warrior godfather

"That's good, it can save a lot of money..." Larry Riley nodded.

He didn't know whether Zhang Yu could find a small forward of Butler's level seamlessly as he said, but the fact that Zhang Yu never lost sight of him in the past made him choose to believe in his magical boss.

"Do you have any ideas about the renewal of other people's contracts?" Zhang Yu asked.

Larry Riley thought for a while and said:

"It depends on who you want to keep. Yi and Danny must at least get the mini middle class. Anthony only needs a basic salary. Tony must get the full middle class. After all, his resume is there. Jeremy's contract is hard to say. , He played very well in the regular season, faintly showing the stance of being the best sixth man, but he was a little sluggish in the playoffs, especially in the general game against the Heat. Jeremy's presence is not very high, and his market Hard to say……"

Zhang Yu nodded slightly while listening. These players are players who can sign contract extensions this summer. Among them, Danny Green, Yi Jianlian and Anthony Toliver have expired contracts. Tony Allen and Jeremy Lin still have a contract. year expires.

"Yi must stay. He is still young and will continue to improve. His three-pointers, finishing and mobility are very suitable for the team's tactics. Danny's three-pointers and defense are good. He is a strong addition to the back line. He offered a contract extension, but if other teams offer him too high, forget it.” Zhang Yu said.

Larry Riley laughed and said:

"Don't worry about it. Danny didn't have too many opportunities to play last season. Tony was mainly playing the second position on the bench. Few teams have ideas for Danny. The mini-middle class is definitely enough. Yi's contract is a little bit It's difficult, he's still young, and he's a very scarce space-type four in the league, and there's a vast Chinese market behind him, Dan Feigen contacted me, and he asked for a full middle-class position..."

Zhang Yu frowned slightly:

"Full middle class? He can talk! I'll talk to Yi later, it's definitely not what he meant."

Larry Riley nodded and said:
"I think so. Dan Feigen has always been a lion. Yi's strength is really good, but he is still not capable of starting. It's just average...”

Zhang Yu smiled and said:

"You don't need to explain, Yi is my compatriot, but I won't give him a big contract because of this, business is business, you just talk to Dan Fagan, and I will talk to Yi about the rest."

"It couldn't be better." Larry Riley also laughed.

Zhang Yu traded for Yi Jianlian and signed Jeremy Lin. Although both of them performed well, he was really worried that Zhang Yu would treat them differently because they were from Huaxia.

But Zhang Yu is very aware of Yi Jianlian's shortcomings. He often followed Yi Jianlian's games in his previous life, and now he has directly become Yi Jianlian's coach and knows him very well.

Yi Jianlian has played in the Warriors for the past two years, and he has made great progress. He has transformed into a space-type fourth position suitable for the small ball era. It is more suitable to be a substitute, and it can also be used as a starter in some big teams, but the upper limit is nothing more than that.

The mini-middle class is very suitable for Yi Jianlian's market conditions. If there is a team willing to offer a better contract for the Chinese market behind Yi Jianlian, Zhang Yu also welcomes Yi Jianlian to go out and practice. Anyway, he already has a championship, and as long as Zhang Yu is there, The Warriors will not lack Chinese fans.

But with Yi Jianlian's personality that likes stability, if the contract difference is not too big, he will definitely choose to stay in the Warriors.

……

"Then Anthony and Tony's contract extension..." Larry Riley asked.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said:

"Anthony should not renew his contract. His defense is too poor, he only has one three-pointer, and he can't play in regular time. Drummond and Yi at the fourth position are enough. If there is a real shortage, Kawhi and Jimmy can be used. Even JaMychal Green on top, we're playing small lineups anyway."

"Tony doesn't want to renew his contract. His defense is very good, but his offense is too poor. He is only suitable for being used as a defensive spearhead against outside stars at certain moments. The limitations are too great. Clay's defense will definitely get better and better. At that time, there is no need for him to be a defensive spearhead, let him go for another year, and Danny should be able to replace him by then."

Larry Riley nodded in agreement:

"Okay, Tony's shooting is really bad. It would be great if his three-pointers were more accurate... What about Jeremy? He's doing a good job as a backup point guard and has been improving."

"As for Jeremy..." Zhang Yu rubbed his chin and frowned slightly, "The contract he wants is not small, right?"

"At least 600 million a year, the attitude is very firm."

Zhang Yu frowned more and more tightly:
"Jeremy played really well last season, especially during the period when Stephen was injured. He had several high-profile performances. Now that we have won the championship again, it should be that other teams have approached him..."

