Yang Jian entered the stadium on time and greeted his teammates first. After chatting for a few words, he was surrounded by reporters.
The SuperSonics are the most watched team this year and are the number one seed in the new season. Yang Jian is the most watched star and the regular season MVP favorite.
President David Stern had no idea that his performance in the international arena would be so strong and that his momentum could not be suppressed even if he wanted to. There was no need for the league to deliberately praise him.
Yang Jian stated the goal for the new season. "If we want to win the championship, we must defend it. If we don't win, we will fail."
The reporter asked: "Which team do you think is the SuperSonics' biggest opponent in the new season?"
"It's still the Bulls. The chance of us meeting the Bulls in the finals is very high. We won last season and this season will be no exception because I am stronger than last season."
Yang Jian was a rookie last season and had to keep a low profile at the beginning. Now that he is recognized as the boss of the Sonics, there is no need to keep a low profile anymore. As the boss, what he has to do is to boost morale and give his teammates the confidence to win.
The veterans are just here to hug him. If he can't guarantee that he will win the championship, will he let the opponent take the blame if he loses? It is his responsibility to lead the team to win. He will not pass the blame. He has no regard for his own strength and ankle.
Have confidence.
Yang Jian is taking the path of "dominating the world" and attracting the attention of fans to himself before the start of the season. If everyone is discussing him and paying attention to him from the beginning, and in the end he has the best record and beautiful statistics,
The mvp must be his.
As long as he defeats the Bulls again next year and wins the FMVP, even if he has one less championship ring and less personal honors than Jordan, he will not lose to Jordan in terms of momentum.
Jordan had not yet entered the league when he was his age. He wants everyone to believe that it is only a matter of time before he surpasses Jordan.
Every step is in Yang Jian's plan, and the Sonics will form a virtuous cycle. During the offseason, veterans who want to win a championship will first consider joining the Sonics, so that the Sonics can always maintain their lineup depth.
Payton and Kemp already knew what Yang Jian would say, and they agreed with him during interviews and expressed their confidence to win the championship.
Kemp was asked about the fact that this season is a contract year. Kemp smiled and said: "I don't want to think about these things for the time being. I will try my best to help the team successfully defend the title this season. I will wait until the end of the season whether to leave or stay."
Kemp has no pressure at all now. Both Yang Jian and Payton have received high-paying contract extensions, so there is no reason why he can't get a big contract. If the team successfully defends the title, his contract will be even bigger.
There is currently a shortage of interior stars in the NBA. Mourning can get the same big contract as Yang Jian. Kemp is confident that the contract extension will not be worse than Mourning. He will always have a championship, what does Mourning have? The Heat have not even made it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
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Coach George Karl is also very confident. "After seeing Yang's performance in the Olympics, I think we may be able to achieve a better regular season record this season. His performance is so comprehensive that he will definitely be able to drive the whole team."
The reporter asked: "His playing style in the Olympics was very strong. In the new season, would you consider letting him attack with the ball like he did in the Chinese national team?"
George Karl shook his head. "I don't recommend that he play like that in every game. He has the ability to take on more responsibilities, but that kind of play will consume a lot of physical strength and increase the chance of injury. He only played 8 games in the Olympics and it's okay.
There are 82 games in the regular season, so I will let my teammates share his pressure."
When Yang Jian was asked by reporters about his playing style, he also bluntly said that he would not play like that all the time. "I will definitely fight when I need to work hard. I really don't have to do that every game. We have many excellent players in the team. As long as they play well,
Excellent, we will win the game easily."
The reporter asked: "Are you saying that the teammates of the Chinese men's basketball team are not good enough?"
"Compared with my teammates in the SuperSonics, there is definitely a gap in the personal abilities of Chinese players. This is a fact, and they will admit it. I have always enjoyed the game here, and we will play smooth cooperation. Please wait and see."
Schrempf was interviewed and was asked about his future stay. He said that he is willing to play with the Sonics until he retires and that he likes the city of Seattle.
