Chapter 45: Natural Born Leader
As the media day unfolded, more than a dozen Chinese media outlets that had obtained visas with the help of the NBA began to enter the Continental Airlines Arena for interviews after filming the training at Chaoting TV.
Zhang Hao's entry into the NBA is truly a matter of pride for domestic media professionals working as basketball reporters.
Sports fans have a strong sense of participation and involvement. Media people who work in projects related to the project have an even stronger sense of participation and involvement. Perhaps they hope that basketball will become more popular around the world more than many basketball players, and that they can proudly say, like football fans, that the sport they love is the hottest sport in the world.
Also, finally a domestic basketball player entered the NBA. From a certain perspective, Zhang Hao became the "link", allowing a large number of domestic media to get the opportunity to sign contracts and work in the United States.
Working in the United States means high salary... This is also the reason why those media took the initiative to make friends with Zhang Hao.
As for money, everyone makes it together, and no one affects each other's ability to make money.
The Nets were very happy to have so many reporters come to interview them, but the management did not pay much attention to it because most of the reporters who came were from China and Asia.
Most team owners don't have high expectations for overseas markets. The NBA is still spending money to develop overseas markets. In Asia, only South Korea and Japan paid broadcasting fees, but not much. It's just that South Korea and Japan are accustomed to "paying protection fees" in various fields. Broadcasting in China is even free. Football is the most watched sport in Asia.
The same goes for the Nets. They don't think this means anything. It's just that having so many media outlets come to interview them is a good thing for boosting the players' enthusiasm. Many players are eager to be in the news and to be noticed.
After Zhang Hao was selected by the Nets, the domestic sports world has become very famous in China, even for the latest member Inka Dell, the domestic sports media have collected information and reported on it.
I don't know how many times the Nets' strength and other aspects have been discussed... Most of them are just random discussions, just like the original time and space where the Yao-McGrady combination was considered the favorite to win the championship every year by the domestic media.
Kenny Anderson, who is regarded by domestic media as the new boss of the Nets, gave Zhang Hao a very high evaluation: "Aix is the most talented pitcher I have ever seen. He will definitely become a star pitcher. With his athletic ability, the two of us are a perfect match. I believe that with my experience and ability, I will help him find the rhythm of the game in the NBA early..."
Speaking well of Chinese players will definitely give the reporters from Chaoting TV a very good impression. Domestic reporters have a characteristic that they often have great goodwill towards foreign players. After Kenny Anderson answered like this, the reporters from Chaoting TV began to ask questions related to Kenny Anderson. This is a talented second pick and has also been a first-line point guard in the past two years. There are many questions to ask, and of course, they will talk about Zhang Hao from time to time.
Those who were competing with Zhang Hao were not so polite. Some players with good personalities just dealt with it casually, which was okay and the interview could go on smoothly.
But some of them just don't like Zhang Hao and think he is a threat. It's a happy thing to be interviewed by reporters, especially after playing for the Nets for a few years, they are more eager for interviews. Many players like to be in the news, but they are not happy when they are asked questions about Zhang Hao. Although they still consider him as a teammate and don't force bad words when they are not familiar with each other, they are obviously impatient and hostile when answering questions about Zhang Hao...
Zhang Hao first accepted an exclusive interview with Chaoting TV and then with Guangdong Sports. These two media outlets may have reached cooperation intentions with the NBA. The questions they asked were very routine, and it was an interview style to promote the Nets team where Zhang Hao is.
The last company interviewed was an American cable TV station’s special on high school students.
Garnett is also one of the players in the special. Other active players include Shawn Kemp, and there are three retired high school players, Moses Malone, Daryl Dawkins, and Bill Willoughby.
Although high school rookies are subject to much criticism, they are a good topic for hype and the popularity will not be low. Moreover, the success rate of high school rookies is actually very high. Among the high school players before Zhang Hao and Garnett, only Bill Willoughby has never been a main player.
This media outlet was not so friendly and asked very tricky questions about Zhang Hao's identities as a high school player and a Chinese player.
