Kerr was well-known as the three-point shooter of the Bulls team back then, and his near-game-winning shot against Jordan in the finals was even more talked about.
Of course, what is more important is that he is still active in the fans' vision after his retirement. He first worked as a commentator on TNT and then transformed from a commentator to the general manager of the Suns last year.
With such high energy, the only job he hasn't done yet is coaching.
Of course Xu Yong knew that this man would become the helmsman of the Warriors dynasty in the future.
When he heard that the person was looking for Xu Yong, Harden said hello and left.
Kerr also smiled at Harden. It's certainly not that he didn't want to find Harden, but Harden's current draft stock is not something the Suns can choose.
Xu Yong didn't know why Cole was looking for him, so he led him to a meeting room next door.
"Sean highly recommended you to me before he left," Cole said after sitting down.
Xu Yong was stunned. Sean? Which Sean?
"Shawn Marion," Kerr added.
Xu Yong suddenly realized, and also recalled that when he first played against UCLA last season, Marion did say that he wanted to recommend him to the Suns management.
He thought it was just a polite remark at the time, but he didn't expect Marion to actually do it.
This person can be dealt with.
But then again, Marion was sent to the Heat on the trade deadline last season. It seems like his reaction time is a bit too long for Kerr to come looking for him now?
"We started paying attention to you last season and were ready to invite you for a tryout, but we didn't expect you to not participate in the draft in the end." Kerr continued. His words explained Xu Yong's doubts and also explained why he was here.
But the Suns are right next door, so keeping an eye on him is just a matter of two steps.
However, Xu Yong was a little surprised. If he remembered correctly, the Suns had the 15th pick last season.
He also analyzed the advantages of the Suns in the past, so if the Suns really selected him with the 15th pick last season, he would still be very happy.
But that was the most optimistic scenario, because since Cole didn't come to find him, it meant that he was not indispensable.
In reality, the Suns used the 15th pick to select Robin Lopez of the Lopez brothers.
"So if you choose to run this year, I can give you a draft commitment," Kerr continued.
Xu Yong was stunned for a moment. Is this the promise of the talent show?
This is like two people kissing each other on a blind date for the first time. Isn't it a bit too fast?
But he thought again, the Suns became a team on the edge of the playoffs after sending Marion away in exchange for O'Neal, and this draft promise is almost in the middle of the first round.
His final ranking in last season's draft projection was 20th, but he was no longer ranked after he did not declare his candidacy.
Although he is a year older this season, he has shown offensive skills, and this year is a weak draft year, so there is actually no problem with the promise of this draft.
If the girl on the blind date sees a handsome guy, she will definitely want to be kissed.
Xu Yong expressed his happiness at what Cole said.
Going to the Sun is a good thing, and it doesn't say that he will definitely go to the Sun.
With a mid-first-round draft pick committed as a backup, he will definitely be eligible to run after his sophomore year.
Moreover, he had a clairvoyant eye and knew that the Suns would win the lottery championship in the new season and got the 14th pick.
Don’t mistake dried shrimps for seafood, the last digit in the lottery is also a lottery!
"It would be great for me if I could go to the Suns," Xu Yong said with a smile.
This is a polite remark, but it is indeed the truth.
As the saying goes, less work, more money and closer to home. He played in Phoenix in college and has already gained quite a bit of popularity there. If he is really selected by the Suns, then it would be like a TP on the spot and a glorious return to his hometown.
…
Two months passed in a blink of an eye, and the curtain fell on the Devils' invitational tournament for the new season.
This year they played fewer invitational tournaments than last year, a total of 14 games, and the final record was 11 wins and 3 losses.
It’s about the same as last year’s result, or maybe even slightly worse.
But this is the deceptiveness of data. In fact, because of their opponents, the value of their invitational tournament this season is even better than the regular season that follows.
Because they have already played against four of the top eight teams in the survey, including Duke University, the favorite to win the championship.
Although we lost the game in the end, the value and significance of the game was greater than the 16 games we played last season.
Moreover, after playing these invitational tournaments, the Devils team was able to get used to each other very quickly.
This is thanks to the childhood friendship between Harden and DeRozan, and also to the natural understanding between Xu Yong and DeRozan.
All in all, DeRozan joining the Devils is like a three-pronged plug finding multiple sockets. Not only does it fit, but it can be used in more than one way.
This can also be reflected in the data.
After 14 games, Harden averaged 19.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists, Xu Yong averaged 17.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 blocks, DeRozan averaged 12.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists, and Ayers averaged 8.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.
Just two months after the invitational tournament, the Devils faced their regular season opener against UCLA.
UCLA played a lot of invitational tournaments this year, 17 in total, against a variety of opponents, and ended up with a record of 13 wins and 4 losses.
Moreover, the result of having too many new players is that the game content cannot be supported. Among the five new players, including Holiday, none of them averaged double digit points per game.
Now the team's offensive core has become Darren Collison and Josh Shipp.
To use an appropriate metaphor, this season's UCLA is the United States before Xu Yong's rebirth. It still appears to be number one in the Pac10 league, but in fact it is extremely weak.
On the other hand, the Devils are thriving and are the most anticipated team in the Pac10 league this season.
This opening game also attracted a large number of Phoenix fans to watch the game, not only because of the good record, but also because the Devils team is now nicknamed the City of Alley-Oops.
We are both watching a football game, who doesn’t like to watch something exciting?
And there is another feature of the Devils' home games this season, that is, the DJs on the scene have also started to perform.
This can be traced back to the story that Harden gave nicknames to all the players of the Devils Team, "Satan" Xu Yong, "Bal" Harden, "Azazel" Ayers...
Even DeRozan, who joined the team this season, was nicknamed "Lucifer".
"Lucifer" represents the morning star in mythology, which is the brightest star in the sky before dawn except for the moon. This can actually be understood as the meaning of "new star".
Then when the players of the Devil's team came out, the host added this nickname in addition to their jersey numbers and heights, which also caused the fans to cheer continuously.
Amid the cheers, the Devils played at home against the UCLA Bruins.
After the game started, the Devils quickly took the lead and kept the Bruins under control throughout the game, not giving the opponent any chance.
The game ended with a score of 83 to 67, and the Devils easily won the opening game.
According to statistics, Xu Yong had 21 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, DeRozan had 17 points and 4 rebounds, Ayers had 13 points and 11 rebounds, Harden had 11 points and 10 assists, and Cooks had 9 points and 3 steals.
Except for Harden being defended by Holiday and scoring less points, the Devils played like a flood of mercury and blossomed in all aspects.
Before the game: UCLA is the king of the Pac10 League. A lean camel is bigger than a horse, so we must be prepared.
After the game: I suddenly woke up from my dream and found that I was the strong one!
Cricket UCLA, nothing to worry about!