warrior godfather

Chapter 638 I Can't Train You For Nothing!
San Francisco, Chase Center.

Zhang Yu's new office is much more spacious than before. The old red oak desk has also been replaced with a brand new black walnut, and the chairs are also the latest ergonomic chairs.

Unlike those older bosses, Zhang Yu does not like to use expensive things to show his identity. He never wears Rolex, Patek Philippe and other famous watches worth tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he does not sit on precious wood. , luxury office chair made of animal leather.

Compared with these flashy things, he prefers practical products with higher technological content, such as Apple watch, Herman Miller's ergonomic chair, and even the keyboard he uses is the latest ergonomic keyboard launched by Microsoft.

At this time, on the large 27-inch Mac display in front of Zhang Yu, the game video of the Thunder and the Spurs was playing. The delicate colors of the Mac display perfectly restored the details of the players' movements on the field.

But Zhang Yu's attention was not on individual players. He sometimes fast forwarded and sometimes paused, and thoughtfully observed the positioning and running of Thunder players on both ends of the offense and defense.

When the Thunder led the Spurs 3:1, the situation of the series gradually became clear, and Zhang Yu began to study the Thunder's game video in the playoffs.

Although the Warriors and the Thunder have been old rivals for many years, Donovan has not long taken office, and there is a big difference between the playoffs and the regular season, so we should not take it lightly.

However, this does not require much effort by Zhang Yu. Compared with the regular season, the Thunder's tactics in the playoffs have not changed much, but some adjustments have been made in the details.

Donovan has coached in the NCAA for many years and is very good at adapting to individual conditions and arranging tactics.

The Thunder has many players with outstanding athletic ability. The configuration of Gobert squatting inside and Ibaka sweeping is also very in line with the requirements of modern basketball. The most important thing is that switching defenses is the most effective means to deal with the Warriors pass and cut system.

Therefore, once Donovan changed the conventional defensive method during the Brooks period, he adopted a defensive strategy of switching defenses this season, making the Thunder's defensive efficiency rank second in the league, second only to the Warriors.

However, in terms of offense, the Thunder relies heavily on the two players to hold the ball to develop the offense. The ball is concentrated, the team lacks shooters, and the space is not good. Therefore, in the long regular season, the offensive efficiency is not outstanding, only ranking in the league. sixth.

However, in the playoffs, as the intensity of the game increased, the Thunder's singles-based offense had the highest success rate, and its offensive efficiency rose to third in the league, second only to the Warriors and Cavaliers.

In this regard, the performance of the Warriors is amazing. Whether in the regular season or the playoffs, the Warriors' offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency rank first in the league. distance.

The Thunder hoarded a bunch of defensive champions, and the Cavaliers traded in groups of shooters. The Bulls, who are somewhat similar to the Thunder, had problems inside, and their offense and defense were very unbalanced.

But Curry is surrounded by Clay, Leonard, Green, Antetokounmpo and other powerful players with both offense and defense, both offensive and defensive are top-notch.

All of this is inseparable from Zhang Yu's strategizing.

Other teams take great risks in drafting and trading, like opening a blind box. Failure is the norm. It is a blessing to be able to train a good player, no matter whether he is suitable for the team or not. Tactics are tightly held in his hands, and he even does not hesitate to adjust tactics for it.

And Zhang Yu chose players according to the lineup he envisioned, without any haste, and perfectly realized the idea in his heart. Every draft pick would not be wasted. Even the third team of the Warriors could enter the rotation of other teams. , built a lineup with the least shortcomings in the league, and is confident to meet any challenge.

The Thunder's defensive switching effect is very good. Westbrook and Durant are exceptionally talented. When they can focus on defending the ball, many shortcomings on the defensive end can be covered up. Robertson, Ibaka, and Gobert's defensive ability. outstanding.

The Mavericks in the first round and the Spurs in the second round, in front of the Thunder's defense switch, the offense was very difficult, lacking a hard solution to stabilize the score, and finally lost the series.

But Chuanqiu is afraid of changing defenses, but the Warriors are not.

Curry and Leonard's singles ability are good enough, Clay is not a shooter who can only shoot open positions, and Antetokounmpo's impact is getting stronger and stronger. These are the means to break the defense.

However, there is no invincible team in this world. Durant is at his peak, and Westbrook is now a veritable super guard. No matter how strong the Warriors' defense is, they cannot prevent the attacks of the two superstars.