"He still has a one-year contract, and the initiative is still in our hands." Larry Riley reminded.

Zhang Yu's brows stretched out:
"Then you talk to his agent first, you can give the full middle class, but the time can't be too long, the contract can be signed for three years at most, it's the best if you can negotiate it, if you can't negotiate it, wait until next year, and the contract between Yi and Danny should be done as much as possible The signing should be longer, and the exact amount is up to you, and it can fluctuate a bit around the mini-middle class, but it should not be too far away.”

"No problem, I know what to do." Larry Riley nodded.

The question of contract renewal came to an end, and Zhang Yu asked about the rookie contract again:

"What about the contracts of Khris Middleton and JaMychal Green? They should be signed tomorrow, right?"

"It has been negotiated. According to the league standard, Khris Middleton's contract is a four-year minimum salary, and the next two years are team options. JaMychal Green's contract is three years according to the previous team's practice of signing second-round picks. Fully guaranteed basic salary." Larry Riley replied.

Zhang Yu nodded slowly:

"Yes, the summer league will be played soon. Pay attention to Kent Bazemore's performance. If possible, you can give him a contract at that time, just like JaMychal Green's contract."

"No problem." Larry Riley nodded.

"By the way," he asked again, "the general managers of several teams contacted me to ask if the team had any players they wanted to trade, focusing on Klay, Drummond and Kawhi. rookie..."

"Do they regard me as Mark Cuban, or the Warriors as the Mavericks? You tell them that we will not make any trades this year, and I want to keep the entire championship lineup!" Zhang Yu said angrily.

Larry Riley nodded, and then said with some puzzlement:

"Don't you reinforce? The Heat signed Ray Allen with 3 million in 1200 years. It is said that Ray Allen also gave up the Celtics' generous offer of 2 million in 1200 years with the right to veto the transaction. If we don't move , won't it be a little bit too big?"

Zhang Yu waved his hand and said with a smile:
"Don't worry, the Heat did a good job with this deal. Ray Allen is still strong and has rich experience, which is very useful in the playoffs. But we are a young team, and our strength will improve every year. There is no need to sign veterans. , This will suppress the growth of rookies in the team, as long as the core lineup can be kept stable and some low-ranking rookies are added every year, it is enough."

Larry Riley came to a sudden, no longer entangled in the issue of reinforcement, he fell into inertial thinking, championship teams are generally dominated by veterans, with a lot of mobility, but he forgot that the Warriors are one of the youngest teams in the league One, stability is what the team needs most.

"Is there any other situation in the trading market that deserves more attention?" Zhang Yu asked.

Larry Riley sorted out his thoughts and said:
"Since the Heat have signed Ray Allen, they probably won't dismantle the Big Three, and there has been no news about it. Next year, the Heat will only be stronger, and they will still be the biggest favorites to break out of the Eastern Conference."

Zhang Yu nodded and said:
"The Big Three are not so easy to form successfully. Even if Pat Riley has not won the championship for two consecutive years, it is impossible for Pat Riley to dismantle the Big Three in advance, unless he has a better choice."

"Wouldn't the Heat be like the Celtics, and they can always maintain the strength of the championship?"

"Not necessarily. If the Heat lose again next year, whether the Big Three can continue to be maintained is uncertain. James didn't really go to the Heat to play brother basketball. What he wants is a championship. If the Heat can't give him a championship, He will definitely leave the Heat and go to the next place where he thinks he can win the championship." Zhang Yu said.

Larry Riley nodded, then changed the topic:
"Karnett and the Celtics have renewed their contract. The contract has not been revealed yet, but from what I have heard, it should be 3 years and 3400 million. Danny Ainge is generous enough, but Ray Allen is gone. , The strength of the Celtics has dropped a lot, and the possibility of rushing out of the East is very low."

Zhang Yu sneered:
"Look at it, Danny Ainge is now giving Garnett a big contract, and he will be traded out in the blink of an eye."

Larry Riley nodded in agreement:

"I believe that, he can definitely do this kind of thing... Howard and the Magic completely fell out, and he was put on the shelf by the Magic, but he also said that no matter which team he is traded to, he will try after the end of next season. There is no free agent market, so the deal about him is still in the inquiry stage, and there should be no results in a short time, but the Lakers really want to introduce Howard, and there may be a deal involving multiple parties."

Zhang Yu nodded, and Howard still walked on the destined path. If there is no accident, he will still be sent by the Magic to the Lakers, who are eager to strengthen, and this will also be the beginning of his wandering from now on.

