warrior godfather

Chapter 218 "General Manager" Zhang Yu

Jeremy Lin was taken aback for a moment. He didn't expect that Coach Z would recognize him as an undrafted pick. Immediately he said excitedly
"No matter how Ning taught the nest, it will be engraved with..."

"You don't speak Chinese very well?" Zhang Yu laughed.

Jeremy Lin scratched his head in embarrassment, and switched to English:
"I grew up in the United States, and I just learned how to speak Chinese from my parents, so I can't speak Chinese very well, but I can practice..."

He knew that Zhang Yu was from Huaxia, and he was worried that he would be dissatisfied.

Zhang Yu smiled and said:

"Although you are of Chinese descent, you are an American. You don't need to practice your Chinese so well. Playing well is what you should do."

Jeremy Lin nodded repeatedly, but still decided to learn Chinese with his parents when he returned home. How could he not take advantage of this good opportunity to get closer to the boss?
"Jeremy, play well, you should also know that Kyle went to the Raptors, CJ didn't choose to stay, and Steph lacked a backup point guard. If you perform well enough, this position is yours. Of course, If you do not meet the requirements, I will not give you preferential treatment because of your Chinese identity, it all depends on your performance, understand?" Zhang Yu said slowly.

Jeremy Lin solemnly said:

"I will definitely seize this opportunity, and you will see how I perform."

Zhang Yu patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction:

"Very well, come on, if you have suffered any discriminatory treatment in the Warriors, tell me, and I will help you decide."

Jeremy Lin said with a little gratitude:
"Thank you."

Although he was born in a middle-class family, Chinese Americans are at the bottom of the chain of racial discrimination in the United States. Jeremy Lin’s basketball journey is not going so smoothly. Part of the reason is that people generally believe that Chinese Americans are weak and lack talent. As for losing, there will definitely be teams willing to scratch the lottery with a second-round pick.

Jeremy Lin has the same physical talent as the blacks, as well as mature skills. He is an excellent immediate combat power, but no team is willing to give him a chance. This is an unbelievable thing.

After all, in Zhang Yu’s previous life, even though Jeremy Lin experienced a season-ending injury in the Knicks, he could still perform very well in the Hornets. The Nets were willing to give him the position of the main point guard. , his career has been devastated, and Jeremy Lin will definitely be able to gain a long-term foothold in the NBA.

Zhang Yu then briefly exchanged a few words with other players before coming to Clay and Green:

"Play well. The coaching staff has formulated tactics that suit you. After the summer league, the coaching staff will also arrange training plans for you. The summer league is a place to test your level. Don't pay too much attention to winning or losing."

The two nodded in agreement. They are first-round picks and have already signed a 4-year contract with the team. Their mentality is completely different from the undrafted draft picks and free agents of the same teammates. Their goal is not to play luxurious statistics, but to play in a Higher than the NCAA, and slightly lower than the NBA's confrontational intensity to show their true level, and to improve themselves in the summer can also allow the coaching staff to arrange the most suitable tactics for them.

After communicating with the players, Zhang Yu told Silas, who led the team to play in the summer league:

"Fight according to the established tactics. If there is anything that goes wrong, please contact me in time."

"Don't worry, Ronan, as long as your judgment is correct, nothing will go wrong." Silas glanced at Jeremy Lin.

Zhang Yu smiled slightly:
"Jeremy's value will only be reflected in the game, and you will find out later."

Silas said dubiously:
"hope so……"

Afterwards, Zhang Yu left the court and returned to the office, leaving all these players to Silas.

Silas immediately organized a training match, but except for a few Warriors, the others were playing together for the first time, and there was no tacit understanding at all. The game was very simple, full of a lot of singles. Nothing of value came out, and Silas stopped the game from time to time to explain tactics, and the training match went on and on.

This 30-minute training game lasted for two hours, but the players in each position understood his own responsibilities, and Silas didn't have to lead a bunch of uncooperative players to the game.

