"Wang Feng, the team now hopes to sign a ten-day short-term contract with you first, and use ten days to further examine whether your level can really adapt to the rhythm of NBA games."
Van Gundy looked at the Wang Feng in front of him who he "loved and hated" and said.
Wang Feng took the ten-day short-term contract from the other party and took a brief look at it.
Ten days, salary $1,000.
If it were changed to the future, this contract would be like sending a beggar away.
After all, the minimum short-term contract for the next ten days is about $50,000.
But this kind of thing cannot be compared.
The NBA's salary cap in 2022 is US$123.6 million, while in 1995, the NBA's salary cap was only less than US$16 million, which is not even a little bit different.
In 1995, 1,000 U.S. dollars was not a small amount to be honest. In ten days, you could get 1,000 U.S. dollars in remuneration, which many people would never even dream of doing.
Even Wang Xu's fast food restaurant can't make more than a thousand dollars in ten days.
More importantly, this is just a transition. During the 10-day inspection period, as long as Wang Feng can conquer the entire Knicks team with his performance, there will be no suspense about getting a guaranteed contract.
Therefore, Wang Feng did not hesitate and signed his name on it.
"Wang, congratulations on becoming a member of the Knicks. Although it is only temporary, I have confidence in you." Larry congratulated Wang Feng with a smile.
"Thanks."
Wang Feng thanked him sincerely.
Although Wang Feng has absolute confidence in his own ability, no matter what, Larry, the Knicks scout, is definitely his top talent. Without Larry, Wang Feng doesn't know how long he will continue to play in Rucker Park.
Only by playing ball can you get a chance to enter the NBA.
…
One day later, the dusty Knicks returned to New York.
Overall, the Knicks are very satisfied with this away trip.
Since losing to the Bulls on Christmas Day, the Knicks have won all three games, including yesterday's away game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
As a result, the Knicks won three consecutive victories, which also silenced the voices of many media who criticized the team and head coach Pat Riley because of the Christmas defeat.
This made Pat Riley's recent bad mood a lot better.
Sitting in his office, sipping the hand-ground coffee that his assistant had just brewed.
Riley picked up a newspaper.
But before he could take a closer look at how the local New York sports media commented on the Knicks' three-game winning streak, Van Gundy arrived.
"Jeff."
Riley put down the newspaper and looked at his right-hand man with a smile.
"Pat, that Chinese player Wang Feng has been signed on a ten-day short-term contract." Van Gundy said to Riley: "I think he is really good and has the value to stay."
With that said, he handed Riley the detailed report on Wang Feng's trial training.
"Oh." Riley raised his eyebrows slightly.
Van Gundy almost forgot about it if he didn't mention it.
To be honest, although what Van Gundy said on the phone was amazing, Riley didn't really believe it.
As a famous and legendary coach in the league, fortune teller Pat Riley has seen too many storms, but in so many years in the league, he has never seen even a yellow-skinned player.
Like most people in this era, when it comes to Asia, he also thinks that there is a desert for basketball. There is no scientific youth training system and no formal competitions. How many outstanding basketball players can be born based on talent alone?
It's a bit ridiculous.
Moreover, trial training is only a reference standard for a player's overall quality, and test results cannot directly represent the opponent's performance in official games.
With this thought in mind, Riley opened Wang Feng's trial training report.
Then, his expression paused.
The shocking and dazzling data made Riley seriously doubt whether this trial training report was written incorrectly.
But Riley will not question Van Gundy's ability to work.
Therefore, this trial training report is true.
However, Riley soon saw reports about Wang Feng's age.
"This Wang Feng is already 30 years old?"
Riley frowned.
At this age, anyone would think she is too big.
"Well, he is a little older, but his technical style has already taken shape. If he adapts to the NBA's game rhythm a little bit, he can become an excellent immediate combat power. There will be no problem."
"That depends on the actual situation."
Riley put the workout report aside. "Where is he now?"
"Practice in the training field," Van Gundy said.
…
In the training ground.
