The longest river

Chapter 217 The Legend of Sicily
The Cavaliers are now rebuilding around Hamilton and Ilgauskas, as well as the "Cavaliers' Little Tigers".

Theoretically, if they traded for Pippen, they should have had Pippen lead them.

Because Pippen has experience, and he is good at organizing and can orchestrate the team's offense very well.

However, the reality is that the Cavaliers were more focused on dealing with Kemp's contract.

With Kemp on the Cavaliers, the team needs to give him a lot of ball possession, which naturally reduces the number of shot attempts for other players.

However, while Pippen also needs the ball, he doesn't need a lot of shot attempts.

Moreover, his contract is one year shorter than Kemp's, which allows the Cavaliers to complete their rebuild a day earlier.

In other words, the Cavaliers need Pippen less than the Trail Blazers need him.

This means that Pippen can be replaced at any time.

In fact, right after Pippen was traded to Cleveland, teams approached them.

And the team that approached them was the Lakers.

The two sides quickly reached a trade agreement, with the Lakers sending Glen Rice, Robert Horry, and Tyrese Knight to the Cavaliers in exchange for Pippen.

The reason this trade was unexpected was that the Lakers wanted Pippen, but ended up going through a long and complicated process.

However, this seemingly pointless act is not superfluous.

If the Lakers were to make a direct trade with the Trail Blazers, they would have to send Rice and Horry to the Blazers. Such a trade would strengthen the Blazers, making it even harder for the Lakers to win.

The Lakers' management, well-versed in internal power struggles, is naturally very adept at these calculations.

The Cavaliers ultimately emerged as the biggest winners, not only dealing with Kemp's massive contract but also acquiring a near-All-Star like Rice, who can further help Hamilton develop.

As for Horry, this kind of piece-and-mortar player can be traded for assets later, making a fortune in one fell swoop.

The Lakers' trade has sparked heated discussions.

Some believe that this is the only solution the Lakers can offer after losing to the Trail Blazers last season and failing to acquire Duncan in the summer.

Although Pippen is no longer what he used to be, he can fill the Lakers' most needed role as a playmaker.

Moreover, the biggest problem exposed by the Lakers last season was internal conflict; in other words, they lacked a player who could mediate between Kobe and Shaq's ball possession.

Harper couldn't do it, Fisher had some effect but limited impact, and Pippen was the most suitable candidate.

Pippen currently has seven championships and has played alongside Jordan and Yang Shuai. His ability and experience are enough to make Kobe and Shaq both admire him.

Of course, some people think that the Lakers are making a desperate attempt to fix things, just like the Rockets' old Big Three back then.

Because if the Lakers fail in the new season, Pippen's remaining two years of contract will become a huge burden, the kind that he can't be traded at all.

Amidst the murmurs and discussions among fans, another event related to the Lakers has occurred.

Charles Oakley reached a buyout agreement with the Wizards and joined the Lakers on a two-year mid-level exception contract.

After Jordan left the Wizards, the team entered a rebuilding phase, and the veterans they had acquired in the trades became the targets for clearing out.

Oakley has two years and $12 million left on his contract, making him difficult to trade; a buyout is the only option.

Oakley gave up more than $300 million in salary during the buyout, while the Lakers offered him a two-year contract worth $500 million, so he actually made a profit.

Of course, more important than the million-dollar salary is that this is Oakley's last chance to win a championship.

This former bodyguard of Jordan was traded to New York by the Bulls in his early years and then followed the Knicks, becoming one of Jordan's many background figures.

As for why he didn't join the Trail Blazers directly, that's probably a matter of his personality.

Joining a championship team directly was not what Oakley, known for his "toughness," wanted.

Moreover, Oakley and Young didn't get along well when they played for the Knicks.

After signing Oakley, the Lakers' starting lineup for the new season will be Harper, Kobe, Pippen, Oakley, and O'Neal, with Fisher, Isaiah Riddle (signed on a minimum contract in free agency), Rick Fox, and Brian Shaw on the bench, a significant improvement over last season.