"Apart from the Lakers, are there any other teams in the West?" Zhang Yu asked.

"The Thunder is negotiating a contract extension with Brooks, and it should be about to be negotiated; the Spurs and Duncan have renewed their contracts for 3 years and 3600 million; Griffin and the Clippers have reached a super-maximum contract extension, and the Clippers also renewed Billup Kidd and the Mavericks continued for 3 years and 900 million; the others are some small transactions... By the way, Andre came back from Russia and signed a two-year contract with the Timberwolves. Roy also announced his comeback in the Timberwolves. He recovered well enough that the Timberwolves should be very competitive next season." Larry Riley talked eloquently.

"Don't worry about the Timberwolves, Roy's injury is irreversible, and Andre's gas tank doesn't have much fuel left. The Timberwolves can't do anything but work hard. If they want to make it to the playoffs, they have to at least play again. Wait ten years!" Zhang Yu said.

He paused, and then ordered again:
"You should pay more attention to the trading market and the situation of free agents. Although we don't need to make big deals, minor repairs and repairs are still inevitable. Anthony left and his height dropped a little. We still need to sign a center with a basic salary as a precaution. required if"

If there is a suitable candidate, you can sign as appropriate. "

Larry Riley was overjoyed, and quickly agreed. Although this is only the right to sign a player with a basic salary, it is also very rare for him, a "tool man".

"But don't be too anxious. You can meet Steve Kerr with me tomorrow. If there is no accident, he should be the team's first assistant coach for the new season. I will ask his opinion when the time comes. "Zhang Yu said.

Larry Riley laughed and said:

"No problem, Steve is also my old acquaintance. When he was the general manager of the Suns before, he still wanted to trade Stoudemire for the No. 7 pick in my hand to pick Stephen. He should be very suitable for this position. !"

……

The next day, Zhang Yu and Larry Riley met Cole who came to Oakland for an interview in the conference room of the Oracle Center.

In addition, Ron Adams and Fraser were also sitting in the conference room, and they would also be part of the interview team to evaluate Cole's professionalism.

Zhang Yu and Cole made an appointment for this interview. After the finals, Zhang Yu got in touch with Cole and asked him if he would be the assistant coach of the Warriors. Cole gave Zhang Yu an affirmative answer a day later. , Only then did I have this interview.

Zhang Yu was not at all surprised by Cole's answer. Without his invitation, Cole would also be the head coach in a few years. This time without the Warriors competing, the Knicks should be able to get their wish.

He just sent an invitation to Cole two years in advance, and Cole, who has served as the general manager of the Suns and once led a team, is obviously not reconciled to sitting in the commentary booth all the time as a commentator.

However, at this time, Cole had just stepped down as the general manager of the Suns not long ago, and the outside world remembered the Suns' rather failed team operations very clearly. Not very much in his eyes.

Fortunately, the Warriors won the championship this year. The gold content of the champion assistant coach and the strong team assistant coach is very different. This is one of the reasons why Kerr agreed to come to the Warriors.

Originally, he wanted to accompany his son to finish high school and send him to college, but Zhang Yu's attitude was very sincere, and Cole also had a strong interest in the Warriors' passing and cutting style, so he accepted this position.

Today's interview is not really to examine Cole's professional ability. Zhang Yu knows Cole's coaching ability and characteristics better than anyone else, but Cole has no professional experience related to head coaches before. Convinced of Cole's ability, he arranged this interview.

Kerr's preparations were really adequate. He prepared thirty pages of A4 papers in detail, including the technical characteristics of each Warriors player, the advantages and disadvantages of the Warriors' tactical system and lineup structure, and the strengths and weaknesses of the team's road trip. Disciplinary requirements, rules for players using mobile phones in the locker room, if a player is absent from the game, whether to train before or after the game, etc., are all-encompassing, detailed to the point of cumbersome, let Ron Adams, Frey Ze and Larry Riley were amazed.

After Cole spent almost an hour talking about the materials he had prepared, Zhang Yu said with a smile:
"Steve, you came prepared."

Cole drank half a glass of water, suppressed the feeling of thirst, and said with a smile:

"Of course, I've always been interested in the job of coaching. I have consulted with Jeff Van Gundy and Philip Saunders before. They have both worked with me. I learned a lot about coaching from them. Experience, if I had to prepare myself, I don't even know what to say."

He spoke very frankly, with a friendly and natural smile, making it easy for people to feel good about him. Ron Adams said with a smile:
"Steve, you just said that you like the team's defensive counterattack very much, have you thought about how to further improve the team's defense? I want to hear the specific approach."

