When pride still matters

Chapter 216: If life is not as good as you want, just be better than others.
Chapter 216: Life is not what you want, just be better than others

Entering the New Year, the Bucks ushered in Ray Allen's comeback, but this comeback was a failure.

Ray Allen faltered on the court and was in no condition. As a starter and second-in-command, he couldn't attack and defend. In his first game back, he lost his foundation.

"That's enough! If you're injured, recuperate!" Yu Fei not only discovered that Ray Allen's injury was not taken care of well, but also knew that the opponent was disturbed by Reid's recent performance.

For these two to work together amicably for another season is looking more and more like a luxury.

Michael Reed returns to the starting lineup.

Reed's return to the starting lineup doesn't mean everything will be fine, because Ray Allen will be back sooner or later.

As long as Ray Allen comes back, the starting lineup will be his.

This made Reed want to perform better. He increased his shots before the All-Star voting deadline. Although it had little impact on Flying, it made others dissatisfied.

Yu Fei's patience with Reid ran out until the All-Star voting deadline.

"From now on, I don't want to see you averaging more than 15 shots per game." Normally, it would be counterproductive for a man who averaged 30 shots per game when several key players were absent to advise his teammates, but here Everyone in Derby knows Yu Fei’s energy. "The All-Star voting has ended. No matter how you increase your shot count, you will not get another vote. If you insist on playing like this, I think you may be more suitable to be a substitute."

Reed couldn't help but argue: "I was originally a substitute, and I will be a substitute as soon as Ray comes back."

Yu Fei's expression didn't change at all, and even his tone didn't change. Reed couldn't see any emotion in him.

For Fei, Ray Allen and Reed are just his helpers.

They don't have a personal relationship, so he approaches both relationships very realistically.

When he needs Reed to beat Ray Allen, Reed is the one in his pocket.

When he needs the team to regain stability and allow Ray Allen to recover from injury, Reid is the clear starting backup.

What if Reid refuses to accept this reality and even wants to change this status quo, even at the cost of putting the team into turmoil?

This one is simple, really simple.

Yu Fei's face was calm and his tone was calm, as if he was chatting with someone in a restaurant. "Is there any problem with this? Lei is our core. If you are dissatisfied with this, I can let you return to the bench now."

Reed felt despair, the sense of despair that he could not achieve his goal no matter how hard he tried, which gave him the courage and courage to confront the man in front of him who in a sense owned the team: "Do you think that what I did Everything is just to serve as a temporary substitute for Lei after he is injured?"

Who doesn’t know what you want? I recognize your ambition, but what about your strength?Going out to hang out requires strength.

Although Reid performed as well as Ray Allen in December when Ray Allen was absent.

However, when we say that someone is "as good as" someone, the subtext is actually "a little less than".

Moreover, in this context, saying that Reid is a little worse than Ray Allen does not mean that his ability is a little worse, but that shooting and ball-handling offense, which Reid is best at, are a little worse than Ray Allen.

If you want to compare these two players based on their overall quality, the difference is huge.

"You're a bit self-righteous, Michael." Yu Fei really didn't like Reed's name, so his tone changed and he no longer sounded as plain as before. "So far, you have never shown the ability to completely replace Rey-ray. You did play well last month, but if you think you can replace him with this, you are too naive."

Reed walked away.

He recognized the reality and Yu Fei would not help him when he competed for the main position.

At this time, Reed discovered that he had no one to rely on except Yu Fei.

Who on the team will support him to compete with Ray Allen for the starting spot?
His teammates have become dissatisfied with his recent behavior of stealing shots. The coaching staff trusts Ray Allen more. Yu Fei, the only one who has influence on this, is obviously on the side of Ray Allen. As for the higher-level bosses
Senator Cole should be happy that he agreed to match this four-year, $4 million contract last year.

What a bargain to lock a player with All-Star caliber into a child labor contract for four years!

Soon after, reality played a big trick on Reid.

Despite his dismal attendance this season, Ray Allen was still selected as an Eastern All-Star substitute.Reed, who has been crazy about Kerry since December, remains unappreciated.

For the All-Star Game, Ray Allen was naturally unable to play due to injury, so he mercifully "gave" the spot to Reid.

Of course, this concession did not come from Ray Allen's subjective will.It's that the league found out that Ray Allen couldn't play, so it asked Reed to come in as a replacement.

So, after all, Reed is an All-Star.

But this All-Star is still Ray Allen's backup.

As soon as Mr. Lei recovers, he will get out of the starting lineup.

Apart from applying for a trade, Reid has no way to change his situation.

So, a few days before the All-Star Weekend, Reid applied to the team for a trade through his agent.

The news immediately swept the league, and a major crisis suddenly appeared within the defending champion. Countless people who didn't like the Bucks were ready to have fun.

Then again, the Bucks aren't the only team with hidden dangers.

