NBA: LeBron James wants to team up with me

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In the final analysis, even with a combination of Wang Chong + Twilight Garnett + Young Gasol, looking across the league, the only teams that can really compete with them are the two teams of the Big Three in the East and West—Heat and Lakers—and the Celtics, Spurs, and a few other teams. Teams on the fringe of the playoffs or even at the bottom of the league can easily win as long as Wang Chong works hard and gives his best effort.

On February 12th, the Bulls traveled to Boston to face the Celtics in their final game of a nine-game road trip. In the end, they lost to the Celtics 91–95, ending their winning streak.

In this game, Wang Chong and Durant scored the same amount throughout the game. Wang Chong, who scored 42 points, slightly outperformed Durant, who scored 36 points. However, Pierce also scored 24 points for the Green Army, along with 14 points from Rondo. With 9 rebounds and 11 assists, almost a triple-double, the Bulls were ultimately defeated.

The reason for the loss was the lack of offensive power from the team. Thomas Jr. had performed exceptionally well in previous games. His various drives and points in the paint became one of Wang Chong's most effective helpers.

But in this game, Thomas faded instantly against Rondo.

Rondo, who stands at 1.85 meters, is also a flexible and smaller point guard. Although he's not slower than Thomas Jr., Rondo's body is much stronger, and his height and wingspan are even more overwhelming.

Thomas, who originally relied on his rookie-year impetuosity to play, was easily outplayed by Rondo. He only scored 8 points on 3-of-9 shooting and committed 5 turnovers.

There's no avoiding it. As a surprise player, Thomas is certainly qualified, but as the long-term core of the team, he is obviously far from it.

"This can't continue like this. Even if we can maintain enough dominance against weak teams in the regular season, it doesn't make any sense if we can't win against strong teams," Wang Chong knew very well that many of the Bulls' main competitors were teams that don't fear flexible guards like Thomas.

The Heat have Wade, the Lakers have Paul, and the Celtics have Rondo. All of these are defenders who have been selected for the All-Defensive Team throughout the year. They can easily exploit Thomas, who has almost nothing except speed and flexibility.

If they want to make a difference in the playoffs, the Bulls still need a point guard who can step up.

At that moment, Wang Chong suddenly thought of a suitable candidate.

At first, he hadn't considered him at all, but now he seemed to be really suitable for the current players of the Bulls.

In a hotel in New Orleans, Jeremy Lin, who had been anxiously awaiting a call from the Rockets, finally received one.

However, the content of the call immediately dimmed the light in his eyes.

"Sorry, Lin. Management has been discussing that your playing style doesn't fit with the Hornets' tactics, so..."

Jeremy Lin hung up the phone disappointedly but couldn't help but laugh at himself.

"The style doesn't fit with the team?" At least, the wording of the Hornets' management rejection was relatively discreet.

After being waived by the Warriors last season, Jeremy Lin successfully signed a short-term contract with the Rockets in the summer. He thought he might stay with the Rockets, but never expected that, before the start of the new season, the Rockets decided to waive him to free up salary space.

The unemployed Jeremy Lin began searching for work in the league. However, unlike his original time and space, the New York Knicks, who already had Rose, had no intention of signing a point guard. The butterfly effect resulted in Jeremy Lin being unable to sign with a team until February.

After hanging up the phone in disappointment, Jeremy Lin murmured to himself as if to convince himself.

"It can't go on like this. I really have no choice but to leave the NBA and go play abroad... The CBA in China has always wanted me to play there, and the offer they made me is not low, so I might have to go there first, find a job, and wait for the opportunity to return to the NBA."

Although he said this, Jeremy Lin also knew that once he left the NBA, it would be almost impossible to return.

To be able to play in the NBA, he had worked hard and endured so many difficulties, and he was not willing to give up no matter what.

"Ringtone... Dingle..."

At that moment, Jeremy Lin's phone rang again.

He quickly picked up the phone and looked at it, then shook his head in disappointment. He thought it was the Hornets' management calling back, but it turned out to be an unknown number.

"Hello, hello."

Jeremy Lin answered the phone and said.

However, the voice on the other end of the line made Jeremy Lin feel as though he was in a dream.

"Hello, is this Mr. Jeremy Lin? I am a member of the management staff of the Chicago Bulls. On behalf of the Chicago Bulls, I would like to invite you to Chicago for a team tryout. If the results of the tryout are satisfactory, we will consider signing a short-term contract with you."

