Chapter 4 When Happiness Comes Knocking

  "Three hundred dollars a day is okay? I'm just on rookie contract, not rich yet, can't afford more. I still have to practice for another half month, resting one day a week."

  American labor is very expensive, and even an inside player in the NBDL development league can earn more than this as a practice partner during the off-season.

  "Deal." Ye Feng agreed in one breath, and practiced with Bayern. Even if it was free, he would do it. For him, Bayern was just a sparring partner anyway?

  After the training is over, he can earn more than $10,000, and all his living expenses and tuition fees will be solved. He can also take this opportunity to get in touch with basketball, systematic training, and it's definitely not difficult to enter the school basketball team next semester.

  Yue Feng is now full of confidence, he found that to play basketball well, talent is more important than effort. If it were his old body, even if he practiced for a lifetime, he wouldn't be able to dunk like Baynes. Now he can do it just by relying on instinct. Maybe just like Sakuragi Hanamichi said, genius is 99% innate and 1% effort.

  The two continued to practice, and Ye Feng no longer attempted any dangerous dunks, instead using his body to tenaciously defend against Baynam, employing a harassing defensive style. His speed was quick, his movements agile, making it difficult for Baynam to utilize his poor ball-handling skills to shake him off and get an easy shot, resulting in multiple missed shots. Two hours later, Ye Feng had worked up a sweat, feeling exceptionally refreshed. Baynam's offense showed no improvement, but rather the opposite - the more he defended, the better he got.

  The next day, Baynam's trainer, Zasana, who had trained many people during the summer, arrived in Los Angeles. Under his arrangement, Baynam went to the gym early in the morning and practiced mid-range shots, followed by sprinting and back-to-back training. In the afternoon, he did strength training, shooting practice, and back-to-back training, all of which were very physically demanding, but Baynam worked hard without complaint.

  Baynam's shooting is much more accurate than Yefeng imagined, with a mid-range shooting percentage of over 70%, but he is not satisfied with this. Training and competition are two different things, it's hard to be so accurate under the opponent's defense. Kobe had a mid-range shooting percentage of up to 90% when no one was defending him, but still hit iron in games. There is no shortcut to making shots accurately, you just have to practice, keep practicing. Only if you are willing to pay can you get returns.

  Ye Feng also did all the training projects together, he wants to lay a good foundation for entering the NBA draft in the future. His physical strength is much better than Baynam's, and he does very well in every project except shooting. He has a standard shooting posture but completely lacks accuracy, with a free throw percentage of only 40%, which is terrible. His solid muscles make him full of power, but also affect his shooting feel.

  Even so, Ye Feng still got Zasana's praise. Zasana even thinks that Ye Feng can now enter the NBA, his physical quality is not inferior to Josh Smith of the Hawks, and his one-on-one interior defense is excellent.

  Ye Feng's performance in the gym is astonishing. He is very strong, which is the most important point for a defensive interior player.

  In the 1980s, NBA players were still on a technical route, and the trend of muscular men dominating the inside line had not yet emerged. However, as the intensity of competition in games increased, the physical strength of basketball players gradually determined all their data.

  Baynam's upper limb strength is very poor, with a bench press of only 110 kg for 7 times, and the maximum bench press is only 120 kg. Ye Feng started from 120 kg and went all the way to 180 kg, still able to bear it, with a maximum bench press of 190 kg. Among active players, only Lebron James, Shaquille O'Neal, and Ben Wallace have upper limb strength that exceeds Ye Feng's.

  In fact, in the NFL (National Football League), there are even more powerful people. The average level of bench press is 100 kg, and it's a place where devilish muscles are produced. Later, China had an athlete named Wang Kai who entered the league, and his bench press could reach 200 kg. People there don't need to jump high, they just need to exercise their muscles and become strong.

  Apart from his strength, Ye Feng's explosive power is also very strong, with fast speed and amazing jumping ability. When he rests, he likes to try many fancy dunks, leaving people stunned. Dunking is the most attractive part of basketball, and few fans prefer watching three-pointers over dunks - Ye Feng is no exception. In his past life, even if he stood on a stool, he couldn't dunk; now that he can do it easily, how could he not enjoy it thoroughly?

  Tomahawk dunks are a piece of cake for him, he can casually throw the ball up in the air and as long as it's not too off-target, he can dunk successfully. He can also do high-difficulty moves like behind-the-back dunks and 360 windmill dunks, definitely good enough to participate in a dunk contest. It seems that there is no one with such strong physical abilities in China, he suspects that he might be mixed-blooded but has no memory of it, nor does he know where to look for answers, all he knows is that he's Chinese nationality.

