Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 186: Ginger is still spicier when old

Popovich has been agonizing over this these past few days.

He did try to persuade Pete Holt several times, saying that while he was poor, he didn't have to be this poor.

If we sell a few more tractors, the money will come out.

Moreover, if Duncan plays well, the team wins another championship, ticket sales are high, and the team's revenue is also high, so this small expenditure will be recovered.

To be honest, if Townsend's fees weren't so high, he would have liked to send Parker to Los Angeles for training as well.

Unexpectedly, before any results were reached, someone did what they wanted, prompting the league to quickly introduce supplementary clauses.

Popovich was so excited he wanted to kiss Sterling.

So he contacted Tang Sen immediately.

"Tang, I'm so sorry."

Popovich even feigned regret when he came up.

Then he revealed that Duncan still wanted to go to Los Angeles to improve himself and was willing to pay a million dollars.

He felt that this clause would discourage many players.

Three million in tuition fees.

A player earns a multi-million dollar annual salary, but after taxes, only half is left.

During the offseason, he spent three million on training fees.

Several players are willing to give it up.

How many players in the league earn tens of millions of dollars a year?

Therefore, Popovich believes that a million is a more appropriate price.

On the other end of the phone.

If Sterling hadn't publicly criticized it, Tangsen would have suspected that Popovich had reported it.

That old guy is capable of doing something like this.

However, if you apologize, then you should apologize to yourself as well.

"Sorry, Greg, one million won't do. The club's tuition fee this year remains three million."

Tang Sen's words stunned Popovich.

The league has already issued terms, and you're still asking for three million?

Aren't you worried about not being able to recruit students?

Before he could speak, Tang Sen continued, "Also, I'm sorry, I've already filled all my positions, there's no room for Tim."

Popovich was instantly dumbfounded.

Are all positions filled?
You're kidding me, aren't you?

“Don, Tim is serious, he really wants to train with you,” Popovich said hurriedly.

Tang Sen said, "Greg, I'm serious. We've really filled all the positions. If Tim has any ideas, we can talk about it next summer."

Tang Sen would only lie to Popovich when he had nothing better to do.

The league has wealthy owners like Paul Allen, and of course, it also has players who are not short of money and have ambition.

Therefore, after the league announced the new terms, Tang Sen immediately contacted interested players and informed them of the decision to maintain the original price.

The list was then confirmed immediately.

It's already July, I don't have time to chat idly here.

After getting rid of Carter, they recruited three players: Kobe, Garnett, and Allan Houston.

They're all people who don't care about money.

It seems that it was Dolan who persuaded Allan Houston.

I guess he was thinking of saying, "I was going to pay for this for you, but the league wouldn't let me, and I can't go to Fifth Avenue to fight Stern, so you'll have to pay for it yourself."

We've already given you a contract worth hundreds of millions, so just give back a little bit. Consider it a sacrifice to make a run for the championship.

So the list is finalized; it's full for this year, please try again next year.

"Greg, I have to work, that's all."

Tang Sen hung up the phone.

Popovich was completely dumbfounded when he heard the busy tone on the phone.

Inside the training hall.

Tang Sen tossed his phone aside, waved to Kobe, and then walked onto the court, signaling to continue.

Sather defends.

Since it was the off-season anyway, Tang Sen brought Sather over as a sparring partner.

To train several guards well, you can't do it without excellent defensive partners as sparring partners.

Kobe with his back to the basket.

In the instant of the post-up move, he turned around and launched a fadeaway jump shot.

Sather followed him almost like a shadow, leaping up and creating interference.

"It's gotten taller again!"

Tang Sen immediately stopped him, stepped forward and patted Kobe's arm, signaling him to lower it a little.

After taking over Kobe's training, the first training focus Tang Sen assigned him was shooting.

Compared to other seasons, his 46.9% field goal percentage last season wasn't actually that low.

That's about all McGrady has to offer.

But Kobe's goal was Jordan, and compared to Jordan's shooting percentage of over 50%, Kobe's was indeed lacking.

Last season, he started practicing turnaround jump shots.

To put it simply, from the moment he entered the league, Kobe was aiming to emulate Jordan and was following in Jordan's footsteps.

Jordan is good at something, and he wants to be good at that too.

So he practiced jump shots, turnaround jumpers, fadeaway jumpers, and even post-up moves.

But his turnaround jump shot wasn't good.

Tang Sen studied it for a few days and discovered some problems.

When he does a turnaround fadeaway jump shot, he shoots with his elbow high.

Tang Sen even asked him specifically, "Didn't you want to learn from Jordan? But Jordan didn't shoot with his elbows."

Jordan's shot was clearly a low-elbow shot.

When shooting, the elbow should only extend slightly beyond the right shoulder.

McGrady also used a low elbow shot.

Then Kobe said this: He believes that if you're going to learn, you should learn the best.

During Jordan's second three-peat, he made extensive use of the turnaround fadeaway jump shot.

