Twenty-Three: 1 Hardworking G League Player

Link didn't know how Yao Ming was feeling when he flew to Houston for the first time, but he was only nervous.

As soon as he got off the plane, Link found a large number of fans gathered outside the airport. They all held up "Welcome to Houston" placards and cheered for Link.

However, Link also found that almost all the fans who came to greet him were yellow-skinned fans. There may be Chinese among them, and there may be Chinese. But it is clear that the local fans in the United States are not very interested in Link.

After all, Yao Ming was the No. 1 pick, and he was just an undrafted pick.

Link is not a big star, so he waved kindly to the fans. He wanted to sign autographs for a few young fans, but was dragged into the car by Carl Jones.

"Welcome to Houston, man. I'm Anthony Oaks, the Houston Rockets' post-offense coach. I'm here to welcome you today on behalf of the Rockets."

As soon as he got into the commercial car, a black man shook hands with Link.

"We have a lot of things to do today, Link. First, you have to attend a press conference. Then, you have to go to a fan club event, and tonight..."

"Wait..." Before Anthony Oaks could finish speaking, Link interrupted him.

Link knew it was rude, but he couldn't help it.

"In that case, when will I go to the training hall? As far as I know, the Rockets have a game tomorrow, December 6th. I'm here to play the game, right? But if I don't practice with the team, I How to play the game?"

Hearing Link's questioning, Anthony Oaks glanced at Karl Jones, and Jones immediately came out to round up the court.

"Don't worry, Link. We'll finish the process and you'll always have time to show. Today is the second day of our 10-day contract, and you still have a lot of opportunities to show yourself. Take it easy, man."

Seeing what Jones said, Link had to give up and nodded lightly.

So Link spent the next day smirking. It's not that he doesn't like the fans who support him, it's just that he has doubts about the purpose of his coming to Houston.

The never-ending business activity bores Link. He wants to get down to business and stay in the NBA, not be someone else's money maker.

Link knows that when your popularity is over, who will need you? At that time, he will definitely be kicked away. Then, the capitalists will find the next "inspirational Chinese" to continue to hype.

After being "tortured" for a day, Link was not happy, although he also earned tens of thousands of dollars. He signed a contract with an NBA team, not for the mere tens of thousands of dollars. He believes that Upshaw also doesn't want to go to the NBA just to make some bucks.

Upshaw pinned his fantasies and yearnings for the NBA on Link.

Thinking about it, Link, who was lying on the bed, slowly closed his eyes. Tomorrow, the Houston Rockets will play the Detroit Pistons at home. He doesn't know if he has a chance to play, but if he can play, Link's first team will seize their "life-saving straw".

※※※

On December 6, 2010, the NBA regular season continued. Today's focus of the battle is the Thunder against the Bulls. The showdown between Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose, two young talents, is extremely exciting.

But the matchup between the Houston Rockets and the Detroit Pistons was just as compelling.

Indeed, today's Pistons and Rockets are no longer a league powerhouse. The Rockets have been struggling on the fringes of the playoffs, while the Pistons simply fell out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference early.

But even so, for two reasons, the race at the Toyota Center is still hard to get a ticket.

The first reason is that after joining the Pistons, Tracy McGrady will return to the Toyota Center. Although it was not very pleasant with the Rockets at the beginning, McGrady always dedicated his peak to Houston.

The magical performance of 35 seconds and 13 minutes has been talked about by fans until now. The theme of a former hero returning to his former home is always very appealing.

The second reason why this game has attracted much attention is that after Yao Ming is renewed, another Chinese player will likely play on behalf of the Rockets. Although Link is Chinese American, he is 100% Chinese. Therefore, he still received attention beyond his strength.

But for Rockets coach Rick Adelman, this is just an ordinary regular season. He just wants to win. The Pistons are not a strong team, and the Rockets, who are on the edge of the playoffs, need to win all the games they should have won and strive for every victory.

Therefore, he came to the training hall of the Toyota Center early this morning, and he had to prepare for today's game.

As soon as Adelman approached the training hall, he heard the dribble sound of "bang bang" coming from the gate of the training hall.

At first, Adelman did not care too much. He knew that the Rockets staff would sometimes throw a few shots when no one was there. But when Adelman pushed open the door of the training hall, he was stunned.

