Champions Creed

Chapter 290 289: Let him form the crotch! (ask for monthly ticket)
Roger introduced Eric Fleischer to Yao Ming. If nothing unexpected happens, Yao Ming will become Fleischer's second big client in China.

Why should a good guy like Bill Duffy, who has average business ability, get it for free?
Roger has played professional basketball for eight years. He really can't imagine what kind of agent would forget to respond to the team's offer on the player's behalf, causing his players to have to sign with the minimum salary or have no ball to play.

And that's what happened to Bill Duffy.

For a broker, such mistakes are not allowed.

And the trait of being a “nice guy” is the last thing an agent needs.

Almost all the owners in the league hate David Falk and think he is a bastard who deserves to go to hell. No owner or general manager of any team would say that David Falk is a good person.

And this is precisely because he can always help the players get the most benefits.

Sometimes if you don’t act like a bad person, you won’t be able to gain benefits.

Roger really didn't want to see Yao Ming fall into the hands of an agent who used being a good person as a selling point but was not very reliable in doing things.

Of course, how Eric Fleischer will help Yao Ming next is his business.

Roger can provide some help, but he doesn't have the time to personally babysit every Chinese player who has landed or is about to land in the NBA.

After participating in a series of business activities in China, Roger rushed back to the beacon of freedom on Earth.

The moment he got on the bus and entered the city, Roger took off his mask. The air here was filled with the familiar smell of urine, which seemed particularly luxurious.

This is the breath of freedom, long missed.

The reason why he rushed back so quickly was because Roger needed to have a four-party meeting with Lenny Wilkens, Mike D'Antoni and Pete Babcock.

This matter cannot be delayed. If the team is still unable to determine its playing style for next season, the reinforcement work will be completely stalled.

Lenny Wilkens thought he would never meet Mike D'Antoni, that absolute lunatic, again in his life, but Roger urged the two sides to talk again.

"The communication between you didn't hit the point. It's like a conversation where neither side has superb ineffectiveness, so of course we have to start over." Roger gave Lenny Wilkens a vivid and elegant metaphor on the phone.

Out of respect and trust for Roger, Lenny Wilkens agreed to meet D'Antoni again.

The four of them agreed to meet in Pete Babcock's office this afternoon to determine the general direction of next season's strategy, so Roger had to rush back today.

As soon as Roger entered the office, Lenny Wilkens started to complain: "You have no idea how crazy that mustache bastard is! If we play according to his strategy, we can hardly make it to the finals, let alone defend the title!"

Pete Babcock on the side smiled and said, "Lenny, do you remember the first time you and Roger met four years ago? At that time you said that you couldn't win the championship by relying on short inside players."

Of course, Lenny Wilkens remembered the afternoon when he first met Roger. He would never forget Roger's calm words while drinking coffee: "Who says you need a tall center to play good defense? To be honest, I fucking hate tall centers, especially those who are tall and fat."

The ant-like look and the contemptuous tone made Lenny Wilkens realize for the first time what a privileged player is.

Roger's idea was also very subversive at the time, because it was common sense that every team needed big men. Even George Karl, who played the most crazy double team in the 90s, would have a few big guys in his Supersonics lineup.

It was the Hawks' three championships in four years that changed everything and the common sense of basketball games, to the point that even teams like the Toronto Raptors are now beginning to imitate the Hawks' "no big lineup."

But at that time, no one knew whether what Roger said was right or not, and no one knew whether the "no big lineup" would lead to the Hawks' self-destruction.

Even so, Lenny Wilkens did not refute Roger at that time, because he knew very well that Roger was not challenging authority, he was the authority itself!
Where does authority come from?

victory!

When Roger arrived in Atlanta four years ago, he had three rings on his hands and a brilliant Orlando dynasty.

As a winner, everything he says is right.

But what about Mike D'Antoni? Is he a winner?

Lenny Wilkens waved at Babcock:

"Yes, Roger's proposal was also unreasonable, but this is different! Four years ago, when the season just started, I could see the potential in Ben Wallace and Kurt Thomas. But right now, I don't see the feasibility of that mustache's tactical ideas.

And the most unacceptable thing about that guy with a mustache is not that he doesn't fight positional battles, nor that he focuses too much on three-pointers, but that he would rather not defend at all in order to speed up!

Winning championships through defense is not just a slogan, it is a truth proven by one championship after another in the NBA over the past fifty years!

Among so many NBA champions, not every team has excellent offense, but definitely every team’s defense is good enough!

