Chapter 407 Three Transactions
Stockton walked out of the training hall, but Yang Mo slowly squatted down, spread his hands, stared attentively, and muttered: Strength? Finger strength?
While muttering, Yang Mo slowly flicked his fingers, looking at each muscle involved in his fingers, and feeling the power that could be pulled out with each flick. After experiencing it again and again, Yang Mo felt as if he had discovered some trick, so he quickly picked up the tennis ball and passed it... Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Not surprisingly, the pass was lost again.
It seemed that Yang Mo still couldn't control his sudden surge of strength. He couldn't accurately grasp the details of passing the ball. In addition, he had never practiced passing the ball systematically before, which led to his current bad situation.
This time, Yang Mo was not too upset by the missed pass. Instead, he continued to squat down and check the distribution of power on his palm. He now understood why Stockton asked him to practice passing the tennis ball. This was to train him to control the power of his palm. Only after he had mastered this power could he talk about passing the ball. After all, passing the ball required precise techniques. A slight error could result in a mistake.
After trying for a while, Yang Mo continued to practice. Unfortunately, the results were minimal. Until his teammates came together, he could only occasionally pass a tennis ball in, which was still a long way from Stockton's goal of two.
Yang Mo practiced attentively for the whole morning. In the afternoon, three players did not show up at the training hall because they were traded. The traded parties were Harrington, Jordan Hill, and Chris Duhon.
Yang Mo didn't pay too much attention to the news. This was what he expected. Other players didn't have any extra thoughts except to say goodbye. After all, this is a commercial league. When , anyone can be traded. Maybe he will be the next one. So, it's better to think more about yourself than worrying about others.
By the afternoon, Yang Mo had finally mastered some techniques. He began to be able to consistently throw one pass into the net every time. Around four o'clock, he finally managed to throw two passes into the net, and sometimes even three.
This was a huge surprise for him. He even jumped a few times with excitement. The feeling was even more refreshing than a buzzer beater.
However, Stockton was not too excited when checking his training results. He didn't even smile. He just said calmly, "Well, don't practice any more today. There's no benefit in continuing to practice. Rest well and apply ice to your arm. Don't wait until tomorrow when you can't even lift it."
Stockton left after saying this, without expressing any personal emotions about Yang Mo's training results.
This made Yang Mo a little frustrated. He thought he would get a reward, but in fact he didn't.
Fortunately, this frustration did not last long. He practiced for half an hour and then went to the locker room to find some ice cubes to cool down. While he was doing the cold compress, Nate Robinson came over with a bit of low interest. He slowly said, "Yang, do you dislike me?"
"Huh?" Yang Mo frowned and looked up. He felt very strange about this question.
"My agent told me that I might be traded to Boston during the All-Star Game, and he told me to be prepared to move at any time," said Nate Robinson, particularly frustrated.
"Going to Boston?" Yang Mo was a little surprised. Although he had seen Nate Robinson's name on the trading list for Isaiah Thomas before, the plan at that time was to trade him to Golden State. He didn't expect that it would be traded to Boston now.
"Don't you know?" Nate Robinson asked in surprise, "Don't you know that all transactions require your approval before they can be executed?"
"I really didn't know you would be traded to Boston, but maybe a change of environment would be better for you. The Celtics are a championship-level team, and you would perform well there." Yang Mo tried to comfort her.
"But I don't want to leave New York at all. I think it's more fun to play run-and-gun with you. If I go to Boston, I might not even get any playing time." Robinson looked very frustrated and had no confidence at all.
"This..." Yang Mo really didn't know what to say, because to him, although this guy is a master of chaos, he is also a double-edged sword. He needs the ball to play well, and his height makes his defense a tragedy. Although it is possible that he can bring you 30+ data on a certain night, and even turn the tide to save the team. However, on more nights, he plays the role of disrupting the team's rhythm.
So, for Yang Mo, if trading him can get a player with better defense, why say no?
Seeing Yang Mo hesitating, Robinson stopped talking. He knew that the trade was inevitable. So he turned around and quietly packed his things, carefully, even tearing down the photos on the locker.
