Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 209 Pure Competition, Survival of the Fittest
In his office, Tang Sen was reviewing the profiles of new players.

Donil Harvey has the typical small forward build, but he's very strong, has explosive athleticism, and is especially known for his incredible jumping speed.

Being ranked number one in the nation's high school class and winning the McDonald's Slam Dunk Contest during his high school years speaks volumes.

Tang Sen also consulted Donovan and acknowledged his diligence and hard work.

Donovan himself said that he has his own shadow in him.

That's enough to show that he's a tenacious and hardworking guy.

Then there's Gerald Wallace.

Last season, the Kings gave him some opportunities, playing 54 games, but he only averaged 3.2 points per game.

His only highlight of his rookie season was his incredible dunk in the dunk contest.

Only then did everyone realize that the Kings had such an explosive dunker on their bench.

But that's all.

He has the same problem as all high school prodigies: he has a physique but no skills.

He shone brightly across the United States in high school, averaging 28.7 points and 13.8 rebounds per game in his senior year, a dominant performance.

He then went to the University of Alabama in his hometown, but his physical attributes and lack of technical skills began to be exposed.

In his freshman season, he averaged only 9.8 points and 6 rebounds per game.

He didn't think it was a problem with his own skills, but rather that college basketball limited his performance, which led to a lot of unpleasantness with the coaching staff.

Then, on a whim, he decided to go to the talent show.

His year in college lowered his draft position, as the Kings only selected him late in the first round.

However, as Renton said, he is indeed a super genius with explosive talent and has the potential to become the next Pippen.

I just don't know what kind of personality they have, or whether they are self-disciplined enough.

Tang Sen had concerns about this, given his falling out with the coaching staff during his college years.

However, the transaction is already completed, and if you want to back out, you'll have to wait another two months.

With this trade completed, the team's roster is now finalized.

All 15 people, not one missing.

Then, none of the four players on training camp contracts ultimately stayed on.

Maurice Evans, whom Tangsen favored, was also abandoned; there was no place for him on the team.

"Tang, it's almost time."

Brittenham pushed open the door and entered, saying.

It's time to train.

Tang Sen put down the documents and walked with him towards the training ground.

On the way, Brittenham hesitated for a moment and said, "Don, are we really going to do this? This has never happened before in NBA history."

Tang Sen nodded and said, "In the NBA, there has never been a rebuild like Scott's, but it still happened."

Brittenham paused for a moment, then said nothing more.

Anyway, this year, Leiden seems to be possessed, doing all sorts of unconventional things.

Come to the training ground.

Fifteen players, led by Tedeschi, prepare to warm up.

After warming up, Tang Sen didn't rush to call them to start training. Instead, he went to the electronic screen next to him and gathered everyone together.

After waiting a while, Cheney and his coaching staff arrived.

He and Tang Sen exchanged a glance, stepped forward and said a few words briefly, finally saying, "Everyone, we have a new plan."

Houston rolled his eyes in the crowd, speechless with frustration.

Well, another new plan.

Ignoring the commotion, Cheney turned and gestured for the staff to turn on the electronic screen.

The screen lights up.

A list appeared on a fairly large screen.

There are 15 players, and each of their portraits appears on it.

Then, behind each person's portrait, a dense list of numerous items was displayed.

Use red and green colors to mark.

For example, after Yao Ming, there are many green marks: weight, low post footwork, hook shot under the basket, mid-range shot.

But pick-and-roll and passing are red.

The same applies to others.

Everyone looked up, watching with curiosity.

In the crowd, Tyson Chandler raised his hand and shouted, "Coach, is there something wrong with mine? Why are they all red?"

Of the 15 people, the others at least had a few green items, but he had all red ones.

"And I."

Gazuric also raised his hand.

He only has two green ones.

Tang Sen thought to himself, "What else could it be? Because you guys are completely useless."

Cheney thought for a moment, then turned to Tang Sen and said, "Tang, why don't you introduce them?"

Training is part of Tang Sen's plan.

Tang Sen nodded, stepped forward, and asked, "Does anyone play games? I mean Live and 2K."

These are two of the most popular basketball games on the market.

Of the 15 people, 14 raised their arms.

Houston was left, looking around awkwardly and silently lamenting that he was getting old.

This result was within Tang Sen's expectations.

