warrior godfather

James was silent for a long time, and Rich Paul didn't dare to speak, and the time passed silently.

Finally, James spoke:

"I know, since he won't let me go, then I won't go."

Rich Paul quietly breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly echoed:

"In fact, it's not bad to stay in the Heat. Jimmy Butler has left the Warriors. Next season is a good opportunity..."

After the finals, James found Rich Paul and proposed to leave the Heat and return to the Cavaliers.

Rich Paul was very surprised at the time. He didn't expect James, who had scoffed at the Cavaliers last summer, to change his mind so quickly.

But of course he didn't dare to go against James' wishes, and immediately went to communicate with Pat Riley about this matter.

But Pat Riley's attitude is very firm. James can leave if he wants to let the Cavaliers exchange high-ranking rookies and draft picks, otherwise he can't let him go.

Today, Rich Paul made a special trip to James' home to convey Pat Riley's intentions to him.

When James heard this, of course he quit.

The reason why he wants to return to the Cavaliers is that the Cavaliers have Irving, draft picks, and can be exchanged for stars to help him continue to compete for the championship.

If all these high-quality assets were given to the Heat, why would he return to the Cavaliers?Continue to live the days of the regular season and playoffs?

But no matter how furious he is, he is still powerless to change Pat Riley's decision. James has one year left in his contract to implement the player option. The initiative is not in his hands now. If he insists on leaving, it is hard to say that Pat Riley What would happen, like... send him to a big team.

A superstar with a one-year contract is also a superstar, and there are plenty of teams in the league who dare to gamble.

In desperation, James could only give up the idea of ​​leaving the Heat, continue to stay, play for another year, and try again.

Rich Paul also makes sense. The Warriors lose Butler, and their strength will definitely decline. Next season is a good opportunity for the Heat.

If he can successfully win the championship this time, all past failures will disappear, and the gap between James and Pat Riley will also disappear. He doesn't mind staying in the Heat and competing for more championships.

The thoughts in his heart changed, and James' expression gradually calmed down. Rich Paul, who had been paying attention to his expression, relaxed his tense nerves.

"You tell Pat Riley that I'm not leaving, but I'm still dissatisfied with the team lineup. To continue strengthening, I need more help." James said slowly.

Since he chose to stay and compete for the championship, he must use all resources to build a stronger lineup and sprint with all his strength.

As for what price the Heat will pay for this, that is not something James considers.

Anyway, he has a player option for next year. If the Heat fail this year's championship and exhaust all their potential in the future, then he can pat his ass and leave, and change to another team to continue to compete for the championship.

For example, returning to Cleveland to play hometown basketball is a very good choice.

Rich Paul should:

"Okay, I will communicate with Pat Riley right away. He has never won the championship. He should be more anxious than us, and he will definitely not be stingy on reinforcements..."

James' face sank, and Rich Paul shut up quickly.

He knew that he had said something wrong. He said in front of James that the Heat did not win the championship. Isn't this exposing his shortcomings?
Rich Paul watched James' expression carefully, and was relieved when he saw that he didn't continue to get angry.

A companion is like a tiger. When you are with James, you must be careful in what you do and what you say, and you must not provoke him.

"Okay, go get busy, I still have to train." After a while, James said blankly.

Rich Paul, as if he was pardoned, hurriedly took his leave and left.

James didn't get up and see him off as usual. He was sitting on the sofa, staring at the TV screen in front of him, staring at the championship trophy in his left hand and the FMVP trophy in his right hand. With a cigar in his mouth, he laughed heartily. Curry.

"These things should belong to me, I will definitely take them back with my own hands, and I will definitely..."

……

July 7, Oakland, California.

Today is the signing ceremony between the Warriors and rookie Antetokounmpo. According to Larry Riley's estimation, he should be able to sign with Antetokounmpo three days ago, but there was a problem with his procedures, and the delay Slow for a few days.

In a spacious conference room, Larry Riley sits on one side, next to his assistant, and across from Antetokounmpo and his agent, George Demeter.

Antetokounmpo's rookie contract is on the table, but Larry Riley has been chatting with the two and has no intention of signing Antetokounmpo.

