I was determined to be bad, but I went straight to the Basketball Hall of Fame

Chapter 562 Min Style Interview
Min Congda received a call from Mike Malone, during which he briefly asked Malone a few questions.

For example, his willingness to work, his views on the team's tactics, and his expectations and thoughts on working with the Clippers, etc.

Mike Malone's answer was rather vague, because he himself was not sure whether to work for the Clippers.

Min Congda was quite satisfied with his vague attitude, he was most afraid of ambitious guys.

Of course, a person's ambition cannot be judged easily through a few sentences.

Didn't an "ambitious person" like Cole get into the Clippers' poor team by "catering" to Min Congda?

Therefore, Min Congda still has to arrange an interview for Mike Malone to determine whether he is suitable for the Clippers.

According to Min Congda's thinking, it would be better if this person came and didn't come, and would not have any positive impact on the team.

Can satisfy Tyronn Lue, the two partners make do to support the team well, and they can be pulled down after one season after another.

In the past, Min Congda always wanted to bring in some disruptive and negative influencers to destroy the team's tactics and atmosphere.

But as he gradually accumulated experience in the NBA, Min Congda discovered that the NBA coaching circle is a very closed circle with poor mobility and everyone is acquaintances.

It is very difficult for you to find an outsider or a living ghost to mix things up, and the system will not allow him to randomly find a sweeping old man as a coach, otherwise he would have done so long ago.

So, now he only pursues merit without merit, come when you come, I will give you food, don't mess around with me.

Just like Lao Jin, Lao Jin knew that he didn't have much talent in command and tactics, so he could do a good job as a support and do some daily chores with peace of mind.

Raise your hand in a meeting, say something ambiguous, like those old office geeks, eat and die, that's the best.

But looking at the entire league, there are not many coaches who are like this, because the competition in the coaching industry is indeed extremely fierce and cruel.

Talents like Lao Jin and Lucas are partly because the Clippers have not recruited well in the past, and partly because they have been raised by Min Congda in recent years.

Min Congda thought to himself, let me see if this Mike Malone is worth raising.

The interview time was arranged after Christmas.

The Clippers' record during this period has been ups and downs. In the Christmas game, they played against the Lakers at Staples Center.

It was another traditional Los Angeles derby drama. This time the Clippers lived up to the expectations of the fans and defeated the Lakers on the road.

Although they lost some balls in December, they still maintain their No. 12 position in the Western Conference, and there is a gap of three wins with the second-ranked Thunder.

Still very solid.

However, the process of defeating the Lakers was not so smooth. The game was quite intense, and the two sides fought until the last moment.

The reason why the Clippers can win is not because the players hit key shots at critical moments, but because the Lakers made mistakes in the final stage.

Kobe Bryant missed two forced shots, and Chris Paul, who had no mistakes before the whole game, allowed the Clippers to win the game successfully.

As long as Kobe makes one of two shots, or Paul does not make a mistake, the Clippers are likely to explain this.

To put it bluntly, the Clippers won, but not beautifully.

The departure of Steve Kerr did have a big impact on the Clippers.

Min Congda saw it in his eyes and was happy in his heart. He thought that if this trend continued, the state of the Clippers would only get worse and worse.

By the time of the playoffs, maybe they are no longer the Lakers' opponents.

Min Congda couldn't help but think of Yang Ruosi who came to the Clippers as a Chinese teacher in the media department.

After this little unlucky guy came to the Clippers, the Clippers' golden body was immediately broken.

Immediately following the unstable record, there were also some injuries in the team, which tended to go downhill.

It seems that metaphysics is really useful!
As for the interview with Mike Malone, Min Congda arranged it after Christmas.

He will take this interview very seriously and make sure Malone doesn't have a positive impact on the team.

At that time, there will be an additional expense for the team, and by the way, Tyronn Lue's mouth will be blocked.

This guy has complained a lot recently. He always feels that he lacks assistants around him and that he is not a good coach.

Isn't that nonsense, were you the head coach before?Cole is feeding you.

On December 12th, two days after the festival, there was some light rain in Los Angeles in winter.

