Chapter 1210 – Undrafted NBA players
After the 2002 Lunar New Year, Feng Yu flew to the US. But this time, two Chinese basketball players are flying with him in his plane.
Feng Yu is sending these two players to go into NBA. One of them is a tall and big Mongolian man, and he is going to the Nets. The other fellow, who can almost touch the rim without jumping, is going to the Wind and Rain Team.
Players trading will stop four days after the all-star match. Unless there are major injuries, all trading and signing of new players are not allowed. Luckily these two players’ contracts had been settled earlier, and if they pass the medical test, they can join the team. The medical tests are still decided by the teams.
The Nets are in good shape this year. Kidd did not suffer his knee injury like he did in Feng Yu’s previous life and is still in his top form. During the last two seasons, when they purposely played badly to get the draft picks, he practiced his shooting hard and got into the all-star team.
No matter how well Kidd played and how many assists he got, the fans did not give him the recognition he deserves as he cannot score. For a few seasons, he averages less than 1 point. Although he had more than 10 assists and the most rebounds for a guard, fans still like the players who can score.
With Carter, Gasol, Andrei, and Randolph, joining the team, the Nets suddenly become a contender of the East Champions from a bottom team.
Carter averages 24.3 points, 3.6 assists, 438 rebounds. Kidd averages 18.1 points, 10.9 assists, 8.7 rebounds. Gasol has a chance of getting the Rookie of the Year Award, with 16.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.9 blocks.
Andrei, who had joined the Nets after his contract with Russia, got 13.1 points, 4.4 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.8 blocks.
Even Randolph, who was belittled by everyone, had gotten 12.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists.
This year, the Nets has five players with average points above 10.
3 of the Nets players had entered this year’s all-star team, and they had almost equal Wind and Rain Team’s record of having 4 players selected into the team. They are Gasol, Andrei, and Randolph. Parker had almost made it into the all-star team.
The Nets are confident they can be the Champions of the Eastern Conference. Still, the Lakers might be the Champions of the Western Conference.
No one in the Nets has the physique to stop Shaq. Both their center forwards are no match for Shaq. Gasol and Randolph also cannot stop him. If they cannot stop Shaq, they will have no chance to become the overall champions.
To Feng Yu, it doesn’t matter if he loses the overall championship, as his team had won it once. But to Kirilenko, if his team cannot become the overall champions, how will he mock Paul Allen? It will not be fun anymore.
Kirilenko searched in Russia and even the former Soviet Union countries for a big center forward that can match Shaq to no avail. Feng Yu recommended Bateer.
In Feng Yu’s previous life, Bateer was picked by Spurs to stop Shaq. He managed to stop Shaq and helped with the defense.
The Nets’ scouts immediately went to Bateer after Feng Yu’s recommendation. They saw Bateer’s size and are satisfied after testing his strength. Anyway, they are not asking Bateer to score or get rebounds. They only need him to foul and stop Shaq.
So, the Nets offered Bateer a guaranteed contract.
Suddenly, Feng Yu found a way to get Yao Ming. If Yao Ming were to join this year’s drafts, he will either be the No. 1 pick or the No. 2 picks. He had performed too well in the Sydney Olympics and caught the attention of many scouts.
The only way is to ask Yao Ming not to participate in the drafts and join the Wind and Rain Team directly.
However, Yao Ming’s salary will be much lesser because of the salary cap, and lesser people will notice him if he joins the Wind and Rain Team directly. But Feng Yu promised him that he will get much more in return.
It’s just money. Feng Yu can offer him some advertisement contracts, and his earnings will be much higher than the salary he was supposed to get. Also, Feng Yu can pay reporters to write news about him. If he can perform well, everyone will notice him.
So, Yao Ming signed with the Wind and Rain Team and gave up on the drafts.
These few years, Chinese basketball teams had frequently come to the US to train with the Wind and Rain Team. This lets the Chinese teams know the Americans’ style of playing and how wide the gap is.
Although the size differences between Asians and Caucasians are big, it is just an excuse. Look at Pierce. He is considered average size among the NBA players, but he can still enter the all-star team with his skills.
During the few training sessions, Yao Ming can sense Feng Yu’s love for basketball. He trusts Feng Yu will not cheat him. After all, why would a top tycoon cheat him?
Wen Dongjun had helped speak to the General Administration of Sport, and Yao Ming got the green light to join the Wind and Rain Team.
When news of Yao Ming and Bateer signing with the Wind and Rain Team and the Nets spread, many team owners cried foul!
Yao Ming is supposed to be the No. 1 pick in the drafts. How can he join Wind and Rain Team as an undrafted player? As for that Bateer, the owners can’t be bothered with him. All he has is brute strength and can only qualify as the second-round draft.
This year, teams like the Rockets, Bulls, Warriors, Grizzlies, etc., are trying to raise their standings, and they cried foul for what the Wind and Rain Team did. But they cannot do anything.
They had wanted to pick Yao Ming, as this player had proven himself in international competition.
Just like Gasol last year, he had no problems adapting after joining the NBA and might even get into the all-stars within three years. Many people are saying that Yao Ming has a higher potential than Gasol.
Yao Ming has the height, skills and is fast. Even the Rockets announced they will build a team around him. Although they are rebuilding their team now, they are still not good enough.
So what if these teams cried foul over this? These two players had joined the NBA legally. What’s the problem if Yao Ming wants to give up being the No. 1 pick and higher salaries?
Then what about those all-star players who lower their salaries to try to remain in a team that can win the championships? You all might cry foul now, but if these players are on your team, will you still make noise?
Who are you to judge? If you are capable, you can also persuade those rookies to give up on the draft and join your team.
Feng Yu looks at Yao Ming and Bateer. “Train hard after you all join the teams. You two will be the ones who will revitalize China’s basketball!”
Mengke Bateer