Compared to the Trail Blazers' somewhat top-heavy roster, the Lakers will be the "better team" in the new season.

With this, the news about the free market was finally put to rest.

Yang Shuai then set off for Houston, where, with Barkley's help, he would train with Hakeem Olajuwon on the Dream Shake.

Following the offseason trade, Yang Shuai will switch to playing small forward in the new season.

Previously, his physique was a great advantage for shooting guard, but as a small forward, he will inevitably need to gain weight to meet the demands of physical contact. He plans to gain weight to around 100 kilograms.

This weight is within the normal range for a player who is 2.03 meters tall with shoes on, but it also means that his playing style will be adjusted in the new season, changing from mainly driving to driving to a combination of driving and back-to-the-basket moves.

To maximize the effectiveness of back-to-the-basket moves, footwork training is essential.

As a master of footwork, it's perfectly reasonable for Yang Shuai to learn from Hakeem Olajuwon.

The core principle of Hakeem Olajuwon's footwork is to "reset the pivot foot," which means using a small hop to receive the ball to reset the pivot foot, and then choosing either the left or right foot as the pivot foot to launch another attack.

This approach makes it difficult for defenders to predict your offensive intentions and also leads to a variety of offensive methods.

Yang Shuai mastered it very quickly.

Because apart from resetting the pivot foot, which was new to him, all the other offensive methods were ones he had used before.

Moreover, for this kind of footwork to be effective, it requires a sufficiently fast speed, and Yang Shuai is no less capable in this regard.

After one training session, Yang Shuai could say that he had basically mastered it.

This greatly excited Hakeem Olajuwon.

"He thought I could teach after I retired."

"You can do it for sure."

Yang Shuai immediately gave his full support.

Hakeem Olajuwon made a lot of money from NBA players by teaching courses throughout his history.

Of course, what he didn't say was that not everyone can have a positive impact on Hakeem Olajuwon's brand like he did, such as LeBron James and Dwight Howard, so it's important to remember to politely decline.

After training, Yang Shuai also chatted with Barkley for a while.

Barkley is sharing how great his life is after retirement.

I no longer have to be woken up by an alarm clock every day; I can wake up whenever I want.

The time he saved could be used to do what he liked: fishing, playing golf, and focusing his energy on women;

And his body, although the pain still comes from time to time, he no longer has to grit his teeth and overcome it;

And you no longer need to diet; you can eat whatever you want.
Don't you feel like something's missing from your life?

Yang Shuai couldn't help but ask a question.

When Yang Shuai first transmigrated, he had a strange feeling, a sense of emptiness.

Because before he transmigrated, he was filled with all sorts of college entrance exam papers, and he had to race against time.

But after time travel, I suddenly didn't have to do anything. Although I felt completely relaxed, I always felt that something was missing from my life.

Barkley looked at Yang Shuai strangely, his expression as if to say: You've never retired, how do you know that retiring will feel like this?
He nodded and then explained what he was going to do next.

"I will join TNT as a commentator."

Hearing this, Yang Shuai wasn't surprised at all; even he, a Gen Z, knew about the TNT group.

"Then remember to praise me often." Yang Shuai was very practical.

"Do you know what? In my heart, you are already number one in history."

It's clear that Mav Albert will be facing his real rival in the commentary booth.

After returning from Houston, Yang Shuai immediately began footwork training according to what he had learned.

To achieve better training results, Yang Shuai made a phone call and brought Kobe Bryant over from Los Angeles.

Kobe looks radiant. With Rice traded away, his shot attempts will undoubtedly increase in the new season, perhaps even as many as Shaq's, or even more.

After the two started training one-on-one, Yang Shuai could feel that Kobe had improved a lot since last season's playoffs.

Kobe wasn't the type to be exceptionally gifted, but his rate of improvement was incredibly fast, only slightly slower than Yang Shuai's.

This is a good thing for Yang Shuai. Having an opponent who can compete against him in his career, regardless of whether he succeeds or fails, is actually very meaningful.