Especially the three top teams in the West. The momentum of the F4 Lakers was good at the beginning. Although the trouble caused by Kobe Bryant's case put the team's season in a haze, Malone and Payton helped O'Neal lead them to usher in a new life. In the first two months of the season, they also handed over A record of 17 wins and 4 losses.

However, the good times did not last long. As a famous iron man in the NBA, Malone suffered a serious knee injury in January 2004, which caused him to miss a period of time.What's even more ridiculous is that Malone was misdiagnosed by quack doctors during the recovery process, which made him almost unable to play for the next three months.

The Lakers' performance subsequently declined, and the relationship between O'Neal, Jackson and Kobe became tense again, and the smell of war spread around the Lakers.

Then there's another team that doesn't look like it should have a problem.

Before the Lakers F4 was formed, the Spurs, who signed Jason Kidd, were the top favorites to win the championship this season.

However, Kidd's arrival dealt a heavy blow to Tony Parker's morale.

In just a few months, Parker went through the whole process of depression, rebellion, despair, and applying for a trade.

If only Parker had to apply for a trade, the Spurs might not be in such a hurry.

It's not scary to apply for trading. If it's a big deal, just trade. Parker has already won [-]% of the first prize, so he doesn't have to worry about no one asking for it.

But the feud between Kidd and Popovich dragged the Spurs into deeper trouble.

As a player, Kidd has always been known as a coach on the court.

If fans call a player this, it means that the player has the style of a general.But what about an on-field coach recognized among players?For strong coaches, the last thing they need is a coach on the court to teach them how to run the team.

This is how Popovich led the team. He sprayed Duncan with a hair dryer in front of the rookies, thus telling the newcomers and others that even Duncan was sprayed by me. You bastards had better keep your tail between your legs. Just listen to me.

This trick failed on Kidd.

When Popovich instilled his coaching philosophy into Kidd, Kidd was possessed by the green big dark. I don’t want you to think, I want what I think.

Moreover, Kidd has enough confidence to challenge Popovich. He turned a perennially bad team into a finals-level team in New Jersey.

In New Jersey, he frowned, and Byron Scott had to wonder for a long time why his father was unhappy.

If Popovich wants to give him a hair dryer, he has to consider Kidd's reputation. After all, he is the first domestic violence expert in the new century. This character will definitely not improve.

One applied for a trade, the other refused to accept guidance, and the Spurs entered a terrible hell.

It was obvious that reinforcements were made, but it was found that it would be better not to reinforce them.

Compared to the other two teams, another Western Conference championship team with spending problems has the smallest problem and the mildest symptoms - the Kings have triggered Ewing's law when core interior player Chris Webber is absent for a long time, and their record is improving. As for the rumors that "it's better to trade Weber, a softie".

So, be afraid of comparison in everything.

When it comes to life being unsatisfactory, in the final analysis, just being more happy than others is enough.

Looking at what happened to these companies in the Western Conference, the Bucks management found that as long as they handled Reid's trade request well, there would be no additional negative impact.

In the last game before the All-Star Weekend, the Bucks faced the Kings at home. Yu Fei chose to rest, and Karl let Reid play 44 minutes and gave him unlimited firing rights.

Reed knew what it meant.

Now that there is a trade, each team must re-inspect the goods. The better they play, the greater the possibility of leaving the team.

Ever since, with the help of the whole team, Reid shot 33 crazy goals, hitting 18 of them, scoring a career-high 43 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, but in the end the Bucks lost to the Kings.

This game was a great reflection of Reed’s strengths and weaknesses.

His offense with the ball is good, and his shooting ability is among the best in the league. If he goes to a weak team, he can score points and sell tickets to lead the team to compete for the top pick. If he goes to a strong team, he can also be used as a secondary attacker.

"Rey-ray, if you were the one applying for the trade, would you be as crazy as him?"

Yu Fei was standing on the sidelines with Ray Allen in formal attire. The Bucks lost tonight, but Reid accepted the interview with a smile like a winner.He was probably saying that he would give his best no matter which team he went to.

Ray Allen looked like he couldn't take the joke, "I don't make that assumption."

"Okay, tell me, can you come back after the All-Star Game?"

Reed is about to be traded, and Ray Allen feels that his status in Yu Fei's heart has been restored.

What a realistic person!
He has an ambiguous attitude when he needs him, and he kicks him away when he no longer needs him. He is just like a dog!
"The doctor said yes."

"Really?" Yu Fei said harmlessly, "Anyway, the trade deadline is after the All-Star Game. If you can't come back smoothly by then, we can only postpone Michael's trade to the offseason."

"Hopefully he has a good time in the All-Star Game and I'll give him a few more passes."

Ray Allen broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this. Is there any variability in this deal?

Ray Allen, who noticed that he was a little out of sorts, glanced at Yu Fei, only to find that the other party was looking at him playfully.

Yu Fei's expression looked like he had succeeded in his prank.

(End of this chapter)