty, feeling that his skills were limited and he had not fulfilled his responsibilities, causing Chen Fang to suffer and almost ruining a major event.

So sending this little expert in bone-setting to the national team is a way of protecting Chen Fang.

It was already evening when we arrived in Beijing, but all the leaders, big and small, were already there at the entrance of the National Basketball Association Center.

As soon as Chen Fang got out of the car, he saw Wang Xuan walking over with a smile and quickly went to greet him.

"Sir, Chen Fang requests to return to the team."

"Okay, we're just waiting for you to start the meal." Wang Xuan's words had a double meaning, and he held onto Chen Fang's hand tightly.

"Coach!" Upon seeing Fan Bin, Chen Fang immediately became respectful and went up to give him a hug.

The word "coach" made Li Nan, who was standing next to him, twitch the corner of his mouth slightly, while Wang Xuan nodded with a smile.

Everyone says Chen Fang cherishes old friendships, and sure enough, his attitude changed immediately upon seeing Fan Bin. That's what a true master and disciple should be like.

"It's good that you're back!" Fan Bin was very happy. He knew why he had been called here, but seeing Chen Fang like this made him feel especially pleased.

After some initial reluctance, they still agreed to the meal. At the table, Chen Fang, though not a drinker, acted like a seasoned veteran, making the leaders present laugh heartily, creating a very lively atmosphere.

During the post-meal tea time, everyone who was not needed was dismissed except for Fan Bin.

"This is the 12-man roster for the national team, take a look." Li Nan handed the printed announcement of the national men's basketball team to Chen Fang.

Chen Fang skimmed through the text, then nodded: "I will obey the head coach's arrangements."

Li Nan was very happy. He didn't know that the list was actually arranged by Chen Fang at Yao's behest. But Yao was very capable. Through several rounds of maneuvering, he made Li Nan feel involved and involved in the decision-making process, which boosted Li Nan's confidence in coaching.

With the banquet's objectives achieved, Wang Xuan got up and left. Li Nan, naturally, followed suit, leaving only Fan Bin and Chen Fang inside.

"It feels like a dream. Four years have passed, and I'm back here again."

Fan Bin also remarked that Chen Fang is no longer the unknown figure he was four years ago, but the hope of the whole country.

Just like Yao Ming at the 08 Olympics, he carried the hope of achieving a historic result.

They exchanged a smile, and everything was understood without words.

"Coach, come help me in the national team in the future."

Fan Bin waved his hand as if he had been electrocuted: "No, don't drag me into this mess."

"I'm here, so it's not like I'm in a hellhole, is it?" Chen Fang didn't expect Fan Bin to be so resistant.

"I'm not going anyway." Fan Bin shook his head so hard it was like seeing a ghost.

"Sigh." Seeing this, Chen Fang understood, and then Fan Bin explained, "There's nothing to gain from this, it's all trouble. If you really care about me, you should give up this idea."

"I'll listen to the coach." Chen Fang had only a small wish, but he gave up when he realized it wasn't realistic.

"You've just arrived, so get some rest. I won't be involved in the rest of the events." Fan Bin was genuinely a bit intimidated. Although it was his apprentice's good intention, he felt he couldn't accept it and immediately wanted to back down.

Actually, Chen Fang had just realized that some members of the national team still have conflicts with Fan Bin. Guo Ailun has a lot of opinions about this, and Fan Bin's decision not to come is also due to his deep concerns.

Not long after Fan Bin left, Andy arrived with Buson and Sun Lexian.

Chen Fang washed his face and cheered himself up.

"Don't even think about going to bed early tonight." That was Andy's first sentence upon meeting.

“That’s right, let this guy experience how much we’ve suffered this month,” Sun Lexian said with a snort, sporting panda eyes.

"This month has been really tough, you have to make it up to me." Even Buson, who is usually easy to talk to, looked exhausted.

"I know. Come on, let's have the four of us plan this out." Chen Fang was in high spirits, as if he had returned to the tense and exciting days of the playoffs.

He needs to quickly grasp the system Andy has built for the national team and become familiar with every change in order to cope with all kinds of extreme situations.

Tonight, I will not sleep.

(End of this chapter)