Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 225 Coach Selection

On December 13th, the Knicks will play against the Heat, another bottom-ranked team in the Eastern Conference, on the road.

Won.

After this victory, the Knicks dropped to fourth from the bottom in the Eastern Conference.

The playoffs are just around the corner; we only need to advance by three more positions.

However, in their home game against the Celtics on the 14th, the Knicks lost by 4 points due to playing back-to-back games.

Yao Ming once again scored 26 points in a losing effort.

Dolan remained on the sidelines and watched the entire game.

After reading it, his only feeling was that Thibodeau had a problem.

Especially in the fourth quarter, when the Celtics were closing the gap, the Knicks played very chaotically.

Thibodeau stood on the sidelines, pacing anxiously back and forth, unable to come up with any solutions.

After the game, Dolan didn't rush to leave. He found Ryden in the office and asked about the head coach.

Would Jack be willing to come?

Dolan still believes in Jack Ramsey's abilities as a championship-winning coach.

Leiden shook his head.

Ten days have passed since he consulted Ramsey about his attitude.

After careful consideration, the old man declined Leiden's invitation, citing insufficient energy.

"James, what do you think of Kruger?" Renden asked.

It seems like Ron Kruger is really going to be sacked.

"The Hawks' head coach?"

Dolan frowned, then shook his head; he didn't quite believe in these so-called famous coaches in the NCAA.

But the next moment, he suddenly realized.

If I remember correctly, Kruger was Tang Sen's mentor.

He gasped slightly, beginning to understand why Leiden was fond of Kruger.

"That's a good idea."

Dolan nodded slightly and gave Leiden an appreciative look.

It has to be you, with a bit of cleverness.

Tang Sen's importance is self-evident.

Dolan was not satisfied with Cheney, and he wasn't too satisfied with Rhoden either.

But for Tang Sen, it was no problem at all.

Let's not even talk about Yao Ming's peak performance upon arrival; look at Garnett, the next Knicks player, who is already playing quite well.

These young people under Tang Sen's guidance underwent a complete transformation.

There is a real future to look forward to.

Therefore, it is not a problem to try to keep Tangsen with the Knicks in the long term.

But the head coach?

Dolan shook his head again and said, "He's alright as a teaching assistant."

The head coach felt he wasn't qualified enough, but just based on Tang Sen's abilities, he could easily become an assistant coach.

"Hurry up, we need an excellent head coach."

Dolan gave a word of advice before leaving.

After Dolan left, Leiden was also in a real bind.

These days, he has interviewed some coaches, but none of their ideas meet his expectations.

He even considered Rick Pitino, who once turned the Knicks into a three-point shooting team.

At this time, Rick Carlisle, whom Mark's assistant had mentioned, once again came into Raydon's view.

On December 15th, the Pistons faced their first major opponent of the season: the Nets.

But at his home court, Kidd's sky-splitting passes sent alarm bells ringing over the Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Nets cruised to a 97-89 victory with ease.

The Detroit media went wild after the game.

If they can't beat the Magic and the Nets, when will the Pistons ever have a chance to rise in the Eastern Conference?
When will the Bad Boys be able to regain their former glory?

What Detroit fans found even more unacceptable was that, on the 17th, the Knicks actually won against the Nets at home.

101 to 99.
Yao Ming and Houston combined for 59 points, and with 7 seconds left in the game, Bender hit a game-winning three-pointer, turning the tide of the game.

If we make a side-by-side comparison, wouldn't the Pistons be even worse than the Knicks?

The following day, the Pistons faced the Cavaliers on the road, and more bad news came.

The Cavaliers, aiming to challenge the Akron boys, obviously couldn't win. But in the second half, Stackhouse drove to the basket, but his legs buckled and he fell to the ground.

He sprained his ankle and never returned to the field.

Post-match examination revealed a ligament strain, which may keep him out for three to four weeks.

The Pistons' fate was sealed.

Even more damagingly, after the game, the Detroit Free Press reported that there was discord in the Pistons' locker room, with some players complaining that Carlisle's training was too intense and that this was the main reason for Stackhouse's injury.

The Nets finished their game on the 15th, and on the 16th and 17th, instead of resting, they did extra training.

Stackhouse was just too tired, which is why he twisted his ankle.