Of course, the management welcomes an excellent role player like him.
When two former All-Star veterans were interviewed, they both praised Yang Jian. Their opinions were similar, and the reasons for joining were the same. They believed that they would have a better chance of realizing their dreams and winning the NBA championship in the SuperSonics.
The players took their makeup photos. Last season Yang Jian was not the core, but this time the four of them took photos together.
Payton and Yang Jian stood in the middle holding basketballs, with Kemp and Schrempf on the left and right.
Schrempf's statistics have dropped a lot, but he is still a star, but he takes too few shots. After Schrempf cut his salary and renewed his contract, the Sonics used this method to give him face and recognize him as a member of the team.
An important member.
The SuperSonics' roster is basically confirmed, with 14 players representing the team in preseason games.
Center: Sam Perkins, Buck Williams, Osela Harrington.
Power forward: Shawn Kemp, Terry Cummings.
Small Forward: Detrev Schrempf, Beau Outlaw, Craig Elu.
Shooting guards: Yang Jian, Greg Graham, Drew Barry.
Point guard: Gary Payton, Eric Snow, Nate McMillan.
Craig Elu is also a veteran who comes to hug his thighs. He is a white player who was born in 1961 and has entered the end of his career. He is 198cm tall, has average physical fitness, and has played for 13 seasons with his excellent skills.
In his peak season with the Cavaliers, Clegg averaged 13.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He was an excellent role player. Last season with the Hawks, he also averaged 8.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 rebounds per game, shooting 37.1% from three-point range.
Joining the SuperSonics Clegg will get a chance to play, and the team needs him to serve as a substitute for Schrempf. Booutlo can substitute at the 3rd and 4th positions, but he has no basket and can only defend.
Drew Barry probably can't stay on the team. He can only try his best to prove his value in the preseason. The management didn't want to sign him at all, and they didn't even let the rookies form a team to participate in the summer league in the summer.
The SuperSonics can completely give up Drew to open up a spot, and when they need someone in the mid-term, they can choose those free agents who have been waived.
The next day, training camp started.
On the first day of training for the SuperSonics, the two new veterans on the inside performed outstandingly.
Buck Williams has never been a superstar, but his defensive ability has been praised by opponents throughout his career. He can defend alone or assist, and he is very efficient in rebounding. He is regarded as the best player in the history of the league.
One of the best short interior rebounders.
When Kemp takes a break, it's important to have someone inside who can rebound. The Sonics don't need Williams to play for a long time, just 15-20 minutes.
Terry Cummings' tactical role is also very obvious. He is good at catching the ball and making mid-range shots.
His shooting percentage does not seem to be high because he does not take many shots into the basket. Mid-range shots are the main way to score, and the only other way is to miss. His defensive ability is not as good as that of P.J. Brown, and his offensive role is similar. The salary difference between the two
Five times the price, it is definitely a value-for-money contract.
Osela Harrington's performance is also pretty good. He works hard on defense, takes advantage of offense, and can even play a dozen games when put on the court.
Greg Graham and Drew Barry have not performed up to standard, and both of them will probably have to leave. The team values their shooting ability, but the confrontation is too poor, there are not many ways to do it after being closely followed, and they are not good at breaking through with the ball.
Young people are not as useful as veterans, and the Sonics can no longer trade for capable young people to serve as substitutes. They can only find them in the free market.
The good news is that everyone thinks that Yang Jian is stronger than last season. His big core style of play makes even Payton feel troublesome and difficult to guard.
Precisely because Yang Jian is too strong, it seems that the outside substitutes are weaker and have limited effect.
Nate McMillan can also play as a shooting guard, but his condition has declined significantly and he was a little out of shape last season. It won't be long before he has to retire to make way for newcomers.
Yang Jian, Payton, and Kemp played too many games in the summer and never had much rest. George Karl did not give them much playing time in the preseason. They played for a while and then rested, focusing on examining substitutes and newcomers.
In the preseason, the Sonics had 4 wins and 3 losses despite reservations.
