Champions Creed

Chapter 371 Chapter 370: The Cold-blooded Emperor (asking for a monthly ticket!)

Roger didn't know if it was because he liked Boris Dio's speaking style, but he always felt that this Frenchman was pleasing to the eye.

First, something that only happened in the joke happened in the Warriors' training camp - Boris Diaw was lazily holding a coffee cup and wearing slippers. When he passed by the high reach machine, he easily broke Amar'e Stoudemire's team high reach record with a casual try, then picked up the coffee cup, put on his slippers, and left casually.

This time, Roger witnessed the scene with his own eyes, proving the authenticity of the joke.

Dio looks unfocused, casual, and doesn't seem to be taking anything seriously. Of course, he never misses practice and doesn't shoot during practice, but he always gives people a lazy feeling.

In the end, Roger could only explain it in one sentence: That's how the French are.

This super genius is always calm and not the kind of guy who shouts "I want to win the championship" all day long.

Logically speaking, it is impossible for such a person to coexist with Roger.

Roger can't stand laziness and this kind of non-competitive character. He needs the whole team to be as eager as he is.

But Dio's relaxation is different from others. He always completes all the training projects seriously and takes the training games seriously. He looks relaxed, but he will not be relaxed in his work.

Once the training is over, he seems to turn into a peaceful sloth, slowly going back to the locker room to make a cup of coffee, and then wandering around the new stadium like an old man strolling in the park.

Roger discovered that Dio's remarks at the previous media day press conference might not have been intended to satirize LeBron James, he might have just really thought it was funny.

Secondly, as the son of a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, Boris Diaw also performed very well in the training game, demonstrating extremely high basketball IQ and excellent team awareness.

He's not a high-scoring player, nor is he a rampant rebounding machine, nor can he handle the ball like a true magician.

But he can do everything. His individual statistics are not the best, but he has every statistic.

It turns out that Roger's belief that Dio is outstanding is not due to his partiality towards him. Even Eric Spoelster expressed his feelings: "He is the first player that I don't know what position he should play. He seems to be able to play any position and be competent in any position. I think compared to KG, LeBron and the like, he is a true positionless player. I have to spend more time considering his position next season."

Boris Diaw has impressed both Roger and Spoelstra, but the best performer in recent times has been Jason Richardson.

His mid-range shot is still very bad. If there is someone in this world who tells you that people who are good at three-point shooting can also be good at mid-range shooting, Jason Richardson is a good example to refute it.

His combination with the ball is still not very good, which means he still does not have the ability to carry the team directly with the ball. This is a matter of talent, and it cannot be changed through training.

But because of his continued weight gain over the years, his finishing rate at the basket is significantly better than last season, and his judgment on passes and steals on the defensive end is also excellent.

And he is full of passion and has not relaxed at all because of winning the championship last season.

Even in training games, he would seriously compete with every opponent and would never do a layup when he could dunk.

Tough, serious, rough and ruthless. His temperament is very consistent with the nickname "Golden State Gangster".

Roger was very happy to see Jason Richardson make such progress, but some people were unwilling to see such progress.

On the sixth day of training camp, Alan Houston finally arrived.

Originally, he only asked for three days off, but he still did not show up at the training hall on the third morning. It was not until noon that day that he called Spoelstra and told him, "I'm afraid I need a few more days."

And just like that, Alan Houston appeared on the sixth day.

As soon as he came back, Alan Houston was told by Roger: "You have to start as a substitute next season."

"What? Roger, I don't understand."

Alan Houston worked diligently last season and never had any conflicts with Roger.

He didn't know why Roger said this on the first day he saw him.

"You can't just come in and take the place of someone who works harder than you. Did we say that no one can miss pre-season training camp unless there is an urgent family matter?"

"I asked Eric for leave."

"Eric doesn't have the final say here, Alan. If you want to get back into the starting lineup, you'd better work hard in the pre-season training camp and prove that you can do it."

After Roger finished speaking, he turned around and prepared to leave the locker room, but after taking two steps, he seemed to remember something, so he turned his head and added: "You'd better cherish this opportunity to prove yourself again, Alan. This is all I can say to you."

Roger's goal was not to deprive Alan Houston of his starting position, but to make him nervous and distract him from the joy of winning the championship.

But this trick didn't work.

In the afternoon training match, Alan Houston was beaten badly by Jason Richardson.

Alan Houston is in very bad condition, which is not caused by his physical condition but by his mentality.