Wang Feng is practicing self-throwing and self-picking in a field.
Not far away from him, several Knicks players looked at Wang Feng with surprise in their eyes.
"What does that guy do?"
"I don't know. I don't know him. He shouldn't be from the team."
"This is the first time I have seen an Asian face in the arena. Is he a relative of the team owner or management, coming to experience the daily training of a professional basketball team?"
Some team members were just whispering in the distance, but some people had already taken the initiative to walk up.
"Hey boy, what are you here for?"
Wang Feng paused in his shooting motion and turned to look.
In front of him was a tall, dark and hard man.
Wang Feng knew him. He was a representative figure of the league's blue-collar insiders in the 1990s. He could be compared to Charles Oakley, a member of the Pistons' Bad Boys.
To be fair, Wang Feng doesn't have a good impression of Oakley. He is not a star himself and does not have an idol halo. Moreover, Wang Feng once saw what Yao said in an interview after the rookie confrontation with Oakley.
"He (Oakley) is not fighting you, he is going to fight you."
Wang Feng is a die-hard Yao Mi, so he is not at all interested in Oakley's style of playing, which is to take a ball while hitting someone.
But just now, the tone in which Oakley spoke to him was not friendly at all.
Oakley certainly has the capital to be arrogant. Looking at the entire Knicks, apart from the star Gorilla Ewing, he can basically be regarded as the second-best player in the team.
Although on the court, Oakley mainly plays a blue-collar style inside, but due to his fierce playing style, most young players in the Knicks are quite afraid of him. On the contrary, Ewing has a more introverted and gentle personality, making it easier to get along with him.
However, what was most admired in the 1990s was the tough guy style, so Oakley was also one of head coach Pat Riley's favorite players. Not only did he have a solid position in the team, he was also considered to be half the boss in the locker room.
However, Wang Feng doesn't care about you.
Your fucking name is Oakley, you're a very arrogant kid? Do you think there's someone with a good brain... No, you think you're the only one who has been the boss of the locker room?
Wang Feng has also seen big storms. During the four years of the Cavaliers, he has always been the boss of the team and the one who speaks in the locker room.
Although he has a more handsome appearance and is not as vicious as Oakley, his intimidating power is not bad at all.
In other words, Oakley's intimidation is more reflected in his appearance and fierce playing style on the court, while Wang Feng is more reflected in his super ability on the court.
You can disagree with me, it doesn’t matter, let’s have a try on the playing field.
When he first joined the Lakers, in order to establish his authority, Wang Feng had a one-on-one bullfight with Ingram, who was still a newborn calf and was not afraid of tigers.
Could it be that the scene from that year is about to happen again?
Looking at Oakley, Wang Feng's eyes were calm and his tone was neither humble nor arrogant.
"My name is Wang Feng. I signed a contract with the team two days ago. I am now your teammate...at least for the time being."
"Considered to be our teammates?"
Wang Feng's words stunned all the players who heard it.
Although Wang Feng's physique meets NBA playing standards, his Asian face is really...
"I see, he's new here."
After Oakley was surprised, a smile appeared on his face. "Rookie, it seems that you don't know the rules very well. You didn't take the initiative to say hello to us seniors when you first arrived. I'll tell you some more rules that a rookie should know later."
Wang Feng narrowed his eyes slightly. "Rookie? Sorry, I'm already 30 years old, not much younger than you. You'd better call someone else a rookie."
The words he said with a gun and a stick made others around him immediately smell the strong smell of gunpowder.
Of course Oakley also heard it, and the smile on his face immediately disappeared, and his eyes flashed with a fierce light.
This guy's reputation as a bad guy on the court is by no means deserved. Even just looking at his fierce expression, you can feel a pressure, which is completely unmatched by the likes of Green in the future!
"Haha, I didn't expect that the one who came here was actually a thorn. It's interesting."
Oakley looked at Wang Feng with a sneer. The authority in the team was challenged by a new guy. He couldn't pretend that nothing happened.