So the two not only compete against each other, but also share their basketball experiences, including footwork.

Kobe mastered it just as quickly as Yang Shuai.

Why don't you join the Dream Team?

During training, Kobe inevitably asked Yang Shuai about the upcoming Olympics.

"And why do you want to?"

This year's Dream Team, including Yang Shuai, Kobe, and Iverson, was all absent, and only Carter and Garnett from the new generation went.

"They can win without me. I don't like doing things that don't have much meaning."

Kobe's answer was quite distinctive.

"Me too."

Yang Shuai thought this was a good excuse.

In August, Yang Shuai parted ways with Kobe Bryant, as he was going to attend the Venice Film Festival.

"I said I would win back, and I will do so in the new season."

Before leaving, Kobe expressed his determination to Yang Shuai.

The improved roster and overall strength have made Kobe more confident than ever before.

"Well then... good luck, Adou."

Yang Shuai is also looking forward to a showdown with the strongest Lakers team.

On August 2, four days before the start of the Venice Film Festival, Yang Shuai arrived in the world-famous water city ahead of schedule.

Because he needed to participate in the brand's promotional activities, HARK was also looking for an entry point into the European market.

Then, on his first day of arrival, Yang Shuai experienced a typical "shattered tourist city filter".

The scenery here is actually quite nice. The church-like buildings in the distance, paired with white doves flying in the air and the sea breeze, make for a very pleasant sight in the summer.

But once inside the city, looking at the ditches with floating algae, the wet floors, and the graffiti everywhere, it felt inferior to tourist attractions like Wuzhen or Gulangyu Island in China.

His activities in Venice continued until the 4th and 5th, the day before the film festival, when Yang Shuai got a day off.

On that same day, he visited Sicily, another famous tourist destination in Italy.

Because it's in Europe, specifically Italy, where football is the most popular sport, Yang Shuai only needs to wear sunglasses, and basically no one will recognize him.

He wandered around for a while and soon noticed that the area in the direction of Syracuse Cathedral was very lively.

When he got there, he discovered that a movie was being filmed on location.

A gentle sea breeze blew as a woman in a black dress, her slender legs encased in black stockings and high heels, strolled along the path in front of the church.

The sea breeze blew the skirt against the woman's body, like a paintbrush outlining her sexy and voluptuous figure.

Her long, golden curly hair swayed as she walked, and her bright red lips were even more stunning in the sunlight.

Not only the extras on set, but even onlookers in the distance couldn't help but be drawn to that figure.

Yang Shuai has traveled through so many years and has seen and slept with many female stars, but this is the first time he has seen a woman who can be associated with desire at first glance.

The filming took many takes, and Yang Shuai watched the retakes many times.

Even after leaving Sicily, he couldn't help but reminisce about it.

Italy really is a place that nurtures women.

In the evening, there was a gala for the film festival, attended mostly by big names in the film industry and female celebrities.

Yang Shuai was also among those invited, but Paul handled the small talk while Yang Shuai simply found a corner to sit in and looked at the people present with an appreciative gaze.

Everyone talks about Europe and America, but there are actually quite a few differences between European women and American women.

They have larger frames, making them appear taller and fuller, with more defined facial features.

However, she was still somewhat inferior to the woman he had seen during the day.

Just as Yang Shuai was about to look away, he suddenly paused.

Because he saw that woman again.

However, because she was wearing an evening gown, compared to the desires of the daytime, she gave off a feeling of pure beauty.

Yang Shuai got up and walked over, picked up a glass of red wine from the waiter's plate, and then went to the other person's side.

"My name is Yang, and I'm a basketball player."

After attracting the other party's attention, Yang Shuai began to introduce himself.

A look of surprise quickly flashed in the woman's eyes.

It's hard not to be curious when you see a basketball player at a movie gala.

However, what the woman said was something Yang Shuai hadn't expected.

"Hansen Young?"

Clearly, the other party did not know what Yang Shuai looked like, but had heard of his name.

Monica Bellucci.

The other person smiled and reached out her hand to Yang Shuai; her smile made her even more beautiful.