And you all overlooked the fact that Mike had the opportunity to coach a team and show his so-called talent. In 1999 in Denver, he was the head coach there.

But what did he bring to the plateau? He had unclear tactics, didn't like to call timeouts, didn't trust newcomers, and often sat on the bench in a daze, looking like a spectator who had bought a VIP ticket.

How can you let me trust such a guy?
Roger, do you really think this kind of person can help us?"

Roger took out his cigar box at this time, ready to relax with a cigar. "Okay, Lanny, I'm not saying that his ideas are all right. I just think we can learn from some of his ideas. Pete, where's your secretary? Who can light my cigar without a secretary?"

"I thought you didn't want any outsiders around." Pete Babcock shrugged.

"Pay attention next time. Without a secretary, our negotiations will be difficult."

As we were chatting, Mike D'Antoni knocked on the door and walked into the office dragging a suitcase.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, and Babcock stood up directly: "Mike, I should have told the driver to take you to the hotel first."

"No," the mustache waved his hand, "There's no need for that. I didn't accept the contract extension from the Trail Blazers. So after today's conversation, I might go directly to Italy."

Mike D'Antoni came here with the determination to fight to the death.

He has rejected a contract extension from the Trail Blazers because he would never be able to make a breakthrough there and would never be able to play the strongest offense in his mind.

Only with the Atlanta Hawks does he have the opportunity to turn his offensive tactics into reality in the NBA.

What if I don’t end up joining the Eagles?
Then go back to coach Benetton in Italy!
Yes, this might be his last chance to stay in the NBA.

He had already asked his wife and children to pack their bags and decide whether to succeed or die.

Roger never knew that the mustache guy was such a courageous man. His previous impression of D'Antoni was second only to Doc Rivers's unpleasant duck voice and his unchanging tactics that were always just one step away from the championship.

But now, he saw another side of Mike D'Antoni.

If he can't turn his ideas into reality in a team, he would rather not have that job.

This stubbornness made him successful, but also limited him.

It is precisely because of his stubborn and single-minded tactics that his team is always one step away from the championship.

Mike D'Antoni sat down, and Roger got straight to the point: "Gentlemen, it is foreseeable that our defense next season will definitely not be as good as the previous two seasons. So my idea is to find a way to increase the offensive ceiling to make up for this. Mike, I want to hear your ideas."

Mike D'Antoni repeated everything he had said to Lenny Wilkens last time.

When mentioning "no need for defense" and "seven-man rotation is more than enough", Roger saw Lenny Wilkens clench his fists several times.

When D'Antoni finished, Wilkens looked at Roger and shrugged, as if to say, "Did you hear that idiot's rambling?"

It must be admitted that the system led by the mustache is more like an experiment rather than a mature routine of the head coach of a team in a commercial league.

There's a reason why he can't win a championship.

But his ideas are not worthless.

"Mike, I agree with most of your opinions. Next season we have to play faster, increase the number of possessions, and shoot more three-pointers. But it is absolutely impossible to implement your strategy 100% on the Hawks. However, we can follow your general idea and make some improvements."

Roger is going to start taking the best from Mike D'Antoni's strategy and discarding the dross.

The advantages and disadvantages of D'Antoni's system are very obvious. The first drawback, which is also the biggest shortcoming of this system, is defense.

D'Antoni really doesn't care about defense at all. In his system, defense only requires raising your hands to pretend. Because serious defense will slow down the rhythm and affect the non-stop running.

What D'Antoni needs is to force the opponent to shoot quickly, regardless of whether it goes in or not, to grab the rebound or quickly serve, speed up, and rush the ball in the backcourt, so as to quickly seize an opportunity to be more outnumbered in our offensive rounds to increase our goal success rate and mix up the rhythm at the same time.

This is Street Fighter.

The reason why he doesn't defend is not because he doesn't know how to defend, but because D'Antoni needs to speed up the game to the extreme. This forced speed-up can allow you to score high, but it can also allow your opponent to score high, which makes the playoffs very uncertain.

So Roger's Hawks still need defense: "We can be fast and execute your seven-second or less trick. But all this is based on using defense to force the opponent to miss shots or turnovers. We don't speed up for the sake of speeding up, we only speed up when we need to."

"But." D'Antoni wanted to refute something, but was interrupted by Roger raising his hand.

"I know what you're worried about. Serious defense will slow down the tempo, so some rounds are bound to fall into positional battles. But it doesn't matter. We have the ability to force our way through the position."

