One Guard

The Dallas Mavericks got their wish and selected Gobert. In the eyes of Yiyang and Carlisle, this is part of the Mavericks' summer reinforcements. But in the outside world, not many people would have hope for a rookie with the 27th overall pick.

People are expecting Bennett and Irving, the two No. 1 picks, to lead the team to glory. The Dallas Mavericks? Those guys always make loud noises and light rains in summer. Just a rookie with the 27th overall pick can't get them past the Western Conference Finals.

Yiyang doesn't care what the outside world thinks of the Mavericks. As Cuban often said, those who are playing on the court know best which players are best for the team. Those reporters were just messing around. When Cuban introduced Odom the year before last, reporters all said that the Mavericks would soar into the sky. What was the result?

Facts have proved that whether a team's signing is excellent has nothing to do with the media's reaction. No one can say for sure until next season starts.

Therefore, even if the media was indifferent to Cuban's choice, the Mavericks still showed their enthusiasm. Cuban also said that he will officially sign a contract with Gobert soon, and Gobert can't wait to start his revenge plan. Gobert will make every team that passes on him or passes on him look good on draft night.

Before leaving Brooklyn, Gobert took the initiative to make a phone call to Yiyang, which made Yiyang feel extremely happy.

"Do you want to train with me in the summer?" Yiyang did not expect that a rookie who had not officially signed with the team would actually make such a request.

"Well, I hope to seize the time to improve myself. And everyone knows that you are the best coach in this league!" Gobert said bluntly, he always likes to hone himself with strong players.

What impressed Yiyang and Cuban the most about Gobert was not his height and wingspan, but his drive. He will never be satisfied with the status quo and will never be left behind. So what if the opponent is the best in America? What Gobert thinks about is always how to surpass his opponents!

"Training with me is very hard. I'm not sure if you can adapt to this level of special training intensity." Yiyang naturally welcomes Gobert to go to Brickley's training camp with him to receive "transformation." , but can Gobert, a player who has never played any official game in the United States, withstand the exercise methods specially prepared by Brickley for superstars?

"Is your training so exhausting?" Gobert asked back. His serious tone didn't sound like he was joking with Yiyang.

"Pfft, do you think we are doing body modification surgery in the training camp? Of course not! Our special training is so tiring!" Yiyang replied dumbfounded. Gobert, sometimes I don't know if he is really stupid or just pretending. stupid.

On the basketball court, he is extremely fierce, but off the basketball court, he is like a cute kid.

At this point, the 2013 draft is officially over for Yiyang and the Mavericks. At this time, the general managers of the 30 NBA teams are waiting for the free agent market to open.

At this time every summer, although there are no games in the NBA, the ownership issues of the stars and the fierce competition between the teams are even as exciting as an eight o'clock soap opera.

Every twenty-four hours, various reporters will have various news coming out. This year, the three biggest fish in the free agent market, and the three people who have made the most news, are undoubtedly Howard, who is frustrated with the Lakers but still has outstanding personal abilities. Al Jefferson, who has performed at his peak with the Jazz, is now looking forward to a maximum salary contract, and Andre Iguodala, who has announced that he will opt out of his contract and become a free agent.

Among these three people, Howard and Al Jefferson are Cuban's biggest targets this summer! He believes that as long as he can get either of these two All-Star centers, the Mavericks will return to the finals!

But are Howard and Al Jefferson really the best system for the Mavericks? I'm afraid that's not the case...

At midnight on July 1, the NBA free agent market officially opened. On the first day after the free agent market opened, the Mavericks received good news.

O.J. Mayo, who chose to opt out of his contract, accepted the Bucks' three-year, $24 million offer and left Milwaukee. In the new season, Mayo will continue to compete in the league wearing a Bucks jersey.

Although this is just a signing between the player and the team, and the Mavericks did not obtain any substantial benefits from it, the fans are still ecstatic about it.

Even the departure of a player can make fans so happy. O.J. Mayo is probably the first person in the history of the Mavericks to win this "honor".

Mayo's departure further expands the Mavericks' already ample salary space. Of course, it also kept the Mavericks locker room out of trouble. In a group like the Mavericks, any player who does not strive for improvement and has no desire to win is detrimental to the team atmosphere. Now, this damage has been successfully cleaned up.

If someone leaves, someone must come in. Cuban didn't want this to be another summer in which all efforts were in vain, so on July 2, he got in touch with Howard's manager Fagan early, and the two sides also reached a preliminary cooperation intention.

Howard has long said that he may not renew his contract with the Lakers. He will visit the Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks before returning to Los Angeles to discuss with the Lakers and ultimately make a decision among the four teams. And almost all experts predict that the cities Howard is most likely to choose are Houston and Dallas!

