Chương 4: Chapter 4: Entering the NBA
How should these fifteen talent points be redeemed?
Wade Dong thought about it and exchanged them for three skill packages.
[Thompson Shooting Package!]
[Rodman Rebounding Package!]
[Kobe Fadeaway Package!]
He still remembered that when he signed the ten-day short contract, he experienced a total of four games. With these three skill packages, that would be enough.
Especially in the first game, he was determined to avenge the humiliation of his past life.
Wade Dong was confident that he could prove himself in these four games. After the games, he could secure an NBA short contract. As for signing a long contract, Wade Dong temporarily had no such plans. He was confident in increasing his value. Signing a long contract right after entering the NBA would be too disadvantageous for him.
...
Five days later, Wade Dong received a call from the NBA Commissioner's office.
At the same time, the Suns offered him a ten-day short contract, and Wade Dong needed to report to Phoenix.
After this news came out, media reports flooded in.
Yao Ming retired from the NBA 11 years ago, and now it was 2012. The NBA needed the Chinese market, which might be why Stern was willing to give Wade Dong a chance. However, fans had mixed reactions, with some congratulating him and others mocking him for being overconfident.
It could be said that Wade Dong entered the NBA under immense pressure.
Back then, this pressure was too great, and after he played in the NBA, he realized the huge gap between himself and NBA players.
In garbage time, as soon as Wade Dong stepped onto the court, he was knocked down by a tall opponent. When the ball came to him, he was so nervous that he hurriedly shot and missed badly, turning his ten-day short contract into a laughing stock.
Otherwise, Wade Dong wouldn't have lost confidence in basketball.
But now it was different. With his talent points maxed out and the system by his side, even facing top players like Kobe and James, Wade Dong was confident he could dominate them.
The NBA offering a ten-day short contract was actually a small piece of news.
But for a Chinese person, this news was huge, especially since Wade Dong was just a college basketball player. This made the news even more glorious. The domestic media reported it extensively, with some even comparing Wade Dong to Yao Ming, calling him the new hope of Chinese basketball.
Only Wade Dong's alma mater, Yanjing University, did not promote this news.
Perhaps Yanjing University understood that the higher the expectations, the harder the fall. They didn't want to put too much pressure on their student.
...
Carrying the expectations of the media, Wade Dong boarded a plane to Phoenix.
At the airport, Wade Dong hugged Li Jiajia and whispered in her ear, "This year, you will see me perform in the Finals."
"I believe in you."
Li Jiajia smiled sweetly and kissed Wade Dong on the forehead. The two said their goodbyes at the airport.
...
When the plane landed in Phoenix, Wade Dong walked out of the airport alone.
This was his first time in the US. No team would care about a player who had only signed a ten-day contract. There wasn't even a single media outlet waiting to interview him at the airport. Wade Dong had to take a taxi to the US Airways Center.
"Ugh... The air in the US is much worse than in China."
Wade Dong took a deep breath and set a goal for himself, "I will take all the glory here and bring it back to China."
At this moment, Wade Dong was ready to dominate the NBA.
...
When Wade Dong entered the US Airways Center, the players were training hard.
There were only ten regular-season games left, and the Suns were currently ranked tenth in the West. They had to win all the remaining games to secure a playoff spot.
"Hey, are you Wade Dong?"
The first person to greet Wade Dong when he entered the arena was Coach Gentry.
Gentry was looking at the tactical board, and the players were divided into two groups for a scrimmage.
Wade Dong greeted him politely, "Hello, Coach."
"Uh-huh."
Gentry nodded and said to Wade Dong, "Start warming up. You'll be on the court soon to show us what you've got."
"Okay."
Wade Dong started jogging around the court.
After a while, Gentry waved Wade Dong over and called a timeout. "Dudley, you're out. Wade Dong, you're in."
Dudley was a swingman, and Gentry had seen Wade Dong's data, thinking he was somewhat similar to Dudley. So, he had Wade Dong replace Dudley to see his level.
This scrimmage was the starters against the reserves.
The starting lineup was Nash, Hill, Lopez, Richardson, and Brown.
The reserves were Dudley, Frye, Gortat, Childress, and Morris.
The game was already in the second half, with the reserves trailing by eleven points. Wade Dong replaced Dudley.
"Hey, brother, welcome to the NBA."
The teammates were very friendly to Wade Dong. After he came on the court, everyone came over to hug him. Then, the reserves inbounded the ball.
The Suns were once the pioneers of the small-ball era, with a very fast pace. Gortat passed the ball to Wade Dong, who quickly dribbled to the frontcourt.
"Brother, welcome to the NBA."
Hill, who was guarding Wade Dong, clapped his hands and said, "I'll show you that the NBA is not like the college league."
"Hehe~"
Wade Dong smiled, and at that moment, Gortat came over to set a pick.
Wade Dong stepped past Hill!
"So fast!"
Hill exclaimed. Although he had suffered a major injury and was once considered Jordan's successor, he was actually stepped over by Wade Dong.
After the pick, Gortat cut to the basket.
Wade Dong made a bounce pass, and the ball went to Gortat. Just as Gortat was about to go for a layup, he saw Wade Dong had already moved to the corner.
Gortat smiled slightly and passed the ball back to Wade Dong, "Let's see what you've got."
When the ball came back to Wade Dong, there was no one in front of him.
"Swish!"
Wade Dong didn't hesitate and shot a three-pointer, which went straight through the hoop!
"Nice shot!"
"Quickly, get back on defense!"
The teammates cheered for Wade Dong while quickly running back to the other end of the court.
Gentry's eyes lit up, and he wrote the first line on the tactical board, "Decisive shooting, has a three-pointer!"
Nash quickly pushed the ball to the frontcourt. At this moment, Richardson found an open spot, and Nash immediately passed the ball to him. Richardson caught the ball and made a shooting motion, while Gortat and Lopez quickly positioned themselves under the basket, ready to fight for the rebound.
"Clang!"
The shot hit the rim, and the ball bounced high.
"Quickly, fight for the rebound!"
Nash shouted, and Gortat and Lopez both jumped.
However, someone was faster than them. Before these two could touch the ball, Wade Dong had already grabbed the rebound over their heads.
"He jumps so high!"
The teammates exclaimed.
Wade Dong almost jumped at the same time as Gortat and Lopez, but despite being at a disadvantage in height and arm span, he was the first to grab the rebound. This showed that his jumping ability and explosiveness far exceeded these two centers.
"Good jumping ability, can grab rebounds!"
Gentry wrote the second line on the tactical board.
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