Volume 1 Western Cowboy Chapter 85 Time Bomb Under the Desk
"Bond Mission: Fuck those sissies of Piston.
Mission objective: After the regular season begins, win the first match against the Pistons with Artest.
Mission Reward: Establish a bond with Ron Artest."
Looking at the task before him, Wayne was a little panicked.
I thought the system would let me date Sharapova, but I didn't expect it would let me date Artest!
Well, it seems this is a serious basketball system. It doesn't deal with life matters.
And...it turns out that a bond can be established directly this way.
In other words, completing tasks is the fastest way to gain bonds.
Sure enough, this bond value cannot be simply and crudely equated to the personal relationship between two people, but increasing the personal relationship can also increase the bond.
After all, feelings are something that cannot be quantified.
This is good. Wayne was originally worried that he would need more sworn brothers...
This task is not that difficult, it is just troublesome.
You have to pay attention to Artest's emotions at all times, while also trying your best to win the game.
Wayne felt like he had become a complete dad.
Oh, by the way, the Pistons also have Rashid who is ready to kill him at any time.
It's so fucking wonderful!
Regardless, this mission must be accomplished to the best of one's ability.
Because you should be able to get more useful defensive badges from Artest.
Even though Artest seems crazy now, his best defensive player award last season was real.
You are the second tool after Tony!
Tony: Aren't we brothers?
It seems that the game at the Palace of Auburn Hills in the new season will be the starting point of the butterfly effect.
After putting the lucky tennis ball in his pocket, Wayne took a taxi back to the hotel.
It's time to end this trip to New York.
Back in Indianapolis, Wayne continued his training as planned.
Anyway, I have the "Man of Steel" badge, so I am so tough and so willful.
If you can’t practice until you die, then practice until you die.
Since there is not much time left before the start of preseason training camp, Wayne also received the support of the Pacers this time, and several trainers were sent to him.
Among them is Dutch center Rick Schmitz, who retired four years ago.
As a special guest trainer, he mainly coaches Wayne on inside offensive skills until the start of the new season.
Although Bird mainly wanted Wayne to play as a small forward, he also found that Wayne basically had no back-to-the-basket offense and did not play at all.
It’s okay that he doesn’t have a back-to-the-basket position when playing in the interior, after all, Wayne is still very thin now.
But if the smaller player is out of position and can't play with his back to the basket, it would be very disappointing.
So, Bird thought Wayne should know a few tricks, so he found such a teacher for Wayne.
Rick Smits was the second overall pick in the 1988 draft and was considered the second-in-command of the Pacers in the mid-to-late 1990s. He was the team's strongest star besides Miller.
When Yao Ming first participated in the draft, his template was this Dutch center.
He is a typical European big man, 2.24 meters tall, with a soft touch and delicate inside skills. The only problem is that his physical fitness is a bit lacking and his playing style is soft.
Although he is not a superstar, his performance throughout his career has been very stable. From his rookie season to the year he retired, he averaged double-digit scoring contributions every season.
He averaged 18.5 points per game in his peak season and was selected to the All-Star Game in the 1997-98 season. He was once a well-known figure in this cornfield.
Although Schmitz was not very well-known in the era when the four big centers dominated the inside, his strength is indeed worthy of praise.
Being a teacher is more than enough.
And when it comes to learning, not only the teacher is important, the students are also important.
"Da Meng" is so awesome, but not everyone can teach him to be like that.
Schmitz originally didn’t want to teach a rookie. After retiring, he has devoted himself to his favorite sport of motocross.
Well, a 2.24-meter-tall man riding an off-road motorcycle in the mud is a scene that is simply unimaginable.
That motorcycle might be driven like a truck.
However, because Bird personally invited him, the Dutchman agreed to come and help the child.
Schmitz has great respect for Bird.
In the first few seasons of his career, Schmitz was tepid with the Pacers.
It was Bird's arrival and his excellent use of him that allowed Schmitz to have a brief peak.
Because Bird himself has average physical fitness, he is very good at using players with less than outstanding physical fitness after becoming a coach.
Without Bird, Schmitz might not have had that All-Star appearance.
I have to say that the face of a celebrity is still quite valuable.
In this way, Wayne's low-post offensive skills finally made some progress.
Finally, the day before the Pacers' preseason training camp started, Wayne stepped on the scale and found that his weight had reached 105.2 kilograms.
The weight gain plan was a huge success!
"Great, all you have to do for the rest of the season is maintain this weight!" Mancias looked at his results, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
At this time, Mancias took out a newspaper from a few months ago. On it was a photo of Wayne in the March Madness tournament.
