The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 450 - 230 【Death Entanglement】_2

"Da Yao," after listening to Yao Ming’s words, Hansen switched to a more intimate form of address,

"That would be good for me, but not necessarily for the national men’s basketball team."

Hansen’s words left Yao Ming somewhat confused.

"I can play in the Asia Championships, the Olympics, that’s not a problem, but the issue is that it won’t change the fact that the men’s basketball team is declining."

Yao had made a good impression on him before, and the national team’s issues had indeed reached a point where they had to be solved, so he spoke frankly.

When did the men’s national basketball team give people the most hope after Yao Ming’s retirement?

That’s right, it was the 2015 Changsha Asia Championships that Yao just mentioned.

In the Changsha Asia Championships, the men’s basketball team, with the performances of young players like Guo Ailun, Zhou Qi, and Ding Yanyuhang, managed to reverse Korea’s stance, and after a breathtaking game, they ultimately reclaimed the championship. This victory turned that batch of players into the new hope for the men’s basketball team.

The reason that situation arose was the rebirth of the men’s basketball team after losing the 2013 Asia Championships.

Gong Luming, a name not very well-known among basketball fans but a man who had saved the national men’s basketball team several times, came out of retirement. He virtually kicked out all the old players from the national team and then took the young players to pick up the "Three From One Big" training again.

Without destruction there can be no construction. If he now announces his participation in the 2015 Asia Championships, it’s foreseeable that Gong Luming’s comeback and all subsequent actions would never happen.

Of course, that’s only the most direct impact. More importantly, with him as a safety net, just like when Yao was there, the CBA people would not be proactive.

Did Zhu Fangyu, who had a chance to play in the NBA, strive for it?

After all, with Yao, Asia couldn’t be lost, and international competitions were basically unwinnable. Why bother? Why not enjoy a life with more money, less trouble, and proximity to home, with smoking and drinking? Isn’t that fragrant?

"A single person, no matter how strong, can’t save the men’s basketball team because the national team is basically composed of CBA players. If the CBA isn’t good, the men’s national basketball team won’t succeed," Hansen pointed out the most fundamental problem.

The American Dream Team is strong because the NBA is strong; the rise of Spain also came after the rise of the Spanish league.

A national team of twelve people, the limit of one person is merely to lead the team into the Olympics.

Another more typical example is the Germany Team. In the 2008 Olympics, they even split the spoils with the men’s basketball team, but then, with the development of their domestic league and a surge of talent, they ultimately became world champions.

"That kind of change doesn’t happen overnight." Yao Ming, now an owner in the CBA, knew that the CBA needed reform, but that didn’t conflict with Hansen representing the national team.

"No, it’s impossible to change," Hansen, a transmigrator who knew the "history," naturally knew that Yao’s reforms ultimately failed.

"If you want to change the CBA, the best way is to learn from Spain, gradually opening up until foreign assistance is completely unrestricted in the end. What we need are twelve people who can play for the country, not a bunch of people who are just muddling along."

Hansen’s words were stark, stark to the point that Yao didn’t know how to respond, because it was an impossible thing.

Not only would that infringe upon many people’s benefits, but it would also bring about huge growing pains.

"Of course, I know that’s not completely possible, so I have another method."

Hansen then shared his idea: the fund plan.

Simply put, it was about selecting some potential young players from within the country and sending them overseas, mainly to high schools and the NCAA in the United States at this stage, to allow them to grow in a higher level of basketball.

The ultimate goal of the plan was to cultivate some players who could represent the national team outside of the CBA.

A wolf only retains its nature when among wolves; if it stays with dogs for too long, even if it is the Wolf King, it slowly becomes like a dog.

Actually, even now, some young players from East University play basketball in the United States, but their appearance there isn’t because of outstanding talent; it’s because their families have the financial resources to support such moves.

That’s the significance of the fund plan, to give those with talent but without resources the opportunity.

In fact, those individuals might be more likely to succeed since they understand how hard-won such opportunities are.

As for the fund’s money, Hansen would have Under Armour contribute a portion, and in return, Under Armour would enter the CBA market. The remaining part would be resolved by the Basketball Association.

