Zhang Zhiyuan signed a contract with the Rockets. There is actually nothing surprising about this news.
After all, Zhang Zhiyuan will definitely join a certain team, the difference lies in where he will go.
What really surprises people is the contract between the two parties. The annual salary is 2 million and it only lasts for one year.
Moreover, 2 million is the total amount. There are only 12 games left for the Rockets this season, and Zhang Zhiyuan can only get more than 300,000.
This is where it gets puzzling.
The offer was originally for 16 million, but now it was sold for 300,000. This counter-offer was too big. Counterfeit goods are not sold in the antique market.
Some well-informed people even know that the Lakers have agreed to give Zhang Zhiyuan a mini-mid-level salary of 9 million over three years.
Under such circumstances, Zhang Zhiyuan still chose the Rockets. The meaning of this has to make people think deeply.
[The consequences of arrogance, Zhang finally recognized his value.]
China Zhang opened his mouth after playing a few good games. He obviously did not recognize himself. After being rejected by many teams, he had no choice but to accept a one-year contract with an annual salary of 2 million.
.
[Chinese Zhang who was cheated by his agent.]
It is reported that Zhang was originally prepared to accept a mini-mid-level contract, but his agent mistakenly overestimated his value and demanded an exorbitant price, leaving Zhang with no ball to play for...
This kind of drama about agents doing bad things often happens in the sports world, and fans are accustomed to it.
The media also followed suit. Regardless of whether Zhang Zhiyuan was tricked by his agent or not, it was correct to report it like this anyway.
[Breaking news revealed that Zhang and Kobe were at odds, so Zhang rejected the Lakers’ offer of 9 million and switched to the Rockets.]
Some reporters who learned about the Lakers' quotation gave full play to their imagination and imagined a team struggle drama.
Don’t mention it, some people just like to hunt for novels in this kind of content.
At most, fans can just watch the fun, but for the Lakers' management, this news is undoubtedly heartbreaking.
Kupchak even smashed a tea cup.
He was finally able to confirm that it was not that his offer was not sincere, but that Zhang Zhiyuan did not want to stay with the Lakers at all.
"Fake."
Kupchak didn't understand.
The Lakers are a traditional giant, located in Los Angeles, and are the dream destination for many players.
Zhang Zhiyuan is an undrafted player, so why should he look down on the Lakers? Why?
He even had to wonder whether the fact was that Zhang Zhiyuan and Kobe Bryant were at odds with each other as the unscrupulous tabloids said.
After all, he knew a little bit about Kobe's difficulty in getting along with him.
Also angry were some Lakers players.
Kobe was angry, but he didn't express it.
And Cook, Bynum, Evans and others started scolding them directly.
"This son of a bitch, we gave him a chance, but he didn't know how to repay us."
"Betrayal, this is naked betrayal."
"Next time I meet him in a competition, I will teach him a lesson and make him regret it."
Some people are really angry, but Wharton is angry on the surface but happy on the inside.
This was the best result he could think of. What's even better is that he didn't take any action from beginning to end. It was Zhang Zhiyuan's own "suicide" that helped him achieve the ideal result.
"Four days later, we will play the Rockets away from home."
Kobe didn't say it directly, but the meaning was obvious.
He didn't want to see someone drop his chain four days later. He wanted to beat up Zhang Zhiyuan on the court.
On March 25, the Rockets played the Hornets away from home, and Zhang Zhiyuan made his Rockets debut.
Zhang Lili no longer has to worry about Zhang Zhiyuan's live broadcast. Zhang Zhiyuan and Yao Ming are working together, and Rockets games are always broadcast live.
There is still more than half an hour before the start of the game. Zhang Lili and Sun Zhengping have already started broadcasting. The two of them want to talk about Zhang Zhiyuan's recent situation.
Zhang Zhiyuan briefly left for five or six days before, and Chinese fans were even a little worried.
"I really didn't expect that Xiao Zhang and Dayao got together in the end. Our fans are blessed to see the two of them fighting side by side."
Sun Zhengping said.
"The Rockets have Shane Battier, but actually joining the Rockets is not a very reasonable choice. Moreover, the annual salary is much less. I don't know what Xiao Zhang thinks. Maybe he was cheated by his agent."
Zhang Lili sighed with emotion.
Although he also wants to see Zhang Zhiyuan and Yao Ming team up, from a rational analysis, he feels that it is far better for Zhang Zhiyuan to stay with the Lakers than to go to the Rockets.
With the Lakers, he could at least be a starter, but with the Rockets, he could only be Battier's backup.
"If you go to the Rockets, you can at least hope to win the championship. You don't have that chance with the Lakers."
Sun Zhengping said.
"Maybe..."
Zhang Lijia doesn't want to dampen the fans' enthusiasm for watching the game. To be honest, he is not optimistic about the Rockets at all.
