NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 515: Expectations from the Other Side of the Ocean (Daily Chapter)

On Saturday, June 2007, 6, New York's annual Champions Parade once again swept down Broadway in Manhattan early in the morning.

In the past, the Yankees always celebrated their championship in November. In recent years, the Knicks took over the baton and made the championship parade a grand event like the Halloween Parade and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

At the end of last month, New York held a dance carnival parade, which attracted a lot of people, which made this month's championship parade even more attended.

Whether you like basketball or not, when orange and blue confetti start to fly over the streets, those who want to join in the fun will also shout a few words.

As for the sports fans in New York, they had already changed into Knicks peripherals. Many people took up their seats early, holding up their cameras and constantly pressing the shutter.

The honking of the parade floats, the cheers of the surrounding fans, and the shouting of the spectators turned Manhattan into a sea of ​​joy.

Eleven golden trophies were placed on the head float, and on the top of the bus that was changed to the Knicks team colors, James Dolan posed in this year's white championship T-shirt.

With his head raised high and his hands motionless, perhaps because he was drunk, James Dolan, with a red face, seemed to be "stuck", immersed in the cheers.

Perhaps it was the atmosphere group that Curly Boss had arranged in advance, and soon there were bursts of shouts at the scene:
"Dolan is our King!"

The shouting continued. Although it was embarrassing to Li You, James Dolan enjoyed it. He was already "drunk" in advance after just a few sips of champagne.
Soon the shouts shifted, and the voices of “Lee is our King” became louder and louder. Lee You could only keep smiling and waving to the fans.

General Manager Donnie Walsh still had his hair combed back, but a smile appeared on his usually serious face. The old man also wore a championship T-shirt. While he was happy, he could only sigh:
“This is what success feels like.”

The coaching staff and staff will not have such complicated feelings. They have been "lying down" for many years and have long been accustomed to it.

Only scouts like Jeff Nix have busy jobs. Those in charge of team operations just have to punch in and out according to the schedule. They can choose any advertiser they want, and season tickets are in short supply.

The courtside seats for next season have been reserved by the agency. Even the cheerleaders have started to roll in. All the pretty girls have to be optimized.
In contrast, those in charge of MSG sports business can only worry about the New York Rangers. Since James Dolan became deeply involved, the performance of this ice hockey team has gradually declined.

The staff did not dare to have too many opinions. After all, local New York sports fans all supported James Dolan, and the poor results became the players' fault.

JR Smith, who was naked, had been having fun for more than half a month. When he heard the fans calling his name, he screamed in excitement again:

"It's so wonderful, I can sleep with the trophy for a month! I love this feeling!"

Artest, whose clothes also exploded and who was wearing a championship hat, also received "heroic cheers."

There were even many fans holding posters of him "waving elbows". The fans loved Artest as always. The shouting made the big star who had only played two finals games even more excited:
"Fight!"

Screaming at the top of his lungs, Artest felt more and more relaxed as if his heart disease had healed and he was no longer restless. Winning the game healed his body and mind again.

Amid the confetti flying all over the sky, the people on the bus with their families were in a good mood. Grant Hill looked at Chandler, who was grinning, and joked again:

"Your agent must be unhappy, but attending the training camp is a good choice!"

The Knicks held a mini training camp in early July to prepare for the summer league and to observe players. Chandler took the initiative to participate in the training, and he also accepted the call-up to the national team.

At the end of next month, Chandler will participate in an open trial with Prince. The two seem to be unaffected by more competitions and are still full of energy.

Being invited is indeed an honor for ordinary players. Despite the strong opposition from his agent Schwartz, Chandler still chose to continue the game:

"I know he was worried about my injury, but now I feel great. 16:0, winning the playoffs was easier than I thought!"

Chandler smiled after taking off his hat to get some fresh air. He didn't need to attack on his own. As long as he wanted to get 10 points, he could easily achieve his goal. A double-double was not a problem at all. He didn't have such treatment in the Bulls.

Although Barea and Novak were not on the active list, they both enjoyed the happy atmosphere. "Towel Master" Dio noticed that the other newbie was not so happy, so he hugged him and said casually:

"Smile, man! You should go to a bad team like the Eagles and experience what it feels like to lose!"

"I've lost for two years. Now I just want to win. We can get another bonus. Do you know how many people envy you?"

Looking at Dio who was shaking his head, Rondo forced a smile on his face. The championship did not bring him much sense of accomplishment. He was not sure how to respond. Fortunately, Gasol on the other side came to his rescue:
"This is only the first year of your professional career. In the future you will have the opportunity to become the tactical core of the team!"

