Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

After the game, a group of Timberwolves players gathered in a local bar. The players cheered for Tom, who played an outstanding performance and led the team to victory.

At this time, everyone in the Timberwolves probably did not expect that Tom, who was called the "major contributor to winning" by coach Flip Saunders, had already been put on the shelf by the team management.

And they are actively selling this "big hero" in order to get an excellent defensive No. [-] position to help the team continue to move forward in the league.

The NBA is such a place, where some people may show favors, but when the benefits outweigh the favors, the favors will become worthless.

Tom is an outstanding player who came to Minnesota when the Timberwolves needed him most.But Minnesota no longer needs his ball-handling ability.

The Timberwolves' front office is not a fool, and coach Flip Saunders is not a fool either.

They all know what kind of thunder is hidden in the Timberwolves' current team. The ball rights issue is only temporarily covered up by the winning streak. This team only needs a few losses before internal conflicts will break out soon.

Just like the Galaxy Clippers in 23.

To solve this problem, someone needs to come on the bench, but neither Tom nor Wu Dao is Westbrook.

One is at his peak, at the age when his worth is high, and the other is new to the league, showing off his talents and eager to prove that he can gain a foothold in the league.

Neither of these guys will be coming off the bench.

Wu Dao is a strong first-year player. His physical test data and his performance against the "Madman" and "New York Beast" in the previous regular season games have already shown his value to the management.

An undifferentiated singles scorer is definitely the cornerstone of the team that all teams dream of. What's more important is that Wu Dao is only 18 years old and he has just entered the league.

It is true that Tom is a forward player whose value has been proven by time, but when the Timberwolves' management can only choose between Wu Dao and Tom, it is already obvious how to choose.

Compared to Tom, Wu Dao is younger, sharper, and more able to attract fans when playing on the court.

Of course, the more important thing is that Wu Dao is a rookie and he is cheap
Martial arts has various advantages, and he has far more potential and value than the 28-year-old Tom.

Tom's potential can be seen at a glance, and averaging 20+9+4 per game is probably his limit.

But martial arts is different. He is only 18 years old. He still has a lot of time to realize his talent, not to mention that the current martial arts has three consecutive 40+ games and one 20+ in the previous games.

In the opinion of the management, there is only one way to solve the problem of ball rights. Kevin McHale, who has already made his choice, has received clear instructions from owner Glen Taylor that Tom must be sent away as soon as possible before the problem becomes serious.

The Timberwolves' plan is of course a good one, to resolve this matter quietly and relatively peacefully, and to make good use of Tom's "residual value" at the last moment.

But plans can never keep up with changes.

There was no time to make any more adjustments. The day after the game against the Warriors, the Timberwolves players got on the return plane and returned to Minnesota.

Their next game will be against the San Antonio Spurs at home.

1997 11 Month 11 Day.

At noon, Wu Dao, who had just had lunch, came to the gym early and was ready to do some simple adaptive training.

The team's assistant coaches and coaching staff have not yet started work at this point in time. The only one accompanying Martial Arts is a physical coach whom he hired at a cost of $6 a year, Alfonso Castro.

He is Hispanic and was introduced to martial arts by Steve Smith, his high school coach during his time at Oak Hill.

Alfonso Castro was originally a player. He is now 26 years old. He also played at Oak Hill High School for two years in high school and was the main player of the team at that time.

It's just that Alfonso Castro was only 180cm tall at the time. Although he was a defender, during the game, there was still a big physical gap with his opponents.

In order to perform better on the court, Alfonso Castro began to train himself crazily.

But it is a pity that a lot of training not only failed to help him become a "better self", but instead accumulated fatigue, causing his ligaments to rupture during a game.

Although he underwent surgery in time, unfortunately, his playing career was ended.

However, Alfonso Castro still had a deep love for basketball. After recovering, he focused on his studies and then passed the Ohio State University major in sports medicine.

With his athletic career ended, Alfonso Castro hopes to make up for his life elsewhere.

After graduation, Alfonso Castro did not choose to become an excellent doctor. Instead, he joined the college team and became a famous team doctor.

During his years as a team doctor, Alfonso Castro focused on the field of athlete physical fitness development and also minored in nutrition.