Pelinka had already anticipated this and had already agreed with Zhang Hao on how to respond.
Keep a low profile, develop slowly, and then make a breakthrough... This is the early career plan discussed by Zhang Hao, Pelinka, and Henry Thomas.
At 11 a.m., the interview ended and Xu Jicheng found Zhang Hao.
"Aix, the environment of the team you are in...it's hard to describe!" Xu Jicheng sighed after learning some things from the court.
"It's already pretty good." Zhang Hao smiled and continued, "Everything is difficult at the beginning. I should be a pioneer for Chinese basketball players to go global. If I work hard and can perform well, I can pave the way for future players and make their lives easier. That's not bad, isn't it?"
Zhang Hao just said this, but Xu Jicheng felt a surge of blood.
There was no deliberate intention to publicize this matter. Xu Jicheng had seen the interview content of Zhang Hao.
Zhang Hao has said that he wants to help the Chinese men's basketball team go global, but he did not reveal .
Xu Jicheng had deeper and more complicated emotions towards Zhang Hao, an 18-year-old boy who had just graduated from high school. Thinking back to when he was 18 years old...
To sum up, this emotion is called respect!
Because something that is extremely difficult might be expressed as a dream at certain specific moments, but it would never be mentioned all day long.
But this casual remark, which seemed like self-mockery, made Xu Jicheng feel respect from the bottom of his heart. Combined with his previous good impression, his feelings of admiration and expectation were elevated to respect!
"Aix, I believe you will succeed! Hard work will definitely pay off." Xu Jicheng said something that he didn't even believe. He didn't believe the sentence itself, but at this time he chose to believe that Zhang Hao would succeed if he worked hard.
Zhang Hao was not so enthusiastic. He shook his head and said, "Hard work does not necessarily lead to success. But for me, I must work hard. If I don't work hard, I will definitely not succeed."
In fact, Zhang Hao doesn’t really care about the media’s comments or what those teammates who are hostile to him say. He just wants to seize his opportunity.
It's that simple: just perform well. His goal is to seize the opportunity that the team values him.
Chaos also has its advantages. During this period of time, he found that the Nets' frontcourt players were really not that good. Except for Almon Gilliam who had strong scoring ability, none of the other frontcourt players could score independently. In terms of strength, except for Almon Gilliam, the other frontcourt players, even if they have played for a few years, are not necessarily much better than him. He is even considered one of the best frontcourt players of the Nets.
The core purpose is to live longer.
It just so happens that basketball is his hobby, and he never lacks motivation!
While chatting, Zhang Hao saw that the equipment for the joint recording between Guangdong Sports and American Cable TV had been set up. It was called a joint recording, but in fact the league helped Guangdong Sports invite American Cable TV as a technical advisor to conduct the filming.
The content to be filmed is the team's first training match this afternoon.
Everyone took this very seriously. At 11:30, Randy Whitman arrived at the training ground and all the players had gathered.
Randy Whitman, always direct, came up to the players and said, “We’ll have a practice match at 3:30 p.m.
Kenny, Greg, Khalid, Akers, and PJ, you are the starters for Team A;
Chris, Kevin, Vaughn, Almon, Jason, you are the starters of Team B..."
The internal team training match was decided when the whole team gathered, and the tactical training in the past few days was also for this.
Butch Baird divided the team into two starting lineups, with the other five players under contract and five players on training camp contracts redistributed between the two teams. The starting lineups have clear characteristics, one is a fast break lineup and the other is a positional warfare lineup. The substitutes on both sides are different, with players who have strong athletic ability or rely on shooting and technology.
Some players on the Nets are not worried about their performance in training games, a total of 12 players are not worried, they all have guaranteed contracts, but the team still has three players on non-guaranteed contracts who can be cut at any time. This is an opportunity for the players who come to the training camp. Although the probability of replacing these players is not high, it also puts pressure on these players with non-guaranteed contracts.
If a player on a training camp contract performs well and performs well in the following preseason, it is normal to replace him.
But Randy Whitman didn't have any expectations for such a situation.