Yang Shuai paused for a moment, then gestured for Monica to sit down and talk.

The two found a corner and quickly began to talk.

Under Yang Shuai's slightly curious gaze, Monica explained how she knew him.

This is actually related to Kobe.

Kobe Bryant grew up in Italy and was signed with Adidas, a European company, which gave him a huge following in Italy. As for Yang Shuai, the "mountain Kobe couldn't overcome," he also gained considerable fame in Italy as a result.

Basketball isn't very popular in Italy, which means many people know his name but don't know what he looks like.

After hearing this, Yang Shuai couldn't help but touch his nose. He never expected that Kobe could help him like this one day.

So what was your first impression of me?

"You're more handsome than your name suggests."

Monica's eyes were full of charm.

Yang Shuai instantly felt the same way he did during the day; he had an urge to conquer the other person immediately.

After chatting for a while, Yang Shuai then extended an invitation to Monica, saying he wanted to see the night view of Venice and wondered if Monica could be his guide.

Monica looked at Yang Shuai for a long time, as if considering it, and finally nodded.

The two quickly left the venue by car, and then Monica secretly led him to the top floor of a church.

From that vantage point, they could overlook the entire night view of Venice.

The scenery is much better than during the day.

Especially from their location, the sea breeze felt particularly pleasant.

Looking at the scene before them, Yang Shuai and Monica chatted about the scenes of her filming that they had seen during the day.

Monica was filming a movie called "Malèna".

As she spoke, Monica pulled a pack of women's cigarettes from her pocket and lit it.

Yang Shuai didn't like women smoking, but for some reason, Monica's smoking posture not only didn't disgust him, but also had a unique charm.

In the ensuing conversation, Yang Shuai became a listener, listening to the helplessness of a 36-year-old Italian actress over her current situation.

Monica entered the entertainment industry ten years ago, but after making movies for ten years, she is basically still just a pretty face.

As she gets older, her resources are gradually decreasing.

Left with no other choice, she had to make this film with erotic elements.

She even bought her tickets to tonight's gala so that she could get more film opportunities in the future.

Yang Shuai couldn't empathize with Monica, but he did feel that he really had a chance to help her.

A key part of film festivals is the red carpet, which is also where the most reporters and media gather.

In theory, those who walk the red carpet are celebrities who have been invited to the film festival, but in reality, many people who are not invited also go, which is commonly known as "crashing the red carpet".

In this area, Yang Shuai must have seen far too many news stories in his past life about starting with a red carpet photo and then getting nominated for a film festival.

So the only help Yang Shuai can offer is to have Monica go to the event tomorrow and take a photo with him.

Although he is not a well-known actor, the attention he attracts as an NBA star is still significant, even at film festivals.

After Yang Shuai made the suggestion, he noticed that Monica was staring at him blankly.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Thank you for showing me this beautiful Venice night view?"

Yang Shuai gave a reason.

For him, as a basketball player, he wouldn't delve too deeply into the film industry, so this was just a small favor for him.

Monica couldn't help but laugh; that was a reason only good for a child.

The spot where they were standing wasn't illuminated by the lights, but the moonlight was very bright tonight. Monica's smile was radiant, and she possessed an indescribable beauty that made Yang Shuai somewhat lost in thought, and his breathing quickened a little.

Suddenly, Monica stopped laughing. She walked up to Yang Shuai, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him.

When Yang Shuai came to his senses, Monica had already wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

His previously suppressed desire was ignited in an instant.

He soon experienced firsthand what it meant to be passionate and unrestrained by Italian women.

Monica faced the sea and looked back at Yang Shuai.

The ignited flames quickly enveloped the two of them.

……

(These six points represent the author's protest)

On the second day of the film festival, Yang Shuai's appearance on the red carpet attracted a large number of reporters.

This is the first time an NBA player's documentary has been shown at a film festival, and Yang Shuai's fame speaks for itself.

This attracted the attention of many celebrities. Some celebrities who originally came to get free publicity tried to join in, but Paul blocked them all.