Although the Warriors definitely have the upper hand in terms of strength, the Thunder is a hard bone. This is destined to be a long series, and it is impossible to sweep the opponent like the previous two rounds.

Zhang Yu can only do what a head coach should do, formulate a game plan, and be prepared for contingencies. The rest will be left to the players to perform on the court.

pat.

Zhang Yu pressed the space bar, raised his left hand, looked at the time, exited the player, got up and came to the large French windows.

His office is on the tenth floor of the subsidiary office area of ​​the Chase Center. Looking out from here, you can clearly see the entrance of the Chase Center and the square in front of the arena.

Although today is not a game day, but it is the weekend, the big screen on the outer wall of the Chase Center plays the Warriors' classic games of this season in a loop, and many fans gather in the square to enjoy the game while eating.

There are also many families who come here to spend their leisure time on the weekend. The family gathers by the picnic cloth, wears the Warriors jerseys, eats hearty food, cheers for the Warriors' goals, and enjoys themselves happily.

There are also wandering singers and street bands who come here to perform. Wild, soothing, explosive and sad music are intertwined together, causing applause after applause.

Around the crowd, there are a few food trucks scattered, selling street food such as hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, etc. In addition, there are some vendors, smiling, enthusiastically selling their goods.

Zhang Yu overlooked all this, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Tuk Tuk Tuk.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door, Zhang Yu turned around and said loudly:
"Please come in!"

The door was pushed open without a sound, and Larry Riley walked in with a pile of documents in his hand.

Zhang Yu returned to the desk, pointed at the chair opposite, and said with a smile:
"Thank you, Larry."

Larry Riley had an appointment with him at 3:3 in the afternoon, and now it was 25:5, and Larry Riley was habitually [-] minutes early.

Larry Riley closed the door, sat down opposite Zhang Yu, put the document on the table, pushed it to Zhang Yu, and cut to the chase:
"Ronan, there are still a few days left, and the joint trial training is about to start. Here are the rookie materials for this year. Take a look and see if there is anything you need to pay special attention to."

Zhang Yu opened the file, browsed through it, and asked:

"Do you have a better candidate?"

Larry Riley thought for a while, his eyes lit up:
"This time Huaxia has two players participating in the election. Zhou and Wang are both centers. They have performed very well in China's domestic league. I think they are both good choices and can fill the gap after Yi left."

Zhang Yu raised his head and glanced at him:
"What blank?"

"There is a gap for Chinese players! Although you are also Chinese, coaches and players are different after all. If there is a Chinese player in the team, it will be very beneficial for us to develop the Chinese market." Larry Riley enthusiastically Said vigorously.

Zhang Yu didn't read the information anymore, rubbed his chin, and fell into thinking. Larry Riley didn't speak, but looked at Zhang Yu expectantly, quietly waiting for his answer.

Zhang Yu actually had this idea before, that is to give a place in the Warriors lineup to Chinese players, which can not only develop the Warriors' market in China, but also train Chinese players, which is beneficial to the performance of the national team.

Although he is not in the country, as a Chinese, he has always cared about the motherland and hopes to help the country in the field he is good at.

But when Zhang Yu and Yi Jianlian talked about it later, Yi Jianlian advised him to give up the idea.

Not everyone is like Zhang Yu, who would rather sacrifice their own interests for the development of China's basketball strength.

Zhang Yu wants to give Huaxia players a chance to come to the NBA to practice, but the domestic teams are not necessarily happy.

The CBA team is not willing to let go of the team's core players for nothing. When Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming, Battelle and even Yi Jianlian came to the NBA by themselves, they all had to pay a high buyout fee to their home team.

Even at the beginning, the Jaws of the Magic City regarded Yao Ming as a treasure that could be lived in. They proposed three conditions to the Wizards team that held the No. 2001 lottery in [-] and took a fancy to Yao Ming:

First, a general-level player must be sent to the Jaws team, and the player's salary will be paid by the original team.

Second, the Jaws must be equipped with a high-level coach, and the salary is still paid by the NBA team.

Third, the Wizards must fully fund the Jaws to build a modern basketball court.

These three conditions directly scare away the Wizards, and Yao Ming can only stay in the CBA for one more year to help the Jaws win the CBA championship next season.

