Chapter 7 Pre-Season Training Camp

  When he heard the surname "Wilde", Ye Feng remembered who Gabriella was. She starred in the 2011 Hollywood blockbuster "The Three Musketeers" and was rated as the most beautiful "flower vase". This movie is quite YY, with airships appearing hundreds of years earlier, staging an aerial battle, just like a flying version of Pirates of the Caribbean. Due to mediocre reviews, Ye Feng didn't watch this movie, only seeing Gabriella's stills on the poster.

  Gabriella's acting career was not smooth sailing, and she only filmed her first movie in 2011. Unexpectedly, she had already arrived in the United States in 2007.

  "Are you here to make it big in Hollywood?"

  Gabriella smiled: "Yes, how did you know?"

  "You're so beautiful, you look just like a star." Ye Feng said with a smile, and this wasn't flattery.

  "Thank you."

  "Wishing you an early success, I'm going to practice ball now. Bye, Heman." Ye Feng also waved at Neil. Neil wore a tight-fitting vest and seven-point pants today to show off his strength, paired with his hairstyle, he indeed looked like Heman from the comic "Cosmic Giant".

  Gabriella glanced at her brother and burst out laughing. Neil was helpless, but seeing the two getting along quite harmoniously, he also felt a bit more at ease.

  Half a month later, Neil finally felt at ease. Ye Feng's mind was almost entirely on basketball. He went out early every day, trained until late at night before returning home, took a bath and then rested. He and Gabriella could hardly exchange a few words, not interfering with each other's lives.

  Baynam ended his training at the end of August. Ye Feng got approval to continue using the training ground, practicing dribbling and shooting every day. As the training camp approaches, he must seize the time to practice his basic skills well. Although Lafleur, Zasana and others look good on him, he also knows his own disadvantages, that is, he has never played a full game, no experience at all. A person without any game experience can only rely on physical quality to defeat the NBA players who have been selected from thousands of people, which may only appear in dreams. His goal is to do a good job in defense while not losing face in offense and occupy a place in the Lakers' lineup.

  On September 18, 2007, the Lakers' official website announced the schedule for the 2007-08 training camp. The "Media Day" event was held on the 24th, and the first public practice session took place on Wednesday afternoon of the 25th, where fans could attend to watch and participate in a series of interactive activities.

  The 18-man roster for the Lakers' preseason training camp has surfaced.

  Defensive backs: Derick Fisher, Jordan Farmar, Gabe Pruitt.

  Shooting Guards: Kobe Bryant, Maurice Evans, Sasha Vuja?i?, Coby Karl.

  Left wingers: Luke Walton, Vladimir Radmanovi?.

  Power forward: Lamar Odom, Ronny Turiaf, Brian Cook, Elton Brown, Yi Jianlian

  Center: Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown, Chris Mihm, Laron Profit

  Lakers general manager Kupchak made it clear that they will not sign Sun Yue this year, but may use their priority rights to sign him next season. The biggest difference between the first-round and second-round picks in the NBA is that teams can "own" a player for three years after selecting them in the second round, but are not required to sign them to a contract. For example, Marc Gasol, whom the Lakers selected with the 48th pick this year, will continue playing in Europe next season. Additionally, teams may choose to sign second-round picks to non-guaranteed contracts, which means they can release the player at any time without having to pay out the remainder of the contract.

  Without Sun Yue, Ye Feng is getting more attention, but experts generally believe that his prospects are not optimistic. When the regular season starts, the Lakers will only retain a 15-man rotation lineup, and at least three people will be cut off. The NBA's regulations state that each team can only have 15 registered players for the regular season, and only 12 active players are allowed to play in each game, with some uninjured players waiting for opportunities on the injury list.

  The Lakers have too many inside players, four centers and five power forwards. Leaving aside the second-in-command Odom, Ye Feng has to compete with three people for playing time. Looking at their resumes, all three are much stronger than him.

  Brian Cook, who just signed a 3-year $10.5 million contract extension with the Lakers, is 206cm tall and weighs 112kg, looking very sturdy but actually playing very softly. He is an unconventional power forward who likes to shoot three-pointers, fears confrontation, and after being blocked by teammates, looks for opportunities on the outside, defense and rebounding are not his strong points. Last season, he played 65 times for the Lakers, starting 24 times, averaging 15.7 minutes, scoring 6.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1 assist, with a three-point shooting percentage as high as 40%, and a very high offensive efficiency.

  Ronny Turiaf, height 208CM, weight 111KG, one child, last season played 72 games for the Lakers, 15.1 minutes, 5.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1.1 blocks, is a good defensive player.

  Elton Brown, 206cm tall and 114kg in weight, has no NBA experience. Last season he played for the Colorado 14ers of NBDL, averaging 18.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, nearly a double-double average, one of the best players in NBDL.