Positional warfare, this is the second dregs that need to be changed. D'Antoni's system positional offensive tactics are not complete.

The reason why the mustache needs to speed up all the time is because he has nothing in positional offense. He dare not let his team fall into the position, so he can only give up defense completely.

Why is it that although both of them play small ball, D'Antoni's Suns and Rockets just can't win in the end, while the Warriors can barely survive under the strong rule of the GOAT by winning four championships in eight years?

Because the Warriors are not just fast. Their offense is not so much fast as it is based on a sufficiently complete tactical system, on the complex and sophisticated passing and cutting routines designed by Steve Kerr for the team, and on Curry's much greater offensive threat than Nash.

All these enable the Warriors to still launch efficient offense in positional warfare and better adapt to high-end games that require hard solutions.

However, D'Antoni has too few things on his tactical board and can't come up with a solution when the time comes. This is why his team always fails in the playoffs.

The Hawks don't have to worry about this problem. Once the seven-second offense fails, the Hawks can also rely on positional warfare to solve the problem.

In fact, the Eagles' performance in positional offense next season will definitely be better than the previous two years. The departure of Big Ben may cause the Eagles' defense to decline, but it will be of great help to the Eagles' offense.

Big Ben's role on the offensive end is not just that he cannot score, but that he is the kind of player who has no shooting skills, no techniques, and even travels when starting.

Next season, the Hawks' offense will be further improved by replacing their main centers with Kurt Thomas and Hakeem Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Especially for Hakeem Olajuwon, he may not be able to score as many points as he did in his peak period, but he is still a great help to the offense.

Before Nikola Jokic, no center had the same offensive influence as Olajuwon. There are so many things Olajuwon can do.

In fact, all-around centers have always been in great demand, even in the small ball era when big men were despised.

When the Warriors won the championship in 2015, they accidentally developed the Death Five because of Bogut's injury. However, after Bogut came back the following year, he was still the starting center. The reason is that he actually played a very important role in the Warriors.

Apart from those disgusting little moves, he can also provide rim protection, rebounding, screens and assists, which can make the offense smoother and the defense more solid.

It has to be said that Bogut is the dog with the highest basketball IQ Roger has ever seen in the world.

Except for not being able to participate in fast breaks and stand up to play one-on-one, he can provide everything.

And Dream can obviously do better than Bogut in his small ball era.

In fact, even when the Hawks need to play the seven-second offense, Olajuwon will not be a drag at all. His long pass ability after grabbing the rebound can definitely provide help for the seven-second offense.

Therefore, the Eagles, who have positional capabilities, do not need to give up defense to force a faster tempo and play run-and-gun. They just need to speed up appropriately, increase the number and success rate of fast breaks, and maximize offensive efficiency to make up for the decline in defense.

In this regard, the Hawks need Mike D'Antoni's help, need him to make some adjustments in the details, need him to find the role of each player, and need his gorgeous seven-second offense and V-shaped push to play a role in the counterattack.

A truly effective and quick counterattack cannot be achieved by just running around; it still requires an excellent coach to coach everything.

In general, D'Antoni's fast break is not the whole of the Hawks, but only the sharpest and most murderous part of the Hawks' offense.

In fact, Mike D'Antoni's most suitable role is to be an offensive coach. As a head coach, his tactics are too monotonous and too limited.

If he is used as the head of a team, he may not be powerful enough, but if he is used as the most lethal crotch, he will definitely make you feel so good that you will reach the sky.

After Roger finished talking about these things, Lenny Wilkens felt much more satisfied. At least according to Roger's description, the Hawks will still play normal basketball next season.

Mike D'Antoni also accepted the changes proposed by Roger. At least the Hawks still play fast-paced basketball, which is consistent with his thinking.

Several people finally reached a consensus, and then came the most critical part: which players were needed for this new system?
The last flaw of D'Antoni's system is the seven-man rotation. At the critical moment of the playoffs, the poor lineup depth is enough to drag down the team.

Therefore, the Hawks' rotation lineup must be strong enough to not only resist fatigue but also injuries.

Because Horace Grant decided to accept the Magic's middle-class exception after much hesitation a few days ago, gave up the Hawks' minimum salary contract extension, and returned to Orlando, so the Hawks can still squeeze two people into the roster.

Compared to the departure of Big Ben, the departure of Horace Grant will not have much impact on the Hawks.

Pete Babcock even thinks that Horace Grant's departure is a good thing. He didn't play a big role in the Hawks last season, and the vacant position now gives the Hawks one more spot to strengthen their team.