George Dimiter wondered:

"Mr. Riley, is there another question?"

Antetokounmpo looked at Larry Riley nervously, he was also a little puzzled, the contract was all laid out, why didn't he sign it?
Larry Riley laughed:

"Please wait a little longer, Ronan is on his way here, and he will also attend Giannis' signing ceremony."

Antetokounmpo and George Dimiter immediately widened their eyes when they heard this.

Coach Z is coming too?He's going to a rookie signing?
The two looked at each other, completely unexpected that Coach Z would do this.

Antetokounmpo is just a rookie with the 13th overall pick. He barely entered the lottery. They were taken by surprise.

pat.

At this moment, the door of the conference room was pushed open, and everyone looked up, only to see Zhang Yu walking in with a briefcase in his hand, looking around, and fell on Antetokounmpo and George Dimmi. on Te, said with a smile:

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Giannis, George, welcome to the Oracle Center."

The two stood up quickly, and George Dimit waved his hand:
"No, we came earlier..."

This is not because he lowered his posture. He and Antetokounmpo arrived an hour earlier than the agreed time. Zhang Yu was not late, and even arrived 15 minutes earlier.

Antetokounmpo's face turned red, and he was a little speechless with excitement, and he said after a while:
"Coach Z, hello, I have always been a fan of the Warriors..."

As long as you are an NBA fan, who doesn't know Zhang Yu's name?Who doesn't know the legendary history of the rise of the Warriors?
Antetokounmpo has not been in contact with basketball for a long time. He only started playing basketball at the age of 13, which is only six years ago. Zhang Yu joined the Warriors four years ago. The most glorious years of the Warriors happened to be Antetokounmpo. Kumbo started watching NBA time.

It can be said that he grew up watching the Warriors basketball, and has a deep impression of the Warriors' strength. He also respects Zhang Yu, a top coach who is extremely good at training young people.

When he was still playing in the second division of Greece, he fantasized more than once that it would be great if he could play under coach Z. Coach Z would definitely use the most suitable method to train him into a a star.

But now, his dream has come true, he really came to the Warriors and came to coach Z.

This made Antetokounmpo extremely excited, especially getting such attention from Coach Z, which made him extremely excited.

Zhang Yu raised his hands, pressed them down, and said with a smile:

"Well, let's sign the contract first, and we'll have a good chat later."

As soon as he spoke, everyone sat down. George Dimiter took the contract, just glanced at it briefly, and pushed it to Antetokounmpo.

The contracts of the NBA's first-round picks all have a fixed template, and even the salary is strictly regulated, so there is no possibility of any problems.

Antetokounmpo's contract is $4 million for four years, and the next two years are team options.

If he is selected by the Bucks with the No. 15 pick, he can sign a four-year contract of $4 million, which is $861 less than now.

That's why every rookie desperately wants to be selected at a higher pick. A gap in the pick is a fluctuation of hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary.

Even though they know that the teams with high draft picks are almost all bad teams, those talented rookies still try to improve their picks.

No one knows what he can do. If he is selected at the top of the draft, even if he can't stay in the NBA, he can at least make more money.

After signing the contract, Antetokounmpo was completely relieved. No matter what happens in the future, after deducting federal taxes, high state taxes in California, and broker commissions, he can get a salary of more than 400 million US dollars, and he is also a millionaire. .

Zhang Yu watched Larry Riley sign his name, got up and stretched out his hand to Antetokounmpo, and said with a smile:
"Giannis, welcome to the Warriors."

Antetokounmpo stretched out his long arms, easily held Zhang Yu's hand across the table, and said in English that was not yet proficient:
"I am very honored to join the Warriors. It has always been my wish to play for you. You are the best head coach in my mind."

"Call me boss, Stephen and others call me that, you can also call me Ronan..." Zhang Yu stared at Antetokounmpo's long arms and big hands, and exclaimed, "This is talent... Giannis , your hands are bigger than Kawhi's, I'm looking forward to seeing your performance on the court, you are a natural defender!"

Antetokounmpo smiled humbly:
"Kawhi is the top defensive player in the league. He is playing against superstars. My goal is to become a player like him and be able to contribute to the team on the defensive end."

