Legend of Tomorrow

On the 15th, Guo Xu and Richardson were approved by the league and entered the list of candidate rookies.

There are two ways to participate in the draft.

The first is automatically eligible for the draft. Anyone who meets any of the following conditions can be automatically selected: playing in college for 4 years, graduating from high school in the United States (but not entering a U.S. university) for 4 years, and being outside the NBA. The professional team signed and played (non-international players), international players are over 22 years old.

The second way to participate is to declare. Any player who is not automatically eligible for selection must declare if he wants to participate in the NBA draft. There are two ways: one is to write a letter directly and mail it to the NBA headquarters, and the other is to send an email to the NBA Draft Office. There will be dedicated staff responsible for receiving the email. If the player meets the criteria, the NBA will reply with a draft form, and the player can just fill it out and then reply.

From now on, the two can accept separate trial training from NBA teams. This arrangement not only allows the team to understand the players, but also allows the players to have a better estimate of their draft prospects. If the trial training situation is not ideal, You can withdraw from the draft, which is especially important for NCAA players.

NCAA players who withdraw their declaration can retain their college eligibility as long as they do not hire an agent.

Richardson did not hire an agent. The rookie contract was signed according to the NBA collective bargaining agreement, and there was no need to pay a commission to the agent. If he did not want to be drafted, there would be room for regret.

Guo Xu is taking a break from school, so he doesn't need to get a diploma and there is no exam pressure. There are no joint trials in this era, strong teams are playing in the playoffs, and suitable teams will not ask him for trials for the time being. But he is not idle. He practices basketball five days a week and pays attention to his diet.

He no longer dares to practice physical fitness as hard as he did during the time loop. At that time, his body had bugs and he was not afraid of injury. Now, once he is seriously injured before the draft, everything will be ruined. Therefore, he mainly practices shooting, and his touch must not be bad when he goes to trial training. If the opponent asks him to increase his strength, it will not be too late to work out again.

On April 22, the NBA playoffs began.

Guo Xu quickly entered the attention of a team, and the one who was most interested in him was the Charlotte Hornets, who wanted a speedy point guard.

The Hornets have a strong lineup. The star is All-Star swingman Eddie Jones, who previously played for the Lakers and made Kobe Bryant sit on the bench for two years. He averaged 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.7 steals per game. He is 28 years old and in his prime.

The Hornets' frontcourt starters are Derrick Coleman, Anthony Mason Jr., and Eldon Campbell. All three of them are averaging a double-double per game and are good offensive and defensive players. This combination ranks among the top ten in the league.

The Hornets have outstanding young players such as Brad Miller, Baron Davis, and Ricky Davis on their bench. The depth of their lineup is obviously better than that of their opponents, the Philadelphia 76ers, but they were eliminated 1-3 in the first round.

The reason is simple. The Hornets' No. 1 position is flawed and cannot guard 76ers star Allen Iverson.

Starting point guard David Wesley is 183cm tall and weighs 90kg. His arms are as thick as many people's heads. He moves laterally slowly and is better at defending the 2nd position than guarding point guards. He cannot keep up with Ivor. Sen's speed. His nickname is actually Mickey Mouse. Who has ever seen such a thick Mickey Mouse?

Baron Davis, the No. 3 overall pick in 1999, is also a tough guy. He is 191cm tall and weighs 95kg. He is not as strong as a point guard. Defensively, he can keep up with most defenders, but Iverson falls into that small minority.

In the first game, Iverson scored 40 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, leading the 76ers to a good start. Later, he relied on sharp breakthroughs to frequently cause the two Hornets point guards to get into foul trouble, giving him a clear advantage.

After being eliminated, the Hornets scouts submitted Guo Xu's information, and the management decided to invite him for a trial training. They sent an invitation to his agent Happy, and even explained the items to be tested. Guo Xu could be targeted. training,

In this way, if he doesn't perform well, he has no excuse and can just leave.

Many teams in the Eastern Conference regard the 76ers as their imaginary enemy in the playoffs and choose a small, fast guard to defend Iverson. It's like every playoff team in the Western Conference will try to sign a meat shield blue-collar center to deal with O'Neal, otherwise they won't win.

Happy immediately called Guo Xu and explained the situation.

Guo Xu thought for a moment and replied: Just refuse it for me. I won't go to Charlotte for a trial training, and I have no interest in joining the Hornets.

What? Are you crazy? Happy shouted on the other end of the phone.

Is this strange? Guo Xu asked.

Happy shouted: Do you think you are Steve Francis? You are not a big name. Once your refusal to try out is exposed by the media, you will be finished.

Francis refused to go to Vancouver for a trial last year. After being drafted by the Grizzlies with the second pick, he refused to report and was later traded to the Rockets. He didn't want to go to the cold and snowy Canada to play and be away from his family. The only thing he did in Vancouver was to give perhaps the most disrespectful press conference in NBA history before the Grizzlies traded him.

Before even an NBA game was played, Francis became the league's top thorn in the side, earning a nickname - Franchise!

In Guo Xu's previous life, many NBA players refused to try out alone. They were all promising big-name rookies. Arrogance requires capital.

For example, Stephen Curry favored the Knicks in the 2009 draft, and the Knicks also intended to take Curry with the eighth pick, so he directly refused the Warriors' tryout. As a result, the Warriors drafted Curry with the seventh pick, and he had no choice but to report to the team obediently. As a result, a dynasty was established.

Ball Brother Lonzo Ball wanted to go to the Lakers wholeheartedly during the 2017 draft. He only participated in workouts with the Lakers and 76ers, and almost hurt the face of the wealthy club by rejecting the Celtics, who had the third overall pick.

Ben Simmons was even better during the draft and refused all team trials, proving that talented people can really do whatever they want. In the end, Simmons was won by the 76ers with the No. 1 pick.

Guo Xu is different. He was unknown before the semi-finals. If he refuses trial training, it seems to be very detrimental to his future development.

He thought about it for half a minute and decided to stick to his guns. Turn it down. I really don't want to go to the Hornets. I have confidence in my own ability and will never lose the selection. You know my only goal is the Lakers.

Happy now feels that Guo Xu is too decisive and has reached the point of arrogance. Jason, I know the Los Angeles market is great, but what if the Lakers don't want you? There are three point guards on the team.

Guo Xu smiled and said: As long as you give me the opportunity to try out with the Lakers, I will definitely be able to impress the management. As long as I join the Lakers, I will definitely be able to rise next season. I firmly believe that is the best place for me. . I think it’s too passive to wait for the Lakers management to find me. Just make a statement for me and say that I just want to play for the Lakers.”

...

Guo Xu followed the routine of Brother Ball. Before the draft, Dad Ball LaVar had stated several times that his son must go to the Lakers, saying that he would be the savior of the Lakers. In the end, the Lakers indeed chose Ball. elder brother. Relying on the continuous hype, Brother Qiu also gained a high exposure rate and became popular before he started fighting.

Happy is not a reborn person, so he thinks Guo Xu is crazy.