Of course, there will be many detailed issues in the process, such as the ownership of the young players. If they come from youth training and don’t have a place in the NBA, their rights should belong to their CBA mother teams upon returning. This would ensure support from their CBA teams.

Another issue would be the training camps Hansen would hold every year. Those in the country with talent wanting to go to the United States for specialized training but lacking financial ability could join his training camps, and he would have Under Armour arrange some professional NBA trainers.

CBA’s foreign player restrictions needed to be gradually lifted, and to what extent, this required Yao Ming to work hard and so on.

As for why the Basketball Association would cooperate with this plan?

Because these were the conditions under which Hansen would represent the national team in future competitions.

He didn’t want to be both the father and the mother on the international court, having to do everything, akin to East University hosting the football World Cup and then being humiliated on their home court.

He wanted a group of teammates who could fight side by side, people who would battle together.

After learning about Hansen’s fund plan, even Yao Ming, who had experienced and thought a lot, was greatly shocked.

On one hand, he didn’t expect Hansen to come up with such a viable plan;

On the other hand, he didn’t think Hansen had thought so much.

He originally thought Hansen had little interest in the men’s basketball team because he had repeatedly refused to play for the national team.

But from this plan, it was probably hard to find a second person who was more committed than Hansen.

"I will do my best to promote this plan," Yao also made a promise to Hansen.

After Yao left, Hansen then opened up the Anti-Fans System.

Whether Yao could really push the plan forward, Hansen didn’t know; what he knew now was that his anti-fan points had reached 1.3 million.

The fans of East University were simply too numerous, especially these two years with his massive success in the NBA; his fan base had already surpassed Yao’s at his peak.

Even if only a portion of people criticized him for the national team’s loss, the anti-fan points they provided were quite substantial.

However, he needed a little more time to exchange for the First Gear defensive talent he wanted, so he wasn’t in a rush.

He started another season of summer training camps in early August.

Curry, Harden, Westbrook, Irving, Conningham—these familiar faces arrived as expected, and among them, Westbrook also brought Anthony along.

"I’m planning to join UA now," Curry delivered a bombshell to Hansen before the training camp.

Because Nike’s offer was too low and they refused to increase it, he finally chose to drop Nike and switch to UA.

Hansen knew about Curry’s relationship with UA but wasn’t sure if Curry would continue to sign after he signed with UA, as in "history," Curry choosing UA was largely to have signature sneakers with a smaller brand.

But clearly, the current UA was very different from the one in history.

Hansen leading his team to two consecutive championships rapidly enhanced UA’s brand influence.

Plus, with the East Market as a support, UA’s global basketball shoe sales had already exceeded Nike’s, not to mention AJ and Adidas.

The atmosphere at this training camp was also very lively; Curry, Harden, Westbrook were all very motivated because the next season was when they had to prove themselves.

Irving, though, seemed a bit melancholic among the group.

But that wasn’t surprising; although he entered the league two years later than others, his team always ended up at the bottom each year, and because the league compensated the Knight, outsiders said it was all about "aiming for the No.1 pick," which would make anyone melancholic.

Irving actually had strong skills, including improvements in his passing since his rookie season, but his physical talent and technical features destined him to be a second-in-command; leading a team to great achievements on his own would be difficult.

Similar examples include Devin Booker—Booker was considered the next generation of local US scoring guards after Kobe, but when leading a team on his own, he had even more exaggerated results than Irving, finishing last or second to last as an anomaly.

"Just keep working hard to improve, and the situation might change someday in the future," Hansen could only console Irving this way.

Right now, it wasn’t popular to switch teams if one was unsatisfied with the play, and since the formation of the Heat’s Three Giants hadn’t succeeded, that kind of situation might not even occur.

After training for a week, Hansen’s anti-fan points finally increased to the 1.7 million he needed.

He then immediately exchanged it for the First Gear defensive talent.

[Death Entanglement]: Significantly improves foot movement speed, body reaction speed, defensive awareness, and upper body strength talent.