Chapter 371: Passing the Ball
Coach Stein is a head coach who can get into the state very quickly. When Yang Mo announced to him that he would be the next head coach, he immediately took on the role of head coach and began to work around this identity.
In a sense, he is more like a person who is ready and when the opportunity comes, he will grab it firmly in his hands.
Therefore, he immediately found Yang Mo and had a conversation with him: "Super Yang, I want to discuss your future playing style with you. Based on my observations of the past few games, you are very blind now? It's like a bat without radar, always appearing in a position that makes you unfixed."
"Blind?" Yang Mo scratched his head, not quite reacting. He asked puzzledly, "Where exactly is it manifested?"
"Specifically..." Stein hesitated for a moment, then said directly, "You don't play like a leader, but more like a role player, a high-end role player. When the team lacks rebounds, you go to make up for it. When the team needs to score, you step up to score. When the team needs to defend, you run to block the opponent's most ferocious firepower. But... you have never formed your own real style. Shaquille O'Neal will never be like you, appearing here and there, neither will Kobe or LeBron. But you... have been doing this all the time."
Stan's words suddenly made Yang Mo realize something. It is undeniable that Stan spoke to the bottom of Yang Mo's heart. His words made Yang Mo suddenly realize that he had always been playing the role of a supporting role. In fact, when he thought about it carefully, it was indeed the case. He always appeared in the position where the team needed him, and these jobs should have been done by supporting roles.
"All-around is not a particularly good word. There are many players in the world who claim to be all-around, but they are not really superstars. Lamar Odom, he is all-around, but he is still a supporting role. Even if the whole world is saying that LeBron is all-around, he has only taken offense and organization to the extreme. He will not switch between four or five identities in forty-eight minutes, he is always a small forward." Stein continued to say this while Yang Mo was thinking.
After hearing this, Yang Mo agreed with him. Although he had leadership skills, he was indeed a supporting role on the court. He was always lying to fill the gaps in the team, and he was always changing positions for the team.
Although this position change is conducive to the team's victory, it has invisibly lost Yang Mo's own style. Being versatile should be a supplement, not the main job that you do every day.
"Yes, you are right." Yang Mo thought for a while and nodded heavily. This head coach he promoted casually gave him enough surprises, and his words awakened him from his dream. His words will directly change Yang Mo's entire career.
"Then who do you think should be your template?" Stein continued to ask: "You must find the position and style of the game that suits you best, and then I will build a new lineup around you. If you continue to play a super supporting role endlessly, it will be difficult for this team to win the championship, because you have done everyone's work, and other players will not provide you with more help."
"My goal now is to be the combination of Iverson and Ray Allen." Yang Mo said firmly.
"A shooting guard who can break through and kill as well as run without the ball?" Stan said with a frown.
"Of course, I will do everything I can to grab rebounds, whether they are frontcourt rebounds or backcourt rebounds," Yang Mo continued.
"That's fine. Rebounding is your extra work." Stan nodded, and then said a little trickily: "Your technical style is actually in conflict with the current lineup. Now many of the team's outside players need the ball, and you don't have the ability to control the ball. Your passing doesn't seem to be good enough."
"It's not that I'm not good enough, it's that I'm terrible, sir." Yang Mo smiled bitterly and shook his head, making a self-deprecating remark. Then he said, "But we will make changes when the trading window opens, and I will also change myself immediately. Next, I will train in the subject of passing."
"Haha!" Coach Stein laughed and said, "Regarding the team lineup, I will communicate with Isaiah. In my lineup, only you, Milicic and Jeffries will have a definite position. As for the others, they can all be removed."
"I only provide advice. You are the head coach and the decision is up to you." Yang Mo nodded. He did not interfere with Stein's decision because this statement was in line with his thoughts. Milicic and Jeffries were also people he wanted to keep.
"So, are you sure you will become a breakthrough shooting guard and three-point shooter in the future?" Stan asked again before leaving.
Yang Mo nodded, and then added: "It's a forward-guard swingman. I will continue to fill my arsenal, including the ability to assist, but it's basically what you said."
"Okay, then. I will equip you with an offensive partner who is strong in mid-range attacks. If possible, I will also trade for a power forward with strong offensive power to cooperate with you. As for the center, he must be a defensive type. As for the point guard, he just needs to be able to pass the right ball to you attackers in the right way at the right time." Stan described Yang Mo like this.