"Don't think too much, winning is always a good thing, losing the finals feels really bad"

Michael Finley agreed with what he said and immediately took over the conversation, waving to the fans while reminiscing about the past:
"After working so hard for a season, it would be even worse if we were eliminated in the playoffs!"

"Many teams lack a winning culture, and young players cannot develop good playing habits in that environment. This is why many players leave the league when their contracts end."

By the time Hill joined in on the topic of "recalling the bitter past and thinking of the sweet past", Rondo could no longer get a word in. Only Prince patted the newbie on the shoulder and comforted him again:

"Don't worry about the statistics. I can get an invitation to the national team even if I play as a substitute. There will be no shortage of opportunities to prove myself here."

When approaching City Hall, several people got off the bus and stopped chatting. They waved to the New York fans at the scene. Rondo noticed that there were also fans wearing his jersey, and his mood immediately improved a lot.

Before he could say hello to the fans, Rondo helplessly realized that the fans didn't even look at him. He jumped and stretched his neck and shouted to Li You in the front:
“Lee!!”

Seeing this scene and thinking about the words of his "good brothers", Rondo stopped struggling and encouraged himself again:
"In a few years, I'll be able to get a starting position."

The newbie didn't notice that some fans were looking at the Knicks players with complicated eyes. Stephen Marbury, who was wearing a Knicks hat, pulled the brim of his hat very low, and many fans didn't notice him.

As Grant Hill is about to officially leave the league, Mayor Bloomberg and City Hall staff gave a speech together and presented Hill with a city key.

"Grant has always helped our community and he is a great husband, father and role model."

"."

When Marbury heard the mayor praising the All-Star who joined the Knicks halfway through his career, he felt even worse. It seemed that no one remembered the "Son of New York" anymore, and now he was just a "player on a bad team."

"Of course we will continue to win, and I hope the Knicks can surpass the Celtics and become the team with the most championships in the league!"

"The winning culture will continue, and it is inseparable from your support! It is your cheers that have allowed the Knicks to create an undefeated home record."

Li You took over the microphone and gave a simple compliment, which made the scene completely boiling. Some excited fans shouted "GOAT", and many people shouted "MVP".

Marbury found that no one noticed him at all. The people gathered in front of the City Hall were all fanatical fans, and everyone was shouting happily.

The 4-year contract has a player option. Marbury was hesitant before, but seeing this moment, he made up his mind, stopped watching, squeezed out of the crowd, and felt more and more sad: "This should belong to me."

On Monday, June 6, ESPN once again reviewed the Knicks' championship parade early in the morning. The revelry of hundreds of thousands of people and the confetti flying in the air made many rookies preparing to participate in the draft envious.

Yi Jianlian, who was preparing for a press conference in Manhattan with his agent Dan Feigen, fully realized Li You's influence in this city.

Lee You has been seen on NBC news for several consecutive days. Not only in sports, but the news that he is about to have his sixth child has also attracted widespread attention in New York recently.

Some newspapers even gossiped about how Li You and Tang Nade had a falling out and punched each other in the hospital. The messy news was dizzying to read.

A press conference will be held at the hotel at 10 a.m. Dan Feigen noticed that Yi Jianlian was a little nervous and immediately spoke to comfort him:

"Don't worry, I've already taken care of everything. Enjoy this moment! It only happens once in your career."

In March before the draft, Feigen specially invited officials from seven NBA teams to Dongguan to watch Yi Jianlian participate in the 3-7 CBA finals.

The big man's outstanding athletic talent instantly attracted a lot of attention, and Yi Jianlian's slam dunk was even selected as ESPN's best goal of the day.

In April, Feigen arranged for Yi Jianlian to fly to Los Angeles, USA for pre-draft training. For this purpose, he hired 4 coaches and completed the weight gain.

Although he did not perform well in the tryout, Feigen knows that his big employer has no shortage of market. Chinese fans across the ocean are very much looking forward to Yi Jianlian surpassing Yao Ming and becoming as successful as Li You.

"I'm worried that the tryout will affect my draft pick."

Yi Jianlian was still a little nervous, with no smile on his young face. He whispered something, and the accompanying translator and staff also began to communicate with Dan Feigen.

"Starting position? No, if I can be selected by New York, I don't need to care about it at all."

"Going to Los Angeles or San Francisco to play is also a good choice. There are Yi's compatriots there. If I can go to Phoenix to play, coach Gentry will also like Yi."

"I have an appointment with Li's agent tonight. I will let Yi Duo talk to him then. Li should show up. We need to prepare well!"

Dan Feigen nags a lot. He arranged everything after coming to the United States, including not participating in the open tryout in Orlando. He is proud of his talent displayed by using the "chair training method".

