Butch Baird seemed to have gone back to 20 years ago and blurted out his favorite catchphrase of that time.
If it weren't for Zhang Hao's joining, the Nets, if viewed as a company, would be a rotten to the core. A lot of people were stuffed into it, just to get into a bad situation. Otherwise, they wouldn't have let Butch Baird, the scouting director, and Randy Whitman, the rookie coach who just retired, be in charge of the coaching staff.
Removing someone who was paid for nothing might offend people, but the two of them were no longer interested in this, so they didn't care.
Also, NBA teams are different from ordinary companies. Generally speaking, if a superstar is really cultivated or a superstar is obtained through a trade or a contract, the big boss will definitely clean up the team. It doesn't matter when the team is bad, because bad teams will receive compensation, that is, high draft picks.
The two coaches made up their minds and went to make trouble with general manager Bobby Marks.
As for Zhang Hao, after finishing the muscle-relaxing massage, he prepared to go back to the apartment, play the Famicom or read a book, take a nap at noon, and then train in the afternoon.
Rest is also important.
Zhang Hao was very satisfied with today's training progress. His hard work in studying mode in his dreams every night during this period was not in vain.
He felt that he might be too impatient and taking too big steps, but in fact, this was just a natural result because he was standing on the shoulders of giants and had advantages that others could not match.
The key is this giant, or the god of basketball…
The day passed quickly, and in the evening of the 21st, the Nets faced the Bucks at home.
The Bucks are definitely a bad team. All major media outlets are looking forward to the Bucks, but Randy Whitman directly used the term "bad team" to describe the Bucks during team training.
Seeing the Bucks' lineup, Zhang Hao couldn't connect them with a bad team, but reality is so weird...
"Glenn Robinson, ability rating 86...
Wen Baker, ability rating 85..."
Apart from these two players, the other players on the Bucks are not that strong, but with two players on the edge of All-Star level, they can play like this?
But after the first half, looking at the score of 51 to 42...the opponent was indeed a top-notch underdog.
In the first half, the Nets team completely suppressed the opponent!
He played for 11 minutes in the first half, took 5 shots, made 3 of 5, plus 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 8 points. The opponent didn't even have defense and played poorly on the offensive end.
He knew in his previous life that Glenn Robinson was a weird player, and now he finally understood how weird he was - he only thought about getting data for himself and never cared about anything else.
Brother Goji can’t be like this, okay!
After the start of the second half, Kenny Anderson led the team to a 6-0 run at the start, establishing a 15-point difference.
In the next few minutes, Glenn Robinson acted as if he didn't see the score difference. He made a series of sudden shots and increased his personal score to 20 points. It seemed like he didn't want to play anymore.
At this time, the score difference had reached 22 points, with the Nets leading 77 to 55.
Kenny Anderson was substituted, but Zhang Hao was substituted. He received instructions from the coaching staff to practice catching the ball and turning around to jump shot during the game!
There were more than three minutes left in the third quarter and it had already entered garbage time. Not to mention that this was a preseason game, even if it was a regular season game, the Bucks had no intention of catching up.
Putting aside his curiosity and confusion about the opponent's No. 1 pick who had already sat down, Zhang Hao stepped onto the court again and started the concentrated shooting mode.
With Charles feeding the ball and playing against the Bucks, Zhang Hao's training in the game went very smoothly...
That night, Zhang Hao entered study mode again.
"Remaining lifespan 248 days, available lifespan 247 days."
After entering the dream, Zhang Hao looked at his lifespan and found that it had decreased by one day. Fortunately, when the game ended last night and 4 preseason games were won, Zhang Hao received a 15-day lifespan reward for winning 4 preseason games, plus 1 day of game participation reward and two days of winning reward, which increased his lifespan by 18 days at once.
Feeling very good, Zhang Hao immediately started the simulation training.
In the game against the Bucks, I was prepared to use the turnaround jump shot after catching the ball. It was a bit tricky, but I gained a lot. Now I can use it as a comparison to better analyze my shortcomings so that I can make adjustments in training or games.
Another day and night of non-stop work passed. In the morning, Zhang Hao got up and continued to train at the gym. He finally had something new to do. If it weren't for his health, he wouldn't want to rest for a moment...
Although the deep sleep state in learning mode allows the body to recover better, it is just recovery. The body must be used in moderation. If you are really tired to a certain extent, you cannot rest and recover well in one night.