The report did not reveal which player expressed the complaint, but in the entire Pistons locker room, there are only a few people who have the right to complain about the head coach.

Immediately afterwards, Carlisle was asked by reporters about the excessive intensity of the training.

Carlisle chose to take a hard line, saying he didn't think there was a problem with the intensity of the training, and that if a player doesn't even train hard, what right does he have to compete for the championship?

He made these remarks at the pre-game press conference for the second game against the Cavaliers on the 20th.

Then the Pistons lost.

Ben Wallace went 0-for-1 from the field, scoring 0 points.

Big Z managed to play like Yao Ming in front of him, scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.

At the post-match press conference, Carlisle, looking livid, criticized some players for their lack of professionalism.

By this point, fans throughout Detroit, and indeed across the United States, knew that the conflicts in the Pistons' locker room had reached an irreconcilable level.

Auburn Palace.

"Rick, I'm sorry."

In the office, Joe Dumas looked at Carlisle apologetically.

Carlisle pursed his lips, his gaze complex.

In fact, he had anticipated this outcome.

When players, especially star players, have conflicts with the head coach, aside from championship-winning coaches like Jackson and Popovich, it is usually the head coach who leaves.

In the NBA, the players are everything.

At this moment, Carlisle felt not much anger, but rather disappointment.

He felt that he had done nothing wrong; how could a team improve its strength if it didn't train hard?

If you don't care about the results and are willing to be a pushover, then indulging yourself is fine.

But the Pistons' goal is the championship!

If you don't even have the determination to train hard, how can you compete for the championship?

But at this point, there's no point in saying anything more.

Carlisle calmly rose, shook hands with Dumas in farewell, and proudly left the Auburn Palace.

The Pistons then released an updated announcement, declaring Rick Carlisle fired.

Meanwhile, Carlisle had already gone home.

When you're feeling down, home is the best haven.

"It's okay, Rick. You've become the head coach through hard work. Everyone knows how hard you work. It was their mistake for the Pistons to give you up."

Carlyle's wife, Donna Norbill, comforted him.

The two met in Indianapolis when Carlisle was working for Larry Bird.

At that time, Norbert witnessed the man's passion and dedication to his work, and was moved by his never-give-up spirit, leading them to marry. Carlisle nestled on the sofa and said, "I'm just a little disappointed. Our lineup is actually quite good; there's hope."

He paused, looked at his wife, and said, "I just feel sorry for you. You've only just gotten used to life in Detroit."

The two got married two years ago.

Because he got the job with the Pistons, his wife moved to Detroit with him.

But after just over a year, I have to leave again.

Norbir didn't seem to care and reassured her, "It just so happens that I don't like this hospital either."

She is a pediatrician.

That day, some old friends contacted Carlisle.

For example, Larry Bird.

In 97, Bird took over the Pacers and remembered Carlisle, his former assistant coach, and extended an invitation to him.

Carlisle and Dick Hart joined Bird's crew.

Hart was responsible for defense, while he was responsible for offense.

Bird was in charge of showing off.

All you need to do is clap your hands before the game starts to call all the players onto the field.

"Don't be discouraged, Joe. He's just too weak. If I were him, I would kick all those players who don't respect you out of the game," Bird comforted him over the phone.

He then suggested that Carlisle take the opportunity to rest for a while, subtly revealing that he planned to return to public life and would need Carlisle's help at that time.

After expressing his gratitude, Carlisle hung up the phone.

He wasn't too worried about work.

At least he led the Pistons back to the playoffs last year and almost won Coach of the Year.

It's only because the Magic won the championship that Rivers could have competed with them.

Carlisle is planning to take two days off.

To his surprise, on the third day after he was fired, someone came to visit him.

Scott Layden.

The two met at a hotel in downtown Detroit.

The Knicks?

Carlisle has some bad memories of the Knicks.

In 87, the Knicks underwent a major management reshuffle, with Rick Pitino unexpectedly taking over.

At the time, Carlisle had just left the Trail Blazers and was just coasting along in the Continental Basketball Association when it was the Knicks' former coach, Furtz Levine, who recommended him to Pitino.

He made his debut off the bench and scored a career-high 21 points, immediately becoming a new favorite for the New Yorkers.

But only this one match.

