Kerry Kittles, a player who has been plagued by knee and abdominal injuries throughout his career.

Because of his vulnerability to injuries, even Ke Yan only regarded him as a substitute and a spare tire at the beginning, and then he was conquered bit by bit with his outstanding performance.

"Mosquito Shooter" is a joke about his appearance, but also about his body shape. He is as thin as a "mosquito" and can't afford to eat meat.

But when Barnes left and the Hawks were short-handed on the wing, Kittles took over the small forward position without saying a word. Even if he couldn't hold his opponent and was knocked to the ground time and time again, he was determined to do so.

to stay in this position.

This is the passion of old-school players, and it is also the reason why Ke Yan did not even consider keeping Christie, but repeatedly persuaded Kittles to stay on the team and strive for a championship ring next season!

After Ke Yan's repeated persuasion, Kittles agreed to stay on the team, but he did not intend to "get" a championship ring. He knew that the team needed his contribution in the road to compete for the championship, so this summer, he is still on the team.

Train and make the best preparations for the last season of your career and the season where you have the best chance of winning a championship.

However, after yesterday's training, he felt pain in his knee. He just underwent an MRI examination, and the results showed that his patellar tendon in his right knee was partially torn, and the torn part was also brought to the meniscus, and he is expected to be injured.

Miss three to four months of competition.

This injury was not the most serious injury in Kittles' career, but it did hit him the hardest. Last season, he played 76 times, the season with the highest attendance rate of his career. As a substitute, he finally found

I have found a rhythm at which I can play healthily.

But just when he was happiest, fate played another joke on him.

This time, Kittles really wants to retire!

"What the hell!" Ke Yan cursed, "Then take a break for three to four months~ We have Anthony Parker, Hassell, and other players in the free agent market. We can still sign people to help.

Woolen cloth."

"I know, I know, I tried to persuade him," Larissand said, "but the bigger blow than the injury to his knee was the psychological one."

If a player is frequently injured and gets paid for nothing by the team, he will be denounced by the fans as a "glass man", "spectator seat", and "specially teasing little nurses". As everyone knows, in many cases, the player himself is the one who is hit hardest.

!

Not only do they have to face a double blow on the physical and psychological levels, they also have to be criticized by public opinion!

"Why don't you persuade him? He believes in you the most among the whole team," Larissand said.

In the United States, no boss has the right to ask employees to work overtime, let alone the general manager. Larry Sander can only ask for Keyan's opinion and cannot force him to come back.

"I'll go back to Atlanta right away." Ke Yan agreed without saying a word.

This incident disrupted Ke Yan's plan to take Wang Lifan home to meet his parents. CCTV's recording plan for "Basketball Park" had already been set and it was difficult to change it. After Ke Yan handled the affairs in the United States, he could only fly directly to Beijing to record

After the program, Wang Lifan will return to Atlanta to start his doctoral program. It may be difficult to find time to go to Sioux City.

"Who would have thought that this accident would happen?"

...

Nine times out of ten things in life are unsatisfactory, and this statement should not be valid for time travellers. However, some things cannot be avoided by time travel, such as Kittles' situation.

Ke Yan sacrificed his vacation and returned to Atlanta, promising him his position in the team. Wang Lifan asked his father Wang Zhenyao to come forward and invited the most famous sports medicine expert in the United States to help deal with his situation. The Hawks took care of all the treatment.

The cost still couldn't change Kittles' decision to retire.

"Boss, you are a great coach, but you have never been a player, so it is difficult for you to personally understand the trouble that injuries have caused me. The average career of an NBA player is only about five years, and I can play for ten years.

Already very satisfied.”

"But are you really willing? The team is only one step away from success, and I can really give you a championship ring!" Ke Yan emphasized again, "Isn't it good to retire as a championship?"

"If possible, I certainly hope so. I also hope that when I am old, I can proudly show off to my son and grandson that I once played on an NBA championship team," Kittles said, "

But I also hope that after I retire, I can still do simple exercises instead of finding it difficult to even walk. Boss, my knees can’t hold on any longer.”

Kittles is not the only one. Fans hope that veterans who still have gas in the tank will continue to play for the team year after year. As everyone knows, professional sports take a huge toll on players' bodies. Many players after retirement

, the body is already approaching scrapping.

In his previous life, Nowitzki once said after retiring, "I regret not retiring a year earlier. If I retired a year earlier, I could still play tennis, football, and do some simple exercises, but now it hurts to walk."

Ke Yan looked at the thin man in front of him and the judgment in his eyes, and gave up his words because he knew it would be useless.

"I will let the team lay you off, and then you announce your retirement. In this way, at least you can get your salary for this season." Ke Yan said.

1 million US dollars, this can be regarded as Ke Yan's last gift to the veteran.

Kittles' accident left a vacancy in the Hawks' nearly complete lineup. It is also the team's weakest small forward position. The team must dig for gold from the remaining roster in the free agent market to replenish the lineup.

It is already July 12th, and all the popular free agents on the market have been snatched away. Those who are still uninterested in the free agent market are either bottom players in the league or veterans whose condition has declined. Basically, all the players who can play are already available.

Let's settle down... right?

On July 13, Ke Yan and Larry Sander met in the manager's office.

Larry Sander smiled bitterly and said: "Kimi, I'm really sorry that I made you rush back during the vacation. I'm also surprised that something like this happened to Kerry."

