Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 453 The Knicks Continue to Disintegrate
Compared to last year, the training camp this year is much easier.

Compared to offense, defense is much easier to practice.

Once you've mastered physical training, your defense will be pretty much set.

For players like this who primarily focus on defense, at most they can practice their shooting and develop a decent shot, so they're not completely useless on the court.

With the foundation laid last year, the remaining few star players only need to continue refining the details this year.

The overall workload is much lighter.

This would allow Tangsen to dedicate more energy to supporting Durant's development.

Tang Sen really cares about Durant.

It's like a master painter who puts in a lot of effort to create a masterpiece that will be passed down through generations.

Therefore, every stroke on the canvas must be carefully considered before being put to paper.

To Tang Sen's surprise, Durant was very focused on basketball.

There's a certain feeling in his world that basketball is the only thing that matters.

Basic training is extremely tedious and boring.

Even with the support of system effects.

But Durant was patient and it was clear that he enjoyed the process.

He doesn't have Jordan's fiery personality, but he has clear goals and can be extremely strict with himself.

He has his own unique focus.

Quiet.

A basketball court, a basketball, and a person—he can play all day without getting bored.

This feels like the other extreme of Jordan.

All roads lead to Rome, and in his training, he remained incredibly disciplined.

Therefore, Tang Sen couldn't help but feel fortunate that, looking back now, choosing Durant was a correct decision.

Through deeper interaction, Tang Sen's understanding of how to unleash Durant's power and turn him into an invincible weapon became increasingly clear.

Having seen countless players, Tang Sen knows very well what kind of players can go further and pose a threat on the field.

Durant's advantage lies in his supermodel-like agility and speed, which are disproportionate to his height.

With the physique of an inside player, he could really play like a guard.

If he could develop all of Jordan's guard skills, and with his superior height, his power would only be greater.

Time flies, and the day for the opening of the football market has arrived.

This summer is similar to last year.

Stern's "one city, one star" plan has begun to take effect.

The team retained its star players, ensuring revenue from the transfer market.

As each team's revenue increases, the league's revenue also increases, allowing the salary cap to continue rising.

Team owners are also willing to invest more money.

This is positive feedback.

At the same time, the star players can sense the anticipated increase in the team's strength.

In the past, star players left their teams for money or for a championship, but ultimately it was because the original team was too bad and they couldn't see a future.

Humans are inherently ambitious.

But it's different now.

Because of the existence of the Tangsen Million Training Camp.

Strong teams are constrained by salary cap space and cannot make star-level additions, but they can develop role players and rookies. If they have a good eye, they can send them to the Townsend training camp and they might just grow into stars.

And the weaker teams are no longer anxious.

Just look at the Suns. They tanked to get Dwight Howard, and they instantly became a championship-caliber team.

Every year there are promising rookies, and Townsend's training camp can unleash their full potential, allowing them to quickly grow into stars.

For weaker teams, tanking for two or three years, with two roster spots each year, is enough to assemble a starting lineup. Compared to the five or six years, or even longer, rebuilding periods of previous years, the management has the patience.

Therefore, the team has become more cautious in making trades.

The Celtics didn't even want O'Neal, only wanting a promising rookie like Bynum, and that's why.

The Knicks are still falling apart.

On the very first day of the season, the Knicks suffered a devastating loss.

Chandler is gone.

The season isn't over yet, and all the media outlets are predicting that Chandler will leave this summer.

The same is true.

Chandler wants a big contract, and not only that, he doesn't want to be Yao Ming's backup anymore.

If Yao Ming hadn't left the Knicks, he would never have had a chance to succeed.

A tall center with strong defense, excellent help defense, and outstanding low-post offense is highly sought after.

After much deliberation and back and forth, Chandler ultimately went to the Mavericks.

In order to acquire him, the Mavericks even used the newly introduced amnesty clause to grant amnesty to the elderly Finley.

With Walker's big contract coming to an end and the salary cap increased, the Mavericks managed to free up salary space and sign Chandler.

Chandler originally wanted to sign-and-trade, as he had established his value with the Knicks and it wouldn't be appropriate to just leave like that.

However, the longest contract that can be signed before a new contract is four years, and the increase is low. He is still young, so he should sign a long-term contract of five to six years.

Moreover, he played for the Knicks for three years and had bird rights, but ultimately left as a free agent for his own benefit.

The deal was finalized on the very first day the transfer window opened.

Don Nelson immediately held a press conference to announce the signing, and then excitedly stated that the Mavericks now truly possess championship-caliber strength.

Last season, thanks to Dirk Nowitzki's strong emergence, the Mavericks made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals.

In the playoffs, Nowitzki was so strong that he instilled fear in all his opponents.

All fans understand that the Mavericks didn't go further because they lacked depth in the paint, forcing Nowitzki to play center.

If the Mavericks had a dominant center who could hold his own and score inside, they could fully unleash Nowitzki's offensive firepower, which would be a qualitative leap for the Mavericks.

After Chandler left, Gerald also left.

The Knicks want to keep him and are even willing to offer him a multi-million dollar annual salary.

But Gerrard felt it wasn't enough; he specifically requested a maximum salary, and a long-term one at that.

Even if the Knicks had the money, they couldn't offer that level of salary.

Once it's given, the future holds four top-tier salaries.

There was no other way but to let them go.

After careful consideration, Gerrard ultimately went to the Bulls.

Krause finally outlasted Sprewell, the great-grandfather, and with a bunch of promising rookies at his disposal, plus the addition of Gerald, an all-around forward, he proudly announced that the Bulls are really going to take off next season.

It used to be just a slogan, but this time it's for real.

For the Knicks, losing two key players is a significant blow.

Fortunately, they kept Kadrick Brown.

He's not qualified for a max contract yet, so staying in New York, where he's in the most spotlight, is the best option.

Keeping one usable forward is enough for the Knicks.

This summer, the Knicks' most important task is to extend Yao Ming's contract ahead of schedule.

Dolan showed no hesitation in dealing with Yao Ming, the hero of the championship victory, and went all out, renewing Yao Ming's contract with a top-tier long-term contract worth over 100 million dollars.

Just for the two championship trophies Yao Ming brought to the Knicks, and the attention from China, Dolan would feel it was worth it no matter how much money he was offered.

Regardless, once this summer is over, the Knicks' strength has once again been downgraded.

Meanwhile, other teams are rapidly catching up, and it seems that the scenario envisioned by Stern—multiple strong teams vying for the championship—is about to unfold.

(End of this chapter)