The way of the center

Chapter 435 Crazy Summer
On the banks of the Touk River in Calvados, Lower Normandy, France, there is a small French town with simple folk customs.Unlike Paris and other international metropolises, Lisieux has neither majestic buildings nor bustling neighborhoods.From a Chinese perspective, it looks more like a small town than a city.

The retro but distinctive small buildings and the scars left by the Second World War here give this small French town a strong sense of history.This is indeed a tourist attraction in France, but Anjie's trip to France was not to appreciate the unique scenery of Lisieux.

"Derek Fisher joined the Trail Blazers with a basic salary, and Anjie's team has been upgraded again!"

"Fischer: It will be fun to work with Ann."

An Jie is sitting in an old European-style house and flipping through newspapers. Most of the sports sections of French newspapers are occupied by football news.But Anjie was still in a corner and saw the news that Fisher had joined the Trail Blazers.

A few days ago in Los Angeles, An Jie never expected that the plan to recruit Fisher would go so smoothly.He thought that Fisher wanted to retreat behind the scenes, but he didn't expect that Fisher was still full of strong desire to play.Perhaps it was the fact that he reached the Western Conference finals with the Thunder last season, which rekindled the veteran's championship heart.

Fisher invited Anjie to play in Los Angeles for one night. The next day, the two sides hit it off, and Fisher decided to put on the Trail Blazers jersey and assist Anjie next season.

Lightning signing, this is the best interpretation of Fisher joining the Trail Blazers.But when An Jie came to France today, the situation might not be so smooth.

"The dessert is ready, let's try it." A woman with a strong French accent spoke broken English and smiled at An Jie. An Jie nodded politely, said thank you, and picked up a piece of dessert to taste up.

The most authentic afternoon tea snacks in France are not found in five-star luxury restaurants, but in French folk.

"How does it taste?" The hostess spoke English very slowly.

"It's just great, thank you again for your hospitality, ma'am." An Jie's polite behavior towards this woman made it impossible for you to associate him with an NBA star or a stadium butcher.

"Hey, Mom." At this moment, a tall man walked into the room.He kissed his mother's cheek affectionately, and then set his eyes on An Jie.

"I'm sorry Ann, I kept you waiting. I just found out that you are coming to visit, so I have to come from another place." The tall, short-cut French man sat opposite An Jie, and the hostess knew the difference between the two men. There was time to talk, so she left the restaurant alone.

The atmosphere was suddenly a little awkward, because it was the first time An Jie and this man met alone in private, and the two hadn't had much contact before.The French man rubbed his hands, took a sip from his teacup, and planned to speak to break the awkward silence.

"Are you here for a tour, are you dropping by?" This French man is different from the hostess, he speaks English very fluently, and his French accent cannot be heard.

"No, I'm here just for you. Batum, I'm here specially, and I sincerely invite you to join the Trail Blazers again!" An Jie stared at Nicholas Batum seriously, and Batum was stunned holding his teacup After a second, the teacup was slowly put down again.

"You have to know Ann, the team sold me for you without hesitation. I like the Trail Blazers, and I have feelings for them. But I have to say, this transaction hurts me. Heart." Seeing that An Jie opened the door to see the window, Batum did not beat around the bush.

"I know, I know, when I was sold by the Kings and the Thunder, I was equally uncomfortable. Sometimes the management has to give up something else in order to get one thing. But what he gave up is not necessarily It's not precious. I think Mr. Orsi has no choice but to include you in the transfer list." An Jie looked out the window, Lixuecheng looked so fresh and beautiful in this sunny climate .An Jie hopes that when he comes here today, he can also leave with a good result.

"But the truth is I'm still sold, and you know what it feels like, you know what it feels like to be dumped by the team that gave it all! I've had a good time with the Thunder, we made it to the Finals last season, and actually, I Negotiating a contract extension with the Thunder. Ann, why do you think I'll rejoin the Trail Blazers? I appreciate your personal visit, but I'm afraid I'll disappoint you."

"First, Mr. Orsi will offer you a higher price than the Thunder to renew your contract. This season Oden and Roy both left the team when their contracts expired. Gerald Wallace and Raymond Felton's departure also saved the team a lot of salary space. The contract you get will definitely be a contract full of sincerity. Second, my willingness to visit here in person proves your commitment The importance of the team. In the Thunder, Kevin is the one who controls the overall situation. If you play him as a substitute, your playing time is very little! But if you join the Trail Blazers, Iguodala's playing time as a starter In any case, you will never be longer than Durant, so you can get more opportunities." An Jie sincerely stated the conditions he brought, indeed, letting a player join a team that abandoned himself last season The team is not an easy task.However, with a higher price and a sincere attitude, it is not impossible for An Jie to convince the Frenchman.

