Basketball K God

Chapter 35: Becoming a Rocket's Rookie
That night, Xie Kai received an urgent notice from his agent, Thaddeus Faucher: "Mr. Xie, the Rockets want you to attend the rookie press conference tomorrow. You can go there on the plane tomorrow morning. I have already booked the ticket for you." alright!"

"Okay, I'm sorry to trouble you!" Xie Kaixin thought it was a little too urgent, my butt is not hot yet!But if you think about it from another angle, this is also a good thing, which shows that you are one step closer to signing the contract.

In the early hours of the 28th, according to the Indiana local media "Indiana Star", the Pacers had reached a deal with the Trail Blazers: the Pacers offered Diogu and this year's No. 11 rookie Jerry Bayless the right to sign, In exchange for the signing rights of Jarrett Jack, Josh McRoberts and Brandon Rush with the Trail Blazers.

Xie Kai found it quite funny. The six players selected by the University of Kansas were all traded on the day of the draft or on the second day. This may have created a piece of history.

But for Rush, going to the Pacers is not a bad choice. You must know that his brother is currently playing for the Pacers. In this way, the two brothers are expected to compete together next season.

On the morning of the 28th, Xie Kai came to Houston. At the Rockets headquarters, he met Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Rockets who looked like a beckoning cat, and another rookie, Joey Dorsey, an insider from the University of Memphis!
Morey smiled and shook hands with Xie Kai, and planned to introduce Dorsey to him.

"We know each other!" Xie Kai said with a smile.

Dorsey grinned and said with a naive smile: "We are opponents in the finals of the NCAA tournament, Kane, we meet again, and we will be a team from now on, you can't beat me!"

The two smiled and hugged each other to show their affection.

Morey was also a little confused just now. He went to watch the NCAA finals, but he forgot that Dorsey and Xie Kai were still opponents at that time!
"You guys take a break first, wait to attend the press conference!" Morey said with a smile.

After Morey left, Dorsey excitedly said to Xie Kai: "Kane, you really opened my eyes. To be honest, you didn't come out to save the team in the final, but we won!"

"I really felt good that day!" Xie Kai didn't deny that he was a bit lucky that day.

"Derrick was sad for a long time after the game. He was so good until he met you!" Dorsey said.

"Derek has also won the No. [-] pick, and his ability has been recognized by the NBA!" Xie Kai said.

Dorsey nodded and said: "Many of our two teams are in the league, and they may be opponents on the field in the future!"

"Let's work hard together, Joey!" Xie Kai stretched out his hand.

"Okay, let's work hard together!" Dorsey also stretched out his big, black hand. The two who played brilliantly in the NCAA before quickly became good friends, which is really incredible.

On the way to the press conference, Dorsey asked Xie Kai: "Kane, what number did you choose?"

"What date?" Xie Kai was puzzled.

"Jersey number!" Dorsey explained.

"Oh, No. 22. I wear No. 22 in Kansas. I heard that No. 22 has no owner yet, so I chose No. 22. What about you?" Xie Kai asked.

"I wore No. 3 in Memphis, and No. 3 is owned here, so I will wear No. 15 in the new season!" Dorsey didn't feel regretful at all, but felt very excited.

"Well, No. 15 is not bad, Vince Carter and Carmelo Anthony are both No. 15!" Xie Kai said.

"Yeah, so 15 is definitely a good number, haha..." Dorsey was as happy as a child.

Under the arrangement of general manager Morey, Xie Kai and Dorsey participated in the press conference where the rookie jerseys were displayed.

Xie Kai and Dorsey held their respective jerseys, and their smiles were somewhat shy under the camera of the reporters on the scene.After all, they are still rookies, and they don't actually have much contact with the media.

The reporter of "Houston Chronicle" interviewed Xie Kai and Dorsey.

"Kane, you and Joey were opponents in the NCAA finals, and now you are teammates, how do you feel?"

"I am very happy to be teammates with Joey in the new season. Joey is a big man with tough defense and outstanding physical talent. We will definitely help the team play better in the new season!" Xie Kai said.

"Joey, what do you think?"

"I am also very happy to be teammates with Kane. He is an amazing player. I like to be teammates and friends with such players!" Dorsey replied with a smile.

The interview was enjoyable. After all, it was a local media in Houston, and they would not ask too harsh or saliva-inducing questions.

The press conference ended soon, and Xie Kai and Dorsey also made an appointment to have dinner at Yao Restaurant at 9755 Westheimer Street, the most prosperous high-end dining street in Houston's XC District.

Because Yao Ming was preparing for the Olympics in China, he had no chance to meet him in Houston.

In Yao restaurant, Dorsey said excitedly: "Kane, if I can be Yao's substitute in the new season, it would be perfect!"

"Joy, your wingspan and muscles are completely similar to Ben Wallace. You can help the team on the defensive end!" Xie Kai said.

"If I can have half the strength of Ben, I have the confidence to become Yao's first substitute!" Dorsey laughed.

"Congratulations on entering the rotation in the new season. I became Tracy's first substitute, and you became Yao Ming's first substitute!" Xie Kai raised his drink glass.

"Okay!" Dorsey and Xie Kai held the cups, and the two rookies of the Rockets were preparing to have a big fight in Yao Restaurant.

Xie Kai knows that although he and Dorsey have not signed yet, the Rockets will not give up the opportunity to sign with them.

The NBA's first-round pick contracts are all regulated. Currently, it is a 4-year "2+2 contract", that is, the first two seasons are guaranteed contracts, and the next two seasons are team options.After the end of the first and second seasons, the home team has to choose whether to implement the team options for the third and fourth years before October 10 of that year (it will be postponed if it is a non-working day).

The contract amount of the NBA's first-round picks is regulated, so in theory, the home team can use a rookie at a low price for 4 years, and even if the rookie's contract expires and the rookie becomes a restricted free agent, they still have the ability to match other teams. The offer made can give a maximum contract of 5 years.

Of course, there are also NBA teams that do not sign with the first-round picks in order to save money, and the first-round picks after giving up the right to sign will become completely free agents, and the treatment is the same as that of the undrafted picks.

Therefore, the vast majority of NBA teams will sign contracts with the first-round picks. The "2+2" contract for the first-round picks is completely beneficial to the home team. If the players play well, it will be a harvest for the team. Even if they are not played out, as a "rookie bonus", they can also optimize the team's salary structure. When the contract expires, it will be fine not to renew the contract, and the loss to the team will be almost negligible.

(End of this chapter)