In 2002, Yao Ming was determined to play in the NBA. The conditions of the Jaws team were finally lowered, but the Lions still opened their mouths and asked for a buyout fee of 3000 million US dollars, which was unacceptable to Yao Ming's team and the Rockets.

Yao Ming had no choice but to threaten the Great White Sharks. If he couldn't agree on an agreement, he would retire directly.

Under the threat of Yao Ming, after arduous negotiations, the Jaws finally lowered their request for a buyout fee to $900 million.

But at this moment, the China Basketball Association jumped out again.

According to domestic regulations at the time, Yao Ming went to the United States to play commercial games, and he had to hand over half of his annual salary to the Basketball Association. After all, the Basketball Association cannot train players for nothing!

Of course, no one cares how much money Yao Ming spent on training him during his growth, but rules are rules, not to mention a gold mine is right in front of us, how can we let it go?
But what is unexpected is that this incident alarmed the NBA players union, and they will never allow players who are about to join the union to be exploited in this way.

After many negotiations between the NBA Players Union and the Basketball Association, the Basketball Association finally agreed to change Yao Ming's salary to 5%—but it was 5% after tax.

In short, it is a little bit more to get a little bit, and they will never let go of this good opportunity.

And this is not over yet, the Basketball Association also put forward the last request, Yao Ming can play in the NBA, but as long as the national team needs him, he must return to China to play at any time.

It's still the same sentence, you Yao Ming can leave, but I can't train you for nothing!

This condition makes the Rockets very dissatisfied. They have already paid a high buyout fee. Why are there still so many demands?

But to the Basketball Association, the performance of the national team is political achievement, which is more important than real money. If Yao Ming does not sign the agreement, the Basketball Association will not let him go.

In the end, Yao Ming could only be forced to agree, signed the agreement, and after several twists and turns, finally successfully landed in the NBA.

Although the later Huaxia players no longer had such harsh conditions to play in the NBA, it was mainly because they did not have the strength of Yao Ming.

But not all teams are like this. When Yi Jianlian came to the NBA in 2007, the Guangdong team only asked for a buyout fee of US$50 like the Bucks in accordance with international practice, and then had no other requirements.

However, not all teams are as reasonable as the Guangdong team, and Yi Jianlian persuaded Zhang Yu to give up this idea.

After all, if other NBA teams are important, the requirements of domestic teams may be lower, but Zhang Yu is from China, so that is different.

As we all know, if a fellow countryman sees a fellow countryman and shoots them in the back, they may open their mouths. If Zhang Yu disagrees, they will turn around and spread the word in China that Zhang Yu has stayed in the United States for a long time, regardless of the love of his compatriots, and only has money in his eyes.

Zhang Yu followed Yi Jianlian's advice and followed Yi Jianlian's advice. In the next few years, he had no contact with domestic teams.

However, Zhang Yu became interested in Zhou Qi this time.

In his previous life, Zhou Qi was selected by the Rockets, and the Wings of the Western Regions only asked the Rockets for a transfer fee of 65 US dollars, and then let him go.

Although there were many incidents between Zhou Qi and the Western Regions team, the Western Regions team did not set up too many obstacles for Zhou Qi to come to the NBA.

Larry has a point. If Zhou Qi can be selected with a second-round pick, it doesn't seem to be a bad thing...

But Zhang Yu recalled all kinds of negative news about Zhou Qi. His professional attitude in the Rockets has been criticized, and he has not made decent progress in his two-year NBA career. It seems a bit wasteful to give Zhou Qi a precious spot...

Thoughts were churning in Zhang Yu's mind, and he was a little undecided. Finally, he decided to put this question aside. After all, there is still a long time before the draft.

"Let's talk about this issue later, I'll think about it..." Zhang Yu picked up the documents on the table, read them roughly, took out a few copies, and handed them to Larry Riley, "You should pay attention to these people first, and investigate them. Play in the workouts, but don't draw the attention of other teams."

Larry Riley took it, flipped through it, and read in a low voice:

"Malcolm Brogdon, Alex Caruso, Fred VanVleet ... Ronan, these are all guards, we've got Spencer, Sean and TJ , do you still want to choose so many defenders?"

He looked up with a very surprised expression.

Zhang Yu spread his hands:

"I also want to choose a few strikers, but this year there is no suitable striker to choose from, so I can only settle for the next best thing... By the way, you should also pay attention to the performance of the next week. Anyway, it is always good to be prepared .”

　Make up for today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)