The Rockets' current record is fifth in the Western Conference, which cannot be said to be bad, but to say they can win the championship is a bit outrageous.
If the Rockets have hope of winning the championship, there are at least eight teams that are more promising than the Rockets.
"Director Zhang, do you think Xiao Zhang can play well in the Rockets?"
Sun Zhengping changed the topic.
"I'm afraid I'm not as comfortable as in the Lakers. Battier averages 36 minutes per game. If Xiao Zhang only plays the third position, he will only have 12 minutes of playing time. Unless he plays a guest role at shooting guard or power forward, but he can't play these two positions.
It’s hard to say whether we can fight well or not.”
Zhang Liang's words made the fans in front of the TV a little worried.
Although they hoped to see Zhang Zhiyuan and Yao Ming join forces, they also understood Zhang Lili's analysis.
Worry was nothing but worry, and now they could only secretly hope for it.
After the small talk, the game started.
As expected, Zhang Zhiyuan sat on the bench.
The Rockets still have their regular starters, Alston, Tracy McGrady, Battier, Hayes, and Yao Ming.
The Hornets are Chris Paul, Devin Brown, Mason, David West, and Chandler.
At the beginning, Chandler moved the ball to his own side, the Hornets attacked first, and the Rockets retreated.
After Mason broke through, he made a jump shot, and Battier made a big block.
Before, Zhang Lili would have shouted a good shot.
But now, the better Battier plays means the fewer opportunities Zhang Zhiyuan has. It's really hard to make a choice.
Yao Ming got stuck, Hayes grabbed a defensive rebound, and then the Rockets counterattacked.
Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady were heavily defended, Hayes was left open, Battier passed the ball, and Hayes made a hit.
Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are the absolute core of the Rockets, but it won't work if you target them too much. The other Rockets players are not that bad either.
The Hornets attack, but Yao Ming guards the inside line, and the Hornets have no way to attack.
Devin Brown had no choice but to make a three-pointer, but the ball missed.
However, Tyson Chandler grabbed an offensive rebound.
Chandler has nearly five offensive rebounds this season, which is terrifying.
Chandler passed the ball to West, and West made a mid-range shot, tying the score.
Then Yao Ming and McGrady started to show their strength. Yao Ming made consecutive hits and McGrady made consecutive fouls, creating a 10-2 climax.
However, Van Gundy was not too happy off the court.
He has experienced this situation too many times. Many times in the Rockets' games, they played well at the beginning, but collapsed when it came to the bench time and the fourth quarter.
Poor substitutes, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady's physical problems, these are the Rockets' chronic problems.
Yao Ming's physical strength is poor, and McGrady is at risk of injury, so he can only let the substitutes play more. The longer the substitutes play, the more points they will lose, so they can only let Yao Ming and McGrady play more.
As their playing time increases, they will become weak again in the fourth quarter, and the cycle continues.
In the ninth minute of the game, with the team leading by 6 points, Van Gundy replaced Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and Alston, and replaced him with Luther Head, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Mutombo.
Zhang Zhiyuan was pushed to the shooting guard.
But he didn't panic. After all, Paul was still on the court. As long as he absorbed 5% of Paul's ball-handling skills, he didn't have to worry too much about making mistakes.
"Van Gundy's substitution time was one minute faster today."
The Texas Channel commentator joked.
Van Gundy is known for his rigid approach to personnel. There are traces to be followed when he makes substitutions, and he has even been summed up with rules.
Van Gundy made an early substitution today and was immediately noticed.
I have to say, this is worthy of ridicule.
"It's useless. Soon he will find that the only people he can trust are Yao and Tracy."
Another guest joined in the mocking.
On the court, the Rockets attack.
Zhang Zhiyuan faced the swingman Russell, who is the same height as Zhang Zhiyuan and slightly lighter.
With Zhang Zhiyuan's ability to play in the starting lineup, he would naturally not be polite to the opponent's small substitute. He would directly reach out for the ball after getting into position, acting like the boss of the team.
Rutherhead frowned and passed the ball over. He had to give Yao Ming some face.
Although Yao Ming did not say it explicitly, everyone knew that Zhang Zhiyuan was protected by him.
After receiving the ball, Zhang Zhiyuan played directly in singles and shot towards the basket.
He didn't use this move in the past because it was easy to make mistakes and was inefficient.
But now that he has acquired some of Paul's ball-handling skills, and at the same time has an advantage in strength, there is no problem playing like this.
Russell didn't understand Zhang Zhiyuan, so he didn't stand firm and was pushed away.
Zhang Zhiyuan took two steps and then made a small throw and scored.
At this distance, as long as you don't get blocked, it's relatively easy to score a goal.
"pretty."
Sun Zhengping shouted.
"This Xiao Zhang's skills are quite comprehensive. He can break through, singles, three-pointers, dunks, everything."
Zhang Lili analyzed.