Wayne picked up the photo and compared it to his reflection in the mirror.
It’s so big, so thick and so huge!
"You have gained weight successfully, but you have to rest for the next month. If you get injured before the new season starts, it will not be worth it."
"Yeah, don't worry Mike, I feel fine." Wayne looked at himself in the mirror and nodded.
I guess Rashid wouldn't recognize me when he sees me.
In addition to weight, Wayne's other attributes have also increased significantly during this period of training.
The strength has naturally improved greatly, reaching 65. Coupled with Karl Malone's iron elbow, it is estimated that Rashid Lash will be exhausted.
In the low-post attack, he followed Schmitz's method and also had 52 points.
It’s not that great, but Wayne is now pretty good at making turnaround jump shots in the three-second zone.
The range of low-post offense is too broad, and Wayne's score is probably a comprehensive result .
He estimated that his close-range turnaround jump shot was at least 60 or 70 points.
Don't ask, the only question is shooting talent.
In terms of ball control, I have just reached level 50.
If you want to be like AI and Irving, who use butterfly steps to harvest ankles, it is indeed not possible.
But he can basically play with some simple dribbling breakthroughs and basic changes of direction.
Wayne discovered that controlling the ball was not just about increasing his dribbling proficiency. His abilities in quick stop jump shots and fake shots combined with real drives also seemed to have improved a lot.
Due to the increase in strength and weight, as well as training, the interior defense has increased to 61.
Then Wayne also found out that... the dunk god's score increased by 3 points...
Could it be that I jumped higher than before?
But increasing these 3 points seems to be of no use.
But...it's good that it has increased, thanks to Mr. Sun Zhengping. In the eyes of Chinese fans, Wayne is a beastly power forward who plays in the sky.
This wave of holiday upgrades is considered a relatively large upgrade, increasing the values of 5 attributes at one time.
But Wayne also discovered that attributes like three-pointers, blocks, and physical fitness, which were already relatively high, seemed difficult to train and could basically only be achieved by adding points.
Wayne guessed there might be two reasons.
First, the lower the attribute, the easier it is to practice. If the attribute is too high, it will be very difficult to break through the bottleneck.
Second, due to Wayne's own natural limitations, some attributes can only be reached at a certain level through training.
It's just like Teacher Tony. Even if you train him to lie still, he will never become Kurtis.
Yes, if Wayne can become a superstar by training on his own, then why does he need a system?
Therefore, this type of attribute can basically only be achieved by adding points.
In other words, the higher the attributes, the more difficult it will be to improve them through training.
If you want to break through the bottleneck, you still have to rely on krypton!
But then again, training also earns growth points, and the higher the level of training, the more growth points you get.
The growth points gained from playing games alone are not enough to fill the gaps.
So even if Wayne can no longer improve on his own in the future, training cannot stop.
This is a vicious cycle.
There's nothing I can do about it, I'm destined to be a gym rat.
Wayne probably won't be able to achieve the ultimate achievement of retiring his jersey in a nightclub.
Oh, what a pity...
But overall, this summer's efforts have not been in vain.
The preseason training camp will begin tomorrow, and Wayne’s NBA career will officially begin!
I feel a little excited when I think about it.
In the afternoon, Wayne returned home early.
He bought a small two-story house in the northern part of Indianapolis. It wasn't a mansion, but it was certainly more comfortable than a college dormitory.
Since Wayne doesn't have a driver's license, Mike Mancias temporarily works part-time as Wayne's driver.
Well, I have to solve the car problem in the near future. As an NBA player, I use my trainer's car every day. I'm not afraid of being laughed at if I tell others...
On the way home, Wayne saw posters of himself on street billboards more than once.
I have to say that Nike has done a really good job in advertising.
Another reason is that Indiana citizens are really passionate about basketball, so basketball-related advertisements are very popular in the market.
“Basketball was invented in Massachusetts, but basketball was invented for Indiana.”
There is some truth in what he said.
I had just got home and hadn't even sat down comfortably when Aunt Jenny called to say that the press release had been sent to my email.
Tomorrow is the first day of pre-season training camp. Reporters will definitely have a lot of random questions. Jenny simulated more than a hundred questions and perfect answers like guessing questions for the college entrance examination, so that Wayne has time to look at them...
As soon as Wayne saw those words, he felt sleepy.
Well, no need to worry about being too excited to sleep tonight.
So, Okafor must be very good at carrying this thing.
Not everyone can be Mr. Perfect.
Just as Wayne was about to start studying Aunt Jenny's manuscript, his newly purchased Motorola E680 rang.
This phone has a touch screen and a stylus, which is extremely advanced in this era.
