NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 333 Early Contract Renewal

Chinese basketball fans were happy that Jia Fei led his team to victory, but at the same time, they were also somewhat disappointed.

"If only Jia Fei were a member of the Chinese men's basketball team! What a pity!"

This is a shared wish of many Chinese fans. Since Yao Ming's retirement, few Chinese players have been able to secure a place in the NBA. Currently, the only Asian players who can play in the NBA are Jia Fei and Jeremy Lin.

However, these two are of Chinese descent and cannot be considered true Chinese citizens, so they cannot represent the Chinese men's basketball team in international competitions to win glory for the country.

While in the United States, Jia Fei was unaware of how much Chinese fans online hoped he would acknowledge his ancestry; he was currently immersed in the joy of winning the championship.

Jia Fei won the championship, and the voices of doubt surrounding him have diminished considerably. Barkley, a well-known Jia Fei critic, hasn't spoken about him for a long time, the online trolls have quieted down, and the troll groups are less active. This proves that the best way to respond to trolls isn't to argue, but to show tangible results.

With fewer people criticizing, there are many more praising.

Some people who praise Jia Fei have even compared him to Kobe Bryant, or even Michael Jordan. Jia Fei himself is somewhat exasperated by this. The saying "one fan is worth ten haters" isn't entirely without merit; praising someone is fine, but at least keep it grounded and don't go overboard with the hype!

But sometimes, how can you control what others say? They're praising you, not slandering you! You don't even sue the haters, so why would you sue the people who praise you? You should know that many of your fans are your supporters. If you sue your own fans, who will want to support you in the future?

As the saying goes, "People fear becoming famous, just as pigs fear growing fat," and with fame comes trouble. Jia Fei has enjoyed the benefits of being the biggest winner of the season, but it must be said that being a celebrity also brings its own set of problems. Now he has to disguise himself when he goes out, otherwise he'll be approached by fans asking for autographs. His privacy has decreased, and he's not as free as he used to be.

But there are always trade-offs. You can't have all the advantages without paying anything in return. There's no such thing as a free lunch!

The day after the Hawks' championship parade, the 2015 NBA Draft Lottery was held at the Barrack Center (home of the Brooklyn Nets) in Brooklyn, New York. The draft will begin on June 26.

In other words, the summer moves of NBA teams have officially begun.

Of course, many teams have already been quietly scouting for rookies since they were eliminated from playoff contention, but for the Hawks, they only had a few days to prepare for the next season's moves after the Finals ended.

The biggest event for the Hawks this month is, of course, winning the championship, but there is another important event for them: they officially announced this month that they have reached a buyout agreement with former general manager Danny Ferry, who is currently on indefinite leave.

Hawks general manager Danny Ferry resigned indefinitely last June after making racist remarks about free agent Luol Deng at a meeting with team shareholders and management. His contract situation was also resolved this month.

The Hawks chose to deal with Danny Ferry this month because, as they had just won the championship, dealing with the matter at this time would minimize the impact.

Another theory is that the Hawks need to get rid of Danny Ferry as soon as possible in order to reduce negative impact, because their main task at present is to extend the contract of their core player, Jia Fei.

Jia Fei has been negotiating a contract extension with the team through his agent these past two days. He has no intention of leaving the Hawks. Although the team isn't a traditional powerhouse or a high-profile team, it's a strong and low-key one. From the coaching staff to the players, everyone is humble yet talented, which is why they weren't favored at the beginning of the season.

But is this team really strong enough to win consecutive championships or even establish a dynasty? Jia Fei thinks the possibility is extremely small. Their championship win this season was due not only to their own excellent performance but also to a lot of luck. The team had no major injuries during the regular season, and although Korver was out for the season in the playoffs, their true core players were largely unaffected. Furthermore, their main opponent, the Cavaliers in the East, had two of their Big Three unavailable, which allowed them to advance smoothly.

If the Cavaliers were fully healthy, could the Hawks beat them? Jia Fei wasn't sure. He felt that if both teams were healthy, it might be a 40/60 split, with the Hawks having 40% and their opponents 60%. Ultimately, the game comes down to star players. The Hawks only have one true superstar, while the Cavaliers have two players, "Running Man" and "O'Neal," who possess the ability to deliver one-on-one explosive performances.

Therefore, if the Hawks want to defend their title, they still need to strengthen their roster. Moreover, this strengthening shouldn't just focus on improving bench depth; the most important thing is to find a star player who can consistently deliver scoring. He doesn't need to be an all-around, unstoppable force; he just needs to be able to score when the team's plays fall flat. This way, the team's offense won't stagnate when Jia Fei double-teams them.

The Hawks had five All-Stars last season, the most of any team in the league. However, apart from Jia Fei, the other four players were selected largely because of their team's record, rather than because of their individual talent.

Jia Fei remembered the 2015-16 season in his previous life, when the Warriors achieved the best record in NBA history with 73 wins and 9 losses, while the Cavaliers had none of their Big Three injured for the season and made it all the way to the Finals.

So if the Hawks want to defend their title next season, they will have to overcome these two teams. So, can Jia Fei really do it alone?

Jia Fei is strong, but basketball is never a one-man sport. The rest of the Hawks players are very good at maintaining a minimum standard, but their maximum potential is always determined by the level of the star players.

In today's era of superteams, it's incredibly difficult for a single-star team to win a championship. This isn't the league of yesteryear anymore. Even back then, Jordan couldn't win a title without Pippen's support.

Basketball is ultimately a team sport!

While Jia Fei's championship run this season can't be strictly considered a one-man show, given the Hawks have five All-Stars, he was undoubtedly the team's core player, a fact that left a deep impression on him. When everyone was switching on defense endlessly, the only one who could truly score for the Hawks was himself.

Therefore, Jia Fei's condition for an early contract extension is that the team needs to strengthen its roster. Otherwise, he will not accept the team's early contract extension offer.

Jia Fei's decision not to renew his contract early does not mean he has requested a trade; it simply means he is not renewing his contract early, and does not mean he will not renew with the team.