"Ron, this is your job, right? I can't steal the show." Cole said.

Zhang Yu smiled and said:

"Steve, you are the first assistant coach, and you have to think about defense, but it doesn't matter."

Cole cleared his throat and said:

"The team's defensive system is already great, with Tyson and Drummond on the inside, Jimmy and Clay on the outside, almost no shortcomings, and the unlimited rotation of the five small lineups is even more eye-catching. It is also robust enough that no major changes are required..."

"But there are still some details that I think can be done better, such as more use of zone defense, which will have a miraculous effect against opponents who are not good enough in tactics; , You can boldly cut the connection between the opponent's star and the role player. I know that the team has been doing this, but it is a bit conservative. It can completely reduce the height, increase the speed, induce the opponent to attack the penalty area, and rely on the rotation to assist the defense. The opponent's mistakes create opportunities to counterattack..."

Cole talked eloquently, and Ron Adams nodded frequently. Many of Cole's ideas were based on the Warriors' existing defensive system. Players can master them with a little practice, which shows that he really puts his heart into it.

Ron Adams didn't know that the current defensive system of the Warriors was originally proposed by Zhang Yu after borrowing Cole's defensive tactics, and the two naturally have many similarities.

After Cole finished speaking, Ron Adams nodded with a smile, and then looked at Zhang Yu:
"I have no problem. Steve's suggestion is highly feasible. I think he is qualified for the position of the first assistant."

Cole also smiled back at Ron Adams, thanking him for his approval, with a frank and confident expression.

He really agrees with the Warriors' tactical system. The Warriors won the championship again before agreeing to be the assistant coach of the Warriors. Otherwise, he would rather wait for a few years until his son finishes high school and directly look for the opportunity to coach the team instead of starting as an assistant coach. start.

After Ron Adams finished speaking, Zhang Yu said:

"Then let me ask about the offensive tactics! Steve, you just said that the team should play more passes and cuts, and even greatly increase the proportion of passes and cuts in offensive tactics. Can you tell me the reason?"

Cole's expression suddenly cheered up, and he said solemnly:
"There is a good saying, 'The secret of basketball lies outside the basketball'. Of course, passing and cutting is not the most efficient offensive method. If it is the finals, I can't wait for Stephen to attack with the ball every round."

"However, a season is very long. 'Championship kills itself'. Playing from October to June will make the players very tired. If we want to compete for the championship and build a dynasty, we must create a tough ball. Team culture, so that each player can maintain vitality in a long season, especially our tactics are based on defensive counterattacks, which requires the continuous efforts of the whole team."

"On the offensive end, role players will only work hard on the defensive end. If Stephen and Jimmy are allowed to take turns holding the ball and singles, how can others still have the enthusiasm for defense? In this regard, Ronan, you should have a relationship with me. Same idea? Otherwise you wouldn’t be playing so many passes.”

Zhang Yu smiled, did not answer, and raised her hand to signal Cole to continue. Cole nodded and said:
"But I still think that the team is not playing enough passes and cuts. Steph's shooting deterrence is too strong. His long shots are unique in NBA history. We should make full use of his shooting threat and let him run more. Off the ball, tear apart the defense, and we have Klay, who is also good off the ball, just a little bit behind Steph."

"When Steph and Klay run without the ball, other people can participate in the offense by handling the ball, and they can also get opportunities in the opponent's empty penalty area. Back on the defensive end, their enthusiasm will be very high, and they will definitely give it their all. To the defense!"

"Of course, letting the role players handle the ball will definitely bring some mistakes, and the efficiency will not be high, but when it comes time for Stephen to attack with the ball, let him attack with the ball, and let him run without the ball the rest of the time. , Let other people participate in the offense more, only if they have a sense of presence, they will do their best on the defensive end!"

After Cole's words fell, Ron Adams, Fraser, and Larry Riley did not speak, but fell into deep thought. This was the first time they had heard such a statement, but after careful thought, they felt that It makes perfect sense, but it still feels like something is wrong.

Only Zhang Yu didn't look surprised at all, but asked with a smile:

"You speak very well, but there is a problem with doing so, what will Stephen think?"

Yeah, what would Stephen think?
The three of Ron Adams were shocked, and they all looked at Cole.

The role players will be happy to be able to participate in the offense, but what will Stephen think?
He is an MVP, a scoring leader, and a superstar. Will he put the pick-and-roll and run hard without the ball?