Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 974 974 572 The Ending Summer_3

?Chapter 974: Chapter 572: The Ending Summer_3 Chapter 974: Chapter 572: The Ending Summer_3 Apart from these six, the Clippers roster also featured Yu Fei’s former teammate Matt Barnes, the beast-mode forward Ronny Turiaf, and the offensive guard Willie Green.

This was probably the most mediocre team Yu Fei had joined since leaving Washington, but he was filled with anticipation for the new season.

Because this was a brand-new start, just like when he was traded to Milwaukee in 2002 and then transferred to Seattle in 2007.

He longed for success here that would be the perfect finale to his professional career.

It was something those who couldn’t settle in just one city had to achieve.

The greatness of being a franchise player is specially tinted with “loyalty.” A player with that title must not only achieve success but also share in the ups and downs with their team. Therefore, the process is moving, and greatness is just a result. And for those who have moved between several teams, to exceed the narrative of “franchise players,” they must surpass those romance-imbued processes with even greater outcomes.

By now, Yu Fei needed no longer to vie with anyone else. He was already standing at the best position in history, yet his path was completely different from Jordan’s.

If future generations want to surpass him, they would have to follow either Jordan’s path or his. And if they chose his path, they would need to achieve remarkable success at every stop, just like he did.

He regarded Los Angeles as the last stop of his professional career; therefore, this was also his final challenge.

Rising for the third time in this premier city of the nation, and once again raising the threshold for the greatest of all time to an untouchable height was his goal.

The Clippers’ summer had ended, but another team was amidst a tense atmosphere—the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After a divisive season, John Wall had proven with his performance that he was indeed not suitable to play beside James.

And as for the former top draft pick once considered the core of the team, he was unwilling to live in someone else’s shadow.

During the season, Wall had already desired to leave, but at that time the Cavaliers had not found a suitable buyer.

Once the off-season arrived, the Cavaliers realized that selling Wall for a good price was not going to be easy.

Because the market demand was falling.

A core point guard like Wall with poor shooting didn’t fit the needs of most strong teams, and most teams in rebuild were not willing to give up solid assets for him. After all, Wall was like a scratched lottery ticket, guaranteed an All-Star base, but rebuilding teams often aim high and fall short, always wanting a superstar. Hence, they preferred to bet on the 2014 draft class, which was said to yield three megastars and five to seven All-Stars.

Waiting until this point not only had the free market cooled down, but the trade market had gradually quieted as well.

The Cavaliers began to lower their expectations.

Seeing this, the general manager of the 76ers, Sam Hinkie, made his move.

He made an offer that the Cavaliers felt was a “loss, but not by much.”

The 76ers sent out the third-year guard Eric Bledsoe and this year’s Canadian lottery pick Anthony Bennett in exchange for Wall.

By market standing, Wall was considered foundational while Bledsoe was a backcourt spearhead. Such a trade was a downgrade for the Cavaliers, but they had no other option.

At least Bledsoe was a guard who had made a name for himself and could perfectly replace Wall’s position. Moreover, he wouldn’t be at a loss when he lost ball rights as Wall did.

Bledsoe was a guard with exceptional athletic ability, outstanding dribble penetration, tenacious defense, and he could also shoot from distance, which matched with James’s style.

As for Bennett, thrown in by the 76ers, he was entirely there to balance the Cavaliers’ morale.

A proven third-year guard plus an unscratched lottery ticket in exchange for a cornerstone player who no longer wishes to stay, you’re not at a loss.

Whether it’s a loss, only the Cavaliers’ management knew for sure.

From the moment James returned, the Cavaliers’ management shifted their mindset from rebuilding to how to enhance competitiveness.

As long as a trade would help to strengthen the team’s competitiveness, they would spare no effort to make it happen.

This is how stars force management’s hand to take action.

Because they chose you as the “lucky one,” you have no reason not to go all out.

The trade of Wall meant that everything the Cavaliers had accumulated for rebuilding since “The Decision” in 2009 was now on the betting table.

From young assets to future draft picks, the Cavaliers’ resources for the next seven years were almost exhausted that summer.

After the trade, LeBron James felt it necessary to deepen his bond with the team, so he opted out of his contract and re-signed a 2+1 three-year contract with the team.

Conspiracy theorists couldn’t help but make some dark speculations.

Did LeBron ever threaten Dan Gilbert with this?

No one knows the answer, and the truth behind this question might never surface.

Unless James’s second return ends in failure again and leaves Clevelanders a “Decision 3” as a souvenir after losing all hope, no one will know the inside story.

The outside world debated fiercely whether the Cavaliers, after this trade, were sufficient to contend with the other two top powerhouses in the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile, Yu Fei quietly did something.

This year marked the third year of the “Yu Fei Scholarship,” a program that had been established during the lockout and had already helped 12 Chinese students study in the U.S. However, Yu Fei had always been dissatisfied with the progress of the project. Programs like the Joseph Tsai Foundation could even recruit top talents like the Xu brothers, while his GOAT-influenced scholarship had only attracted some students with average talents but good skills—though this was not bad, backcourt positions were the most competitive in American high school basketball, and it was nearly impossible for them to stand out.

It was this year that a name in the third installment of the “Yu Fei Scholarship” caught Yu Fei’s special attention—Hu Jinqu.

After learning about the candidate’s physical condition and family background, he confirmed this was the person he had in mind and actively pushed the matter forward. Hu Jinqu’s family was not well-off, and he also received an invitation from a CBA team in Zhejiang.

Yu Fei had to personally visit China to persuade Hu Jinqu’s family, eventually facilitating his trip to America.

After the matter was settled, a weight was lifted off Yu Fei’s heart.

The “Yu Fei Scholarship” needed a symbolic figure, and he was certain that Hu Jinqu was that person. As one of the “Three Great Centers” of the China Men’s Basketball Team of the 2010s, his low-post moves and sense for scoring might not be as good as Wang Tuoluo’s, and his physical talent might not compare to Zhou Qi’s, but he possessed a quality that neither of them had—a “fighting spirit” often mentioned by fans.

Now that the era of space basketball had arrived, and with Hu Jinqu entering American high, he could receive the most advanced basketball skill training, potentially achieving an even greater breakthrough in the future.

This was the last thing he did that summer.

In the time to come, he would participate in some commercial activities, then prepare for the new season.