Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 412 Popovich: I Never Joke
Tang Sen glanced at it a few times before putting down the scouting report.

Scout reports are inaccurate; whether someone has talent or not can only be determined by seeing them in person and training them personally.

Tang Sen said, "David, he's only 17 years old, isn't that too young?"

He won't even be 18 by next year's draft.

At eighteen, Tang Sen felt he was too young.

It's rare to find someone at this age with the same level of self-discipline and maturity as Brown, or even James.

Howard's self-discipline is only average, and I have to spend a lot of time correcting and guiding him.

"Most importantly, he can't just skip high school."

Howard had been training with me since April, and in order to graduate from high school, he even took a plane back and forth between the two places.

Now that there are still six months until high school graduation, is it appropriate to just train on your own and abandon your studies?

The NBA requires high school graduation to be eligible for the draft, a rule enshrined in the collective bargaining agreement.

At the same time, becoming a professional athlete before graduating from high school also carries the legal risk of employing child labor.

At this point, Tang Sen picked up the scouting report again and glanced at it.

Born in Plainsboro, New Jersey, she now attends St. Joseph's High School in Mettuchen.

That's not far.

Metuchin is less than 40 kilometers away from Manhattan as the crow flies.

Stern said, "I think we can look to Dwight for an example; he lives not far away anyway."

Howard flew away and eventually managed to get his diploma.

It's so close, there's no pressure even if I have to go to New York for training after class.

Tang Sen glanced at Stern and felt that sometimes he really did have a set of reasons.

"David, what about the expenses? Will the alliance cover them?"

The winner of the top scorer's draw has not yet been decided.

If the player has to pay for it himself, can he afford it?

At this point, even if he hires an agent, the agent might not be willing to spend the money.

After much thought, only the alliance can provide that.

But isn't the league afraid of the players' union objecting to this?
Seeing that he was about to explain, Tang Sen waved his hand to stop him again, saying, "Let's do it your way."

There's not much to say.

Training fees are ultimately a small amount of money.

Anyway, this matter won't affect him much. If Stern can convince the board and the players' union, then Townsend doesn't mind.

The players on the left and right are training players.

People like Tederski have been idle since the training camp ended in September.

When we contacted each other at Christmas, we mentioned that we'd been idle for too long and were getting a little bored.

Just consider it giving them something to do and earning them some extra money.

After leaving Stern's office, Tang Sen handed the scouting report directly to his assistant, asking him to collect information, including specific match videos, and then compile them for him.

Let's look into it again later.

Stern said he was a little shark, so it really is?
After all these years, there's still only one Shaquille O'Neal.

Meanwhile, before the New Year, the Suns faced their last opponent of the year, one that D'Antoni took very seriously.

Spurs.

On December 28th, the Suns traveled to San Antonio to play the Spurs on the road.

Before the game, Popovich's voice made the atmosphere in the home team's locker room heavy.

"I'll say it one last time, don't underestimate the Suns. They're slowly finding a way to win, and they have a lot of potential."

Popovich scanned each player on the field with a serious expression.

"Especially Tim, you must keep an eye on that kid Dwight, don't underestimate him."

He chose to put Duncan at the center position.

Nesterovic would get sieveed by Howard.

Popovich carefully studied the film footage of the Suns' recent games.

He recognized Howard's role in the Suns' offensive system. His tactical importance wasn't limited to fast breaks; his ferocious drives to the basket, fueled by his incredible athleticism, were even greater in half-court situations.

The Suns rely heavily on his individual one-on-one ability in the paint.

Duncan nodded slightly, thinking to himself that even if he were overconfident, he would not underestimate a player who averaged 27 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Popovich stood up and called for the players to come out.

Popovich felt he had taken the Suns seriously enough, but they still caught him off guard.

In this game, Howard was remarkably invisible, and the Suns' offensive focus was not on him at all.

Howard only scored 17 points throughout the game.

Thanks to his teammates' assists, especially Nash's passes, he was very efficient, making 7 out of 10 shots.

Inevitably, he also contributed several spectacular dunks.

On the defensive end, Howard exploded.

Despite being surrounded by Duncan, he grabbed a whopping 18 rebounds.

The number of rebounds was higher than the number of points.

Howard also recorded 6 blocks.

Parker and Ginobili were completely blocked.

On the defensive end, Howard put in a tremendous amount of effort, providing extensive help defense and significantly disrupting the Spurs' perimeter drives.

Popovich believes that a major reason for the Spurs' narrow defeat was Howard's outstanding defense.

Another reason is Ray Allen, who tied his own single-game record for three-pointers made with 44 points.

He was on fire today, it was terrifying.

Moreover, the Suns' offensive focus was on Ray Allen, using only one tactic: Nash would set a screen and then drive to the basket, drawing the defense.

There was a screen on the weak side for Ray Allen without the ball.

When Ray Allen came out to cut the ball out, Nash would always be able to pass it to him.

This move made things very difficult for the Spurs, giving Ray Allen plenty of opportunities.

He made 10 three-pointers, half of which were open shots.

With improved defense and a wider shooting range from the outside, Popovich calmed down and realized that the Spurs' loss was not unjustified.

The key point is that Popovich didn't expect the Suns' strength to improve so quickly.

At the beginning of the season, the Suns played terribly, with no coordination whatsoever among their five starters.

As a result, after two months, they managed to pull off such a brilliant teamwork.

Moreover, not only has the offense improved, but the defense has also improved.

The offensive core can be switched at any time.

If a team is strong only in the paint, then it's actually relatively easy to beat.

But now, the Suns have both Howard in the paint and Ray Allen in the paint, who can carry the load.

If you defend one side, the other side will definitely be missed.

Facing a group of reporters who were pressing him for reasons for the loss, Popovich waved them off and said directly, "Stop thinking the Suns are just an ordinary team."

"They have a top-class center, top-class outside shooters, and a tactical system that suits them."

"Their players are finding chemistry, and believe me, the Suns are now a championship contender."

After saying that, seeing the reporters staring in disbelief, Popovich added, "You know I never joke."

Popovich arrived here and, moved by what he saw, said those words.

He thought that simple mutual flattery would be ignored by the media.

The Spurs, in particular, have little influence and receive little attention.

Unexpectedly, the next day's newspapers were surprisingly lively.

Almost all mainstream media outlets reported on the game and quoted Popovich's words.

Analyze the sun's power from various angles.

The conclusion was that Popovich was right.

This has left many fans confused; how did the Suns suddenly become a championship-caliber team?

(End of this chapter)