Kobe believed that Jordan was at his strongest during this period, and his skills were definitely the best.

So he chose to learn from Jordan at this stage.

High elbow shooting inevitably requires arching the back, which can easily cause instability in the upper body and thus reduce the shooting percentage.

He leaned back and jumped, landing in mid-air before sitting back.

McGrady also practiced for a long time before he could barely sit still.

Of course, Tang Sen does not believe that Kobe's efforts were in the wrong direction or that he was thinking wrong.

There may be some discrepancies in my thinking, but it certainly doesn't mean that my efforts are in the wrong direction.

He practiced the low elbow and high elbow techniques so many times, did he really not gain any insight at all?
To put it bluntly, his physical condition was not good enough to allow him to sit in the air like Jordan, so he was forced to choose the high elbow.

Physical fitness is fundamental.

Jordan's high elbow occurred during his second three-peat because he was older at that time and his physical condition had declined compared to his younger days.

He didn't jump as high as he leaned back, and his take-off wasn't as fast.

He can't jump further to get away from the defender and then easily shoot with a low elbow.

So he raised his elbow to make it harder for defenders to interfere.

He did this as a compromise due to his declining physical condition.

The same principle applies to Kobe.

His core is not as good as Jordan's.

Look at Kobe's exaggerated layups; he always stumbles when he lands.

Then look at Jordan, he can do a layup in mid-air and switch hands, and still land steadily.

This is the difference in core strength.

So Kobe was forced to straighten his back and raise his elbows.

But Townsend will train his body to make his core stronger and enable him to support low-elbow shots.

Why not start adjusting your shooting form now?

"Sorry, I'm used to it."

Kobe quickly waved his hand.

Tang Sen gestured for them to continue.

In this situation, you have to stand.

For any shooting form issues caused by muscle memory, Tang Sen's choice is to stand still.

If you stand with the system effects enabled, the results will be absolutely fantastic; there's no problem that can't be corrected.

Moreover, Tang Sen genuinely believes that Kobe doesn't need to completely follow Jordan's path.

It's not that Kobe wasn't talented enough.

Kobe's dynamic talent was exceptional, and his coordination was absolutely historic.

I feel like he could practice Dream Step.

But his relatively small hands were quite a disadvantage.

So when it comes to practicing fadeaway jump shots, he's not as good as McGrady.

McGrady was able to gradually develop his fadeaway jump shot, and his large hands played a significant role in that.

Tang Sen and Kobe have been in contact for a few days, and Tang Sen is gradually having some ideas about how to improve Kobe's skills.

There's no need to be overly obsessed with Jordan's seemingly unstoppable style of play. We should focus on leveraging our own strengths.

For example, his coordination could be improved by adjusting his footwork when backing down his opponent.

The fadeaway jump shot is one offensive tactic, but not the only one.

But that's a matter for later.

In the first month, focus on gaining weight and becoming stronger.

Thinking about it, Tang Sen looked at the other players in the stadium.

Yao Ming and Stoudemire are both there.

That kid James will be reporting for duty tomorrow.

Brown arrived, while McGrady was still on vacation.

Carter is here, and Garnett came over today too.

Alan Houston will arrive tomorrow.

Hill will arrive the day after tomorrow.

My team is now in place.

He doesn't need to worry about the others, but he has to be careful about Kobe and the others who paid high prices.

I want to show all the players in the league that if I dare to accept three million, then I have the confidence to accept three million.

So Townsend needs to carefully consider how to improve Garnett's situation.

Meanwhile, far away in New York.

With the start of the season, the Knicks have begun adjusting their roster.

Scott Layden's first goal was to find a point guard who could pass the ball to Yao Ming.

Mark Jackson is really getting old.

He had his eye on Billups long ago.

A championship-winning guard, and a free agent—he can't miss such a great opportunity.

The only problem is, like the Magic, there's no salary cap space.

All we can offer is a middle-class exception.

The Knicks face much greater pressure to free up salary cap space than the Magic.

As soon as the transfer window opened, Layden contacted Andy Miller to express his strong need for Billups and ultimately offered a two-year mid-level exception.

He did not offer a six-year contract.

His meaning was clear: I don't have the salary cap space to sign you right now, but we can sign a shorter contract.

Just two years. Be patient for now, and once you get your bird rights, there's no question you'll have to sign a long-term, high-salary contract.

When it comes to contract renewals, New York has never had a problem.

Leiden's idea was good, but on the 2nd, Andy Miller ruthlessly rejected him.

At Billups' home in Denver.

Andy Miller was giving Billups a long and enthusiastic pep talk.

"Chauncey, you've already won the championship. You don't need to pursue any more championship dreams."

"So let's be realistic, we are professional players, and that's the purpose of our game."

He rubbed his fingers together.

Money is the most important thing!
"Forget about magic. I know you have feelings for Orlando, but feelings can't be used as money."

