Chương 377: Chapter 377: Yi Nan Joins the Suns
The four of them chatted as they drank.
Even from Rose's conversation, it was evident that Li Pei was genuinely dedicated.
Since joining the Bulls, Li Pei had been the first to arrive at the arena and the last to leave, holding himself to higher standards than even some of the top players, both in training and diet.
Even at this gathering with his brother, Li Pei didn't relax his self-discipline.
In contrast, Tian Zhen, who wasn't even married yet, had gained over thirty pounds. Sitting in his chair, his beer belly was almost touching the table.
It was hard to believe that when they were on the Beijing University basketball team, Li Pei was the one who was overweight, while Tian Zhen used to be in good shape.
As Tian Zhen ate skewers, he asked, "How long can you keep up this discipline?"
"Until I retire!" Li Pei replied firmly. "Before I retire, I won't touch high-fat, high-sugar foods."
"Tsk tsk..." Tian Zhen smacked his lips. "Your life must be so boring."
"I don't have Dongge's natural talent, so I have to work harder," Li Pei explained. "I'm like a slow bird that has to fly faster."
"But no matter how hard a slow bird flies, it can't fly fast..." Tian Zhen said.
"..." Li Pei was at a loss for words.
"Smack!" Wade Dong kicked Tian Zhen off his chair and said, "Even barbecue can't stop your mouth."
"Hahaha..."
Rose laughed heartily beside them. He was born in the slums and also had a few good brothers like this.
...
That night, only Tian Zhen got drunk.
Wade Dong drank moderately, and Li Pei and Rose each had only one bottle. After Tian Zhen got drunk, he kept chattering on the phone all the way home in the car.
Three days later, a blockbuster trade was announced.
This trade was facilitated by Tian Zhen's half-night of phone calls while he was drunk.
Yi Nan joined the Suns!
After the CBA season ended, Yi Nan also became a free agent. The Suns offered him a two-year, $5.7 million mid-level contract, which was a friendly deal.
Yi Nan arrived in Phoenix the day after receiving Tian Zhen's call.
However, the Suns then played two away games, and it wasn't until Yi Nan signed the contract and officially joined the team that Wade Dong saw him at the US Airways Center.
The Suns had won 22 consecutive games and were on the verge of breaking their franchise record for the longest winning streak.
Yi Nan, returning to the NBA after several years, had entered the league the same year as Durant. Compared to younger players like Green and Curry, he was considered a veteran on the Suns.
However, when he met his teammates, Yi Nan was still quite reserved, like a junior.
"Dongge..."
Yi Nan was the first to greet Wade Dong when the teammates arrived at the arena.
'Dongge' was Wade Dong's nickname, unrelated to age. Even Thibodeau and Sarver called him 'Dongge' when they saw him.
"Long time no see!"
Wade Dong patted Yi Nan on the back and said, "Welcome to the Phoenix family."
When they saw the new player, McCollum immediately approached and asked, "Yi Nan, do you know our team's rules?"
"What rules?" Yi Nan inquired.
McCollum explained, "Every new player has to play one-on-one against Dongge!"
"Is there such a rule?" Yi Nan turned to look at Wade Dong, a bit puzzled. Play one-on-one against Wade Dong? No one was a match for him!
Wade Dong shook his head. "There's no such rule. You don't have to play against me, Yi Nan."
"Why not?"
Barton and McCollum, who had been dominated by Wade Dong when they first joined the team, were confused. Could rules be broken so easily?
Wade Dong glared at McCollum and said assertively, "There are no rules; my rules are the rules!"
McCollum: (╥﹏╥)
After Wade Dong left, McCollum felt a bit envious of Yi Nan. "Dongge is so biased. He doesn't even make his fellow countrymen play one-on-one!"
"It's not like that..." Yi Nan explained. "When we were teammates on the national team, he single-handedly beat our entire team."
"So, you've played one-on-one before..."
After hearing Yi Nan's explanation, the other Suns players finally understood.
...
With Yi Nan's return to the NBA, Chinese players were experiencing their most prosperous time in the league. There were now six Chinese players in the NBA simultaneously: Yi Nan, Wade Dong, Huang Yu, Li Pei, Gu Qi, and Lin Hao, who had worked hard to regain his Chinese citizenship.
With Gortat and Frye's departure, the Suns had a vacancy at the power forward position, and Yi Nan was not the most reasonable choice but the best one.
That night, the Suns had a home game against the Kings.
Although the Kings had talented players like Cousins, Gay, and Thomas, their record was not impressive, ranking 13th in the West with little hope for the playoffs.
The Kings had pinned their hopes on Cousins, who had just signed a four-year, $60 million contract. However, this 'problem child' lacked leadership skills, as evident from the Kings' current record.
Normally, Yi Nan, as a new player, would sit on the bench for a while before getting playing time.
However, before the game, Thibodeau instructed Yi Nan to be ready to play at any time. With only a dozen regular-season games left, Thibodeau's strategy was clear: play the starters against strong teams and use the reserves against weaker opponents.
Against the Kings, it was time for Thibodeau to give his reserves some playing time.
When Yi Nan first saw Thibodeau, he immediately liked the old man holding a thermos, perhaps due to Thibodeau's charming personality.
Ten minutes before the game, the starting lineups were announced:
Suns: Wade Dong, Curry, Durant, Thompson, and Green.
Kings: Cousins, Gay, Thomas, Jason, and McLemore.
McLemore was a rookie drafted in 2013, and the Kings' coach trusted him enough to start him in this game.
Many of the 2013 rookies had not lived up to expectations. At this point, the best-performing rookie was Michael Carter-Williams, which led to doubts about the capabilities of Qingyan Luo, the agent who represented these players.
It was well-known that the agency Luo worked for was backed by Wade Dong, so the players she had signed early, such as Antetokounmpo, McCollum, Gobert, Schroder, and Adams, had all been drafted high. Unfortunately, none of them had performed as expected, while Michael Carter-Williams, whom she had rejected, was excelling.
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