After this system based on fast defensive counterattacks and supplemented by positional warfare was determined, the people the Eagles needed were also clear.

At this point in time, Marion still needs a substitute at the power forward position.

The guard position also needs a backup, because Jeff Hornacek will not return until the end of next season. Before that, the Eagles are short of guards.

Both of these guys have to be able to defend, have basketball IQ, be able to pass and shoot, and be able to run.

After receiving the specific request, Peter Babcock closed his notebook and said, "Don't worry, gentlemen. I'll get some express deliveries back right away."

Mike D'Antoni raised his hand at this time: "Well, do I still need to catch the flight to Italy? My wife is still waiting for my news."

"Damn, I almost forgot about that. Hey Pete, call a car for Mike to take him to the airport!" Lenny Wilkens yelled.

D'Antoni had a gloomy expression. He thought that after Roger said so much, the Hawks would accept him.

Seeing Mike D'Antoni almost in tears, Lenny Wilkens couldn't help but smile: "Hahahaha, okay, I'm just kidding, screw Italy, welcome to the coaching staff Mike. We need your experience in fast-paced offense and we need you to adjust some details."

Mike D'Antoni wiped his eyes and said, "Our offense will be number one next season. I guarantee it with my beard!"

A few days later, the Eagles announced two signings.

Pete Babcock first signed Stephen Jackson, who played for the Nets last season.

The reason why no one is interested in Stephen Jackson now is that as a player who struggled in overseas leagues for three years and played for 17 teams around the world before finally returning to the NBA, he did not play hard last season.

Normally, players who have experienced such setbacks to enter the NBA would be very hardworking, but what about Stephen Jackson? He was late for practice many times, attended too many parties and was in a bad state, and often caused trouble on the court.

He doesn't seem to cherish this opportunity to gain a foothold in the NBA.

These are the reasons why the Nets gave up on him.

And for this reason, most teams stay away from him. If a person is not capable enough and does not cherish the opportunity, then he is probably doomed.

But Roger told Pete Babcock, "I just need someone who can run, shoot, defend, and be ruthless. Just sign that bastard from Port Arthur to me, and I'll let the world know how good he is."

Babcock had no doubt that Roger’s leadership abilities had been put to use more than once.

Subsequently, Pete Babcock signed Tyronn Lue, who won the first place in the "AI Modeling Imitation Competition".

Tyronn Lue is a small point guard who plays very aggressive defense. Even a strong player like Allen Iverson cannot break through him, so he can only step over him.

He has a good shot and the ability to pass the ball as a point guard should. In the words of Pete Babcock, "That guy is not like Nash or Kidd, who can always make amazing passes. But his thinking is very clear, and he always knows when to give the ball to whom."

That's true. There is probably no one else in the world who knows how to pass the ball better than Tyronn Lue.

How come giving the ball to the strongest person isn't a way to organize an offense?
So far, the Hawks have formed a ten-man rotation of Kurt Thomas, Olajuwon, Marion, Stephen Jackson, Pippen, Pierce, Reed, Bowen, Roger and Tyronn Lue.

Compared to last season, the Eagles have two fewer old players and three more new players.

Together with Andre Patterson at the hitter position and Jeff Hornacek who needs to continue to recover from injury, these 12 people are the Eagles' roster for their bid for a three-peat.
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The Hawks still signed some minor players this summer. Dream? In terms of strength, he is still just a minor player now. Compared with the loss of DPOY, these signings of the Hawks seem insignificant. But Roger has proved his ability to lead the team more than once. To be honest, even if Roger led four of me now, I think Roger would win the championship. - Charles Barkley commented on the operation of the Hawks this summer on the show.

Yao Ming, the next beast from the East who will destroy the NBA! You may not believe it yet, but the NBA in the new millennium will become a playground for Chinese players! - Sports Illustrated

Chris Cohen's Golden State Warriors are being sold. The former TV mogul bought the Warriors for the commercial value of Penny Hardaway. He believed that Anfernee could make the Warriors the most popular team in the league. But now, less than a decade later, he has found it difficult to continue running the business. Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhov is currently leading among several acquirers and consortiums. Will the league welcome its first foreign franchise owner? --NBA Time and Space

Roger, Dirk, Yao Ming who will soon join the NBA, and the possible emergence of a Russian owner. I think David Stern's globalization strategy has begun to succeed. - The New York Times

If Roger were to leave Atlanta next summer, do you think he would return to his real hometown of Orlando? Please vote! - Orlando Sentinel

(End of this chapter)