Cuban was ecstatic about this. The Rockets and Hawks were not necessarily more willing to spend money than he was. Besides, the Mavericks, who reached the Western Conference finals last season, are more competitive than the Rockets, who failed to reach the playoffs, and the Hawks, who were only seventh in the Eastern Conference. For Dwight Howard, Cuban is bound to win!

"Did you hear the news? Yi!" Yiyang received a call from Cuban when he was at home with his mother to tidy up the backyard garden. On the phone, the fat boss's voice sounded as excited as if he had picked up 5 million US dollars out of thin air.

No, if that guy Cuban saw $5 million falling on the ground, he might choose to walk away because it was too difficult to get.

"What news?" Yiyang was confused. All he could think about now were those damn weeds and his mother's beautiful smiling face.

"Dwight Howard! He will come to Dallas to interview with us tomorrow!"

"Oh, really?" A gust of cold wind blew by, making Cuban shiver while standing in the office.

Cuban originally thought Yiyang would be very excited, but after waiting for a long time, he only received a cold response.

"Is this... the end? Don't you plan to come in person tomorrow to convince Howard to stay?"

"No, I'll leave the signing to you." From the inside, Yiyang didn't have a good impression of Howard. This guy's pursuit of honor and desire for victory are not as real as Gobert, a rookie. If it was Howard during the Magic era, Yiyang would be very welcoming. But after that season in Los Angeles, Howard not only declined in form, but his temperament also changed drastically. Now Yiyang would not dare to compliment him on his personality that could explode the locker room at any time.

But after all, Cuban is the team owner, and he is sometimes not very good at interfering in the management's operations.

Cuban didn't pay much attention to Yiyang's reaction. Yiyang didn't talk much. Maybe I'm not very good at recruiting teammates myself.

After hanging up the phone, Carlisle next to Cuban asked his boss anxiously. "What should I say?"

"He said that if he doesn't come, it doesn't matter. We can handle Dwight ourselves!" Cuban smiled. This is Yiyang's nature.

"He's not coming?" Unlike Cuban, Carlisle's performance was a little surprised.

"Yeah, Yi is not the kind of guy who can speak well. He probably doesn't like this kind of situation."

"No, that's not the reason. Mark, I think we need to reconsider negotiating with Dwight."

"Reconsider? What else is there to consider!? Dwight is currently the number one center in the league. Is there anyone else who needs to consider before the number one center?" Cuban spread his hands and grabbed Howard's ball. There are a lot of teams. If the Mavericks miss it, it is very likely that they will really have no chance. After waiting for so long, I finally managed to make waves in the free agent market. How could I just give up? ?

"Dwight is indeed the best center in the league, but is he really suitable for the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk?" Carlisle asked three questions in a row, leaving Cuban speechless.

"I know I have made wrong decisions, but this is Dwight Howard after all!"

"Stop being superstitious about superstars, Mark. I know that the whole world is gathering stars now, and the Heat's success has shown everyone a shortcut to winning the championship. But not all teams can be like the Miami Heat. Good luck. The decline of the Lakers last season is the best proof of this. The gathering of stars cannot be directly equated with the O'Brien Trophy. What we need is not the most famous, but the most suitable for the team. Yes!" Carlisle patted Cuban on the shoulder, and whatever Yiyang was embarrassed to say, Carlisle said it for him.

Cuban did not rush to refute this time. Instead, he turned his chair towards the floor-to-ceiling windows and looked at the panoramic view of the city of Dallas.

Cuban does have a "hobby" of collecting superstars. In order to build a dream lineup, Cuban even spent green dollars. Those bright names have an inexplicable attraction for Cuban. But as Carlisle said, can superstars really help the team?

As we all know, Howard likes to attack with the ball in the low post and does not like high pick-and-roll tactics. Furthermore, Howard's attitude towards basketball is completely different from Yiyang and Dirk. The addition of such a guy to the team is likely to cause cracks in the Mavericks' locker room again.

But when he thinks of the famous name "Dwight Howard", Cuban is reluctant to give up. No matter what, he is the number one center in the league!

"If you don't believe me, then you should believe me, right? How about this, this summer, we let Yilai personally select his teammates. Then let's see, which one is better, the players or us?"

"I know Yi Na's character, he won't do that." Cuban waved his hand. In this regard, Yi Yang is a very thin-skinned person.

"What if all this is for the championship? I think he will be very happy to do it!" Carlisle is confident. Yiyang has taken the initiative to select Gobert this year. Isn't it a good start?

A team must ultimately be handed over to the players... The advice of the star player may sometimes be more effective than ten scouts.