When Monica appeared, Yang Shuai took the initiative to greet her and take a photo with her.

In an instant, the flashbulbs went off, and Monica became the focus of attention on the red carpet.

Shortly after the photo was taken, a man came up to thank Yang Shuai.

Monica also introduced the two of them to each other.

“This is my husband, Vincent Cassel, who is also an actor.”

Yang Shuai's brain went blank for a moment, as if he had suddenly been transported into those absurd American TV shows.

Fortunately, he quickly realized that the other person's thanks were just for the photo they had taken earlier.

After seeing Monica and her husband off, Yang Shuai couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

It seems like next time I meet a woman, I should ask her if she's married.

"The Road to Conquest" ultimately won the Silver Award for Documentary, although it did not win the Gold Award, it was still a new record for basketball documentaries.

Moreover, with this award, it is bound to attract more viewers worldwide, especially in Europe.

This is also the true purpose of the documentary: to broaden Yang Shuai's influence in Europe.

After the Venice Film Festival, Yang Shuai didn't rush back to Portland, but instead wandered around the city for a while.

For him, this was a rare travel opportunity.

The Colosseum in Rome, the Swiss Alps, the Louvre Museum in France…

By the time he returned to Portland after this long journey, it was already late September.

By this time, the curtain had already fallen on the Olympic Games.

The Dream Team IV ultimately won the Olympic men's basketball championship, and Carter delivered the "dunk of death" against France.

But putting all that aside, this Olympic journey for the Dream Team has been fraught with peril compared to the previous three Dream Teams.

They only won by single digits when they faced Lithuania in the group stage, and in the semi-finals they narrowly won by 2 points, almost being defeated by the opponent in the final.

It's clear that with the continuous influx of overseas players into the NBA, the level of world basketball is improving, and it's no longer an era where a college team can win the championship.

This result has also caused dissatisfaction among many people, and American media have begun to criticize those star players who declined to play for their country.

Yang Shuai is the most famous one, but also the one who has been questioned the most.

However, he didn't care about that; what he was really concerned about was the situation of the Chinese team.

This strongest Chinese team in history ultimately failed to reach the quarterfinals. They had a chance to defeat France in the group stage, but were ultimately overturned and fell short.

However, Wang Zhizhi performed exceptionally well, becoming the top scorer for the Chinese team.

Right after the Olympics, the Mavericks announced that they had signed Wang Zhizhi to a three-year contract, officially bringing him to the NBA.

This means that Yao Ming has the opportunity to join the NBA next year.

For Chinese basketball, the wheels of history have begun to turn forward at an even faster pace.

This is also what Yang Shuai hoped to see.

Shortly after Yang Shuai returned to Portland, the team's training camp for the new season began.

For a team that has won two consecutive championships, the changes to the Trail Blazers' roster are quite significant.

In addition to acquiring Kemp, Sura, and rookie Reed through trades, they also added a number of veterans.

Former All-Star power forward Detlef Schrempf from the SuperSonics, and Chris Mullin, who joined the team after being bought out by the Pacers.

Last season, Kevin Johnson and Charles Barkley successfully realized their championship dreams with the Trail Blazers, so naturally more veterans will choose to join them.

All of this means the Trail Blazers will need time to readjust and gel for the new season.

At the training camp, Yang Shuai met with Kemp, the most important player he signed in the summer.

When he saw Kemp, who was as fat as a ball, his brows furrowed.

Although the two had interacted a lot before, since they were both Reebok brand ambassadors, he didn't pay attention to the other's physical condition.

However, as a teammate now, he is clearly dissatisfied with the opponent's performance.

Whitsitt once said that Kemp found a new passion for basketball after seeing the Trail Blazers win the championship, but he couldn't see that.

So at the opening banquet, Yang Shuai said something similar to what he said last year: the team’s only goal is to win three consecutive championships, and no one is irreplaceable in order to achieve that goal.

Moreover, his words were more extreme than last year.

"Including me, if I haven't done a good job, any of you can point it out."

