"Puppy gait?"

After changing their clothes, the two returned to the gym. After Kobe sat down, he shared his defensive skills with Xu Yong, but this skill surprised Xu Yong.

"Yeah, it's not in any textbook, but it's in Gary's head and mine," Kobe said, pointing to his head.

"Gary? Gary Payton?"

Kobe nodded.

Then, Kobe talked to Xu Yong about the details of this footwork.

The basic step in basketball defense is called the slide, which is similar to Michael Jackson's moonwalk, both of which move by keeping feet close to the ground.

The difference, of course, is that it is certainly not a single retreat.

Generally speaking, there are three types of sliding: side sliding, forward sliding and backward sliding. In fact, they are several directions of retreat when defending, combined with hip turning to maintain the defensive position and defensive center of gravity.

The puppy step that Kobe mentioned is an advanced step invented by Payton based on his own game experience and sliding steps.

It is no longer just about defending the ball handler, but also about defending without the ball.

It may be surprising to some people, but in basketball games, the number of defensive rounds a player makes against the ball in a game is much lower than the number of defensive rounds when he doesn't have the ball.

Or to put it another way, if you are not assigned to defend the opponent's star player, you may be defending without the ball for the entire game.

This is also the fundamental reason why Payton invented this footwork.

In this theory, according to Kobe, you first have to flatten your body.

In simple terms, you need to shrink your body when defending. If you stretch your body too much, it will be easy for you to collide with the opposing player and be forced to stop, which will make you lose your defensive threat.

Secondly, never take big steps, but move in small sliding and short steps.

To use Kobe's brilliant phrase, it's "like a page going through a door."

To put it simply, it means staying mobile and fast on the defensive end, like a puppy that can scurry back and forth.

For example, if you are following a defensive player and his teammate sets a pick-and-roll on his defensive route, if you follow him straight ahead and take big steps, you can easily be blocked.

Don't think you can keep up after a collision with someone, because basketball games, especially NBA-level games, are very fast, and your defender may have received the ball and shot in the next second.

If you take small, quick steps, on the other hand, you can side-step in the split second before contact and go right through the screen.

Because at this time, even if the person setting the screen sees you doing this, there is nothing he can do, because he cannot turn sideways or move, because that would be a moving screen foul.

After listening to Kobe's description and recalling some scenes when he played against Kobe, Xu Yong quickly realized that this was indeed the case.

In his impression, Kobe's defense was basically against the ball handler, and he rarely saw his defensive targets get rid of him and get easy shooting opportunities, including himself.

With the theory, the next step is training.

To train this kind of footwork, Kobe also has a systematic method, which is also the key that helped him win the All-Defensive First Team seven times.

By the time the training was over, the two energetic guys were finally exhausted and out of breath.

There was a hint of appreciation in Kobe's eyes when he looked at Xu Yong.

He has seen many players over the years, but Xu Yong is the first one who can persist through such a series of hardships.

"You know, James Harden and I were teammates in college." Xu Yong said after taking a sip of water.

Kobe nodded. He had heard the story about the Arizona State University Devils, Satan and Baal before.

"But we are still good friends, so I saw the training video and competition suggestions," Xu Yong continued.

Kobe was a little surprised at first, but then he smiled and patted Xu Yong on the shoulder.

This kid has changed. He had been hiding the fact that he was practicing the heavy central kick without telling him, but now he is so frank.

But you know what, this kind of honesty made him feel that the distance between them was shortened a lot.

“Honestly, that match advice, combined with today’s puppy steps, has greatly improved my understanding of the game,” Xu Yong said from the bottom of his heart.

It may sound unbelievable, but the fact is, for many things, you are not better than others just because you see more. These understandings require ability.

He can foresee that next season, not only will his offense and defense improve, but his reading of the game will go a step further.

This is also the reason why he was honest with Kobe, because this time, he really benefited a lot from Kobe, either indirectly or directly.

"I'm honored," Kobe said with a smile.