Min Congda arranged the interview at the training center, and he wanted to have a more comprehensive inspection of Mike Malone.

Before Mike Malone came over, Min Congda also learned about his background information.

Not surprisingly, he is another second-generation coach. Dad has worked in the NBA for more than 20 years and has always been an assistant coach.

The word of mouth in the league is good. According to James, he was very diligent when working on the team. He started as a video analyst and often stayed up all night editing videos to make reports.

The personal relationship with the players is very good, and he is good at encouraging the players and getting along well with the players.

These are points deductions for Min Congda, but seeing is believing, you still have to meet and verify.

But what Min Congda didn't know was that Mike Malone also made preparations before participating in the interview.

He found Steve Kerr and asked about some internal information about the Clippers, as well as Min Congda's personality, preferences, and so on.

Kerr is a smart guy, and he told Mike Malone a few key points:

First, don't be too hardworking. Mr. Smart doesn't like people who are too introverted.

Second, don't show too much obsession with victory, be calm.

Third, try to be as honest as possible, and don't be soft on the treatment you want. Mr. Smart likes to give more money.

It must be admitted that Cole is very observant and has summed up some of Min Congda's characteristics very well.

But Mike Malone is even more strange. He has worked in the NBA for more than ten years, and he has never heard of such a general manager.

It's understandable not to like introversion. Mike Malone was too introverted when he was in the Cavaliers.

Mike Brown had to remind him to go home early, otherwise what would other colleagues do if you worked like this crazy.

But don't be obsessed with victory, is this still an NBA coach?
In a cruel place like the NBA, only the paranoid can survive.

Still want more money?What's happening here.

It would be nice if the general manager didn't lower the price, and he also likes to give more money.

Malone kept these words in his heart. After discussing with his family and friends, he thought the Clippers were a good place to go.

The most important thing is that he wants to learn and experience well, and he wants this job.

The specific meeting time was arranged at noon on the 27th. Min Congda entertained Mike Malone in the cafeteria of the training center.

Ma Long wore a well-prepared woolen suit today, shaved his beard, and trimmed his hair to give himself a good image.

But he ignored a problem, that is, in Los Angeles in December, the weather is far less cold than Cleveland.

On the contrary, the temperature is quite high today, so he ate in the restaurant wearing a formal suit, feeling a little hot and sweating profusely.

At noon, Min Congda invited Ma Long to eat Chinese food again. The hot Sichuan cuisine made Ma Long feel even hotter.

Ma Long didn't understand, I was here for an interview, but why did he invite me to dinner?
Min Congda took the initiative to explain, "In China, eating is the best way to meet. I don't know if the food you eat today suits your appetite. If not, I'll ask the chef to make it for you."

The canteen of the Clippers training center is about to be turned into a state-owned guest house by Min Congda, and there is everything you want to eat here.

Malone politely refused, and at the same time adjusted his neckline, it was so hot, but he was too embarrassed to take it off.

Min Congda chatted with Ma Long all the time, and it was just some routine at first.

Slowly, the topic shifted to basketball, and Ma Long responded mentally with [-] points.

"What do you think of the current situation of the Clippers? You know, the team has had some minor problems recently, and our momentum in the league is not so sharp. What is the reason?"

The Clippers are the focus of the league, and of course Mike Malone is always paying attention.

According to his observation, he believes that the number one reason why the Clippers were hindered is actually the impact of injuries.

The Clippers' recent main players have more or less suffered some injury problems.

This is unavoidable in the long regular season.

The second reason is that other teams began to study and snipe the Clippers.

The Clippers' offense is indeed sharp, full of imagination, and groundbreaking.

But any tactics will be studied and targeted, especially the tactical system of the championship team.

When Mike Malone was in the Cavaliers, he was already desperately thinking about various ways to deal with the Clippers.

Moreover, the Cavaliers' victory over the Clippers on December 12 set a good example for other teams.

Of course, Mike Malone would not have imagined that the person who came up with this trick was sitting opposite him.

The first two reasons are relatively objective reasons, and the third reason is the Clippers' own problems.

Mike Malone believes that the Clippers lack a tough enough defense.

