The Way of the Center

In the blink of an eye, Xia Ri followed An Jie to September.

The picture of winning the O'Brien Cup seems to be in front of us, but in fact, it is less than two months before the start of the new NBA season.

The championship parade, wedding, Asian Championships, trip to Africa, special training camp... The summer after winning the championship was undoubtedly the most productive summer for Anjie.

But no matter how colorful this summer vacation is, it's time to calm down.

September means not only a holiday for the players, but also a change in their own future.

For which team to play for next season based on what purpose, this is something that players must now consider. If you can't catch up with the team's training camp in October, it will be very bad for the players.

Therefore, September is also a month when various transfer information explodes.

As soon as An Jie came back from the training camp, he received bad news. One of the Blazers' championship puzzles last season, rotation insider J.J. Hickson did not renew his contract with the Blazers, but accepted the three-year 16.14 million mid-level contract offered by the Nuggets.

In this world, not all players will fight for the championship. Perhaps before, Hickson would choose to join a competitive team. But when he wins a championship, the performance opportunity and the size of the contract are the criteria that determine whether Hickson will stay or not.

This guy, who never dreamed of becoming famous, "accidentally" won a championship trophy under the leadership of An Jie. The experience of winning this time is enough for Hickson.

In the Trail Blazers, he can only play Aldridge and Anjie's substitute for his whole life, and more often he can only play the fourth position that he doesn't like. But in the Nuggets without a star, he was guaranteed a starting five. Moreover, the price tag of 16.14 million offered by the Nuggets is something that Nell Orsi would never use on Hickson.

Olsi must ensure that Angie, Aldridge, Iguodala and Lillard can stay in Portland for a long time, so he will not open a big contract for others.

For this reason, Hickson chose to leave Denver. An Jie would not complain about Hixon's choice, after all, others have the right to pursue the life they want. But losing an insider in this regard is really a huge blow to the Blazers.

Don't underestimate Hickson, who usually plays as a substitute for Anjie and Aldridge. This guy's defensive and rebounding contributions during the rotation period are one of the conditions for the Blazers to win the championship.

"It's really tricky.

"Anjie sat in Olsey's office, feeling devastated. Once Hickson left, there was no one in the Trail Blazers who could stand up to him.

Joel Freeland, a veteran of the Blazers, can play inside, but his strength is not enough to support the Blazers to go further.

Jared Jeffries? This guy, like Fisher, chose to retire with the Trail Blazers.

Calculated in this way, in this era when inside players are scarce, the Blazers really encountered a big problem.

Looking around, there are only a few inside players who may transfer this year.

Jermaine O'Neal? O'Neal has been out of form since his serious injury, and neither Anjie nor Orsi have much hope for this guy.

Kenyon Martin? A veteran who could fight An Jie before. Maybe the Heat will like this kind of player, but his request is not enough to satisfy Anjie and Orsi.

"Birdman" Anderson seems like a good choice, but Orsi believes that this guy will not join a team that just beat him.

It seems that there is no insider worth introducing in the entire transfer market. But the name of a person made An Jie unforgettable for a long time.

"How is this guy?" An Jie pointed to the names on the list.

"Him? I don't think this guy who hates you will choose to cooperate with the Blazers." Orsi looked at the name. He is indeed a very capable guy. But the chances of this guy joining the Trail Blazers are close to zero.

"Hey, last summer you also said that Batum would not rejoin the Trail Blazers, what happened?" An Jie raised his eyebrows at his general manager.

"You lunatic, if you can, it's of course the best." Orsi shook his head, Anjie is always daring to do things that others dare not do.

"Huh... I hope this time, I can convince him."

This is the job of a team leader during the offseason. Things like recruiting teammates cannot be done by a mere team management. The attraction of a superstar is the key to whether others are willing to join.

Anjie has done a good job in this regard. He attracted Iguodala, Batum and Fisher last year. This year, An Jie plans to start with this guy who plays inside like himself.

※※※

New Orleans, the largest seaport city in Luzhou, is very strange to An Jie.

Except for playing games, An Jie has hardly moved around freely in this city. The beauty of this city in the water can't stop An Jie at all, because An Jie doesn't know whether his trip will be in vain or not.

After satisfying the taxi driver's photo and autograph request, An Jie finally came to the gate of a private ranch.

Accompanied by An Jie's favorite jazz, a polite old man in a suit bowed to An Jie and led An Jie into the ranch.

"I still can't see that guy likes this kind of pastoral life." Looking around, this guy doesn't play ball, and can live comfortably all his life on his own ranch in New Orleans.

"Hahaha, everyone said that when they came here for the first time. He may be the most unique farmer in the world." The butler didn't mind An Jie's joke, and An Jie and the old man walked across a lawn , into a retro three-story mansion.

This mansion looks very old-fashioned on the outside, but it is very modern on the inside. The modern decoration style, all kinds of high-tech household gadgets, and luxurious home appliances make An Jie want to report some of them home. Well, this style is like the style an NBA player should have.

"He's on the indoor basketball court on the second floor, just open the door and go in." Walking to a closed door, the butler stopped in his tracks.

"Go in directly?" An Jie didn't know if such impolite behavior was really appropriate.

"He ordered you to go in alone." The butler still maintained a kind smile.

"Okay..." An Jie adjusted his suit and slowly opened the door. Sure enough, there was actually another basketball court behind the door. A basketball court hidden in a retro mansion, but with a very strong personal style!

Bar, loud music, fancy walls, a hoop and a green wooden floor. This is the whole picture of the basketball court in this city.

At the basket, a tall guy who obviously just finished working out. His training clothes were stained with sweat, and the water bottle had just been thrown aside.

The guy wasn't surprised to see An Jie come in. He directly picked up the basketball on the ground and threw it to An Jie in a suit and leather shoes. "Let's play a game, and you talk to me again."

An Jie caught the basketball quickly, but he didn't intend to play.

"Do you think my outfit is suitable for playing basketball? Robin."

"I have training uniforms, basketball shoes, and a field here. So, you have no excuse to reject me, An Jie. Why, the double MVP is afraid that I will not be able to fight against a small role like me." Robin Lopez with an afro Zizi smiled teasingly at Anjie.

That's right, Robin Lopez. This guy who has been at odds with Angie since college, and who is definitely stronger than J.J. Hickson who just left, is the "prey" that Angie and Orsi are eyeing this summer.

If the Blazers can have him, their road to defending the title next season will be much smoother.

But this unruly big man cannot be swayed by An Jie's words.

"Come on Ann, let's fight!" Lopez took out a whole set of equipment from the cabinet.