NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 354 The Team's Number One Core Player

The Clippers currently have the following players under contract: Jia Fei, Art Mayork, Tobias Harris, DeAndre Jordan, Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Boban Marjanovic, Montrezl Harrell, Dekker, JJ Redick, Bryce Johnson, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Wesley Johnson, Marreese Speights, and Felton.

After Jia Fei signed, the Clippers re-signed wing player Luke Richard Mbah a Moute, signed the fourth overall pick of the year, Wesley Johnson, to a one-year minimum contract, signed former Warriors player Marreese Speights to a one-year, $1.4 million contract, and on July 15, acquired veteran Felton to a one-year, $155 million contract.

With this, the Clippers' 15-man roster is complete. If they want to strengthen their team, they can only do so by trading or cutting some players.

The 15-man roster has the following structure.

Frontcourt: DeAndre Jordan, Art Mayork, Marreese Speights, Bryce Johnson, Boban Marjanovic, Montrezl Harrell

Wings: Jia Fei, Tobias Harris, Dekker, Luke Richard Mbah a Moute, Wesley Johnson

Guards: Beverley, Lou Williams, Felton, JJ Redick

This roster lacks star power. Aside from Jia Fei, you can't even find a true superstar. Of course, DeAndre Jordan is an All-Star and a First Team All-Star, but in today's league, centers like him have too many limitations and are too easily targeted.

This lineup's offense does rely heavily on Jia Fei, but its defensive ceiling is very high. The lineup boasts excellent athleticism and young players.

Clearly, this is just the first step in the Clippers' team building process. They now hold a large number of draft picks and are already targeting the mid-season market and next year's offseason. At that time, if any star player or key piece of the puzzle wants to leave, they can use their assets to make trades.

With 24-year-old MVP-caliber superstar Jia Fei, the team doesn't need to rush to achieve immediate results.

Jia Fei did not urge the team to strengthen its roster immediately. One must take things one step at a time. Other teams have already completed their roster improvements, and there are no big names left in the free agent market. If they try to make a trade now, they will only get ripped off and won't get much out of it.

Jia Fei already has a championship, so he's not in a hurry. He does like championships, but he needs to understand that simply accumulating star players isn't realistic if you want to win one. Player compatibility, team culture, and other aspects are all very important.

As the team's nominal and de facto core player, leader, and boss, he needs to lead by example and establish a healthy team culture. For example, he must not be late or leave early for training, and he must train diligently and assiduously. He must respect opponents, respect the game, and strive for victory. And so on.

The Clippers' current head coach is Doc Rivers, known as the "motivational speaker," and the coaching staff includes Mike Woodson, Sam Cassell, Rex Karamian, and Brandon O'Connor.

The Clippers' coaching staff has been jokingly referred to by fans as the "ugliest coaching staff in the league." Head coach Doc Rivers is a different story; he looks more like a gangster than a coach. Sam Cassell was known as "The Alien" when he played; do you think he was good-looking? The other coaches' appearances are, to put it mildly, questionable.

Fortunately, the arrival of Jia Fei, a star player who is both handsome and skilled, has somewhat salvaged the team's overall appearance.

Jia Fei has settled down in Los Angeles and become the Clippers' undisputed leader. He feels everything is going well and he's satisfied. The team's roster doesn't look strong on paper, but it's definitely not that bad. Harris has never been an All-Star, but he's humble and his skills are still considerable; the team is young and has enough offensive firepower. Coach Li's tactics are a bit lacking, but he has a knack for developing young players.

Jia Fei is very confident about next season. So what if they're not in the top tier of championship contenders? The results will be proven in the games. The season hasn't started yet, so no one can say for sure that they're going to fail.

One day in late July, Jia Fei was on vacation with a few close friends at Laguna Beach in Los Angeles.

Beach, beautiful women, bikinis… Even Jia Fei couldn't help but glance at the bikini-clad beauties running on the beach. You know what, being single for so long makes even an ordinary-looking girl seem attractive.

"Shouldn't you two find girlfriends?" Kemba Walker, shirtless, had his girlfriend in a bikini applying sunscreen to him.

"Stop talking nonsense. Once we make a name for ourselves here, girlfriends will come rushing over to us!" Jia Fei joked with a laugh.

"Jacques, I really didn't expect you to choose the Clippers. You really surprised me; you would have had a better chance of winning a championship if you had gone to the Warriors!" Kemba Walker laughed.

Art Mayork couldn't help but retort, "You call yourself our big brother? Do you really think Ja would go to the Warriors? Do you think everyone is KD?"

Jia Fei laughed and said, "Artest knows me best. I won't join the Warriors, nor will I join the Cavaliers. Even the possibility of re-signing is greater than joining either of those teams. The Hawks respect me so much, yet they're unwilling to strengthen their roster. It's only a matter of time before I leave. They're satisfied with winning a championship, but I'm not!"

"Sigh, you guys have already won the championship, so you can slowly put together another roster to win another championship. We can only be envious!" Kemba Walker popped a grape that his girlfriend handed him into his mouth.

“Welcome to join us!” Jia Fei said with a smile. He didn’t necessarily require Kemba Walker and his group to come, but he would certainly welcome them and be very happy if they did.

"Jia, can you make that decision?" Lamb asked curiously.

“Jeremy, watch your attitude. What do you mean by ‘Can Ja make the decisions?’ If he can’t make the decisions, who can make the decisions here?” Art Mayor quickly corrected Lamb’s attitude.

"Art, I was just asking casually, don't get so worked up!" Lamb quickly corrected himself.

"Who's excited? Am I excited?" Art Mayork's "righteous" demeanor immediately silenced Lamb.

"Alright, enough with the nonsense. Wherever you guys want to go later, Young Master Jia will pay for everything!" Jia Fei said lazily, wearing sunglasses.

“That’s more like what a boss would say. I really like hearing that!” Kemba Walker laughed.

Everyone else laughed...

Jia Fei is definitely flush with cash now. He could easily afford to treat these guys to meals and drinks, or even give each of them a Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Los Angeles is truly a fantastic city—pleasant climate, thriving economy, and a booming entertainment industry. If you have money, it's paradise.

Coincidentally, Jia Fei was a wealthy man. Although his wealth couldn't compare to that of his boss, Ballmer, he was still considered quite rich in Los Angeles. He could basically do whatever he wanted, and he wondered if he should find a girlfriend to help him spend money.