Renowned draft expert Chad Ford wrote an article specifically for Yi Jianlian, emphasizing that age is not a problem. In the face of doubts, the commentator also gave a positive answer, believing that Yi Jianlian can definitely play in the NBA.

After working so hard for so long, Dan Feigen didn't want to make any mistakes in the end, but he still heard helplessly:
"At least 10 minutes of playing time!"

"Why play as a substitute?"

Soon, someone in the team questioned it, and Dan Feigen could only patiently explain that championship teams would not give rookies too much playing time, New York could make a lot of money, there was more attention here, and the environment was better.
When the invited newbies appeared in front of the media on time, most reporters were more concerned about Greg Oden, Kevin Durant and Al Horford.

The slightly low-key Yi Jianlian simply answered the questions without saying much, but Joakim Noah was particularly active. The freshman who studied in high school in New York and New Jersey took the initiative to express his views:
"Even though I think I'll be picked in the top 10, I wouldn't mind coming to New York to play."

"When I was little, my idol was Kevin Garnett, but when I grew up, I realized how great Lee was. He changed modern basketball, and no one could refuse to be his teammate."

Noah, with long hair, fawned wildly in front of the media. In fact, the big guy had to sit on the bench when he came to the Knicks. The new guy was obviously trying to gain favor, since New York only had the 11th pick anyway.

Durant tried hard to maintain his status. Unlike Oden, who was always bragging about his teammates' business, when he heard about his future career plan, he said seriously:
"I hope to grow with outstanding young people and win the championship at the end of my rookie year! This is my goal, and I will give everything for it."

After hearing this answer, many reporters felt something was wrong. Considering that the Supersonics recently announced that Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen were both in the team's plans, someone on both sides must be lying.

Not paying attention to the subsequent gossip, after Yi Jianlian finished the interview, Dan Feigen started to make his own arrangements in the afternoon.

That evening, at Daniel French Restaurant on the Upper East Side, Dan Feigen sat at the table somewhat nervously. The restaurant was booked again tonight, and Chef Daniel would only serve Li You and his group.

French voices were soon heard at the door, and Li You casually patted Scarlett, indicating that the succubus could enjoy dinner with her "plastic" sisters.

"Honey, do you mind if I try some of the wine Daniel recommended tonight?"

Scarlett, wearing a white slim dress, squeezed into Li You's arms and looked up to act coquettishly. After being kissed, several ugly girls on the side followed suit and whispered:

"Lee loves you so much"

Soon, Scarlett, surrounded by her "plastic" sisters, went to the pre-dinner bar to have a drink. How much the meal cost was never within her consideration.
Mark Bartelstein noticed that Dan Fegan and his group were all looking in this direction, so he immediately walked over and greeted them with a smile:
"ISE is so lucky! Signing Yi is definitely the right choice!"

This year's rookie class, Mark Bartelstein only signed Michael Conley. Competition among agencies is very fierce, and the requirements for new recruits are getting higher and higher.

"I'm just luckier. With Li here, you don't have to worry about customers at all."

The two of them exchanged some business praises, and soon Dan Feigen bent down and handed over his hand. After shaking hands with Li You, he smiled brightly and congratulated him again:

"Congratulations, Li! Your 9th championship in your career. This year's finals is the most dominant game I have ever witnessed!"

Yi Jianlian and others also stood up. Li You smiled and waved his hand, asking everyone to sit down. Then he started the business-like mutual praise mode and casually said:
"Although the championship is great, my friends at ABC complained to me about the ratings. However, if I were a fan, I would not be interested in watching the fourth quarter."

"."

Yi Jianlian quietly looked at Li You. He was wearing a casual black suit, a dark grey T-shirt, messy black hair, and a heavy beard. He looked younger than he did in the newspaper.
"Don't worry about the draft. Rookies need playing time more. You will definitely be selected in the top 10. Chad Ford is a draft expert. Dan did a great job!"

Li You winked at the two of them. When Dan Fegan heard the compliment, a smug smile appeared on his face involuntarily. It was not easy to accomplish such public relations.

The dishes were exquisite and tasted excellent, but the nervous Yi Jianlian didn't say much and could only nod when he heard the instructions.

The accompanying staff wanted to come forward and offer a few glasses, but the atmosphere was really not right, and in the end they could only quietly enjoy the food and listen to Dan Fegan flattering Li You.

When dinner was over, Yi Jianlian also heaved a sigh of relief. The inexplicable pressure made him speechless. Then he heard a whisper in his ear:
"Ya Lian, this is what an NBA superstar is. You will definitely be more successful than Yao Ming. Try to win the championship sooner."

"The Americans like players with outstanding physical talents. You will definitely succeed!"

"."

(End of this chapter)