Zhang Yu didn't make it difficult for them either. He didn't arrange for Green to deal cards at the top of the arc, and the others crossed screens and figure-eight runs. Instead, they focused on pick-and-roll offense, which is considered simple in an NCAA team.

But in this way, the requirements for point guards are very high.

In the training match, Jeremy Lin was surprised to find that his offensive role seemed to be a bit high, but...he liked it very much.

……

Zhang Yu returned to the office and didn't care about the summer league anymore. He had already taken the general manager's job, and he couldn't take away the assistant coach's job.

Tuk Tuk Tuk.

Not long after he sat down, there was a knock on the door.

"Please come in."

The door opened, and Larry Riley entered the room, came to the table, and said:
"Boss, the contracts of Anderson and Jedrunas have both expired, and their agents expressed their willingness to renew their contracts with the team. Look..."

"Anderson is not in the team's future plan. You reject his agent and let him go find another home. If Zidrunas is willing, we can give him a veteran's basic salary contract. He is still at a certain moment. If he can come in handy and has experience, he can help young players grow, if his asking price is too high, forget it.” Zhang Yu said indifferently.

Larry Riley nodded:
"okay, I get it."

He was prepared for this answer. The boss didn't instruct him to negotiate a contract extension before the free agent market opened, so the meaning is obvious.

"Then we still lack a starting player at the power forward position, and the center may also lack a qualified substitute. Do you want to make a trade?" Larry Riley asked.

Zhang Yu thought for a while and replied:

"We don't have a shortage of power forward, but we do need a backup center... Well, you can ask Petrie to see if he's willing to take this year's second-round pick, Whiteside Germany."

Petrie is the general manager of the Kings.

Larry Riley said with some surprise:
"Then who will be the starting power forward? Anthony?"

"No, he is more suitable as a substitute."

"That's Drummond? Is it too early for him?" Larry Riley wondered.

He knows how much the boss attaches importance to Green, otherwise he would not have gone to Michigan on Christmas Eve, but he himself is not very optimistic about Green, this kind of striker known as "all-around", except James and a few others, there is no A few are doing well in the NBA.

"Believe me, Drummond will be happy to accept this challenge." Zhang Yu laughed.

Of course, who doesn't want to start the league as soon as he enters the league? If it were me, I would also accept it. The key is whether he can play well...

Larry Riley complained secretly in his heart, but on the surface he replied as usual:
"I'm going to communicate with the agent of Anderson and Jedrunas, but I heard that Whiteside's scouting report mentioned that he can't maintain concentration during the game. Is this a hidden danger? "

Zhang Yu narrowed his eyes, tapped the table with his knuckles, and fell into deep thought.

This kind of label similar to "ADHD" is very fatal to young players. This is also one of the biggest reasons why Whiteside's forecast before the draft was the 14th pick, but he fell to the second round.

In addition, Marshall University, where Whiteside is located, did not make it to March Madness, and his age is one or two years older than his peers. This is why he was selected by the Kings with the 33rd overall pick in the final round.

"I've seen Whiteside's game video, this is not a big problem, don't worry about it will affect his future development, you go to test Petri's attitude towards Whiteside first, don't rush to give chips. "Zhang Yu said slowly.

"Okay, I see." Larry Riley understood.

July is here, and it's time for the general managers to fight each other again, but this year he doesn't need to worry about it. Zhang Yu can decide everything by himself, and he is only responsible for the execution.

Larry Riley is very fortunate. Although he does not have the decision-making power in the hands of the general managers of other teams, he does not have to bear any responsibilities. Moreover, Zhang Yu usually does not have strict control over the executive level. He is living a very nourishing life now.

Look at that guy, Danny Ferry, two months ago he was the best general manager of the year, high-spirited and triumphant, and now he has been scolded bloody by Cavaliers fans.

Larry Riley is different. Even if there is a problem with the trade draft, the fans will only criticize Zhang Yu and will not scold him. Of course, he will not be credited for the credit. After all, he is only responsible for the specific execution work.

Today, he took advantage of the opportunity of the free agent market not long ago to solve most of the matters of this offseason.

"Tyson's contract expires in one year, do you want to renew it early?" Larry Riley asked another question.