George Dimiter echoed:
"Giannis is a very hardworking player. He was very excited when he learned that he could play for you. He will definitely live up to your expectations."

Zhang Yu smiled and said:

"That's why I'm trying to bring Giannis to the Bay Area, and that's why I'm here today. Giannis, there may be a lot of people who think you have nothing but physical talent, but I know, your mentality , Perseverance, IQ are just like your talent, they are all like one in a million. I believe that you will be a very important member of the Warriors in the future. I also have confidence that I can develop you into a star, even a... superstar !"

Antetokounmpo was flattered:
"Giant...superstar?"

George Dimiter was also surprised:

"You're so optimistic about Giannis?"

Zhang Yu looked at George Dimiter and explained:
"When Giannis was still playing in Greece, every game he played, there were senior scouts from the Warriors. I have been paying attention to his performance. I am very optimistic about his future development. Of course, he wants to become a star. Even a superstar still has a long way to go, but as long as he trains well, he has a great chance to touch the realm of a star."

"Boss, don't worry, I will train hard this summer and never waste it!" Antetokounmpo said resolutely.

Zhang Yu smiled with satisfaction, took out a document from the bag he was carrying, and handed it to Antetokounmpo:
"I came to your signing ceremony today to talk to you about this... If it is convenient, I hope you can go to Charlotte's basketball acceleration training camp this summer. This is me and the team's coaching staff. , and Brand Payne, the trainer of the basketball acceleration training camp, made a training plan for you, which should help you."

Antetokounmpo took the document handed over by Zhang Yu with both hands, and quickly opened it. George Dimit also leaned his head over and read it carefully.

The more they watched, the more surprised they were. This training plan was very detailed and aimed at Antetokounmpo's weaknesses. Among them, the training plans for weight gain, strength improvement, defensive skills, and ability to finish in the penalty area accounted for the most.

George Dimiter was particularly surprised. As a well-known agent in Europe, he has many European players under his name, and several of them have developed in the NBA. He knows the NBA very well.

The offseason training of NBA players is their own responsibility, and the team will not ask. I didn’t expect the Warriors to formulate such a targeted training plan for the players. They even found a training camp. George Dimiter has never heard of this .

When the two checked the training plan, Zhang Yu said:

"Of course, it's not mandatory. I just think that Giannis' training will be the most efficient. When the league was suspended, we had a training camp in Miami..."

He briefly talked about the long-term training of the Warriors rookie in Miami in the summer of 2011.

George Dimiter was very surprised and said with emotion:
"No wonder the Warriors won the championship in 2012... Giannis, I think this is a very good opportunity. This is the training camp that Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler have participated in. The effect must be great."

Antetokounmpo closed the file and nodded heavily:

"Thank you, boss, I'm not going anywhere this summer, just training in Charlotte!"

He doesn't have the American idea of ​​"freedom above all else". He hopes that the Warriors can "intervene" in his training more, which is much better than finding a trainer himself.

The most important thing is that he doesn't need to spend his own money. Where can he find such a good thing?
However, he still had some doubts in his heart and asked:
"Boss, don't I need to focus on improving my shooting and dribbling? The Bucks' scouts said that the most important thing I need to train is my ability to attack autonomously..."

"Don't worry, Giannis, you need to start on the defensive end first, and the offensive end is mainly based on simple down-and-down finishing, ball handling and shooting, and then slowly improve. Don't forget, we are not the same as the Bucks. Similarly, it is a team that aims to compete for the championship, and you need to integrate into the team's system." Zhang Yu explained.

"I understand, boss, I will do a good job of defense." Antetokounmpo was stunned, but his expression was slightly lost.

Who doesn't want to be the center of attention on offense?

Antetokounmpo understands the team's approach, but it also shows his lack of offensive ability, which inevitably makes him a little frustrated.

Larry Riley saw Antetokounmpo's emotional change and laughed:

"Giannis, Ronan really values ​​you by doing this."

"Huh?" Antetokounmpo looked at Larry Riley in confusion.

"When Jimmy, Drummond, and Kawhi first entered the team, like you, they all started on defense, and later became the mainstay of the front line. Their today is your future!"