This answer surprised Xu Yong again.

He couldn't help but look at Kobe and raised the question that had popped up before: "I'm curious why you are willing to share these things. I mean, it should be something like an exclusive secret."

"No, I'm not always generous. It depends on the person." Kobe corrected Xu Yong.

"I will not be stingy with young people who have potential and are eager to improve, because I was once like that," Kobe continued.

Xu Yong understood immediately: "Like Gary Payton did to you?"

Kobe smiled and nodded.

He was actually not good at defense at the beginning. After an All-Star Game, he found Payton and expressed his desire to learn the opponent's defensive skills.

Payton's choice at that time was the same as his choice now, and he taught it to him without reservation.

"We are all competitive guys, and having another strong competitor will only make us stronger," Kobe continued.

At this point, Xu Yong finally understood everything.

A truly strong person won't worry about what I taught you or whether you will become stronger and replace me.

On the contrary, as Kobe said, your strength will stimulate him to become stronger.

Basketball continues to develop towards higher levels through competition.

"I understand." Xu Yong nodded. He not only understood it, but also knew the meaning behind it.

If this is a kind of inheritance, then he is part of it.

Perhaps this kind of inheritance can enable the development of basketball in this world to move in the right direction after his rebirth.

…

Xu Yong returned to Tempe after spending a week in Los Angeles.

By this time the draft had ended.

The Bulls had already given away all of their first-round and second-round draft picks in several trades last season, so they were just spectators this year.

Their highlight is the free market after the draft.

The Bulls' operations last season were fully detailed. In addition to the contracts that were sent away, the contracts of Brad Miller, Nate Robinson, Kwame Brown, Damien Wilkins, Jerome Pargo, and Richard all expired in the summer, and Bill Walker was also a team option.

Currently, there are only eight players on the team's roster who have contracts: Rose, Hinrich, Xu Yong, Deng, James Johnson, Gibson, Noah, and Aaron Gray, with a total salary of 37 million US dollars in the new season.

According to data previously released by the league, the total for the 2010-2011 season was $58 million.

Simple math means the Bulls have $21 million in salary cap space for the new season.

There is a small point of knowledge involved here. This version of the labor agreement does not yet have the so-called super maximum salary contract, so the maximum salary is the same. Players with 0-6 years of playing experience receive 25% of the salary cap, players with 7-9 years of playing experience receive 30% of the salary cap, and players with more than 10 years of playing experience receive 35% of the salary cap.

For someone like James, the starting salary for the maximum salary is 30% of 58 million, which is 17.4 million.

So now the Bulls have two options. One is to trade Hinrich (new season salary 9 million) and try to sign two maximum-salary players in one go.

Another option is to keep Hinrich and then strengthen the original lineup.

As for which option to choose, it depends on the situation of the free market this year.

Yes, it's time to give a full account of this crazy free market.

Tier 1: Kobe (player option), James (player option), Wade (player option);

Tier 2: Yao Ming, Bosh (player option), Stoudemire, Nowitzki, Pierce, Ray Allen, Joe Johnson;

Tier 3: David Lee, Boozer, Rudy Gay;

Others: McGrady, Iverson, Tyson Chandler (player option), Richard Jefferson, Scola, Al Harrington, Redick, Korver, Tony Allen, Mike Miller, Ronnie Brewer, O'Neal Jr., Big Z, O'Neal, Ben Wallace, etc.

Even Xu Yong had to shift his gaze.

Because of the Bulls' summer operations, it has a greater impact on his new season.

If you really want to sign a big name, shooting rights, running-in, and team status all require adjustment.

…

As the free market approaches, all kinds of rumors begin to fly.

Apart from the belief that Kobe will definitely stay in Los Angeles, the rumors about other free agents have made it difficult to tell whether they are true or false.

Some people say that James will go to New York. After spending seven years in a small city like Cleveland, he longs for life in a big city.

Some say Wade is trying to recruit other players to Miami and has no plans to leave the East Coast.