Yang Mo listened and thought carefully. If the team was really built according to Stan's blueprint, it would be wonderful. There would be almost no overlap of personnel. Moreover, the overlap between them would allow the team's offensive capabilities to reach the top level. And this guy was a head coach with a defensive background. If the offense and defense could be balanced, the championship could definitely be expected.
This guy is really good at what he does!
"Okay, let's do as you say." Yang Mo nodded and agreed.
"Okay, I'll go sort out the tactics first, and then gather the players for a practice session to see how it works." After saying this, Stan quickly ran to the sidelines, opened his laptop, and began to check it carefully.
Yang Mo was very satisfied with his hardworking and diligent appearance. He originally chose Stein as the head coach just to make a transition. The other two assistant coaches were all D'Antoni's direct subordinates, so Yang Mo was worried about them, so he simply found this rookie who just came from the NCAA. Unexpectedly, this rookie made a big splash and directly built a blueprint for the future of the team, and also found a position for Yang Mo. It must be said that this was a big unexpected gain.
At this time, D'Antoni had already walked out of the general manager's office with a dejected look on his face. It was obvious that he was very embarrassed to be kicked out in this way, and he was kicked out directly by a player.
When he stepped out of the training hall, he turned around and glared at Yang Mo, as if he wanted to eat Yang Mo alive. But Yang Mo didn't take it seriously at all, and waved at him very simply: Goodbye, say goodbye!
Yang Mo is not afraid that D'Antoni will slap him in the face in the future. In his opinion, someone like D'Antoni who is only good at offense and defense will always be a half-baked player and will never win a championship anywhere. Even if he is given a natural hand and enters the finals, he will be beaten to a pulp!
D'Antoni's departure did not cast a shadow on the Knicks. On the contrary, his departure discouraged those who wanted to rebel with him.
Stein also quickly got down to work. After fully examining the technical and tactical levels of the players, he put together his lineup: point guard Douglas, shooting guard Yang Mo, small forward Jeffries, power forward David Lee, and center Milicic.
This lineup is not the strongest lineup of the Knicks, but it maximizes Yang Mo's offensive power and makes Yang Mo very happy to attack. Although the cooperation between them is not tacit enough, Yang Mo finally feels like a leader for the first time. So this is the core treatment!
Yang Mo was used to patching up everywhere, but suddenly everyone was revolving around him, setting pick-and-rolls and running for his offense, and he was instantly very happy. Although his passing problems were also highlighted by this lineup, but... it was really fun to play! !
That afternoon, they practiced tactics for nearly an hour. At first, this lineup could only rely on Yang Mo to exert its strength, but gradually David Lee's offensive power was also brought into play, and Douglas could occasionally score one or two goals. At first, they were suppressed by the sparring team, until the tacit understanding of defense gradually emerged, and finally gained some advantages.
At this point, the class had already gone on for more than half an hour, and the NBA has always been a place that adheres to rules, so the team was quickly disbanded without continuing to strike while the iron was hot.
After his teammates left, Yang Mo practiced privately. He found a tool, which was used in the All-Star Skills Competition. Although it was a very basic ground pass and a straight pass, Yang Mo still had a lot of difficulties in practicing. At the beginning, he failed to pass the ball for more than 20 times in a row. This was much more difficult for him than shooting. After all, shooting is to exert force upwards, while passing is to exert force horizontally, which is similar to the technique of pushing out.
Yang Mo practiced until eight o'clock in the evening, but still did not make any progress.
In the end, he had no choice but to give up. It seemed that he had to ask Isaiah Thomas to teach him a few tricks. After all, he was a point guard, so he must have some special skills.
I went back home and fell into a deep sleep.
At this time, D'Antoni had already made headlines in the New York sports media. He went to reporters and kept crying about his experience. He described Yang Mo as a dictatorial and violent player who fired him over a disagreement. He said Yang Mo used his shares in MSG to ruthlessly suppress him, and described him as a little delicate flower that was destroyed.
With the help of the New York media and a large number of sports media, Yang Mo's image was instantly fixed as a ball bully. Everyone criticized Yang Mo for being arbitrary, and many basketball commentators even asked the league's top management to investigate whether there was any trickery in Yang Mo's signing with the Knicks. They believed that with Yang Mo's current data and popularity, it was too low to sign a contract with an average of tens of millions, and it must be because of the equity transaction that led to this result.
