Japanese star Yuta Watanabe, who disappeared for a while after leaving the Suns, suddenly announced a blockbuster news in his personal live broadcast room today, announcing that he would leave the NBA arena and return to the Japanese league.
finally mixed up in the NBA and got a good treatment, why did Watanabe suddenly "can't think of it" and voluntarily gave up this opportunity?
Here you can first take a look at Watanabe's contract in the NBA, signed a 2-year, 5 million contract with the Suns in 23, with a player option this summer, but he gave up, if he wants to stay, he can still earn $2.6 million next season, even if he can't play a few games next season, and he returns to Japan a little later, he is still the sweetheart of the Japanese league.
In the middle of the season, he was traded to the Grizzlies, in the eyes of the outside world, the Grizzlies are now a weak team, and Watanabe can get good playing time, but in fact, Watanabe's functional 3D forward, only by playing around the supergiant can he have a chance to perform, and the Grizzlies who have gone to the rebuilding period will not be taken seriously, first, his ceiling has been reached, and the age is there, and secondly, Watanabe's three-point shooting ability has deteriorated seriously, and functional players, if they don't even have three points, even if the defense is good, the team will not pay much attention to it, not to mention Watanabe's defense in the NBA, can only be regarded as a second-rate level。
For giving up the NBA and returning to play in the Japanese league, Yuta Watanabe gave the reason that he wanted to enjoy basketball more purely, and he suffered too much when he was in his 20s, and he wanted to make up for his teenage years after the age of 30.
Watanabe went to the United States alone at the age of 16 to work hard, the language barrier, the thin body, still yellow, has always been disfavored by the outside world, and even he can't even play in the NCAA Division I League, his rating as a high school student in basketball is only a mere three, and no college team is willing to offer him a scholarship, but Watanabe is also lucky, he met a nobleman, James Cosgrave, who coaches the Trinity College team in the third division, and he recommended Watanabe to George Washington University coach Mike Lonergan. At George Washington University, Yuta Watanabe slowly attracted the attention of scouts, but after 4 years in college, he was still not favored by the NBA draft.
In 18, Watanabe graduated to participate in the draft, but he was not selected, but he did not give up, and chose to participate in the summer league, which became his last chance, in the summer league that year, Watanabe represented the Nets, averaging 9.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, the data is not good, but he still has a way out, such a report card back to Japan is enough to sign a good contract, and he still chooses to stay in the United States without transitioning.
If you want to play in the NBA, you will inevitably have to start with a cheap two-way contract, with less money and more things, and always be ready to be laid off and wandering, the difficulty can be imagined, Watanabe during that time, he got the two-way contract given by the Grizzlies and the Raptors, but he still did not get playing time, and he could only mix in the development league, until the end of the regular season in 21, Watanabe was finally turned positive by the Raptors, got a little chance to play, and used defense to gain a foothold in the NBA, from 14 to 21 years, in order to play in the NBA, Watanabe paid 7 years of hard work and sweat, and finally his dream came true。
Judging from Yuta Watanabe's "family history", this person has his own ambitions, and he will not give up in order to achieve his goal, he is a ruthless man, born in a basketball family, giving up a comfortable environment to chase his dreams, worthy of learning from some CBA players, he can't play in the NBA, and would rather give up a good salary than lie down.
It's not stupid not to make a transition, giving up the NBA contract doesn't mean that he doesn't have a high income, with his current achievements, he can still earn a big contract in the Japanese league, become the Jordan of the Japanese league, and have a higher off-court income, and can also reunite with his wife.
Returning to the Japanese league, you can also pass on more experience to young players and help them realize their NBA dreams, Japanese basketball has developed rapidly in recent years, one of the important factors is that they have emerged a large number of basketball talents who have played overseas, from Yudai Baba to Yuta Watanabe, to Hachimura, and now Keisei Tominaga, which is inseparable from the support of the Japan Basketball Association, and the Japan Basketball Association is subsidized for players who stay abroad.
For Yuta Watanabe's choice to give up the NBA, it is undoubtedly another huge blow to the Chinese men's basketball team, which means that Watanabe will have time to return to the Japanese team to play for the Asian preliminary window, the last time the Chinese team played against the Japanese team without Watanabe, and lost to Japan 73-76 in a very aggrieved way on the road, and the 88-year unbeaten gold body against the Japanese men's basketball team was broken.
That game for the Chinese team, it is undoubtedly more uncomfortable than the World Cup, the Asian Games will be killed by the Philippines, Djordjevic's mediocrity and incompetence, domestic players in the league to kill all sides, but when it comes to the international competition in the face of adversity, they are helpless, so that countless Chinese fans are cold.
The next Asian preliminary window will start in February 25, the Chinese men's basketball team will meet the challenge of the Japanese team at home, today's men's basketball team, perennial in the new and old alternate blood change stage, in order to impact the 28 Olympics, the recent Basketball Association is also determined to directly come to a complete change, the coach is still Djordjevic, but there will be more post-00 youngsters under his hands, just with such a newcomer-based lineup, to deal with the Japanese team that has entered its heyday, I am afraid it is a little difficult.