After all, they are all young people around 20 years old; it would be abnormal if they didn't play video games.

Moreover, in the NBA, just playing video games is already considered being a good guy.

At this moment, Bender pointed to the screen as if he had just realized something and said, "Tang, isn't this equivalent to our ability attributes? The green ones are the technologies we have already mastered, and the red ones are the ones we haven't mastered yet."

"Yes."

Tang Sen nodded. He was a young man after all, easy to talk to.

Everyone understood, and then they all turned to look at Chandler.

Chandler looked embarrassed and muttered under his breath, "I'm not that bad, am I?"

If the weight or the technique is not up to standard, then neither of these criteria is met.

Tang Sen continued, "The standards were set by our uniform team. The reason for creating this table is to let you know at any time which aspects you are lacking and need to work hard to improve."

"Most importantly, it outlines the direction of your efforts."

Tang Sen pointed to the technology section.

“Take Tyson as an example,” Tang Sen said, pointing to Chandler. “The first step in his technical training was the hook shot under the basket, then low-post footwork, then low-post shooting, low-post back-to-the-basket moves, and mid-range shots, practicing them one by one.”

This is the technical approach that Tang Sen used to train Brown.

Real and tangible success stories.

"As for defenders, like DeShawn."

Tang Sen then singled out Stevenson, saying, "You need to start with the pull-up jump shot, then the mid-range, post-up, and three-pointer, and develop your skills one by one."

Like his inside players, Tangsen also planned a skill path for his outside players.

Similarly, the same applies to forwards.

Just like when I trained Brown, I broke down the skills required for each position and practiced them one by one, like leveling up in a game, until I finally passed the level.

"Most importantly."

Tang Sen clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention, and then said, "In training, we will increase a lot of real combat drills, and use this table as a standard to comprehensively evaluate your individual abilities, thereby allocating your playing time."

"In other words, for all of you, whoever doesn't perform well in training might lose their starting position, while those who perform well, like Tyson, will."

Tang Sen looked at Chandler.

"If you can beat Yao in training scrimmages, then you can become a starter." Chandler turned and glanced at Yao Ming.

Just then, Yao Ming also looked at him.

Their eyes met, and Chandler suddenly recalled his experience of being thoroughly defeated by Yao Ming at the Nike Global Training Camp in 98.

Given Yao Ming's current level, he really feels he's in trouble.

However, the players in other positions were all pleasantly surprised.

The Knicks today, apart from Yao Ming and Houston, plus half of Billups, are all rookies and prospective players, and who wouldn't want to compete for a starting position?

What's worrisome is that the coaching staff decides who starts from the very beginning, and then even if their performance is mediocre, they will be given plenty of time to train and develop them.

This is the general situation in the NBA.

To develop a promising young player, you must give them enough playing time, even if their performance isn't great.

Then it may take a season to assess whether there is potential for success and whether there is value in continuing to develop the player.

Now, according to Tang Sen, it all depends on the training performance; whoever improves their skills faster and performs better will have a chance.

That's pure competition, survival of the fittest.

Everyone's eyes began to flicker as they looked toward their direct competitors.

Tang Sen observed everyone's reactions.

To be honest, Tang Sen didn't know if doing this would work, or what unforeseen problems it might cause.

But after discussing with Layden and the others, the general direction they agreed on was survival of the fittest, to see who had better training results from a group of talented players, and then select the best player.

We'll adjust the roster again next season and aim for the championship.

In this situation, we might as well compete to the end and let whoever is better go first.

"Let's train."

Tang Sen clapped his hands and called on everyone to start practicing.

Physical fitness remains the primary focus.

Of the 15 players, all except Yao Ming, Houston, and Billups are underweight and need to be adjusted.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but it seems like after the plan was announced, several players' enthusiasm has noticeably increased.

Cheney and Townsend stood together.

After observing for a while, he said with a headache and a guilty conscience, "Tang, is it really okay to do it this way without any problems?"

Logically, the best outcome should be to select the best players through training and then have them compete in matches.

But real matches are not like that; it also depends on the lineup and the teamwork between the players.

You need to have good teamwork and chemistry to win a game.

Frequent lineup changes significantly impact teamwork.

Tang Sen said, "This was Scott's idea. I just refined his plan. I don't know if it will work."