The regular season will begin in a week, and Zhang Hao knows that that will be the real test. As for the rookie wall, many people actually hit the wall due to physical problems. They have no experience and just rush forward at the beginning. By the middle of the season, they are short of physical reserves and their performance declines.
The worst thing is that he got injured due to fatigue during his rookie year.
The situation within the team. After nearly a month of getting along with his teammates, Zhang Hao can feel the changes, and he is also happy about these changes.
that is……
"Look at you, you're as skinny as a linebacker. Look at you, buddy. This is what a man is!"
There was training scheduled for this afternoon, but Zhang Hao came to train in the morning because he wanted to. In addition to him, Kenny Anderson also came, but there was another person who also came to train, that was Jason Williams.
Kenny Anderson was training and finished earlier, so he left first. Jason Williams insisted on training a little longer than Zhang Hao. When Zhang Hao was taking a shower, Jason Williams came.
Then Zhang Hao heard what Jason Williams said.
Seeing Zhang Hao's complicated expression, Jason Williams continued with great pride: "Look at my streamlined muscles, my broad shoulders, and how many women screamed for me when I went to nightclubs..."
Just as Jason Williams was proudly showing off his body and the scene was simply unbearable to watch, Zhang Hao couldn't help but make a poisonous comment: "The two fat guys waving money at the entrance of the stadium will make those women crazy."
Jason Williams, who was posing as Schwarzenegger, suddenly stopped twisting his body and yelled, "You are jealous!"
"What are you jealous of?"
"Jealous that I'm stronger than you!"
"I'm stronger than you."
“…”
"I can jump higher than you."
“…”
"I can run faster than you."
“…”
"I can shoot better than you."
"You are so talented! It's really amazing... If you have the guts, don't compete in basketball, compete in other things!"
Zhang Hao thought about it, lowered his head, his eyes lit up, and said with his hands on his waist: "I'm older than you!"
…
Jason Williams left with his face covered in grief and anger...
While running in the sunset, Jason Williams suddenly remembered something - he went to Zhang Hao to ask for the $500 technical foul fine! He was fooled by that bastard again!
Zhang Hao found it quite interesting to quarrel with Jason Williams every training day.
This teammate once stood up for him, but he never said anything about this incident after that day, not even when they were arguing. Zhang Hao thought highly of Jason Williams because of this.
After returning to the apartment, Zhang Hao summarized what he had gained in the past few days. It was indeed a lot. Through actual combat, he gained a new understanding of the difference between catching the ball, turning around and jumping up and catching the ball, turning around and jumping up.
It's not just that a turnaround jump shot is easier to create space than a turnaround jump shot. The most important thing is the rhythm. If you really get used to the rhythm of the turnaround jump shot, it will be much more comfortable than a turnaround jump shot.
Moreover, for the turnaround jump shot, many defensive players are not used to defending this type of shooting. Top defensive players may not care about it. Zhang Hao has never encountered this after he started practicing it, so he is not sure, but it is very effective against ordinary defensive players.
After lunch at noon, Zhang Hao prepared to take a nap and went out to the gym at 1 o'clock. Suddenly, the prompt came!
"Due to the influence of the host, Chinese basketball player Wang Zhizhi has successfully joined the main team of the Georgetown University Hoyas and has met the conditions for signing a private coaching contract."
Just when Zhang Hao was confused and hadn't reacted yet, his mobile phone rang.
Zhang Hao picked up the phone and pressed the answer button. Before he could ask who it was, an excited voice came from the other end of the line.
Just by listening to the voice and language, Zhang Hao knew who it was.
"Brother Aix, that's great. I was finally selected for the main team in the last training match. I thought I would be demoted to George Mason University to play in the second-tier league like Ma Jian. That's great..."
Wang Zhizhi's muffled voice was filled with excitement, and his words became a little incoherent and his voice was clearly trembling. One could tell from his voice that he was almost crying.
Zhang Hao didn’t know what Wang Zhizhi had experienced, but thinking back on his own experience when he first arrived in the United States, he could guess a thing.
He knew what Wang Zhizhi needed most at this time, and said in a relaxed tone: "I already knew you could do it. Be more confident, and you will definitely become their star player."
If Zhang Hao's answer was congratulations, Wang Zhizhi would be very happy, but he might be too happy and would not have too many other thoughts, and perhaps he would become worried again later.