"And then there's New York. I know they're rich, but who can guarantee what will happen in the future? What if your performance declines or you get injured after two years?"

"I know I'm jinxing, but this is the reality."

"So we need to make a guarantee that if the Knicks give up on you after two years, then we will be the ones who suffer."

He knelt down in front of Billups and said earnestly, "Think about your family, listen to me, go to the Clippers."

"At least they're in Los Angeles, and they're using the Staples Center."

Although the Clippers' market is shockingly small, as they themselves said, at least they're based in Los Angeles.

Most importantly, the Clippers are sincere.

This summer, the Clippers have the highest salary cap in the entire league, totaling tens of millions of dollars.

Elgin Baylor didn't think much of Jeff McGinnis; he wanted a championship-caliber guard, namely Billups.

Therefore, the Clippers offered Billups a 5-year contract with a starting salary of $750 million.

Billups pursed his lips and remained silent.

Andy Miller said, "Chanchy, think about your wife. You have children to raise, and you need money."

Billups frowned slightly.

He felt that Miller had crossed a line.

“Andy, let me think about it some more,” Billups said.

There are still two weeks until the official signing on the 17th, so I have plenty of time to think it over.

"Okay, Chauncey." Miller gritted his teeth and finally said, "Listen to me, go to the Clippers. You're already 26, you should sign your first long-term contract. Trust me, you won't regret this decision."

After Miller left, Billups' wife, Piper, came out.

The two met when they were 17, had a long-term relationship that lasted for many years, and finally got married last year.

"Chauncy."

She walked over, hugged Billups, and said, "Whatever decision you make, I will support you."

"Most importantly, follow your heart. You've always been smart and decisive, and I know you'll definitely make the right decision."

She looked out the window at Miller's car driving away.

She never really liked this agent.

Billups nodded slightly; he did indeed need to think about it carefully.

Deep down, he had no intention of leaving and felt very happy at the magic club.

New York is also very attractive.

Because Tang Sen went there.

Of course, neither of these teams can offer high salaries, and they themselves want big contracts.

While Billups was still struggling with his decision, Leiden had already received a rejection.

Andy Miller used a subtle approach, speaking in a very harsh tone, to reject Ryden, implying that Billups only wanted a big contract and didn't care about New York.

This annoyed Renden, who picked up the phone again and called the Nets.

He wanted to trade for Kidd, with Sprewell as the core player.

If we can't get Billups, a high-performance hot hatch, then we might as well go all out and get the Rolls Royce of point guards.

He contacted the Nets on the 1st, expressing his desire to trade Kidd.

Since it was so close, he even considered driving directly to Rod Thorne's office to have a proper chat with him.

"Scott, give up. We can't get rid of Jason."

Thorne politely declined.

It's just that he's close by, and he's afraid that Leiden will challenge him to a real fight. Otherwise, if he still wants to trade Kidd, he'll definitely have to give him a piece of his mind.

The Nets have suddenly become a rising star in the Eastern Conference, and their record has improved so much that even a fool would know it's all thanks to Kidd.

Unless the Nets are completely out of their minds, they would never trade for Kidd.

After saying that, Thorne hung up the phone in a hurry.

"Fake!"

Ryden angrily slammed the phone down.

They got the number one draft pick, acquired Yao Ming, and also successfully signed Tang Sen.

Just when everything was going well and they were about to make great strides, they suddenly encountered a series of setbacks!

Actually, the Knicks still have options.

André Miller.

This was last season's assist leader.

However, he is slightly smaller and lighter, so his defense isn't that great.

But he's already the assists leader; that's no ordinary offer, and it's unlikely to entice the Cavaliers.

Sprewell might be enough.

But Renden felt it was a bit of a loss to trade Sprewell for Andre Miller.

He wanted to trade Sprewell for a star player.

Moreover, the Knicks are aiming for the championship, and Allan Houston's defense is poor, so they need a defensive anchor on the perimeter.

It took Leiden a while to calm down.

He sensed that everything was going wrong and was at a loss for what to do.

So he decided to seek help from his father, Comrade Old Leighton.

When the call connected and he explained his purpose, Leiden asked his father for advice, feeling frustrated.

Over the phone, Frank Layden, the veteran who single-handedly created the Utah Jazz duo, cursed: "Idiot, think about what your team's biggest advantage is right now."

"what?"

Leiden didn't react in time.

Having a top scholar's lottery ticket and then not being short of money?

"It's Tang!"

Old Layden reminded him with exasperation, "You idiot, think about it. Tang was able to train a fringe player like Jeryl Sather into someone who could defend Kobe in just four months. That's an incredible ability."

"So why are you so obsessed with those established stars? Just find a bunch of talented rookies for Tang and then let him train them."

"In two seasons at most, he can put together a championship-winning roster for you."

Leiden blinked hard.

In an instant, I felt as if I had been enlightened.

Damn, experience really does pay off.

(End of this chapter)