The Chicago Bulls are inviting me?

Jeremy Lin was stunned for a moment. Who knew Wang Chong's name?

As a former Chinese-American compatriot, Jeremy Lin had always considered Wang Chong his idol ever since he started playing basketball. To put it somewhat exaggeratedly, the reason he firmly believed he could make a difference in the NBA was entirely due to Wang Chong. Wang Chong's example was a beacon.

Although Wang Chong had now returned to Chinese nationality and his identity had changed, Jeremy Lin knew very well that when Wang Chong first entered the NBA in 2003, he must have faced no less difficulty than he did.

Of course, what was even more important was why the Bulls were inviting him for a tryout.

Jeremy Lin understood very well that the Bulls were currently short on point guards, with their position already stretched thin, and they really needed to add to their point guard strength.

He immediately realized how important this opportunity was for him, as it might determine his career and future destiny!

To be honest, when Curry got injured at the beginning, Wang Chong hadn't thought about Jeremy Lin.

After all, nearly nine years had passed since the time travel, and many of Wang Chong's memories had become vague. To ensure that he didn't forget some important players and events in the NBA, he even kept a secret journal to record key information, including details on Jeremy Lin's feats.

In the 2011-2012 season, the most phenomenal event in the NBA was undoubtedly the storm caused by Jeremy Lin with the New York Knicks.

Starting on February 4th, when Jeremy Lin came off the bench to score 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists for the Knicks, Jeremy Lin ascended to the starting position at lightning speed. In his first four starting games, he averaged 27 points, 8 assists, and 2 steals per game. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week and led the Knicks to a seven-game winning streak.

It should be noted that before this, the Knicks' regular-season record was only 8 wins and 15 losses. With two major stars, Anthony and Stoudemire, their performance had been so poor that coach Mike D'Antoni nearly lost his job.

But just when D'Antoni was about to be fired, Jeremy Lin appeared out of nowhere. A wave of seven consecutive victories brought the Knicks' record back to nearly 50%, directly saving D'Antoni's coaching career.

During the time when Jeremy Lin was playing his "Lin Storm," the United States and even the world were discussing this magical kid. Based on his performance in just a few games, Jeremy Lin appeared directly in Time Magazine, highlighting his global influence.

His most classic game was before a match against the Lakers. When a journalist asked Kobe if he knew who Jeremy Lin was, Kobe arrogantly said that he had never heard of Jeremy Lin. In that game, Jeremy Lin scored 38 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists, surpassing Kobe's 34 points.

After the game, journalists approached Kobe again and asked if he now knew who Jeremy Lin was. Kobe angrily replied, "That guy scored 38 points against me."

Unfortunately, Jeremy Lin's highlights were limited to less than two months with the Knicks.

From early February to late March, on March 24th, Jeremy Lin tore his meniscus during a game and was out for the season.

In fact, after March, when Carmelo Anthony returned from injury, Jeremy Lin's performance on the court began to deteriorate. Originally, he was a point guard who needed a certain amount of ball-handling to be effective, but because he was too ostentatious, the Knicks' momentum and Anthony's dissatisfaction and jealousy led to Lin being ostracized.

Additionally, Jeremy Lin's physical condition made it difficult for him to maintain high-intensity production in the extremely competitive NBA. He also encountered a reduced schedule in the 2011-2012 season. Several factors led to his rapid fall after his meteoric rise.

By mid-February, Linsanity, which should have begun to perform brilliantly two weeks ago and caused a storm across the league, was still struggling to find work.

In this situation, here came the opportunity to shine with the Bulls.

Wang Chong isn't Anthony, and he wouldn't feel upset because Jeremy Lin had stolen the spotlight during his rise. He actually hopes that Jeremy Lin can perform as impressively as he did with the Knicks. If this happens, the Bulls will be able to compete with the Heat and Lakers in the playoffs.

Jeremy Lin, who had just received the call from the Bulls, flew from New Orleans to Chicago almost overnight. His face was a bit dusty, and his eyes were slightly red. He seemed so excited that he hadn't slept well the whole night.

When Jeremy Lin arrived at the Bulls Arena for his tryout, he was surprised to find that Wang Chong was also present. Originally, as an unknown player, he had expected to only see a few coaches and maybe an assistant.

