Champions Creed

Chapter 317 Chapter 316: When you are someone else's spiritual support (ask for a monthly ticket!)

Parting is undoubtedly one of the saddest things in this world.

When all the fans in Indianapolis shouted "Thank you Reggie".

When Kobe Bryant said "Mamba out" at the Staples Center.

When Derrick Rose told everyone on social media "No need to feel sorry for my what ifs."

Even one day in the future, when LeBron James announces his retirement, please believe that some people will be so sad that they will not be able to write a single word for three days.

Hubie Brown had experienced a similar separation a long time ago, in the distant year of 1986.

Although a long time has passed, Hubie Brown still remembers everything that happened.

In 1985, Bernard King was at his peak, and he had just helped the team to a Game against the eventual champion Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Although they lost to their opponents, Hubie Brown believed that the New York Knicks were only one step away from the championship.

But then, the New York Knicks he coached seemed to be cursed. Bernard King suffered a devastating knee injury in the following season, including a torn anterior cruciate ligament, torn knee cartilage and a broken leg bone. His entire right knee required major reconstruction and he was out for the season.

Well, God has not abandoned New York. Because of Bernard King's injury, they were lucky enough to get Patrick Ewing.

Everyone fantasized that Hubie Brown, Ewing and Bernard King could create a New York dynasty.

As a result, Bernard King's recovery was not as good as expected and he was out for the second consecutive season, while No. 32 pick Patrick Ewing also missed games in his rookie season due to injury.

Severe injuries caused the Knicks' record to be terrible. Finally, at the end of 86, when Hubie Brown led the team to a start of only 4 wins and 12 losses, and when extreme New York fans issued death threats to Hubie Brown and his family, Hubie Brown, who was under tremendous pressure and overwhelmed, chose to resign.

This was his farewell to the game.

There were no press conferences, and there was no such thing as social media.

Hubie Brown seemed to have suddenly disappeared from the league without a trace, along with all his past honors.

After that, he worked as a commentator and analyst for many TV stations, and spent the entire turbulent 90s in this capacity, silently witnessing No. 23 ascend to the throne, and then being driven off by No. 14 in a struggle of blood and sword.

So much so that many people only remember Hubie Brown as a TV guest, but forget that he was also a great championship coach.

So now that Hubie Brown has returned to his job, he has still encountered a lot of criticism.

Can a guy who hasn't been a coach for 16 years still keep up with the times?
At the age of 69, can he still withstand the pressure of being an NBA head coach?
When Hubie Brown retired, the world still had this fantasy: We have experienced the George Mikan era, the Bill Russell era, the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar era, and now we will usher in the Patrick Ewing era.

And now, Patrick Ewing's career has come to an end.

16 years is really a long time.

16 years ago, he failed to create a legend with the talented Patrick Ewing. What about today, 16 years later?

Hubie Brown was sitting on the double-decker bus, staring at the man in a white suit.

This time, he will definitely not fail again!
Roger, wearing a white suit, stood next to the double-decker bus and waved to the fans lining the street.

Just like when he went to Atlanta five years ago, the Golden State Warriors arranged a welcome ceremony for Roger the day before media day.

A white suit represents a new, clean start. Atlanta's glory was brilliant, but it is now in the rearview mirror.

Bay Area fans showed their love for Roger, with the bus route packed with fans and multiple TV helicopters hovering overhead.

On the side, Warriors general manager Bob Buss shouted: "This is crazy, Roger, this is just like John F. Kennedy in a convertible!"

Roger:
On Roger's other side, Mikhail Prokhorov was pale. He waved to the fans with a stiff smile, looking sick and like he would die suddenly on the bus at any time.

Roger kept smiling and asked the team owner beside him: "Poki, what's wrong with you?"

"I drove the damn Impart for too long last night. I didn't get enough rest, and I'm a little carsick. Don't worry, I'm fine. Even if I have a terminal illness and need a lot of money for treatment, I will wait until you retire before selling the team. Who would give up such a great opportunity to make money to someone else?"

Hearing Mikhail Prokhorov's answer, Roger smiled and shook his head, not feeling surprised.

If you know this Russian well enough, you will know that he is the Russian version of Jerry Buss. He spread the news of partying with young girls all over Europe.

Now, his claws have reached the beacon of freedom.

That’s why he once promised, “If I don’t win the championship within five years, I’ll get married.” For a playboy like him, this was a huge gamble.