Everything he did was just to get closer to the basketball he loved.And he doesn't want any young people to take the same path as himself.

When receiving an invitation from martial arts, Alfonso Castro also received an invitation from Xuecheng University. After much consideration, Alfonso Castro chose to come to martial arts to help martial arts.

The reason is not because of the generous salary in martial arts, but simply because he hopes to experience the NBA, the highest palace of basketball in the world, with his own eyes.

But after coming to the Timberwolves, Alfonso Castro was a little disappointed.

The coaching staff of the Timberwolves team is relatively mature in on-the-spot command, but it is not outstanding in player training.

The Timberwolves are a team with no foundation. This foundation is not only reflected in the management experience of the management, nor in the number of famous players in the team's history, but in the fact that this team does not have a "system" to cultivate young players.

Moreover, the Timberwolves management does not seem to have discovered its own problems. From the time the team was founded, until now in the 21st century, the Wolves have not produced many outstanding rookies.

When it comes to the team's own celebrities, Garnett is first and Love is second?
Some of the training that martial arts currently conducts in the arena is planned by martial arts based on the advanced knowledge of the 21st century and combined with the knowledge and experience of Alfonso Castro.

The team provided little help for the growth of his personal abilities.

In the Target Center Arena, Wu Dao's limbs were on the ground, imitating the slow crawling of a lizard along the sideline. He moved very slowly, and every time he moved forward, he was accompanied by exaggerated body movements.

It seemed like a fairly simple action, but beads of sweat broke out on Wu Dao's face.

After a few weeks of back and forth, Budo slowly stood up and began to do simple stretching exercises.

"Martial arts, the effect of your training during this period is pretty good."

"Based on your performance on the field, it can be seen that you are maintaining a good condition."

"With your height and weight, being able to maintain this level of flexibility and stretch speaks volumes about the effectiveness of this training."

"I don't think you need to make major adjustments to your training plan at this stage."

"Stay healthy, stay in shape, and you can become the strongest player!"

At the side of the court, Alfonso Castro held a booklet in his hand, which recorded the training items and training intensity that Martial Arts had completed, and then said to Martial Arts with a smile.

Maybe it sounded like a compliment from Alfonso Castro to his boss, but it was truly what Alfonso Castro meant.He truly believes that Wu Dao can become one of the best players in the world.

"Well, I think so too."

"I'm in pretty good shape during this period, and I don't think I need to make any major adjustments in terms of adaptive training."

"I will also continue with the ball practice and shooting practice."

In the early stages of the regular season, Wu Dao was playing very comfortably on the court, and he himself did not think he needed to make any changes.

After simple stretching, Wu Dao started to do some dribbling exercises, and then added some high-beating training in addition to dribbling.

Tonight, the Timberwolves' opponent is the Spurs. Facing a twin-tower lineup like the Spurs, Wu Dao feels that he needs to find the touch for high-speed layups in advance. This will be an important offensive method for him to avoid defense after breaking into the paint.

The martial arts adaptive training only lasted for more than an hour, and then he returned to his dormitory to sleep and recharge his batteries.

At about four o'clock in the evening, Alfonso Castro woke Martial from bed. After the two had a simple meal together, they went to the arena first.

The sun is going west.

There were also many reporters pouring into the Target Center Arena. The Spurs players had arrived early and were familiarizing themselves with the court at the Target Center Arena.

Some of the Timberwolves players were already warming up in the arena. When Wu Dao came to the Target Center Arena, he immediately attracted the attention of many people.Some media who were setting up cameras saw Wu Dao coming to the arena, and immediately a reporter came up with a microphone.

Seeing this posture, Alfonso Castro subconsciously stretched out his hand to stop him, but Wu Dao patted Alfonso Castro on the shoulder and said casually:
"Don't stop."

"nothing."

Soon, several microphones were handed to Wu Dao's mouth, and several reporters rushed to ask questions they desperately wanted to know:
"Wudao, your opponent this year is the Spurs. Who do you think is better between you and Duncan?"

"Have you read the article that ESPN described you in before? What do you want to say?"

"I heard rumors that the Timberwolves are planning to put you back on the bench. Is this true?"

Wu Dao didn't know where the news from these media came from, but each one of them vowed to put him back on the bench?

Well.
It seems that there are indeed such signs, but those are just media speculations, right?