"Who are you?" Adelman looked at the No. 5 who was wearing the Rockets training uniform in front of him, with a confused look on his face. But just after this question was asked, Adelman regretted it.

Because he suddenly remembered the identity of the guy in front of him. Isn't this the G-League player that Daryl Morey recently signed.

"My name is Tom Lin, and everyone calls me Link. Good morning, Mr. Rick Adelman!"

Seeing the head coach who is so familiar to the Chinese fans standing in front of him, Link is no longer so nervous. Over the past few days, he has been through too many similar things.

"Uh... Did you come to practice so early?" Adelman smiled awkwardly.

"Yes, I know that I have to work harder to keep up with everyone's pace. So, I can only use the time in the morning." Link scratched his head, although what happened recently is very fucking, but Link can Never relax your training and demands on yourself.

After this period of hard work, the white bars in front of Link's eyes were nearly half filled. It won't take long for him to successfully level up.

In competitive sports, strength is hard currency. Therefore, in order to upgrade himself as soon as possible, Link did not dare to relax the spur on himself for a moment.

"Well, you're working hard, boy, keep it up."

After that, Adelman walked back to his office without further comment.

From 1983 as an assistant coach of the Blazers to the present, Adelman has been in the NBA for decades. He knows very well that sometimes, hard work doesn't really work.

What kind of resume does Link have before? A triple-double in front of Luke Babbitt and a double-double in front of Lance Stephenson. Such an achievement is simply insignificant in the eyes of the NBA.

Adelman sighed, a pity for that hot heart. The coach is very clear that Morey signed Link just to attract attention. Tickets for this game were sold out today, and Morey can be said to have achieved his goal.

In fact, in Adelman's system, there is no position for Link at all. Signing Link is not what Adelman meant, it was just a decision made by Morey with the thinking of a businessman. Link is just a cash cow, that's all. If it wasn't for the fact that Link's manager was also a rookie and greedy for money, how could that Chinese come to Houston.

Shaking his head, Adelman did not think too much about the undrafted. Right now, his most important job is to play well against the Pistons.

As for players like Link... 10 days later, who will remember?

※※※

Luis Scola performed brilliantly today, and he was once one of Link's favorite inside players. Argentines are of average physical fitness and average athletic ability. But with a soft touch and beautiful basket footsteps, Scola was also a low-post killer at his peak.

This season, without Yao Ming, Scola's scoring average rose to 18.3 points per game, and he has become one of the most important points for the Rockets.

Today, Scola's performance stunned Link. Too short Pistons power forward Jason. Mark Hill is not Scola's opponent at all. The Argentine, like a god, scored a game-high 35 points.

Under Scola's excellent performance, the game entered garbage time early. As a result, the Pistons trailed by 18 points with 1 minute and 48 seconds left before the end of the game.

In this era when the three-point shot has not yet become popular, it is basically impossible to chase 18 points in 1 minute and 48 seconds. Although the Pistons have Tracy McGrady, he can't perform a magical performance of 35 seconds and 13 minutes every game.

"Congratulations, Rick, the game has entered garbage time, and we won this game."

On the bench, the assistant coach of the Rockets has begun to hug Adelman and celebrate the victory. For the Rockets this season, every win is a joy.

Now, Adelman has one last job left, which is to send garbage time to the lineup.

He originally wanted to replace Jared Jeffries, but after seeing the hot-eyed Link at the end of the bench, coach Adelman suddenly changed his mind.

Link's scorching eyes and hard-working figure made Adelman unforgettable. Indeed, Morey may have signed him for hype, but that was not the intention of the Chinese-American player. To put it more exaggeratedly, although he made some quick money, he was also a victim of being kept in the dark.

No matter how strong this guy is, he deserves a chance. So, Adelman shouted and waved to Link.

Everyone was shocked. This afternoon, Link was training separately from the team, which meant that Link had never practiced with the team for even a minute!

And now, Adelman actually wants to let Link play!

Link also didn't expect to play in the first game he came to the Rockets, so when Adelman called him, he was stunned.

But soon, Link took off his disposable training suit and ran to Adelman.

"Remember, don't lose this enthusiasm." Adelman finished, pushing Link onto the court.

The old coach shook his head, maybe because of Yao Ming's relationship, he was very fond of players who were yellow-skinned and willing to work hard...