Finally, the car arrived at its final stop, Mission Bay in San Francisco, where the Warriors' new arena is located.

Of course, the new arena is still a mess of steel bars.

The final size of the arena will probably be similar to the Chase Center in the original timeline, and the most modern training center will be integrated next to the arena so that games and training can be held in the same place.

This also means that the Warriors' future activities will no longer involve Oakland.

Prokhorov is determined to completely "de-Oaklandize" the Warriors.

Look at all the houses and shopping malls being built around Mission Bay at the same time; almost all of them belong to Prokhorov.

He wants to transform this place, which was once filled with shipyards, canneries, sugar refineries and various warehouses, into a high-tech and wealthy community with luxury apartments, hospitals and biotechnology research and development.

This is a huge investment, but of course there will be huge returns if all goes well.

The Golden State Warriors are the beginning of his series of plans.

He had to make people in the Bay Area willing to come to Mission Bay, which was once dirty, messy and full of fishy smell, before he could proceed with his next plan.

And in this parade, Roger undoubtedly demonstrated his appeal.

A year ago, it would have been impossible for so many people to gather in Mission Bay.

But look at it now. Prokhorov is worried that Mission Bay will be trampled and sink.

What if Roger wins a few more games with the Warriors? In two years, Mission Bay will be the most popular place in the entire Bay Area!

Roger got out of the car accompanied by the head coach, general manager and owner, and then everyone gave a short speech.

The Russian boss's final statement shook the entire Mission Bay: "I said that if the Warriors don't win the championship within five years, I will get married. Now I can also tell you that Roger and I will bring not one, not two, not three championships to the Bay Area!"

Amid the cheering crowd, Roger looked extremely disheveled.

First it was a nomadic dynasty, then Not1 and Not2.

The path left for LeBron is really getting narrower and narrower.

After finishing all this, Roger will officially start the journey of the new season and face new challenges in his career.

However, the team ran into problems on the first day of training camp.

During the physical examination, the Warriors medical team was skeptical about Marcus Camby's hip injury recovery and will further assess the severity of his injury.

Warriors chief team doctor Chelsea Ryan told Hubie Brown and Camby: "We are concerned about your actual return time."

Marcus Camby was stunned: "What does this mean? The Knicks said I'm fully recovered."

"I'm afraid that's not the case," Chelsea Ryan, a rare female face in the NBA, shook her head. "You received conservative treatment for your hip labrum tear at the Knicks, but in our judgment, recovery is extremely limited. If you go on the court directly, there is a risk of secondary injury. If we evaluate and believe that you need surgery, then..."

"So what?" Camby demanded.

"Then your comeback may have to be postponed to next season." Chelsea Ryan had to announce the bad news in front of Hubie Brown, Roger and Camby.

Hubie Brown looked calm, but he was cursing inside.

He felt as if the curse that haunted him in 1986 had come back to haunt him.

Marcus Camby had disbelief and anger written all over his face. Last season, which was a contract year, he was abandoned by the Knicks because he played only 29 games. He had been holding his breath for the entire summer and was ready to let it all out.

But the doctor told him he had to hold it in for another year?
After his anger subsided, Camby laughed dryly at himself. So, what did he get for fighting so hard for New York?
I am the biggest idiot on earth!
Hubie Brown questioned: "If Marcus needs to rest for a year, he should be on the injury list. Why do New Yorkers think he is healed? What is their medical team doing?"

Chelsea Ryan, who has a neat short haircut, answered the question in an equally neat way: "The Knicks simply made a mistake in judgment."

Trading for a player who is not on the injury list, only to find out when the player arrives that he is injured and can't play, has this ever happened in the original timeline? Of course it has.

The most famous trade is the one between Isaiah Thomas and Kyrie Irving in the summer of 17. The Cavaliers also discovered that Thomas’ injury had not fully healed after acquiring him.

Sometimes you really feel that this world is just a huge makeshift team.

The professional NBA medical team has made misdiagnoses more than once or twice.

Marcus Camby felt helpless, and Roger could only pat him on the back: "Just take care of your injuries, you still have a long career ahead of you."

So in the afternoon, when the new players who joined the Warriors showed up at the media day press conference carrying their new jerseys, everyone was smiling, except Marcus Camby, who had a sullen face.

The reporter also asked him: "Did anything bad happen, Marcus?"

Camby didn't hide his disappointment. He told reporters: "Everyone is looking forward to the new season, but my new season is over."

