A group of young people represented by Zhang Zhenlin intend to storm the NBA, which is actually a good thing, the NBA has not had a Chinese face for a long time, and they need to fill this gap.
We have to admit that the strength gap does exist, but don't hit their enthusiasm at the mention of the draft, after all, people go to the high places and the water flows to the low places, taking advantage of the fact that they are still young, taking advantage of the current policy and environment is relatively loose, at this time do not rush to stay longer? It is better to play out, and it is better to play when it is gilded, and it is always a matter of doing more advantages than disadvantages.
Not to mention that this group of new forces are excellent in both physical condition and basketball concept, some have the background of studying and playing in the United States, some have gone through the baptism of professional leagues, their comprehensive quality is much better than the older generation, this may be a good signal and a new starting point, maybe play here, more and more young people will continue to emerge from the NBA this top league! At present, the NBA ratings continue to decline around the world, and the Chinese market is the fertile land that the NBA does not want to lose. Therefore, of course, we must encourage them to bravely pursue their dreams and seize the opportunity to climb the high-level stage.
Unlike the older generation of players to log on to the NBA, there are many difficulties, and it may not be possible to achieve their wishes after five levels and six, such as the Chinese basketball star Battle, who successfully logged into the NBA, but did not experience twists and turns, and even dreamed that the NBA's plan was almost aborted.
In the years at the turn of the century, the three major centers gradually grew up, and the power that erupted on the international arena attracted overseas attention. Wang Zhizhi of the Bayi team took the lead in the 1999 NBA draft and was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the seventh pick in the second round, but because the Bayi team and the Basketball Association did not let it go, they led the team to win the championship in 2001.
Shanghai's little giant Yao Ming has also risen and set out to prepare for the 2002 draft. As for the Battle of the Shougang team, he participated in the Suns' training camp as early as 1999, and his heart was full of excitement and revealed a strong desire to go to the NBA. In fact, there have long been NBA teams to battell to extend an olive branch, but the basketball association is worried that the departure of the three major centers will affect the CBA's game market, and is reluctant to let Battle leave overseas, so Battle has to reject the NBA many times.
In July 2001, Battle traveled to Dallas for training with the national team, and then Mavericks center coach Van der Vic noticed Battle's performance. Two or three months later, Van der Vic became the general manager of the Nuggets, and given the Nuggets' poor record last season and missed the playoffs, they needed to find a substitute center to strengthen their internal strength, and the first choice in their hearts was Battle.
Fan and Wang Zhizhi's agent Xia Song were familiar with each other, so they entrusted Xia Song to send an invitation letter to Battle in the form of a fax, which basically stated that Battle's performance during the Training In the United States in the summer was impressive, and his level and potential were enough to become a better player and be able to improve himself through playing with NBA players. Battle is therefore invited to participate in the pre-season training camp and pre-season game scheduled for October 1-26, and the Nuggets will be responsible for their round-trip airfare and all expenses during the U.S. period.
Shougang met overnight and agreed to Battelle to play the pre-season. But there is a condition, after the preseason, must return to china to participate in the Nine Games, so that even if Battle signs with the Nuggets, there is no way to sign a full season, but if Battle performs well in the preseason, the Nuggets can sign with Battle during the transfer window in February of the following year, but only for a short-term contract. Subsequently, Battle agreed, and first flew from Xinjiang to Beijing to complete the relevant procedures, and then flew directly to Denver.
While in Denver, the local media paid particular attention to the performance of the big Chinese man on the field. The Denver Post revealed that the Nuggets have made a preliminary decision to sign a one-year contract with Battle. However, Shougang denied it, saying that it had not yet received official information from the Nuggets, and only required Battle to return to China after the preseason to play the National Games and finish the remaining CBA games.
NBA teams usually cut some players who are considered unsuitable before the end of the preseason and the start of the regular season, so whether the Nuggets will leave Battle has to be said, Shougang naturally does not dare to give Battle an early conclusion in the NBA, they have been holding a wait-and-see attitude. But Battle himself was full of confidence in himself, and when he first received the invitation, he said that he would perform well, even if he could not sign the contract immediately, he would lay the foundation for future signings.
According to the agreement, Battle returned home after the preseason, and he brought back a letter of intent for the Nuggets, the role of this letter of intent is to prove that Battle has the ability to play in the NBA, and the other is to hope that Shougang will agree to Battelle to join the Nuggets.
According to FIBA transfer regulations, international transfers involving clubs in different countries must be approved and recognized by the player's club and the basketball association of the host country. So this time it depends on whether Shougang is willing to let go.
A shougang person in charge said that there are discussions on Battle's going to the NBA, if the Nuggets really want Battle, the two clubs can sit down and talk. As for when and how to join, he said that in principle, it is to minimize the losses of the club and take into account The personal development of Battle.
However, according to Shougang's ambiguous posture, the outside world has speculated that Battle's possibility of going to the NBA is unlikely, especially when the time is approaching the mid-season transfer trade day of the NBA, and the possibility is getting lower and lower. Moreover, everyone knows where Beijing Shougang is willing to let go of a heavy internal line like Battle, which is related to the team's record, so Shougang uses the drag trick and drags it out again and again. Anyway, Shougang didn't nod, and Battle couldn't go away.
All kinds of speculation and rumors about whether Battle can make the trip are boiling, and Battle himself is the most tormented, because he is 28 years old according to the registration age, "If this trip can be made, it can still catch up with the NBA this season, but if it can't go this year, it will be difficult to say later." ”
It was not until February 13, 2002, after the New Year, that Shougang finally took the initiative to entrust Xia Song to negotiate with the Nuggets, and the Nuggets sent O'Connor, the player director and former assistant coach of the Chinese men's basketball team, to Beijing.
The talks were protracted, but in the end the two sides agreed to hold a press conference for Battle on Feb. 19. However, it was during the Spring Festival holiday, the basketball management center did not go to work, delayed the formalities, and the basketball association issued a paperwork agreeing to Battle's signing with the Nuggets at 10 a.m. on February 22, which has exceeded the mid-season trade deadline in the NBA.
The U.S. side had to give Battle the green light and postpone the deadline to February 25. After everything was safe and sure that the 25th could indeed log on to the NBA smoothly, Battle thanked Shougang for the grace of cultivation, and then offered to play another game for Shougang, so on the evening of February 24, there was a city derby between Shougang and Aoshen, Andel cut down 32 points under the watchful eyes of his wife, and after the farewell game, Battle burst into tears.
Although the repeated delays in the trip made Battle's mood rise and fall several times, at 9:40 on February 25, Battle finally boarded the plane to Denver as planned, and Van der Vicki was waiting for him thousands of miles away and prepared a one-year contract for him.
According to Xia Song, Battle signed as a free man, and although he signed a full-year contract, he could not get the salary for the whole year, and could only calculate the rest of the time, but in any case, his NBA dream finally came true.
After Battle, Yao Ming also went to the NBA, and finally the NBA gathered three peaks, if you count Yi Jianlian, after the 94 golden generation, the best centers of the Chinese men's basketball team have the experience of playing the NBA, but their fates are very different.
That is, in the same year that Battle Yao Ming went to the NBA, there was the wang zhizhi's non-return incident, which made Wang Zhizhi's relationship with the basketball association extremely tense, and also aroused the anger of the masses who did not know the truth, and directly led to the targeted changes in the policies and systems of the basketball association, the door for players in the system to stay in the ocean was almost closed, and Xue Yuyang, who was selected at the 2003 draft, unfortunately had no chance to go to the NBA.
Imagine if Battle had gone a season late, would his NBA landing trip have been more tortuous?