There were even people who said that Cuban and Nowitzki had a falling out and he no longer believed that Nowitzki could win the championship.

Along with true and false rumors, time came to July 1st, and in the anticipation of fans, the door to the craziest free market in NBA history was officially opened.

Then, fans discovered that this free market was completely different from previous years.

In previous years, the first day was always filled with signings and news, but this year it was exceptionally quiet.

Apart from James and others who announced that they had opted out of their player options as previously reported, no big-name names were signed.

Obviously, the destinations of James, Wade and others will determine the trend of the entire free market. Those teams that have worked hard to free up salary space in the past year are waiting for the decisions of the protagonists this summer.

Chicago, United Center reception room.

Foreman was receiving two guests who had come from a long journey, Dwyane Wade and his agent Henry Thomas.

"Chicago is still a comfortable place." Wade said to Foreman with a smile after sitting down.

Chicago, which is full of gangs, makes people feel more comfortable than Miami, which has beautiful scenery. Everyone can hear the hidden meaning of this statement.

That’s right, just like what Xu Yong felt when he and Wade were organizing activities during the All-Star Game, Wade had the idea of ​​returning to Chicago to play.

And he is exploring the possibility.

"Of course, this is your home," Foreman said with a smile.

Wade laughed happily after hearing this: "Before I came here, I told my mother that I was going to buy a house here. She missed the days here very much."

"Yes, I believe the fans in Chicago will be looking forward to the return of a wanderer." Foreman also replied with a smile.

The conversation between the two went smoothly, and Wade even mentioned the scene of doing activities with Xu Yong during the All-Star Game.

"We are in sync." Wade's words surprised Foreman.

At the end of the conversation, Foreman asked his assistant to take out a Bulls No. 3 jersey with Wade's name printed on the back.

Wade was very excited when he saw this and put it on immediately.

"It fits me perfectly," Wade said, posing with a smile.

Foreman gave a thumbs up there.

Their conversation lasted about an hour.

After sending Wade away with a smile, Foreman was in a good mood.

Wade took the initiative to request this meeting, and the time finally set was earlier than the time they met with Bosh.

That’s right, just as Xu Yong had expected, the Bulls’ first target this summer is Bosh.

With Xu Yong's outstanding performance in his rookie season, they plan to build the lineup around the backcourt combination of Rose and Xu Yong.

In the current lineup, the performances of Noah and Deng are in line with expectations. They want to strengthen the team, and power forward is the first target.

Bosh is their Plan A.

But Wade is so passionate that he can't turn people away.

Moreover, the main feature of the free market is that plans cannot keep up with changes. If Bosh really cannot be signed, signing Wade is not impossible.

So you will find that the communication between Foreman and Wade only stays on topics such as home and hometown. It seems that both sides are chatting happily, but it does not involve real team building.

As for the jersey, it was Foreman's way of testing Wade's interest in joining the Bulls.

Judging from Wade's reaction, Wade is serious this time.

He also unexpectedly found out that Wade actually got along well with Xu Yong.

So after this meeting, he can decide on Wade as the team's plan B.

"By the way, how is Chris doing?" Foreman asked the assistant beside him.

Judging by the time, Bosh should be in Chicago by now.

"I just called, but the phone was turned off. Maybe the plane was delayed." said the assistant.

Foreman nodded. The flight from Toronto to Chicago was an international flight, so it was normal for it to be delayed.

"I'm going to take a rest. Contact me if you have any news." Foreman said and returned to his office.

…

Wade did not leave Chicago immediately after leaving the United Center. He went to a home buying center.

He did want to buy a house in Chicago. Even if he didn't join the Bulls in the end, he needed to have property in his hometown.

He was drinking coffee and listening to the agent introducing the house when his cell phone rang.

He picked it up and saw that it was James calling.

"Dwyane, what do you think about what we talked about at the All-Star Game?" James asked directly as soon as the call was connected.