It was unavoidable. Yi Jianlian's NBA career was truly difficult, and old fans would remember.
It felt like as soon as A Lian had a few dazzling games, he would get injured and lose his core status.
Whenever A Lian mentioned this problem, he had a look of helplessness.
In fact, his physical fitness was already top-notch among Asian players, even surpassing Yao Ming in some aspects.
Li Feng sighed and said, "Coach, you're right, he does get injured often, but Yi Jianlian still has the skills. Moreover, his value is at a low point now, so we shouldn't need to sign him with too high a salary."
"But... his position overlaps with Stoudemire's. Do you think he'd be content being a substitute?"
Li Feng planned to use a flanking tactic, signing A Lian first, and then using the system to help Yi Jianlian improve.
He would let his performance on the court speak for itself.
"I think he can accept it. We are a championship team, and Yi Jianlian won't fight for a starting position. Besides, he gets injured frequently."
D'Antoni understood Li Feng's intentions, knowing that Li Feng wanted to be teammates with A Lian.
"Then I have nothing more to say. No problem, actually, I really appreciate Yi Jianlian's shooting and rim-protecting abilities."
...
After persuading D'Antoni, signing Yi Jianlian became a natural progression.
Soon, two days later, the NBA headlines reported the news—
"Championship Knicks Add Another Chinese Tiger, Successfully Sign Yi Jianlian!"
In fact, given Yi Jianlian's status, this shouldn't have caused such a stir. After all, the Knicks signed him for an annual salary of only $2 million and a two-year contract.
However, because Li Feng, Yao Ming, and Yi Jianlian were all Chinese players, the Knicks became the most special team in the NBA.
It was equivalent to the Chinese national team.
Countless fans were discussing this trade, with mixed reviews.
Many American fans were very confused, especially the local Knicks fans. They felt Yi Jianlian was too fragile.
"Is the Knicks' general manager crazy? How many games did Yi Jianlian play last season?"
"Are they trying to get the Chinese market? Even so, they shouldn't sign a glass player."
"I think it's Li Feng's influence. He wants to play with his countrymen. Yao Ming came here for Li Feng last time."
"Actually, it's not a big deal. The salary isn't high, and maybe Yi Jianlian will get healthy with the Knicks, just like Yao Ming in the last two years."
"Speaking of which, the Knicks' medical standards are pretty good. Yao Ming also had his ups and downs with the Rockets, but he got better after coming to the Knicks."
...
Not only were American fans discussing it heatedly, but Chinese fans were also engaging in intense discussions.
Li Feng had never understood why Yi Jianlian had so many haters in China.
Could it be because of that famous news headline—
"Single-handed putback + 8 rebounds, A Lian just smiled slightly, he has won back the coach's trust!"
Yi Jianlian was still in China at the time. The first person to inform him was his agent, Fegan.
"A Lian, congratulations! You're going to the Knicks! You'll be teammates with Li Feng and Yao Ming from now on!"
Yi Jianlian was both surprised and delighted upon hearing this!
In fact, ever since Yao Ming went to the Knicks, Yi Jianlian had been itching to join as well.
But at that time, he had just signed a contract with the Nets, so it was impossible to go to the Knicks.
Now that his dream had come true, while happy, Yi Jianlian also became worried.
He was concerned that his body would hold back Li Feng and Yao Ming, so after careful consideration, Yi Jianlian called Li Feng.
"Li Feng, my agent told me the Knicks signed me. Was there any of your help in this?"
Li Feng didn't answer directly, but replied with a smile, "A Lian, that's not important. Since the Knicks signed you, they must have seen your abilities. Just train hard and play well when the time comes."
Yi Jianlian knew that Li Feng must have helped, and he said gratefully, "Li Feng, don't worry, I won't disappoint you. I will train hard and won't hold you back."
"Don't say that, A Lian. Your abilities are strong, you just lack confidence. I hope you can become more confident!"
After chatting for a while, when A Lian learned that Li Feng had already started training, he felt a little ashamed.
"Li Feng, I'll book my flight tomorrow. I'll come to the US this weekend and start training!"
"It's okay, no rush. You can train in China as well. I came this early because there were too many things back home, and I wanted to hide here for a bit, hehe!"
Three days later, Yi Jianlian indeed arrived in the United States and trained with Li Feng.
Seeing Yi Jianlian's hard work, Li Feng also made up his mind to help A Lian improve his skills.