"Come on, Batum, you have seen that Mr. Orsi has been moving a lot this summer. You know what this means. We are going to attack the championship next season! Without you, we can't do this I sincerely invite you to return to the Trail Blazers, I need your help, and the City of Tears also needs your help. Just give the Trail Blazers a chance and let us have you again."

"I'll think about it, I'll think about it." Batum was shaken, and Anjie smiled slightly. He didn't intend to make Batum agree to himself immediately.Now that this is the case, An Jie has achieved his goal.

Afterwards, Anjie stayed at Batum's house and ate French home cooking cooked by Batum's mother.During this period, Anjie and Batum talked about many things other than basketball.And these two young people also discovered that there are so many common topics between them.

After the meal, Batum took An Jie around the ancient city of Lisieux.The next day, An Jie left by plane, and Batum saw An Jie off in person.This trip to France is quite enjoyable, but An Jie hopes that the most important purpose of this trip must be successful!
Now that the time has come to the end of August, there are not many strong players who have not yet belonged in the free agent market.If Batum finally decides to renew his contract with the Thunder, there are not many options left for the Blazers.

But An Jie has done everything he should do. He is still a player, and lobbying others to join the team is just a sideline.If An Jie wants to shine next season and win honors, hard training is the last word.

Unlike in the past, Anjie didn't travel around this summer, but spent a lot of money to invite several well-known trainers from Quanmei to Portland to conduct special one-on-one training for Anjie in Portland.

Although An Jie is on vacation, his daily life is no different from when the season started.The training plan formulated by the trainers for An Jie even deprived An Jie of the right to eat freely.

Stronger, faster, harder.This is the progress these trainers hope to bring to An Jie.As for basketball skills, there are not many people on this earth who can guide An Jie. Even Olajuwon can't help An Jie much in terms of footwork at the basket.

But the young An Jie did not do well enough in many details of technical movements.For example, protecting the ball when breaking through, self-protection after being violated, and exerting force when hitting back.These details have become the focus of Anjie's training this summer besides his physique.

In this way, more than half a month has passed, and the NBA league is still undergoing earth-shaking changes during this half month.The Lakers formed the terrifying F4, James Harden and the Rockets had secret plans, but in this wonderful transfer story, the Trail Blazers disappeared for a long time.

Now, the Trail Blazers lineup has basically been built.But there was one more person, Anjie and Orsi, who had been waiting for his answer.

Finally, after a day of training, An Jie turned on his phone and saw three missed calls from Batum.An Jie called immediately, for fear that Batum would change his mind!

"Hey buddy, I didn't put my mobile phone on me just now during training! How is it! Have you made a decision yet!?" After answering the call, An Jie asked anxiously.

"I think time can't be delayed any longer. Hey, you'll let me go home with the championship in my arms, right?" Batum said with a slight smile on the other side of the phone.Higher salary, more opportunities, plus the sincere attitude of the Trail Blazers.You know, not everyone will be personally invited by the star of the team.In the process, Batum got enough respect.All of this made Batum, who was already very reluctant to part with Portland, decide to return!
"YES!" Anjie shouted excitedly throughout the training ground. "You won't regret it buddy, I promise! Hey, I'm going to tell Mr. Orsi the good news right now, and he'll talk to you about signing right away!"

Anjie excitedly drove his RX-7 through the maze-like streets of Portland. He couldn't wait. This was the first time he felt that his car was so slow!

"I have good news for you!" An Jie directly pushed open the door of Orsi's office.

"What a coincidence? I also have good news." Orsi's expression was calm. This guy should have heard the news.

"Your news is definitely not as good as mine! Nicholas Batum, decided to return to Portland!" An Jie put his strength on Orsi's desk.He looked at Orsi's expression expectantly, but he didn't see Orsi become surprised.

"It's time for me to tell you my news. I just finished talking with Divac on the phone. Next season, he will join the Portland Trail Blazers as the team's assistant coach." Orsi finished speaking and rushed to Anjie smiled.Sure enough, a surprised expression fell on An Jie's face.

This is destined to be a crazy summer. Compared with last season, the Trail Blazers have undergone tremendous changes!

(End of this chapter)