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Chapter 706 - 296. You’re telling me their defense is only fifth in the league?

Chapter 706: 296. You’re telling me their defense is only fifth in the league?

Fans in front of TVs back home were excited to see Yao Ming be the last one to enter, just like Zhang Yang, officially becoming the star of their home team.

At Tuhang Stadium, during the pre-game interviews that followed the entrance ceremony, Zhang Yang and Yao Ming received questions from reporters about this very topic.

After the interview, Yao Ming remarked, "It’s been over five years, and though I don’t care about being the last to enter, I’m still very excited at this moment; I’ll remember it for the rest of my life."

Zhang Yang had just heard the reporter mention it was Yao Ming’s first time being the last to enter, and was quite surprised.

But when he thought about it, it was indeed true.

In his first and second years, Yao Ming was only the third option. He was not only not the last to play but not even the first. Francis and Mobley were the top dogs.

In 2004, following the breakup of the O’Neal-Kobe duo, the Jewish guy saw a business opportunity and went all-in to bring in McGrady.

McGrady hadn’t even arrived in Houston when he stated in an interview in Orlando that he was going to the Rockets to be the boss.

At that time, Zhang Yang had just finished his sophomore year and was in summer training. When he saw the news of McGrady being interviewed, he felt puzzled—was McGrady’s emotional intelligence really that stimulating?

But considering the chips the Rockets had put on the table...

Francis, a three-time All-Star, had been selected for the All-Star game before Yao Ming even entered the NBA and was traded at 27, the peak of his career.

Mobley, the third in command with a top player’s style, had an average of 21 points per game in the 01-02 season while playing a dual-guard strategy with the Rockets.

Add in Cato, and there were three starters as chips, even taking on Juwan Howard’s terrible contract.

Juwan Howard’s stats from the 03-04 season looked decent but on the court, every 100 possessions, the Magic would lose by 12 points. The Magic could grab the 04 draft’s top pick thanks to him, and at the time, he had four years and $24 million left on his contract. His salary was higher than those of quality blue-collar big men who could sign new contracts that summer, like Kurt Thomas, Zaza Pachulia, and Joe Smith, earning him the media label of "untradeable player."

Anyone who got traded this way would feel like they were floating.

Having just won the scoring title back-to-back, McGrady was brimming with confidence. After the trade, his confidence turned into arrogance, perhaps even haughtiness, which was very normal.

Not to mention McGrady, even a player as mild-mannered as Pau Gasol would’ve probably felt elated in a similar situation.

If the Lakers had traded Odom and Bynum for Gasol, his first words to Kobe might have been, "Hey, little bro, your sister-in-law is here."

In that case, Popovich wouldn’t care about the Lakers getting Gasol; he was hopping mad because the Lakers got Gasol for just the backup center, Kwame Brown, and the rights to sign Pau Gasol’s younger brother, who hadn’t even made it to the NBA yet, so this trade had no impact on the Lakers’ strength.

If the Rockets had acquired McGrady by only giving up the forward Morris Taylor, Popovich would’ve been cursing in the streets too.

McGrady hadn’t even reported to the team when he loudly declared himself the boss; Yao Ming... silently accepted the status of the team’s new second-in-command.

In his past life, separated by the Pacific Ocean, and still young at the time, Zhang Yang didn’t feel there was anything wrong.

In this life, during that time when he was in high school right in Uncle Sam’s land, he saw Yao Ming not fighting for it and went on a rant.

In the 03-04 season, the second-year Yao Ming was already selected for the third team; his performance as a center was only surpassed by O’Neal and Duncan, but comparable to Ben Wallace, each with their strengths and weaknesses.

With Francis traded, Yao Ming, as one of the four best centers in the league, fully had the ability and the right to be the boss, but he made no move to even compete with McGrady for it... it was simply in his nature.

Listening to Yao Ming’s sentiments, Zhang Yang teased, "If you stayed with the Rockets, you’d probably never see this day, being the second-in-command until you retire."

Yao Ming: 丨눈‸눈丨

Yangyang on the court was not cute at all.

He understood exactly what Zhang Yang was mocking.

During his years with the Rockets, he hadn’t just refrained from fighting for the top spot or being the last to enter; he didn’t compete with McGrady for tactical status or the right to shoot either.

Of course, considering his stamina, whether he competed for these things wasn’t that important, but sometimes it was necessary to make a statement.

Moreover, when McGrady was injured, he didn’t take on the role of "temporary boss" either; he still chose to be the first to enter, giving McGrady all the respect he deserved.

But his humility and respect seemed to have been mistaken for ’weakness’ by others.

When he left the Rockets, McGrady’s words to the media hurt him—"I’m the best player in the world, and not getting past the first round is solely because I’ve never had good teammates."

If that had only been said because McGrady was upset about Yao Ming wanting to leave after requesting a trade, Yao Ming wouldn’t have minded, but McGrady had said something similar in 05 after the Rockets, leading the Mavericks 2-0, suffered a reversal...

Everything requires a comparison.

After joining the Chicago Bulls, Yao Ming continued to be modest, taking a low-key and steady approach. The leading role was still Deng’s; Yao Ming accepted the position of second-in-command and was the first to enter.

It turned out that it wasn’t modesty and low-profile that were wrong but a few particular individuals.

In the eyes of the young talents at the Bulls, Yao Ming was powerful yet humble, discreet in his actions... simply a divine teammate.

McGrady’s attitude toward Yao Ming: You don’t even know how to set picks?

Hinrich, Duhon, and Luol Deng’s attitudes towards Yao Ming: Want to go for another solo? Tired? No problem, just stand there and rest, I’ll feed you the ball...