He brought out the system's "Awaken Yi Di" function and studied it carefully.
He didn't realize until he looked into it that this skill had many detailed descriptions.
[Yi Di endurance training for one hour, stamina value increases by 1 point]
[Yi Di shoots 100 times, shooting ability increases by 1 point]
[Yi Di strength training for one hour, injury probability decreases by 1 point]
[Yi Di completes 10 rebounds in a single game, rebounding ability increases by 5 points]
[Yi Di completes 5 blocks in a single game, rim-protecting ability increases by 5 points]
...
Seeing these small items, Li Feng was very excited.
It seemed the system also placed great importance on Yi Jianlian.
If Yi Jianlian could become the core player of the Knicks with the system's help, then the Knicks' three-peat would not be a dream.
Half a month later, Yao Ming also returned to the United States.
For Yao Ming, he was already married, so the team did not require him to report to the team early.
However, Yao Ming was very excited when he heard that Yi Jianlian had arrived at the Knicks.
The gathering of the three Chinese players was a classic moment in NBA history.
It would also be a milestone season for Chinese basketball!
This offseason was very dramatic, and Li Feng felt time flew by.
The 2011-2012 season was about to begin.
Among this year's rookies were several players who would later become famous stars, and they need to be mentioned here.
The first pick was Irving, no need to say more, a historically watchable star.
Kemba Walker, selected 9th overall in the first round, went to the Charlotte Hornets.
Klay Thompson, selected 11th overall in the first round, went to the Warriors and would form the renowned "Splash Brothers" with Curry!
Kawhi Leonard, selected 15th overall in the first round, went to the Pacers and was later traded to the Spurs.
Reggie Jackson, selected 24th overall in the first round, went to the Thunder.
Jimmy Butler, selected 30th overall in the first round, went to the Bulls.
There were also several famous players among the second-round picks.
Bojan, selected first overall in the second round, went to the Miami Heat.
The handsome Parsons, selected 8th overall in the second round, went to the Rockets.
Isaiah Thomas, selected 30th overall in the second round, went to the Kings!
The most inspirational was Isaiah Thomas. With his height of 1.75 meters, he was ranked last among the rookies.
However, in the following seasons, he still achieved impressive results, earning everyone's admiration.
...
The new season's preseason was about to begin.
The Knicks' first preseason game was at home against the Charlotte Hornets.
Countless fans were eagerly anticipating the NBA games, especially Li Feng's fans, who were waiting impatiently.
The Knicks' starting lineup today was the same as last season. Yi Jianlian was not in the starting lineup.
Before the game, Stoudemire, with high emotional intelligence, approached Coach D'Antoni and offered to let Yi Jianlian start in his place.
D'Antoni knew that this was, after all, a commercial league, and many Chinese fans yearned to see the three Chinese players play together on the court.
However, Yi Jianlian refused.
A Lian was a player with great ambition. He didn't want to rely on this connection to take Stoudemire's starting position.
He preferred to come off the bench.
If he truly gained the strength to start in the future, then it wouldn't be too late to play as a starter.
D'Antoni greatly appreciated Yi Jianlian and patted his shoulder without saying much.
Little S also admired Yi Jianlian's integrity and proactively fist-bumped him before the game.
The Hornets' roster wasn't very strong, but the rookie Kemba Walker this year was very arrogant.
Because he looked somewhat similar to John Wall of the Wizards, many people thought they were brothers.
Like Wall, as soon as he entered the league, he wanted to challenge Li Feng.
It was understandable. Apart from high-talented tall players like Yao Ming, no Chinese guard had reached Li Feng's level.
Therefore, these guards, before entering the league, were all eager to dominate Li Feng.
Li Feng naturally knew what these rookies were thinking.
In the first quarter, Li Feng didn't hold back against Kemba Walker. He scored on him three times in a row and then defended him twice.
As a result, Li Feng scored 8 consecutive points, while Kemba Walker scored none.
In less than 5 minutes, Kemba Walker was utterly dominated by Li Feng.
The Hornets' head coach had to substitute Walker.
The overall strength difference between the two teams was still quite significant. In the first quarter, with more than 8 minutes played, the Knicks led by 9 points.
At this time, Yi Jianlian finally took the court.
Many Chinese fans had come to Madison Square Garden.
They were all waiting for Yi Jianlian to play, and when A Lian entered the game, they cheered loudly.
