Champions Creed

Chapter 376: 375: The Running Wild Dog (The Reward from the Monk and Other Bosses)
NBA Time and Space gave the Warriors an A+ rating for this deal, but fans in the Bay Area still have some concerns.

Because anyone can see that the combat-ready chips the Warriors obtained do not match the value of Alan Houston.

Yes, Nick Van Exel was once an All-Star player, but now he is just a 10-year-old nervous substitute who averages just over 34 points per game.

Moreover, the Warriors already have a sixth man in Mobley who is very familiar with the team system. Nick Van Exel is not very useful and is not expected to enter the regular rotation. Only when Mobley is not in good condition will Spoelstra replace him to try his luck.

As for Derek Anderson, he started for the Trail Blazers for two seasons, averaging 13 points per game, and was considered a good role player.

However, his poor physical condition means that his efficiency can only be maintained in half a court, and on the defensive end he is easily targeted because of his slow speed, and his size is a little small when defending the forward position.

Although the Warriors also received a 2006 first-round draft pick from the Trail Blazers, the draft pick is just a lottery ticket and its value cannot be measured at this time.

You can't say that if you buy a lottery ticket with a maximum jackpot of 500 million, you are equivalent to having 500 million in cash. In the case of poor selection, the No. pick may also be worthless.

As it stands, this deal does weaken the Warriors' on-paper strength.

However, fans in the Bay Area can only trust the team's decision. After all, the entire Bay Area knows that the team's decision is Roger's decision.

Without Roger's nod, the deal would never have happened.

And who else can they trust except Roger, the god?
The deal also sparked heated discussions in the media about "privileged players."

ESPN Cavaliers reporter Dave McMenamin criticized Rogers in his column in an article titled "Do Star Players Have Too Much Power?"

"The imbalance of power in the NBA started with Michael Jordan and reached its climax with Roger. They can control everything in the team unscrupulously, deciding the departure of the head coach and even teammates. I guarantee that when the trade happened, the Russian owner of the Warriors was in a small room enjoying the naked "Swan Lake".

He gave all the power to Roger, who was the actual controller of the team. Even Bob Bass was just Roger's minion.

However, this privilege is very unfair to others. You can imagine that if LeBron, Kobe or Shaq could choose their teammates, they would also be able to succeed more easily.

Roger can only achieve ultimate victory in one situation, that is, when the team owner is willing to spend money and obey him.

As we know, every great player has changed the game of basketball. How did Roger change the game? He used his privileges. He was the most powerful player in NBA history. Privileges are the ultimate answer of this era.

When your team can squander money without worrying about luxury taxes, and when you can choose your teammates at will, what reason do you have not to do better than others?

The essence of competitive sports is to strive and surpass, not to take shortcuts by taking advantage of privileges.”

This article is a last-ditch effort by Nike. Over the years, Roger and Reebok have maintained close relationships with most senior media professionals in the industry, while Nike's voice has become increasingly limited. They can only win over some currently less famous journalists as their mouthpieces, and then find ways to support and train them, gradually expanding their influence.

Dave McMenamin is the fastest growing one among all these mouthpieces. He is from Cleveland, he is a fan of the Cavaliers, he loves LeBron James, and he is willing to speak for No. 23. No. 23 also loves him, so he often gives him exclusive interviews and first-hand insider information, which makes Dave McMenamin's status in the industry soar.

Nike believes that as LBJ's influence grows, Dave McMenamin's status in the media will also rise.

This was the first time that Dave McMenamin, who was beginning to gain some fame, appeared on the front line against Roger.

This worked, and some other media began to follow suit, questioning the legitimacy of "privileged players" and discussing whether "privileged players" were undermining the competitiveness of the NBA.

Eric Fleischer asked Roger if he needed the media to fight back, but Roger waved his hand: "They are not worth bothering my friends."

Roger doesn't care what these insignificant media say, especially since their arguments are untenable.

There are many people who can choose their teammates. Michael Jordan has the right to choose to be on the same team with Patrick Ewing, Shaq chose Kobe, and now he has chosen Dirk.

As for LeBron James, he is an expert in this area. When others were still choosing teammates, he was already choosing his son.