Last season, Alan Houston tried his best to defend every opponent. In the first two games of the finals, even though he was almost vomited by Richard Hamilton, he never stopped chasing the masked man.

But today on the training ground, he always let his opponents break through easily, and his lazy pursuit gave Jason Richardson too many three-point shooting opportunities.

On the offensive end, Alan Houston's running was not active. As a scorer without the ball, not running actively is equivalent to destroying his own martial arts.

Anyone who regularly plays competitive sports knows that if you don’t move, you won’t get a chance to shoot.

After a 20-minute training game, Jason Richardson scored 21 points and Alan Houston scored zero points.

Alan Houston glared at Jason Richardson after the game: "It's a pity that this is just a training match. You won, but you won't make the headlines and you won't become a star."

He was mocking Jason Richardson for taking the training game so seriously.

Jason Richardson shrugged. "It's better than getting beaten up."

To be honest, Jason Richardson wanted to kill Alan Houston.

Last season he might have been willing to serve as a substitute for Alan Houston and Tayshaun Prince.

But this season, he doesn't want to waste time on the bench anymore.

Look at everything Alan Houston has gotten. He got more commercial contracts this summer than he has in all the previous years of his career combined.

Just because he is the starting number two on a championship team.

At the three position, Jason Richardson has no competitiveness compared to Tayshaun Prince, because the little prince's biggest selling point is defense, which Richardson does not have.

But he believed that he could do everything that Alan Houston could do.

Jason Richardson is in his contract year and he wants to sign a big contract. He also wants to get countless commercial endorsements.

At the end of the day, he also wants to be the starting No. 2 on a championship team.

Roger watched Jason Richardson challenge Alan Houston and did not intervene.

Sometimes, a little more competition in the locker room isn't necessarily a bad thing.

In the next few days of training, Alan Houston almost kept repeating one thing, that is, being defeated by Jason Richardson in training.

Jason Richardson was on full fire, and every time he faced off against Alan Houston it was like the finals.

Alan Houston was defeated not because of his lack of strength, but because he was too satisfied with the status quo and unwilling to work hard on the training ground.

Why should he fight so hard? His salary this season is as high as 1753 million, and he will receive another 1913 million next season. The big contract he signed with the Warriors a few years ago is still benefiting him now.

He has won championships, has many endorsements, and has an annual salary of nearly 2000 million. Why can't he feel satisfied?
He fought so hard last season because he didn't want to get nothing in the Bay Area. He was brought in as a star player, but ended up doing nothing in the Warriors, which hurt his self-esteem as a man. Therefore, he wanted to prove that the Warriors did not bring him in for nothing.

Now, he has proved it. For Alan Houston, even if he gets one more ring, his life will be no different from what it is now.

It is not easy for anyone to maintain the desire to win after winning the championship.

Passion is always strongest the first time. After the first time, it is not so easy to be passionate the second time.

Eric Spoelstra could sense the growing tension on the training ground, so after today's practice match he reminded Roger privately: "Aren't you going to control it?"

"Control what?"

"Control this damn locker room, Alan and Jason are about to fight, I can feel it!"

"Oh, then let them fight." Roger replied nonchalantly.

"You know without me having to remind you how much influence the locker room has on a team, right?"

"Of course I know. I've experienced the bloodiest locker room vote in NBA history. I've experienced one of my best partners in the season resolutely leaving me in the offseason. Of course, I've also beaten my teammates myself. So, I know exactly what I'm doing."

Eric Spoelstra suddenly realized what was happening and broke out in a cold sweat: "Are you trying to make an example of someone? Do you want to show people the consequences of being too satisfied?"

"Why not? If he doesn't want to climb up, let him fall."

After saying that, Roger changed his clothes and left the locker room.

Eric Spoelstra shook his head. It's not easy to be part of a dynasty.

In the subsequent training, Alan Houston's performance improved, but it was still not as good as last season and far worse than Jason Richardson.

Finally, in the preseason, Alan Houston began to panic.

His lack of seriousness in training made it impossible for him to find his game form. He originally thought that as long as he performed well in the preseason, Jason Richardson would have to watch him continue to be the starter, but things did not go as smoothly as he expected.

Rasheed Wallace once said it well: "Basketball doesn't lie."

Your attitude, your training, your desire to win, all of these will be faithfully reflected on the court.

If you don’t have enough strength, you will become a laughing stock on the court even if you are the son of GOAT.

After several preseason games, Alan Houston's shooting percentage was terrible.