Li Feng and Yao Ming also fist-bumped A Lian to encourage him!
This scene was truly beautiful.
Years later, it might be difficult to witness such a classic moment again!
Yi Jianlian's progress was significant, but he didn't realize that Li Feng was helping him.
His stamina had increased from 72 to 86.
His shooting ability had increased from 75 to 88.
A Lian's strength had also increased from 66 to 83.
Rebounding and rim-protecting abilities needed to be improved through games, so this match was very important for him.
Before A Lian took the court, Li Feng whispered in his ear, "You must grab 10 rebounds and get 5 blocks today, understood?"
Although A Lian didn't know why Li Feng had this requirement, he still nodded in agreement.
Perhaps due to the long rest from injuries last season, A Lian showed a strong competitive spirit as soon as he entered the game.
Coupled with the fact that A Lian felt his physical fitness improving, he was very excited.
Swish!
A Lian received a pass from Billups and unhesitatingly took a mid-range shot, which swished cleanly through the net!
After that, on defense, he gave the Hornets' rookie Vucevic a big block!
D'Antoni watched from the sidelines, greatly astonished.
The vitality Yi Jianlian displayed truly didn't resemble the frequently injured A Lian.
Li Feng and Yao Ming didn't sit down; they stood by the sidelines, towels in hand, once again serving as the atmosphere duo, cheering for A Lian. At the end of the first quarter, the Knicks led by 15 points. A Lian, who had played for only a little over 3 minutes, scored 7 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and completed 2 blocks.
The Hornets' head coach was stunned—
"Yi Jianlian wasn't that outstanding with the Nets and Bucks. How did he suddenly become a different person after coming to the Knicks?"
The Knicks fans were overjoyed.
For $2 million a year, signing such a beast of a power forward was a huge bargain!
When the first quarter ended, and Yi Jianlian walked off the court, his teammates came over to chest bump and celebrate with him.
Head coach D'Antoni even walked over and gave Yi Jianlian a hug.
But Yi Jianlian eventually walked towards Li Feng, and the two hugged tightly.
A Lian was not eloquent and didn't say much, just repeating those few words—
"Thank you! Thank you..."
"No need to thank me, it's your own hard work. Keep it up!"
...
The second quarter began, and Yi Jianlian continued to shine in the reserve lineup.
Billups and Yi Jianlian had good chemistry, and he passed many good balls to A Lian.
A Lian did not fail Billups' passes, converting most of them into points.
In the first 5 minutes of the second quarter, A Lian scored another 6 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and had 2 blocks.
Including the first quarter, A Lian had already scored 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
He was still short of the 10 rebounds and 5 blocks that Li Feng had assigned him.
As long as he played a few minutes in the third quarter, A Lian should be able to complete the task.
Li Feng was very pleased. At this pace of improvement, A Lian would soon become a top power forward in the league!
After halftime, Stoudemire did not play, once again giving up his starting position.
D'Antoni started Yi Jianlian.
Yi Jianlian tried to defer a little, but seeing Little S's sincerity, he entered the game.
The home fans cheered enthusiastically and gave a standing ovation.
The historic moment had finally arrived.
Li Feng, Yao Ming, and Yi Jianlian were all on the court simultaneously!
Countless Chinese fans were in tears at this moment. The Great Wall of China had finally stood tall in the NBA.
Li Feng and Yao Ming knew that A Lian was in good form today, so they could both reduce their ball possession and let Yi Jianlian play more.
Yi Jianlian did not disappoint. In just 6 minutes of the third quarter, he scored 8 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and had 1 block!
With this, he had exceeded the task of 10 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Li Feng saw in the system that Yi Jianlian's rebounding ability had increased from 73 to 78.
His rim-protecting ability had increased from 71 to 76.
...
Since this was only a preseason game, the Knicks' starters only played for a little over 6 minutes before all being substituted out to rest.
The game was effectively over by the third quarter.
Ultimately, the Knicks defeated the Hornets by a large margin, winning their preseason game.
Kemba Walker was completely stunned today, having been defended by Li Feng and scoring 0 points.
In the following few preseason games, the Knicks played dominantly.
Yao Ming rested for the latter few games, and Li Feng only played in 2 preseason games.
Yi Jianlian was in incredible form, playing in 4 preseason games.
His rebounding ability had increased to 88, and his rim-protecting ability had increased to 86, making him a starting-level power forward in the league.