After the opening banquet, Yang Shuai and Carlisle discussed their plans for the new season.

Kemp's problem is something the coaching staff needs to focus on addressing.

Sabonis is another year older, and the team will definitely need Kemp to make more contributions in the new season.

Then, another more important thing is to implement more tactics for Billups and Wallace in the new season to improve their playing ability.

In reality, neither Pippen, Kemp, nor Sabonis are the main players for the current Trail Blazers.

The focus is on Billups and Wallace.

The criticism the media gave to other Trail Blazers players during last season's Finals also made Yang Shuai realize this.

Billups and Wallace's slower development is essentially due to a lack of ball possession.

The new season will not only see Pippen leaving his place in the trade, but Yang Shuai will also be giving up a portion of his role.

If they can truly provide help in the playoffs, then all these possessions will be completely worthwhile.

However, doing so will inevitably affect the team's performance in the new season.

This is similar to how championship-contending teams develop young talents; even with Yang Shuai as a safety net, it's difficult to have both.

"It was worth it."

Yang Shuai has seen it clearly: the Bulls' ability to achieve 72 wins is essentially due to the team's maturity.

However, the Trail Blazers' roster is clearly different, and simply pursuing wins is meaningless.

Just as Yang Shuai said, winning the third championship and completing the dynasty is the only goal of this team now.

During training camp, the Trail Blazers' coaching staff tried to get Kemp to lose weight, as he weighed a staggering 144 kilograms at the time, but with little success.

Kemp, who used to fly and leap, now has difficulty even jumping off the ground.

Carlisle is a ruthless man. Since Whitchett spends most of his time with the Seattle Seahawks, after consulting with Yang, he directly devised a plan for Kemp.

Kemp's playing time in the new season will be directly linked to his weight.

If Kemp cannot reduce his weight to 140 kg, he will not get any playing time in the new season.

And so on, Kemp would only have a chance to become a starting player if he could reduce his weight to below 130 kilograms.

Time flies, and it's already early October. Teams are holding media days, and the new season is about to begin.

Compared to last year, there are significantly more teams attracting attention this year.

The Trail Blazers, aiming for a three-peat, the Lakers, who brought in Pippen to form the "Big Three," the Magic, who formed a super backcourt with Hill and McGrady, and the Warriors, who welcomed Jordan to the team.

This day was also full of wonderful moments.

First up is Tracy McGrady, who made a bold statement at media day.

"I will lead this team back to the Finals!"

With Jordan's retirement, the disparity in strength between the East and West has become increasingly apparent this season.

In the Western Conference, not only are powerhouses like the Spurs, Trail Blazers, Lakers, and Jazz still holding strong, but the Suns, Timberwolves, Kings, and even the Mavericks are also rising in popularity.

In contrast, in the East, with Jordan's retirement, the Heat, Knicks, and Hawks have all declined to varying degrees. Under these circumstances, anyone could potentially "take advantage of the chaos" and stand at the top of the East.

Of course, compared to McGrady's remarks, what truly attracted strong attention from the outside world was the Lakers' side.

As Phil Jackson's former favorite and the Lakers' most important acquisition this summer, Pippen was the most talked-about figure at the Lakers' media day.

"I'm here to help this team win the championship."

If the Trail Blazers players heard this, they would probably say: "We still prefer your rebellious self from back then, let's correct each other."

When Pippen first arrived in Portland, he said he would "lead" the Trail Blazers to a championship.

However, more noteworthy than this statement is another topic that Pippen was asked by reporters.

Who do you think is the GOAT, Michael or Hansen?

With Jordan's retirement, his career came to an end. Although he did not complete a second three-peat like in history, the influence Jordan brought still made him the most popular candidate for GOAT.

Yang Shuai, although he only has three championships so far, has only been in the professional career for five years. The only person who can match him in terms of the speed at which he has collected championships is Magic Johnson.

Pippen was asked this question when he played for the Trail Blazers, and he just smiled and didn't answer.

But this time at media day, his answer was very affirmative.

"Michael."

(End of this chapter)