The next day, a reporter from the Post took the initiative to reveal that his skill level was only good enough to play with him on a local basketball court.

Then Carlisle's true colors were revealed; excluding his debut, he only scored 51 points in 25 games.

Pitino decisively abandoned Carlisle.

For Carlisle, this brief trip to New York was not a pleasant experience.

He was well aware of the harshness and acrimony of New York fans.

He knew the New York head coach position was vacant, but he didn't expect Layden to choose him.

He rushed to see Leighton without making any preparations.

However, Carlisle was somewhat surprised by the first question asked after meeting Ryden.

Layden asked himself directly what he thought was the Knicks' biggest problem right now.

Carlisle crossed his arms, pondered seriously for a moment, and said, "Chaos. You have no tactics on the field."

Carlyle felt he had been very tactful in his explanation.

He felt that the Knicks' current tactical level was at best that of a high school student.

How do high school students play basketball?
It's all about individual efforts, relying entirely on personal ability, with at most a little bit of simple teamwork.

Just like the Knicks today.

If the core players perform well, you'll win; if they don't, you're guaranteed to lose.

Leiden raised an eyebrow slightly, signaling Carlisle to continue.

Carlisle also got into the swing of things, saying, "Your plan is very innovative."

He wasn't doing this because Ray came to his door and offered a compliment; he genuinely thought the Knicks' rebuilding plan was incredibly imaginative.

Find a bunch of rookies and nurture them like a breeding ground for the players they want.

“I think at the beginning, you must have had your own ideas, looking for the right players according to a certain established system.”

For example, they found two Garnetts.

This is clearly to pair him with Yao Ming.

Garnett excels at mid-range shooting and can help with defense and sweeping, which can greatly relieve the pressure on Yao Ming.

"But I think in practice you may have reversed it, and instead of training players based on their characteristics, you have started training them specifically according to the initial system concept."

Leiden pursed his lips, remaining noncommittal.

However, Carlisle was quite pleased that Carlisle agreed with his own ideas.

He asked Carlisle what he planned to do if he were to coach the Knicks.

Carlisle pondered for a moment and said, "Pass the ball around. I think you've underestimated Yao's role. He can become more well-rounded and has more potential to be explored."

"He needs to be involved in the organization, work with Chauncey to pass the ball around, and then get the other players involved."

He did the same thing when he was with the Pacers.

During those three seasons, no Pacers player averaged more than 20 points per game, but at least seven players on the team averaged more than 8 points per game.

That year, the Pacers returned to the playoffs and surged to second place in the Eastern Conference, earning Bird his first Coach of the Year award.

Those three years saw the Pacers dominate the Eastern Conference, able to rival Jordan's Bulls.

At this point, Carlisle drifted off into thought, a tall figure suddenly appearing in his mind.

Leiden nodded slightly.

He also felt that the Knicks currently have a significant problem with their offense.

Thibodeau played alongside Van Gundy, and his defense was decent.

But what about attacking?
None of the entire coaching staff is good at it.

He talked with Carlisle for a while longer before taking his leave.

Carlisle was unsure whether Ryden had taken a liking to him.

As for whether he wants to go to the Knicks, Carlisle hasn't made up his mind yet.

A big city like New York is a big stage, but the pressure can be terrifying.

Especially for the Knicks, who are still rebuilding.

But on his drive home, Carlisle thought of Townsend.

Tang Sen inspired him, so he started training the Pistons players himself.

Ultimately, he was dismissed, and logically, Tang Sen should be blamed for it.

But Carlisle didn't blame Tangsen at all; he felt that Tangsen's actions were perfectly reasonable.

In 86, the year of his short but brilliant career, everyone saw only the invincibility of Bird, Ainge, McHale, and Bill Walton.

But Carlisle knew how hard these guys trained off the field in order to win.

Carlisle himself has caught Bird secretly practicing three-pointers in the gym countless times.

That experience made Carlisle realize one thing: if you want to achieve something on the field, you can't do it without training hard.

So when he was fired by the Pistons, he wasn't angry, he just felt regret.

If they can't even endure this little bit of hardship after driving away their own people, how can they compete for the championship?

He tried to emulate Townsend with the Pistons but failed.

Going directly to the Knicks and teaming up with Townsend seems like a good option.

Moreover, his hometown is in New York State.

(End of this chapter)