Perhaps there may be some capable players who have not yet received a contract and will choose a weak team to compete for a formal contract, but the Nets have never been the choice of those players.
The players took the first training match of the new season very seriously.
Especially those experienced players, they know that for a team like the Nets, there may only be one training game during the training camp.
This game will most likely determine the performance opportunities in the preseason.
Zhang Hao was also very excited, as he was finally going to play in the competition!
This is only his second game after he started cheating, and he has been itching to do it!
As a pitcher without the ball, he is really not good at one-on-one combat. During team training, if they are practicing the part of the tactics related to him, he will have a chance to show his ability, but he does not have many opportunities to show his ability in other aspects of the tactics, just like when he first participated in the tryout.
He still remembers what Scott Collins said when he "lured" him into the draft - only in real games is his time to perform!
Moreover, he was also eager to test the results of his training through training matches.
Just when Zhang Hao was very excited and looking forward to the afternoon training match, the subtitle prompt came!
"Specially signed player Zhang Hao has started the NBA rookie season training camp and will have his first team practice since joining the Nets.
At the starting point of your career, you should strive to be the first, and your mission is to set sail. "
"set sail:
Goal 1: Zhang Hao needs to strive to start in the regular season opener and score the highest points through his performance in training camp and preseason games.
Goal 2: If Zhang Hao fails to start in the regular season opener, he must score the highest score among all substitute players in the regular season opener.
Rewards: Complete goal 1 and receive the medal: Homecoming (Silver); complete goal 2 and receive the medal: Bench Bandit (Bronze). "
Looking at the triggered task, it seems difficult... What is not difficult? But the rewards are also generous!
Judging from the literal meaning, Zhang Hao believes that the second reward is related to being a substitute. He cannot guess what the bonus effect of the first reward is, but if he can get a silver medal, who would want a bronze medal?
The generous reward is probably because the opening game of the new regular season is his first game in his career. There is only one such game in his entire career. He is ready to perform hard, and with the reward, he wants to perform even better.
"My chances of starting are not very high. After all, I'm still a rookie. Gilliam, Williams, and Brown are more likely to start..."
This is the analysis, but if you want to start in the first game, you must try your best to fight for it! This kind of thing is not a question of whether a rookie should be humble or not. Of course, it is better to start.
When thinking about starting, Zhang Hao remembered that the opponent in the opening game was the Pistons.
"It's a bit difficult... If I start, I have to compete with Hill in scoring. That guy averaged 20+5+5 per game in his rookie year, 0.1 points behind him, right? He's the All-Star vote winner... But he may also be a substitute. In fact, it's not that hard to accept to get the bronze medal. I'm still a rookie, and it's normal for me to be a substitute..."
Thinking of this, Zhang Hao immediately became excited again.
His eagerness to compete could be seen by others at a glance.
Jason Williams, who had been paying attention to Zhang Hao, was very unhappy when he saw Zhang Hao's excited expression.
"This rookie is coming for me!"
After Coleman left, Jason Williams felt that he was the only candidate to replace Coleman. The situation was originally developing in this direction, but this rookie suddenly emerged.
A high draft pick was no big deal to Jason Williams. Every year, several high draft picks failed. At first, he looked down on a high school student, but he did not expect that Zhang Hao's shooting was so good.
And shooting ability is what the Nets lack most.
And Jason Williams felt that he could never achieve Zhang Hao's shooting level even if he practiced for his entire life.
Zhang Hao was excited about playing in the game again, but he felt some hostile looks and turned around, somewhat surprised, because he thought it would be Almon Guillem.
During this period of time, he also learned about the feud between Kenny Anderson and Almon Gilliam. In the past two years, Chris Morris, who had a tacit understanding with Kenny Anderson, surpassed Almon Gilliam to play as the starting small forward.
This summer, Chris Morris got a three-year, $8 million contract from the Jazz and chose to leave. Zhang appeared again, and just like Chris Morris did back then, he quickly established a good relationship with Kenny Anderson.
