"You say that! If I don't contact you, you can contact me!"
"Stop with the nonsense! You've hit the big time! So what? Are you here to flaunt your wealth?"
"You, with that honest and upright face, how can your mind be so dark? Can't I be here to help you?"
"Help me with what? Help me find a job?"
"Hey! You guessed right! So, are you interested in coming to Boston and teaming up with me to go for the championship next season?"
"Are you kidding me? You're really inviting me to join the Celtics?"
"How could this be fake? Of course it's real."
"Hmm... I need to think about it."
"Hmm? What do you mean? Do you have better options?"
"Just before you called, Da Ba also contacted me. He said he could help me get a tryout with the Spurs..."
"Ho ho! Da Ba's move is brilliant! But, I didn't coordinate with him. I just found out you were still lingering in the free agent market, so I tried to ask if you were interested in Boston. San Antonio is also good, and as long as Tim returns healthy next season, they'll still be strong contenders for the championship! The decision of which team to join is yours to make! In any case, the Celtics will wait for you for a week."
"Ok! Thanks..."
Being invited by two championship-caliber teams simultaneously made Van Exel feel a little overwhelmed.
But after careful analysis, he realized that the source of these opportunities was the "good karma" he had cultivated during his time with the Nuggets.
Van Exel believed that Da Ba was sincerely inviting him. With Da Ba's recommendation and his remaining skills, joining the Spurs shouldn't be a problem.
However, deep down, Van Exel still had a longing for the Celtics.
Even though more than half of Van Exel's career had been spent in He Xi Meng's shadow,
From the Lakers to the Nuggets, He Xi Meng had been like his nemesis, haunting him.
Yet, Van Exel still wanted to team up with He Xi Meng again at the twilight of his career. It wasn't just about chasing a championship ring.
If it were solely about championships, the Spurs were no worse than the Celtics.
Looking at last season's NBA Finals, the Spurs' overall strength was actually superior to the Celtics'.
If Duncan hadn't been injured in Game 5, the championship last year would likely have gone to the Spurs.
Therefore, if it were truly about winning a championship, Van Exel choosing the Spurs would have been the optimal decision.
But in the end, Van Exel politely declined Da Ba's kind offer and chose to accept He Xi Meng's invitation to join the Celtics!
Perhaps it was a subconscious masochistic tendency within Van Exel, or perhaps Van Exel wanted to return to He Xi Meng's side to explore the reasons behind his repeated defeats over the years.
In any case, with Van Exel's arrival, the Celtics' 15-man roster was now complete.
He Xi Meng could finally begin his well-deserved vacation.
In the summer of 2005, He Xi Meng first accompanied Kayla to Hawaii to soak up the sun, then went on a promotional tour in China with Nike. He also spent a month in Zhuji with his mother and met some old friends.
During this time, national team teammate Du Feng invited He Xi Meng to visit Guangdong, mentioning he wanted to introduce a potential rising star to He Xi Meng, but He Xi Meng declined.
However, Du Feng, undeterred, brought the young star directly to Zhuji to request an audience.
"The youngest Finals MVP in CBA history: Yi Jian Lian!"
"A Lian, quickly greet Brother Xi Meng!"
"Hello, Brother Xi Meng!"
A Lian, with a youthful face, quickly bowed and greeted He Xi Meng.
"No, no, don't be so formal! Oh, it's A Lian! Come in quickly!"
"You know A Lian?" This time, it was Du Feng's turn to be confused.
"Know him? I watched the CBA Finals today, that young man played exceptionally well!"
"Sigh, if I had known, I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble!" Du Feng lamented.
"You didn't tell me directly either! You brought it upon yourself!"
"Yes, yes! I was overthinking it. Since you've seen A Lian's games, I don't need to introduce him. Tell me, does A Lian have a chance to play in the NBA?"
"Of course he does! As long as A Lian is ready, he can come find me anytime! I'll help him arrange an agent and all that. That's not a problem!"
"That's great! What did I say?" Du Feng clenched his fist fiercely. He had taken good care of his young teammate from the Guangdong team.
Since he knew he would never play in the NBA, he hoped that his juniors would have the chance to represent him in that league across the ocean and showcase the spirit of Guangdong basketball.
"However..." He Xi Meng added, "A Lian, how is your English?"
Yi Jian Lian scratched his head sheepishly, "Very poor! I basically don't know any."
"That won't do!" He Xi Meng said earnestly, "You need to urgently improve your English listening and speaking skills! You're going to live and work in the NBA in the future; how can your English be poor?"
A Lian's NBA journey was far from Yao Ming's, and while skill was one reason, his introverted personality and poor English also hampered his development.
At least in terms of English communication, Yao Ming was definitely the strongest among Chinese players, aside from He Xi Meng.
However, now Da Zhi and Lao Hu were also making rapid progress under He Xi Meng's persuasion and incentives.
Da Ba's English was still rather poor, but because Da Ba was an older player, he had a more resilient mindset.
You say what you say, I play how I understand it. If I play wrong, you scold me. If I play right, you praise me. Nothing more to be said.
A Lian, as a younger player, certainly didn't have Da Ba's mature mindset and couldn't endure that kind of isolation, so learning English was essential.
"How about this! I'll arrange for a teacher, one who previously taught Da Zhi and Lao Hu. He has extensive experience in basketball English, making him much more efficient than an ordinary English teacher!"
"That's wonderful!" Du Feng exclaimed, "How much will it cost, just tell us, we can afford it!"
"No need!" He Xi Meng waved his hand, "He will become one of A Lian's agents in the future. The better A Lian performs in the NBA, the more rewards he will receive! Therefore, he will do his utmost to help A Lian overcome the language barrier. At the same time, he is also experienced in external publicity and can help A Lian connect with endorsement opportunities..."
"That capable? Who are you talking about?"
"Cui Pang Zi! You know him."
...