  Every day, he followed Zasana for special training. Half a month later, Ye Feng and Baynam became good friends. Baynam's low-post offense made some progress, with some gains. Ye Feng, on the other hand, had a huge harvest, not only improving his ball skills but also becoming an internet sensation. Baynam's cousin Thomas recorded some of his dunk moves and put them online in a compilation called "Chinese Can Fly Too!"

  The video was online for a week and had over 3 million hits. Ye Feng started to receive attention from Chinese media, and Chinese fans were eager to know if he would switch to playing basketball in the NBA. It seemed possible, as Ye Feng wasn't the first person to transition from American football to basketball. Ben Wallace and Chuck Hayes both played football in college. The most notable example is retired point guard Charlie Ward, a true football expert who was once the starting quarterback at Florida State University, leading his team to a national championship and being named the best college football player of the year.

  Some media call him the Chinese Carter, the Chinese Smith. Ye Feng doesn't care about these boasts and thinks it's normal. The media just likes to hype things up. In the past, there was a giant named Sun Mingming who couldn't even play in the CBA, but he was touted as the successor to Yao Ming without having played in the NBA. Sun Yue, who was picked in the second round, was called the "Chinese Magician". As for Yi Jianlian, the highly anticipated sixth overall pick, the "experts" have already given out several templates: Nowitzki, Garnett, Duncan, Bosh, and Webber... According to their analysis, if Yi Jianlian can't get 20+10 stats, he'll be too embarrassed to greet people on the street.

  Actually, this is not beneficial at all. The higher the praise, the harder the fall. Ye Feng was clear about the future. Later, Yi Jianlian did not meet the fans' expectations, and domestically, a large group of "Yi haters" emerged. Unfortunately, Yi Jianlian never said that he could be compared to those stars, nor did he say that his limit was in outer space.

  After the training ended that day, the old coach Zasan with half white hair called Ye Feng over and asked seriously: "Ye, I have a question to ask you, have you ever thought of playing basketball?"

  Ye Feng smiled and said: "I've thought about it. There aren't many people in China who like American football, but there are a lot of basketball fans, so... do you really think I can enter the NBA?"

  Zasana smiled and said, "Your physical condition surprises me. I've trained many players before, and your one-on-one interior defense skills are quite good. If you were a bit taller, many teams in the league would want to recruit you. Of course, height isn't necessarily a weakness - apart from James and Smith, I can't think of any other player over 2 meters tall who can run as fast or jump as high as you do. If you practice basketball seriously for a few years, work on your shooting, you might become a star player. I know people in the Atlanta Hawks' uniform department - are you interested in joining their preseason training camp?"

  Ye Feng had never played a formal match before, happiness came too quickly, he was a little unbelievable. "You want me to join the Eagles?"

  Zhasana smiled and said: "I don't have that much power, I just represent them in the preseason match. Only by passing the uniform group's examination can we get a contract. Do you want to try?"

  The Hawks lack an inside player, so the 2.06m tall Josh Smith often has to play as a power forward, which is why Zaza thought of bringing in Leaf, and if he goes for a tryout, it's possible that he'll stay.

  Ye Feng hesitated, knowing that entering the NBA without being drafted was a shortcut, but also came with risks. Undrafted players found it difficult to secure contracts, and he had no experience playing in other professional leagues, nor had he ever proven himself on the court; perhaps spending another year or two in college and participating in the draft would be more stable.

  Another reason for his hesitation is that he wasn't very interested in the Eagles. If possible, he hoped to join the Lakers, even if it meant being a backup's backup. In his previous life, Sun Yue played only 10 NBA games for the Lakers in the 2008-2009 season, playing a total of 28 minutes and scoring 6 points with 2 assists, but still got a championship ring. He knew that if he didn't take advantage of this opportunity, it would be foolish. This season, the Lakers will introduce Pau Gasol, and the combination of Gasol and Kobe will lead the Lakers to win two consecutive championships. If he joins the Lakers, he can easily get a championship ring in the first few seasons, which is a great honor. With a ring, there will be no regrets or pressure in the league later on. James was selected as the regular season MVP twice in 2009 and 2010, but still faced doubts from fans because he didn't have a ring.

  Kobe and Gasol have thick legs, it's a pity if I don't hug them. But will the Lakers invite me to participate in the preseason training camp? They seem to be short on inside lines. Thinking of this, Ye Feng said lightly: "Zaza, I've never had systematic training, is it so easy to enter the NBA? What if they don't sign me afterwards?"

  Zasana waved his hand. "What's the trouble? You didn't sign up for this year's draft, if you don't get a contract just go back to college and try again next year. But once you accept a contract, even if it's just a minimum guarantee contract, you'll lose your eligibility for the draft. There's still time, think about it carefully. I'm not sure how you play on the football field, but I'm sure you're suitable for playing basketball!"

  "Alright, I'll consider it carefully," Ye Feng nodded. "Before I respond to you, I'd like to hear Andrew's opinion."

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