The Guangdong men's basketball team has returned to its winning ways in the second stage with the return of Bazley. If Zhu Fangyu had not rashly cut Little B after the first 10 games, perhaps the team would not have fallen into such a long period of low performance. Now, with a streak of six consecutive victories, the Guangdong team has stabilized its ranking and also received two pieces of good news, significantly reducing the pressure on Zhu Fangyu.
The first piece of good news is that Zhu Fangyu can extend the time for recruitment. Originally, Du Feng and the fans were urging Zhu Ba to quickly sign a small foreign aid to alleviate the pressure on Xu Jie. The foreign aid signed during this period is definitely for firefighting purposes and can only be used short-term, with the need to continue searching later. That's why we've seen two super flops, Armes and Reese, during this time.
Guangdong's current ranking has advanced into the top 8, and they are only one win away from second place. In other words, the team has overcome the toughest times. In the next five games, there are two against Guangzhou, and the remaining three opponents are Fujian, Tongxi, and Shanghai.
Against these four teams, even without a small foreign aid, the Guangdong men's basketball team can still compete. Winning against Guangzhou, Fujian, and Tongxi should not be a problem. As for the rising Shanghai men's basketball team, Guangdong now has Bazley and Xu Xin, and their interior is no longer afraid of Lofton and Wang Zhelin. The team has the ability to compete with Shanghai. There are only five games left in the second stage, and the difficulty is not high, so there's no need to look for a firefighting foreign aid at this point!
Xu Jie can definitely hold out, but Zhu Fangyu cannot let his guard down. In the third stage, Guangdong will face tough battles. A top-level small foreign aid is essential. The increased recruitment time for Zhu Ba means he can take his time to select and bring in a top-level small foreign aid. However, he must not let his guard down again; having already signed three subpar small foreign aids, he absolutely cannot allow a fourth to happen.
In addition to this good news, the Guangdong men's basketball team will have the opportunity to achieve an 11-game winning streak and advance into the top 4. Xu Jie can finally take a break, as there are only five more games ahead, with only one tough match against Shanghai. Xu Jie no longer needs to play over 40 minutes in every game; in some easier matches, he can rest more.
Xu Jie has already gone through the toughest phase and can let Yang Yi take over more in games against Guangzhou and Fujian. Xu Jie can rest more and then go back in to finish the game in the final quarter. He was indeed very hardworking in the second stage. Zhu Fangyu's poor recruitment put a lot of pressure on Xu Jie.
However, Xu Jie also turned misfortune into a blessing. The intense and dense schedule during this period allowed him to transform. He is now a top-tier guard in the league, with his personal abilities reaching a top level. Zhu Ba can slow down his recruitment pace and search for a top-level small foreign aid. Xu Jie, on the other hand, can rest more. It's a double celebration for the Guangdong men's basketball team, and if they can end the second stage with an 11-game winning streak, it would be perfect!