The number of Zhang Zhiyuan's games is still too small, so many people actually don't understand Zhang Zhiyuan's technical characteristics.
From the current point of view, Zhang Zhiyuan seems to have no distinctive characteristics and is a bit of a hodgepodge.
In the transition between offense and defense, it is easier for Zhang Zhiyuan to defend Russell. He still has the energy to keep an eye on Paul, ready to find opportunities to double-team and sneak attacks.
It's a pity that Paul didn't give him this opportunity. He organized the attack very carefully and didn't put himself in danger.
Finally, Paul passed the ball to West, who shot the ball under the interference of Battier.
When the Rockets attacked, Zhang Zhiyuan ran to the basket, attracted the attention of the Hornets' defense and then retreated from the three-point line.
Russell hesitated for a moment and did not chase him out immediately.
Zhang Zhiyuan had already signaled for the ball when he was running out, and Rutherhead passed the ball with tears in his eyes.
In the past, he was the main attacker at this time, so his scoring data is pretty good, ranking fourth on the team with an average of 10.9 points per game, a few tenths higher than Battier.
But now, Zhang Zhiyuan doesn't know what politeness means, and he just takes over the game.
Zhang Zhiyuan caught the ball and scored.
The hard training on three-pointers has yielded some results. Of course, the most important thing is that the defensive pressure from Russell is too little.
"Follow your people."
Byron Scott yells at Russell.
"Nice shot."
Yao Ming spared no effort to stand up and cheer.
"Hey, it looks like this new Zhang is pretty good."
After scoring two goals in a row, the TV station's commentators couldn't help but pay attention to Zhang Zhiyuan.
"Play very proactively."
The guests echoed.
The Hornets attacked, Paul broke through, and Zhang Zhiyuan dropped Russell to double-team.
Paul's breakthrough was fruitless and he could only score the ball. Zhang Zhiyuan shouted: "Where did this kid come from? Is there no league in high school?"
Standing in front of Paul with his size and figure, Paul really looks like a high school student.
When Paul heard this, he was furious and stepped out of the three-point line to ask for the ball again. His teammate passed the ball back. Paul used the screen to take two steps and made an emergency stop jumper, and the ball went in.
"Wait until you become famous before you talk trash to me. After all, I have no interest in responding to unknown people."
Paul spat back.
The Rockets attack, Zhang Zhiyuan signals Lutherhead to play a pick-and-roll.
Lutherhead was extremely reluctant. He didn't like being told what to do by an unknown person. But Zhang Zhiyuan had scored two goals in a row before, and he was worried that his lack of cooperation would make the coach unhappy.
As a result, he could only perform pick-and-rolls.
The Hornets did not choose to switch defense. Facing Paul, Zhang Zhiyuan reached out for the ball and Luther Head passed the ball.
Then Zhang Zhiyuan relied on his strength to bully Paul and kept pushing under the basket. Paul resisted with all his strength.
Originally, he could let go of this kind of ball appropriately to conserve his energy. There is no need to work so hard. After all, he is the core of the team.
However, this time he was careful and wanted to teach Zhang Zhiyuan a lesson.
Zhang Zhiyuan continued to score, but Paul chose to take advantage of the situation and reached for the ball.
Zhang Zhiyuan turned around to complete the breakthrough, rushed to the basket in two steps and completed a dunk.
"I hope you won't cry after the game. After all, I didn't bring candy to comfort you."
Zhang Zhiyuan said mockingly.
"You'll regret it."
Paul finally got angry and contributed 88 hatred points.
"Last time I bullied a high school student, he said the same thing."
Zhang Zhiyuan transformed into a talkative person and chattered endlessly.
The Hornets attacked and there were nearly two minutes left in the game. Scott hesitated whether to call a timeout.
It's a bit wasteful now, but he doesn't have to worry about being hit by rockets.
Where did this guy come from?
Scott looked at Zhang Zhiyuan with a confused look on his face.
Although there were many people who paid attention to Zhang Zhiyuan before, there were also many who did not pay attention to him, and Scott was one of them.
Before the game, Scott only knew that the Rockets had signed a new undrafted draft pick, and it was said that this undrafted draft pick was doing very well with the Lakers. Other than that, he didn't know anything else.
And now, this undrafted pick has brought great trouble to the Hornets.
While Scott hesitated, the game continued on the field.
Paul originally wanted to tie the score when the Rockets' main force was no longer available, but he never expected that after the last three minutes of play, the point difference actually widened.
The point difference was only 6 points when the Rockets came off the court, but after the first quarter, 32 to 20, the point difference had reached 12 points.
Damn it, Paul couldn't believe this data, so he looked at it again before finally confirming it.
At the same time, he also discovered the reasons for lagging behind.
In the last three minutes, Zhang Zhiyuan made 3 of 4 shots and scored 7 points, and also assisted his teammates to score 2 points.