He thought it would be Almon Gilliam who would target him, but he didn't expect it to be power forward Jason Williams!
He thought he and Jason Williams might just compete for rotation time, but the other team seemed to regard him as an imaginary enemy for the starting power forward position...
"Why am I so tall? 199cm would be great. I should have learned the tricks of the big guys who turned enemies into friends..."
Zhang Hao was also helpless because he played as a pitcher without the ball and grew to the height of a power forward.
"It's not so good to play as a tall shooting guard this year... No, it's not so good to play as a shooting guard this year...
Otherwise, I can grow taller and play center... Ahem, this height is good, who would play center...
It doesn’t seem like a bad thing to compete for power forward. It’s definitely harder to compete for playing time with Gilliam than with Williams.”
Zhang Hao had an invisible eye contact with Jason Williams, while Randy Whitman, after arranging the lineup, assigned the team's two assistant coaches to the two teams.
These two assistant coaches, Randy Whitman, are a headache to watch. In the middle of last season, after successfully starting the tanking mode, the team management fired all the coaching staff members left by Chuck Daly, leaving only Randy Whitman. He is not a veteran of the team, but joined the team and started working in the late 93-94 season.
As far as Randy Whitman knew, these two assistant coaches were friends of the team's shareholders and were there just to get paid.
The veteran players on the team also understood the situation and did not break up with the two assistant coaches. After a brief chat, the players themselves began to discuss how to play the game.
Randy Whitman didn't care.
The role of the coaching staff is to build a system, create a tactical framework, guide players... and so on, but the game is played by the players themselves, and the cooperation of the players is the key among the keys.
The training camp and the following preseason games are mainly for the players to become familiar with tactics and develop tacit understanding and chemical reactions.
Randy Whitman is only responsible for formulating the season's game plan, playing time schedule, rotation arrangements based on the players' strength, playing style, cooperation and other aspects.
Team A here.
"Axl, you move according to your feeling, I will pass the ball to you and make the shot to knock down Jason..." Kenny Anderson's expectation for Zhang Hao was simple: catch the ball and make the shot.
This is based on Zhang Hao's best mid-range shooting level in the team, so Kenny Anderson can say it so easily.
Otherwise, an 18-year-old freshman would have to compete with Jason Williams, who has played for several years and has the ability to start for a weak team... It's difficult to imagine.
When Zhang Hao heard what Kenny Anderson said, it seemed that everyone thought he was going to compete for the power forward position with Jason Williams .
Looking at his own strength of 90 and light weight, compared with Jason Williams who is 109 kg and has a strength of 87, he is lacking in tonnage and it is difficult for him to get to the basket.
But he doesn't play under the basket, and it doesn't seem that difficult for him to find opportunities to shoot during confrontations!
Zhang Hao found it a bit magical that he mainly played small forward in high school but went straight to power forward in the NBA.
The Nets players who were divided into two teams attached great importance to this training match, because it was the first in-team training match after their team gathered, and there was no next game. The next step would be intensive training of skills and tactics, and then the preseason game.
If you fall behind your competitors by one step, you may be restricted in every way. You must seize the opportunity from the very beginning!
…
At 1:30 in the afternoon, Zhang Hao arrived at the training ground early to warm up.
He was the only one who came so early. The game didn't start until 3:30, and now he was the only one in the training ground.
When the trainer was called to the training ground to help Zhang Hao warm up, the trainer was not used to it.
After working for the Nets for so many years, this is the first time I have encountered players who come so early to warm up and prepare for training games.
The Guangdong Sports cameraman team who were preparing for the recording were also very surprised. When they were chatting with the Nets staff, they learned that they still had an hour to prepare slowly, and it would take at least 3 o'clock before they could start filming.
Unexpectedly, someone came to warm up at this time, and it was the youngest Zhang Hao!
When Zhang Hao went to change into training clothes, the Guangdong Sports staff quickly prepared for the filming. The main subject they wanted to film was Zhang Hao, and the others were just incidental.
The Nets' internal rivalry has begun since the players returned, but in the outside world, no one pays attention to this kind of thing.