One day, when LeBron James still has the privilege of being able to travel, turn others' mistakes into fouls, and fake a fall and be ignored, people will know what a privileged player is.

Will Dave McMenamin really not delete this embarrassing article by then?
Of course, Roger would not be angry about this, because the privilege brought Roger not enjoyment, but pressure.

As a franchise player, everything is on your shoulders and everyone is counting on you. You have to give your best every night and you have to be responsible and think about everything for the team like a superhero.

For example, now, because of the discussion about "franchise players", all fans and media are also staring at Roger. If the Warriors continue to lose frequently after the trade, the doubts about Roger will really start to increase.

So, Roger now just hopes that the guy who is used to replace Alan Houston will not let him down.

The morning after the trade, Matt Barnes was driving to Oracle Arena. On the car radio, everyone was talking about the follow-up to the trade.

The biggest suspense now is who can get the backup No. 2 position vacated by Alan Houston.

Matt Barnes is best at playing as a forward, but he thinks he has no problem playing as the No. 2.

There have been 11 games in the season so far, and Matt Barnes has played in six of them, but his average playing time is less than 10 minutes per game.

He knew that he needed to wait patiently for an opportunity with his resume. After all, before being signed by the Clippers last season, he was even a teammate of the ABA's Long Beach Jam with the 43-year-old Dennis Rodman.

He is not a chosen one, nor a super genius. He has to be like a wild dog, even if it is picking up bones, he can't fall behind others.

Now, a "bone" appeared in front of him, and he had to hold on to it tightly.

He didn't want to go back to the ABA and play pickup basketball with some damn, stinking old Dennis Rodman.

He will definitely take today's group training seriously.

During the afternoon shooting practice, Matt Barnes noticed that head coach Eric Spoelstra was staring at him.

He didn't know why the head coach paid so much attention to him today, but he cared a lot about it.

Because just last season, during his brief time with the Clippers, Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy scolded him: "Why are you practicing this? We don't need you to shoot, and we don't need you to take shots at all. Do you think you can be an offensive spearhead? Why are you wasting your time on this? Wake up, Matt, you're 24 years old."

The feeling that his efforts were being ignored made Matt Barnes so angry that he almost got into a fight with Mike Dunleavy on the spot.

In a subsequent press conference, he bluntly said, "Mike Dunleavy is a dick, and a particularly short one at that," and was fined for it.

In fact, this is probably one of the main reasons why he was abandoned by the Clippers.

So he hated having a coach watching him while he was practicing shooting, and for this reason he never even asked a shooting coach for help when he was practicing shooting.

He didn't want to be criticized anymore, and he didn't want his efforts to seem like a joke to others.

But Spoelstra just looked at him and said nothing.

Under the watchful eye of the head coach, Matt Barnes performed at his usual shooting level—a level so bad it was heartbreaking.

Jeff Hornacek shook his head. "What else can I say? I know why Matt was cut by so many teams last season. His jump shot is as bad as his temper. From the beginning of training camp to now, his jump shot has never improved."

Just as written in the scout report, Matt Barnes is a blue-collar wing with a slender build and tough defense, but lacks stable shooting and ball-handling skills.

Once such a player comes on the court, he will drag down the team's offense, turning the offense automatically into 4 vs. 5.

Therefore, Jeff Hornacek did not quite agree with the decision to push Matt Barnes into the rotation: "I know that guy is very ruthless. His girlfriend may be the most difficult woman to pry off in the world, because no one wants to mess with such a bad guy. But as a player, a player of a championship team, there is really too little he can do. I don't know why, his shooting trajectory is always to the left."

"Roger, did you hear what Jeff said? He thinks that kid is not suitable." Spoelstra asked Roger who was also watching Matt Barnes shooting.

"We'll know if it's a good fit only if we give it a try. Why do we have to play a guy who's so good at the offensive end? He obviously has other bright spots. And his trajectory is biased to the left. Even if we trade him in the future, no one else will be able to pick him up and use him directly."