"It doesn't matter, this is not your problem, the key is that we have to find someone to fill Kerry's vacancy, especially we have to be responsible for the team's budget." Ke Yan said.

The team covered the cost of Kittles' treatment and spent 1 million to buy out Kittles' contract. This was all real money thrown out for Ke Yan's sake. Just for this, Ke Yan had to think about it.

A way to help the team avoid taxes this season and save the owner some money.

"You treat me like a countryman, and I will repay you as a countryman."

Larry Sander asked: "How is it? Are there any candidates you want to introduce?"

"There are two candidates, but not now. We have to wait for a while." Ke Yan said with a smile: "And you don't have to worry about excessive salary, their prices will not be very expensive."

Bunchy Wells, a tough man who averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds per game against the Suns in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs last season. After performing well in the contract year, he asked for a three-year contract with the Kings during the offseason.

The 24 million contract was rejected by the Suns and is currently unemployed.

DeShawn Stevenson, the "first generation junior brother", is famous for "fighting" James. He played 82 regular season games on behalf of the Magic as the main player last season, averaging 32.3 minutes per game, scoring 11.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He

He is a defensive player with outstanding physical fitness. He has participated in the slam dunk contest. His three-point shooting is also being developed. He will be a high-quality 3D player in the future.

"They are not cheap, right?" Larry Sander expressed doubts about Ke Yan's opinion. The two people are incompetent, but the former thinks too highly of himself and claims to be a full middle-class person worth 8 million; the latter is also a middle-class person.

Logically speaking, I originally wanted a four-year contract worth around 16 million, but to my surprise, the Magic made room for Stojakovic to sign Stojakovic without saying anything, and laid him off directly.

To put it simply, they are two "family breadwinners". If their wages are too low, their families will not be able to take care of themselves and they will have no food to eat.

"It is appropriate to quote a price first and let the other party know our attitude. When the other party lowers the price, we can keep up with it as soon as possible," Ke Yan said.

Historically, after Bunchy Wells failed to get a big contract from the Kings, he signed with the Rockets for 2 years and 5 million. This signing also made the whole of China rejoice, and the team was excited to find the No. 3 player.

Scorer! However, his ball-holding style of play obviously does not match the Yao-Mai combination, and Van Gundy did not make any useful adjustments, which directly allowed the severely emotional Bunchy Wells to return to the "thorny" style of the Trail Blazers.

"Head" state, weight gain, low efficiency.

In the 0708 season, Adelman took charge of the Rockets. In addition, Tracy McGrady's injury gave Bunchy Wells more possession of the ball, and the bat's efficiency rebounded. Seeing that he was getting better and better, the Rockets used him to lead the team in order to avoid taxes.

They took away Mike James' junk contract and lost him to the Hornets. Next to Paul, Bunchy Wells performed well for a time, averaging 9 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal in 20 minutes per game.

Later, it was the CBA years.

Unlike the "floating" Bunch Wells, DeShawn Stevenson is much more stable. The "first-generation junior" who failed to seek a big contract first signed with the Wizards with a basic salary and served as the team's starting scorer.

Guard. This season, DeShawn Stevenson performed outstandingly, and in the following summer, he received a 4-year, 15 million contract with the Wizards.

To sum up the characteristics of these two people, without Sprewell's life and Sprewell's illness, they failed to blackmail the team for a big contract, so they could only sign short-term contracts and find opportunities to prove themselves.

"The Eagles' prospects are pretty good. If they really can't get a big contract, they will give us priority."

As long as one of them is signed, Kittles' vacancy can be filled.

"It's almost time. Let's sign contracts with three rookies and let them play in the summer league." Ke Yan said, "I made an agreement with Quinn. He will take care of the summer league and preseason. Maybe he can also provide

We bring surprises.”

"okay."

.......

After explaining everything, Ke Yan returned to China with Wang Lifan, but the destination was no longer Su City, but the capital.

Wang Lifan lived in Guangdong Province before he was 5 years old, and then went to Atlanta. He has returned to China only a handful of times over the years, mostly to Baodao, Hong Kong Island, and Guangdong Province. On the contrary, he has never been to Beijing.

However, due to the serious traffic jam, the first impression was not good.

"There is no other way. In order to prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games, we have to carry out massive construction projects." Ke Yan said.

Stadiums need to be built, roads need to be expanded, and greening needs to be done, but don’t we have to temporarily sacrifice people’s livelihood?

Of course, although the transportation is not convenient, the prosperity of Beijing still exceeds Wang Lifan's awareness. There are far more high-rise buildings in Beijing than Atlanta and Los Angeles.

On the first night back, Ke Yan took Wang Lifan to Quanjude to eat roast duck.

Despite its reputation, it is difficult to live up to its reputation. The roast duck of this time-honored restaurant does not seem to be as delicious as described in the book, which makes Wang Lifan a little regretful.

"If you don't visit the Great Wall, you're not a true man. It's a pity if you don't eat roast duck. This is just a sentiment." Ke Yan said, "Tomorrow morning I will take you to drink bean juice and eat fried rings."

"Forget it, I'd better go have noodles and tea." Before coming to the capital, Wang Lifan made a guide. On the Internet, various people who "recommended" Lao Jingcheng bean juice all said that it tasted like shabu-shabu water and was not human.

She could drink it, but she didn't want to ask for trouble.

"Hahaha~"

.......
To be continued...