"Yes!" Zhang Yu said without hesitation, "Go talk to his agent and focus on Tyson's potential injuries, age and functional limitations."

"Is there a bottom line?" Larry Riley asked.

"When will the salary cap for next season be announced?" Zhang Yu asked after pondering for a moment.

"There are...five days." Larry Riley recalled.

"You go to communicate first, and then discuss this issue after the league announces the salary cap." Zhang Yu said while rubbing his forehead.

The work of the head coach has come to an end. He is now the de facto general manager of the Warriors. He doesn't need to watch so many game videos, but he is even more tired.

Subsequently, Larry Riley and Zhang Yu discussed the contracts of several other fringe people. CJ Watson's agent has informed Larry Riley that he will not renew his contract with the Warriors.

Speaking of it, Watson is also unlucky. He originally saw the shortage of Warriors guards and wanted to use a one-year basic salary contract of 100 million US dollars to play good numbers and fight for a big contract. As a result, the Warriors suddenly changed hands. Zhang Yu chose Come to Curry, trade to Lowry, these two are iron men, Watson, as the third choice of the team's point guard position, can only guard the drinking fountains on the bench.

Now that the contract expired, he immediately fled this sad place.

In addition, Wesley Matthews' agent has been jumping up and down recently. He thinks that Matthews' salary is a bit low compared to his performance, and he wants to sign a five-year $3000 million contract with the Warriors in advance. .

Zhang Yu has some impressions of this agent. Last summer, Reggie Williams and Anthony Toliver both signed with a three-year minimum salary. Only Matthews signed with a two-year minimum salary. It seems that Matthews himself, or he His agent has great confidence in him, and he just uses the Warriors as a springboard to fight for a big contract.

And his performance this season is really not bad. He played 82 games with full attendance, averaged 20.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steal in 1 minutes per game, and his three-point shooting rate reached 38.2%. Demonstrated impressive strength.

"Then let's list Matthews... No, talk to him. This contract can be signed, but the period is too long. You talked about 1000 million for two years." Zhang Yu said coldly.

"This..." Larry Riley was slightly surprised.

"I know your concerns. The price of a backup small forward is a bit inflated, and Jimmy's salary is lower than him. I will not do stupid things that disrupt the salary structure. Next season, I will put Wesley on the starting lineup. Brush up his statistics and trade him away, you can now pay attention to those teams that lack small forwards, and I will 'tailor-made' tactics for Wesley." Zhang Yu said lightly.

Listening to Zhang Yu's indifferent voice, Larry Riley thought of Biedrins, but before trading Biedrins, Zhang Yu had communicated with him, and now it seems that Matthews will not have this kind of treatment .

In addition to Matthews, Reggie Williams also had a small problem, but it was not about the contract. He signed a three-year contract, and he did not have any player or team options. Instead, several teams asked if they could Get him by trade.

"Is Reggie so popular?" Zhang Yu asked in amazement.

"Of course, Reggie played full-time last season. In 23.4 minutes, he scored 11.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He also shot 49.5% from the field and 35.9% from the three-point range. The high-level data is also very good, has the ability of single defense, and still has a basic salary, how can such a player not be sought after?" Larry Riley explained.

Under the influence of Zhang Yu, Larry Riley also likes to speak with data more and more.

"Boss, I really don't know where you found so many cheap and easy-to-use players. The contracts of Wesley, Reggie, and Anthony are all super value contracts, and their strength is higher than that of players with a basic salary." Larry Riley said with admiration.

Zhang Yu was immune to his flattery, pondered for a while, and said:
"Go and listen to their offer. If the chips are right, Reggie can trade."

The Warriors have too many forwards and guards. As long as the price is right, Zhang Yu doesn't mind changing things back.

"Is there anything else?" Zhang Yu asked, looking at the time.

"No more." Larry Riley shook his head.

"Go ahead, let me know if there is any progress, and keep an eye on the summer league." Zhang Yu ordered.

"No problem, boss."

　Thanks Yu Qingfeng for the reward!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)