As for the EPSN report describing martial arts, I'm sorry, he really hasn't seen it, and he hasn't been distracted by these things during this time.

These are not questions that Martial Arts wants to answer, but...
One reporter asked a question that intrigued Martial Arts.

"Who is better, me or Duncan?"

"I think I can answer this question for you."

"Although we are in different positions, I think I will be the better one."

"Tell me why."

"I'm only 18 years old this year!"

Upon hearing Wu Dao's answer, the reporters all became excited as if they had smelled a bloody predator.

But at this time, some staff of the Timberwolves team also discovered something strange here, came to Wu Dao, and helped drive away the reporters.

In principle, this is not media time, and Wu Dao should not have said these words in front of the media.

"Sorry, if you have anything to ask, please ask me after the game."

When Wu Dao saw some staff coming to stop him, he smiled and said sorry to the reporters, and then hurriedly squeezed through the crowd.

Went to the stadium.

In the court, Garnett, who was doing warm-up activities, saw Budao coming to the court to warm up and came to Budao.

"Kevin, what's wrong?"

When Wu Dao saw Garnett blocking his way, he looked at him with some confusion.

"In today's game, I will help you deal with Duncan."

"If you pass the ball to me more, I won't treat you badly!"

After hearing Garnett's nonsense, Wu Dao couldn't help but blinked when he looked at Garnett.

In fact, compared to martial arts, Garnett, who is about the same age as Duncan and is in the same position, hopes to prove himself in this game.

He and Duncan are in the same position.

The game against the Spurs also completely brought out Garnett's desire to win.

"sure."

"As long as you are really better than Duncan, my score and your score will be the same."

"And you don't even have to ask me to pass the ball to you."

"I can't get the ball at all, can I?"

Martial Arts said with a smile.

Hearing Wu Dao's words, Garnett opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.He seemed to know something, but he couldn't say it on this occasion.

"After today's game against the Spurs, let's have a meal together."

"Just the two of us."

Garnett stretched out his fist towards Martial Arts and said.

Hearing this, Wu Dao glanced at Garnett in surprise.Since Wu Dao entered the Timberwolves, he and Garnett have never dealt with each other. Although the two of them should cooperate on the court, they basically don't talk to each other in private.

This is the first time I was invited to dinner by Garnett.

It seems that Garnett has come out of the shadow of "that" gift and plans to repair the relationship?
"I don't eat fried chicken."

Wu Dao said, reaching out and fist bumping with Garnett.

Garnett was speechless after hearing Wu Dao's words.

Black people like to eat fried chicken. This stereotype is somewhat discriminatory. It is just like someone saying to you, "You all eat dog meat, right?"

Although this sense is not strong, Wu Dao's words still make Garnett, who exudes kindness, feel as uncomfortable as eating a fly.

"I really don't eat fried chicken!"

Martial Arts noticed that Garnett's face looked a little sad and emphasized.

"Shut up! You bastard!"

"I get it, idiot! I'm not deaf, you don't have to stress it to me!"

"And I don't eat fried chicken either! Fuck the damn fried chicken!"

Garnett returned to his true self, cursing angrily and walking away quickly.

Not long after, coach Philip came to the arena, began to gather the players, and then took the players back to the lounge.

In the lounge, Philip briefly emphasized that today's game requires the players to defend the inside, and then announced some starting lineups in advance.

In addition to Garnett and the others, Wu Dao was also re-introduced to the starting lineup.

During the pre-game interview, Philip took Tom out of the lounge.

Wu Dao carefully tied his feet and began to rest after being fully prepared.

Not long after, the beaming Tom followed Philip back to the lounge. Not long after waiting, someone hurried into the lounge to notify the players to enter.

The game between the Timberwolves and the Spurs attracted many, many fans to watch the game.

After this period of media fermentation, the reputation of martial arts has become somewhat famous.Moreover, today's game was hyped by the media as a "best rookie showdown" before the game.

The local media in Minnesota were even more crazy. Before the game, they began to boast that martial arts would definitely lead the team to clear the "obstacles." Teams like the Spurs simply did not have players who could defend the "Minnesota savior."

With the support of the media, nearly [-] tickets were sold out by enthusiastic fans.

(End of this chapter)