As soon as the press conference ended, Camby dropped his jersey and left the training center.

He won't be here much for the next year.

Roger looked at Marcus Camby, who was already beginning to feel discouraged, and suddenly understood why he had degenerated from a defensive stalwart into a stat-gapper.

This is a problem that Roger needs to solve in the future, but fortunately, except for Marcus Camby, all other members of the Warriors are healthy and went to the training ground after the press conference.

At this time, Amar'e Stoudemire ran up to Roger panting and handed him a black bag.

"What?" Roger looked confused.

"You asked me to buy something."

"When did I ask you to buy something for me?"

"Stephen said you asked me to buy something." Stoudemire, who had just graduated from high school, looked innocently at Stephen Jackson who had given him orders not long ago.

Roger's old subordinate had already covered his stomach with laughter. Roger knew that Stoudemire had been fooled, but he still wanted to see what was in the bag.

After opening it, there were dozens of boxes of small blue pills.

"Amare, do you really think I need this kind of thing? You just buy it when someone asks you to?"

"Stephen said this can help you surpass greatness. I believe in your ability more than anyone else, but 2 is indeed not a small amount."

When Amar'e Stoudemire said this, the entire training hall burst into laughter.

Stephen Jackson, the instigator, took the bag for Roger: "See, Roger? This kid really wants to help you!"

Roger turned his head and looked at Alan Houston who had been silent.

Because the Warriors' lineup has changed so much, and Roger dominates the locker room, Alan Houston feels like a new player today.

He remained silent and seemed restrained.

Roger deliberately asked him: "Alan, you will also assist me, right?"

Alan Houston nodded: "Of course."

"Very good, help me share five boxes! Who else wants to assist?"

Alan Houston also laughed. This was an atmosphere he had never imagined.

Last season, the Warriors' team atmosphere was not good.

Gilbert Arenas complains about his role all the time, and Antawn Jamison can't hold back a fart all day. What about Alan Houston? He is not a leader and has no ability to hold the locker room together.

So last season, the relationship between the Warriors players was very cold, and there was basically no communication except for the game.

Alan Houston had never seen a scene like this where everyone in the training hall was laughing.

Regardless, the Warriors now look more like a real team rather than a dozen individuals who barely communicate.

"Alright guys," Hubie Brown clapped his hands, interrupting the players' fights. "I'm Hubie Brown, the head coach of this team next season. It's an honor to coach you. Also meet Jeff and Eric, they will be directing the game with me."

"Maybe everyone has heard the saying, defense wins championships. I would say that in the 21st century, that saying is bullshit.

It should be changed to: Defense and Roger win championships!
Now, this great legend is right next to us, in this gym. So, what do we need to succeed? "

"Defense!" everyone answered loudly.

"That's right, gentlemen, I don't care how you played before, but from today on, no Warriors player can be lazy on defense, no one can be careless on defense, no one can be careless on defense, no one can be careless on defense, and no one can be careless on defense!
If you dare to put your hands on your hips and breathe on the defensive end, if you dare to ignore the defense in order to steal a fast break, I will keep you on the bench for the entire game.

Here, even if you average 40 points per game you still have to defend seriously.

In every round and every competition, we must strangle our opponents, pursue the ultimate in every defense, and suffocate them!

Be more fierce and ruthless, and plunder victory like a gangster!

Roger and defense, that's our championship creed!"

Although Hubie Brown is 69 years old and the oldest active head coach, his words are still powerful and full of energy, which cannot be questioned.

After Lao Hubi said this, everyone in the team felt nervous. They all knew: Is this old guy serious? Want to get playing time? Or should he work hard on defense.

That's why Roger needed Hubie Brown to be his "founding marshal". He needed a coach who could shape the team culture.

The Memphis Grizzlies team in the original timeline made it to the playoffs for the first time in history under the leadership of Hubie Brown, and the defensive genes he injected into the Grizzlies still benefited the team more than a decade later. Roger believed that his team also needed this defensive gene.

Moreover, Roger is really looking forward to one thing - what will Amar'e Stoudemire become as he grows up in a defense-oriented team?

Stoudemire has all the hardware to become an excellent defensive player. He had made some changes in high school, but that was not enough.

If Amar'e Stoudemire can develop his defense, Roger's championship plan will be realized sooner than expected!

In the following training camp, Hubie Brown made strict demands on the defensive end every day.