From the outside, there is nothing worth paying attention to about this team except whether Kenny Anderson can win the assist title in the new season and the gimmick of Zhang Hao being a high school rookie.
Domestic media outlets all wanted to catch Zhang Hao, a hot figure in the domestic sports world. When the reporter in charge of coordination saw Zhang Hao coming to warm up so early, he thought of the narration he would add - "Although he is only 18 years old, he has unusually strict requirements for himself. This is one of the reasons why he was able to enter the NBA directly after graduating from high school..."
On the other side, Butch Baird had been keeping an eye on Zhang Hao. Seeing Zhang Hao's enthusiasm in warming up, he was very satisfied. He also worked hard in warming up, which represented something very different.
It doesn't mean that if you train hard, you must warm up hard. There have been cases where players who train very hard, have great talent, and become stars often get injured because they don't warm up enough.
From the moment Zhang Hao joined the team…even before he officially joined the team, from the information they learned through scouts, Zhang Hao has always made him very satisfied. He works so hard, as if basketball is his life, and Zhang Hao's speed of improvement represents his talent.
He is talented and hardworking. Judging from the time he spends preparing for the game, he is also very responsible for his body and the game, even if it is just a training game... In Butch Baird's opinion, Zhang Hao is a genius born for basketball...
Thinking of Zhang Hao's mid-range shot, Butch Baird believes that if Zhang Hao develops the three-pointer after gaining a foothold in the NBA...
However, Butch Baird is prepared to make a fortune in silence. He will not go around promoting how talented Zhang Hao is. Anyway, no one will believe that Zhang Hao has made such great progress in strength confrontation. Even if they do, they will not believe that Zhang Hao can still maintain his shooting after his strength has increased so much.
Another high school student, the way McHale blew the whistle, Butch Baird felt sorry for the rookie just thinking about it...
After gathering and warming up, when everyone was ready, Zhang Hao, whose body was fully mobilized and who had done his best in every aspect of preparation, came to the court.
Finally, the competition is about to begin again!
It was Zhang Hao’s first time playing against NBA players, even though it was just a warm-up match, he felt his blood boiling!
Zhang Hao would catch the ball that bounced off the basket when his teammate was shooting hot, jump up and make a steady mid-range shot... Every time when there is a game, Zhang Hao would truly feel his love for basketball. Even if he really has less than a year to live and no way to prolong his life, what Zhang Hao thinks about at this moment is not to dissipate and indulge, but to give his last bit of strength on the basketball court.
A person's passion for something can easily infect his partners who are doing the same thing together.
Although the cooperation time is still short, in fact, they have not yet started formal cooperation and have not played any preseason games, the teammates' understanding of how hard-working and focused Zhang Hao is in basketball is still rather one-sided. They don't know that Zhang Hao even warms up an hour earlier than them, but they can feel Zhang Hao's passion for the game.
Even his competitor Jason Williams felt Zhang Hao's enthusiasm, and that feeling was enough to excite this competitor and teammate.
Kenny Anderson was very surprised by the feeling revealed by Zhang Hao - a high school rookie could actually lead to a change in the morale of the entire team. It was hard to see it until the game started, but it was there!
This kind of temperament is what Kenny Anderson has always wanted to possess - leadership temperament!
When it comes to this, playing age is important, strength and qualifications are also important, but they are not absolute. There are also many rookies who become team leaders when they enter the NBA, such as Grant Hill of the Pistons.
What the Nets lack most is players with leadership qualities. Even Kenny Anderson doesn't have them. Even Coleman back then didn't have them.
Otherwise, the Nets wouldn't have been in such a mess when they had him and Coleman, two players who had made the All-Star team.
Kenny Anderson may be the only old player on the team who really wants to lead the team to a comeback after Coleman left. He really wants to win and wants the team to get better and better.
Zhang Hao now gives Kenny Anderson the feeling of a clear stream that is impacting their stagnant water.
Seeing Zhang Hao's bright eyes, he felt for a moment like he was back in college...