I looked at the caller ID and it was Tony.
You missed me so soon? You are worthy of being sworn brothers! Well, although I was tricked into becoming sworn brothers.
Wayne answered the phone, and then Tony's boastful voice was immediately heard from the other end.
"Hahahaha, Wayne, how are you doing in the big cornfield?"
"It's okay, it's just that my posters are all over the city." Wayne said this on purpose, because Tony always mocked him with the Indianapolis issue.
"Oh my, this is incredible. Do you know what I gained today? I'll tell you so you don't get jealous."
Even through the phone, Wayne could imagine Tony's annoying expression.
Before Wayne could say anything, Tony couldn't wait to announce the answer himself.
"Today was the first day I met Paul Pierce, and he gave me a Czech leopard watch worth $30,000. I felt embarrassed to refuse it, so I accepted it. How about it? Should I send you a photo?"
"This..." Wayne really didn't expect that Pierce would be so generous?
"Don't be envious. I'm looking forward to the news of your first meeting with your teammates, Wayne. I believe that the guys from the Pacers will definitely treat you well.
After all, the Pacers are the gentlest team in the league."
Wayne was speechless. How come Tony became a Yin-Yang master after going to Boston?
Although I knew he was joking, I still wanted to hit him.
After hanging up the phone, Wayne was no longer interested in reading the interview transcript.
It’s better to go to bed early and start the day full of energy tomorrow.
As for the interview... well, just answer as you like.
Early the next morning, Wayne took Mancias' car to Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
When Wayne walked into the locker room, several people were already there, including O'Neal Jr.
In Wayne's impression, O'Neal Jr. was also a very fierce and violent guy.
But surprisingly, O'Neal was very kind when he saw Wayne. His baby face was also very likable.
"Hey, Waci-Ap, Wayne. Welcome to join our team, let's fight side by side this season." As soon as he entered the door, O'Neal enthusiastically high-fived and hugged Wayne.
Led by O'Neal, others also bumped fists with Wayne.
It is not difficult to see that O'Neal wants to take the initiative to assume the responsibility of locker room leader.
After all, Miller is old and Artest is unreliable, so the most suitable person to be the next leader is O'Neal.
He is indeed working towards this direction.
"Hello everyone." Wayne nodded friendly. This place didn't seem as scary as he had imagined.
"Wade, did you see what was written on the locker room door?" At this time, O'Neal Jr. pointed above the locker room door.
Wayne then discovered that there was a sentence written on the wall of the locker room door: "Don't let your teammates down."
This is the Pacers' locker room motto.
It's like the Celtics' saying: "Which hurts more? Working hard or having regrets?"
"Remember, on the basketball court, we are a whole. Only when the five of us make a fist can we be lethal. Haha, relax, change your clothes and get ready for training.
Your locker is on the right, next to Ron."
After saying that, O'Neal patted Wayne on the shoulder.
It has to be said that the image of O'Neal Jr. in Wayne's mind has undergone a 180-degree change.
So, it is really easy for some people to have misunderstandings if they don't actually have contact with others.
After a while, most of the Pacers went to the locker room. Even Miller, who was nearly 40 years old, and new player "Martial Saint" Jackson walked in leisurely.
However, at this time, the owner of the cabinet next to Wayne still did not appear.
"Where is Ron?" O'Neal frowned, obviously unhappy.
He and Artest haven't spoken to each other since the game last season, so they have been holding a grudge for a long time.
Miller shrugged, as if he was used to it, "Don't worry about him, he'll show up later."
Led by old Miller, the teammates changed into their jerseys and walked towards the training ground.
On the court, head coach Rick Carlisle and assistant coach Mike Brown were waiting for everyone.
Wayne discovered that the atmosphere of this championship team was indeed somewhat subtle.
On the surface, everyone is united in their desire to win the championship again. But under the table, a bomb seems to be counting down at any time.
Just as Carlisle was about to speak, the "tennis master" pushed open the door of the training hall and walked in with a swagger, as if he didn't realize there was anything wrong with his lateness.
"You're late, Ron." Carlisle shouted forcefully.
"Yeah, sorry coach, let's start." Artest stood in the crowd with a playful smile, just next to Wayne.
"Wow, you've gotten a lot stronger, Wayne." Artest looked at Wayne approvingly.
"Yeah, the training worked."
"But you're still too thin. Let's play a couple of games later so you can get used to the intensity of the NBA. I told you I'll test you in person before the season starts, right?"
After Artest finished speaking, he winked at Wayne.
This... has to happen on the first day?
Sure enough, the teammates here are the most gentle in the entire league.