Seeing him like this, Yang Mo also felt a little sad. After all, they had been together for so long, and it was a bit hard for them to suddenly separate.
But, it can only be done this way. This is the cruelty of competitive sports and the nature of commercial leagues. Any player is a tradable commodity.
Robinson packed up his things and walked out of the locker room silently.
As soon as he walked out, Isaiah Thomas came in with a list. As soon as he came in, he handed the list to Yang Mo, and then said in a reporting tone: "Yang, we just finalized three deals, take a look."
Yang Mo took a look and saw that the first deal was a three-way trade that had been executed in the morning. The Knicks offered Jordan Hill, Chris Duhon and Harrington in exchange for McGrady and a draft pick. This deal was undoubtedly brilliant because, apart from Jordan Hill who could provide some playing time, the other two players basically never played. Their roles were either overlapped or frozen by Yang Mo. McGrady's arrival would undoubtedly enrich the team's tactical play, and most importantly, clear the salary cap space for the summer.
After looking at the first deal, Yang Mo took a look at the second deal, Nate Robinson plus a 2010 second-round draft pick in a trade for Eddie House and Bill Walker.
Yang Mo thought about it. Bill Walker was a rookie who hadn't played much, so he was basically just a match. Eddie House was a famous bench gangster. Although he was older than Robinson, his organizational skills were much better than his. He was also a guy who could provide energy for the team as soon as he got on the court, although he was not tall. Overall, this deal was reasonable.
Then, Yang Mo looked at the third deal, which traded David Lee to Golden State in exchange for Turiaf and Anthony Randolph.
Behind David Lee's name, Isaiah Thomas had an expiring contract noted.
Obviously, the Knicks lost money on this deal. David Lee is a 15+10 player after all. Anthony Randolph and Turiaf combined have this number. However, according to David Lee's character, he will definitely ask for a big contract when his contract expires. Besides, he still has a grudge with Yang Mo, so he may change jobs at that time. It would be better to trade him while he is still under contract, so as to get two useful players in return.
Turiaf's tough style of play meets Stein's tactical requirements. As for Anthony Randolph, although he had conflicts with Yang Mo in his rookie season, he is still a potential inside player. Although he is a little thin, his explosive power is still good. If he is well trained, he can also become a good blue-collar worker.
"In this deal with Golden State, let's see if we can get another guard from old Nelson." Yang Mo pointed to the name above and said slowly.
"Well, old Nelson is too smart. I'm afraid there's no other way unless we add another player." Thomas replied with a smile.
"Okay then, I agree to these transactions, you can carry them out." Yang Mo nodded and agreed.
"Okay, I'll discuss it with Coach Stein. If there are no problems, all transactions will be completed during the All-Star Game." Isaiah Thomas nodded and walked out of the locker room.
Yang Mo applied cold compress for a while and then turned around and went home.
On the way home, Yang Mo also thought carefully about the next lineup. Overall, the defense is stronger, but he doesn't know what the chemistry will be like. What Yang Mo is particularly worried about is whether McGrady can adapt to the role of a supporting role. What if he comes and insists on playing with himself as the core?
Yang Mo's worry is not without reason. After all, McGrady has been the core of the team for so many years. He suddenly becomes a supporting role and I wonder if he can adapt.
Yang Mo returned home worriedly and found no one at home. She turned on the TV and subconsciously tuned it to the sports channel. She saw a reporter interviewing McGrady at the New York airport. Although McGrady on TV had gained a lot of weight, he was smiling and seemed to be in a good mood.
"Um... I'm ready to help Super Yang. Now is the era of young people. I will try to reduce my playing time. After all, my injury has not recovered to 100%." McGrady spoke very kindly when facing the interview with reporters.
At this time, the reporter hurriedly asked: "So, do you think you can lead the team into the playoffs?"
"I'm very confident about this." McGrady said confidently, "I came here for the playoffs."
"Do you think you can handle the relationship between you and Super Yang? He is a famous difficult player in the league." The reporter finally asked a targeted question.
McGrady paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I have extensive experience in communicating with Chinese players. I believe I can definitely handle him..."
When he said this, Yang Mo turned off the TV directly. He felt that the situation was a bit tricky.