This argument was quickly supported by many NBA teams, who also believed that there was a shady deal involved.
This wave of public opinion instantly overshadowed D'Antoni's complaints. After all, he is indeed a person with no great ability. The NBA is a jungle where the weak are preyed upon by the strong. It is normal for you to be squeezed out if you are not strong enough. However, if there is something fishy about Yang Mo's signing, that is another matter. The Knicks are now in their heyday. If Yang Mo can be allowed to leave the Knicks, it will undoubtedly be a wonderful thing for most teams.
As the public opinion intensified, Yang Mo had to speak out and express his opinion: "When I was injured, no team ever offered me a contract. Only the Knicks believed in me and Mr. Isaiah Thomas stood behind me. You said that a five-year, 60 million contract was too low, so why didn't you even give me a 5 million contract? As for the contract between Baofeng and MSG, it was a business transaction between the two companies and had nothing to do with this contract. Both companies are entertainment companies, so there is nothing wrong with such cooperation. Finally, rumors stop with the wise, and the clear will be clear, and the turbid will be turbid!"
Although Yang Mo's words did not silence the doubters, they did cause the official statement of the alliance, ruling that the cooperation between Baofeng and MSG did not involve any shady dealings. After all, MSG is a listed company, and if there were any shady dealings, there would naturally be securities companies to investigate them.
The official support caused those teams to stop their activities, but public opinion continued to spread and various conspiracy theories became popular.
Yang Mo ignored this completely. They were just a bunch of random people trying to scratch an itch, so let them bark all they want!
As for D'Antoni's complaints about playing the weak side in front of the media, Yang Mo didn't bother to respond. You can cry if you want, and I admit that you are a dictator and violent if you want to. Anyway, you can do whatever you want, as long as you don't embarrass yourself in front of me.
Yang Mo ignored it, but the Knicks officially issued a statement, announcing that D'Antoni resigned as head coach due to health reasons, and assistant head coach Stan Keen took over the team.
This statement seems a bit funny and cute amidst the conspiracy theories that are everywhere. Physical reasons? Is it because he cut his finger with a fruit knife and it hasn't healed yet? This is really an expensive cut!
While the outside world was filled with noise, Yang Mo found Isaiah Thomas at Madison Square Garden and asked him about the secret of passing the ball. He wanted to perform better in the game against the Atlanta Hawks in the evening.
However, after teaching Yang Mo for more than half an hour, Isaiah Thomas finally discovered the problem: "Man, I may not be able to teach you. Your hands are used to shooting three-pointers, and you can't make a complete wrist movement for passing the ball. Look, I am like this... Swish!"
Isaiah Thomas took the ball and demonstrated, then passed it directly into the net.
"You try it!" Isaiah Thomas said to Yang Mo.
Hearing this, Yang Mo also aimed the ball at the hole and passed it out... Bang! The basketball flew directly over the net hole and flew to the sidelines. Yang Mo felt that he had clearly aimed, but it didn't go as he wished at all, and the pass went straight into the air, which was a world of difference from his three-point shooting rate.
"You never pass the ball and are always practicing three-pointers. As a result, you are used to shooting three-pointers upwards when you hold the ball. So it is basically very difficult for you to pass the ball accurately. It is even more difficult than practicing mid-range shooting. Because mid-range shooting also requires upward force, while passing is completely different." Isaiah Thomas said this to Yang Mo, which was equivalent to giving him bad news.
"Is there really no way?" Yang Mo asked in great distress. He needed to find a glimmer of hope for change. He didn't want to be frozen. He wanted to make progress. He wanted to keep improving.
At this time, Isaiah Thomas took a deep breath, his eyes brightened slightly, and said, "It's not that there is no chance at all. Do you know a guy named Stockton?"
"Stockton?" Yang Mo frowned and asked, "Are you talking about Stockton of the Jazz, the one who was a pick-and-roll duo with Karl Malone?"
"Yes, that's him." Isaiah Thomas nodded and said, "His passing method is different from that of most people. It seems to be a little upward. Although it looks simple, it is very effective. This is why he can be the historical assists king. I think if you learn from him, you should be able to learn a little bit."