But what shocked him was that the team's head coach, Tom Thibodeau, was there too. Usually, the assistant coach would handle the trial session, record the results, and report to the head coach, who would then make the final decision.

But this time, not only was Wang Chong there, but the head coach himself was present as well.

The situation was so big that Jeremy Lin even started to doubt his own life choices, and his heart couldn't help but race with excitement.

It was clear that Jeremy Lin was a little nervous, so Wang Chong stepped forward, placed a hand on his shoulder, and gave him a reassuring pat.

"Don't be nervous, just play your game. I've seen the tapes of your games. As long as you perform well, you'll definitely stay," Wang Chong said kindly.

"Okay, I'll do my best!" Jeremy Lin nodded vigorously, smiling at the warm look from his idol.

"This guy is surprisingly good. He moves fast with the ball, his mid-range shot is solid, and his finishing ability is also impressive. Why hasn't any team in the league been willing to sign him?"

As Jeremy Lin completed all the elements of his tryout, Thibodeau was genuinely surprised.

When Wang Chong first mentioned Jeremy Lin's name, Thibodeau hadn't taken it seriously. He didn't even know who Jeremy Lin was. After learning more about him, Thibodeau discovered that Jeremy Lin had been out of work ever since the Warriors waived him the previous season. He had no high expectations for this tryout.

However, the results of the tryout shocked Thibodeau. Jeremy Lin's skill level wasn't bad at all in comparison. He wasn't worse than the Bulls' current two guards, Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Thornton.

But the question remained: why had no team given him a chance?

"Maybe it's prejudice," Wang Chong shook his head and said.

Jeremy Lin's physical condition had never been an issue. During his draft combine, his speed was even a little faster than the top pick that year, John Wall.

It should be noted that when Wall participated in the draft, his explosive athleticism was the most praised feature of his game.

Despite this, Jeremy Lin, as an undrafted player in 2010, had even defeated John Wall in the Summer League, but this hadn't improved his external evaluation.

This could only be explained by prejudice.

Ultimately, Jeremy Lin, as a Chinese-American, was not taken seriously in the NBA. He wasn't Yao Ming, and a big man like him wasn't considered worthy of attention in a league filled with endless high-quality guards.

"Then just sign him," Thibodeau said, clearly convinced after seeing Jeremy Lin's tryout.

Wang Chong thought for a moment before responding, "Just sign him to a short one-year deal."

In Wang Chong's view, Jeremy Lin would definitely play well with the Bulls. Even if he couldn't replicate the insane breakout performances he had with the Knicks, he would still be able to fulfill a defensive role for the Bulls in the short term.

Whether Jeremy Lin would get injured for the rest of the season, like in the original timeline, didn't matter too much. His value was still going to increase.

From the beginning, Wang Chong hadn't intended to keep Jeremy Lin on the team for a long period. He would play a part-time role for half a season, which was why he gave him a one-year contract. At the end of the season, given his increased reputation, a decent contract could be seen as compensation for Jeremy Lin, who had endured a difficult period due to the butterfly effect in this timeline.

At Wang Chong's request, the Bulls' management, who had initially wanted to sign Jeremy Lin to a three- to four-year minimum salary contract because of his youth, ultimately agreed to give him a one-year, $1.05 million guaranteed contract.

The news of the Bulls signing Jeremy Lin sank into the league like a stone in water, without even a small ripple.

Everyone knew that the Bulls were in dire need of point guards and urgently needed talent additions. But what use was it to sign an undrafted player who couldn't even hit a single shot?

If Jeremy Lin's signing with the Bulls were to attract any attention, it would likely come from China, far across the ocean.

As a Chinese-American, Jeremy Lin shared the same identity as Wang Chong. However, to represent the Chinese men's basketball team, Wang Chong had chosen to give up his Chinese-American identity, return to Chinese nationality, and become a true Chinese citizen.

With Wang Chong already ahead of him, was it possible that Jeremy Lin might also return to the embrace of his homeland?

Although Jeremy Lin couldn't play off the ball in the NBA, he had received offers from both the Warriors and the Rockets, and his skill level was definitely much better than that of many national guards.

With the 2012 London Olympics just around the corner, if Jeremy Lin could join the Chinese men's basketball team before the Olympics and form the Four Great Kings of China alongside Wang Chong, Yao Ming, and Liu Wei, the Chinese team might just stand a chance against the American Dream Team in the Olympics. Whether they would win or lose—only time would tell.

End of this chapter

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