  Ye Feng has no data at all, so he is the most mysterious person and also the most likely to be cut off.

  On the 25th, all Lakers players arrived at the training hall to make an appearance, and the venue was packed with spectators early on. Although their best performance after O'Neal's departure was only the first round of the playoffs, having Kobe Bryant, this super scorer, can attract a large number of fans. Some fans don't even care about winning or losing, they just like watching stars score.

  Ye Feng received the No. 74 jersey, and Lafleur said it was an encouragement from management, as no one in the league had ever worn the number 74 before, making him one-of-a-kind! Ye Feng wanted to wear a star player's number, such as 23 or 34, and didn't understand how an unused number could be considered encouraging.

  It's the same preseason training camp, but players of different types have vastly different attitudes. Veterans, rookies and players returning from injury all arrived at their team's training camp with different emotions. Ye Feng is the most nervous. This is his first time participating in a training camp, he doesn't know what everything will be like, and he doesn't know if he can adapt to an NBA team's training.

  Bayern and Famaul gave Ye Feng advice together, warning him not to waste his shots, to defend actively, and strictly follow the coach's tactical arrangements. Only by doing these three things seriously could he possibly stay. After knowing that Gabriele and Ye Feng became roommates, Famaul's relationship with him became very close, and he would often go to his house for a visit whenever he had time.

  Ye Feng had made up his mind early on, and would try to complete the attack with a dunk whenever possible, refusing to show off his poor three-point shooting skills.

  Kobe arrived on the scene and greeted everyone one by one. This summer, people were all discussing his transfer issue, now looking at his mood is not bad, with a smile on his face. He walked up to Ye Feng and took the initiative to greet him: "Hello Ye Feng, I've heard of you and also looked at your physical data. I hope that on the basketball court, you can also become a formidable character who makes people afraid, play well."

  "Thank you, I will try my best."

  The two shook hands. Kobe took the initiative to speak, and Ye Feng had a feeling of being favored. After all, his opponent was one of the best players in the league. The media often said that Kobe's emotional intelligence was low, and he didn't get along well with his teammates. At their first meeting, Ye Feng felt okay. He asked the two people beside him: "Does Kobe seem to be easy-going? Is he usually like this?"

  "Farmer said lightly: 'As long as he doesn't lose the ball, his temper is very good. Last season when I was just selected by the Lakers, he even called me to encourage me. If you want him to always look at you favorably, you have to play well and can't drag the team's legs.'"

  Ye Feng nodded slightly.

  Kobe is a person with an extremely strong desire to win. As the league's superstar, his fighting spirit is what fans admire most. Because of the team's poor record, Kobe explicitly expressed his desire to leave the team in an interview with ESPN this summer. Once the news was exposed, it sparked various speculations from American media outlets. Kobe revealed that two teams he would like to join are the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks. However, head coach Phil Jackson quickly made him give up on this idea, and boss Jerry Buss also promised that the Lakers would make a big trade, calming his emotions.

  People haven't arrived yet, Kobe started practicing shooting. Bynum said that even if Kobe was training, he would work hard and didn't want others to win. He was looking for a feel, and when the game came, he would be in top form. Kobe shot again and again, hitting every time, and the audience cheered and shouted his name. Ye Feng was very envious, wishing that he could also be so popular.

  The Lakers' players had all gathered, and Jeanie Buss, the team's vice president, stepped to the center of the room, took a microphone and offered some thoughts on the upcoming season. Owner Jerry Buss is now in his 70s and has scaled back his involvement with the team; daughter Jeanie and son Jim are likely to take over for him in the next few years.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, dear fans. Welcome to the Lakers' first training session of the new season, I'm Jeanie Buss. In a recent survey of Los Angeles basketball fans, 87% voted that they would watch the Lakers play, while only 13% said they would follow the Clippers. I want to thank you all for your support. Some people have criticized the Lakers for being cheap, not bringing in big-name players for several seasons in a row. But actually, we just didn't have the right target. That's different now, and I can guarantee that this season the Lakers will rise up and contend for the championship within three years!"

  The audience applauded warmly.

  Ye Feng was puzzled, it seemed that the Lakers were already planning a trade with the Grizzlies, if they weren't confident enough, they wouldn't be so arrogant. The previous deal was also questionable. The Grizzlies sent away their core Pau Gasol and the 2010 second-round draft pick, in exchange for Kwame Brown, the retired Aaron McKie, Mark Gasol who hadn't played in the NBA yet, as well as the Lakers' 2008 first-round draft pick and 2010 first-round draft pick. What kind of trade was this? It was clearly a giveaway of stars, plus helping the Lakers get rid of their trash contracts. If not for Mark Gasol's unexpected good performance later on, this deal would have been almost worthless for the Grizzlies.

  Hearing such a promise, Ye Feng wants to stay with the Lakers even more.

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