And Amar'e Stoudemire was the one who was scolded the most.

As a high school rookie, Stoudemire's defensive habits were very bad. Although he had already paid great attention to defense in his last year of high school, one year was just the beginning for forming defensive habits.

During every training session, you could hear Hubie Brown yelling.

"Damn it, Amare, your defense can easily break even my daughter!"

"Okay, play like this, Amare. Keep playing like this, and you can sit on the bench for a whole year and easily take away 310 million dollars in annual salary!"

"God, do you have no fucking brain!?"

Hubie Brown is by no means a nice old man, and a nice coach cannot create a defensive team.

A high-profile star in high school was scolded by his coach all day long after entering the NBA. This huge gap was enough to destroy all the confidence of a 19-year-old child.

Roger was also worried about this at the beginning. He didn't want to train Stoudemire to be the second Kwame Brown.

But Roger found Stoudemire's response to the criticism incredible.

"Yes, sir!"

"Sir, I will try to do better!"

"I remember, I remember!"

His self-confidence was not affected at all, and he still trained hard every day to do his best.

He was nothing like the Amar'e Stoudemire Roger remembered.

After training one day, Stoudemire was interviewed in the locker room as usual.

A reporter asked him, "How big is the difference between high school basketball and the NBA?"

Stoudemire thought for a moment, as if looking for words to describe the gap, but he failed.

This was all he could say in the end.

"You know, I had good stats in high school. But in the NBA, I felt like a toddler. It was really hard to adjust. It was not easy.

However, I needed to make money to pay for my younger brother's education, and I promised my siblings that I would give them a good life and that I would buy a farm for my mother.

Also, I’m playing next to the greatest player of all time, and it’s always been a dream of mine to play with Roger.

No matter what, I have to cherish it, because if I give up, I will lose the chance to become a legend.

When I can’t stand it anymore, when I can’t hold on any longer, I always tell myself: Amar’e, lift your head.”

After saying this, Stoudemire glanced at Roger who was surrounded by reporters.

Xiao Si's locker was right next to Roger, so Roger could actually hear his answers.

Why is this Stoudemire completely different from what we remember? Because Roger underestimated the changes he brought to the world during his nine years in the league.

Not only did he win seven championships, he also unknowingly became an idol for countless people.

When a child has spiritual support, he will be fearless.

Roger knew that he didn't need to worry about Stoudemire anymore.

That afternoon, Roger was in a good mood and announced that he would treat the entire team to dinner.

Naturally, no one would refuse an invitation from a superstar.

Stephen Jackson asked Roger during the dinner: "What makes you so happy? Do you have a new girlfriend? How old is she? What are her measurements? Can you do the splits?"

"No," Roger waved his hand, "I just think that our championship cycle has shortened again."

"The boss said five years. Do you have the confidence to return to the throne within four years?"

"No Stephen, in three years! Two years to grow and get used to each other, and in the third year, we will win everything!"

The days of training camp passed and the preseason games soon arrived.

The Warriors tried many lineup combinations in the preseason, but due to the lack of running-in, their record was mediocre, with 3 wins and 3 losses.

Gilbert Arenas shined in the preseason. As a sophomore rookie, he got a lot of playing time in the preseason, averaging 27.6 points in six games!
And in the game against the Phoenix Suns, Gilbert Arenas scored 40 points!
Although it was just a preseason game, Arenas' strong performance still reignited the topic.

Is it really a wise choice for the Warriors to trade him?
Did Roger make the same mistake as Michael Jordan?

Is it possible that he has unintentionally created a huge problem for himself?
Gilbert Arenas was full of confidence when he was interviewed the day before the opening game: "Tomorrow, the era will officially change!"

Before the game started the next day, Roger made a request to Hubie Brown: "I will defend Gilbert myself."

"Roger, there's no need for that. Team Rocket can't threaten us."

"I know, but I don't just want to win, I want to teach that idiot a lesson. Doesn't Gilbert always say he's a zero? Very well, I'll satisfy him tonight."

Hubie Brown swallowed his saliva. Wait, did Roger, who was already successful, really want to get serious with a rookie?

Well, maybe that's the competitive spirit of a superstar.

"How are you going to let him know that he is a zero? Beat him up?" Hubie Brown knew that he could not refuse Roger.

"It literally means letting him know that he is a 0. He likes 0, so I will give him more 0s!"

(End of this chapter)