But Zhang Hao drew a pie in the sky... Drawing pie in the sky is always criticized, but we have to admit that it can easily inspire young people, especially those born in the 1970s.
Wang Zhizhi also began to imagine at this moment...
At this time, Zhang Hao said again: "The real suffering has just begun. You must be prepared to deal with it."
Wang Zhizhi stopped fantasizing after hearing this and responded, "I know, I will work hard. If it weren't for you, brother, I wouldn't have the opportunity to join the main team so soon. I know I have to rely on myself from now on."
"Me? I helped you?"
"It's like this. This morning, after I participated in the club's training match, the coach asked me to go to his office. I thought he was going to transfer me to the basketball team of the cooperating school, but he didn't expect me to be notified that I was selected for the main team. He told me that it was because of my performance in the preseason that he decided to make me the main attacking point of my team in today's training match..."
Listening to Wang Zhizhi's narration, Zhang Hao roughly understood what had happened.
So, even though Wang Zhizhi had the title of "No. 1 Center in the World Youth Championship", he did not get a chance to perform in the previous training matches.
It has been more than two months since the start of school in August! As far as Zhang Hao knows, Georgetown University has already started selecting the main players for the new season at the end of August.
Opportunity is really important. Zhang Hao didn't expect that his performance in the NBA would help Wang Zhizhi, which made him very happy.
Of course, if there is an opportunity, Wang Zhizhi must have the ability to seize it.
Fortunately, Wang Zhizhi did not get depressed despite sitting on the bench in training games for the past two months!
After chatting for a while, Wang Zhizhi got down to business: "Brother, the coach asked me to discuss something today. He asked me to choose a clear position. I don't know how to decide. I want to ask you. You know more about American basketball than the brothers in the national team. You know, I... want to enter the NBA. Brother, don't laugh at me. I really want to enter the NBA."
Zhang Hao feels so happy to hear Yao Ming calling him "big brother" over and over again. In a few years, when Brother Yao enters the NBA, will he also have to call him "big brother"?
At this moment, Zhang Hao understood why Kenny Anderson liked to be called "big brother" so much. It was really cool! The heroic spirit he had when he watched Young and Dangerous as a child came back to him - I, Zhang, am the leader of the American branch of the Chinese men's basketball team!
But he had something important to do, so he didn't have time to think about it. He asked, "What do you think your position is?"
"I also asked the coach what position I should choose. He gave me two options: one is to maintain my weight and become a traditional inside player; the other is to lose weight and become a shooting inside player. The coach analyzed the two positions for me and found that they are the most suitable for me, but each has its pros and cons..."
Wang Zhizhi told Zhang Hao the analysis of the Georgetown University head coach.
It's very simple. Wang Zhizhi is already quite heavy, weighing 116 kilograms, and he's only 18 years old. He's mainly fat, so he definitely needs to lose fat and gain muscle. However, he's used to his playing style, so the technical adjustments won't be too big after losing fat and gaining muscle.
Moreover, Wang Zhizhi is very flexible and has the footwork foundation to play as a traditional center.
The disadvantage is that Wang Zhizhi lacks explosiveness, and taking this path may cause his stock price to drop during the draft.
Wang Zhizhi's shooting talent is also visible, so another path is to go in the direction of a shooting inside player, more inclined towards power forward.
Zhang Hao feels that this is more suitable for Wang Zhizhi's NBA dream, but the problem is that the risk has increased. He will probably have to lose about 10 kilograms, and after his body has fully grown, his weight will have to be maintained at around 110 kilograms. His playing style will definitely change drastically, and his previous tonnage advantage is probably gone.
But if he wants to enter the NBA, Wang Zhizhi's weight will not have any tonnage advantage...
Zhang Hao was thinking when the subtitle prompt came again.
“If the host intervenes in Wang Zhizhi’s career positioning choice, he will complete the private coaching contract.
After signing the contract, the host must take the initiative to promise Wang Zhizhi that he can guide his growth at any time.
Training goal: Wang Zhizhi becomes a first-round pick in the NBA draft.
During the training period, the host will receive life rewards from Wang Zhizhi in terms of participating in competitions, winning competitions, receiving awards, etc. If Wang Zhizhi is successfully selected in the first round, he will receive additional rewards depending on his selection order.
Failure penalty: If Wang Zhizhi fails to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft after his college basketball career, the host's life bonus received during this period will be doubled. "