They won the championship last season with their pioneering offense and tough defense.

To be honest, the Clippers' champion felt a bit unpopular and stealing chickens. Taking advantage of his unpreparedness, he ended up reversing the game.

If they want to maintain enough competitiveness for a long time, deal with injuries in the long regular season, and deal with rising new opponents, then they must have a very solid and tough defensive system.

In a basketball game, defense will not deceive you, defense will allow you to have a solid base.

These things, Mike Malone has already thought about them in his mind.

But when he wanted to say it in detail, the second principle that Cole and he said flashed through his mind:
Don't be too obsessed with victory, just be calm.

"That's right, the wind is light and the clouds are calm, what to analyze? This is a test for me."

Thinking this way in his heart, Mike Malone put away all these thoughts, and said: "Victory and defeat are commonplace in military affairs. Temporary losses are normal. There is no need to be too persistent in analyzing temporary losses."

Speaking of which, Mike Malone was still quite uneasy.

What kind of answer is this, don't you fool people?
Unexpectedly, there was a gleam of light in Min Congda's eyes.

This kind of deceitful talk suits Min Congda's taste.

Min Congda thought: "This Mike Malone has the potential to be a liar!"

He gave Ma Long a big score in his heart, from some hesitation before, to slowly starting to like this guy.

While Mike Malone felt Min Congda's satisfied eyes, he felt more and more hot, and beads of sweat dripped down his neck.

After eating, Mike Malone felt his back was soaked, which made him very uncomfortable, but he was too embarrassed to take off his jacket.

Afterwards, the two went to the training ground together to visit the training of the Clippers players.

Min Congda hopes that Mike Malone will participate in and comment on the Clippers' training and conduct further investigations on him.

"Oh Mike, why are you sweating so much? Do you feel hot? Just take off your coat if it's hot, you're welcome."

"It's okay, it's okay... Uh, it's really hot, the weather in Los Angeles is really warm in December."

"The training center is closed and it's already quite hot, and today the air circulation machine in the arena is broken, there is no ventilation, and everyone is terribly hot."

It turned out that Mike Malone was no longer restrained, and took off his coat. The shirt inside was soaked with sweat, and the clothes on his back and chest were covered with flesh, which made Malone a little embarrassed.

Min Congda smiled and said, "You are very similar to Rui Qie Lai. You sweat profusely, which means you are in good health."

Ma Long smiled awkwardly, he felt that he was in a bad state today.

And I just ate Sichuan food, which was spicy and made my stomach feel a little uncomfortable.

Under the superposition of multiple Debuffs, Malone's thinking was slowed down.

Min Congda asked him some questions, and Ma Long was expecting Ai Ai.

The answers were all vague and ambiguous, and Ma Long didn't know what he was talking about.

This interview was a disaster in Mike Malone's interview career.

At the beginning, he interviewed as a video editor for the Knicks and an assistant coach for the Cavaliers, and he performed quite well.

Mike Malone thought to himself: "Forget it, let's find a job with another team. Unfortunately, I have no way of finding out many secrets of the Clippers."

At this time, Min Congda suddenly asked: "By the way, Mike, do you have any requirements for your salary level?"

Ma Long was taken aback, thinking how to talk about salary properly?
"Uh…"

Malone thought of what Cole said again, Smart likes to give more money.

Ma Long thought to himself, this can't be Kele pitting me, right?How can a general manager like to pay a high salary?

However, he was not very hopeful at first, and Ma Long was heartbroken, and said: "I hope to get the same salary as the head coach, because other teams have invited me to be the head coach."

What Ma Long said is true, but normally, if you want to get the same money as the head coach, then you can be the head coach. Why come to me to interview the assistant coach.

From the interview point of view, this salary requirement is 0 points, and the team will not give an assistant coach the same salary as the head coach.

As a result, Min Congda nodded slightly, patted Ma Long on the shoulder, and said: "Your request is not very reasonable. However, for a talent like you, I am willing to pay this price to let you stay. So, come to work tomorrow, and I will arrange someone to deal with your accommodation, transportation and other issues. Mike, remember, enjoy your basketball life in the Clippers."

(End of this chapter)