"How do you want to test him? Give him more playing time in the next game? Our opponent in the next game is the Los Angeles Lakers. You know we can't lose to the Lakers after losing to the Knicks. We can't use that game to test Matt Barnes' ability." Jeff Hornacek reminded.

"No," Roger waved his hand, "the best way to understand a person is to experience him personally."

"Look at what you said. It seems that my daughter's idol is actually a great philosopher." Death Ray Gun complained.

Roger patted Jeff Hornacek on the shoulder and said, "Tell Abby that she has good taste."

As someone who has won championships with Roger both as a player and as a coach, Jeff Hornacek certainly knows how to let Roger experience Matt Barnes.

Roger knew what to do without him having to say it.

He called the team's equipment manager and said, "Go check the showers and make sure there's enough soap."

The equipment manager's face turned pale with fear: "Wait, how is Roger going to experience Matt?"

"Of course we'll experience it in a training match. Everyone will sweat a lot today, so prepare your shower gear!"

After the regular training, the Warriors conducted internal confrontation training as usual.

Matt Barnes desperately wants Nick Van Exel or Derek Anderson to be on a different team from him.

That way he can go up against them and prove he can do better than them.

But he was disappointed. When assistant coach Jeff Hornacek announced the opposing team, both new players were on the same team as Matt Barnes.

Their opponent is the Warriors' full starting lineup.

It seems that today's confrontation training emphasizes tactical drills. Because the strength gap between the two sides is very large, there is almost no suspense about the outcome.

Roger walked onto the court, stretched his arms, and turned to look at Jeff Hornacek: "Don't blow the whistle easily in today's practice match."

Derek Anderson swallowed and his whole body was shaking.

He was afraid of being scolded by Roger if he performed poorly, and he was also afraid of losing the opportunity to compete for a position.

Roger glanced at everyone, and said with a smile as if he was playing with his prey: "Good brothers, who will guard me today?"

"I."

Matt Barnes raised his hand.

At that moment, Derek Anderson was sure that the guy next to him must have lost his brain.

Matt Barnes is a loner, and he hasn't had much contact with his teammates since he joined the team. So, even though the regular season has been over for almost a month, no one really knows him.

Everyone only knows that Matt Barnes is always one of the most serious people in training games, and everyone knows that he is keen on physical confrontation.

But I didn't know he was so bold.

Facing Matt Barnes's reckless behavior, Roger seemed to appreciate it: "Very good, Matt, it's your turn today."

The training match started, as soon as Roger crossed the half court, Matt Barnes started to harass Roger crazily.

He was not intimidated by the fact that he was facing a superstar, and even asked Roger a question that seemed to be asking for trouble: "If I defend you, can I get the position vacated by Alan?"

"Matt, from 1993 to now, countless people have tried to guard me, but no one has succeeded."

"That's because they're not brave enough."

Matt Barnes was not to be outdone. He possessed excellent lateral speed and confrontation ability, and even used small moves such as elbows to harass Roger.

But Roger still won the duel with a jump shot from mid-range.

"Matt, your defense is really great. I like playing against defensive players like you the most because I can easily score 40 or 50 points against a guy like you."

"Go away, Roger. Go away! There won't be a next time!"

After one round, Nick Van Exel wanted to break through Prince. When he was young, he could easily break through the defenders with his speed. But now, Nick Van Exel even had difficulty breaking through a forward like Prince.

Of course, he also wants to show himself and compete for a rotation position, and showing his defense does not necessarily mean scoring.

Seeing Matt Barnes go outside the three-point line, Nick Van Exel immediately passed the ball. He wanted to prove that he could be a more stable point guard than old cat Mobley.

Matt Barnes received the ball, but Roger did not step forward to defend. Instead, he stood with his hands on his hips and looked at him.

This is how the GOAT plays.

With almost no defense, as expected, Matt Barnes' jump shot went to the left and bounced off the rim.
As a shooting expert, Jeff Hornacek discovered the problem: "Is Matt sure he played four years of college basketball at UCLA? There is obviously something wrong with his shooting hand shape. Every time he shoots, it's to the left because of his hand shape."

Spoelstra shrugged: "At UCLA, he was a blue-collar wing who didn't shoot often, and he was a power forward. I think Steve LaVine (UCLA coach) might not care about the shooting of a defensive power forward, so he let him develop. Do you think Matt's shooting has a chance to get better?"