He felt that he was getting tired very easily now, and his breathing would become difficult if he just ran a little.

This physical condition caused him to completely lose his shooting touch.

On the other hand, Jason Richardson shot 42% from three-point range in the preseason and averaged 1.5 steals per game!
You could say he's already an above-average 3D guard.

Both 3 and D are better than Alan Houston, and he also has efficient finishing ability that Alan Houston does not have.

After the last preseason game, Jason Richardson and Alan Houston each got 20 minutes of playing time.

前者13分3助攻1抢断，后者4分0助攻2个篮板。

After the game, a reporter asked a question that made Alan Houston silent: "Alan, do you think you will still be a starter next season?"

Alan Houston did not answer, but Eric Spoelster answered the same question like this: "Our starting lineup depends on the players' condition. Whoever is in better condition will have more opportunities. This is fair."

Alan Houston was completely panicked.

He is very clear why he has such a high commercial value now. If he were just a substitute with few opportunities to show his face, he would be worthless.

After the last preseason game, Roger was in the parking lot, just as he was about to go on the field, when he heard someone yell, "Roger, wait!"

Roger turned his head and saw Alan Houston, dressed in a suit and tie, who was the Warriors' unshakable starting number two last season.

"What's the matter, Alan?" Roger asked knowingly.

Alan Houston had lost his previous composure. He said in a panic: "Roger, please, I really want to play with you. I really want to contribute to the Golden State Warriors with you. I know my preseason condition is not very good, but give me some more opportunities. I will do better in the regular season, I promise!"

Roger didn't answer whether he would give him a chance or not. He just said something that made Alan Houston's hair stand on end: "Jason has played well recently. No, he has played quite well."

Alan Houston knew what this meant, and he also knew that Roger had the right to let anyone start. Although everyone got along well last season, Roger was always different from the others.

He is the supreme ruler in this locker room and he controls everything.

Alan Houston was desperate. Even though he won the championship with Roger last season, his relationship with Roger was not actually close. They were just ordinary teammates who maintained basic friendliness and politeness on weekdays, and that was all.

Last season, it was a common goal that kept him and Roger in sync, and it was a common goal that made them feel close to each other.

But now, Alan Houston suddenly realized how far apart he was from Roger.

"Roger, I can do better. Last season proved it!" Alan Houston began his last struggle.

Roger's eyes were still emotionless. "I'm sorry, Alan, but have I ever told you before that you'd better cherish this opportunity to prove yourself again? Let me be frank, the starting number two in the regular season is Jason. At least until you can beat him on the training ground, he will be the starter."

The ruthless ruler sentenced Alan Houston to death and left in a red Ferrari.

Why does Roger like to drive a Ferrari? To remind himself that Shaquille O'Neal still owes him money for the wheels.

In the rearview mirror, Roger saw Alan Houston standing there, motionless.

Roger admitted that this was a bit cruel to Alan Houston.

Last season he was a championship starter and the team's third scoring point.

This season, however, he suddenly became a substitute and lost in an open challenge from his teammates.

But this is Roger's team, or rather, this is a dynasty team.

There is no room for laziness here. No matter what year you are in, everyone must maintain a competitive spirit. If you fail, you will be replaced by someone with a stronger sense of competition.

Roger shook his head. He was not an emotionless bastard. He could imagine how cruel this was to Alan Houston.

But at least he can still get that 1500 million annual salary.

Thinking of this, Roger felt much more at ease.

A ruler sometimes has to be so cold-blooded, otherwise you can't lead a dynasty team.
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Will Alan Houston be out of the starting lineup in the regular season? Will his relationship with Jason Richardson become an obstacle for the Warriors to defend their title? - NBA Time and Space

The Lakers won all preseason games, and Kobe Bryant, wearing No. 15, has officially reached his peak! —— Los Angeles Times.

The United States is a country of freedom of speech, and anyone is qualified to talk about what he wants to talk about. ——LeBron James once again talked about "LeBron is the least qualified to comment on statues."

In the first game of the new season, fans will see the significant changes brought about by the new rules. Cheers, ugly defensive basketball is gone forever. ——Mark Cuban talked about the impact of the No HandCheck rule on the opening game and was confident of defeating the Warriors in the opening game. After all, there is no stronger offensive team in the league than the Mavericks.

Did Mark ever think that handcheck and zone defense were actually used to restrict Roger? He opened the shackles with his own hands, and he will definitely bear the consequences of opening the shackles. --Bill Simmons Blog

(End of this chapter)