The atmosphere is great, the roles are fitting, there are relatively ample opportunities to perform, and the coach nurtures the players... Finding the right team for a rookie is just too difficult.
The main issue is Yi Jianlian’s high draft expectations. If it hadn’t been for the diploma scandal, neither Conley nor Horford would have had as high expectations.
The two of them did find a potentially suitable team for Yi, but whether it will happen depends on whether the other party is willing to pick him.
After analyzing this, Zhang Yang casually asked, "Arn, what kind of player do you think Yi will become in the NBA?"
Tellem lowered his voice and responded, "This issue gives me a headache. Yi’s owners back in the CBA and Chinese agents all expect him to be the next Yao. If he really was 19 years old, that target would be fine, but he’s going to be 23 years old before next season starts. By the time Yao was 23, he was already a megastar, surpassing Magloire, Miller (Brad), and Gasol to make the third team. Yi is far behind, the talent gap between them is as wide as the talent gap between Jarett and you..."
Tellem glanced at the distant Yi Jianlian, who was wearing headphones, and continued in a lower voice, "I think that’s unrealistic. After he enters the NBA, he should focus on his strengths, just like Frye and Biedrins, and develop in the direction of a role player. The best I can expect from him is to become a player like Okur."
"Even from the perspective of your national team, aiming to be a player like Yao won’t benefit him. Yi will turn 23 during the offseason, Yao will only be 27. They are considered contemporaries. If Yi keeps playing as a core player, he’ll always be just a backup to Yao. It would be better for him to develop as a role player, which would complement Yao better. He doesn’t have the talent to be a core player in the NBA, but if he goes back to play in the CBA, any style of play could make him an MVP."
Zhang Yang gave Tellem a look and said, "I’m sure you don’t speak in front of his original boss and Chinese agents. You probably agree to everything first, tricking him into signing the agent contract before speaking honestly."
Tellem: "Jack, how can you call it a trick in business? The trial resumes I sent out for him also state that he is the next Yao Ming. Anyway, telling him anything now won’t change his goals. He can only wait until he gets into the NBA, sees how big the world is, and then accept our suggestions, that’s when he might listen."
Zhang Yang: "I also think that’s pretty good. Working with a realist and opportunist like you, although sometimes the world seems too realistic, it’s better than those agents who ignore the real situation and just say ’I believe in your talent’."
Tellem: "Ha ha, Jack, I’ll take that as a compliment. You don’t need to worry about this matter. If it works out smoothly, great, if it fails... it really doesn’t concern you that much."
Zhang Yang nodded: "It’s just about using my brain to help analyze. I’ll definitely help, but I won’t have any psychological burden over this kind of issue. Like Yao and me, we’ve known each other for a long time. When problems arise, standing from a friend’s point of view, if I lose a little for him and he loses a little for me, that’s quite normal. But I’m not that close with Yi, I’m just helping out of the camaraderie of being expatriates."
Tellem: "That’s good, I don’t want you to be like Yao, caring too much about things that are not really your concern."
Zhang Yang: "He is someone with grand aspirations. He might spend his entire life chasing dreams he can never achieve, even possibly failing badly, but he is worthy of respect."
Tellem: "You’re right, I respect him for that too. I’ve never seen an athlete in the US take national responsibility so seriously..."
At 8:40 PM, the live game broadcast began on several sports channels in both the US and China.
First to enter the arena was the team once known as the Bad Boys Legion, the Detroit Pistons.
Following them was the current version of the Bad Boys Legion.
The Pistons from the late 80s were infamous in the US, not just for their rough play against Jordan. Any player they couldn’t defend against was subjected to their violent fouls, fighting, and brawling was commonplace. In 1992, Chuck Daly was forced to exclude all the Pistons’ stars from the Dream Team roster, which led to basketball fans collectively cheering.
The fans only remember Jordan for excluding Thomas from the Dream Team, but Thomas was not the only one excluded. When selecting the roster, Chuck Daly pushed for five Pistons players to be included in the Dream Team training camp, facing collective opposition from fans, players, and even the media.
Although the Bad Boys Legion was a thing of the past, the 2004 Pistons were involved in the Auburn Palace incident, and then in 2005, they played one of the ugliest finals in history, so even today, they remain one of the least liked teams by fans across America.
After acquiring the nickname New Bad Boys Legion, the Bobcats began to be viewed through a negative lens by basketball fans nationwide...
With Gerald Wallace, his dreadlocks and muscular build, fierce expression; the poker-faced, stern-looking Okafor and Rondo; the dark, rough, and menacing Millsap and Muhammad; and Felton, whose physique was not inferior to the bulked-up Fisher...
The men of the Bobcats just didn’t look like good guys.
Zhang Yang had been alright earlier, once considered the Dumars of the Bad Boys Legion, but after the ’slapping incident,’ he became known as the smiling thug.