"Of course. Leaning left every time is not the same as Shaq's shooting every time. He has the foundation to practice jump shots. As long as he slightly adjusts his hand shape, he can quickly improve his hit rate."

On the court, Roger, who did not defend Matt Barnes at all, shook his head and said, "Why do you want to compete for the position left by Alan? Just because you can get a few more rebounds for Amare and Marcus?"

"Because I can scare you bastards!" After saying that, Matt Barnes deliberately bumped into Roger who had no ball. Jeff Hornacek wanted to call a foul, but then he remembered Roger's instructions before the game and took out the whistle in his mouth.

Roger was not to be outdone. He deliberately bumped into Barnes and immediately ran back, got out of the space, caught the ball and shot.

Matt Barnes actively interfered, and the basketball just happened to pass through his fingertips. The interference was already very tight.

But the basketball hit the target again, and Roger was like a supreme god, playing with mortals like Matt Barnes at will.

"I don't know why his scouting report says you're a tough defender. Your defense is worthless, just like Gary Payton with a crooked mouth last season."

Watching Roger continue to attack Matt Barnes, Derek Anderson knew that he had lost a competitor.

Matt Barnes is out. Completely out.

Just because this idiot challenged Roger without knowing his own limitations, Roger would definitely teach him a lesson.

And his clownish performance will cause him to be completely excluded from the rotation by the coaching staff.

Derek Anderson sympathized with Matt Barnes. If he had to blame someone, it was this guy who overestimated his own abilities and bit everything like a mad dog.

One round later, Derek Anderson scored a layup, but soon on the defensive end, he failed to bite on Tayshaun Prince who cut in. The latter received the ball and prepared to attack the basket. Just as Prince put his hands together, Matt Barnes came up to defend.

Of course, this leaves out Roger.

The little prince passed the ball to the outside line tacitly. Roger didn't jump, but threw the ball on the spot as if he was warming up, and the basketball went in.

It was a brutal night for Matt Barnes.

He was terrible in front of the team leader and it looked like he would be gone after tonight.

But after this goal, Roger did not talk trash to Matt Barnes.

Matt Barnes continued to chatter: "I will definitely defend you once, asshole!"

But then, Roger scored again and again.

Roger was simply executing Matt Barnes in public, just as he had done to his opponents in countless games.

But Matt Barnes did not show any sign of depression. He still fought hard and defended fiercely in every round.

There was a constant stream of yelling, switching and trash talking.

In the last round of the 20-minute training match, Roger took control of the ball as usual, ready to make the final move on the guy in front of him.

Matt Barnes was sweating profusely, but his eyes were still focused.

He did not rush to steal the ball, but just opened his arms and stayed close to Roger at all times.

Roger turned his back to separate him from the ball, then suddenly turned around and broke through, taking two big steps and making a layup.

It looked like this attack would be no different from the previous ones.

But when Roger jumped, Matt Barnes did everything he could to grab the ball from Roger's hand!
The basketball bounced off the floor and flew out of the baseline. Matt Barnes flew out and saved the ball immediately.

He didn't think much about it. He just knew that wild dogs had no right to rest and had to run until they were exhausted in order to survive.

As he fell to the floor, Jeff Hornacek blew the whistle and the practice ended.

Matt Barnes sat on the floor sweating profusely, looking up at Nick Van Exel who had received the ball from him.

The ball is in his teammate's hands, which means that his defense is successful.

Matt Barnes took a few breaths, then stood up with a smile: "I got you, huh?"

After that, he didn't say anything more and just continued practicing his jump shot.

Most people on the Warriors organization felt that Matt Barnes' time in the Bay Area was over.

He is a thorn in the side and his performance in the training matches was not good enough. His fate will probably be the same as before, being quickly cut.

Roger also walked off the court and went straight back to the locker room.

Jeff Hornacek shrugged. "It looks like we really need to look for someone else."

"No," Eric Spoelstra stared at Matt Barnes, his eyes shining, "I think Roger likes him."

(End of this chapter)