But just when Oakley opened his mouth to say something, a teammate on the side suddenly said.
"Here comes the head coach!"
Pat Riley walked into the training hall with his head held high, followed by several assistant coaches including Jeff Van Gundy.
"Boy, you are lucky."
Oakley saw this and did not continue to quarrel with Wang Feng. He had a reputation for being vicious, but head coach Pat Riley was an even more ruthless person than him. It would not be an exaggeration to describe him as a tyrant on the court.
Even Oakley didn't want to get in Riley's shoes.
"I want to return this sentence to you intact."
Wang Feng looked at Oakley's back and had already decided in his mind who he would step on to get the upper hand.
As a full-level tuba parachuted into the 1990s, Wang Feng’s mentality is completely different from when he first traveled to the 2014 Warriors.
Dynasty terminator!
As the name suggests, he appeared here with the purpose of ending the league's dynasty of strong teams. Let alone Oakley, even if Jordan himself had just stood in front of him, he would not hesitate to directly challenge and defeat the opponent.
As for the stepping stone mentioned just now...Wang Feng came to this time and space by air after all. It is a sudden variable for any team in the league.
Just like the current Knicks, who have a complete starting five, Wang Feng must squeeze out one of the five starters if he wants to get up as soon as possible and win the starting position.
In Wang Feng's opinion, Oakley is the most suitable candidate to take over.
Regardless of how well-known this guy is on the court, in the final analysis, he is just a blue-collar player. Apart from grabbing rebounds, staring at the opponent's strongest offensive points, and fighting, this guy has no particularly outstanding advantages.
The so-called excellent defense is just because he has good strength, and his movements are relatively dark, and his defensive power at the basket is relatively strong. Oakley's lateral movement speed is very slow, which is slightly faster than those heavy centers.
Therefore, the ability to supplement and assist defense is not outstanding, and it is easy to be contained by pick-and-rolls and off-ball movements.
As for the offensive end, Oakley is seriously lacking in scoring methods, averaging only 9.7 points per game throughout his career.
Wang Feng had already investigated the team's situation before coming to the Knicks. Oakley has been the starting small forward this season and has been doing blue-collar work in the small forward position.
The 2.08 meter power forward Charles Smith averaged only 4.3 rebounds per game this season, while the small forward Oakley averaged 9 rebounds per game.
Local fans in New York seemed to be criticizing this, but the Knicks, or head coach Pat Riley, seemed to think there was nothing wrong with such a lineup.
No... To be precise, even if Riley understands this truth, there is nothing he can do, because the team is indeed short of players at the small forward position.
"Is this one of the reasons why the system will parachute me directly to New York?"
Because after Wang Feng came here, after carefully investigating all 30 teams in the league, he felt that the Knicks were the most suitable for him this year.
Because the Knicks are not weak as a whole and were a finals team last season, they will be able to enter the second round this season according to the original historical process.
With the addition of Wang Feng, a 99-rated boss, and Ewing, whose overall rating should be above 92 during this period, and a group of capable players, he is fully capable of defeating O'Neal's Magic in the East, and defeating Olajuwon's team in the finals.
The Rockets win the championship trophy.
Of course, since this season itself is not the season for Jordan's Bulls to exert their strength, the ownership of this championship does not affect the determination of the dynasty terminator.
But being on a big team like the New York Knicks and leading the team to win the championship can directly give Wang Feng a lot of exposure, thus saving a lot of time to prove his strength.
The Knicks are just a temporary place for Wang Feng. He is not prepared to stay here because it is a rare opportunity to challenge Jordan. He does not want to compete with Ewing, a famous top four center, a top 100 or even a top 50 star in the league.
Partner to beat Jordan.
He is more inclined to join a team that is generally weak in overall strength and can maximize his own strength.
How should I put it... This can be regarded as the pride of Wang Feng, who now has an overall rating of 99 and is supported by more than a dozen high-level badges.
In the 1994-95 season, Wang Feng's goal was to make a name for himself in this league and let the entire league and even the world know his name Wang Feng!