During the previous conversation, it was Leiden who suggested that since it was a survival-of-the-fittest system and the results of the first season didn't matter, they might as well raise the 'poisonous insects' to the extreme.

Whoever is good will play.

Cheney gave a wry smile.

He knew that at the beginning, Layden had suggested looking at the on-court stats and whoever had the better stats would play.

It was rejected by myself and Tang Sen.

If you only look at the data, then you shouldn't cooperate during the game, don't even think about passing the ball to your teammates, it's all mindless individual play.

"Oh well, what can I do? He's the general manager."

Cheney shrugged and muttered a complaint.

In the NBA, the general manager naturally has more power. A mere head coach like myself is constantly insecure, and if Redden doesn't like me, I'll be fired.

It's good this way; at least there's no pressure to achieve results.

Tang Sen did not respond.

To be honest, Tang Sen didn't know where Leiden got these ideas from; they were really shocking, and no one had ever done anything like this before.

However, Tangsen admires him for being able to persuade Dolan and withstand the pressure from the media and fans.

Tang Sen was also curious and wanted to know if this approach would be successful.

For me personally, it doesn't really have much of an impact.

Even if you fail, it won't affect your career; you'll never have to worry about finding a job, no matter where you go.

On the contrary, if they actually succeed, it becomes a splendid career resume.

After all, it has provided other NBA teams with a completely new rebuilding approach.

And now.

Tang Sen looked at the group of players in front of him.

The body, the body!
At the current pace, and with the season already in progress, it may not be until the end of October that I can fully adjust my body weight as planned.

Training days go by quickly.

The new season officially kicked off on October 29th.

In the opening game, the defending champions easily defeated the Digital Man 98-91, securing their first win of the season.

Billups' departure weakened the Magic, but they bolstered their roster during the offseason by acquiring two point guards: Jacques Vaughn and Chris Whitney.

However, the effect was limited, and in terms of controlling the pace of the game, he was far inferior to Billups.

But the core of the team's championship victory is still there, and their strength is enough to beat 90% of the teams.

Brown had 28 points and 14 rebounds, while McGrady was in superb form, scoring 34 points.

After a summer of improvement, his fadeaway jump shot has become increasingly sharp, especially his back-to-the-basket fadeaway, which really has a bit of Jordan's style.

I feel like this season will be a year of explosive growth for him.

Another opening game will be played between the Lakers and the Spurs.

As always, O'Neal indulged himself during the offseason and spent the regular season recovering from injury.

He didn't choose to have his toe surgery in the summer, but instead had it done in the fall, just before the new season was about to begin.

A real paid recovery period.

The Lakers had absolutely no way to deal with him.

In this game, with no one to step up and help him, Kobe chose to go it alone.

He turned Steve Smith into an ATM as soon as he entered the game in the first quarter, scoring 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting and including free throws.

Then, even with the Spurs double-teaming him in the second half, he still managed to rack up a terrifying 43 points, leading his team to a hard-fought 85-81 victory over the Spurs.

He scored half of the Lakers' total points by himself.

At the post-game press conference, Popovich looked frustrated and said helplessly that the Spurs lost to one person.

He was really upset.

He knew that Kobe had performed very well during the preseason.

But I didn't expect Kobe to be in such good form right from the start of the regular season.

And it's the kind of defense that's impossible to defend against.

That back-to-the-basket move, that turnaround jumper, it was simply amazing.

Without a doubt, it was the result of his rigorous training and improvement under Tang Sen in the summer.

Looking at Kobe's performance, Popovich must be feeling a bit like crying.

If Sterling hadn't reported him, Duncan might have joined the million-dollar club too, and his abilities would be vastly improved by now.

The Knicks' first game is also just around the corner.

On the 30th, we will play the Pistons away.

This game marked the debut of the top draft pick and was broadcast live across the United States.

Before the game even started, Barkley from TNT was already making a fuss.

"During the warm-up games, Yao single-handedly dominated Ben and Jermaine, scoring 39 points and grabbing 13 rebounds."

"Then in the final ranking game, Yao scored a whopping 35 points and forced Ben to foul out early. So now I want to know if Ben will panic if he faces Yao again."

Just look at his performance in the World Championships, and you'll know that Ben Wallace would only get thrashed by Yao Ming.

(End of this chapter)