NABC Chapter 26 How bad can an NBA team be?
Chapter 26 How bad can an NBA team be?
The 2003 NBA draft has officially concluded. American media outlets are still focusing their attention on players like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, while there is little news coverage of Li He, the 16th overall pick, with only brief mentions.
In China, however, news of Li He's successful selection has already spread like wildfire.
Last year, Yao Ming successfully entered the NBA and delivered an outstanding performance in his rookie season, which boosted the popularity of Chinese basketball.
The news that Li He has joined the Trail Blazers has immediately sparked heated discussions.
[Li He selected 16th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers!]
[Another rising star! Chinese basketball is about to reach its peak!]
I'm already looking forward to the Chinese national team's performance at next year's Olympics!
[Confirmed! The Portland Trail Blazers have officially announced that Li He will wear jersey number 16!]
Let's wish Li He all the best in the NBA!
Looking forward to the Chinese derby!
【…】
For Li He, who has just entered the NBA, the support from his hometown fans is very strong, and they hope that he can perform well in the NBA.
As for the media's claims about knocking out his teammate with one punch, and other issues related to his private life, fans didn't seem to care much.
This is a very simple principle.
Those who support you will understand; those who don't, no amount of explanation will help.
To put it bluntly, Li He knocking out two bullies with one punch wasn't a big deal. However, the American media made a huge fuss about it, making him seem like a devil.
Li He also gave an exclusive interview to Titan Sports, expressing his warm greetings to the fans of China Fortune.
The draft is definitely a major life event for a player.
Not only myself, but also my friends are very concerned.
After Li He finalized his decision to join the Trail Blazers, his good friend Andre Iguodala was the first to call:
"Hansen! Congratulations on your successful draft!"
"Thank you, Andre. I'll be waiting for you in the NBA, maybe we'll be rivals then."
"Haha! If I could, I'd still prefer to be your teammate," Iguodala replied.
He knew Li He's abilities all too well; being drafted 16th was definitely not Hansen Li's normal level.
The second person to call Li He was Coach Lute Olsen, who succinctly stated:
"Hansen, best of luck in the NBA."
"Thank you, Coach. I'll come back to see you when I have time."
Lute Olsen cautioned, "Well, I mean, you better tone it down in the NBA. It's not like the NCAA, where there are thugs everywhere, especially on the Trail Blazers."
"OK, OK, don't you know my temper? I won't provoke anyone."
Lute Olsen on the other end of the phone sighed, thinking to himself, "I only reminded you because I know what kind of temper you have."
Afterwards, Yao Ming also called Li He.
Yao Ming is currently training with the national team and plays for more than 25 minutes in friendly matches. He also has to prepare for the Asian Championships. His schedule is packed.
Chinese fans were previously speculating whether Li He would join the national team, but in fact he did not.
Li He also knew the reason for this.
There are many intricacies within the national team. Ultimately, he wasn't developed through internal training. Poor performance is useless, while good performance would only embarrass certain individuals, which is why he wasn't selected.
But it doesn't matter.
I'd be happy if I got selected; if I didn't, I'll just accept it as it is, there's no way to force it.
"Xiao Li, this call is a bit late. Congratulations on making it into the NBA!"
"Thanks, Yao. See you on the court then, haha."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yao Ming took the opportunity to remind him, "Dude, you're a rookie who's just joined the team, so you should try your best to get along with your teammates. Well, although the internal environment of the Trail Blazers is a bit bad, it's still better than making enemies everywhere."
Yao Ming has very high emotional intelligence; he is good at handling situations and speaking, and he can get along well with his teammates.
In contrast, Yi Jianlian, who later entered the NBA, was quite different, which is another reason why he couldn't stay in the NBA.
As for whether he can get along well with his teammates, Li He couldn't guarantee it.
It's best to avoid a full-blown fight; otherwise, the bloodstains will be everywhere, which won't look good.
……
On July 5th, Li He packed his things and flew directly to Portland to report to the team.
Li He has a good understanding of the current Trail Blazers team.
After last season ended, Pippen and Sabonis left the team as free agents. On May 7, general manager Bob Whitchett resigned, stating that he would focus on owner Paul Allen's football team.
Despite this, Bob Whitsett was still heavily criticized by fans and local media, who believed that his inaction had created the Trail Blazers' "prison team" situation.
Just last month, on the 18th, the team announced that Steve Paterson would become the team's new chairman, while the position of general manager would remain vacant for the time being.
Upon landing in Portland, Li He took a deep breath and marveled at the new life that was about to begin.
Regardless of your draft position, you must work hard and make a name for yourself in the NBA!
The team staff warmly welcomed Li He, but on the way to the Trail Blazers, Li He noticed a number of details.
In some streets and alleys, slogans and banners relentlessly expose the team's poor performance.
"The Portland Trail Blazers are trash! They should just disband!"
"We are ashamed to have a team like this!"
"Damn prison guards!"
"The Trail Blazers players aren't here to play basketball; they're criminals in name only!"
"..."
That's right, even Portland locals have started boycotting their hometown team.
This gives you an idea of just how dismal the team's attendance must have been.
However, it's understandable that fans are disappointed, because after being swept by the Lakers in the 2000-01 season, the Trail Blazers began to give up and let themselves go.
In the period that followed, apart from Steve Kerr, Pippen, and Sabonis, who could be considered "good guys," the other players all had some degree of wrongdoing.
Some players were seriously ill, and they were frequently in jail, which had an extremely negative impact.
Fans in small-market teams often have die-hard supporters; if the teams weren't so bad, they wouldn't have formed a united boycott.
Imagine, a few years ago, the Trail Blazers could still go toe-to-toe with the Lakers in a Game 7, but now they're stagnant and full of criminals. Who would want to support a team like that?
The staff noticed Li He's worry and could only explain with a smile:
"Hansen, this is just some individual fan complaints. Owner Paul Allen is determined to make significant changes to the team, so don't worry!"
Li He gave a forced smile.
Soon, they arrived at the Trail Blazers' training facility.
With the general manager position vacant, the contract could only be signed by Chairman Steve Paterson and Li He, and Li He also met with the Portland Prisons team's coach, Maurice Cheeks.
$3729600 over 3 years, with a team option for the fourth year.
Just as both parties were about to sign the contract, Chairman Steve Paterson received a phone call.
"Excuse me, I need to take this call," Steve Paterson said in a friendly manner.
He picked up the phone casually, and the person on the other end spoke succinctly:
"Steve, something's happened!"
"Damon Stoudemire was caught hiding flour during a security check and was arrested!"
Steve Paterson gave Li He an awkward but polite smile, then hurriedly got up and ran to the side.